Rancho Sierra Golf Course

In this issue ...

Shirley's Corner - News from the Clubhouse
Men's Club News
Excerpt from Tiger Woods Webcast
Tips from the Pro
Superintendent's Corner

Hi Everybody,

I hope you're having a good late spring season. The kids are out of school and looking forward to some time off.

And of course there is Father's Day this weekend. I wondered how it got its start, and found the following on the Internet:

The idea for creating a day for children to honor their fathers began in Spokane, Washington. A woman by the name of Sonora Smart Dodd thought of the idea for Father's Day while listening to a Mother's Day sermon in 1909.

Having been raised by her father, William Jackson Smart, after her mother died, Sonora wanted her father to know how special he was to her. It was her father that made all the parental sacrifices and was, in the eyes of his daughter, a courageous, selfless, and loving man. Sonora's father was born in June, so she chose to hold the first Father's Day celebration in Spokane, Washington on the 19th of June, 1910.

In 1926, a National Father's Day Committee was formed in New York City. Father's Day was recognized by a Joint Resolution of Congress in 1956. In 1972, President Richard Nixon established a permanent national observance of Father's Day to be held on the third Sunday of June. So Father's Day was born in memory and gratitude by a daughter who thought that her father and all good fathers should be honored with a special day just like we honor our mothers on Mother's Day.

For more information see http://www.morning-glow.com/holidays/father/father.html.

I was thinking about what the perfect Father's Day gift is. I came to the conclusion that it is something that lasts and gives you a good feeling. For me, that means a good memory. One nice Father's Day memory is spending time with your Father or children doing something enjoyable. It could be taking a trip, going out to dinner, playing golf (shameless plug I know), or other activity.

To all those dads out there, whatever you do, it's your day. Have a great Father's Day!

Shirley's Corner - News From the Clubhouse

Hi Everyone,

Way to go Lakers!!! 4 to 1. What a slaughter.

Oh my gosh! Is this June glum or what, I haven’t seen it this windy or cold in June for a long time. Just last month it was in the low 100’s what happened? We uncovered our pool and we were hoping to be swimming in it by now. But it’s way too cold for me.

Once again we want to remind everyone about the snakes and not going out of bounds to collect your way ward balls. Please let the starters know if you see one that way they can let other golfer’s know. I’ve worked here 14 years and have only seen 2 snakes, now that’s pretty good odds to bet on if I were a gambler.

We are having a Father’s Day special in the pro shop, buy a Cleveland Classic Golf shirt and you get 2 sleeves of Srixon balls, a Srixon towel, divot tool, package of tees, coffee mug and a free round of golf for the special price of $44.95.

Also, bring your dad or son out on Fathers Day weekend, pay and play 18 holes, and get lunch for free! While you're there, pick up any golf merchandise at 20% off. Sweet deal.

We are busy booking tournaments for the up and coming months, so if you’re thinking about having a tournament please call the pro shop and book early. The Antelope Valley Fair is starting a week early and ending early so I am still undecided about the date for our annual Glowball tournament. I’m thinking the 29th of Aug but nothing definite yet. Vacations should be over and school still hasn’t started.

I’m sure everyone has seen our mascot “Bear the dog.” He’s so cute he will eat out of your hand and follow you but try and pet him and he’s off and running. So far no one can catch him but we keep trying. He stays in the back and keeps an eye on the course at night.

Monday morning 5 men from the SCGA visited our course to see if they needed to re rate the course. They played 18 holes and really thought the course was in great shape. From what they said the course will stay with the same rating: 63.4 and the same slope 100. They do this as volunteers. They get to travel to quite a few courses during the week and the playing part is what is fun. Rick Ross who takes care of the watering and many other jobs here played the back 9 with them. They had one single handicap player and the 3 others were 20 or above.

Help us keep the course in the great shape it’s in now, please put trash in containers and fix ball marks and divots. We hope you enjoy golfing out here as much as we enjoy working here.

Have a great Fathers Day. And here's a shout out for all those who recently graduated. Yah Hoo!!

Shirley

Men's Club News

Hello again!

Normally I play with the Sunday Club but last Tuesday I had the pleasure of playing with the Midweek group. I already knew many of the guys but got to play with a couple of guys I’d never played with before. I played in a fivesome that day due to the uneven number of golfers. I’ve played in fivesomes on Sundays on occasion but I don’t like to because, traditionally, the pace of play is too slow. Amazingly, we finished in just under four hours instead of the usual 4.5 to 5 hours I’ve experienced on Sundays. The difference you ask? Ready Golf. We had four walkers and one cart player. Each player went directly to their ball and played when it was their turn. We did not rush-we just played when ready. That meant lining up the shot or putt, club choice, and practice swing while someone else was setting up for his shot. If a player wasn’t ready when it was his turn, someone else would go ahead and play. It was a nice pace and one of my most enjoyable days on the golf course.

