TONTO VERDE GOLF CLUB
DECEMBER 9TH, 2025
in this ISSUE
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FROM THE CLUB PRESIDENT TODD HALL FROM THE HEAD PROFESSIONAL BLAKE BERRY
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GROUNDS COMMITTEE
HANDICAP COMMITTEE
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HOLE IN ONE UPDATE
TONTO TRAVEL - MEN ’ S TRIP TONTO TRAVEL - MEN’S TRIP
MGA
WGA
LNGA
LADY PUTTERS
EVENT CALENDAR
FROM THE CLUB PRESIDENT TODD HALL
Holliday will have completed two consecutive 3-year terms. If you have relevant experience and have ever considered giving back to TVGC in a meaningful leadership role, I strongly encourage you to step forward now and contact one of the Nominating Committee members. Serving on the Board is one of the most rewarding ways to help shape the future of our club, protect our shared investment, and ensure that Tonto Verde remains the exceptional place we all love. While the Nominating Committee will inform you of all the necessary items, they wish you to submit, I would suggest, if you’re interested in serving on the Board, that you prepare the following and submit it to Preston Luman plumanscmn@gmail.com or turn it into the Golf Shop in a sealed envelope marked “Nominating Committee – Confidential.”: An updated résumé or professional biography A brief letter (or email) expressing your interest in serving and what you hope to contribute to the Board and our membership Even if you have served in the past or have previously expressed interest, please renew your candidacy this year so the committee has your most current information. The strength of Tonto Verde has always been its members who willingly step up to lead. Your experience, ideas, and love for this community are exactly what we need
Wishing all our members a cheerful Christmas filled with cherished moments with family and friends. As we approach the New Year, I hope it brings you not only good health but also an abundance of birdies and personal bests on the course. I'm excited to announce our first Men's Tonto Travel trip to Quintero, Wickenburg, and Los Caballeros during the week of Hohokam, March 2-4, 2026! This is an excellent opportunity to spend quality time with fellow members, share some great laughs, and enjoy the beauty of the courses together. I encourage all the guys to mark their calendars and join me on this trip! If you are someone who enjoys rolling up your sleeves and working diligently to continuously improve things, there are opportunities to serve the Tonto Verde Golf Club in numerous ways. During our December 4, 2025, meeting, the Board appointed the Nominating Committee of Preston Luman (Chair), Mark Blake, Dave Crowther, Tim Gabrielse, and Connie Goerich to do the important work of identifying candidates for the upcoming 2026 Board of Directors elections. Directors are elected by the membership at the annual meeting in April to 3-year terms and are eligible to serve two consecutive 3- year terms. Three director positions are filled during each year’s election, and there are 9 Directors on the TVGC Board. This year, the terms of myself, Don “Doc” Holliday, and Reggie McIntosh are ending; Don
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FROM THE CLUB PRESIDENT TODD HALL
as we continue to build on our successes and plan for the years ahead. If you want to contribute more but don’t believe the Board is the right place for you, there are numerous opportunities on committees like Human Resources, Financial Operations, Marketing & Communications, Golf, and Grounds. If you have desire and expertise, we’ll find an opportunity for you. Just email TVGCBOD@TontoGolf.com. Thank you for considering an important opportunity to serve TVGC. Now, for a few less pleasant but needed reminders for all of us: HOLE-IN-ONE PROGRAM We absolutely love to celebrate members who have hit the amazing, pure shot that finds the bottom of the cup from the tee box. In the past, I’m told, we’ve had members asking to opt-out of the $20 charge and not participate in the program; to clarify, this is not an optional program… if you are a member of TVGC you have agreed to the programs, and fees, we have set for members. Soon, you will see a $20 charge per member ($40 for dual memberships) on your statement to replenish the HIO fund due to the amazing, talented ball-strikers we have roaming the fairways at TVGC this season. UNREGISTERED GUESTS We value you bringing your guests to play at TVGC and introducing them to what, I believe, is the premier Golf Club in the East
Valley. When you do so, it is an expectation that you register them on ForeTees and/or notify the Golf Shop that you have guest(s) playing. It does not matter what time of day you play or how open the tee sheet may be…failure to register your guest in an attempt to avoid our guest fees is akin to walking out of the Golf Shop with a pair of shorts and a shirt without paying for it. Please don’t be that person. DIVOTS, BALL MARKS & BUNKERS Travis Blamires and his team have delivered us an amazing canvas to play the game we all love this season…why would we treat it like a rental car? Enough said. Please, please, please, when you see a member of your group forget to fill their divot, fix their pitch mark, and/or properly rake the bunker (and return the rake to the proper location), gently and if appropriate firmly remind them that it's our job to leave the courses better than we found them. Pointing out these opportunities to your playing partners makes you part of the solution…so please don’t be part of the problem. I hope your first month of the season has been as rewarding and fun as mine has been…please be the member everyone says, “we need more like them.”
