Rancho Sierra Golf Course

In this issue ...

Adult-Junior Tournament report
Golfer Nickname contest results
Fall Junior Golf Development Program starts this month
Rancho Sierra Fall Golf Extravaganza coming Saturday, October 18th
By overwhelming demand, Glow in the Dark Tournament set for October 11th
Shirley's Corner
Srixon Golf Ball Special
Men's Club News
Tips From the Pro
Rule's Corner
Superintendent's Corner
... and more ...

Hello Everyone,

Welcome to autumn. I am at the golf course writing this, and it sure feels like it's fall. The temperature is down, the wind is down, and it is that much nicer to be outside in the Antelope Valley enjoying a game of golf. Of course, late summer and early fall also means that it's hurricane season in the southeast and, with Hurricane Ike, it looks like the Gulf Coast and the midwest are not enjoying it. I doubt they are singing "You Like Ike, I Like Ike. Everybody Loves Ike ..." the way people did 56 years ago this month.

Speaking of politics, we're also getting close to election time. As you all know, Obama and McCain are the democratic and republican nominees, respectively. I was wondering if they play golf? Reportedly, Barack Obama took up golf and poker when he got elected to the Illinois legislature in 1996 to better bond with his fellow boys in the back room. Evidently, Obama's not bad at golf, and you can see a news item of Obama playing golf.

How about John McCain? Evidently, John McCain isn't a big golf fan. It was reported that he claimed he hated golf on a trip through Myrtle Beach, SC, which is one of the biggest golf mecca's in the country! However, on his home page he has major tabs for strategy, decision center, general election and ... golf gear. This caused a ton of commentary on and off line. McCain is evidently also leading the "Bad Golfer" voter segment.

But I'm interested in whether he actally plays golf. I can't find any information on him actually golfing. There's a political cartoon of him on the golf course with President Bush and Phil Gramm, but it's a bit derogatory and since I don't want to get in the middle of presidential politics, I'm not going to put in the link. If you're really dying to see it and can't find it, email me and I'll send you the link.

The Ryder Cup also starts tomorrow. Even though it is Tigerless, it should be interesting to see if the U.S. can bring it back home. It's been nine years since the U. S. last won, and with six first time players, they have a big challenge ahead. The Kentucky location should benefit the U.S. team. It should be an interesting event to watch and make for some great golf.

Speaking of events, we have a lot of them going on at Rancho Sierra through the rest of September and October, including the start of what I think will be a really great Junior Golf Development Program, our first FALL GOLF EXTRAVAGANZA, and due to numerous requests, a "Glow in the Dark" golf event. Read on for more information on these, as well as golf tips and other information.

Fall Nickname Contest Winners

Thanks to everyone who took part in our Online Golfer Nickname Contest. The winner was Bob Gonzales, who won 5000 Rancho Rewards points, which is good for the purchase of golf and merchandise worth $50.00 at the course. The list of winners is shown below:

Winner	Place	Rancho Rewards Points
Bob Gonzales	First Place	5000
Scott Pogue	Second Place	2500
Wade Saari	Third Place	1000
Brad Hayes	Honorable Mention	1000

Congratulations to these winners!

We have contest ever few months, so if you didn't participate in this one (or even if you did), be sure to get in on the next one. To be alerted of these contests and other giveaways, get on our email list. You can subscribe by going to our web site.

First Annual Adult-Junior Golf Tournament Impressive

On August 23th, Rancho Sierra held the First Annual Adult-Junior Golf Tournament. Fifteen Adult-Junior teams participated. This was an alternate shot tournament. The adult took a shot, and then from where the ball landed, the junior took the next shot. Adults and Juniors also alternated teeing off. Scoring was done via a modified Callaway handicap system, so players did not need an established handicap to participate.

For many of our juniors, this was their first taste of tournament play, and they were very impressive! What amazed me that that 7 and 8 year old kids competed along side of older, 15 and 16 year old juniors and did very well. The top places are shown below, but everyone was a winner!

Place	Team
First	David DiMaria Daniel DiMaria
Second	Nick Morello Cameron Morello
Third	Sam Aiken Sarah Ennis

Thanks again for all parents, grandparents, other adults, and of course, junior golfers.

