A lot has been happening at the course since our last newsletter.  Spring is the time of the year when most golf courses are buzzing with activity.  The weather is warming up nicely, and the grasses, trees, flowers, and other plants are growing vigorously. Our outside staff is always extra busy during the months of April and May, punching, sanding, seeding, cleaning, watering, repairing, and installing, and the list goes on. There is just not enough time in the day to do everything. That’s why we may look harried at times.

For a golf course business, the course (greens, fairways, tee boxes, etc.) itself is the main product. It is very important that the staff do all we can to make the course as nice as possible. The other aspect of our business - really any business - is service. That’s where Shirley and the inside staff come in. We try to make golfers of all abilities feel welcome. Whether you have played every day for for the last 20 years or today is your first day, our job is to make you feel comfortable and help you enjoy and learn the game of golf. Don't hesitate to ask the staff any question about golf. If they don't know the answer, they'll find it out for you.

We’re striving to make our product(s) and service(s) the best of any golf course around. As an owner, I always want to do better. I am always questioning whether we are working on the right tasks. Probably the best way to answer this question is to ask you, the customers, if you think we are doing the right things. So here goes: I would like to get feedback on how we are doing and what we need to improve upon at Rancho Sierra.  I have spent several hours creating a customer survey that I would like you to participate in.  The survey should take between 5 and 10 minutes to complete.  Now I know everyone is busy these days and most of you probably don't like surveys. As an incentive, everyone that completes the survey gets a free Golf  Magazine mug with a picture of the Master’s golf course on it (see picture) AND you will be automatically entered into a drawing for a round of 18 holes for four!  It's an online survey and to participate, click here or go to http://s-8kvq0-41855.sgizmo.com. We will record your name from the survey and you just need to come to the golf course to get your free golf mug. We'll also automatically enter you into the free golf drawing. I'll announce the winner(s) of the drawing in approximately two weeks, so fill it out before May 10th. Thank you in advance to all that take the time to participate.

Winners of the e-Club Free Month of golf Giveaway

 A few months ago we had a contest among our e-Club subscribers where we randomly picked two winners of a free month of golf at Rancho Sierra Golf Course.  One of the initial winners was from San Diego and thus graciously declined.  It took a little longer than expected to get the winners, but we can finally report that they are:

• Ty King
• Rick Koski

Congratulations Ty and Rick! For those of you who didn’t win, don’t worry.  You'll have another chance to win by filling out the survey. Also, we’ll have more contests in the months ahead. There will be plenty of opportunities to win free golf and merchandise.

Rite Aid Tournament

On Sunday, April 20, Rancho Sierra hosted the Rite Aid Tournament.  Even though it was a little bit cold and windy that day, 42 people came out and had an absolutely great time playing golf and joking around with one another. The tournament gave prizes for longest drive for men, longest drive for women, and closest to the pin contests for four par 4’s. Golf was followed by a BBQ lunch and a raffle.

You couldn’t ask for a nicer bunch of people. A big thanks goes out to Kevin Troth and Joe Morales for organizing the tournament, as well as all the participants.

Your Tournament Awaits

It’s still a great time to book your spring or summer tournament or event. Your group or club can use a tournament as a fundraiser, company outing, or just to have fun with a group of friends or family. Tournaments can be closed or open to the public. You decide. We present you with a list of options and once you decide what you want, we take care of all the details. Tournaments can include a lesson clinic, a BBQ lunch, and contests such as putting, closest to the pin on the par 4’s, longest drive, low score and more. Scores can be recorded for an individual, for a group, or you can just play for fun. Contact Shirley at the golf course 661-946-1080 to find out more information.

Men’s Club

The Sunday Rancho Sierra Men’s Club is planning their Spring Classic for May 18^th. So now is a great time to join the Men’s club, play golf with a great bunch of guys, and win money or prizes.  Call the golf course at 661-946-1080 for more information.

Ladies Club

Our ladies club meets Wednesday mornings at 9 AM and they are aways looking for new members. They have a lot of fun playing golf and socializing in a relaxed atmosphere. Beginners are welcome! Call the course at 661-946-1080 for more information.

