Arrowhead Members,
We have had many members already take advantage of the pre-paid dues option...over 60 at last count. Even with the tremendous response, I feel like there still remains some confusion regarding the pre-paid option that I want to clear up. Most of the confusion is due to the fact that about half way into the roll-out, I made a change after consulting with the Board of Governors. Due to this, I will clarify the option below and let you know we will extend the deadline to 12/31/2010.
The pre-paid option is available to all golf, tennis, fitness family and fitness couple memberships. If you are eligible to participate you would have received a letter in the mail announcing the option. If you choose to participate, you now have two rewards packages to select from. First, you can receive the usage package that was explained in the letter or, you can choose to receive a gift card valued at one months dues which can be used for any product, good or service at the Club except for dues or annual passes. The usage package is somewhere in the 15% to 20% range and the gift card is essentially about 8% (the amount of the gift card or usage package is annualized for seasonal memberships). Y
I hope that clears things up. If not, please ask myself, one of the membership directors or the accountant for specifics.
Kindest regards
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Saturday, December 11, 2010
More Good Causes...12/11/10
I was sitting at a chairity fund raiser many years ago with a good friend who said "there are more good causes than my check book can support." I think those words are more true today than anytime in our history.
As I write this entry, we just completed our Mercedes Benz of Arrowhead sponsored tournament benefiting One Step Beyond. It is truly heart warming to see folks from the organization assisting on the course as well as after play during the awards luncheon. Their genuine appreciation for the event is wonderful and I wish those fo you who participated had the opportunity to talk with several of them on an individual basis. A great day for golf, friendship and to give away a phenominal trip gifted by Mercedes.
"More good causes than my check book can support." Now, the rest of the story. As part of our conversation at the fund raiser, the second part of that statement is "you just have to choose the ones important to you and make a difference." Many of us have friends, faimily members or even ourselves that are dealing with a hardship, disease or some other form of difficulty. I have had the opportunity to sit in probably hundreds of meetings with different organizations and hearing amazing stories about things people do to: "beat the odds," raise extrordinary amounts of money with a creative idea, or tell a personal story that leaves a room full of hundreds silent...I mean SILENT!
I was talking with one of our Members who is the founder and president of Arizona Myeloma Network. It is a great local organization which was the reason for our conversation. The local tie is so important to me as it keeps money right here and hopefully benefitiing people in our community who need it. I am proud of the contributions Arrowhead Country Club gives to local organizations through being the host location for a vast amount of worthy chairities made possible through our Members and the organizations they are passionate about. We have dozens of private dining events, wine tastings, tennis and golf tournaments each year raising hundreds of thousands each year. We thank our Members who introduce us to the planning committees so we can lend our expertise to making their events as successful as possible in raising funds for the organizations they are passionate about. These events are always my favorite as you are providing a great golf, tennis or dining event that the participants enjoy not only because of the day on the course or courts, but because they are also helping others while doing something they enjoy.
I think I will close by saying "choose something you are passionate about and make a difference"
As I write this entry, we just completed our Mercedes Benz of Arrowhead sponsored tournament benefiting One Step Beyond. It is truly heart warming to see folks from the organization assisting on the course as well as after play during the awards luncheon. Their genuine appreciation for the event is wonderful and I wish those fo you who participated had the opportunity to talk with several of them on an individual basis. A great day for golf, friendship and to give away a phenominal trip gifted by Mercedes.
"More good causes than my check book can support." Now, the rest of the story. As part of our conversation at the fund raiser, the second part of that statement is "you just have to choose the ones important to you and make a difference." Many of us have friends, faimily members or even ourselves that are dealing with a hardship, disease or some other form of difficulty. I have had the opportunity to sit in probably hundreds of meetings with different organizations and hearing amazing stories about things people do to: "beat the odds," raise extrordinary amounts of money with a creative idea, or tell a personal story that leaves a room full of hundreds silent...I mean SILENT!
