by Brian Duthu
Pro Shops
The Beat the Pro event held on December 13 raised $2,091.05 for the Sun City Foundation. Once again the event lived up to its name with 47% of the field playing well enough to “Beat the Pros”. Thank you to volunteers John Dockham and Marty Rey that assisted with the event. Thank you also to Chris Linam and Larry Belt for helping to secure prizes for the event. The biggest thank you goes to all those who participated in making the event fun and successful. The 2019 event will be held at South Golf Course and we will be adding a couple of more wrinkles to add excitement to the event.
The free golf clinics, provided by our PGA and LPGA professionals, were once again well attended. For the month, 410 students attended the Saturday golf clinics that began in November and ran into December. Another set of free clinics will be offered in March 2019.
Golf Courses
Mowing heights are lowering slightly throughout the courses, particularly the greens. Bunkers throughout the courses are removing rye grass that may have germinated in bunkers. Sand is added to bunkers on an as needed basis.
The construction of the South Clubhouse has necessitated a new putting/practice area. The putting green will remain roughly the same size as the previous green. The chipping/pitching green will be expanded to accommodate more players. The area will also provide an improved area for practice out of a bunker. In addition to the practice area, South will also be replacing bunker sand throughout the course. Sand will be completely removed from the bunkers, the liner will be fixed as needed and new sand will be added. The work to the practice area and bunkers cannot begin until the bermuda grass is actively growing. As such, we are anticipating starting the project the middle of May 2019.
Snack Shops
Snack shop revenue in November was affected by the closure of the South Snack Shop during construction. Snack Shops are currently open every day from 6:00am to 5:00pm, and serve breakfast and lunch. The only exceptions to the above times are during periods of inclement weather.
Grounds/Lawn Bowl
All Lawn Bowl greens are open for regular play following a brief, partial closure at Bell following the U.S. Open. Irrigation on all greens has been reduced to an as-needed basis as dictated by our moisture readings. Mowing has also been reduced and is used mostly to remove debris from the greens. Greens are rolled in between mowing to keep the surfaces smooth.
The grounds crew has been busy the last several weeks removing weeds. We have most areas under control, though we continue to experience new growth. Leaves have begun to fall and are cleaned up regularly, though periods of high winds erase this work quickly.