Divot Digest
2025 ARIZONA MATCH PLAY SENIOR DIVISION
CHAMPION Joe Cabrera
JULY 8TH, 2025
in this ISSUE
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FROM THE CLUB PRESIDENT TODD HALL
FROM THE HEAD PROFESSIONAL BLAKE BERRY BLAKE BERRY
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CONGRATS TO THE AZ MATCH PLAY CHAMPION JOE CABRERA
TONTO TRAVEL - MINNESOTA
HOLE IN ONE UPDATE
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GROUNDS COMMITTEE
MGA
WGA
LNGA
FROM THE CLUB PRESIDENT TODD HALL
As our great nation enters its 250 year, I hope you all enjoyed a safe and memorable 4 of July! th th Congratulations to Joe Cabrera for winning the Arizona men’s senior match play championship on June 24. The grueling format consisted of a stroke play round for seeding and then five matches over a four- day period. th
This view, from one of my all-time favorite golfers, perfectly sums up my view when I, too often, find my ball in a bunker. As I read the comments from the membership survey, it appears many of you agree with me. A few comments even suggested we should remove, flatten, and reduce the height of the lips of bunkers. I can assure you the Board has no appetite for making changes that would jeopardize the aesthetics, strategy and challenges our golf course architect, Mike Gogel, designed into the courses during the 2017 bunker revision project. Legendary golf architect Donald Ross said, “There is no such thing as a misplaced bunker. Regardless of where a bunker may be, it is the business of the player to avoid it.” Bunkers are hazards, just like water and desert. They are meant to encourage thoughtful play while rewarding the golfer for a well-played shot and penalizing a greedy, poorly executed one. If you are frustrated by the bunkers on our courses, I would encourage you to contact Evan or any of our professional staff to arrange for a bunker lesson. They are more than willing to put together a plan to address your needs, whether it be a playing lesson focused on strategically avoiding bunkers, fairway bunker lessons, or greenside bunker lessons.
Those of you that watched the 2025 U.S. Open at Oakmont a few weeks ago likely marveled at the iconic Church Pew bunker between the third and fourth fairways. For players hitting this bunker on the third hole it adds an average of 1.25 strokes compared to 0.5 strokes for typical bunkers; it demands precision off the tee to avoid and often forces conservative recovery shots. “If you’re caught in a bunker, you’re not in jail - just visiting.” Lee Trevino
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FROM THE CLUB PRESIDENT TODD HALL
May your drives be straight, and your bunkers be lonely, Please send any question and comments to TVGCBOD@TontoGolf.com Todd Hall
There is also a USGA rule, specifically Rule 19.3b (Unplayable Ball in Bunker), allowing a player to take relief from a bunker by declaring their ball unplayable. This rule allows a player to take back-on- the-line relief outside the bunker for a penalty of 2 strokes. The 2017 bunker revision project, the new sand with 20% crushed marble, and the recent changes to the bunkers on the 18 holes of both courses has reduced labor costs, increased aesthetics, and improved playability. Our agronomy team spends 3 ½ to 5 hours a day on each course maintaining our bunkers and a bit more on the days when they are deep tined to keep the sand from becoming hard and crusty; This adds up to almost 2300 hours a year Travis’ team spends maintaining the hazards. th In summary, bunkers are meant to be hazards and no golfer relishes finding their ball in one; bunkers require a golfer to be strategic and skilled; our Professional Golf staff is prepared to help you develop your course strategy and shot making skill to make bunkers more manageable; and when all else fails there are USGA rules that allow you to drop your ball outside of the bunker by taking a 2-stroke penalty.
