Many golfers struggle with half and three-quarter wedge shots.  Often the problem comes from improper timing of the arm swing and the body rotation.  When playing these shots, try to keep the arms in front of your chest.  The body rotation should control the arm swing.  Players often feel that they need to rush these shorter swings to get the required distance so try to keep a consistent tempo.

Practice half wedge shots where the club travels from waist high on the backswing and waist high on the follow through.  Let the body rotation move the arms for you.  Keep a slow and easy tempo.  The three-quarter swing has the same rotation and arm movement, but the wrists should hinge to a 90 degree angle (think of an “L” shape) on the backswing.  The wrists then un-hinge on the downswing and return to the “L” shape on the finish.

Learn your yardage on both of these shots.  The half swing may be fifty yards and the three-quarter swing may be seventy-five yards.  That way when you are faced with a shot of sixty yards on the course you will know that the swing length should be between half and three-quarters.

Tournament Update

Congratulations to Brett Ellingsberg, Doug Hyde, Jesse Kelly, Ken Nagahara, Gary Stitch and Dale Wallace for advancing to the NCGA Net Amateur Sectional Qualifying.  The qualifier will be held September 17 at Ridgemark Country Club.  Good luck at the Sectionals.

Next Event

Hunter Ranch Club Championship     Saturday-Sunday, September 19-20, 8:00 Shotgun Start

This individual stroke play event will determine the Club Champion in both gross and net divisions.  You must pre-register for this event by calling the golf shop at (805) 237-7444.  The entry fee including green fees is $96 for walkers and $128 for players using carts.

Superintendent Update

Now that we are heading towards the end of summer it is time to start repairing some of the damage done by heat and sodium stress.   Part of this process involves aerification.  Aerification allows us to remove some of the sodium rich soil and replace it with fresh new sand.  This will aid in both gas exchange as well as drainage.  The improvement in drainage will allow us to leach much of the additional sodium out of the root zone.  Leaching the sodium will result in better root growth and a healthier stronger turf plant.  Moreover, the aerification process will allow us to incorporate more seed into the affected areas adding new plants into the turf stand thickening the turf.  Lastly, this process both firms up and levels the aerified area.   We will make this process as painless as possible to the golfer, but it is necessary to keep the course in good condition. 

                For September, we will be featuring JanKris and Ben Hogan as our Wines of the Month. They are a family-owned winery specializing in artisan wines from their estate vineyards on the famed westside of Paso Robles on California’s Central Coast. We will be pouring and offering tastes of Divinity (A light and refreshing white wine resulting from blending a smooth floral Sauvignon Blanc with a clean, crisp, fruity Chardonnay,) Crossfire (As complex as ever with well structured Cabernet Sauvignon, the supreme balance of Merlot, and the brightness of our Syrah) and Viognier by Jan Kris. From the Ben Hogan collection we will be pouring and sampling Chardonnay, Zinfandel and Carnoustie (A signature blend that unites the structure of Cabernet Sauvignon, the roundness of Merlot and the brightness of Syrah, resulting in a beautifully balanced and complex wine.)