Wednesday, March 24, 2010

April 2010 Newsletter

From the President
Well, we have finally had some decent weather for golf. The past few weeks have been fairly steady with play, nothing exceptional, but at least were bringing in some income. For the entire month of February we had basically one day of play that brought in $ 570.00 in green fees and cart rentals, other than that… February was a tough month for the Club.
Mikel and Javier are working on getting the course in shape; they have fertilized some areas and will continue to get the course ready for the spring and summer play.
The board of directors has authorized some changes to the golf course. We are proposing making modifications on our tee boxes to set the par as a 70 for both the Men and Women. It will require the course to be re-rated, but we are required to update our course rating in the next year or two. Johnnie and Cindy Guelker are looking at getting certified to do course ratings to help with our cost. We will be adding a third set of tees for both the Men & Women. This will give a slightly different look to every hole. By making these changes we will comply with the Texas Golf Association & the USGA in making Number 3 a legitimate par 5 for the ladies. The ratings guide states that a par 5 for ladies must be at least 400 yards long.
Other changes will include removing a few trees where the new tee boxes will be and leveling & mowing these areas. We are also looking at filling in both sand traps on the course. The sand traps are mainly a maintenance and aesthetic issue. It really makes no sense to have just two sand traps, either we need to add more or remove what we have. The truth being told, the majority of Board of Directors would really like to add several more sand traps however, sand traps with proper drainage (unlike number 4) cost around $5,000 to $7,000 each. Obviously this is something we cannot afford to do. These areas would be filled in to follow the natural contour of the surrounding area and seed will be put down. By the summer these areas should be completely grassed over and ready for play. Mikel, Casey and the Board are also considering letting the grass around the greens to grow a little taller, to add more emphasis on accuracy.
Again this is all being done at no additional cost to the club. Rick Dabney has agreed to cover the cost to add the one new sprinkler that we need to add and any cost associated with it (renting trencher & irrigation pipes).
With these changes, the great news is if you don’t like where the new tee box is located you can go back and continue to play the same tee box you have played for years. This is just going to give you another option. The men’s red/blue tees and the ladies yellow/white tees will pretty much remain the same with the exception of one or two holes. Therefore if you don’t like the new tees, continue playing the ones you’re used to.
Jerry Neufeld - President

From the Golf Shop
Spring is officially here (so says the calender and the goofy weathermen), although I don't agree with them yet. Eventually the sun will shine and the grass will green up and the snow of this year will be a distant memory. One thing that has been said by the weathermen is that it will be a very stormy spring. That means lots of lightning and hail. I hope that they are wrong, but in case they are not, keep in mind that if you hear thunder – lightning is near. If you are on the golf course and see any lightning please seek shelter immediately. The golf staff will be watching the radar and sounding the horn if we see any potential danger. If you hear the horn, please come back to the shop (that way we are not worried about where you could be). Remember – we aren't trying to ruin your game by bringing you in, we just want to keep you safe.

Women's Working Wednesday Play
All ladies are invited to play golf starting in April on Wednesday nights in the Women's Working Wednesday Play Day. There will be a different game every Wednesday and prizes at the end of the year. Please call the golf shop by 4:00 to sign up and play begins at 6:00. Once again, all ladies are invited to play – so come out and have a great time playing golf and meeting new friends.

Adios to Winter 3-Person Scramble
We didn't get to say “adios” to winter on the week that we wanted to. The tournament has been rescheduled to April 17th & 18th. This is the same weekend that the 2-Man Low Ball was scheduled to be on. The 2-Man Low Ball will not be played this year. Please call the golf shop if you are interested in playing (there is still room) at 499-3397.

Friday Night Scrambles
The Friday Night Scramble will begin play on April 23rd. If you are interested in playing, you need to call the golf shop by 4:00 p.m. Play begins sharply at 6:00 p.m. All members are invited to play. Teresa makes a wonderful meal following play so be sure to stick around when you are done playing. Remember to call in by 4:00 p.m.

