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FROM THE CLUB PRESIDENT DOC HOLLIDAY FROM THE DIRECTOR OF GOLF JEFF OSTLUND UNLOCKING PERFORMANCE EVAN WRIGHT MEMBER #1 ED CARPENTER HOLE IN ONE UPDATE MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE

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GROUNDS COMMITTEE HANDICAP COMMITTEE

EMPLOYEE APPRECIATION LUNCH TONTO TRAVEL - LAS VEGAS RECAP HOME TOUR MGA LNGA WGA & HOHOKAM RECAP LADY PUTTERS

FROM THE CLUB PRESIDENT DOC HOLLIDAY

This is my last Divot Digest message as President, as my final term comes to an end on April 7, 2025. It has been a great honor to have led many great projects that improved the overall golfing experience at Tonto Verde Golf Club over the past years. There have been a few experiences I would rather not have gone through, but being in a leadership role at a premier club inside a utopian community has been rewarding. I have recently heard some rumblings and questions about why the Ranch fairways aren’t as good as the Peaks. While there has been an abundance of communication on this, I will explain along with the changes being made to help address this possibility. The Ranch was over-seeded during triple digit temperatures because the golf calendar dictated that had to be done. Had we been able to delay 8 days, the temperatures and the conditions would have been the same as when the over-seed process began on the Peaks. The triple- digit temps make it difficult (nearly impossible) to force the Bermuda grass to go dormant. While we sprayed growth retardant three times, it just couldn’t overcome the temps. Therefore, the winter rye grass’s fragile root system must fight the Bermuda’s strong root system for water and nutrients. The Bermuda grass won. When Bermuda finally goes dormant as the weather conditions change, thin areas and brown bare spots appear. The Rye grass simply could not germinate and survive in those areas, and thus, there is

only dormant Bermuda. The Peaks was over-seeded in ideal weather conditions, and the fairways reflect that. In addition, the Peaks water from well #5 has a reduced sodium content compared to the well #8, which supplies the Ranch. There is nothing that can be done about the water quality (although improved effluent quality looks to be on the horizon), but the overseed schedule can be controlled. We asked that the golf calendar be cleared in November to give us the flexibility to react to the weather conditions. Therefore, there will be no formal events in November. The flexibility of delaying by 8-10 days, if necessary, would ensure we ALL have great conditions for 5 months versus a FEW enjoying a special tournament in November. In addition, we had gone 28 months without a soaking rain (1” over 8 hours) that is needed to wash out the sodium build-up in our sand base. We just received that rain, and you will see the results quickly. As an aside, if we had not created the sand bases, we would have been playing on dirt and dormant Bermuda this year on the Ranch-like it used to be. Again, thank you for allowing me to serve as President these past years. I am now going to start enjoying these wonderful golf courses. Doc Holliday, TVGC President Doc Holliday

FROM THE DIRECTOR OF GOLF JEFF OSTLUND

ForeTees registration is open for the Men’s & Women’s Stroke Play Club Championships scheduled for Tuesday, April 1st, on the Ranch Course and Thursday, April 3rd, on the Peaks Course. Each flight will have gross and net winners except for the Men’s Senior Championship Flight (age 70+; gross only competition from the white tees).

FROM THE DIRECTOR OF GOLF JEFF OSTLUND

OPEN SHOTGUNS Members not playing in the Desert Classic next week should be aware that Open Shotguns are the primary option for play 3/20 thru 3/22. Sign up under the “Events” tab on ForeTees for any of the following: Thursday 3/20 8 AM Open Shotgun (both courses) Friday 3/21 8 AM Open Shotgun (both courses) Saturday 3/22 12 PM Open Shotgun (Ranch Course) Afternoon tee times are also available on the Peaks Course on 3/23 starting at 12:42pm.