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FROM THE HEAD PROFESSIONAL BLAKE BERRY
4 OF JULY - FLAG GAME TH We had a total of 27 brave members battle the heat on the Ranch Course during our annual 4th of July Flag Game. 7 of them shot their number (par + course handicap) or better earning the right to proudly plant their American flags in the “Winner’ Circle”. Congratulations to Mike Hoffman, Kathie Sankey, Diane Spang, Mark Giangreco, Garry Madaline, Keith Betsch & Jena Taylor on a great performance on a special holiday. DRIVNG RANGE HOURS The driving range will continue to be closed from 10 am – 1 pm on Wednesdays throughout the summer to allow for clean picking and mowing of the range floor. MONSOON SEASON As we head into monsoon season stay tuned for course and practice facility updates on the top of your ForeTees app. Nobody looks forward to CPO restrictions, but they will be used as necessary when needed. THE OPEN MAJOR POOL Be on the lookout for the final major pool of the season next week when golf’s original championship, The Open, heads to Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland for its 153 edition. rd
TRACKMAN SATURDAY Complimentary sessions up to 15 mins Schedule appointments through the Golf Shop TRACKMAN SESSIONS Complimentary Trackman sessions will resume after the Holiday break. These will be hosted on Saturday mornings from 8 am to 10 am on 7/19, 7/26, 8/2, 8/9 SUMMER ROAD GAMES We have multiple upcoming Summer Road Games upcoming. Please register through Foretees. 7/15 – Camelback GC - Padre Course 7/29 – Whirlwind GC - Cattail Course 8/12 – Location TBD FREE 15 MINS SESSION OUR GOLF PROFESSIONAL WILL ANALYZE YOUR SWING DATA AND OFFER PERSONALIZED RECOMMENDATIONS TO HELP YOU OPTIMIZE YOUR SWING. EVERY SATURDAY 8-10 AM
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CHAMP CHAMP CHAMP CHAMP CHAMP 2025ARIZONAMATCHPLAY SENIOR DIV We are thrilled to congratulate our member, Joe Cabrera, for his incredible victory at the 2025 Arizona Match Play Championship in the Senior Division. After an exhilarating 108 holes of golf at Ak-Chin, Joe showcased his skill and determination by defeating Brian Miller on the final hole.
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MINNESOTA Tonto Travel
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73 Members gathered at Grand v ie w Lodge in Minnesota for the Tonto Verde Minnesota Open , enjo y ing golf and cocktail parties in the w oods . The highlight w as a pri v ate cocktail e x tra v agan z a at John Tonto Allen ’ s stunning collection , featuring o v er 30 v intage boats and countless classic cars . It w as a w eek filled w ith laughter and celebrating w onderful friendships . 9
TONTO TRAVEL CONTINUES NORTH Tonto Travel continued their journey north to tackle two stunning courses at Giants Ridge and the Wilderness at Fortune Bay. The cooler weather and lush trees created a perfect backdrop as we teed off, sharing laughter and stories along the way. This trip wasn’t just about golf, it was a vibrant adventure through the beautiful landscape of northern Minnesota that we’ll cherish forever! 10
H LE ONE in
JUNE in
Please submit your Hole-in-One photo to Somin at slee@tontogolf.com.
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GROUNDS COMMITTEE
TONTO GOES ELECTRIC Many of our year-rounders have probably noticed a little less small engine noise on the compound recently. As the utility carts used by our maintenance staff reach the end of their lives, we’ve begun replacing them with new Toro electric utility carts powered by lithium-ion batteries. A combination of gasoline savings and government rebates have made the conversion to electric vehicles more economical, and we now have 5 of them with 2 more on order. So far, they appear to be able to match almost all our performance requirements as well as the gasoline vehicles they’re replacing. The electric conversion doesn’t stop there, as we also have several battery-powered chain saws and blowers in our equipment line-up. WATER SAVINGS In a recent Turf Talk, we mentioned the acquisition of the sensors and software for a system called TurfRad, which is designed to provide data that will help us target our irrigation water more accurately and, ideally, reduce our water consumption.Several times per week, a utility cart carrying the sensors races around the golf courses (you have to see it to believe how fast they’re able to go!), taking readings of soil moisture 4 inches below the surface at a rate of 7 readings per second. Once back in the maintenance 6
yard, the data is automatically downloaded to the TurfRad system which adjusts our irrigation programming to account for any areas that are too dry or too wet. We’re already seeing both water savings and playability improvements and expect these improvements to continue as we gain more experience with the system and move into our heavy water usage periods. TURF TRANSITION As we move back onto the Peaks course this week, our players will continue to see some of the spotty turf conditions typical of the annual “transition” period. During this period, our Bermuda grass fights its way out of winter dormancy and gradually fills in across the areas that were overseeded with rye during the winter. While the Peaks transition looks to be a little behind the Ranch this year, both continue to show significant improvements over previous years and on par or better than most other overseeded courses in the Valley. OBITUARY Unfortunately, the crooked old single-stalk Ironwood tree just behind the 14 Peaks green finally succumbed to the steady diet of water that resulted from its location so close to the green. The badly split trunk and roots were removed about a week ago and have been replaced with a grass depression (not quite deep enough to be
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GROUNDS COMMITTEE
called a grass bunker). The two large trees to the left of the green and just behind the green across the cart path still provide good framing for the hole. REMINDERS Our year-rounders are reminded of the following summer turf-preservation guidelines: 1.Consolidate riders in as few carts as possible. Basically, every 2 cart riders must occupy 1 cart. 2.Avoid any bare spots in fairways to give the grass the best chance to fill in 3.Keep golf carts out of the rough 4.Fill divots!Unfilled divots in the summer lead to scorched roots. 5.Rake bunkers and fix ball marks – everyone following you deserves to find the course in good shape.
