Dear Members, Welcome back! It has been a good winter and we are looking forward to a great 2011 golf season. We have spent a lot of time planning the 2011 golf season with some new programs and some improved programs based on feedback from the 2010 survey. Please take a few minutes to read over the brief descriptions of the new and improved programs. We encourage you to visit our website www.FHGC.com
for more information.
PROGRAMS NEW!! This program will give you an opportunity to impress your guest. The golf staff will contact members with guests to see if they would be interested in this program, which provides a guest locker with the guest’s name engraved on the locker. The staff member will ask if you would like to have any golf merchandise put into the locker or if you would like a particular beverage stocked on the golf cart. Along with the merchandise in the locker a letter welcoming the guest to the club will be included. We feel this program will separate our club from others. ADDED!! Since the PGA family tees were so popular on the Meadow front nine, we have added additional tees to the Meadow back nine. All eighteen holes will have two tee locations, one at 2200 yards and another at 3800 yards. The markers will be placed flush with the ground. An additional marker will be located near the cart path to note the location of the family tee. We will have a separate scorecard with yardage and course rating. This new eighteen hole PGA family course will allow players of all abilities to play and enjoy the course. CONTINUED!! This program was so popular last year we have continued with our Saturday fittings. On select Saturday’s the golf staff will provide complimentary 25 members. These introductory fitting sessions will allow you to check out the launch monitor and all it has to offer! Our launch monitor uses a new 3 provides feedback such as a players club head speed at impact, ball velocity, launch angle, total spin, power transfer, carry and total distance. Hole Members who are not in the club can notify the golf shop if they would like to be included. one. the restaurant, and a hole after the member who makes the hole hole then turned into the Golf Professional staff the day it was made. If the hole made after the Golf Shop is closed, the next day will suffice. NEW!! This Choose golf together and get to know each other. We will offer a game each week, beginning Wednesday, June 1 at 1:00 pm to keep it fun and competitive. The golf staff will make pairings and include the Professional staff with groups. Sign up in either golf shop or on Foretees. The fee is $20, charged to member account. NEW!! We are introducing a new program for members who purchase merchandise and support the golf shop. Every time a member spends $400 on merchandise they will receive a $50 gift card for golf shop merchandise. The gift card will be valid for one year and can be used on any merchandise in the golf shop. The $50 cannot be applied to credit books. We will also have a loyalty program for members who support the shop. We will keep track of member spending throughout the year. Members who spend $1000 or more will be invited to a private wine and cheese party in October at the golf shop. Members will have an opportunity to purchase current merchandise at a deep discount, 50 product, such as, Tommy Bahama, Bugatchi, Peter Millar or Fairway & Greene. Members will be able to purchase product from these companies at cost plus 20%. FYI until the following spring. This will give us a chance to reward members who support the golf shop. NEW!! We have a new fleet of EZ drive and a full time regenerative braking system, which does not require the car to have a parking brake. If any questions arise the staff will be available to assist members with the operation of the new cars. Also, members will not have to worry about the cars only making 15 holes, the new cars have enough power to take them around the golf course a couple times. NEW!! New this year, beginning May 20, men's golf clinics have been added to the calendar to give our male golfers an opportunity to learn the proper fundamentals of the golf swing and short game techniques in a fun and enjoyable environment. Each week's clinic will touch on a different facet of the game as well as providing time to ask your instructor any golf related question. These clinics will be offered on Friday mornings from 10:00am to 11:00am at the Meadow practice tee and are open to players of all abilities at $15 per student. Check the Season Calendar of Events for dates. NEW!! Join a staff professional for a unique educational experience on the golf course. These 1 1/2 hour group sessions on the course will give golfers the chance to learn on the "playing field" as opposed to the "practice grounds". Develop a pre you can shave strokes off your score! Cost is $40 per player with a maximum of 6 players each session. These clinics will be held on Thursdays from 4 to 5:30. Please sign up in advance at the Meadow Golf Shop. Check the Season Calendar of Events for dates. NEW!! For Junior Golfers who are currently playing in competitive events or for the serious player looking to get their games ready for competitive junior golf events or high school golf. These "Advancement" Clinics will give those golfers a great opportunity to improve their games. Individual skills evaluation, technical improvement and on course experiences will all be integrated in this program to help junior golfers take their games "to the next level". These 2 hour sessions cost $40 and will be held from 2 to 4 on Tuesdays. Please sign up at the Meadow Golf Shop. Check the Season Calendar of Events for dates. NEW!! We added an interclub tournament with Sonoma Golf Club to the schedule. This home and away Ryder Cup format will involve the golf professional, superintendent and 10 members competing against the team from Sonoma. This three day tournament promises to be a great way for members to get to know each other and experience a new course. July 26 NEW!! We have added a combo tee for the players who feel the white tees are too long and the gold tees are too short. A separate scorecard is available in the scorecard box located on the first tee. CONTINUED!! We will continue with our firm but fair policy. Members who fall behind more than two holes will be encouraged to catch up. After a reasonable amount of time, if they do not make any progress the group will be required to skip holes. In order to help members with their pace, the starter will hand out pace of play charts with starting times informing how long it should take to arrive at certain holes. The card will also have the pace of play policy regarding encouragement, assistance and skipping holes. With this policy we feel we can make a round of golf at Forest Highlands more enjoyable for all members. TOURNAMENTS NEW!! This new event will be played at the Meadow on Saturday evenings starting at 4:00 pm. The format is a 2 you are eliminated first, you have the option to buy back into the game for an additional $20. The entire pot is paid out every week and payout is determined by the number of teams in the field. We will pay out approximately 1/3 of the field each week to be announced on the first tee. First event begins June 4, sign up in either golf shops. BACK!! This is our second year honoring our beloved past Director of Golf, Denise Martinez while raising money for Northern Arizona Charities. The format will be four amateurs with one Golf Professional playing two net balls combined with one gross ball. Forest Highlands’ members will have the first opportunity to register before it opens to the Southwest Section PGA. This event will be limited to twenty five 5 MODIFIED!! This year’s Member members who were on the wait list. Last year’s pace of play was quite slow. We feel this should help get players around the course in a reasonable amount of time. PRICED REDUCED!! Highlander Invitational We looked at the value of all the tournaments from the last few years. We felt some tournaments were too expensive and needed to be adjusted. The four events above were not cost effective and the entry fee was reduced. Even though the price was lowered, the quality of the tournament will not be jeopardized. DATE CHANGE!! Championship, Men’s Highlander Invitational The events above were moved or changed due to participation. STAFF NEW HIRE!! Michelle Wilks brings over 20 years experience in merchandising and buying in the golf industry while having worked at some of Arizona’s finest clubs such as Desert Highlands, Silverleaf and Superstition Mountain. Michelle was born in Oklahoma, moved to Indonesia when she was nine years old and moved back to the states just before graduating high school. Michelle attended Midland College in Texas where she played on the golf team. Shortly after graduating from college she began her career in the golf business. Michelle has hit the ground running and has been doing a great job working with the Forest Highlands team, the Arizona apparel rep’s and will no doubt bring a lot of energy and fresh ideas to the golf operation. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to call either golf shop. We look forward to seeing you around the club!!! Best Regards, Matt Bailey, PGA Director of Golf