I recently read an internet article on Ready Golf and thought I’d share it with all of you. Here is the link: http://library.thinkquest.org/10556/english/high/gameplay/readgolf.htm.

Tournament Results

Congratulations to the following winners of the Spring Classic on May 17.

Place	Team	Score
First Place	Jack Harvey Skip Wedgewood	-16
Second Place	Jacques Arnold Bobby Griffith	-15
Third Place (tie)	Roger Gackenback CR Smith	-14
Third Place (tie)	Bud Bryant Bob Gonzales	-14

Crying towel Sweepstakes - Joe Zietlow and Alan Hegwood

Points Tournaments

The Midweek Points Tournament was held Tuesday, May 9. Congratulations to the following winners.

Category	Winner
Low	Lou Rosado
Mid	Mike Walter
High	Bobby Renderer

The Sunday Points Tournament was held on June 14. Congratulations to the following winners.

Lows

Place	Winner
1st Place	Dominic Falco
2nd Place	Jacques Arnold
3rd Place	Joey Chewning
4th Place	Bud Bryant

Highs

Place	Winner
1st Place	Ray Fontaine
2nd Place	Bobby Griffin
3rd Place	Mike Villa
4th Place	Tracy Emans

Upcoming Tournaments!

Sunday Tournaments

Date	Tournament
June 21 (Happy Fathers Day)	Individual Low Net
June 28	Modified Stableford

Tuesday Tournaments

Date	Tournament
June 23	Partners Best Ball High-Low
June 30	Low Net
July 7	Individual Net
July 14	Criss Cross High Low
July 21	Individual Net
July 28	Drop any 2 Holes

Thursday Tournaments

Date	Tournament
June 18	Criss Cross High Low
June 25	Alternate Shots High Low
July 2	Combined Low Net
July 9	Best 9 Front or Back
July 16	4 Man Best Ball
July 23	Modified Stableford
July 30	1 or 10, 2 or 11, etc.

Later this summer to be announced: The Presidents Cup in July, the Summer Classic in August and another Away Tournament in September. We’re looking into going to Primm Valley Golf Course. Details to be announced as they develop.

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

Bob Gonzales

Tips from The Pro - Tiger Woods on Play well ... or not

This is a excerpt from the recent Tiger Woods webcast:

How do you turn things around in the middle of a competitive round when you find yourself falling apart or are struggling?

"That's a great question. Because that’s something you find that a lot of touring pros are able to do versus amateur players. You have to have an understanding of your game. And more importantly I think is not only having an understanding of your game but having the guts to trust your analysis and trust what’s going to fix it. That’s what separates, I think, the guys on tour from some of the legendary figures of the game. Is that you have to be able to mid round - if you’re not playing well – understand what’s, say causing your ball to go left. I’ve got to make such and such compensation… this is what my fault has been… this is the fix…. Yeah, but I gotta hit this ball to a tight pin or whatever it is… draw the ball to a narrow fairway… I know what the fix is – can I trust that to be the right fix? If you listen to all the legendary figures who’ve ever played the game, is that they really understood their golf swing. They really understood what works, what works best for them, how do I get out of it? And that’s something that I’ve always prided myself on - I can always fix it on the fly. Because you’re not always going to have it. And none of us really do. And Hogan always said that he has maybe one good round, maybe two, per year. The rest of it, you’re trying to manage it, and that’s probably coming from one of the best ball strikers that ever lived! But you have to understand that it’s about – as you practice, as you take lessons from your local pro – is always trying to understand what you need to do in your golf swing, and try to implement that, and have the courage to go ahead and do it. I think that all of us can take a little tidbit from that – having the courage to try it and trust it, and then pull it off."

For the full archived webcast, click here.

Now go out there and play great golf!

Superintendent's Corner

Rick, Pedro and the rest of the outside staff continue to get rave reviews for their hard work and results. Punching the greens, tee-boxes, and fairways went really well. Rick also had the greens sprayed to remove some weeds. As I've probably said before, the greens are the most important part of a golf course. Although the high desert climate makes it extremely challenging at times, we try to keep our greens in great shape.

We also want to give a big thanks to Dave Smith, who volunteered and spent an afternoon helping Rick and staff at the course. Dave is a loyal Rancho Sierra customer and a nice guy. Thanks Dave!

As we get into the summer months, the challenge becomes getting enough water on the course to keep it green, and cutting the grass frequently enough (it grows quickly) so it looks good and gives golfers a pleasant round of golf.

If you see anything at Rancho Sierra that needs attention, please let either the inside staff or outside staff know. We want to make sure your time with us is fun.

Thanks for Your Patronage

If you have a comment or suggestion, please email it to taiken@ranchosierragolf.com. Thank you very much, and we hope to see you at Rancho Sierra. Come on out to spend part of the Father's Day weekend with us.