Rancho Sierra Golf Course

Glowball Night held October 11
Rock-n-Roll Golf Extravaganza a lot of fun
Rancho Sierra Junior Golf Championship coming in November
Shirley's Corner - News from the Clubhouse
Men's Club News
Tips from the Pro
Rules Corner
Announcing the Rancho Sierra Platinum Club!
Superintendent's Corner

Hi Everyone,

I think we're finally out of the hot weather and into the cool to cold mornings and nice afternoons. I was out at the golf course this two weekends ago to take part in our Rock-n-Roll Golf Extravaganza. While at the course, I was able to enjoy 18 holes of golf in beautiful weather on Sunday with my son Sam. Despite my less than stellar golf skills (Sam's pretty good), we had a great time. It started out cool but by the fourth hole we had removed our sweatshirts and were enjoying the warm sunshine, blue sky, and a light breeze. We should have warm afternoons through most of November.

Lots of stuff is still happening at the golf course. We have our Junior Golf Development Program continuing through mid-November. We also are serving as the venue for several tournaments being put on by organization or companies. Last weekend we hosted a tournament for Living Way Churches and had 35 players who had a great time. Check the calendar on the web site for a full schedule of upcoming events and let us know if you'd like to schedule an event.

Rancho Sierra has recently completed an agreement to be a Cleveland reseller. Our prices on Cleveland merchandise are as good as you will find anywhere, even on the Internet. And with us, you don't have to pay the shipping! Cleveland clubs are very high quality and make great gifts for yourself, friends and family members. If you have had your eye on some a Cleveland wedge, driver, iron set, golf bag or something else and you don't find it in our clubhouse, let us know and we will gladly order it for you.

Glowball Night Held October 11

Due to popular demand, we held a Glowball Night the evening of Saturday, October 11. Normally, we have good weather for our tournaments. However, you may remember this was a week of cold, windy weather, which is somewhat uncharacteristic of early October. Twelve brave souls bared the weather, and had a really fun time. Our next glowball tournament will be in Summer 2009, when it is warm, even at 10 PM. We'll remind you when the date gets closer.

A big thanks to Shirley, our Director of Operations at the golf course, for putting on her second glowball tournament this year. Shirley is a tireless worker at the golf course, so if you see her the next time you are there, let her know that all her work is appreciated.

Rock-n-Roll Golf Extravaganza held October 18

We had a great and very unique event this past weekend, and I hope everybody that wanted to, made it out to the golf course. Rancho Sierra teamed with the High Desert Broadcasting radio network to hold the Rock-n-Roll Golf Extravaganza. Included in this mega-event was:

The Rock-n-Roll Golf Tournament, with the Tremor Girls from High Desert Broadcasting on hand. High Desert Broadcasting brought out there giant boom box, wired speakers around the course, had a remote broadcast with Gary Cruz and played rock and roll music throughout the tournament.
Cleveland Golf Course Demo Day, with Mike Adame from Cleveland Golf. Mike donated an awesome Cleveland Launcher Driver for this event. Many golf tournament participants hit the driver off the 1st tee.
25 cent hot dogs and $1 driving range buckets
Putting Contests
Other cool things to do

Here is a list of winners. Congratulations!

Rock-n-Roll Golf Tournament Team Winners	Team
1st Place Team (employee division)	Josh Hudson, Joe Ciuni, Luke Johnson, Robby Morill
1st Place Team	Jim Lynch, Mike Dalgleish, Wes Dalgleish, Bill Penturf
2nd Place Team	Rick, Mike, Jeff, and Scott
3rd Place Team	Dean, Bill, Eric, and Ralph

Other Rock-n-Roll Contests	Winner
Long Drive Men	Luke Johnson
Long Drive Ladies	Roni Miller
Closest to the Pin #4	Lou Engleheart
Closest to the Pin #6	Luke Johnson
Closest to the Pin #13	Joey Atanante
Closest to the Pin #15	Joe Ciuni (hole in one)

Raffle for Cleveland Launcher Driver	Steve Schaefer
Count the tees for 93.5 free days of golf	Bob Gonzales

Thanks very much to everyone who made it out and participated in an event or two. Also, thanks to High Desert Broadcasting, specifically Jeff McElfresh and Chuck Francey, for organizing the event and being there during the whole tournament to help run it. Thanks to Mike Adame from Cleveland golf for spending the morning at the golf course and donating the awesome Cleveland Launcher Driver. And thanks again to Shirley for keeping us all sane during the hectic times!!

Everybody had such a good time that we hope to make this an annual event.

Shirley's Corner - News From the Clubhouse

BOO! Scared you No! I guess that didn’t go over too well then.

