WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.200 --> 00:00:03.279 Golf Smarter number three hundred and seventy one, published on 2 00:00:03.359 --> 00:00:08.560 February nineteen, twenty thirteen, and on today's score Zone Short 3 00:00:08.560 --> 00:00:11.560 Game Academy, The Wedge Guy is going to answer two 4 00:00:11.679 --> 00:00:14.919 questions focused on setting goals for your short game. 5 00:00:15.039 --> 00:00:20.079 Welcome to golf Smarter Mulligans, your second chance to gain 6 00:00:20.120 --> 00:00:23.719 insight and advice from the best instructors featured on the 7 00:00:23.719 --> 00:00:29.719 Golf Smarter podcast, Great Golf Instruction Never gets Old. Our 8 00:00:29.839 --> 00:00:34.640 interview library features hundreds of hours of game improvement conversations 9 00:00:34.759 --> 00:00:38.280 like this that are no longer available in any podcast app. 10 00:00:38.320 --> 00:00:41.039 We don't play honors here, we never have. We play 11 00:00:41.119 --> 00:00:43.240 hit when ready. If you're ready to hit, gall we'll 12 00:00:43.240 --> 00:00:46.240 go over how much she said Fred Go ahead, j 13 00:00:46.399 --> 00:00:46.880 d Bo. 14 00:00:47.439 --> 00:00:48.280 You get on the green. 15 00:00:49.039 --> 00:00:51.880 We line our pods up, We put and we try 16 00:00:51.920 --> 00:00:54.520 to put out if we can. We're not on someone's line, 17 00:00:54.560 --> 00:00:56.399 we try to go ahead and haul it. 18 00:00:56.399 --> 00:00:58.200 It saves way more time. 19 00:00:58.600 --> 00:01:01.399 All the marking and stuff takes a lot longer to 20 00:01:01.479 --> 00:01:02.240 do as well. 21 00:01:02.520 --> 00:01:05.079 You know, shoot the r each foum and go drop 22 00:01:05.120 --> 00:01:05.400 it off. 23 00:01:05.400 --> 00:01:06.400 You go to your ball, he. 24 00:01:06.439 --> 00:01:09.599 Hits, he walks up, you're hit and he's up. To 25 00:01:09.640 --> 00:01:12.439 the cart ready to go again. Those things are huge. 26 00:01:12.480 --> 00:01:13.760 The other thing is we. 27 00:01:13.719 --> 00:01:15.519 Don't ever mark the car until we get to the 28 00:01:15.519 --> 00:01:16.040 next hole. 29 00:01:16.560 --> 00:01:20.799 Whoever's gonna be off last will mark the scores bright times. 30 00:01:21.000 --> 00:01:23.120 He's done marking them, it's his turn to hit. 31 00:01:23.799 --> 00:01:26.079 We ask people, what do you think your thing is 32 00:01:26.120 --> 00:01:27.959 that you do that makes you play faster? 33 00:01:28.319 --> 00:01:29.920 And then came up with a lot of pece. 34 00:01:29.920 --> 00:01:37.439 That's where we got a lot of them. 35 00:01:37.920 --> 00:01:40.959 Where the pros go to practice the Palms Golf Club 36 00:01:41.040 --> 00:01:42.120 with Dsburger. 37 00:01:42.319 --> 00:01:43.879 This is Golf. 38 00:01:43.599 --> 00:01:48.719 Smarter, sharing tips and insights from golfers and golf professionals 39 00:01:48.840 --> 00:01:51.640 to help lower your score. It's worked for your host, 40 00:01:52.120 --> 00:01:52.760 Fred Green. 41 00:01:53.400 --> 00:01:54.959 Welcome to the Golf Smarter Podcast. 42 00:01:55.040 --> 00:01:58.040 JD Well, Thanks Fred, it's a real honor to be 43 00:01:58.159 --> 00:02:00.799 here on your show. Thank you very much. 44 00:02:00.840 --> 00:02:03.640 Well, it's a greater honor to be at your golf course. 45 00:02:03.719 --> 00:02:08.000 And it's interesting that I say your golf course, because 46 00:02:08.199 --> 00:02:09.199 it really is. 47 00:02:09.919 --> 00:02:14.280 The poems is really your golf course, isn't it? How 48 00:02:14.280 --> 00:02:14.560 did this? 49 00:02:15.080 --> 00:02:17.759 I mean, this has got an amazing story, and there's 50 00:02:17.759 --> 00:02:19.639 a one hundred stories that we have to tell in 51 00:02:19.719 --> 00:02:20.280 this place. 