I was talking with one of our Members who is the founder and president of Arizona Myeloma Network. It is a great local organization which was the reason for our conversation. The local tie is so important to me as it keeps money right here and hopefully benefitiing people in our community who need it. I am proud of the contributions Arrowhead Country Club gives to local organizations through being the host location for a vast amount of worthy chairities made possible through our Members and the organizations they are passionate about. We have dozens of private dining events, wine tastings, tennis and golf tournaments each year raising hundreds of thousands each year. We thank our Members who introduce us to the planning committees so we can lend our expertise to making their events as successful as possible in raising funds for the organizations they are passionate about. These events are always my favorite as you are providing a great golf, tennis or dining event that the participants enjoy not only because of the day on the course or courts, but because they are also helping others while doing something they enjoy.
I think I will close by saying "choose something you are passionate about and make a difference"
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Pre-Paid Dues Option Change - 12/2/2010
Pre-Paid Dues “Gift Card” Option
A couple nights ago at our Board of Governors meeting, we had a discussion about the current pre-paid dues option and the changes made in the option from last year. The discussion was centered around the fact that the offer was different than in previous years by providing the equivalent of close to 20% return through usage certificates, rather than what was received in the past, being an approximately 8% price reduction.
The topic was brought up because some of our Board Members had received comments from Members wondering why they can not just have the old option back. In some cases they found that more attractive because they felt they may not take advantage of all the items included in the usage certificates. After much discussion, the conclusion was that some Members wanted what equates to a months free dues, or 12 months for the cost of 11 months without having certificates dictating how that savings would be utilized. Your Board of Governors and I have come up with an option on the Prepaid Dues program that solves this concern.
The option is a “gift card” to all Members that prepay their dues that is equivalent to the value of one month of dues. This gift card will allow you to spend it on whatever you like in the Club (merchandise, food & beverage, cart, guest fees, lessons, training, etc.). The only exclusions are monthly dues, specialty tournament fees, and annual cart fees. As an example for a full golf member that pay’s $475 per month in dues, you would receive a gift card equal to $475 that could be spent any time during 2011. This does not replace the usage certificate option, when you pre-pay your dues you may designate which option you wish to receive.
Please remember to take advantage of this offer you must prepay your dues no later than December 15, 2010.
I would like to thank the Board Members for presenting this situation and helping to develop a solution to the issue.
Kindest regards,
General Manager
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Annual Pre-paid Dues Option 11/18/10
As the golf membership has, and our tennis and fitness members who are eligible for the pre-paid dues option are about to receive the information letter, I have had a couple questions I want to clarify that will hopefully clear up any confusion.
Our annual pre-paid dues program is currently available to all golf and tennis Members as well as our higher cost fitness classifications of membership. As I said above, if you have not already received your information letter, it should be arriving in the next few days.
Our annual pre-paid dues program is currently available to all golf and tennis Members as well as our higher cost fitness classifications of membership. As I said above, if you have not already received your information letter, it should be arriving in the next few days.
In the past, a percentage discount was applied to the annual pre-paid program as an incentive for those who chose to participate. The discount was typically in the 5 to 8% range after taking into account the dues increase for that particular year. That was exactly the way it was done for the 2010 pre-paid program. For those of you who have gotten to know me well, you understand my belief that a Club is a social endeavor first. I believe it is a place to establish, enhance and grow family, personal and professional relationships. The above are accomplished through normal usage and participation at functions and events. With that in mind, the pre-paid program for 2011 offers a larger financial benefit to those who choose to participate by awarding usage certificates. The usage certificates total 12 to 20% depending on classifications. In response to the statement that it is initially a higher price since it does not carry the 5 to 8% discount, that is correct. By opting into the pre-paid program for 2011, you will see a higher level of value over the course of the year. In all classes of membership, the true cash value of the usage certificates are double or more the previous discount. The usage certificates are items that every Member uses through the course of the year and can show you value each and every month.
