The Weekend Release

Craig’s Weekend Release Program
For the week of March 22nd thru March 27th

Course is Closed Tuesday March 22nd!!

Course Closure;
For all of you keeping score, Mother Nature-Infinity, Human’s-Zero. Sunday was the first day of spring on all the calendars around the world. Somebody forgot to tell that to the weather. On Sunday we had 5 inches of rain in a 7 hour period from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. I will be updating my blog with pictures, so hopefully by the time you get this you can go there and see the damage. The wind blew on an average of 15 miles per hour with guest up to 20 from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Needless to say the damage was as extensive as i have seen on a golf course. The ponds on number 3 look like giant mud ponds. The bunkers on 4 fairway have been washed out. The bathroom behind the number 4 green was buried with 18 inches of mud when we arrived this morning. Again there will be pictures of all of this and more discussion on my blog. The runoff that ends up sitting on the 1st and 10th fairways is substantial. There is tons of silt built up and all of the fairway bunkers on 1 are being drained all day. We did lose a tree on 10. The tree on the right side of the tee box feel over the path and onto one of our irrigation control boxes. We don’t know the extent of the damage yet. The irrigation lake on 16 is to it’s limit and the overflow drain we built a year and a half ago is working very well. All this to say that the golf course will be closed tomorrow. The staff needs to rebuild a bunch of the bunkers and clean up the fairways before we can get golfers on it. Our goal is to be open on Wednesday. The really issue is what will the next storm bring us that is supposed to be here starting Wednesday for 3 days.

Building Hours;
The Pro Shop will be open tomorrow from 7:00 until 5:00.

The Kitchen and Bar will be open from 8:00 until 5:00.

All these times are general and not written in concrete...if it seems we should stay open later we will.

We will be canceling all the Junior Programs for this week as we don’t know when the Range will be reopened.

The Weekend Release

Craig’s Weekend Release Program
For the week of March 15th thru March 20th


Ladies Day;
We have a very big field for this week’s Ladies Day. It looks like there will be an excess of 40 players. This means that it will be a bit later before we can get other play on the course after the event. Please plan on it being closer to 11:00 than 10:00 as it typically is.

March Juniors;
This week begins our Long Term Athletic Development Program at Valencia Country Club. The Program will be from 3:30 to 4:30 on Tuesday and Wednesday. Tuesday will be for Juniors from the age 4-7. Wednesday will be for Juniors from the age 8-12. If you have any children in these age demographics, please bring them out. We will take guest too. If you want more information please check out my blog, i have written an overview of the Program. Please call the shop if you are interested on bringing a child out.

Men’s Member Guest;
This Wednesday we will have our annual At&t Member Guest. The field is full and we will be closed before the event to all play. We will be using the entire golf course for the 12:00 Shotgun. If you haven’t signed up and were planning to, please call the shop and we will make you an alternate in case space opens up.

Men’s Individual Gross Net;
Phew, what a week of events we have. This Sunday we have our March installment of the Player of the Year event. This week is the Individual Gross Net. We will be adding an optional Skin’s Game to the event. We will tee off at 9:00. There will be breakfast served before and BBQ after the event. Currently the top 10 in the point standings is Harry Thomas, Peter Cho, Greg Gayheart, Will Whitehead, Dr. Robert Herring, Dick Rai, Randy Bragdon, Steve Whitmore, Phil Nordella, Chris Chase, Dave Fish and Ron Lawlor.

Around the Club;
It is a busy week and the weather is beautiful. Hopefully this weather stays away and we have another week like last week. As you can see around the course, grass is growing and the greens are really responding. Please keep paying attention to your ball marks and those of the players in your group. Thanks for all the help and i look forward to seeing you around the Club.

Schedule of events for the week of March 15th thru March 20th:

Tuesday: Ladies Day-Tee Closed from 8:45 to 10:30; Open Play Rest of the Day
Wednesday: Men’s Member Guest at 12:00-Course Closed to all other Play Before
Thursday: Open Play
Friday: Open Play; Tee Times all day
Saturday: Men’s Individual Gross Net at 9:00; Open Play after the event
Sunday: Member’s Open Play Before 11:00; Tee Times after 11:00


Craig Cliver

Long Term Junior Development at Valencia Country Club

Generally speaking in the United States we are behind in developing athletes. Now don't go crazy, yeah i know we have the best athletes in the world but with the resources that we have access to we should dominate in every field not just the few that we see. We also are seeing the rest of the world surpass our athletes across the board. You ask why this is...Democracy! Other Countries' Governments have invested in LTAD(Long-Term Athlete Development). There is so much information out there and most of it has been compiled by countries such as Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, Sweden even the Eastern Block Countries were using this technology. Some countries were using this knowledge even before they knew it and thought it was just a hypothesis.

