By Brian Hann
CPGA Teaching Professional
Henry-Griffitts Master Clubfitter

I find it very interesting that when I speak to virtually any of the men who play Cordova Bay regularly, there is general agreement that the opening holes and the closing holes are considered fairly easy in comparison to the stretch from No. 5 through No. 12.

“The really tough holes are in the middle stretch,” I often hear. “Especially numbers five, eight, 10 and 12. Those are four of the toughest holes you’ll find anywhere.”

Why is that so? The fifth hole has out of bounds left, but most people slice. The eighth has out of bounds left as well. There are very few times that I have seen people hit their ball into a neighbour’s yard there. The 10th has a lateral hazard down the left. Two forced carries over water make this a bit more challenging, I suppose. No. 12 has out of bounds left. How often do you see someone go OB there? Did I mention that most people slice? The righties should not find these holes particularly menacing. But they do. And I have a simple theory as to why: They have delusions of grandeur.

Even though they watch the pros on televison most every weekend and get constantly reminded of how the pros’ games differ from their own, people somehow think that the next time they tee it up they will be getting to all the par-4s in two shots. The scorecard says par-4, so that must mean two shots onto the green, and two putts for a routine par. And it does mean that - for the expert player.

You need to establish a personal par. Recognize that (unless you are an expert) you cannot reasonably expect to string together two sublime shots in succession on holes five, eight, 10 and 12. That’s exactly what is required to get home in two. Personal par is based on reasonable expectations, and no major screwups. Simply allow three shots to reach each of these greens. That’s what the percentages say will happen the majority of the time. You should also make this kind of adjustment for any and all holes elsewhere on the course that you have proven you deserve more 'allowance.'

The view from the 10th tee.

IF your ego will not let you compute that these holes should be personal par-5s, try this: Play these holes only from the tips. You’ll add a total of 64 yards to the length of the golf course. If it was not clear before that you truly are not an expert player, by playing from the experts’ tees on these four holes it will become crystal clear. You will see that the concept of personal par will make the game more enjoyable and you’ll have a new way of looking at the course. You’ll be able to navigate your way around the track much the same way that Tiger Woods strategically dismantled the course at Hoylake during this year’s Open Championship. Sort of.

IF your ego will still not allow you to see things as they are, play Nos. 4, 6 and 11 from the tips as well during the following round.

IF humility hasn’t struck you after that round, and you’re still tempted to put the demands of the expert player on your game, I have one final idea. Come and see me, and we’ll break down your swing on video. Then I can help build you back up with some coaching. Don’t worry. I wouldn’t abandon you at that point. That would just be wrong.

(Although this article was written with the male who plays the blue tees in mind, it could easily be translated to any age/gender. Personal par is, after all, personal.)

Get Your Fall/Winter Tuneup

We're in no hurry to get rid of summer and bring on Ol' Man Winter, folks, but it isn't too early to start thinking about joining the 2006-07 Winter League. In fact, it's the right time.

Winter League will commence this year on Monday, Oct. 16, and wrap up on Friday, March 16. The cost is the same as last year, $40, and that qualifies you for reduced green fees of $33 for Cordova Bay members and $38 for public players Monday through Friday. And let's not forget the other Winter League benefits: official winter league handicap, a daily prize competition and a season-long competition.

Meanwhile, give your game a fall/winter tuneup with our Stay Sharp program, available to members starting Oct. 2. Included in the package are two 20-minute private lessons, one complimentary club evaluation and two classroom sessions.

Primed for rib dinner

We have reached the end of another summer here at Cordova Bay, but this is not the end of the season. Although we have to say goodbye to many of the seasonal employees, and the kids all go back to school, September is a great month for golf and dining. Both patios are still in full swing and the local produce and seafood are at their best.

With the onset of September comes the need for some heart-warming food. With that in mind, we are happy to announce the return of Prime Rib Night every Sunday evening beginning Sept. 10. This is a seasonal favourite of many of our guests, and if you have not been here for a Prime Rib Night you don’t know what you’re missing!

Take advantage of this last month of great weather, and join us for a Blackberry spritzer on the patio featuring local, organically grown blackberry wine.