Superintendent’s Corner

Wow!  how about the weather last week - Cold and windy! We keep trying to get the greens here at Rancho aerated and sanded as all course do this time of year.  The cold days and nights are causing us to wait. Now we are looking at starting the aerating work on the 28th of April.  That is very late and somewhat unusual.  We need a sustained ground temp of 50 degrees before we can punch.  So bear with us and we will get done as soon as we can    

Thank for your patience.... 

                      - Steve

Owner’s Note: The course will be open during aeration. The greens will be a little bit sandy, but aerating the greens is really beneficial for the growth of the grass, so we do it at least once and preferably twice each year, in the Spring and the Fall.  Some golfers don’t like the sandy greens, and it does make the ball roll a lot slower.  If you come out, pay a green fee, and play during the week of aeration, please enjoy a free fountain drink of your choice!

Rules Corner

Rules....The rules state that you must finish the hole with the same golf ball  you started with.  What a lot of golfers do not know is that you can change balls between holes.  For instance, you might want to play a "distance" ball on a par five or par four.  Then you might want to play a "spin" ball on a par three.  This is perfectly legal as long as you finish each hole with the same ball you started that  hole with. Where you would use a different ball to finish with would be in a case where your ball becomes lost in water or the like.

Remember, if you’re not playing by the rules.....it just isn't golf.                         - Steve

Tips from the Pro

Here is a great tip to help you get through a round when your driver goes south on you.  Use your three wood! Just kidding. As you look down on your grip, your thumb and fore finger of your left hand form a "V".  That V is probably pointing toward your chin or even your left shoulder.  Without turning the club, rotate your hands on the grip until that V points to the right side of your face.  This is called a "strong" position of the grip.  Now try swinging while keeping this grip position and see if it helps to straighten out that banana.                      - Steve

Extreme Golf Tournament Anyone?

Since I enjoy running for fitness, I was thinking about planning an Extreme Golf Event sometime this summer.  Most people have never heard of the sport of Extreme Golf. Extreme Golf (also called Speed Golf) is a combination of golf and running.  Players hit a shot, and then run to their ball and hit the next shot as quickly as possible, so as to minimize their total time playing golf. Their score is the sum of the number of strokes and their time playing golf in minutes. I have heard that for most events extreme golfers to carry their clubs (usually only 4-6 of them), while other events allow a caddy that drives beside the golfer-runner.  One interesting aspect of Extreme golf is that promoters of the sport claim the actual number of strokes is not much higher than with regular golf. Now tell that to the courses that have trouble with slow play! See www.speedgolfinternational.com for more information.

Please let me know if you’re interested in participating in an Extreme Golf tournament.  If I can get 15 or more that agree to sign up, then I’ll schedule it. Also, if there is an Extreme Golf expert out that that is willing to be the tournament director or just help in the organization, please contact me at taiken@ranchosierragolf.com. I think Paul B. would like Speed Golf .

 Get Out and Golf

Between now and the middle to end of June is probably the best time of the year to get out and enjoy golf in the Antelope Valley.

If you’re new to golf, or really want to improve your game, there is nothing like a little practice. In fact, Gary Player, after winning a tournament, was accused of being lucky.  He said, and this is a quote originally attributed to Thomas Jefferson, "The harder I practice [Jefferson said “work” instead of “practice”], the luckier I get!”

So come out to the course this weekend. The weather will be great and the course is in great shape! Take a look at the forecast below.

Thanks for subscribing and reading the newsletter. If you know anyone that would be interested in reading the newsletter, please forward it along. We currently have 386 subscribers and are always looking to increase that number. As all of you who are subscribers know, subscribing makes you eligible for exclusive contests, free stuff, and other rewards. In fact, the more subscribers we have, the more golf and merchandise we will giveaway!

In the next few issues, we’ll have information on

• ·         Our annual glowball tournament (the hit of the summer)
• ·         New Rancho Sierra Golf Card (coming soon!)
• ·         Saturday Free Golf Clinics 
• ·         More contests