Thanks to the perfect weather this week and the extra days we remained closed during overseeding, our Director of Agronomy, David Escobedo, has determined that the turf is ready for cart use starting tomorrow, Wednesday, October 22.

Despite the record rainfall, the overseed on the Vistas Course went exceptionally well, and we’re confident the turf can now handle cart traffic.

As always, please follow the 90-degree rule when possible and do your best to minimize driving on the grass. A little extra care and common sense now will help keep the course looking great all winter long!

A Few Important Reminders:

• Each group is limited to two carts maximum, unless additional carts have been approved by the Golf Shop. Groups found using more than two carts without prior approval will be referred to the Member Standards Committee.

• Only handicap flags issued by the Admin Office are recognized and allowed for use.

• Players with valid handicap flags may drive within 10 yards of tee boxes and greens. All other players must remain at least 30 yards away from these areas.

With the season in full swing, we’re members-only (plus guests) until next summer. Please continue to help us take care of our courses so everyone can enjoy them at their best. Here are some helpful reminders:

Pace of Play Reminders:

• Our Goal is 4 Hours or Less: A smooth pace is essential for everyone’s enjoyment.
  • If you notice a faster group waiting behind, please let them play through. If this happens frequently, consider picking up the pace.
  • Prepare for your shot in advance. It’s great to watch others, but use that time to get ready.
  • Bring extra clubs with you to avoid unnecessary trips back and forth.
  • Start reading your putts while others are preparing, staying mindful of etiquette.
  • And remember, golf is social—chatting and fun are encouraged, but we can all multitask a bit!

Course Care Tips: Quick, Easy, and Essential!

As golfers, a little extra care for the course goes a long way! Fixing ball marks and filling divots are small acts that make a huge difference in keeping our greens and fairways in top condition. Here’s how you can celebrate your great shots and help keep the course pristine for everyone:

Five Things Every Golfer Should Know About Repairing Ball Marks and Filling Divots:

1. Ball Mark Repair Technique is Key:

   • Insert your tool behind the mark and gently push toward the center, working around it. Avoid lifting or twisting to protect turf roots. Smooth it over with your putter, and enjoy a flawless green!

2. Unrepaired Marks Last for Weeks:

   • Left unpatched, ball marks take ages to heal, causing bumpy rolls and inviting weeds. By fixing yours and a few others, we can virtually eliminate ball marks, keeping greens beautiful and smooth.

3. Some Greens Need Extra Love:

   • Greens that see high approach shots, like on par-3s, are especially prone to marks. Take an extra moment here to patch yours and any you spot nearby.

4. Sand and Seed Divots in the Fairways:

   • If your divot left a chunk of turf, replace it firmly in the divot. If not, use the sand and seed mix to fill the area. This keeps fairways smooth, encourages regrowth, and prevents weeds!

5. Pay It Forward on the Course:

   • Just like any act of kindness, repairing a few extra marks or divots is a way to “pay it forward.” If everyone does a bit more, we’ll all enjoy a course that’s pristine and ready for play every time!

🎉 Don’t Forget… We Have a Halloween Sale! 🎉

🌟 The Vistas Course is Now Open! 🌟

Thanks to the couple extra days for overseeding due to the October floods and the hard work of our amazing grounds team, the course is looking fantastic! Temperatures are fantastic!

We opened the main driving range tee on Saturday so we hope you had a chance to get a little golf fix ahead of today’s course opening. For at least the next week, as we give the new winter grass time to settle, play will be cart-path-only. Please remember to pair up in carts—more than two carts don’t actually speed up play, and extra carts put more stress on the course edges fur to carts needing to pass one another. Please keep all four tires on the path unless you need to get around someone. If you need more than two carts for your group due to a valid reason (like a mid-round departure or a medical need), contact the Golf Shop for approval. Groups that do not seek approval from the golf shop will be submitted to the member standards committee.

🎥 Check Out the Latest Drone Videos of the Vistas!
Captured just yesterday, October 18, these drone shots will give you a bird’s-eye view of all the freshly overseeded holes!

• New Paint Job on the Exterior of the Facilities
• We Have Removed the 150 yard poles for a cleaner look
• Men's Locker Room Renovation
• Trimmed Trees
• Added Sand to the Bunkers
• Lots of New Merchandise

Course Care Tips: Quick, Easy, and Essential!

As golfers, a little extra care for the course goes a long way! Fixing ball marks and filling divots are small acts that make a huge difference in keeping our greens and fairways in top condition. Here’s how you can celebrate your great shots and help keep the course pristine for everyone:

Five Things Every Golfer Should Know About Repairing Ball Marks and Filling Divots:

• Ball Mark Repair Technique is Key:

  • Insert your tool behind the mark and gently push toward the center, working around it. Avoid lifting or twisting to protect turf roots. Smooth it over with your putter, and enjoy a flawless green!

• Unrepaired Marks Last for Weeks:

  • Left unpatched, ball marks take ages to heal, causing bumpy rolls and inviting weeds. By fixing yours and a few others, we can virtually eliminate ball marks, keeping greens beautiful and smooth.

• Some Greens Need Extra Love:

  • Greens that see high approach shots, like on par-3s, are especially prone to marks. Take an extra moment here to patch yours and any you spot nearby.

• Sand and Seed Divots in the Fairways:

  • If your divot left a chunk of turf, replace it firmly in the divot. If not, use the sand and seed mix to fill the area. This keeps fairways smooth, encourages regrowth, and prevents weeds! Please make sure to discard the summer mixture and fill up with the winter mixture at the cart barn.