RANDOM BUT NOTEWORTHY

New pace of play clocks have been added to both courses at the mid-way points of each nine holes and at the turns. These are helpful checkpoints to ensure your group is staying in good position relative to Time Par throughout a round. A multitude of factors influence pace of play, but adherence to the following three keys will make for a more enjoyable experience for everyone on the courses: Be prepared Simplify your pre-shot routine Move with a purpose The first tee time of the day will move earlier to 7:09am starting Saturday 3/15. The Golf Shop hours will adjust to be open from 6:30am-5:00pm on a daily basis. The Early Morning Play Policy remains in effect for those of you that enjoy chasing the dew off the course. We ask that the lead group adhere to a 3.5 hour pace or skip completely around the maintenance crew so as not to interfere with their prep work.

UPCOMING DEMO DAYS:

XXIO & Ping – Thursday, March 13th Titleist & Callaway – Wednesday, March 26th Mizuno – Thursday, March 27th TaylorMade, Cobra & Never Compromise (Putter Fitting) – Friday, March 28th Sign up for an appointment on the ForeTees app or in the Golf Shop if you’re interested in a focused fitting with any of these club companies.

Until next time, fairways and greens!

Jeff Ostlund, Director of Golf Jeff Ostlund

NGP TTIN PUTT TING Unlocking Performance The Importance of a Fitted Putter A putter that fits your putting stroke will result in better contact, improvement/consistency in starting line, and distance/proximity to the hole. Most players find themselves producing one of three stroke types: Stroke Difference In this stroke, the putter moves straight back and forward on a straight line, keeping the face of the putter square throughout the stroke. straight arc The most common putting stroke amongst all putters, is a stroke that is made with a soft curve inside on the backswing, delivered to square at impact and then slightly inside on the follow-through. slight arc In this stroke the putter moves on a pronounced arc inside on the backswing and on the follow-through. This stroke produces the most amount of face rotation during the stroke. strong arc HDCP AVG PUTT PER RD AVG SCORE STROKES PUTTING % 0 31.5 75.7 41.6% 1-10 33.1 82.3 40.2% 11-20 35.3 92.5 38.1% 21+ 37.7 104.6 36.0% How is it that the club responsible for 30-40% of an amateur golfer's strokes is often the least fine-tuned in their bag? While golfers diligently search for new clubs to hit farther, straighter, and closer to the hole, they often overlook the significant impact that a properly fitted putter can have on their performance and scores. A properly fitted putter involves several variables, but the most important factor to consider first is the golfer's natural stroke type. 8

UTTIN GPUT TING PUTT Toe hang is the position the toe points if the putter is allowed to hang naturally which influences face rotation during the stroke playing a vital role in squaring the club face at impact. Best way to think about the proper amount of toe hang? A simple rule to follow is the more arc you have in your stroke, the more toe hang you need. Toe Hang A shaft with a slight S-shaped curve, typically inserted into the club head or short hosel. Offers minimal face rotation, ideal for golfers with straight putting strokes. Double Bend (S-Bend) Features an L-shaped hosel that shifts the center of gravity forward, creating toe hang. Suited for golfers with slight arcs or straight strokes. Plumber Neck (L-Neck) A straight shaft attached at the center of the club head, making the putter face balanced. Best for straight-back and straight-through strokes. Center Shaft Angled hosel with varying degrees of toe hang, suitable for moderate arc strokes. Slant Neck Featuring Never Compromise Join me and Justin Davis, our Never Compromise rep, on the putting green for a putter fitting. Explore Never Compromise putters along with the latest models from Callaway, PING, Taylormade, Scotty Cameron, Mizuno, and Cleveland. putter demo day: friday, march 28th 10 am - 2 pm Evan Wright, Player Performance Director Evan Wright 9

MEMBER 1 # In 1977, Linda and I stumbled into Rio Verde for a golf vacation, and it was love at first swing! We quickly bought a lot in Tonto Verde and built a vacation home. Flash forward to late 1993, when TVGC opened.. we were so eager that we snagged what was reportedly the first golf membership. Our first round was on January 1, 1994, and we played with two of our sons. The “clubhouse” at the time? A card table with scorecards and just one brave soul on duty—talk about a minimalist approach! As you can see in the picture below. FROM VACATIONERS TO COMMUNITY LEADERS ED CARPENTER