52 00:02:20.599 --> 00:02:23.199 Let's start with the starting of. 53 00:02:23.199 --> 00:02:26.599 It, Well, I've been in the golf business my entire life, 54 00:02:26.919 --> 00:02:29.879 so I've probably worked every facet of the business from 55 00:02:30.240 --> 00:02:35.360 daily feed, very exclusive, private to you know, Monic Kay 56 00:02:35.479 --> 00:02:37.719 one of the top three resorts in the world, to 57 00:02:37.759 --> 00:02:41.240 be a VP at PGUS and La Keith the Resort Club, 58 00:02:42.039 --> 00:02:44.199 and I just felt like I'd done all these things 59 00:02:44.280 --> 00:02:46.080 for everybody else. It'd be kind of nice to do 60 00:02:46.159 --> 00:02:49.280 something on my own and then I could do everything 61 00:02:49.280 --> 00:02:52.240 that I always wanted to do that you get turned 62 00:02:52.280 --> 00:02:53.280 down periodically. 63 00:02:54.199 --> 00:02:57.840 So the Palms came. 64 00:02:57.639 --> 00:03:03.159 Into existence through and it was kind of a long shot. 65 00:03:03.280 --> 00:03:08.840 Fouled a piece of property, went to the landowners and said, 66 00:03:08.840 --> 00:03:11.719 you know, I have this great plan and you'll make 67 00:03:11.759 --> 00:03:14.879 a lot of money, but I can't pay you, you know, 68 00:03:15.120 --> 00:03:18.159 till the back end of the project. And I just 69 00:03:18.240 --> 00:03:22.680 kind of said, check my my reputation, not you'll find 70 00:03:22.719 --> 00:03:24.680 him a man of my word, et cetera. But anyhow, 71 00:03:24.680 --> 00:03:26.759 long story short, that's kind of how it started. And 72 00:03:26.800 --> 00:03:29.360 I got with Saft Freddy Couples, and I said to Freddie, 73 00:03:29.360 --> 00:03:31.680 had I really need a favor, you know, helped you 74 00:03:32.639 --> 00:03:36.520 when he played his first tournament, his putter broke and 75 00:03:36.599 --> 00:03:40.560 I gave them one. They didn't make those anymore specific 76 00:03:40.639 --> 00:03:43.719 pink putter, and I had one, so I gave it 77 00:03:43.759 --> 00:03:46.240 to him and he won like three million dollars playing it. 78 00:03:46.879 --> 00:03:49.120 So I said, I need a little help from you, Freddie, 79 00:03:49.159 --> 00:03:52.960 And so I said, I need you to be part 80 00:03:52.960 --> 00:03:56.400 of this design team, and you know, I need you 81 00:03:56.439 --> 00:03:58.759 to cut me a break, which he did and anyhow 82 00:03:58.960 --> 00:04:01.039 ended up turned out great for him. He did real 83 00:04:01.120 --> 00:04:03.319 well and we did extremely well. 84 00:04:04.199 --> 00:04:06.759 And how did you know fred Couples ahead of that. 85 00:04:07.879 --> 00:04:09.639 I met him when he first turned pro at the 86 00:04:09.719 --> 00:04:12.080 Queen Mary Open. He was playing a practice round. We 87 00:04:12.080 --> 00:04:15.560 played a practice round together, Freddie and Larry Benson, who 88 00:04:15.639 --> 00:04:17.639 was the club pro there, was one of my best friends. 89 00:04:18.399 --> 00:04:20.560 And this kid shows up, you know, out of the 90 00:04:20.639 --> 00:04:24.079 University of Houston and wants to play golf and he says, 91 00:04:24.120 --> 00:04:25.879 how can I play in this tournament? We said, well, 92 00:04:25.879 --> 00:04:27.920 this is you know, for pros only. 93 00:04:28.000 --> 00:04:29.040 You'd have to be a pro. 94 00:04:29.680 --> 00:04:31.639 And he said, well then I guess I'll turn pro. 95 00:04:32.639 --> 00:04:35.839 And he turned pro and a couple of weeks later 96 00:04:35.879 --> 00:04:38.720 he went to Q School and went all the way 97 00:04:38.720 --> 00:04:41.160 through Q school, got his card and the. 98 00:04:41.199 --> 00:04:42.040 Rest is history. 