September 2010 Newsletter

From the PresidentAs we wind down from another summer of golf, Canyon Country Club continues to strive to be the best 9-hole course in the panhandle. Casey and his crew in the Proshop work to offer the best customer service and products available. Mikel, Javier and Paul work countless hours to offer the best course and what many people describe as the best greens in the panhandle. In case you haven’t thought about it before, during the heavy golfing months (April-Oct.) Casey generally works 6 to 7 days a week (some days 10-12 hours each day) and will work several days without any days off. Mikel is the same way, although he has Javier to help cover every other weekend, it is not uncommon for Mikel to be out on the course at 9pm, checking sprinklers and making sure everything is working as it is suppose to be. I know I have said this before, but we need to compliment our staff for all they do for us. I realize these folks are paid to do this, but also consider they haven’t had a raise in a couple of years. We need to remember this when we meet at our annual meeting in January.

Just wanted to let everyone know the new pump and motor was installed with no problems. Mikel was able to get back on a more effective watering schedule and the new variable speed drive should be installed in a few weeks. One problem that we did run into was the current building that houses the pump was not big enough to handle the new variable speed system as well. Thankfully the company that is putting in the system is going to build a building and attach it to our existing building at no cost to the club.

The swimming pool closed on August 22. I think we can deem the “pool membership” a success. I don’t have all the numbers in at this time, but I do think it is safe to say the pool membership paid for all of the chemicals for the pool this summer and part of the salary for lifeguards. A couple of other things about the pool, I was hoping to find a “cheap” used slide to buy but none came available this summer so hopefully that will change by next year. We will also need to look at re-painting the pool next year. Last time it cost $2,000-$3,000 and I expect it would be around the same next year. In a perfect world what really needs to be done is to have the swimming pool re-plastered. Unfortunately to do that we are looking at $15,000 to $18,000, but if we re-plastered then we wouldn’t have to re-paint every 3-4 years. Just something for everyone to be thinking over the fall and winter.
Hope to see y’all on the course.

Jerry Neufeld – President

From the Pro Shop
It was a great summer this year. The weather never got to hot, we got a little bit of rain (keep your fingers crossed for more), and the golf course has never looked better. If you get a chance to see Mikal and his crew, be sure to tell him what a great job they have been doing.

The Ladies Chaparral was a big success this year. We had 27 teams from not only our club, but from all over the panhandle. Congratulations Lori O'Loughlin and Kim Davis for placing third in the second flight. Also congatulaions to Trish Giacomazzi for winning the putting tournament. Thanks again to everyone for playing and to everyone who volunteered their time and efforts to make this tournament such a huge success.

The Super Scramble will be held August 29th with a 1:00 shotgun.This our year end member scramble. There will be over $1000 in prize money and possible skin money to be had. If you are interested in playing please call the shop to sign-up.

The 19-Man Shootout is a fun event. It will be held on Sunday, September 12th. I will take the first 19 men to sign-up by the 12th of September. Cost is $10, so come out and enjoy the fun.

The Robert C. Burton 3-Man Scramble will be held on September 18th & 19th. There will be a morning and afternoon shotgun start on both days. To sign-up your team or if you have any questions, please call the golf shop.

The Ryder Cup Matches will begin on Saturday the 25th and end on Sunday the 26th. This is a fun event with the women versus the men. The men have won the last four years – but I’m sure the ladies will come out fighting to regain the cup. Every member is invited to play in this regardless of ability. If you would like to play or have any questions, please call the golf shop.

Remember that Labor Day is Monday, September 6th. Members may make their tee times up to a week in advance. Non-members can make their tee times only one day in advance. If you want to play on that Monday, get your tee time early.
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We hope to see everyone on the golf course this fall. Remember that this is your club, so be proud to be a member. Remember to fix all your pitch marks on the greens, sand your divots in the fairways, and help keep us clean by picking up any stray trash you see lying around. Let's make sure that Canyon Country Club the best golf club in this area.