The First Staff Cup

 All three of our courses are assisted by the help of concession operators to some degree.  Chalk Mountain is fully operated by Golden State Golf and I am the only County staff member that has any duties or responsibility to the property.  Morro Bay and Dairy Creek Pro Shops and Restaurants operations are managed by Fairway.

I have been working with the management of Fairway to find a way that we could integrate our staffs together as a teambuilding activity.  The solution was quite easy.  Since we manage golf courses why not hold a tournament?  We have held many outings in the past for staff, but not with the intent to team build or event to have one course play another course.  
This time however there were to be bragging rights and an trophy associated with the event not to mention some great cullinary delights afterward.

Peter's classic follow through that has an uncanny resemblance to the Morro Bay logo.

The competition involved 3 teams of 4 individuals per course and each team combined staff from County, Fairway, and our volunteer staffs.  The winner was determined by combining the 9-hole scramble scores from all three teams into a team total.  Wouldn't you know there would be a tie at 6 under!  So, onto the putting green. 

John trying to solidify par at the 9th.

Each course randomly drew names from a hat to determine their 3 putters that would each putt a stroke toward a designated hole and the team with the lowest combined miss distance would take the cup.  The trick was that no golfer was allowed to watch any other golfers putt so that they all had an equally challenging time with the shot. 

Alan rolling in a crucial putt for birdie on the 9th hole.

Ryan serving up some delicious Tres Leches cake.

Randy and Ryan after everyone has been served.  Thanks for the great eats!

After the first four played their shots it was pretty even with two putts not staying on the green and the other two missed by about 12 feet. The final player for each team then gave it a try and Mo Brockman's missed putt of 14" clinched the title for Morro Bay. We plan to continue this event twice per year and the next event will be held sometime around November/December.


Morgan's winning putt is on its way

And the winner is...Morro Bay.  The line has been drawn in the sand!

Congratulations everyone!  Two things are certain...we are blessed to live on the Central Coast and have great team members that deliver consistent quality and service on beautiful golf courses!

"When I get out there on that green carpet called a fairway, and poke the ball right down the middle, everything looks like heaven on earth." 

~ Jimmy Demaret, former PGA Tour player

The Environmental Institute For Golf (EIFG) visits our Zero Waste Park at Dairy Creek!

Greg at the pro shop under our mission and vision demonstration

Richard (from EPA Inc.) and I could not have been more excited to host Greg Lyman from the Environmental Institute For Golf to our Zero Waste Park!  What a thrill and honor it was to have him call and let us know he would be in the area this month. 

Richard is explaining the intricacies of our composters

Richard, Jason Lewis (Cal Poly turf professor), and I spent about three hours picking Greg's brain regarding research and the relevancy of Zero Waste within the golf and turf industry.  From my perspective this meeting only solidified my already biased opinion that YES, it most definitely can. 

Greg is enthralled by the worm bins just as so many younger visitors have been while experiencing our Zero Waste Park

Discussing compost tea on our brewer platform overlooking our irrigation ponds and 8th hole at Dairy Creek Golf Course

We still have an enormous amount of work ahead of us to prove to the nay sayers that organic compost without a doubt can have a beneficial effect on water savings, pesticide usage, and fertility needs.  Rome was not built within a day, so all we have is time.  In the meantime we will continue to profess the good golf is doing being proactive about environmental efforts and how these efforts can be used at home, school, businesses, etc. 


Join us in our goal of Zero Waste golf and visit our Zero Waste Park or let me know if you have any questions.  Zero Waste benefits us all!

The Central Coast Oyster Festival is ready to begin!

At noon on Saturday June 16th the First Central Coast Oyster Festival will be held at our very own Morro Bay Golf Course in Morro Bay State Park.  The event will feature a 10 chef oyster competition, multiple local food and wine vendors, Tap It Brewery, and the Morro Bay Oyster Company.  In the true spirit of the Central Coast the event will be a Zero Waste event so that all wastes are sorted and the landfill impacts are minimized or eliminated.  All of the proceeds go to Options Family Services which is a local non-profit here in San Luis Obispo County is a private, not-for-profit 501(c)(3) corporation founded in 1991 to provide quality mental health, family preservation, life skills and domestic violence interventions to at-risk rural, urban and homeless children, adolescents, individuals and families

All of this held on the Morro Bay Golf Course near the beach of the beautiful Estero Bay of the Central Coast featuring the Morro Rock.  The event starts at noon and will roll on until 8 pm so get your tickets or buy them at the gate and come see Walk Off the Earth (click on the right to see and hear their cover of Gotye's Somebody that I Used to Know).


Below are some photos of the site being set up.  Enjoy!

The Pagoda that will become the Bar

View from behind the 13th green overlooking the event site.