99 00:04:42.439 --> 00:04:46.639 So you wanted him to be part of your design 100 00:04:46.720 --> 00:04:48.759 team or just lend his name. 101 00:04:49.040 --> 00:04:50.959 No, I want him to be part of the whole 102 00:04:51.040 --> 00:04:51.839 design team. 103 00:04:52.319 --> 00:04:56.959 And you know, plus naturally his name was terrific because 104 00:04:57.000 --> 00:04:58.879 I mean you look at it and there's only certain 105 00:04:58.959 --> 00:05:01.399 names that you can use that have any. 106 00:05:01.240 --> 00:05:05.839 Possess to them, and uh, his his, he was one. 107 00:05:05.920 --> 00:05:09.480 And the fact that you know I had I knew 108 00:05:09.519 --> 00:05:13.240 him and had a friendship there, and his agent in 109 00:05:13.399 --> 00:05:17.600 Roach was a wonderful person and easy to work. 110 00:05:17.360 --> 00:05:19.360 With, and that added to everything. 111 00:05:19.519 --> 00:05:23.600 So and Brian Curley was the true architect, and he 112 00:05:23.680 --> 00:05:27.959 and Freddie then collaborated together and uh, you know they 113 00:05:28.000 --> 00:05:31.120 were willing to, you know, do what I was looking 114 00:05:31.160 --> 00:05:33.800 to do. And then everybody had their input in it. 115 00:05:33.839 --> 00:05:36.399 That's what's kind of unique and different when you say everybody, 116 00:05:37.600 --> 00:05:40.240 Brian Curley, Freddie Couples. 117 00:05:39.839 --> 00:05:43.839 And myself I thought on the design. Yeah, I wanted an. 118 00:05:43.680 --> 00:05:46.120 Old style, back East type of golf course where you 119 00:05:46.120 --> 00:05:49.920 could play the ball on the ground. Freddie wanted to 120 00:05:50.000 --> 00:05:55.279 have some riviera, some Augusta places that he loved to 121 00:05:55.360 --> 00:06:01.800 play in there. And Brian Curley, you know, being a 122 00:06:01.959 --> 00:06:07.959 Northern Kelp guy, hey really wanted to have a little 123 00:06:07.959 --> 00:06:09.319 of that Monterey Peninsula. 124 00:06:09.439 --> 00:06:12.839 So you just played the chorus. Fifteen's a short three 125 00:06:12.959 --> 00:06:15.120 par and sixteens. 126 00:06:14.519 --> 00:06:19.360 Along three par fifteen sixteen, you know, the cypress thing. 127 00:06:19.800 --> 00:06:22.560 So we all put our little feedback in those first 128 00:06:22.600 --> 00:06:26.519 five holes in the Mesquite. We when Freddy went to 129 00:06:26.519 --> 00:06:29.319 play the President's cop, I said, Freddie, you know you 130 00:06:29.360 --> 00:06:31.920 could do some pictures and we can make those first 131 00:06:31.959 --> 00:06:36.439 five holes like Royal Melbourne and flashed those you know, 132 00:06:36.639 --> 00:06:39.600 bunkers right up into the Mesquite. And that's how that 133 00:06:39.680 --> 00:06:43.040 kind of came about. And Freddie wanted everybody to be 134 00:06:43.120 --> 00:06:46.680 able to hit a driver on every hole if you 135 00:06:46.720 --> 00:06:49.959 so desired, so that was another thing that kind of 136 00:06:50.000 --> 00:06:54.519 came into it. Brian wanted the George Thomas style bunkering 137 00:06:54.959 --> 00:06:57.560 that he loved, and so he had that. The only 138 00:06:57.600 --> 00:07:00.000 thing I asked was that they would be a flat bottom. 139 00:07:00.920 --> 00:07:02.639 So no matter how high the lip is, if you 140 00:07:02.639 --> 00:07:05.920 have a flat bottom, it's relatively easy to get out, 141 00:07:06.000 --> 00:07:09.480 not necessarily get closed, but relatively easy to get out 142 00:07:09.480 --> 00:07:15.120 of the green complexes. You know, Brian did a magnificent 143 00:07:15.360 --> 00:07:19.439 job there in what he did with that. Those green 144 00:07:19.560 --> 00:07:23.199 surrounds are as good as you'll see anywhere. I mean 145 00:07:23.279 --> 00:07:29.519 there's shades of August, the Oakmont, Pinehurst, you name it, 146 00:07:29.519 --> 00:07:32.879 they're there. And so when you miss a green, the 147 00:07:32.959 --> 00:07:35.160 tour players, a lot of tour players will come in. 148 00:07:35.279 --> 00:07:37.399 They say, it's one of the few places you have 149 00:07:37.480 --> 00:07:38.920 like five different options. 