From the Golf Pro – October 31

Bunker Renovation Project

The Golf Course Bunker Renovation Project will be starting on Monday, November 4.
The preliminary timeline for the project is 5-months so though 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 will be disseminated soon.

Daylight Savings ends November 3—The Golf Winter Schedule starts that week. 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 close at 2 p.m. 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.
The Pinseekers Men’s 9-hole Club Friday tee times start at Noon.

November Golf Schedule
Friday, November 1 – Night Golf Glow Ball Event – 6:30 p.m. & 7:45 p.m. Shotguns on the Par-3 Course
Saturday, November 2 – 18-Hole Women’s Saturday Golf Tournament 8:30 a.m. Tee Times
Saturday, November 2 – Villages Korean Golf Club – 12:30 p.m. Tee Times
Sunday, November 3 – San Jose State Alumni Fundraiser – 1 p.m. tee Times
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. It will go into effect 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 November 30.
Fairway Sand Top-Dressing will start October 25 and continue through November 11.

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—Feel the Need for Speed

After watching the member events this year, I saw many, many long lag putts left well short of the hole; and just about every single time resulting in a 3-putt or worse. We have many very large greens here, so the chances of having many putts of 25-30 feet or even 40 or 50 feet are quite common. The ability to adjust your putting speed when lag putting is key to success here at The Villages. Imagine tossing a ball underhand 10 feet vs 40 feet…would you use the exact same tossing motion? Most likely not. So remember when hitting a long lag putt, you must impart more energy into the ball so it rolls more, so the stroke must change.

Here are some thought to help you gauge that long lag putting speed a bit better…

Use your eyes – Stand behind the ball and gauge distance with both eyes

Walk off the putt – Walk to the hole and back and use your feet and eyes to gauge distance

Increase the length of the stroke – Your 40-foot putting stroke must be longer than your 10-foot putting stroke, so let the putter swing back well past your back foot!

Grip it Tighter – On long lag putts or putts from the fringe, grip it tighter and you will impart much more forward force onto the ball and it will roll further

Use your wrists – On those really long, uphill lag putts, increasing the length of the backstroke might not be enough, so let the wrists hinge a bit and this will create more speed and roll. To sign up for a lesson with me, email ssteele@the-villages.com