If you haven’t talked to us about your upcoming plans for a Christmas party with the office, or with friends and family, contact Jordan McLean about the many options we have for you. We can do small or large events, catering to all of your needs. Secure your dates early.

(Nellie Harrington is pleased to bring you this month's feature flower/plant/tree that is located here at Cordova Bay with some tips and tricks on how to grow them.)

How Does Your Garden Grow?

We have recently renovated a tired garden in the area by the cart storage building. It used to have meidiland roses and every year they looked worse. After quite a bit of research, instead of using chemicals to try and bring them back, we decided to remove them.

Roses have quite a few requirements. The one big disadvantage is the overhead watering. The water left on the leaves causes all sorts of problems, such as mildew and black spot. One of the other big challenges is the deer, who loved the roses more than anyone.

We didn’t have a specific area for cut flowers, but now we do.

We have:

• Rudbeckia Nitida (Hebrstone Coneflower). This beauty grows up to 70 inches tall with a 20-inch spread. It is hardy to minus-29F.
• Echinacea Big Sky (another type of coneflower). It grows 30 inches high with an 18-inch spread. This beauty is orange and has a different scent than the regular purple coneflower. We also added a yellow Echinacea (coneflower).
• Perovskia atriplicifolia (Russian Sage) is a beautiful perennial. It grows in all zones and resembles lavender, but grows quite bushy and tall with its blueish flowers and silvery leaves.
• Grevillea (Victoria) as a nice foundation plant. This shrub grows eight to 10 feet tall and as wide. The pendulous flowers are going to attract humming birds.
• Sambucus Black Lace (Elder Berry) is in the centre of the garden. It is a fairly new introduction to the plant world for sale and resembles a Japanese maple. It is a plant that I will be buying for my garden in the spring. As the name suggests, this plant has black foliage and sends out pink flower clusters, quite a striking combination. It grows to 10 feet and eight to nine feet wide.
• Passiflora caerulea (Passion Vine). This vine grows quickly and is semi-evergreen in the winter. The flowers are alien-looking … the combination of lime green, blue, black and yellowish centre makes this vine interesting. Once the flowers are finished, the orange, egg-shaped fruit hang on the vine, and the flowers and fruit are edible. Hopefully, the deer don’t figure that out. This vine can grow quickly, so if they graze it, it should be able to recover. I have one at home and, to keep it in check, I prune any unwanted plant material.
• Penstemon (Bearded Tongue). Don’t worry, it has already been chewed by my furry friends. If it flowers, they are a great source of cut flowers.
• Zauschneria latifolia (California Fuschia, Humming Bird Flower; Zones2-10, 12-24). This is a new plant for me and is native to California. The Zauschneria is planted at the front of the bed and has orange flowers with small green leaves. It looks delicate, but it is quite tough. We’ll see how it performs.

I’m very excited about this garden. Once everything starts to grow and fill in, there will be a riot of colour and some great flowers to cut for the restaurant and pro shop. The bouquets that we make is one of our favourite tasks. We hope you all enjoy them.

What we do and why we do it

With two months left in our 'peak season maintenance schedules' it might be interesting to share with you our day-to-day routines during the summer. Our regular maintenance practices are divided into areas, and each is maintained a certain number of times per week to attain the desired standard that we have set out as our goal.

Primary Rough: These areas are generally cut once per week, with the exception of in early spring and early fall when a second cut may be necessary to maintain the desired height. This second cut is necessary during this period as a result of spring or fall rains that tend to increase the growth rate of the turf. Hence, the old saying "Spring has Sprung.”

Fairways: Our fairways are generally cut three times per week. We cut the front nine on alternate days to the back nine, and generally take Wednesday as a day off. These days are often utilized as a fairway-maintenance day, when foliar nutrition can be applied at a very light rate to encourage moderate turf growth and divot recovery.

Tees and Fringes: These areas are cut on a similar schedule to the fairways and the height of cut is slightly lower at 1/3 of an inch.

