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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