I hope this clears up any questions regarding the pre-paid option. As you review the letters explaining the program, you will see that the maximum dues increase for any classification of membership was about 3%. As always, feel free to contact myself or either of the membership directors for further clarifications on our 2011 pre-paid dues option.
See you at the Club
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Water Concerns in Arizona 11/17/10
I have been approached by several Members and invitees lately asking about the longevity and availability of water for Arrowhead Country Club. My assumption is this concern has surfaced due to the recent publicity surrounding several of our fellow private clubs and the rapidly elevating costs of water they are currently facing and leaving them with some very tough operational decisions that potentially jeopardize their future.
The short answer is that we are part of a water amenities group called Arrowhead Ranch Water Amenities which is in a contractual partnership with the City of Glendale. That contract is in the form of a long term lease that has no ending date.
Now the long answer. Arrowhead Country Club is one of currently twenty participants in the water amenities group. These participants are made up of area Apartment, Condominium and Home Owners Associations. Voting rights with in amenities are distributed by water usage. Amenities is run by a five member board of directors with 2 positions being filled by Arrowhead Club Management, 1 position filled by election of the home owners of Arrowhead Lakes and 2 positions filled by ballot vote of the remaining involved associations. The purpose of the board is to maintain relations with all involved associations while providing high quality water at the best price possible to it's members.
What that means to Arrowhead. We have an indefinite supply of water at reasonable rates due to the hard work of the Water Amenities Board. As a board member, we have trimmed insurance and operating costs providing a lower cost to all participating associations. Make no mistake that water is our single largest golf course maintenance expense next to payroll coming in at about $200,000 annually. While that is a substantial amount of money, when compared to some of the $300,000 to $1,000,000 annual water budget horror stories, we remain in very good territory. There will always be water challenges in this area. We are not immune to those challenges but through our affiliation with Water Amenities we have addressed the challenges thus far in a proactive manner to the benefit of the Club and all our participating associations.
It may interest you to know in addition to the budget numbers above, Arrowhead Country Club was built prior to the 80 acre maximum irrigation requirement. That said, we occupy approximately 185 total acres and for those of you who travel to other courses can attest, we are not only a traditional wall-to-wall grass facility...we are a very large wall-to-wall grass facility. In summer we irrigate approximately 160 acres of turf, during the over seeded cooler months we irrigate approximately 90 acres. When you think of watering 160 acres of turf in 110 plus degree temperatures, it is easy to see why we are the largest single user of water in Water Amenities and why it was critical for the developing partners at the Club's origination to secure a long term water supply which we will continue to benefit the Club from now and into our future.
The water we pump from the City of Glendale is made up effluent, reclaimed and potable water from 3 or 4 pumping stations depending on the time of year. Considering the blend, our water quality is very good. It is rated as A+ quality which is the highest rating and while high in sodium and nitrates, it is probably some of the best quality irrigation water in the greater Phoenix area.
I won't get into more detail here. I will close this entry by saying if you are interested in learning more about our water situation or anything else related to the Club, please give me a call or stop by the office.
See you at the Club!
The short answer is that we are part of a water amenities group called Arrowhead Ranch Water Amenities which is in a contractual partnership with the City of Glendale. That contract is in the form of a long term lease that has no ending date.
Now the long answer. Arrowhead Country Club is one of currently twenty participants in the water amenities group. These participants are made up of area Apartment, Condominium and Home Owners Associations. Voting rights with in amenities are distributed by water usage. Amenities is run by a five member board of directors with 2 positions being filled by Arrowhead Club Management, 1 position filled by election of the home owners of Arrowhead Lakes and 2 positions filled by ballot vote of the remaining involved associations. The purpose of the board is to maintain relations with all involved associations while providing high quality water at the best price possible to it's members.