150 00:07:39.560 --> 00:07:40.759 You know, you can put it, you. 151 00:07:40.680 --> 00:07:43.079 Can use a rescue, you can chip and run it, 152 00:07:44.959 --> 00:07:47.600 you can pitch it, or you can flop it. So 153 00:07:47.639 --> 00:07:50.120 it gives you a lot of options. The average player 154 00:07:50.160 --> 00:07:53.639 probably the eighteen handicappers, so he probably puts. 155 00:07:53.319 --> 00:07:55.199 Almost every one of them up the hill. 156 00:07:57.079 --> 00:08:01.720 From there handicap and take you well, even though we 157 00:08:01.759 --> 00:08:05.319 have such a low handicap, you know, we have two 158 00:08:05.399 --> 00:08:07.759 hundred and seventy eight single digit players here. 159 00:08:08.000 --> 00:08:13.439 Wow, and is that like versus one of the lowest 160 00:08:13.519 --> 00:08:16.920 in the in the country naturally, And how many members 161 00:08:16.959 --> 00:08:21.040 do you have? We have four hundred and fifteen, four 162 00:08:21.040 --> 00:08:23.399 one five and two hundred and seventy eight of them 163 00:08:23.399 --> 00:08:27.600 are single digit players, single digit players. And at one time, 164 00:08:27.639 --> 00:08:30.000 at the peak when they were they were rating the 165 00:08:30.000 --> 00:08:32.519 top players clubs in the country. You know, fifty one 166 00:08:32.519 --> 00:08:37.120 of our players were pluses. Well, so we're all getting 167 00:08:37.120 --> 00:08:39.440 older now, So I mean that's faded a little bit. 168 00:08:39.639 --> 00:08:43.960 We're still number one players club in California, but we're 169 00:08:43.960 --> 00:08:46.399 probably still top five in the country. I mean, at 170 00:08:46.399 --> 00:08:47.600 one time we were at number one. 171 00:08:47.639 --> 00:08:50.360 But that was never a goal I wanted to have. 172 00:08:50.600 --> 00:08:54.919 You said, that wasn't a goal to be the number 173 00:08:54.919 --> 00:08:57.720 one players club or anything like that. The thing was 174 00:08:57.840 --> 00:09:01.000 is I wanted to have good players, you know, and 175 00:09:01.000 --> 00:09:03.519 I wanted a good players club that exceeded my expectation. 176 00:09:03.679 --> 00:09:05.960 But I really built it as much. 177 00:09:06.000 --> 00:09:09.440 I wanted a place where myself and all of my 178 00:09:09.639 --> 00:09:11.399 friends we could all grow old together. 179 00:09:12.679 --> 00:09:15.080 You want, but not a boys club. 180 00:09:15.200 --> 00:09:18.039 You wanted just a place to go hang out in 181 00:09:18.039 --> 00:09:20.559 the bar, but not a not an exclusive boys. 182 00:09:20.320 --> 00:09:24.399 Club, and we have we have fifty two women members, 183 00:09:25.559 --> 00:09:31.240 and so it's kind of like a men's club with women. 184 00:09:31.960 --> 00:09:32.399 Right now. 185 00:09:32.600 --> 00:09:35.120 No, I want to backtrack, just to touch but I 186 00:09:35.120 --> 00:09:37.000 want to get back into this part of it. But 187 00:09:37.320 --> 00:09:38.679 that's not even what we're going to talk about. And 188 00:09:38.679 --> 00:09:40.799 I want to talk about pace of play, because this 189 00:09:40.960 --> 00:09:45.240 is remarkable, this course. But you said you had a 190 00:09:45.279 --> 00:09:48.679 business plan that you took to the landowner, and what 191 00:09:48.840 --> 00:09:50.600 was specifically. 192 00:09:49.840 --> 00:09:51.480 What did you pitch them on? 193 00:09:51.600 --> 00:09:55.399 What was your idea on why this golf course was 194 00:09:55.440 --> 00:09:56.960 going to be unique and special. 195 00:09:57.919 --> 00:10:01.120 Well, first I thought I was on crazy. There was 196 00:10:01.480 --> 00:10:04.399 already one hundred some golf courses here. But I said, 197 00:10:04.399 --> 00:10:06.879 I'm a niche type of person, you know, having worked 198 00:10:06.879 --> 00:10:10.440 for Lawrence Rockefeller, he was big on niches. He used 199 00:10:10.440 --> 00:10:13.559 to always say when I was at Monique, just remember JD. 200 00:10:14.080 --> 00:10:17.799 We're for the fortunate few. We're not for everybody. 