Colorado WRX 2021

[ASak10]

On 6/14/2021 at 3:27 PM, TheKrushh said:

I played Bear Creek for the first time Sunday. Very interesting course and vibe. Some holes kind of quirky, tons of 220-260 tee shots, great views, good conditioning. Definitely would play again but I'm having a hard time determining if I like it or don't.

 

I had an awful experience last time I played there.  So I definitely don't like it, but I'm not sure if that was because of the experience or the course.  Even with all that I was tempted to join, at least for that trial period they do, since my two boys could play for free and the trial period was so cheap.  When I told my wife and mentioned the men's only policy....well, you can probably guess her response.  

[TheKrushh]

1 hour ago, ASak10 said:

 

I had an awful experience last time I played there.  So I definitely don't like it, but I'm not sure if that was because of the experience or the course.  Even with all that I was tempted to join, at least for that trial period they do, since my two boys could play for free and the trial period was so cheap.  When I told my wife and mentioned the men's only policy....well, you can probably guess her response.  

Golf experience or otherwise? We played on a Sunday at 11:40 and had no one in front or behind and were able to play in 3:35 with 3 of us never having seen the course. I definitely spray the ball a little too much to have a ton of fun playing there regularly but I would definitely see doing it once or twice a year.

It also sounds a little full as my host was trying to get in the member guest 4 months before the event and there wasn't room. I would not be down with that as a member...

[ASak10]

17 minutes ago, TheKrushh said:

Golf experience or otherwise? We played on a Sunday at 11:40 and had no one in front or behind and were able to play in 3:35 with 3 of us never having seen the course. I definitely spray the ball a little too much to have a ton of fun playing there regularly but I would definitely see doing it once or twice a year.

It also sounds a little full as my host was trying to get in the member guest 4 months before the event and there wasn't room. I would not be down with that as a member...

 

Otherwise.  Golf was fine but yeah, not a course I'd want to play multiple times a week.  When I played we started as a 5-some, then had someone join us at the turn (for a 6-some), and it was like a 6 hour round.  For a course that promotes no tee times and fast rounds, that was not a good look and was an awful experience.  So that was really bad, and then there was other stuff that happened during the round and after that really rubbed me the wrong way...not worth complaining about here in the forum but I was not impressed.  

 

Doesn't surprise me about the membership though, it's relatively cheap especially with the trial offer.  

[pseudoswede]

On 6/16/2021 at 7:32 AM, pseudoswede said:

Arrived at my in-law's house in Sweden yesterday. I heard it hit 101 in Denver.

 

It was chilly while having dinner at 8pm last night. I had to wear a fleece jacket. #sorrynotsorry

 

Just so you all know. It appears my sprinkler system has been on the fritz since Monday night, and my neighbors said my yard is now a nice shade of brown. Karma's real, y'all. Thanks to the wonders of technology, I was able to let my neighbor into my garage, and he was able to power cycle my sprinkler controller so that I was able to connect to it via the internet.

Edited June 19, 2021 by pseudoswede

[RobotDoctor]

40 minutes ago, pseudoswede said:

 

Just so you all know. It appears my sprinkler system has been on the fritz since Monday night, and my neighbors said my yard is now a nice shade of brown. Karma's real, y'all. Thanks to the wonders of technology, I was able to let my neighbor into my garage, and he was able to power cycle my sprinkler controller so that I was able to connect to it via the internet.

Ugh.  Getting water on the grass will make it rebound.  The ultra hot weather is not in the Immediate forecast., thankfully.  

[CSURam_06]

On 6/16/2021 at 3:58 PM, TheKrushh said:

It also sounds a little full as my host was trying to get in the member guest 4 months before the event and there wasn't room.

The waitlist at my club 3 day member guest is something like 2-4 years, depending on how many don't choose to participate in a given year, and if you drop out, you go to the back of the list.  I wasn't super excited about that, and then I found out how much it costs to play in it, so honestly not that worried about it.  I can't justify the cost of a trip to Bandon to play my own club.