The early stages of the stage that will feature four great performing acts!



The Event site next to the 13th hole.  The course will remain open and the 14th hole will play as a par 3 rather than it's traditional par 5 design.  This will allow golfers a preview of the sights and sounds of the event that are available to them after their round.  Come out and join us!

2012 San Luis Obispo County Amateur Golf Championship

This years' tournament was a two day event that began at Chalk Mountain Golf Course and was finished at Dairy Creek.  The weather could not have been better and we had a large field with close to 90 players.  Below you will find the results of the top finishers in each division.  If you did not get the chance to participate keep your eyes open for the event announcement next year.

I hope everyone enjoys the US Open this weekend at the Olympic Club!

Championship Flight

2 Day Total			Competitor
135			Justin Warthen
136			Austin Kaiser
142			Brandon Vail
142			Levi Garcia
142			Dereck Strain
143			Dan Miller
144			Troy Larkin
145			Trevor Cassidy
145			Mitch Martin
146			Jason Errecart
148			Randy Armas
148			Jim Long
148			David Aarons

1st Flight
2 Day Total		Competitor
131		Russ Thompson
135		Armando Chavez
139		Jeff Blanchard
141		Dave Rodgers
142		Troy Van Middendorp
2nd Flight
135		Bill Miller
138		Mike Howe
139		George Dodge
143		Julian Dacanay
143		Mark Ferris

"I'm not doing any fitness.  You won't see me in the gym.  They don't let me smoke in there."

~John Daly                            

How to play better golf...take care of the course!

The USGA greens section is a publication that is published bi-weekly and is a great resource for all things golf, particularly turf related topics.  If you do not currently receive this publication it is free and has been made an e-publication for the past few years.  You can have your copy delivered to your email by entering the following link into your browser and filling in the appropriate information.

http://visitor.constantcontact.com/manage/optin/ea?v=001OSVZXasZuMpjCAmRbFrJTg%3D%3D]

 

The Record I received this morning contains an article that will improve everyone's game and ultimately your enjoyment while on the course (And garner the appreciation of all golf course superintendent's and their staffs.  Trust me these are the people you want on your side ;) ).  I am including a copy of the article in this post. 

http://gsr.lib.msu.edu/article/gilhuly-avoid-6-8-12.pdf

Please have a read and share it with all of the golfers that you know especially those that do not believe that the condition of the course has anything to do with them.  I hope everyone has a great weekend and just a reminder to all of our female golfers out there...only 22 more days of free golf at Chalk Mountain, Morro Bay, and Dairy Creek golf courses!  So make your tee times now to take advantage of our Women's Golf Month Special.

"I've had a temper on the golf course since I was probably 7 years old.  It's always a constant battle to try and curb that and use it.  But at the same time, I don't think it's something that I want to lose, because it's part of me.  It's part of the fire that drives me."

~ Rory Sabbatini          

The finishing touches in the Woodpecker Grill at Chalk Mountain

The clubhouse renovation was completed in 2009 and it is hard to imagine that is was that long ago.  Somehow it seems like it was just yesterday!  The renovation changed the interior of the Woodpecker Grill from a carpeted floor to a stone tile and the acoustics were dramatically different.  Although the new look was very attractive to the eye, the sound was nearly unbearable when three or more people were inside the building because there was little to dampen the sound.  We did receive a few negative comments about the noise levels, but overall the feedback was very positive and the space has been well utilized.

Joel listened to the feedback and felt it was time to reduce the noise levels to make the space more inviting.  He sought out the help of a local golfer who also dabbles with interior design and the connection was made and the ideas began to flow.  In the photos you can see the window treatments and new bench seating that encompasses the entire space.  The seating alone really adds to the restaurant as it has nearly doubled the seating ability.  Three flat screen TV's were installed to provide viewing from all corners of the room, golf paintings created by one of the "regular players" at Chalk were hung on the walls, table tops were refinished, and finally a new coat of paint was added to the walls to tie everything together.  Not only does it look fantastic, but the window treatments and upholstery on the bench seating have eliminated the noise.  The result is a restaurant with a new look that can compete with their culinary delights and of course that great grilled hot dog!

FREE GOLF for women at all SLO County Golf Courses

June is Women's golf month and we have always celebrated with free women's clinics and specials.  This year we wanted to do something truly to spark the interest of women within our community and the idea we came up with is free golf for women for the entire month of June.  That's right FREE GOLF for women is available 7 days per week after 10 am, but is not available for tournaments, club events, or outings.  Our courses welcome women to the facilities and we are opening our doors to prove it!  Come out and play throughout the whole month for the cost of...well nothing!

“When I die, bury me on the golf course so my husband will visit”

~Unknown