201 00:10:18.720 --> 00:10:21.519 So that was my thought. I'm not going to be 202 00:10:21.679 --> 00:10:24.720 for everybody, but I'm going to be for the fortunate 203 00:10:24.759 --> 00:10:27.679 few that this is what they want. So I told 204 00:10:27.759 --> 00:10:29.759 them we're going to be an old style golf club, 205 00:10:30.559 --> 00:10:35.679 no tea times, fast play, where walking is embraced, so 206 00:10:35.799 --> 00:10:37.399 teas and greens will be close together. 207 00:10:37.960 --> 00:10:40.120 Okay, we're not going. 208 00:10:40.080 --> 00:10:43.039 To be about, you know, the parties and all that 209 00:10:43.159 --> 00:10:46.039 kind of stuff. It's going to be an open tee 210 00:10:46.360 --> 00:10:49.440 so you're never blocked out. We're going to have two 211 00:10:49.480 --> 00:10:52.399 tournaments only it's gonna be a stroke playing a match play, 212 00:10:52.879 --> 00:10:55.519 and you still can play in the afternoons on those days, 213 00:10:56.080 --> 00:10:58.559 so you never blocked out. So when you show up 214 00:10:58.600 --> 00:11:03.279 at the club, you can play and you know there's 215 00:11:03.320 --> 00:11:05.679 going to be fast play because the teas and greens 216 00:11:05.679 --> 00:11:08.679 are close together. So what I did to ensure the 217 00:11:08.879 --> 00:11:13.080 face of play the first year or two, I would 218 00:11:13.159 --> 00:11:15.639 put right on on the card if a person was 219 00:11:15.720 --> 00:11:18.799 taking a card, if they were teeing off at eight o'clock, 220 00:11:19.320 --> 00:11:24.399 I'd write eight o'clock, nine to fifty, right, and then 221 00:11:24.480 --> 00:11:28.799 eleven fifty. And that meant that you're teed off at eight, 222 00:11:29.200 --> 00:11:32.840 you need to be at the turn at nine to 223 00:11:32.919 --> 00:11:35.559 fifty because the front nine takes like an iron fifty 224 00:11:35.639 --> 00:11:38.799 minutes to play max, and the back nine's longer, so 225 00:11:38.840 --> 00:11:42.519 it'll take two hours to play. And so three hours 226 00:11:42.519 --> 00:11:48.240 and fifty minutes became the max that you were allowed. Okay, 227 00:11:49.360 --> 00:11:53.720 And then we ended up with the average rounds being 228 00:11:53.799 --> 00:11:57.399 about foursomes that were like three hours and thirty to 229 00:11:57.440 --> 00:12:02.480 three hours and thirty two minutes, okay, threesomes or three 230 00:12:02.600 --> 00:12:08.200 hours or less. Club Championship Okay, we played threesomes or 231 00:12:08.240 --> 00:12:12.159 twosomes and the rounds are three and a half hours 232 00:12:12.279 --> 00:12:17.759 or less every round. Now, guys, the first time they 233 00:12:17.759 --> 00:12:22.639 played in our Club Championship, when they get in, they 234 00:12:22.720 --> 00:12:23.200 say can. 235 00:12:23.120 --> 00:12:24.960 I use your office, They get on the phone, they 236 00:12:25.000 --> 00:12:25.440 call their. 237 00:12:25.360 --> 00:12:27.559 Buddy, and now say, you're not going to believe this, 238 00:12:28.759 --> 00:12:31.000 you know, unlike our place where we played in five 239 00:12:31.080 --> 00:12:33.759 hours plus in the club, I just played a club 240 00:12:33.840 --> 00:12:36.799 championship and I played in three hours, three hours and 241 00:12:36.840 --> 00:12:41.039 thirty minutes, and you're putting everything out the whole bit, 242 00:12:41.320 --> 00:12:45.960 you know it was it was pretty awesome. So once 243 00:12:46.039 --> 00:12:49.120 everybody knew that you met business and you were for 244 00:12:49.200 --> 00:12:51.799 real on it, it really worked. Plus, you know, one 245 00:12:51.840 --> 00:12:56.039 in seven or is a split te so we know 246 00:12:56.879 --> 00:12:59.519 that you need to be and at iron fifteen minutes, 247 00:12:59.519 --> 00:13:02.639 you need to be t and off of number seven. 