[Dancin]

Mine does a lottery so anyone can get into it if picked. It's actually quite a bit cheaper than if the guest stayed and played the 3 nights and days with meals just as a guest and the member pretty much pays the same as they would for the lodging and meals, but it's not exactly easy finding someone willing to drop $1200 for 3 days/nights of golf, lodging and meals.

[ASak10]

12 hours ago, Dancin said:

Mine does a lottery so anyone can get into it if picked. It's actually quite a bit cheaper than if the guest stayed and played the 3 nights and days with meals just as a guest and the member pretty much pays the same as they would for the lodging and meals, but it's not exactly easy finding someone willing to drop $1200 for 3 days/nights of golf, lodging and meals.

 

It wouldn't be that hard 😜

[ASak10]

Anyone want to play Murphy Creek tomorrow at 9:30?  Have a time but only 3 guys to play and have an opening for the 4th.  

[TheKrushh]

17 hours ago, Dancin said:

Mine does a lottery so anyone can get into it if picked. It's actually quite a bit cheaper than if the guest stayed and played the 3 nights and days with meals just as a guest and the member pretty much pays the same as they would for the lodging and meals, but it's not exactly easy finding someone willing to drop $1200 for 3 days/nights of golf, lodging and meals.

That's a great situation. My schedule is literally nuts this summer otherwise I would be in the DM's 😜

[TheKrushh]

How did everyone's courses hold up during the heat? Highlands Ranch is really burnt out and a few of the greens got fried in a bad way. Not sure if it was the supers fault or something else but it's a real bad look 3 weeks before member guest...

[Dancin]

You don't know what budget the super is given and what constraints they work under, so I would hesitate to jump to blaming a super but other courses in the Denver area are fine. Walnut Creek is basically saying what heat wave. It was still lush when I played yesterday. The rough is very thick and the native is chest high. If anything the fairway was a little too moist for a summer afternoon and would benefit from a little drying out.

[CDM]

37 minutes ago, Dancin said:

You don't know what budget the super is given and what constraints they work under, so I would hesitate to jump to blaming a super but other courses in the Denver area are fine. Walnut Creek is basically saying what heat wave. It was still lush when I played yesterday. The rough is very thick and the native is chest high. If anything the fairway was a little too moist for a summer afternoon and would benefit from a little drying out.

 

Played yesterday.....?🤣

[RobotDoctor]

5 hours ago, TheKrushh said:

How did everyone's courses hold up during the heat? Highlands Ranch is really burnt out and a few of the greens got fried in a bad way. Not sure if it was the supers fault or something else but it's a real bad look 3 weeks before member guest...

 

Collindale Golf Course in Fort Collins held up really well.  The course is green and in excellent condition.  Some heat stress but not a lot.

 

I played Ute Creek in Longmont today and the course is really stressed.  Spots around the greens and some in the fairway are really stressed.  The greens are stressed but for some unknown reason the superintendent punched the greens yesterday and applied sand and fertilizer to them.  He's absolutely nuts because fertilizer will further stress the greens and the next three days they will be in bad shape.  Maintenance workers were out there today on several greens watering them during the day. 

Edited June 23, 2021 by RobotDoctor

[hoselpalooza]

Anyone else here get the Dave Troyer resignation email last night? I wonder what the future holds for the rest of the season at CommonGround men’s club...
 

Quote

Gentlemen,

 

I hope you are all having a fantastic week. It is with a heavy heart that I must send this email. As you know, the Men’s Club is near and dear to my heart, and I am so appreciative of the support all of you have provided me over the years.   

 

Unfortunately, due to irreconcilable management philosophies between me and the upper management at the CGA, I have decided to resign my position at CommonGround.  The CGA and I have reached an impasse where we can’t agree on the priorities of running CommonGround.