What we will be teaching your children at Valencia Country Club is "physical literacy." Sports are split into two developmental areas. There are early specialization and late specialization sports. Early specialization sports are artistic and aerobic. These sports are gymnastics, figure skating, diving and swimming. There are 4 stages:

1. Training to Train
2. Training to Compete
3. Training to Win
4. Retirement and retainment

In Late Specialization Sports (Track and Field, Team Sports, Golf, etc)there are 6 stages:

1. FUNdamental
2. Learning to Train
3. Training to Train
4. Training to Compete
5. Training to Win
6. Retirement and retainment

The two stages we will be spending the majority of our time working on at Valencia are FUNdamental and Learning to Train. The primary effort will be spent working on the FUNdamental stage. We will teach the children functional movement patterns that will make them better athletes for the rest of their lives. The way sports has been taught in America is like teaching Calculus without knowing how to count. The key points of FUNdamentals are:

• Participation in as many sports as possible
• Speed, power and endurance are developed using FUN games
• Appropriate and correct running, jumping and throwing techniques are taught using the ABC's of athletics
• Introduction to the simple rules and ethics of golf
• Strength training with exercises which use the child's own body weight; medicine ball and Swiss ball exercises
• Develop the child's:
• ABC's (Agility, Balance, Coordination, and Speed
• RJT (Running, Jumping, Throwing)
• CKs (Catching, Kicking, Striking with and implement)

Please trust me when i say that if i had children i and they weren't involved in an Early Specialization Sport, i would have them involved in this program. The long term benefits of physical literacy is amazing and this age window is necessary. People can learn this at a later age, but they will never be literate. We all have friends that we see do something athletic and it looks like they have been doing it forever. This program will help your child be that person!

The Weekend Release

Craig’s Weekend Release Program
For the week of March 8th thru March 13th



Winter Tee Time Policy;
I figured i should keep this up here for another week. We have gone back to our regular tee time policy. As most of you remember what this means is that starting Tuesday we can take tee times on Saturday and Sunday starting at 11:00. The course will open at 7:00 and from then until 11:00 it will be first come first serve based on getting your group together. This policy only affects the weekends. Please call the shop if you have any questions.

March Juniors;
Next week we will start the Junior Development Program at Valencia Country Club. I am very excited about rolling out this program. I think this program could revolutionize athletics in Santa Clarita and maybe elsewhere. Jill has compiled information and training from some of the great trainers and physicians in the world to implement this program. We will be starting it at a limited basis next week and i would imagine in 6 months we will have to expand the program. For those of you that have questions, please go to my blog as i will writing more about the program in detail. That seems to be a better venue to give you all of this information. My blog address is at the bottom of this page.

Matt Marsh;
As many of you have heard, our Superintendent is moving on. Matt Marsh has done a tremendous job here in the 18 months he was here. The projects that he has completed will set us up for a long time to come. About a month ago he was contacted about a position in Orange County at Santa Ana Country Club. The previous Super, retired after being at the Club for 30 years and this opportunity for Matt was just too good to pass up. We have been blessed by his expertise and hope him all the best in his future. As you have witnessed in the past transition the staff that we have out there is very well prepared and trained. First Wayne, then Robert, and now Matt have left us in very healthy condition to handle this change and the staff of Jesus and the boys are very capable of handling the turf conditions for the near future while we find the Future of Valencia Country Club. Please contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

March Member Events;
The 16th of March marks the return of our at&t Member Guest. We started this event 4 years ago to put you out on the course the Wednesday before the event. You can bring 1 or 3 guests. We will put the at&t in positions out there, so you can play the course as Rich Contreras got to play it. On Saturday the 19th we have our next Men’s Member Tournament. It is an individual Gross Net format. Starting the 26th of March we will start our Saturday Swing Schools. Please look around the Club for signups.

Around the Club;
This coming Sunday we head back into Daylight Savings. Please prepare your clocks for this change. You might want to go to bed an hour earlier so that at 2:00 a.m. when the clock goes to 3:00 you are prepared. That being said 7:00 a.m. will actually be 6:00 a.m. I hope my staff shows up!!!


