September 1, 2016
Dear Members & Friends of Canoa Ranch Golf Club and Torres Blancas Golf Club,
This is a huge THANK YOU to all the members that have renewed their membership for next year, and to the new members who are joining for the first time. We are humbled by your support of the two courses and are very motivated to improve the conditions and services we provide. Without your support we would not be able to accomplish the things we need to do. As Shelby Futch mentioned a few weeks ago we have plans to improve the playing conditions of both courses, tackle the bunker issues and improve the services we provide in the restaurants and the pro shops.
Starting with the golf courses. By now you have received the email outlining the overseeding dates for each course. If not, Torres Blancas will close on September 5th and reopen on September 19th. Canoa Ranch will close on September 19th and reopen on October 1st. The overseeding plan will basically be the same as last year, with a few tweaks. We are confident that, due to the health of the turf this year, the overseeding will be very good.
As you have witnessed, the Bent Grass greens at Canoa Ranch have taken a little beating this summer. As I have mentioned in the past, Bent Grass does not do well in high heat and humidity. The Monsoon has lasted longer this year and the humidity is just now dropping below a dew point of 50. Once the air dries out, the greens will recover quickly and by the time we reopen from overseeding they will be back to normal.
The bunker project at both courses is just that, a project. It is an on-going effort to repair all the damage created by years of neglect. We would like to move from bunker to bunker and just add sand, however, as Shelby explained, that does not fix the problem. Once all the contaminated material is removed, Darril and his crew have to repair (or in some cases, add) the drainage prior to installing new sand. The sand itself is specified for bunkers and has a very specific percolation rate so it drains water. It’s not the sand from the river bottom that we are currently removing from all the bunkers. So, bear with us as we tackle this very large project.
I am very excited to announce the addition of Mr. Dean Fey as the new Food & Beverage Manager for Canoa Ranch Golf Club and Torres Blancas Golf Club. Dean brings a wealth of experience in all aspects of food & beverage management. In previous positions Dean has been the Captain & Sommelier of Aureol at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, and was the owner/operator of Artists Palate Restaurant in Tubac. Dean is very well known in Southern Arizona and lives in Amato. His expertise in standards of service, consistency of product and banquet event management will bring much needed experience to both restaurants. Josie Romo will remain in her position as Banquet Manager for the time being. We value all the hard working food & beverage staff that hung in there over the summer and contributed to our success. We look forward to working with each and every one of them to achieve the goal of bringing consistent, quality food and service to all our guests.
And, as we are all aware, it is the people that make the difference. Without the dedicated staff we have at each golf course, we would not be able to achieve the success we strive for. I owe a big debt of gratitude to each and every one that has contributed. I am honored to work with such a dedicated, talented staff.
So, on behalf of the staff of Canoa Ranch Golf Club and Torres Blancas Golf Club, Thank You for your support and commitment to our continued success.
Kindest Regards,
Rick Williams, GM
Canoa Ranch Golf Club/Torres Blancas Golf Club
(520) 352-1031