248 00:13:03.240 --> 00:13:05.279 So when they come off of six, we'll just walk 249 00:13:05.320 --> 00:13:08.519 over and say, you know, you need to pick up 250 00:13:08.519 --> 00:13:10.720 the pace a little bit, mister Jones, and in a 251 00:13:10.759 --> 00:13:11.759 way you go with it. 252 00:13:11.840 --> 00:13:12.039 Right. 253 00:13:12.320 --> 00:13:14.360 It's very nice of you not to say, mister Green, 254 00:13:16.360 --> 00:13:19.559 I have to worry about that you were in good shape. 255 00:13:20.679 --> 00:13:24.759 But that's kind of the way that came about Fred 256 00:13:24.919 --> 00:13:28.720 and so then it became a culture. Now this is 257 00:13:28.759 --> 00:13:33.320 one of the cute stories. I'm playing on a Saturday 258 00:13:33.519 --> 00:13:42.279 and Lee Trevino, George Archer and myself and Johnny Pott. 259 00:13:42.759 --> 00:13:46.240 We're teeing off of number one and four ladies go 260 00:13:46.320 --> 00:13:49.759 out with the push carts in front of us, and 261 00:13:49.840 --> 00:13:51.879 Lee looks at me and says, j D, what are 262 00:13:51.919 --> 00:13:53.200 you doing to us? 263 00:13:53.679 --> 00:13:55.960 I said, Lee, we won't catch him. I can promise 264 00:13:56.000 --> 00:13:59.080 you that. Oh come on, j D, I can't go 265 00:13:59.240 --> 00:14:00.519 Leah's right, So. 266 00:14:00.559 --> 00:14:03.639 You know, they tee off and we go, and within 267 00:14:03.720 --> 00:14:07.759 three holes they got in their walking stride. We finished 268 00:14:07.759 --> 00:14:12.879 around in three hours and thirty minutes and we never 269 00:14:12.960 --> 00:14:19.559 caught them. Well after that, Lee became my biggest spokesperson because. 270 00:14:19.320 --> 00:14:21.639 One he said, this golf. 271 00:14:21.399 --> 00:14:24.000 Course is phenomenal because you can grow old on it. 272 00:14:24.399 --> 00:14:25.799 And I said, well, what do you mean by that 273 00:14:25.879 --> 00:14:27.759 lead He said, well, you can play your ball on 274 00:14:27.799 --> 00:14:30.240 the ground. You can bump and run it in if 275 00:14:30.279 --> 00:14:32.879 you want. You can run it up on five pars, 276 00:14:33.279 --> 00:14:34.320 going for it in two. 277 00:14:34.879 --> 00:14:35.320 He says. 278 00:14:35.360 --> 00:14:37.120 You know, as you get older, you don't hit the 279 00:14:37.120 --> 00:14:39.440 ball as high, so with your greens down on the 280 00:14:39.480 --> 00:14:42.639 ground all school and openings, you can bump and run 281 00:14:42.679 --> 00:14:45.279 it in there. But he said, the surrounds, you know, 282 00:14:45.879 --> 00:14:49.639 the green complexes, create all the resistance of scoring you'd 283 00:14:49.639 --> 00:14:52.919 ever want. He says, at the same time, all the 284 00:14:52.919 --> 00:14:54.759 pros said you could play a major here, You could 285 00:14:54.759 --> 00:14:56.679 play the open whatever if it wasn't that you're in 286 00:14:56.720 --> 00:14:59.559 a desert where it'd be one hundred and ten degrees. 287 00:14:59.200 --> 00:14:59.840 At that time. 288 00:15:00.440 --> 00:15:04.519 And then he's over at the hotel and working out 289 00:15:04.519 --> 00:15:07.360 in the gym, and he's telling everybody, you can't believe it. 290 00:15:07.399 --> 00:15:10.159 I just played the pumps and these four ladies went 291 00:15:10.200 --> 00:15:12.480 out in front of us, and we played in three 292 00:15:12.480 --> 00:15:13.679 hours and thirty minutes and we. 293 00:15:13.720 --> 00:15:14.559 Never caught them. 294 00:15:15.159 --> 00:15:18.240 So it became like, you know, you can't believe how 295 00:15:18.320 --> 00:15:21.639 fast as ladies play at the pumps. So it became 296 00:15:22.120 --> 00:15:24.480 a thing where it's the only club I know that 297 00:15:24.519 --> 00:15:27.200 the guys will actually tell the ladies, you know, if 298 00:15:27.240 --> 00:15:29.159 you want to go ahead and tee it up and go, 299 00:15:29.679 --> 00:15:31.519 because they know that they're going to walk and go 300 00:15:31.679 --> 00:15:35.279 and get it done. So that's telling you that our 301 00:15:35.360 --> 00:15:39.720 lady members are serious type golfers and serious type players. 