What that means to Arrowhead. We have an indefinite supply of water at reasonable rates due to the hard work of the Water Amenities Board. As a board member, we have trimmed insurance and operating costs providing a lower cost to all participating associations. Make no mistake that water is our single largest golf course maintenance expense next to payroll coming in at about $200,000 annually. While that is a substantial amount of money, when compared to some of the $300,000 to $1,000,000 annual water budget horror stories, we remain in very good territory. There will always be water challenges in this area. We are not immune to those challenges but through our affiliation with Water Amenities we have addressed the challenges thus far in a proactive manner to the benefit of the Club and all our participating associations.
It may interest you to know in addition to the budget numbers above, Arrowhead Country Club was built prior to the 80 acre maximum irrigation requirement. That said, we occupy approximately 185 total acres and for those of you who travel to other courses can attest, we are not only a traditional wall-to-wall grass facility...we are a very large wall-to-wall grass facility. In summer we irrigate approximately 160 acres of turf, during the over seeded cooler months we irrigate approximately 90 acres. When you think of watering 160 acres of turf in 110 plus degree temperatures, it is easy to see why we are the largest single user of water in Water Amenities and why it was critical for the developing partners at the Club's origination to secure a long term water supply which we will continue to benefit the Club from now and into our future.
The water we pump from the City of Glendale is made up effluent, reclaimed and potable water from 3 or 4 pumping stations depending on the time of year. Considering the blend, our water quality is very good. It is rated as A+ quality which is the highest rating and while high in sodium and nitrates, it is probably some of the best quality irrigation water in the greater Phoenix area.
I won't get into more detail here. I will close this entry by saying if you are interested in learning more about our water situation or anything else related to the Club, please give me a call or stop by the office.
See you at the Club!
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Member Business Knowledge: 11/13/10
In all our daily lives there is a project or projects we truly embrace with passion. One of those items for me currently is our Member Business to Business Directories "MB2B."
I am surrounded by examples of how this can help each Member dozens, if not more times each day at the Club. For example, I was in a meeting Wednesday evening with our Cactus Classic Committee (Men's Member Guest Tournament). In the meeting we had a discussion about fund raising and some of the specialty items we would like to bring to this years tournament. In that discussion, I and the committee stated our commitment to use Member businesses whenever possible to purchase those items and or services. The topic of how the cigars and cigar roller were very popular last year. I informed the committee members (2 of which are cigar smokers...perhaps even avid cigar smokers) that we have a very good Member (since blogs are very public I am not going to give names here) involved in or owns a cigar shop or is in the tobacco industry and we should contact him. All committee members knew the person I was speaking about but none were aware that was his business. Amazingly enough, we got to talking about a welcome gift and what it should be: hat, towel, divot tool, customized or personalized item. As the conversation went on, it turns out one of the people on the committee owns Twenty-Twenty Promotions and no one knew.
One of the things I think is critical to private club life is the expansion of relationships. I believe that our single greatest commitment to our Membership is to give them opportunities to enhance their family, personal and professional relationships through quality facilities and programming. We enhance family and personal relationships by allowing you to play or attend mutually enjoyable sports or activities while the greatest reward is spending time with them. The same is true professionally, we all want to do business with people we know and trust which only comes through relationship. Everyone comes here to relax, enjoy time with friends and family...the hidden benefit is that through involvement at the Club you develop new relationships with like minded people that will ultimately enhance your business life. This is where the value of our Member Business Directories come into play. I think I am similar to most people in that I hate getting a "pitch." One of the things I love about Arrowhead is you can relax and get away from the hustle and bustle of daily life. There is always easy conversation to be found in the grill or lounge with no hidden agenda or "pitch." Our directories allow us to know what you do, and when the need for that service arises, all Members know a place to go to see if anyone here provides that service. I can tell you from the first Mixer we held on November 2nd...there was no annoying pitches, just genuinely interested Members learning about other Members...It was great and I hope you will try to attend the next one if any of the above sounds beneficial to you.
I am more in tune with this than most members in that I have the benefit of quickly meeting our new Members and finding out a little about them: what they like, what they do, etc. I also have the luxury of doing business with several of our members both for the Club and personally. Our Members are involved with businesses and companies that provide goods and services that we all need every day.
