by Brian Duthu
Pro Shops
On Saturday, March 3, the 4th Annual Can/Am tournament will be held at the North Course. The format will be a two-person best ball, with an 8:00am shotgun start. The cup will be awarded to the team with the most winning pairs. In addition to the cup, prizes will be awarded equally between the American and Canadian teams, as well as prizes for longest drive and closest to the pin. A Pebble Beach vacation will be awarded for a hole in one, on hole fourteen.
On Monday, March 5, we will be hosting a demo day at Riverview Golf Course from 9:00am to 2:00pm. Expected vendors are Callaway, Taylor Made, Ping, Cleveland and Wilson. This is a great venue to try out new equipment and knowledgeable people will be on hand to answer questions you may have.
Free Saturday golf clinics will be offered March 10, 17, 24 & 31 at Lakes East/West, classes begin at 9:30am. Topics covered are Ball Flight, Golf Swing Fundamentals, Chipping and Putting. There is no need to preregister and the clinics are open to golfers of all skill levels. The clinics are a great introduction to the game of golf or great way to brush up on your game. Clinics are conducted by PGA professionals.
Get Golf Ready classes are in full swing and class openings remain for March and April. Get Golf Ready classes are a great way to take up the game, exposing golfers to the various aspects of the game (putting, chipping, irons and woods). For $99 you receive four lessons in a group setting, followed by an on course 9-hole playing lesson. The classes are taught by PGA instructors, who also cover proper courtesy and etiquette on the course. To sign up, please contact Chris Linam at (623) 876-8419.
Snack Shops
The dry and warm weather in January led to the Snack Shops exceeding budgeted goals by $10,642 and we thank everyone for their support. Snack Shops are scheduled to close at 5:00pm, however, as we move into longer daylight hours, closing times may be extended based on demand.
Golf Courses
The overseeding schedule has been slightly modified to correct an imbalance of regulation courses that were closed. The updated schedule is now available and will be posted online. The new schedule now provides two regulation courses open in each wave. We did not receive any requests to alter the original schedule, beyond the concern of regulation course openings.
As part of the renovation process, Willowcreek will be receiving a new pump station, delivery is expected the week of February 19 with disassembly of the current station taking place the same week. Installation of the new station that was scheduled for February 27 to March 1 and startup of the new station to occur March 2 is currently postponed. Once installed the station will be capable of distributing water to the golf course at a rate of 2,675 GPM (gallon per minute) at a pressure of 120 PSI (pounds per square inch). Along with the Willowbrook unit installed in 2016, we will have much greater redundancy in case of equipment failure, as both units are capable of providing water to both courses. Both stations can be turned off remotely by the superintendent if needed. During installation there may be some disruption to play on the 14th hole, which may require movement of the tee markers.
We are moving into our peak season for both weather and rounds played. The warmer weather provides for better growing conditions and wear areas will heal more quickly. Though the healing process is quicker, we still remind golfers to fill their divots and repair ball marks. We also ask that golfers refrain from taking divots during practice swings, as this results in unnecessary damage to the courses.
A big thank you to our Willowcreek/Willowbrook Irrigation Technician, Ellis Rogers. Ellis has recently celebrate his 20th year of service to the Recreation Centers of Sun City. His long tenure of dedicated work is greatly appreciated.
Grounds/Lawn Bowling
Plans to increase level and playability for the Bell Lawn Bowl Greens are in the final stages of completion. Work is scheduled to begin on the plinth boards in early April and fraze mowing to commence April 16th. Both greens will be closed during this process.
Mowing continues on all greens once per week to clean the surface. Rolling of the greens occurs an average of 4 times per week. Stimp readings range from 12.6 seconds at Mountain View to 14.0 at Oakmont.
Grounds crews continue with normal winter maintenance. The exception is the search for a solution to “light pollution” along the bottom of the fence of the Pickleball Pavilion at Marinette. The current solution is the use of brick to block the light, which will have the added benefit of preventing balls from becoming stuck under the fence.
