From the Golf Pro – November 7

Bunker Renovation Project

The Golf Course Bunker Renovation Project started Monday, November 4.

The preliminary timeline for the project is five months through March of 2025.

The construction team will be working each week (weather permitting) Monday-Saturday.

The first block of holes being done will be Holes #1, #2 & #3 – these 3 holes will be closed while under construction.

More specific and detailed information about the project and logistics for golfers is available at the pro shop.

Golf Winter Schedule now in effect 

The Pro Shop and golf play hours of operation will be adjusted around the resultant constricted daylight hours. 

The Monday shotgun will move to 12 p.m. 

The Driving Range will close at 2pm on Mondays. 

The Swingers Tuesday 9-Hole Women’s shotgun will move to 9 a.m. 

The Shonis Par-3 women will move to 10:30 a.m. on Tuesdays. 

The Ironmen Par-3 men will move to 1 p.m. on Thursdays (starting in December). 

The Pinseekers Men’s 9-hole Club Friday tee times start at noon.

November Golf Schedule

Saturday, November 9 – Men’s Club Veteran’s Tournament 8:30 a.m. Shotgun – 1 p.m. Open Shotgun

Thursday, November 28 – Thanksgiving Day – 7 a.m. Tee Times – Pro Shop & Driving Range closed 1 p.m.

Local Rules Update—We have added a new Local Rule for The Villages effective immediately. Goose Droppings: If your ball comes to rest on or near a Goose Dropping, and/or that Goose Dropping has adhered on your ball; you are entitled to lift, clean and replace your ball within 6 inches of its original location, with no penalty, and you may move the Goose Dropping to avoid interference.

Fall Maintenance Schedule

Fall Overseeding will continue through the end of November.

Fairway Sand Top-Dressing will start November 4 and continue through late November.

During these processes we will move to 6-inch relief, Pick-Clean-Place, no nearer the hole on the holes that are completed.

Maintenance Projects on the Golf Course

1. This is the time of year when the golf course experiences some turf uprooting and damage due to grub worms and the resultant grubbing from the small animals. If your golf ball comes to rest in a grubbing area of disturbed turf, you are entitled to free relief from stance and swing defined as one-club-length no nearer the hole. This is regardless of whether or not the area is officially marked as Ground Under Repair. The ball must be dropped from knee height. And again, no penalty is incurred. Let us know if you have any questions.

2. The stream on Hole #9 & #18 will be dry for several weeks as the construction and installation of the new electrical panel is in progress. While the steam will be dry, it is still defined as a Penalty Area and the standard rules of golf for a Penalty area apply.

Let’s All Get Together Now—Be a part of our “Culture of Care” and follow these simple Golf Course Etiquette Guidelines…We can all participate in keeping our golf course beautiful by observing these nine simple acts of care: 

1. Follow the 90-degree rule (longer hitters) or the Entrance Gates (shorter hitters) when entering the fairway.

2. Drive the cart from shot to shot keeping the cart in the fairway as you play the hole…please avoid driving in the rough as much as possible to maintain the integrity of the rough.

3. Do not drive within 30-feet of the greens defined by the yellow painted ground lines in front of each green.

4. Exit every hole through the exit gates – please do not drive on the mounding around the greens and proceed from hole to hole using the cart paths.

5. Respect any roping, cart directional signs and Ground Under Repair.

6. Fill all divots with sand mix.

7. Repair pitch marks on the greens.

8. Smooth out the sand in the bunkers with the bunker rake and return the rake at a right angle to bunker edge placing the head of the rake in the sand and the handle of the rake on the bunker edge.

9. Knock the sand off your shoes before walking on the green.

Let’s all make it a goal to leave our golf course in better shape than we found it, every time we play.

Tips from the Pro—Keep Your Eyes on the Prize

How important are your eyes in the game of golf? The answer is that they are imperative! 

The ability of our eyes to gauge distance, see obstacles and recognize changes in the terrain makes them one of the most important tools in our game. But as we know, at address, our eyes are on the ball…so the timing of when to use our eyes to your advantage is the key! 

Here’s what I mean:

1. On the tee use your eyes to see the hole in its entirety. Stand on the tee box and look at any trees, hazards, and where fairway and rough merge

2. Use your eyes to choose a specific and small target to aim at from tee to green; such as a rooftop, a mountain, a patch of grass, or a tree in the distance

3. Use your eyes when chipping and pitching to determine the proper trajectory for the shot and more importantly the landing spot for the shot. Focus on the landing spot during your rehearsal swings.

4. Use your eyes when putting during your pre-shot routine. Look at the hole during your practice strokes and your eyes will tell your arms how hard or soft to swing the putter. Use your eyes to see the top line of the break of the putt and be sure to putt toward that spot.

In all cases your eyes are best employed from behind the ball, using your eyes as a set of two, in line, using your binocular vision…it is not best to wait until you have addressed the ball to finally tilt your head and use your one-eyed peripheral vision. Again, the timing of when you use your eyes is the key.  

 To sign up for a lesson with me, email ssteele@the-villages.com