One of our very good Members owns Treasures Jewelers and is always willing to help us with certificates or products for some of our private event campaigns. He actually was very involved with our recent "Book It To Win It" wedding campaign.
Many of you have seen the commitment that Arrowhead Mercedes has made to the Club in supporting events. Ironically, through that I took my wife's car there for maintenance and ended up buying her a new car. In my experience of buying automobiles, I can never remember using words like pleasurable, genuinely good experience, not only a fair price but well below what I thought was possible. My experience at Mercedes of Arrowhead were all of those...a truly a fantastic experience.
One of our very good Members is involved with BJ's Service Center on 51st and Bell. If you have not been there, you should see this place...they do everything, and I mean everything for your car. From first hand experience I can tell you they wash, do oil changes, detailing, waxing...probably a lot more. The really unique thing, their staff is amazing. The first time I went there for a wash, I was amazed by the staff from the guy who checked me in, the nice lady who cashed me out, to the guy that finished my truck. The more unique thing, in my subsequent visits, it has been exactly the same.
Got a pet, one of our very good and involved Members is involved with Apollo North Animal Hospitals. I know several Members already utilize Apollo and it is a great experience for them, but more importantly it is a great experience for their pet.
Home mortgage, when I moved to Glendale, I met and used a Member who is with America Home Key. I bought my house at a tough time. By listening to the news I thought it would take about 180 days to close a loan if I was even able to get one with all the banking problems and with Freddie and Fannie in shambles. I think it was done in less than 25 days and was easy for me...probably was difficult for him to get it done, but I never knew it.
The best thing about the Members I list above, they are all great quality people who I had the opportunity to meet and develop a relationship with at our Club and then support them outside of the Club. I want us all to know each other better so we can help each other through this tough economic time. "MB2B" is a great opportunity to get your story known as well. This leads me to again ask all Members, if you work or are involved with a company, please put two business cards and a short description of what you do in an envelope and mail or drop it off at the receptionist desk to my attention. I will put you in both our Member Business to Business alphabetical and services directories. Lastly, if you can make it our next "MB2B" Mixer is on Thursday, November 18 from 5 to 7 pm in the lounge, I can't wait to see you...If not, don't wait to get me your cards and description and hopefully you can make it to the next mixer.
As I mentioned above, in this public forum I will not use names. All the people above, you can find them in our Member to Member Business Directory located in the clubhouse reception area.
I am surrounded by examples of how this can help each Member dozens, if not more times each day at the Club. For example, I was in a meeting Wednesday evening with our Cactus Classic Committee (Men's Member Guest Tournament). In the meeting we had a discussion about fund raising and some of the specialty items we would like to bring to this years tournament. In that discussion, I and the committee stated our commitment to use Member businesses whenever possible to purchase those items and or services. The topic of how the cigars and cigar roller were very popular last year. I informed the committee members (2 of which are cigar smokers...perhaps even avid cigar smokers) that we have a very good Member (since blogs are very public I am not going to give names here) involved in or owns a cigar shop or is in the tobacco industry and we should contact him. All committee members knew the person I was speaking about but none were aware that was his business. Amazingly enough, we got to talking about a welcome gift and what it should be: hat, towel, divot tool, customized or personalized item. As the conversation went on, it turns out one of the people on the committee owns Twenty-Twenty Promotions and no one knew.
One of the things I think is critical to private club life is the expansion of relationships. I believe that our single greatest commitment to our Membership is to give them opportunities to enhance their family, personal and professional relationships through quality facilities and programming. We enhance family and personal relationships by allowing you to play or attend mutually enjoyable sports or activities while the greatest reward is spending time with them. The same is true professionally, we all want to do business with people we know and trust which only comes through relationship. Everyone comes here to relax, enjoy time with friends and family...the hidden benefit is that through involvement at the Club you develop new relationships with like minded people that will ultimately enhance your business life. This is where the value of our Member Business Directories come into play. I think I am similar to most people in that I hate getting a "pitch." One of the things I love about Arrowhead is you can relax and get away from the hustle and bustle of daily life. There is always easy conversation to be found in the grill or lounge with no hidden agenda or "pitch." Our directories allow us to know what you do, and when the need for that service arises, all Members know a place to go to see if anyone here provides that service. I can tell you from the first Mixer we held on November 2nd...there was no annoying pitches, just genuinely interested Members learning about other Members...It was great and I hope you will try to attend the next one if any of the above sounds beneficial to you.