We planned to eventually retire in Rio Verde from our chilly home in Edina, MN. Those plans kicked into high gear when I hung up my legal hat and hit the road to our sunny abode in 1996. Now, let me paint a picture of Tonto Verde in 1996: you’d be hard-pressed to find a golf shop, restaurant, swimming pool, or even somewhere to sit. We lacked the essentials like a Clubhouse or even cart paths on the course. But the community was a tight- knit bunch, growing faster than wildflowers in spring, with many epic parties. We even had slab parties that felt like a “moving feast.” One memorable Memorial Day gathering brought in 120 people.

The MGA was born with just eight original members, quickly followed by the WGA. My official initiation into local governance began when I was asked to prepare the bylaws for the MGA. Somehow, I found myself president by 1999—talk about a quick rise! The first inaugural Men's Day was in the fall of 1996. We quickly established a schedule: Wednesdays were our men’s day, Thursdays for the ladies, and Mondays, dubbed 'mini- Monday,' was an early version of what we now know as best ball.

Back then, the developer controlled the golf course, with all employees firmly under their banner. There was plenty of outside play and tournaments, all to increase revenue for the developer, who, in turn, supported the losses from the golf operation. The members had no legal standing for input to golf operations, but the developer was often receptive to suggestions. Upon reflection, we were greatly blessed to be among the early members and residents of Tonto Verde. It was gratifying to be involved in the early organizations such as the MGA, Transition Committee, and the Golf Committee in originating and developing member-friendly amenities and programs and to have participated in the planning and completion of the transition from the developer to the members. Of course, the life-long personal relationships that were formed along the way are the most rewarding of all.

H LE ONE in

FEBRUARY in

Please submit your Hole-in-One photo to Somin at slee@tontogolf.com.

MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE

We hope all our members are enjoying the exciting events and wonderful weather this season. We want to take a moment to share some updates regarding our membership situation at Tonto Verde. As many of our members may remember, we established a waitlist in 2020 due to a surge of interest in Tonto Verde Golf Club. We are thrilled to report that since then, we’ve welcomed over 100 new members who are enjoying this wonderful golf community. We are also pleased to inform you that we have successfully cleared the resident side of the waitlist. This means that any Tonto Residents can expect to become new golf members within 1-2 months. Additionally, our Non-Resident waitlist has decreased to 20 memberships, and we anticipate clearing the current list within the next year.

With this good news, we want to take this opportunity to remind you of an important policy for our current members. When the Club had lengthy waitlist in place, we did not require a 6-month surrender notice period, allowing new members to join right away. Once our Club no longer has a waitlist, our Bylaws (Section 4.07, Surrender of Regular Memberships and Pass-Through Sales) stipulate that we will require a 6-month notice period for any membership to surrender. Thank you for your understanding. It’s our goal to keep all our members informed and ensure that Tonto Verde Golf Club remains a vibrant community for all our members going forward in changing times.

GROUNDS COMMITTEE

GET YOUR BUTT OFF THE GOLF COURSE! One of the regular complaints received by the Board and Grounds committee has to do with cigar and cigarette butts discarded on the golf course. Until now, our response has been to remind, shame, cajole and otherwise beg our smokers to dispose of their “burnt ends” respectfully. Due to the marginal success of these reminders and recognizing the concern with disposing of smoldering butts in trash receptacles, we’ve recently purchased a stock of golf-cart-friendly ash trays (see photo below), that can be picked up at the pro shop free of charge. No more excuses for tobacco litter on the courses…..grab one and please use it!

RANCH HOLE MONUMENTS New hole monuments for the Ranch course have been ordered and will be installed this summer. As we did with the old markers on the Peaks course last year, the old Ranch markers will be available for sale to members for $100. This will cover the delivery of the stone to your front yard for final placement by you or your landscape contractor. Contact Carrie Dahl at 480-471-7380 or CDahl@tontogolf.com to see if your marker is still available. There are also a few of the old Peaks markers that are unsold.

