By Naaman Nickell/Special to the Range News
Published: Wednesday,
December 30, 2009
Just about a year ago, with Shadow
Mountain Golf Course perilously close to being closed, a group of
community-minded
residents negotiated a lease with the out-of-state owner putting
the course safely
and securely under local leadership.
Quick, positive action was necessary, because the golf course
is
the heart of the community and key to sustaining property values.
On
Saturday, Oct. 31, there was a Rally for the Golf Course celebration at Shadow Mountain to take
note of the first anniversary of the signing of that initial lease, which has resulted not only in the
continued
successful operation of the course, but in a strong base of support for the community effort.
One of the highlights of the Rally was an18-hole, 4-person scramble tournament that drew participants
from across southeast Arizona. The A Flight winning foursome, with a net score of 44.5, was comprised
of Jake Gessner, Norma Sue Griffin and Eric and Tanya Steigemeier. B Flight winning team was: Art Eggman,
Denise
Eggman, Arlene Coomer and Sam Coomer.
The past year has
been one of a series of highlights including: the coming together of the community to support
the golf course; the multitude of volunteers
who unselfishly took over many of the course maintenance chores;
the
workdays that burnished the course's appearance; the gift of some $40,000
worth of equipment by a Safford
couple who were impressed
by what was being done by the community; and the widely praised weekly Farmers
Market. Also the golf course restaurant
has reopened for breakfast and lunch under new volunteer management
with
volunteer staff. New hours are 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. The restaurant
is also available for special events at other
hours.
"I can't think of one area in which we aren't pleased,"
said Doug Payne, a member of management team.
"The positive spirit of the community has been magnificent. There's no
longer any negative thinking about the
value of the golf
course to the community. "Last year the management
team was operating in a crisis management
mode to be able
to react quickly, but now it is in a creative, progressive mode to move, prudently,
into the future,
he added. "We didn't know exactly
where we were going at the beginning because things were happening so quickly,
but things have worked beautifully of the past
12 months," Payne noted. The management plan is operating
within budget.
And this was all accomplished with only
two fulltime paid employees, who were at the heart of improving
the quality and
playing conditions of the course.The coming
year will be one of moving ahead to increase membership, attract more
outside
play, host new tournaments, bring in more young golfers, continue to improve the course, all the while keeping
an eye on the ultimate goal of accomplishing the group's four stated goals: stabilize home values; preserve the overall
appearance of Sunsites; support the highest quality of life for all residents; and protect our future
by providing an attractive
area for others to enjoy and call home.
By Naaman Nickell for the Range News, June 17, 2009
The Sunsites Community Golf Association is planning a
"Red, White & Blue" tournament at Shadow Mountain Golf
as part of the community's Fourth of July Celebration.
There will also be a nine-hole shootout on July 5th.
Most of the actual work around the golf course is being
accomplished by volunteers. Work days have attracted as many
as 80 persons to chop, saw, rake & hoe. And between work days,
volunteers are out early everyday mowing greens, tee boxes
and fairways, and doing any other kinds of tidying up work that
is needed to improve course conditions...