I am more in tune with this than most members in that I have the benefit of quickly meeting our new Members and finding out a little about them: what they like, what they do, etc. I also have the luxury of doing business with several of our members both for the Club and personally. Our Members are involved with businesses and companies that provide goods and services that we all need every day.
One of our very good Members owns Treasures Jewelers and is always willing to help us with certificates or products for some of our private event campaigns. He actually was very involved with our recent "Book It To Win It" wedding campaign.
Many of you have seen the commitment that Arrowhead Mercedes has made to the Club in supporting events. Ironically, through that I took my wife's car there for maintenance and ended up buying her a new car. In my experience of buying automobiles, I can never remember using words like pleasurable, genuinely good experience, not only a fair price but well below what I thought was possible. My experience at Mercedes of Arrowhead were all of those...a truly a fantastic experience.
One of our very good Members is involved with BJ's Service Center on 51st and Bell. If you have not been there, you should see this place...they do everything, and I mean everything for your car. From first hand experience I can tell you they wash, do oil changes, detailing, waxing...probably a lot more. The really unique thing, their staff is amazing. The first time I went there for a wash, I was amazed by the staff from the guy who checked me in, the nice lady who cashed me out, to the guy that finished my truck. The more unique thing, in my subsequent visits, it has been exactly the same.
Got a pet, one of our very good and involved Members is involved with Apollo North Animal Hospitals. I know several Members already utilize Apollo and it is a great experience for them, but more importantly it is a great experience for their pet.
Home mortgage, when I moved to Glendale, I met and used a Member who is with America Home Key. I bought my house at a tough time. By listening to the news I thought it would take about 180 days to close a loan if I was even able to get one with all the banking problems and with Freddie and Fannie in shambles. I think it was done in less than 25 days and was easy for me...probably was difficult for him to get it done, but I never knew it.
The best thing about the Members I list above, they are all great quality people who I had the opportunity to meet and develop a relationship with at our Club and then support them outside of the Club. I want us all to know each other better so we can help each other through this tough economic time. "MB2B" is a great opportunity to get your story known as well. This leads me to again ask all Members, if you work or are involved with a company, please put two business cards and a short description of what you do in an envelope and mail or drop it off at the receptionist desk to my attention. I will put you in both our Member Business to Business alphabetical and services directories. Lastly, if you can make it our next "MB2B" Mixer is on Thursday, November 18 from 5 to 7 pm in the lounge, I can't wait to see you...If not, don't wait to get me your cards and description and hopefully you can make it to the next mixer.
As I mentioned above, in this public forum I will not use names. All the people above, you can find them in our Member to Member Business Directory located in the clubhouse reception area.
Friday, November 12, 2010
Greens, Fairways and Geese: 11/12/10
Greens: Most of you have heard by now that we have purchased a fleet of walk mowers for the greens. As you have probably noticed, the quality of cut you achieve with walk mowers is far superior to tri-plex riding mowers. That said, for those of you who have played golf since Tuesday you have hopefully noticed the increasing quality and speed of the greens. Since coming out of over seeding, the quality of surface has been very good. Although a bit slow, they put well and the ball does not hop and holds a line. The height of cut at that time was .180. We have been slowly lowering height since that time and on Tuesday reached .140 and now have 4 days at that height which has really tightened the grass density and increased the speed. In the next few weeks we will reach our final destination height of .115. Our Golf Course Superintendent, James Stow and his Golf Course Maintenance Team have done a marvelous job this entire year. As you see them working on the course, pat them on the back for a job very well done. So you have a reference point, the numbers I previously mentioned are measurement in inches (example: .125 is 1/8 of an inch).