Greens: These areas are monitored daily in two ways. We measure our rate of grass clipping removal and the speed of the greens to make decisions on how often they are to be cut, irrigated, fertilized and groomed. We have chosen a green speed for daily play of between nine and 10 feet as a good speed for the size and contour of our putting surfaces, as measured by a stimp meter. Daily mowing will tend to maintain the speed of the greens from day-to-day. If we find the speed is getting just below nine feet roll, we will cut the greens first and then roll them with a machine called a Greens Iron. This combined practice will tend to add one foot of roll to the greens immediately, which allows us to adjust greens daily to fall within our desired speed.

The other management procedures we can use to adjust green speeds are through irrigation or fertilization. An example of this is during preparation for an event such as the Ladies' or Men’s Club Championships. We can reduce the watering of the greens a few days before the event to firm up the surfaces and also speed them up. As a general rule, we have found a cutting height on our greens of between 120/1000 and 140/1000 to be a sufficient height to maintain good healthy turf grass while also achieving the speeds for which we strive.

Bunkers: Generally raked daily. Four to five days per week, we do a complete rake of every bunker with sand depth checks, and on the other days we spot rake, which deals with all the bunkers that generally see the most play. The first operation requires three to four people and the spot raking requires one or two staff members.

Pin Circuit: Often referred to as course setup, this operation is generally carried out by two people. All tee markers are moved and divots repaired, and every hole location on every green is moved. This provides the daily variety for our regulars, but more importantly it provides the best surface daily and enables us to spread the wear to other portions of the greens and tees.

Everything else that takes place after these practices are performed we refer to as detail work.

Cha-Am & Hua Hin

• 15 days / 7 rounds of golf
• transfers between airport, hotels and golf courses included
• 3 nights/2 days in Bangkok, includes tours and dinner cruise
• 10 nights superior sea-view accommodation
• full breakfast daily
• caddy fees included

Dates and cost to be finalized. Contact Janet Jones
at (250) 658-2158 or (250) 544-2600.

Sayward Hill is one of Victoria’s premier condominium developments, featuring stunning panoramic views of Cordova Bay Golf Course, Haro Strait, the Gulf and San Juan Islands and Mount Baker. 738 Sayward Hill Terrace, the most recent addition to Sayward Hill, is now under construction with anticipated completion in March 2007. Typical units are 1,850 square feet, featuring quality concrete and steel construction and high-end finishing packages, including gourmet kitchens, stainless steel KitchenAid architect series appliances, granite and marble counter tops, spa-inspired baths, high-tech wiring, open floor plans, entertainment-sized decks and secure parking. The three penthouse units feature a Viking designer series appliance package, skylights, air conditioning, two parking stalls and many extras.

The amazing West Coast lifestyle, natural beauty and shear luxury of Sayward Hill make it an ideal location for a year-round, seasonal or vacation home. Sayward Hill is packed with lifestyle amenities and offers buyers a new outlook on life. Acting as a front yard for the development are two golf courses, Cordova Bay Golf Course, an 18-hole championship course named one of the “Five Great Golf Destinations” by Golf Canada Magazine, and the Ridge Course, a nine-hole par three, both open 365 days a year. Next door is Mattick’s Farm, featuring unique shops and many conveniences, including a market offering local and organic produce. Residents have numerous walking and biking trails to choose from and beach access is less than 1 km away. For the boating enthusiast, world-class marinas are just a short drive away. Sayward Hill is located 20 minutes from Victoria International Airport and 25 minutes from the ferry terminal.

Named the best city in the Americas twice since the year 2000, Victoria boasts the mildest climate in Canada and has well earned its reputation as the Garden City. The historical capital city features extraordinary cuisine, beautiful beaches, outdoor adventures, museums, galleries and a host of cultural experiences all set against the backdrop of the Pacific West Coast.

Pre-completion prices at Sayward Hill start at $800,000. For more information on Sayward Hill, please visit www.saywardhill.com or call the Sayward Hill Sales Office at (250) 658-4700 and prepare to change your outlook on life.

Open House

738 Sayward Hill Terrace
Saturday Sept. 23, 2006
1-4 p.m.

Come See What All the Noise is About!

738 Sayward Hill Crescent is still under construction, but now is the perfect time for you to see what we’ve been working on. We invite you to come and enjoy the incredible views and spacious floor plans, with light refreshments and appetizers.

RSVP: info@saywardhill.com