Todd Hall, TVGC President Todd Hall
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FROM THE HEAD PROFESSIONAL BLAKE BERRY
EVENTS SIGN UPS OPENING IN DECEMBER TVGC Agronomy Facility Tour is on Thursday, December 18 at 9 AM at the Maintenance Facility. See ForeTees for more details. th, MGA Verdes Cup @ Rio Verde is on January 14 the sign-up opens on December 14 at 7 AM. This event fills quickly and is a great day of fellowship between Tonto and Rio. Registrants will be placed in a lottery and selected to make a team of 60 MGA members + 2 pros representing Tonto. th, th WGA Tonto-Rio Mixer @ Rio Verde will be held on January 20 . The sign-up for this event opens on December 20 at 7 AM. th th MGA 4 Member is a two- round event on January 26 (Ranch) and January 28 (Peaks). The ForeTees sign-up opens on December 26 at 7 AM. th th th Tonto Travel Men’s Trip from March 2-4, 2026 is now open! Register on Foretees!
If you are shopping for holiday gifts and do not want to deal with having to run into town, consider a gift certificate for a golf lesson from one of our local PGA Professionals. Our team of talented pros is eager to help set your loved ones on a path to better golf scores and more enjoyment of the game. If you are looking for those last few stocking stuffers, the Golf Shop has plenty of options from Frasier Fir scented accessories, Yeti tumblers, or golf balls, which can always be used. Registration for the Club’s Match Play Championship just opened on ForeTees. Members will be slotted into a single elimination bracket style tournament (flights of 8 based on handicap index) with up to 3 matches to be played. While the Championship Flights will be played straight up (no handicaps), all other flights will utilize course handicaps with strokes being wheeled off the low player. Flexible scheduling will be permitted for the first two rounds of the Match Play Club Championships. This allows participants to play matches at convenient times between round dates. The match play deadlines are as follows:
Men
Women
Round 1 completed by 1/11 (Ranch)
Round 1 completed by 1/14 (Ranch)
Round 2 completed by 1/20 (Peaks)
Round 2 completed by 1/20 (Peaks)
Men’s and Women’s Final Matches – Wednesday, January 21st (Ranch)
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FROM THE HEAD PROFESSIONAL BLAKE BERRY
RANDOM BUT NOTEWORTHY All Golf Shop credit earned during the 2024 – 2025 season is set to expire on January 1. The credit book may be spent on any merchandise, special orders, and re-gripping. Stop in the shop soon to zero your balance. st
All active Golf Members have been billed $50 for their annual Arizona Golf Association Handicap Fee. This charge will be reflected on your December statement. TVGC requires a local handicap if you play in any league, tournament, special event, or member-run golf groups.
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GROUNDS COMMITTEE
Please join Travis and our Agronomy team for an informative tour of our maintenance facility starting at 9 AM on Thursday, December 18. Walk the yard with Travis and see first-hand how we schedule our staff’s workday and see and learn about the function, cost, and maintenance of the fleet of tractors, mowers, carts, and smaller equipment that our staff use every day.
The tour takes about an hour and will give everyone a new appreciation for the equipment, facility, and staff that keep our golf facilities in great shape. It will help us plan if you sign up on ForeTees, but even if you forget to sign up, please show up at 9 AM on December 18 for the tour.
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HANDICAP COMMITTEE
MATCH PLAY competitions are starting in January. Match Play Rounds are postable . Due to the nature of match play, you may not finish a hole or a round. Below are summaries of our Club’s rules for handling these situations. WHEN A HOLE IS NOT PLAYED Reason: A match finishing before the final hole(s). Score for holes not played will be par plus any handicap strokes. For example, if the hole par is four (4) and the player gets one stroke, the score will be five (5) for that hole. WHEN A HOLE IS STARTED BUT THE PLAYER DOES NOT HOLE OUT Watch the video for instructions. There are various circumstances that might result in a player starting a hole but not holing out. For example, when the result of the hole has already been decided, or a hole has been conceded. When a player starts a hole but does not hole out for a valid reason, subject to other provisions set out within the Rules of Handicapping, the player must record their
MOST LIKELY SCORE or NET DOUBLE BOGEY, whichever is lower, as appropriate for the situation and depending on the format of play. MOST LIKELY SCORE Most likely scores should be determined on any hole in accordance with the following guidelines: If the ball lies on the putting green and is no more than 5 feet from the hole: Add one additional stroke. If the ball lies between 5 feet and 20 yards from the hole: Add 2 or 3 additional strokes, depending on the position of the ball, the difficulty of the green, and the ability of the player. If the ball lies more than 20 yards from the hole: Add 3 or 4 additional strokes, depending on the position of the ball, the difficulty of the green, and the ability of the player. NET DOUBLE BOGEY = PAR + YOUR STROKES + 2 To reach out to the Handicap Committee, email handicapcommittee@tontogolf.com.