 

I have given my two weeks notice as of today. I will make sure that the Member Guest goes off without a hitch even though I won’t be there, but after that, I can’t promise what the future holds for the remainder of the season. 

 

Again, I thank all of you for the memories, the competition and the fun we have shared over the years! I’m going to miss you all!

 

Sincerely,

 

dt

 

[Dancin]

Interesting and ominous. I doubt the CGA would want to get out of running the course and they can't sell it without the new owner paying a rather hefty fee to Tom Doak. The men's club there is humongous though and takes up a lot of tee times so maybe enough people complained to the CGA and they're trying to reduce that.

[hoselpalooza]

Good points. I still haven’t played in a men’s club event and really hope things don’t go to shite for the rest of the season. I wonder what caused the breakup?

[ASak10]

12 hours ago, Dancin said:

Interesting and ominous. I doubt the CGA would want to get out of running the course and they can't sell it without the new owner paying a rather hefty fee to Tom Doak. The men's club there is humongous though and takes up a lot of tee times so maybe enough people complained to the CGA and they're trying to reduce that.

 

Maybe I should call all the courses that I can't get early tee times at and complain about the midnight tee time openings.  I need my sleep darn it!  

 

I kid, mostly, but with the increased demand for tee times there's no way to make everyone happy.  If that is the reason for the change, to me it's ridiculous to potentially ruin or end something like the men's cub for what is likely a temporary demand for tee times. Heck it wasn't that long ago that the men's cub would struggle to even try to fill a full field for tourneys and would beg people to sign up and play.  

 

My guess is (and it really is just a complete guess) this has been a long simmering issue that finally came to a head because of Covid and the increased demands on courses.  I'd bet money it's been something that's been a point of contention from before Covid times, but who knows.  

 

It's really a shame.  I think Dave's been there since CommonGround first opened, or if not he's been there for a very long time.  I think he's done a wonderful job running that course and juggling all the tournaments, tee times, camps, events....all while keeping the course is great shape.  

[birdiemachine]

It’s 2 Saturdays a month. Not like the men’s club is occupying that much of the tee sheet. 

[birdiemachine]

I shot 82-78 to finish fifth in the third flight of the Denver Amateur at City Park last weekend. Good for $185, which means I got the entry fee back. Lol. That’s a really good 2 day result for me. The stupid 13th hole killed me. Doubled it on first day and tripled it the next. I finished 5 strokes back. It’s a very short par 5 so I played it thinking I had to birdie it but there’s too much trouble off tee. Next year I’ll play it differently.  Thinking 7 iron, wedge,  wedge. 

[dubbelbogey]

1 hour ago, birdiemachine said:

It’s 2 Saturdays a month. Not like the men’s club is occupying that much of the tee sheet. 

But it consumes a big percentage of weekend tee times, which for us regular working stiffs, makes it a challenge to get reasonable tee times there.

[birdiemachine]

5 minutes ago, dubbelbogey said:

But it consumes a big percentage of weekend tee times, which for us regular working stiffs, makes it a challenge to get reasonable tee times there.

Fair enough. From my perspective looks like a reasonable distribution but I get yours too. 

[CSURam_06]

It's sad to see Dave leave.  That was my first experience in a mens club and with tournament golf, and it was always a blast.  I wonder if some of the issue stems from how many other tournaments they have there.  It seems that there is some sort of event over there every weekend, between juniors, the various Am "tours" and CGA events, it seems that the course is always hosting something.  I hope this doesn't change the ethos of the course.  I love that place for what it is.

[pseudoswede]

It wouldn't surprise me if the CGA rate also disappears next season at CommonGround.

[ASak10]

Who knows how things will pan out but I'm certainly not optimistic.  I guess time will tell.  