302 00:15:39.759 --> 00:15:41.679 So it's been kind of fun to happen. 303 00:15:41.759 --> 00:15:43.720 Then, oh yeah, I'm a big believer. 304 00:15:44.440 --> 00:15:47.000 I'm a big, big believer Fred that this slow play 305 00:15:47.679 --> 00:15:50.080 is hurting the game more than anything else. 306 00:15:50.240 --> 00:15:51.240 So you know. 307 00:15:51.240 --> 00:15:53.879 Everybody talks about we need six hole courses all this, 308 00:15:54.879 --> 00:15:57.080 well we have that first six holes comes right back 309 00:15:57.080 --> 00:15:58.039 to the clubhouse right. 310 00:15:58.759 --> 00:16:01.360 Well, after the guys played that game of ours. 311 00:16:01.600 --> 00:16:04.679 The nine handicap or lesque game, they settle their bets 312 00:16:04.720 --> 00:16:06.919 and they redraw teams and they go play what they 313 00:16:07.000 --> 00:16:10.519 call the East Six, and then they all gather behind 314 00:16:10.600 --> 00:16:12.840 six and they heckle each other, coming in the last 315 00:16:12.879 --> 00:16:14.840 all right, and all balls, kind of the. 316 00:16:14.840 --> 00:16:17.360 Last hall, and the winning team takes all well. 317 00:16:17.360 --> 00:16:19.840 I have a lot of young guys at work that 318 00:16:20.519 --> 00:16:23.360 come right after work just to play the East Six 319 00:16:23.799 --> 00:16:27.279 Monday through Friday, and so they get some golfing. So 320 00:16:28.039 --> 00:16:31.639 you know, we've been very very lucky that way. I mean, 321 00:16:31.679 --> 00:16:35.200 average age is forty seven, so you know we're still 322 00:16:35.320 --> 00:16:36.399 have a pretty young group. 323 00:16:42.879 --> 00:16:46.399 I'm really curious about your rules for pay to play. 324 00:16:46.879 --> 00:16:49.360 This is a This is a I don't want to 325 00:16:49.360 --> 00:16:52.679 say that it's an exclusive club because PGA West is 326 00:16:52.919 --> 00:16:57.639 right around the corner, and that's incredibly exclusive. Expensive to 327 00:16:57.679 --> 00:17:02.440 live there, expensive to play there. You have private equity 328 00:17:02.440 --> 00:17:09.440 club memberships here, but it's not outrageously priced for what's 329 00:17:09.480 --> 00:17:10.000 going on. 330 00:17:09.960 --> 00:17:15.079 In private clubs today. But you don't have social things. 331 00:17:15.119 --> 00:17:18.559 You don't have a swimming pool or a tennis court, 332 00:17:18.680 --> 00:17:22.000 so or parties and things this is a golf club. 333 00:17:23.279 --> 00:17:25.559 Part of your initial idea. 334 00:17:26.400 --> 00:17:29.599 Correct, Fred, It's you know, being. 335 00:17:29.480 --> 00:17:31.119 A single member membership club. 336 00:17:31.240 --> 00:17:34.240 You know, we play about eighteen thousand rounds a year, 337 00:17:34.480 --> 00:17:38.480 eighteen and change, and you know that creates a nice 338 00:17:38.559 --> 00:17:41.759 ambience to the course. So we have no tea time, 339 00:17:41.960 --> 00:17:43.599 so you can put your name in and you're out 340 00:17:43.599 --> 00:17:46.279 in thirty minutes or less. And you know, you experienced 341 00:17:46.279 --> 00:17:49.480 it today with your friends and that's just the right 342 00:17:50.519 --> 00:17:52.680 amount of time to warm up and get ready to go. 343 00:17:53.519 --> 00:17:56.240 And so it's worked well. 344 00:17:56.400 --> 00:17:56.680 I'm in. 345 00:17:56.680 --> 00:18:01.839 Our initiation fee currently is twenty thousand dollars. We've always 346 00:18:01.880 --> 00:18:05.200 been in the thirties as a big believer that we 347 00:18:05.359 --> 00:18:08.519 didn't We wanted us to be truly an additional club 348 00:18:08.559 --> 00:18:11.359 for most people. There's probably one hundred of our members 349 00:18:11.359 --> 00:18:14.000 it's their primary club, but the rest of them belong 350 00:18:14.039 --> 00:18:17.759 to