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MGA
OPENING DAY Wednesday, November 12 starting with a buffet breakfast at 8AM, followed by a short informational meeting and shotgun golf at 9:30. Sign up opens on October 1 . th, st ONE DAY 6/6/6 MEMBER/MEMBER November 19 with sign up beginning on October 1.Line up with your partner and register when it opens. Details for these and all MGA events can be found on the member website: tontoverde.org/golf club members/golf event registration. th st MGA ANNUAL DUES All prior years’ MGA members should have been billed our MGA $50 annual dues on your June 2025 TVGC statement. Our current roster is posted on the Tonto Verde member website. Anyone not currently on the roster and wanting to participate is our MGA Events contact our Membership coordinator at jjlynch4@cox.net, and you will be added to our roster, billed our annual dues, and will be emailed confirmation of your membership.
NEW MGA MEMBERS Since the last Divot Digest, we have added 11 new first-year members for the upcoming season: Chris Beck, Mark Giangreco, Dave Haney, Lou Panos, Ian Tarlie, Steve Weberman, Chad Yurko, Mark Aspelund, Pat McGuigan, John DeSalvo, and Bob Russo. Please welcome them when you have the opportunity. If you have any questions about the MGA, please contact our membership/communication liaison at jjlynch4@cox.net. Hope you are having a great, safe, healthy, and fun summer with family and friends.
TVGC GOLF CALENDAR
MGA CUP XV POINTS DETAILS
Jon Lynch, MGA Communication Jon Lynch
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WGA
WGA SURVEY RESULTS: The WGA Board would like to thank all members who participated in the TVGC WGA 2024-2025 MAJOR EVENTS SURVEY distributed during the Closing Day Meeting in April. The survey collected information about current participation in, and levels of satisfaction with, certain major events (2-Day Member-Member, 2-Day 4- Member, 1-Day Member-Guest, and
Hohokam Member Guest). One hundred fourteen ladies completed the survey, reflecting strong engagement in and dedication to the WGA. Board members continue to review responses, comments, and suggestions and will use the feedback to guide discussions around potential format changes in the 2025-2026 golf season.
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LNGA
The heat is now upon us, however, Niners Like it Hot are enduring the outdoor oven to have a little fun.
So far this summer season, the NLIH ladies have compiled a total of 23 pars, six birdies, and two chip-ins.
On June 24 th , some of the ladies attended Blake’s academy on bunkers and chipping.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
July 16 - Red Ball/Fire Ball day th August 13th - Toasted in Tonto with outside services August 26 - Academy class - Putting September 10 - Guest Day (can invite spouse, friend, Niner, child, grandchild) September 24th - Closing Day with 2:30 pm start with meal. Information on upcoming events will be available soon. There’s still time to sign-up if anyone that has not previously played with this group and is interested in playing contact group leaders at 2025ninerslikeithot@gmail.com
Carol Noonan, LNGA Communication Carol Noonan
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