 

I did have my first match play event yesterday.  Miraculously won 1 up.  Guy I played was great, fun to play with and good competitor.  His putting from 10 feet and in was incredible, seemed like he couldn't miss.  I quickly found myself down 3 after 8 holes despite winning the first.  I then proceeded to win 9, 10, and 11 to pull even.  I then birdied 13 and 15 and found myself up two with 2 to play.  Lost 17 after an awful chip and then we both fell apart on 18.  Pulled my tee shot left, pulled my provisional even more left (which actually made it ok to play from), then found my first shot, couldn't chip out, tried to chip out a second time and buried the ball, found it, took an unplayable and got the ball to 50 yards out.  My opponent also went left, took a couple shots to get out, then unfortunately pushed his 4th into some long grass between 1 and 18 and we couldn't find the ball.  At that point he conceded.  

 

Not the way I wanted it to end but what can do, match play is funny sometimes.  Was a great experience.  On to the second round....I hope.  Guess we'll see how all this stuff shakes out.  

 

 

Edited June 28, 2021 by ASak10
typo

[TheKrushh]

Every course is just nuts right now. Highlands Ranch is waiting list for membership with essentially every tee time booked every day for the last 18 months. 

 

I have a friend at Colorado Golf Club who said they are raising everything and capping membership as well. I'm pretty sure Columbine is full. This just seems to be the scene right now where the courses almost don't know what to do with all this extra demand.

 

I've told the management at Highlands Ranch that I'd like to see them raise everything 20% or so to try and thin out the play a bit. I don't know why you wouldn't want to make more money when your course is literally at capacity every day.

 

[deadsolid...shank]

Courses are completely packed here in Greeley as well.  Maybe one or two spots for a single through the day is all. 
 

So……the city decided to run a 4th  (and 3rd too) of July special. $36 dollars for 18 and a cart. $18 off the regular rate. Just giving dollars away. 
 

The fun part is to get the special people have to book online……but the email blast doesn’t say that anywhere.  So people call the shop, we tell them to book online, they book online and then call back to the shop to confirm they are booked. There is also no way to tell on our computerized tee sheet if a time was booked online, in person, or over the phone!  So glad I won’t be working!

Edited June 29, 2021 by deadsolid...shank

[hoselpalooza]

12 minutes ago, deadsolid...shank said:

Courses are completely packed here in Greeley as well.  Maybe one or two spots for a single through the day is all. 
 

So……the city decided to run a 4th  (and 3rd too) of July special. $36 dollars for 18 and a cart. $18 off the regular rate. Just giving dollars away. 
 

The fun part is to get the special people have to book online……but the email blast doesn’t say that anywhere.  So people call the shop, we tell them to book online, they book online and then call back to the shop to confirm they are booked. There is also no way to tell on our computerized tee sheet if a time was booked online, in person, or over the phone!  So glad I won’t be working!

hey, so you work at one of the courses in Greeley? Which one? I went to boomerang links for my birthday last December and they guys there were great. Got me on at the last minute after Walnut Creek canceled my tee time without a heads up. I was super grateful, completely made my day!

[deadsolid...shank]

1 hour ago, hoselpalooza said:

hey, so you work at one of the courses in Greeley? Which one? I went to boomerang links for my birthday last December and they guys there were great. Got me on at the last minute after Walnut Creek canceled my tee time without a heads up. I was super grateful, completely made my day!

Yeah, I work at Highland Hills a couple nights a week. Keeps me around the game since I don’t play as much anymore, and pays for the golf I do play. Same pro runs both places, and I think both staffs are pretty good. 

[ALi3]

On 6/25/2021 at 3:21 PM, hoselpalooza said:

I wonder what the future holds for the rest of the season at CommonGround men’s club...

To stir some more s***.

 

I heard from a member that because the CGA is essentially failing to make money with CommonGround (which a surprise to me based on how much play that course gets), they are looking to expand operations by either adding a venue site for weddings or building condos to the left of hole 9. He said that he felt Dave was really just in it for the golf and didn't want to ruin CommonGround and refused to go along with those plans.