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H LE ONE in
Bob Dietsche Peaks 7 October 25th
Steve Nielsen Peaks 15 November 14th
Mickey Shield Peaks 15 November 14th
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H LE ONE in
Larry Worman Peaks 12 November 12th
Don Holliday Ranch 7 November 21st
Chris Beck Peaks 3 November 22nd
This is a reminder that each member will be billed $20 for Hole in one Fund.
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MGA
MGA Opening Event was enjoyed by 144 players with beautiful weather and lots of good golf. The team of Stephen Pettee, Gregg Smith, Eric Tompkins, and Bob Buhler took the top honors with a scorching net score of 53.8. The team of Sam Kim, Dan Owen, Martin Kvam, and James Jaenicke finished second with a net score of 55.4. UPCOMING EVENTS: The Member/Member Eclectic began on Wednesday, December 3 and will conclude tomorrow, December 10. The MGA Board has adopted a new “MGA Skins Pot” series for several of our major events. The first in the series is the Eclectic event, which will have a $1,000 pot for skins based on the overall 2 day event. The funds for the skin pots will NOT be taken from the event fees but will be coming from the MGA dues. rd, th The 6/6/6 Member/Member event scheduled for November 19th was postponed due to rain, rain, and more rain. The new date is on Wednesday, December 17th, with a single shotgun at 12:30 PM. The field is currently full, with a couple of teams on the waitlist. There is still time to sign up on the wait list if interested. Anyone originally included in the field of the cancelled event, plus anyone not in the original event but now part of the field for the rescheduled event, will receive one
MGA Cup point. The bonus points will be distributed based on the results of the rescheduled event. The 2026 DESERT CLASSIC registration opened on December 1 and is already full with 72 teams and a few on the waitlist. Sign up for the waitlist if you are interested in playing in the event. There are always multiple cancellations each year, and several waitlist members are included in the field. All members included in the field will be charged a non-refundable $400 deposit on February 18th, which will be offset against the entry fee of $1,575. The Desert Classic is a 3-Day Invitational Event on March 19 , 20 , and 21. Three MGA Cup points are awarded to all participants. st th th st The first round of the TVGC Match Play Club Championship is scheduled for Monday, January 5. Sign-up is open now. One MGA Cup point is awarded to all participants completing all scheduled rounds. th We begin our New Year with an event on January 7 at 12:30 on the Ranch course. The event is a Stapleford Team Quota game. Sign up as a single, and the Golf Shop will make the pairings. Registration is now open, and it includes dinner and a meeting following golf. If you would like to attend the dinner only, sign up under the Lifestyle tab/Event Registration. th
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MGA
The Rio Verde MGA is hosting the 2026 Verdes Cup this year on Wednesday, January 14th. This is a fun team event with our neighbors at Rio Verde. There is no cap on the number of registrations allowed, as the team of 60 MGA Members is selected by the Golf Shop by random lottery. Each player is assigned a partner with a similar handicap and plays a match with a Rio Verde 2-man team with similar handicaps. This event is all inclusive and includes dinner at Rio Verde immediately following golf. Sign up opens December 14th. More details can be found on the website. The Member 4 Member (M4M) sign up opens December 26th at 7AM. The event is a 2-day event on January 26th and January 28th. Sign up with your entire group if possible. Partial groups
and individuals can sign up if needed and the Golf Shop will try to complete the teams. There is a dinner/meeting following golf on Wednesday January 28th and all participants are automatically registered for the dinner also, unless you opt out by contacting Cindi Reuvers at least 72 hours prior to the dinner. Since our last Divot Digest, we are happy to welcome Surendra Chawla to the MGA. Please welcome him when you have the opportunity. If you are not yet a member of the MGA and would like to join and participate in our events, please let me know. Jon Lynch, MGA Membership Jon Lynch
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WGA
Viki Wilds, WGA Communication Viki Wilds Signup for Hohokam also starts January 2nd. This Annual Member-Guest invitational is from March 3rd to 5th. More details to come. UPCOMING EVENTS: Game Days for December 9 and 16th are noon shotgun. Chips, salsa & refreshments will be offered after golf in the Kiva Room on both dates. Signup for Tonto-Rio Mixer opens December 20th, it is limited to 60 Tonto players. Rio Verde is hosting a fun event on January 20 at noon shotgun. th Signup for Match Play starts December 8th. Check Foretees for optional completion dates for rounds 1 and 2. The final round must take place on Wednesday, January 21. The next WGA Day and Dinner Meeting is January 6th, 2026. The signup for the 4 Member is on January 10th. Plenty of time to organize a team!