HANDICAP COMMITTEE

For major competitions at Tonto, we run Posting Percentage Reports starting after sign-ups close. These reports cover postings/rounds for the previous 365 days. We keep track of this information as a report card on our progress helping players avoid missed postings. Thought we would share the results we’ve seen so far this season.

MEN MATCH PLAY

MGA MEMBER MEMBER

WGA MEMBER MEMBER

WOMEN’S MATCH PLAY

MGA ECLECTIC

MGA 4 MEMBER

WGA 4 MEMBER

HOHOKA M

MGA 666

# PLAYERS

173

150

176

177

132

152

100%

10.4% 12.7% 8.8% 9.1% 11.9% 21.2% 10.5% 19.1% 20%

80 - 99%

71.1% 68% 71.4% 74.4% 70% 68.9% 81.6% 71.7% 66.7%

<80%

18.5% 19.3% 19.8% 16.5% 18.1% 9.9% 7.9% 9.2% 13.3%

For example, results from the report for the MGA 6-6-6: There were 173 participants. 10.4% of them had posted 100% of their rounds. 71.1% had posted between 80 and 99%. 18.5% had posted less than 80%.

For players entering competitions, we recommend accessing your Peer Review Report in ForeTees weekly. If your posting percentage is under 80, check out our suggestions on how to avoid missed postings (which will increase posting percentages). Use this link to a detailed list on Tonto’s website.

We welcome your questions and comments. Our contact email address is handicapcommittee@tontogolf.com.

VALENTINES DAY EMPLOYEE LUNCH

SPECIAL THANKS TO: PAMM & CHUCK TORRANCE

BRENDA & KEITH THARP PEGGY & JIM CRITCHFIELD JOANNE & MORRIE CONWAY

LADIES TRIP

“LOTS OF LAUGHS, GREAT GOLF, FABULOUS FOOD, MARVELOUS MEMORIES! AND, OF COURSE, YOU CAN'T BEAT THE COMPANY!”

MGA

This year’s MEMBER & MEMBER EVENT was held on February 24th & 26th. A field of 178 players was divided into 10 flights with generous payouts for each flight. Brian Stevens and Doc Holliday were the Overall Gross Winners, with Ed Martens and Tony Xouris taking Overall Net honors. All the results are posted on the member website under Results/MGA.

REMINDERS

If you have not yet received your MGA 30th Anniversary gift and are a current MGA member, be sure to stop in the Golf Shop and pick up your engraved bottle. One per member, please.

MGA Game Day 3/12 - Sign up closes today. MGA Monthly Meeting, Breakfast, Golf event 3/26 - Registration is open now. MGA Game Day 4/9 - Registration is open now. This is the last event of the season before the MGA Cup. Click here to view the MGA Cup point standings . This year’s field has expanded to the Top 88 plus ties to compete in the MGA CUP flighted finals. The purse has been increased to $10,000, with each participant awarded a cash prize. The games will take place on April 16th & 23rd, with dinner and awards following the final round. The Handicap Committee continues to ask the MGA to remind members of the importance of posting all their scores on the correct date so that our handicaps are correct, fair, and current.

Since our last Divot Digest, we welcomed 3 first-time members to the MGA: Eric Burgeson, John Dolan, and Dave Lage. Please welcome them when you have the opportunity.

Jon Lynch, MGA Communication Jon Lynch

LNGA

The East prevailed at the East (blue) versus West (red) game day on February 18.

Where there is a will, there’s a way…Lefty Dawn Hoy making an impossible shot with a right hand club during the LNGA/WGA Mixer. The LNGA donated a pickleball basket for the Verdes Cares Auction

On February 18th, the Interclub group went to Rio Verde for a beautiful afternoon of golf. Then the Boulders March 5th.