Schedule of events for the week of March 8th thru March 13th:

Tuesday: Ladies Day-Tee Closed from 8:45 to 10:00; Open Play Rest of the Day
Wednesday: Open Play
Thursday: Open Play
Friday: Open Play; Tee Times all day
Saturday: Member’s Open Play Before 11:00; Tee Times after 11:00
Sunday: Member’s Open Play Before 11:00; Tee Times after 11:00


Craig Cliver

Valencia Website Address
valenciagolfclub.com
Username (your VCC membership number)
Password (your last name)

valenciaccgolf.blogspot.com (Craig’s)

ccliver@kempersports.com

Craig’s Weekend Release Program
For the week of February 15th thru February 21st



The Weather;
I hope this makes you happy! I write this in beautiful weather, mid 60’s and mild wind. What i call a day like this and a weekend like this weekend is a Sucker Hole. A Sucker Hole is typically a time of day between storms. Well after having lived in the Santa Clarita Valley for the past 5 years i recognize that this is just another Sucker Hole. Thursday at Valencia i felt like i was Jim Carey on the Truman Show when they just kept turning up the wind on him as he drove towards the end of the set. Starting Tuesday and into the weekend we are in for some ridiculous storm systems. I have an app on my phone that gives me the weather channel and i don’t know the last time i opened it up without some Special Weather Statement Alert showing up. I’m about to write a letter to Washington and apply for some assistance claiming that this place is a Natural Disaster. I would like to talk to the city founders about what we deal with on a typical basis. Maybe this is just global warming as we had frost every day this weekend. I am starting to think that the movie 2012 was a documentary on the Santa Clarita Valley. Now come play golf!

Men’s Individual Stableford;
We have almost finished scoring the Stableford event. I tell you what, we need a super computer to calculate the results for this format. In the 1st flight Peter Cho and Dick Rai won the gross while in the Net, Harry Thomas won followed by Bob Berra and Miles Amarino. In the 2nd flight Greg Gayheart beat Randy Bragdon gross and the Net Division finished Al Gowing, James Song, then Phil Nordella. In the 3rd flight Will Whitehead beat Steve Whitmore in the Gross Division. In the Net Division Dr. Herring beat John Gedney and Dr. Kaushal. If calculating Stableford points when somebody takes a net 13 wasn’t hard enough, here are the final results for the Skins Game:
Hole 1 - Art Johnson (3)
Hole 2 - Bill Raven (2)
Hole 3 - Ron Oguss (1)
Hole 7 - Mike Keefe (2)
Hole 8 - Bob Herring (2)
Hole 10 - Miles Amarino (2)
Hole 15 - Mike Keefe (3)
Hole 17 - Russ Hoffman (2)

Men’s Team Play;
It was a valiant effort at home. I will spare you all the sloppy details, but we lost by a point. I have put plastic over my keyboard to write these updates as my tears have started shorting out my computer and i just got up off the floor after the last jolt from my computer left me prostrate on my back reciting Soren Kierkegaard. Great job by Dick Rai dominating the chipping contest after dinner and taking all of the Oakmont boys money!!

OPEN MONDAY;
We are open Monday for President’s Day. Please join us as we should find another Sucker Hole at the beginning of next week! You don’t need tee times and if you bring guests, we will be charging weekday guest rates of $72. Please come out and join us for a great day at the Club!


Schedule of events for the week of February 15th thru February 21st:

Tuesday: Ladies Day-Tee Closed from 8:45 to 10:00; Open Play Rest of the Day
Wednesday: Open Play
Thursday: Open Play
Friday: Open Play; Tee Times all day
Saturday: No Tee Times; Winter Tee Time Policy!
Sunday: No Tee Times; Winter Tee Time Policy!
Monday: Open Play all day, no Tee Time Required


Craig Cliver

Valencia Website Address
valenciagolfclub.com
Username (your VCC membership number)
Password (your last name)

valenciaccgolf.blogspot.com (Craig’s)

ccliver@kempersports.com

Craig’s Weekend Release Program
For the week of February 8th thru February 13th




Ladies Day;
Tomorrow is Ladies Day. We will be doing a shotgun at 9:00 for them. We will be using the first hole and working back so expect the tee to be blocked for the normal times. The only issue this could cause is if you try to tee off on the back between 7:00 and 7:30 we can’t accommodate that. We will need holes 17 and 18 at 9:00.