other places. And you know, I felt like that 351 00:18:17.839 --> 00:18:21.400 initiation fee, if you kept it reasonable in the wholl bit, 352 00:18:21.599 --> 00:18:22.599 it made it a. 353 00:18:22.480 --> 00:18:24.799 Lot easier to be that additional club. 354 00:18:25.440 --> 00:18:28.880 And the other thing is, I mean what happens is 355 00:18:28.920 --> 00:18:32.519 it really fed my niche because it's kind of like 356 00:18:32.599 --> 00:18:35.440 the higher the price to higher the handicap to higher 357 00:18:35.440 --> 00:18:40.839 the age normally. Okay, so by having a lower price 358 00:18:40.960 --> 00:18:45.200 the initiation fee. You know, our low was forty two 359 00:18:45.359 --> 00:18:48.359 years old was the average age, excuse me. 360 00:18:49.359 --> 00:18:50.039 And then. 361 00:18:51.680 --> 00:18:54.880 Our handicap six point nine was our average index was 362 00:18:54.920 --> 00:18:59.400 our lowest and our highest is probably right around nine 363 00:19:01.039 --> 00:19:04.359 that we've ever been. So you know, our average indexes 364 00:19:04.440 --> 00:19:08.279 has been pretty low. So we've attracted good players. The 365 00:19:08.319 --> 00:19:10.720 pace of play has met a lot. The good practice 366 00:19:10.759 --> 00:19:11.720 facilities big. 367 00:19:12.240 --> 00:19:12.799 They hit a. 368 00:19:12.720 --> 00:19:13.559 Lot of balls. 369 00:19:13.839 --> 00:19:16.759 When you leave tonight, it'll be dark and you'll hear 370 00:19:16.799 --> 00:19:18.319 guys hitting balls in the dark. 371 00:19:18.440 --> 00:19:20.880 I mean, they're that fanatical about their game. 372 00:19:21.519 --> 00:19:24.720 So guys and women and even the fifty you have, 373 00:19:25.599 --> 00:19:27.920 these are very serious players. And because it's not like 374 00:19:27.960 --> 00:19:30.440 there's a husband and wife on a Saturday afternoon, you know, 375 00:19:31.079 --> 00:19:32.079 the people, if you're going. 376 00:19:32.079 --> 00:19:35.279 To join, you're in into it. And even the women 377 00:19:35.319 --> 00:19:37.640 they're like, I want to get out there. 378 00:19:38.640 --> 00:19:41.960 So this morning they were there. They all walked and 379 00:19:42.079 --> 00:19:44.680 you know, they were done in no time. And they 380 00:19:44.680 --> 00:19:47.359 have their little games that they do, and we're known 381 00:19:47.400 --> 00:19:47.920 for games. 382 00:19:47.920 --> 00:19:48.839 We have a lot of games. 383 00:19:49.079 --> 00:19:53.079 It's very easy access into the games, and I think 384 00:19:53.119 --> 00:19:55.799 that's a unique thing about the place. So many places 385 00:19:56.599 --> 00:19:59.559 I get clickie shit, and so there's nothing wrong with 386 00:19:59.599 --> 00:20:03.480 any of that. That's why there's all the different opportunities 387 00:20:03.519 --> 00:20:07.160 in different type clubs that there are out there. We 388 00:20:07.240 --> 00:20:09.519 happen to be this one little niche. I like to 389 00:20:09.519 --> 00:20:11.359 think that this niche. 390 00:20:11.160 --> 00:20:15.279 Of ours is very small. But it's not shrinking. 391 00:20:15.880 --> 00:20:19.519 Oh that's good, that's well. The other is shrinking. 392 00:20:20.480 --> 00:20:23.640 You have this These are your place mats for your 393 00:20:24.000 --> 00:20:26.839 for your bar, and it talks about some of the 394 00:20:26.880 --> 00:20:30.599 members without giving names here, but I'm just going to 395 00:20:30.680 --> 00:20:32.279 run through a couple and this is the kind of 396 00:20:32.279 --> 00:20:35.480 people that are staying that that belonged to the poems. 397 00:20:36.039 --> 00:20:36.519 And it was. 398 00:20:38.000 --> 00:20:40.480 Because of what you led me up to this before 399 00:20:40.519 --> 00:20:41.799 we played, and you were telling me and you were 400 00:20:41.799 --> 00:20:44.759 showing me some of your trophy cases. And you've got 401 00:20:44.920 --> 00:20:47.920