Fairways: The grass is growing and their is a bunch of it out there. A quick side note: all over seeded areas received 550 lbs of seed per acre. Excluding greens we over seeded just over 90 acres using 50,000 lbs of seed. Since over seed we have continued to mow fairways at .750 or 3/4 of an inch. The critical factor here is to mow the Rye grass at a height above the Bermuda grass growing underneath. With the recent cooler temperatures it has really started to slow the growth of the Bermuda and will go totally dormant with our first frost. Also, until this week we have mowed in only one direction. This practice causes the grass to lay over more than normal but pulls less on the newly germinated seed giving the root system a chance to take hold. All the above our sound agronomic practices. This week we are still mowing at .750 but put our first directional cut on the fairways and it really cleaned up the hitting surface. We will now begin our three week journey down to .450. Again, since coming out of over seed, playing conditions have been fantastic and a big hats off to James and his staff for the job they are doing. Last few things on the fairways: remember to fill your divots. With carts on paths it is sometimes hard to remember your sand bottle. On that note, we expect carts to be off paths around the 22nd of November.
Geese & Friends: As you can see, the geese and other varieties of water fowl have migrated back to the lovely Arizona Fall weather. Beginning Monday the 15th you will again see our representative from the USDA on property harvesting the birds to thin out our population. We have used many mechanical means to control birds and will continue to do so. Those practices in conjunction with our friends at the USDA are what allowed us to control this problem last year.
Remember: $5 burgers and pitchers every Saturday in the Grill. Our Member Business to Business "MB2B" Mixer on the 18th from 5 to 7 pm. Thanksgiving Brunch is filling fast...make reservations today! Lastly, be looking for details on our "Deck the Halls" Brunch on the 28th.
That's it for now. Hope to see you at the Club!
Fairways: The grass is growing and their is a bunch of it out there. A quick side note: all over seeded areas received 550 lbs of seed per acre. Excluding greens we over seeded just over 90 acres using 50,000 lbs of seed. Since over seed we have continued to mow fairways at .750 or 3/4 of an inch. The critical factor here is to mow the Rye grass at a height above the Bermuda grass growing underneath. With the recent cooler temperatures it has really started to slow the growth of the Bermuda and will go totally dormant with our first frost. Also, until this week we have mowed in only one direction. This practice causes the grass to lay over more than normal but pulls less on the newly germinated seed giving the root system a chance to take hold. All the above our sound agronomic practices. This week we are still mowing at .750 but put our first directional cut on the fairways and it really cleaned up the hitting surface. We will now begin our three week journey down to .450. Again, since coming out of over seed, playing conditions have been fantastic and a big hats off to James and his staff for the job they are doing. Last few things on the fairways: remember to fill your divots. With carts on paths it is sometimes hard to remember your sand bottle. On that note, we expect carts to be off paths around the 22nd of November.
Geese & Friends: As you can see, the geese and other varieties of water fowl have migrated back to the lovely Arizona Fall weather. Beginning Monday the 15th you will again see our representative from the USDA on property harvesting the birds to thin out our population. We have used many mechanical means to control birds and will continue to do so. Those practices in conjunction with our friends at the USDA are what allowed us to control this problem last year.
Remember: $5 burgers and pitchers every Saturday in the Grill. Our Member Business to Business "MB2B" Mixer on the 18th from 5 to 7 pm. Thanksgiving Brunch is filling fast...make reservations today! Lastly, be looking for details on our "Deck the Halls" Brunch on the 28th.
That's it for now. Hope to see you at the Club!
Flag's At Half Mast: 11/12/10
Today we host the memorial for our recently departed good Member Stevie Kirklin. We fly the flag at half mast to celebrate his life and commitment to Arrowhead Country Club.
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