This year we did another glow ball tournament (our last one for the year) and canceled our Halloween tournament, we had a lot of "Heck yeah! We’re not going to miss that.” and unfortunately only 12 people show up. Of those 12 everyone had a great time, FREE FOOD, and lots of laughs and fun playing on a quiet, all most full moon night (eerie and spooky). Thanks to those who came out and conquered their fear of the dark and unknown (their game that is). Next year we will have a Halloween tournament!

Next time you drop in to golf; take a look at all our new Cleveland items, from Wedges & irons to Cleveland Hats and Taylor Made golf balls these are just a few items new in the club house. If there are any items you would like to see us acquire for the pro shop please let me or one of the starters know and we will look into it.

Now that it is starting to get a little chilly we will be bringing back out our mini hand warmers, knit hats and cocoa which is always on hand. Just ask us. I’m going to be looking into selling sweatshirts with our logo on them; everyone likes a warm sweatshirt on a cool brisk windy morning.

Shirley

Men's Club News

The Rancho Sierra Mens Club is now taking new membership applications and renewals for 2009. Join now and get the rest of 2008 included! Membership fee is $45. (Multi-club members are $30.) See Al Strasner, Richard Meadows, or the Rancho Sierra starter for membership information.

Congratulations to David Smith and Dominic Falco for winning the 2-day Partners Tournament on October 4-5.

MENS CLUB TEE TIME CHANGES!!!!

Now that fall has arrived, both the Sunday and the Midweek men’s groups have changed their tee times. Beginning Thursday, October 16, the Midweek group started teeing off at 9 a.m. Beginning Sunday, October 19, the Sunday group is teeing off at 8 a.m. These times will remain in effect until Spring and Daylight Savings times begin (March 8, for those of you who plan ahead).

FALL CLASSIC MENS CLUB TOURNAMENT!

The Fall Classic will be held on Sunday, November 9. Entry fee is $50 and must be turned in by 5 pm on Friday, November 7. This is our quarterly High-Low, Draw-for- Partners, Best Ball Tournament. Instead of the usual burgers and chips, we’re going to have this one catered! The menu will consist of salads, sides, and Tri-tip steak!!!

NOMINATION AND ELECTION OF OFFICERS

Nominations of Mens Club Officers will be held at the next Mens Club Meeting on Sunday, November 2 at 7:30 am. Nominations will be accepted for President, Vice-President, Secretary/Treasurer, Handicap Chairman, and Tournament Director. Election will be held during the Mens Club Meeting on Sunday, December 14. Here’s your chance to be heard!

Other upcoming events include the Points Tournament on December 14 and the Golfer of the Year Tournament on January 11.

If you have any questions, you can email us at RSMensgolf@aol.com.

Bob Gonzales

Cleveland Bags Just In

We just received a shipment of new Cleveland bags. These are beautiful new bags which have the following features:

6" x 8.5" 4 Way Top
Izzo Strap
Integrated Hip Pad
Score Card Sleeve
Pen Sleeve
3 Pocket Layout
Trunk Handle
Rain Hood Included

They come in four great color schemes. We are selling these at a very low price, on $49.95 per bag. They make the perfect Christmas present for any golfer. Shop early to get your first choice of colors.

Tips from The Pro

Your Next Shot is the Most Important

When you're playing a round of golf, what is your most important shot? The most important shot of the day is the shot you're getting ready to hit right now. You can't go back and replay the hole that you made bogey on, and you can't transport yourself magically into the future to birdie the last hole, but what you can do is take control of the shot you're getting ready to hit and put all your focus and energy into that shot.

Practice with a Purpose: When you are practicing, work on the weak parts of your game and ingrain your strengths. Get a picture of what you want to do. Visualize yourself making perfect strokes, whether it be putting, chipping, pitching or even full swing. As a player, you have to capture that "Kodak" moment, as we call it.

This means seeing a picture in your mind of yourself doing precisely whatever it is you're trying to do. Once you can see that picture, your body can duplicate it. But if that picture is fuzzy, then there is no signal to send from the brain to the body.

The next big key is to realize that you don't always have to stand out on the range pounding golf balls. You can visualize and think about your swing, do mirror drills, flashlight drills, racquet drills and many more inside without hitting golf balls. You can build a great golf stroke, and a great golf game, by doing lots of mirror work.

Another Practice Tip: When you are loosening up before a round, start with the heaviest clubs in your bag, which are your wedges. Hit a few short shots with those, and then move up to a different club like an eight iron and hit a few with it, then move up to a 4 iron and hit a few shots. Then go to your hybrid or fairway woods and finally the driver. Then work your way back down again to wedges. The last club you should use is the club you hit on the first tee.