MEMBER-MEMBER RECAP The weather may have been difficult, but we endured, met with friends, and enjoyed a great dinner. Cheers to all of you!
Congrats to flight winners: 1 flight: Nancy McEnroe & Deb McLeod st 2 flight: Kay Birdsell & Anne Ward nd 3 Flight: Marty Pickett & Carol Maestas rd 4 Flight: Melanie Smith & Carol Wallman th 5 Flight: Camille Larson & Pattie Green th 6 Flight: Lynette Cabrera & Lorri Cisler th 7 Flight: Marno Johnson & Barb Winchell th 8 Flight: Linda Robinson & Libby Martens th
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LNGA
Lady Niners Opening Day had the largest field participating to date. After the event, everyone had lunch at the Clubhouse with a special entertainment surprise.
The Second LNGA Academy held December 3 focused on solutions to balls hit into hazards and out of bounds. rd
As a reminder to those interested, sign-ups for LNGA Interclub at Ancala open on 12/10/25 for play on 01/07/26. Carol Noonan, LNGA Communication Carol Noonan
We had 61 golfers play in the Holiday Game Day on December 2nd. Then we had a Holiday Dinner Party, which included the ugly sweater contest, a trivia session, and a White Elephant exchange.
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LADY PUTTERS
TV Lady Putters Club got off to a great start on November 12 with 81 members turning out to putt and enjoy an Opening Day dinner at the Mesquite Grill. We are now reaping the benefits of the persistent, heavy rains in November - the putting course is in premium condition, and the mild sunny weather has returned in time for putting competitions every Wednesday morning up to and including December 17th. We are fortunate to have Jacob Trimble back with us as our Golf Pro-Shop coordinator, strategist, and judge, and we can look forward to more putting tips from Jacob in the New Year. Putting on Dec 10 will be a Christmas themed event. Members are invited to wear their best Ugly Christmas sweater or seasonal attire to attend our post-putting Christmas lunch at the Clubhouse. In this 2025-26 season of Goodwill, Lady Putters have chosen to make holiday gift donations to Sunshine Acres, a loving home for children separated from parents, which has some 80 residents ranging in age from 4 years to high school grads. Members who
wish to make donations can bring them along to the Christmas lunch on Dec 10 or to the putting/lunch on Dec 17 . Gifts can also be dropped off with any TVLP Board Member; members should check their email inbox for a guide to purchasing gifts, and tags with gifting info will be available at all Lady Putters events until December 19th. th th Lady Putters will be taking a break over the holidays, and competitions will resume on Wednesday, January 7th. We extend our Best Wishes to all our members and guests for a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. Contact info for TVLP Co-Presidents: Sue Pederson Susan.f.pederson@gmail.com
651-261-7825 Kate Stedronsky KStedronsky@comcast.net 612-968-1874
Judith Potter, TVLP Communication Judith Potter
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DEC/JAN Monday Tuesday Friday Wednesday Thursday
Sunday
Saturday
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Monday Maintenance Ranch Closed until noon Roadrunner Interclub
LNGA WGA
MGA Eclectic Round 2 Lady Putters
Ladies TTs Cactus Interclub
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Monday Maintenance Peaks Closed until noon
LNGA WGA
Lady Putters
Ladies TTs
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Monday Maintenance Ranch Closed until noon
Ladies TTs
Christmas Eve
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Monday Maintenance Peaks Closed until noon
Ladies TTs
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Monday Maintenance Ranch Closed until 10 AM Men’s Match Play Club Championship
LNGA WGA
MGA Lady Putters
Tonto Travel Ladies Trip
Tonto Travel Ladies Trip
8 AM Board Meeting Women’s Match Play Club Championship Ladies TTs
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