Men’s Individual Stableford;
This Saturday the 12th we have our Men’s Individual Stableford. This format is where you are given points determined by the score you make on each hole. The higher the score the better. Please sign up or call the shop and we will make sure that you get on the list. We will also add an additional Skins Game. Normally Steve Whitmore has been organizing this, but since it is an individual format we will collect the additional optional $10 in the shop. Please call the shop or sign up before Wednesday so our new Chef Brian can be prepared to provide food for all. The weather should be perfect for the afternoon BBQ on the patio!


Men’s Team Play;
Well, it’s been a disappointing season for the boys from Valencia. When life gives you lemons we haven’t figured out to make lemonade. We took a team on the road to Brentwood and i thought we could win this match on the road. We didn’t and not only did we lose, we lost more than we won by last week and are now firmly in last place in our division. I am typing this through tears! This week we play division leader Oakmont at Valencia. Oakmont has won all of their matches so far. Us going up against Oakmont is like expecting a Snowflake to be able to survive in Hell. It is like an American made vehicle being able to outperform a foreign car(i drive a chevy). Now for my Knute Rockne moment. This is why they play the game...was it over when the German’s bombed Pearl Harbor??? Thats why the Miracle on Ice wasn’t over until the 4th quarter! I’ve got a good feeling about this week! I can’t wait to see what Chef Brian serves for dinner! Now go get em boys!! By the way the tee will be blocked from 9:30 to 11:15!

Course Conditions;
I will say that this time of the year is fun for me to be able to travel with the Team even if we are the whipping boys of our division. I love getting to play the other courses in the area. It confirms to me every year that our course is consistently in the best condition of the bunch. Please help us keep it that way. Repair you ball mark and one other and please fill your divots on the course. Thanks for the help and i will see you around the Club!


Schedule of events for the week of February 8th thru February 13th:

Tuesday: Ladies Day-Tee Closed from 8:45 to 10:00; Open Play Rest of the Day
Wednesday: Open Play
Thursday: Team play vs. Oakmont; Tee blocked from 9:30 to 11:15-Open Play Rest of the Day
Friday: Open Play; Tee Times all day
Saturday: Men’s Individual Stableford at 10:00; Tee will open after!
Sunday: No Tee Times; Winter Tee Time Policy!



Craig Cliver

Valencia Website Address
valenciagolfclub.com
Username (your VCC membership number)
Password (your last name)

valenciaccgolf.blogspot.com (Craig’s)

ccliver@kempersports.com

The Weekend Release

Craig’s Weekend Release Program
For the week of January 25th thru January 31st



Men’s Team Play;
It’s been a tough couple of weeks for the boys. We barely lost to LACC at home a couple of weeks ago then we took our show on the road and got throttled at LACC. This week we host Brentwood Country Club who is also 0-2 on their season. Thursday we will tee the boys off at 11:00. There are 8 groups plus alternates and we will tee them off on the front nine. We will need most of the entire front nine to get these groups off at 11:00. What that means is that if we have frost we won’t have much time to get you on the course before the tee time. If you are planning on playing in the morning pray there is no frost. We will also be closing the tee in the afternoon about 1:30 for the groups to make the turn back on to the front. I know that is a lot of information. Please call the shop if you have questions and are planning on playing Thursday to keep from being inconvenienced.

Cart Path Policy;
This week we are looking at having spectacular weather so come out and play. We have opened up the course to carts on both 9’s. Come on out this week and enjoy the opportunity to drive on the course. Farmer’s Almanac and Leonardo DiCaprio both claim that due to weather trends we will be dealing with freezing rain, tornado and an iceberg in the pond on 16. This is the final week before all the weather predictions come true and we are living a scene from Mad Max. I look forward to seeing you all around the Club this week!



Schedule of events for the week of January 25th thru January 31st:

Tuesday: Ladies Day-Tee Closed from 8:45 to 10:00; Open Play Rest of the Day
Wednesday: Open Play
Thursday: Men’s Team Play-Tee closed from 9:30 to 11:15; Open Play rest of the Day!
Friday: Open Play; Tee Times all day
Saturday: No Tee Times; Winter Tee Time Policy!
Sunday: No Tee Times; Winter Tee Time Policy!



Craig Cliver

Valencia Website Address
valenciagolfclub.com
Username (your VCC membership number)
Password (your last name)

valenciaccgolf.blogspot.com (Craig’s)

ccliver@kempersports.com