UPCOMING EVENTS

The LNGA/WGA Mixer was a great success, thanks to Ann Hunt, Monica Condomitti and Sherri LeMoine for planning a fun and entertaining event!!! Winners of the Bucket Toss were Jena Taylor (L) and Carol Horonzy. After the contest everyone gathered to enjoy dinner.

LNGA Interclub at Pinnacle Peak 03/17/25 sign-up available for wait list LNGA Interclub at Tonto Verde 03/25/25 sign-up is available FIRST March Academy 03/12 sign-up is now available

Carol Noonan Communication Carol Noonan

WGA

INTERCLUB NEWS: Interested in competitive golf events? Sign up on ForeTees prior to April 1st, 2025, for the 2025/2026 Interclub season. The bylaws and other facts regarding interclub are included on the WGA tab on ForeTees. Sonoran, Roadrunner, and Cactus Interclub teams are winding up their seasons with final matches in March. Good luck, teams!

February and March were a whirlwind of fun and exciting events for WGA! We kicked things off with a WGA 4-member, followed by the 9/18 mixer, where laughter and camaraderie filled the air. And just when you thought it couldn't get any better, March brought us the spectacular Hohokam Invitational! A huge shoutout to all our amazing members for diving in and making these events unforgettable! Special thanks to the incredible chairs, the tournament committee, and all the volunteers whose hard work and dedication really shone through. You all made each event a success!

REMINDERS

Viki Wilds, WGA Communication Viki Wilds WGA CUP 4/8 & 4/15 Click here to view the WGA CUP point standings. WGA Closing Day 4/22 - Golf, general meeting and awards dinner Past Presidents’ Golf and Luncheon 3/12 with 13 participants. Stroke Play Championship 4/1 & 4/3 36-hole flighted stroke play tournament.

Congratulations to our WGA 4 MEMBER Champions!

Nancy Sheppard, Lynne Bradshaw, Monique Wright and Georgine Hoffman.

CONGRATS to Nancy Updegraff for her hole in one on February 22 on Peaks #7.

LADY PUTTERS

Cool conditions could not daunt the spirits of the Tonto Verde Lady Putters as they gathered for their special St. Valentine’s Day event on the afternoon of Feb 12th. Pro-Shop coordinator, Jacob Trimble, not only produced a challenging putting competition, he threw in some tricky Valentine’s history & trivia questions to boost the putting scores. The 1st place team of Jena Taylor, Karen Stephens, Jeannie Pitluck and Karen Grozak set its own record with every one of the 4- member team scoring a hole-in-one! The afternoon putting event was followed by a Valentine-themed dinner at the clubhouse featuring a sumptuous Mexican buffet and the most delicious Valentine’s cookies à la Chef Sarah! Love on the Green

In concert with this event, TV ladies chose to spread the love throughout the community by bringing donations for the Helping Hands Food Bank in Fountain Hills - these were delivered to grateful staff by 2025 President, Kristen McLinden and Co-Vice Presidents, Kate Stredonsky and Sue Pedersen (below, left).

Tonto Verde - Rio Verde Mixer March 12th at 10 AM

This will be a disco themed event hosted by the Lady Putters of Rio Verde. Putting will be followed by an Italian Buffet lunch at the clubhouse.

Judith Potter, TVLP Communications Judith Potter

MAR/APR 2025

Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday Thursday

Friday

Saturday

MGA WGA

WGA CACTUS LEAGUE

WGA LNGA

BOARD MEETING LADIES TEE TIME

PAST PRESIDENT LADY PUTTERS

MEMBER MEMBER

WGA SONORAN LEAGUE

LNGA

WGA

LADIES TEE TIME WGA SONORAN LEAGUE

WGA

MGA

LNGA VALLEY INTERCLUB

LADY PUTTERS

LNGA

LADY PUTTERS

STROKE PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND 2

STROKE PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND 1

WGA CACTUS LEAGUE

WGA

MGA

BOARD MEETING LADIES TEE TIME

LNGA

LADY PUTTERS

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Divot Digest - March