Mike Butler
February and March were very successful months for us here at Sunbird! We hosted a handful of events for the leagues and received generous donations to put towards improving the quality of your golf course! I would like to take this opportunity to give a heartfelt “thank you” to those who donated. Your generosity is appreciated very much! Special recognition goes out to the Bandits, Kare Bears, Canadian Open and Roadrunners for running events that contributed money that will be used to make our facility better. We look forward to hosting your events in the future!
During March, we conducted the annual Connelly Cup event pitting the Canadians against the Americans in three days of Ryder Cup play. This year, the American team came out on top with 12 points versus 6-1/2 points and retained the cup. I want to thank everyone in the community for coming out to support your teams. The support from golfers and non-golfers during the event was amazing! It felt very much like a true Ryder Cup with the galleries of people around the golf course watching play. I am excited to host many more events such as that moving forward! I have some ideas that will help even the teams out and allow for some close competition in future Cup events.
March ends our Beginner Golfer Program for the season, and we would like to thank all the volunteers who came out to assist with teaching and educating the community on the game of golf. For those of you who enjoyed that program, we will be starting it back up again when our course opens back up from overseed and hope to see you again! New golfers from that program who feel inclined to start playing on the course more often can be blended into our new Sun birdies group and start playing with golfers of the same skill level. Ultimately, we hope we have educated you on the game and started you on a path to having fun with something you can play for many years. Next year’s program will include participation from myself, teaching swing fundamentals to beginners, to get new golfers established with the things they need to be able to learn and have fun. A solid foundation of the four basic components (grip, alignment, set-up and posture) is all you need to be able to enjoy this game. I keep it simple and try to take the stress out of the game for you. Let’s make golf FUN together!
As the golf season winds down and our seasonal visitors start to leave, things will slow down considerably on the golf course. I want those of you who remain here all summer to be aware that we will have tee times available for you in the mornings. We will still conduct our 7:00 a.m. shotguns for the groups who play; however, because the size is reduced substantially, we will be able to open the No. 1 tee box earlier for players who do not wish to tee off in the 7:00 a.m. shotgun. Call the Pro Shop or book your time on our website so you can reserve space.
Finally, I would like to thank everyone in the SunBird community for welcoming me here as I begin my new journey! I have never felt so welcomed by a community, and it warms my heart to feel so appreciated! I will work hard for ALL of you to make the golf course run smooth and profitable, and I look forward to working for you for many years to come! Thank you from the bottom of my heart! Fairways and Greens!