The Friday Night Scrambles will be played on April 23rd & 30th this month. .

WT Bowlers Tournament
The WT Bowlers Fundraising Tournament is scheduled for Wednesday, April 21st h with a 12:00 shotgun. Please note that the course will be closed that afternoon till around 5:30 p.m.

Spring Aerification
We will be closed on Tuesday, March 31st for spring aerification. We will re-open Wednesday, April 1st at 8:00 a.m.

Reminders
Please be sure to fill all your divots with sand and to repair your ball marks on the green. This will help keep Canyon Country Club looking great.

Friday, March 19, 2010

Adios Postponed

The Adios to Winter 3-Person Scramble will be postponed until next weekend March 20th and 21st. If you are entered into the tournament please call and double check your starting time next week. If you are not entered and would like some more information - please call (806) 499-3397 ext. 21.

Thanks

Casey Renner

Monday, March 1, 2010

March Newsletter

From the President

It’s been a tough start to the new year, first with the bitter cold weather then all the snow; it has been pretty quiet around the golf course. We had just a little over 300 rounds of golf played in the month of January and with all the snow we had, we have not been able to open the golf course at all in February. If there is any good news to the lack of income from green fees and carts, it is definitely some much needed moisture. Come springtime we will be very thankful for the moisture from the snow.

In the meantime the board of directors is looking at ways to increase our membership and make course improvements at very little cost. Over the course of the next month or so we will be addressing these with the stockholders. I don’t foresee any of these changes being too drastic, just trying to expand on what we currently have.

A special thank to Roger Senter and Goodman Distribution for the donation and installation of 3 programmable thermostats for the clubhouse. Roger was able to get them to donate the thermostats in exchange for a couple of rounds of golf with cart, and Roger installed them on his own time. Thanks Roger for once again going above and beyond board member duties.

Let’s all hope for some better weather so we can get out there and chase that little white thing (golf ball not snow ball) around the course.

Jerry Neufeld – President
Board of Directors

From the Golf Shop
As I am writing this, it has been a whopping 29 straight days since we have been open for play. February flew by, especially since we didn't see most of you, and I hope that the snow will eventually melt off. One good thing is that much needed moisture that the golf course is receiving. According to Mikel we have had about 20 inches of snow in the last 30 days. The golf course will look great once it gets uncovered and dry enough to play.

While the snow was on the golf course, the golf staff did a few projects. We cleaned out the closets by the south door (there were two pickup loads of junk that were thrown away) and we also filled up the cart batteries with water (ensuring that your cart won't go down once we do get to play). These are just a few things we did to fight off the boredom (which is ironic considering that these things were really boring to write about).

We did have a Super Bowl party and Jimmy Jones, Roger Senter, Johnnie Guelker, and Trish Giacomazzi were the big winners on our squares pot. It was a fun time and such a good game to watch. Thanks to Teresa for the great food she cooked and thanks to everyone who came to the party.

The Adios to Winter 3 – Person Scramble will be held on March 20th and 21st. There will be a morning and afternoon shotgun on both days. If you would like to play please call the golf shop for more information or to sign up.

Ladies Auxiliary
The Ladies Auxiliary will be meeting on Thursday, March 12th at 7:00 p.m. All ladies are invited to come and be a part of the Ladies Auxiliary

Just a quick reminder that annual dues of $16 needs to be paid by March 11th for your information to be in the ladies yearbook.

Kay Reynolds, Director from CCC for the High Plains Women's Golf Association, is attending the March meeting in Clovis to set the play dates for 2010. Play is the 2nd Wednesday of the month, April thru October. $18 to join and $35 per meet. The $35 pays for green fees, cart and the meal. Any Canyon Country Club lady golfer is eligible to join. Please contact Kay Reynolds @ 499-3310, if you are interested in joining.



Thank You
Thanks to Roger Senter for finding and installing digital and programmable thermostats for the clubhouse. They were donated by Cory McClusky with Goodman Distribution Company. Thanks to Mr. McClusky and thanks again to Roger for all of his hardwork that he does around here.