• Pay It Forward on the Course:

  • Just like any act of kindness, repairing a few extra marks or divots is a way to “pay it forward.” If everyone does a bit more, we’ll all enjoy a course that’s pristine and ready for play every time!

⛳ Busy Days Ahead!

With only the Vistas Course open until the Lakes Course reopens Saturday, November 1, our tee sheets will be packed! To help keep the pace of play smooth, please be ready to hit your shot and be prepared to help maintain the flow.

👻 Halloween Haul-Away Sale! 🎃

Our Vistas shop is jam packed with new product, but we did bring over some of last years items and have dotted them up for you! it’s time to clear out last season’s stock with prices so good, it’s scary! Don’t miss your chance to snag these boo-tiful deals before they vanish into the night on October 31!

• 50% Off Green Dots
• 60% Off Red Dots
• 70% Off Purple Dots

You'll uncover spooky savings on bags, balls, hats, clothing, and more throughout the shop! Plus:

• 60% Off Last Year’s Shoes
• 50% Off Select Bags
• 25% Off Gloves and Accessories
• 20% Off In-Stock Putters
• 20% Off Balls - Load Up Your Future Lake Donations
• DOT SALE

Hurry in and claim these hauntingly good deals before they’re gone! 🧛‍♂️

Thank you for being such a valued member of our club! We’re excited to kick off another fantastic season with you and can’t wait to see you out on the course and in the shop. Our team has done an incredible job preparing for an unforgettable season ahead. Let’s make this one our best yet!

1. Enhanced Natural Aesthetics: The removal of the poles will allow the natural beauty of the course to shine through. Golfers will be able to enjoy unobstructed views of the landscape, making for a more visually appealing experience.
2. Improved Challenge: Without the aiming and distance poles, golfers will need to rely more on their skills and judgment. This change is expected to add an extra layer of challenge and excitement to the game, encouraging players to hone their abilities.
3. Modern Technology: With the advent of advanced GPS devices and rangefinders, the need for physical distance markers has diminished. These modern tools provide more accurate and convenient ways for golfers to gauge distances.

What to Expect

• Embrace Technology: If you haven't already, consider investing in a GPS device or rangefinder. These tools can provide precise distance measurements and help you navigate the courses with ease.
• Sharpen Your Skills: Use this opportunity to improve your judgment and decision-making on the courses. Practice visualizing distances and selecting the right clubs based on your instincts.
• Enjoy the Scenery: Take a moment to appreciate the natural beauty of the course. Without the poles, you'll have a clearer view of the surroundings, making your game more enjoyable.

Respectively,
Your Board of Directors and Greens and Grounds Committee.

Due to the exceptional rainfall this past weekend and for the protection of the overseed, we are going to delay the Vistas Course opening until Monday, October 20th. However, we will open the front of the Vistas range and main putting green for practice on Saturday, October 18th.

Why the Delay Is Necessary

After receiving multiple inches of rain in a very short period this past weekend, we’ve unfortunately had to delay the opening of the Vistas Course until Monday, October 20th. While a rainstorm may seem like a welcome sight to those from wetter regions, here in the desert it creates a very different set of challenges. Our area averages only seven inches of rain per year, yet we’ve received more than four inches in just the past three weeks. The ground simply cannot absorb that much moisture quickly, leading to flooding, washed-out bunkers, damaged cart paths, and standing water across several holes on the Vistas Course.

The Delicate Art of Overseeding

October is the most critical time of year for our agronomy teams, it’s when we overseed both golf courses. Overseeding is the process of planting cool-season ryegrass over dormant Bermudagrass to provide lush, green playing surfaces through the winter months. The process is both timing-sensitive and labor-intensive, requiring very specific temperature and soil conditions for the seed to germinate properly.

Because of the narrow window in which this work must be done, we combine both the Vistas and Lakes maintenance teams and focus all available manpower on one course at a time to ensure every step - scalping, seeding, watering, and fertilizing, is executed perfectly. Any disruption in timing can compromise the entire overseed, which in turn affects course quality for the entire winter season.

When the heavy rains hit, the Lakes Course had not yet been seeded, and the flooding there required immediate re-preparation to stay on schedule. To protect the success of that overseed, we had to shift both grounds crews’ attention from repairing storm damage at the Vistas to reworking the Lakes surface and completing the seeding before temperatures and conditions changed.

What This Means for the Vistas Course

While the Vistas turf itself handled the rain relatively well, much of the seed had already germinated, the course still suffered extensive washouts in bunkers and along cart paths, along with soft, saturated ground in several areas. The redirection of labor to the Lakes Course meant that progress on Vistas repairs slowed temporarily.

Now that seeding at Lakes is complete and stabilized, the teams are refocusing on Vistas cleanup, cart path repair, bunker restoration, and turf recovery. The additional two days will give the crew time to finish those efforts and allow the newly rooted ryegrass to firm up before opening for play.

While a short delay, these final days are crucial to ensure the course opens in the healthiest possible condition, setting the stage for a strong, resilient playing surface throughout the winter season.

What This Means for You

• No play on Vistas until October 20th.

• Our crews are working diligently, alternating between Vistas and Lakes, to stay on schedule wherever possible.

• We know this delay is inconvenient, and we sincerely apologize for the disruption.

• Please rest assured: this decision is made with one primary goal in mind, delivering a healthier, more resilient course for your enjoyment throughout the winter season.

We appreciate your patience, your understanding of the challenges we face, and your confidence in our team. We are committed to providing the highest quality golfing experience, and sometimes Mother Nature requires us to pause, recalibrate, and let the land heal properly.

Thank you for your continued support. We look forward to welcoming you for play at the Vistas Course on Monday, October 20th.