Fall 2008 Junior Golf Development Program Coming

We are continuing our investment in junior player development with the Rancho Sierra Golf Course Fall 2008 Junior Development Program (JGDP). The program runs eight weeks, but this is more than just another clinic. There are several unique aspects to this program which Juniors and their parents/guardians will find very appealing:

There is a modest $15 enrollment fee. However, this is not just for enrollment. It provides the junior with (1) free range balls anytime they want throughout the program duration (through November 15th). That is, juniors enrolled in the program can come out anytime and hit range balls for free. The fee also provides free golf for juniors on the golf course anytime Monday through Saturday when accompanied by a paid adult, again through November 15th. If the junior wants to ride in a cart (with an adult of course), the cart fee for the junior is only $2.
There are two levels in the development program – (1) a beginner level and (2) an intermediate/advanced level. The beginner level sessions are given primarily on the driving range whereas the intermediate/advanced level will use both the driving range and the golf course approximately equally.
For each session the junior attends, there is a small fee. This allows the junior to miss some sessions and not have to pay for them. The session fee is $10 for the beginner session and $12 for the intermediate/advanced session.
The Fall JGDP concludes with the 2008 Rancho Sierra Junior Golf Championship – a 9-hole scratch tournament which will be held on Saturday, November 15th. All JGDP enrollees will get ½ off the tournament price. Winners get trophies and get their name on the permanent plaque at Rancho Sierra Golf Course.

For complete program information, see the Junior Golf Development Program web page.

In summary, this is a great way for juniors to learn the lessons of golf (and associated life lessons), and to play a lot of golf for a very modest price. If your junior plays golf or has expressed an interest in golf, or if you know of parents of juniors who play our would like to learn how to play golf, please forward this information along to them.

If you have any questions about this program, please email me at taiken@ranchosierragolf.com.

Rancho Sierra Fall Golf Extravaganza

Did you go to the Antelope Valley Fair this year? Are you going to the Palmdale Fall Festival? At Rancho Sierra, we're having an event in October that will rival these events, but ours will be even better, since it will have a golf theme. OK, maybe our extravaganza won't be quite a big, but it will be much more fun!

We only have an event of this size once every five years, so this is going to be really amazing. Some of the happenings at Rancho Sierra during this event will be:

The Rancho Sierra Fall Golf Extravaganza Tournament with lots of prizes - You can win free entries to this by listing to 93.5 The Quake! A hole in one gets you A YEAR OF FREE GOLF!!!
Remote radio broadcast from High Desert Broadcasting's 93.5.
Demo Days with Cleveland/Srixon golf. Come and try the newest products from Cleveland Golf and Srixon. Mike, our Cleveland/Srixon rep, will be there for free fittings. He has also promised me he will give away lots of golf stuff.
Free golf tips on the range from our teaching pros.
Putting contests (for adults and kids).
25 cent hot dogs, $1 buckets of balls.
Driving Range shooting gallery contest with prizes.
Huge 25% off sale in the clubhouse.
... and more

The event will be held on Saturday, October 18th from 9 AM until 2 PM. This will be fun for everyone - kids, adults, men, ladies, beginners, advance golfers, and everyone in between! Spread the word to all family, friends, and business associates. For more information, keep checking our web site for updates.

Men's Club News

September has to be the best month to play golf in the Antelope Valley. Temperatures come down, the wind stays down, and still plenty of sunlight.

The Rancho Sierra Men's Club will start taking membership renewals for 2009 beginning in October. If you are not a current member, you can join in October for 2009 and become a member for the rest of 2008! That’s like getting three months free. Benefits include a SCGA Handicap, reduced green fees, and guaranteed tee times. See Al Strasner or Richard Meadows during a Men's Club event for membership information or email me (Bob Gonzales) at RSmensgolf@aol.com.

The Midweek Group is still teeing off at 8 am on Tuesdays and Thursdays. They will change to 9 am later this fall on a date to be determined later.

The Sunday Group will still be teeing off at 7 am through the month of October. Beginning Nov 2, the Sunday Club will move to an 8 am tee time.