Do these things, and you will become a better player. If you work hard on your short game, you will drop 3-7 shots per round even if your ball striking does not improve.

Rules Corner

Improving your Lie or Position by Moving Growing Things

This is one a lot of us experience from time to time. Say you just hit your ball into some high weeds and you actually find it. But you're not sure you can get in there and hit it out. What can you do then? You know you can't legally move the ball, but can you move all of the growth around the ball without penalty?

The rules say that you cannot improve the position or lie of your ball, the area of your intended swing, or your line of play by moving or bending anything growing or fixed, or moving or pressing anything down with your club or foot, unless you are taking your stance or actually making a stroke.

So you can't do any gardening or weedwacking. You can stand in the area, which may push down some vegetation. But be very careful about moving the ball. If you accidentally move your ball, you must replace it and you incur a one stroke penalty.

And we thought golf was hard enough.

Hit 'em well!

The Rancho Sierra Platinum Club Deal

At Rancho Sierra, we believe in giving customers a great value for the money. At the request of several frequent golfers, we are offering the following deal. We call it The Rancho Sierra Platinum Club. Platinum Club members receive the following benefits:

Unlimited Golf for the whole year - January 1, 2009 through December 31, 2009. You can play all day if you like.
Unlimited Cart Usage - Use of a riding or pull cart.
Unlimited Driving Range Usage - Hit as many buckets ball as you like, anytime.
Free entry in all Rancho Sierra Golf Tournaments - including our Summer Glowball Tournament, our Fall Halloween Tournament, the Rock and Roll Golf Tournament and others (note that this does not include tournament at Rancho Sierra held by other groups and organizations). Tournaments have a limited number of spots, thus to guarantee a spot, Platinum Club members should register for tournaments in advance.
Free Juniors Play - When a junior plays with a Platinum member, they play and ride for free, anytime! This is good for one junior at a time per Platinum Club member.
10% off all clubhouse merchandise (except beer).
Advance notice of merchandise and sales.

The price for Platinum Club for 2009 is $2000. This is an unbelievable deal. This is well over 25% less than the price for 18 holes with cart twice during the week, not even taking account that platinum club members can play on the weekend, and the other benefits, including unlimited driving range use, free entry into Rancho Sierra tournaments, and 10% off clubhouse merchandise.

This price is so good that we are making the Platinum Club a very exclusive club. It will be limited to fifteen charter members. Also, if there is still room after the first of the year, there only be one prorated version of this unbelievable deal. We will offer the same deal from April 1, 2009 through December 31, 2009 for the price of $1600.

To get this great deal, come out to Rancho Sierra and tell them you want to join the Rancho Sierra Platinum Club. We'll take care of the rest.

Superintendent's Corner

Greetings again to all !!!

This month I would like to hit on an all to familiar practice that we all, including myself could practice a little more. That is Divots, and Ball Marks.

I know that most of us try and fix our ball mark as it enters the green, but with the ever increasing love for the game of golf, we also get those who don’t know why or how they should replace or repair a ball mark. I would like to explain the best way to deal with subject. Using a tee, knife, or repair tool, repair the mark by working the edges towards the center, without lifting the center of the mark. Don't tear the grass. Finish by smoothing the area with a club or your foot. Try to get the area smooth enough to putt over. I know that as a good rule of thumb that when I walk up on a green that it is always mine plus one. That means that I not only try and fix mine but also one more that might have got left behind. This approach if carried out by everyone would ensure not only a good putting surface, but a healthy green as well.

I would also like to talk about divots on tees and in fairways. I know that the course supplies you with at least two bottles of sand and seed on every cart as well as seed boxes on every tee. I would only ask that you have the chance to at least fill in your divot. If you don’t have time to do more than just yours, it's OK. All that I ask is that you please take the 30 seconds it takes to fill in a divot that you might have caused either inadvertently or otherwise during play. The process that only takes you seconds saves us weeks of repair and reseeding. It also helps keep our maintenance costs in check and thus leads to lower green fees and monthly golf fees. On tees please use boxes to fill in any holes that were made. If for any reason you encounter a box or bottle that is not full of sand or seed, please let the staff or myself know and we will be happy to get you another one.

Happy Golfing!!!

Josh

Thanks for Your Business

Thanks to everyone who came out and played golf at Rancho Sierra in the past month or two. We really appreciate your business and support. If you haven't been out in awhile, I personally invite you to try Rancho Sierra. We pride ourselves at being the funnest golf course around.

If there is anything we can do to make your golf experience better, please don't hesitate to email me at taiken@ranchosierragolf.com.

Here's wishing you a hole-in-one on your next golf outing.

Tim