Masters, Accolades, and More

Welcome to the Trilogy Golf Club Blog! If you are a returning reader, welcome back.

Well, Easter Sunday has passed, and along with it one of the best Masters yet. I say that because I actually had a horse in the race. I had the pleasure of spending time with Zach Johnson this spring at a Men’s Fellowship event put on by the San Diego Christian Businessmen’s Association. My close friend Jeff Cranford was the speaker and interviewer of the event. Zach showed the perseverance and determination that has seen him progress from Drake University to the Hooter’s Tour, Nationwide Tour, to being a Ryder Cup Participant last year.

Today marks the first day of your Spring Rates, and the golf course was filled to capacity with over 250 players. It was a great day, very little wind.

The awards keep coming in from regional and national magazines.

Last Friday we were notified by Zagat Magazine that we were listed in their places to play as excellent. There were only a couple of courses nationwide that had a higher rating than we did.

We were also were rated in the Southland Golf Magazine as one of the "Top 50 Southern California Golf Courses to Play."

The Azul Restaurant had an extremely busy Sunday. Isaias, Roy and the rest of the Azul Restaurant Team members performed to perfection and they had rave reviews about their Buffets.

This Saturday afternoon we are excited to host the Women’s Southern California Golf Association, over 120 ladies from southern California will be traveling and spending the day with us.

Last week the La Quinta Rotary had their annual golf fundraising event. Tournament Organizer Sandy Lauer stated that the event raised the most money to date. The weather was ideal, and the Live Auction was a grand success.

I am saving the biggest news for last! Brandon O’Neill, the pillar of this facility, as been rewarded for his hard work, patience and knowledge, by being officially named the new General Manager here at Trilogy Golf Club at La Quinta. This is a great accomplishment for this Oregon Duck loving 27 year old. Brandon, in spite of his allegiance to the Oregon Ducks, has shown leadership skills, interpersonal skills and teamwork building well beyond his age. Brandon, I would like to personally congratulate you on this fine accomplishment.

Until next week, keep rolling that Rock!

Bob V.

Happy Spring

Welcome to Trilogy Golf Club! If you have been with us before, welcome back.

NCAA Championship tonight! Looks like it could be a great ballgame, all the pundits are giving it their spin, unless you go to the golf channel, where the week will revolve around, as some of my friends call it “High Holy Week”, which being a Christian I always found humor in the fact that they have made a god out of golf, even weirder that Easter and The Master Tournament fall on the same weekend.

You figure Tiger is the odds-on favorite, but some great players loom in the background; does Mickelson stir up the emotions of last year’s Masters, or will the collapse at the US Open still haunt him in the majors?

A couple of issues this spring have placed the desert in a weird "funk." First, the Daylight Savings Time coming so early was a great boost for golf courses' ability to get more people around the course for 18 holes than before, but confused some of the golf courses and their twilight rates. Now with Easter being earlier, it has the snowbirds mixed up. Rule of thumb in the desert has always been that things slow down after Easter - but the weather hasn’t gotten terribly hot yet and the northern tier states still don’t have a consistent weather pattern. What to do, what to do. My suggestion is always to stay where the weather hardly ever changes and the golf courses are in their best conditions ever!

Scott Werline and his assistant superintendent Tom Baker have the golf course in arguably the best shape ever for this time of the year, in spite of having a tee sheet averaging over 190-240 golfers everyday. Folks, that is no small task. You must also realize this includes trimming down all the plant life that was so hard hit during the January frost. Where was Al Gore and Global Warming in January anyway?

General Manager Brandon O Neill and his staff will embark on what will be a major golf shop renovation tonight - not 'renovation' from a construction standpoint, but a renovation of displays and merchandise.

Tonight we will also be celebrating the life of Bonnie Neff, a Trilogy Community member and avid golfer. Bonnie was outgoing in every way, from how she dressed to how she expressed her opinions to how she decorated her golf car during the Ladies Invitational. The Celebration will take place at 7:00 am in the Azul Restaurant.

We have finalized our dates for the aeration of the greens. It will take place on May 29 and 30th. This is the Tuesday and Wednesday following Memorial Day. The golf course will be open for 9 holes on Tuesday and closed Wednesday, opening back up on Thursday.

It looks like I will be trying to make it back to the PGA Championship in Southern Hills this year. Jeff Cranford has qualified to play in the National Club Professional Championship. The top 20 players will advance to Southern Hills. I like our chances!

Have you been following local PGA Professionals Jeff Gove and Anthony Kim? Both continue to make cuts and play some outstanding golf. Anthony just finished tied for 4th at the Shell Houston Open, his second top ten finish this year. He has moved up over 250 spots on the world golf rankings, and is currently 47th on the PGA Tour Money list. Not bad for 20 years old! Anthony’s Dad, Paul, who is a frequent visitor to the practice facility, was in Houston to watch Anthony perform.

Until next week, keep rolling that rock.