The Men's Club will be having a 2-day Pick your Partner Tournament on October 4 and 5. Tee Times both days will be 7 am. Saturday will be Alternate Shot Format and Sunday will be Partners Best Ball. Entry fee is $25 per player ($50 per team) and must be received by 6:45 on Saturday, October 4.

Other Upcoming events:

October 12 - Men's Club Meeting 6:30 am - Modified Stableford
October 19 - Officers Choice
October 26 - Everyone drops two holes chosen at random
November 2 - New tee time! 8 am ! Men's Club Meeting 7:30 - Officers choice
November 9 - Fall Classic $50 Must be received by 5 pm Nov. 7
December 14 - POINTS Tournament - Men's Club meeting 7:30
January 11 - Golfer of the Year Tournament

Last week, I noticed that the clubhouse has a number of course-tested clubs for sale for $1 each (or 3 for $2!). There were a lot of wedges available of all lengths, makes and designs. However, I found the most accurate wedge online and may order it for some of our regular members. Here it is:

Have fun out there!

Bob Gonzales
Secretary, Rancho Sierra Men's Club

Superintendent's Corner

Greetings and hello to all!! I would like to start off by saying what a pleasure and joy it is to be a part of the Rancho Sierra Golf family. In case you don’t know or maybe haven’t heard, my name is Joshua Hudson and I am the proud new Superintendent of Rancho Sierra Golf! I am excited to tackle the challenges ahead and look forward to doing whatever I can to make Rancho Sierra Golf Course look and play to the best of its ability.

I would also like to give you a little background on me so as you can get to know me a little better. I grew up and have lived in Kern County all my life and graduated from Tehachapi High School in Tehachapi, California. I now reside in California City with my fiancée Sandra and 8 year old daughter Sierra. I was introduced to the game of golf 9 years ago and have been in love with the game ever since. I had my first golf course experience coming via Tierra Del Sol Golf Course in California City, where I was taught what all goes into making a golf course look like a golf course. It was there that Bob Dacey, P.G.A. Professional and Superintendent, and staff taught and showed me the ins and outs of the golf course industry. I come from a very diversified construction background and have been involved in the new and remodel aspect of the construction industry since I was about 12. I am looking forward to becoming a Licensed P.G.A. instructor in the year 2009 and will right now be assisting Head Teaching Professional John Chopp in his junior golf development program.

I would also like to let you know of my future plans for Rancho Sierra Golf Course. Now, as you all know, the greens have been affected with a few problems and this is something that we hope to remedy. In the coming weeks, you will see the staff and myself take part in measures to ensure that the greens return to their fullest potential. It is my plan to have the greens rolling perfect by next season. In addition, we will also be looking into adding alternate tee-boxes for each of the holes to add diversity to the course. Also, we are looking into the possibility of bringing some of the sand bunkers back into play on some or maybe all of the holes. With this all being said, please bare with the staff and myself as we are all striving towards the same goal of a great 2009 season of golf at Rancho Sierra Golf Course.

Josh

Improvements

We're always trying to make improvements at Rancho Sierra on the course, driving range or even in and around the clubhouse. It may not drop two strokes off your game, but we just completed installation of a new carpet on the clubhouse deck.

Speaking of upgrades, we would like to ask our customers to upgrade their attire, just a tiny bit. We request that you not wear loose tank tops while playing golf on the course or hitting balls on the driving range. You don't have to wear a polo shirt - a nice, clean tee shirt is acceptable. Also, sleeveless blouses are good. I find that if I look good, I play better golf, so this is one improvement that may drop strokes off your game!! Thanks very much.

Shirley's Corner

Well for a moment I thought we were done with all the hot humid weather, but no. It seems like it’s going to hang around for a while longer. Now I love to play golf, but not getting done and having to wring out our clothes because they’re dripping wet. Maybe we can talk Josh, our new Superintendent, into putting out those portable hoses on the course, and a quick drive through sprinkle in 100 degree heat would feel especially cooling.

School is back in and we've had our last four day holiday for a while, that is until Thanksgiving, so, since we all have time on our hands, now is a great time to come out and play 9 holes or just practice on the driving range.

Alright I give. We will have another Glowball tournament. With everyone coming up to me and asking when is our next one and that they missed the last one or that it was a blast and they want to play in another one; I finally gave in. This next one won’t have a BBQ or all the raffle prizes, but it should be just as fun. Please hold Saturday, October 11 open as that is the day. We'll start at 3:30 PM. All the information is inside the pro shop with the starters and you will be getting an email blast if you are subscribed to our email list, so be watching carefully for more details. The tournament information will also be posted on the web site real soon now (click here).

There is one sales item I wanted to let you know about. For a limited time, we're having an unbelievable sale on Srixon golf balls. You can pick up a box of AD 333 (blue label) or the Soft Feel (green label) golf balls for ONLY $17.99 per box of 12!!! That's less than the discount web sites sell them for, including golfballs.com, golfgalaxy.com, and golfdiscount.com, all of which sell tese Srixon boxes for $19.95 or more. And with most web sites, you have to pay S&H. This sale won't last long, some come pick up a few boxes today. Boxes of golf balls make great Christmas gifts and the sleeves make great stocking stuffers. (I know it is way too early to think about Christmas but I had to throw it in)

Stop in and say Hi and we’ll let you know what is new in the pro shop and what events are coming up.

Have fun and play some golf for me.

Shirley

TIPS FROM THE PRO

When should I chip? When should I use a pitch? And what’s the difference? A chip is a shot that is used when in close proximity to the green. It is a shot that has little ball flight and has more roll. A pitch shot is used when farther away from the green or there is little green to work with. If you want the specifics, it’ll cost you $45 an hour (nudge, nudge).

Imagine standing 10 feet off the green. Take a few balls and toss them in the air and see how close you can get them to the hole. Now, take a few more balls and roll them, as if bowling. You will be far more accurate if you were to roll them (of course, there are always special circumstances with every golfer). But in general, the average golfer will have better results with the chip (or rolling) method. This is a very important part of the game, and if practiced, can shave more strokes than you might think.

John Chopp
Head Teaching Professional
Rancho Sierra Golf Course

RULES CORNER

This was brought to my attention by the secretary of the men’s club. Both he and I think it would be a great thing for everyone to know.

How do you properly mark a ball on the green, and what are the proper steps when moving your mark out of another player’s line?

The first thing you need to know is this, the ball is to be marked BEFORE it is moved. If it is moved before being marked, you will receive a penalty stroke.

For the ball to be properly marked, the mark is to be placed directly behind the ball, with the ball between the marker and the cup. Once the marker is placed, the ball can be picked up and cleaned, if needed. Also, the ball cannot be marked unless it has come to a complete stop.

Now, say you have marked your ball. But your silver dollar ball marker is now in another player’s line. What do you do?

You MUST move the ball MARKER either to the left or right the length of the putter head (from heel to toe, NOT from sole to grip end). Moving the marker using the length of the putter is far too inaccurate and may create concern with the other members of your foursome.

When you move the marker, pick an object that won’t move (like a tree) to use as a reference point. This way, you can replace the marker in the proper location. Once the away player putts, REMEMBER to put the marker back, it would be a shame to sink that par putt from the wrong location.

Once you replace the marker and it is your turn to putt, place the ball directly in front of the marker, again, with the ball between the marker and the cup. Keep your head down, swing smooth, and sink your putt.

John Chopp
Head Teaching Professional
Rancho Sierra Golf Course

In closing ...

Thanks for reading the September Newsletter (I hope it wasn't a "snoozeletter.") As you can see, we have a lot of great things going on at Rancho Sierra for seniors, juniors, ladies, our men's club, and families. If you want to learn to play golf or just have some fun, come out to Rancho Sierra Golf Course. It's a great place to hang out.

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Gift Cards Now Available
Gift Cards are now available online and at the club. Gift Cards may be purchased for any amount and are redeemable for golf, merchandise, lessons & food. Simply stop in the clubhouse to purchase your gift card or shop on line.

Rancho Sierra Golf Card
Get the Rancho Sierra Golf Card and earn Rancho Rewards points which are as good as money for anything Rancho Sierra sells. Stop into the clubhouse and ask for a card. We'll even start you out with 300 points!!

Forward this Newsletter
Have a friend interested in golf? Want to get him or her interested? Forward this message and they will realize what fun golf at Rancho Sierra can be.