The Playbook - January 2023

Board of Directors

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

CHANGING TIMES

By Whit Taylor

STEVE FOCHS Vice President Handicap Committee Chair

JOE DEL PERO Greens Committee Chair

TIM KELLEHER Finance Committee Chair

I hope each of you had a prosperous 2022 I notice a theme of change emerging from this past year The world, our community and even our club have changed much as we move past COVID and find our way to more normality

Change has been a theme in my personal life as well We helped our son and his family move to Idaho This changed some of our traditions but created the opportunity to add new family traditions We are sad to see them move and excited for their new adventure at the same time

The economy is in a state of change which is not unusual yet never easy The rising inflation, the volatile price of gas, financial markets in a state of fluctuation It is enough to make you wonder where the value is for our hardearned money Yet, I know these cycles in the economy happen and then we recover. This change back to better times will happen.

PURDOM Director LESLIE WILLIAMS Rules Committee Chair

WHIT TAYLOR Board President CAM FRAY Director

One of the things I look at is where am I able to get the most value for the money I spend Looking at Peach Tree is one of the value points that I want We have the City Club Bistro with great food offerings and very high-level service We have a great golf course that is always in great shape and that we can play when we want Even during the COVID crisis we were able to play golf as we adhered to some minor changes All the team members at Peach Tree and the City Club Bistro work diligently at making sure we have a great experience

The board continues to work very closely with our management to address the challenges of our time Labor costs have increased, supply costs including food are higher, and the cost of fuel and fertilizer have increased Each Board member is doing everything they can to make sure we have a reasonable dues rates and appropriate options for existing members and our future members

MESCHER

MASCOVICH House Committee Chair

Price increases may be inevitable, yet I see an opportunity for all of us to continue to enjoy our club membership and to receive a lot of value for being a part of Peach Tree

Thank you for supporting Peach Tree I look forward to 2023 and the great times we can all have playing golf and enjoying our Club together!

FRANK

JERRY

Food & Beverage Committe Char

KELLY

GENERAL MANAGER'S MESSAGE

THE CHARM OF GOLF

By Jeff Munsey

Every day is a good day when your office is near a golf course If I'm feeling stressed or tired, I need only step outside a few feet to be surrounded by the charm of golf The good-natured teasing of an older foursome finishing their rounds; the couple who escaped work earlier to spend time together and take in nine; and the single player on the range working off the stress of the week through a bucket of balls

A A Milne - famous for his children's stories about Christopher Robin and his stuffed bear, Winnie the Pooh - was an 18 handicap. Recently I came across his essay titled "The Charm of Golf", penned in 1920, which is certainly worth a full read (scan QR code below), One charming excerpt reads:

" Golf is the best game in the world for the bad player And sometimes I am tempted to go further and say that it is a better game for the bad player than for the good player The joy of driving a ball straight after a week of slicing, the joy of putting a mashie shot dead, the joy of even a moderate stroke with a brassie; best of all, the joy of the perfect cleek shot these things the good player will never know Every stroke we bad players make we make in hope It is never so bad but it might have been worse; it is never so bad but we are confident of doing better next time And if the next stroke is good, what happiness fills our soul How eagerly we tell ourselves that in a little while all our strokes will be as good "

Fundamentally, Peach Tree Golf & Country Club is about golf. Certainly, through the last few years of this pandemic, we felt this in a profound way While our restaurant, food service and social events were closed, we were able to keep our course open throughout every twist and turn

As Whit's message echoed, we are certainly in a time of change There is no doubt 2023 will bring much change again to your club, but there is also no doubt we will always be striving to make your experience rewarding, keep the value you receive for your membership high, and maintain the highest quality golf course in the region After all, whether you are a 4 or a 40 handicap, it's all about the charm of golf!

DANIEL PELLEGRINO

JOHN LOUCKS

MATTHEW NEUBERT DEE GARDNER & TOM STRINGHOLD

JOSEPH DAGNINO IV MARK TORRALBA

JOSEPH DAGNINO III DANIEL ASHBY TED HALE DANIEL HALE JACOB KORANDA JAMES KUPHALDT JERAME PARK ANDREW GONZALES

SCAN TO READ THE CHARM OF GOLF BY A.A. MILNE

USGA RULES CHANGES

EFFECTIVE JANUARY 1, 2023

The United States Golf Association has unveiled a regular update to the Rules of Golf as they continue to make the rules easier to understand and apply. Several penalties have been relaxed and language has been clarified to help golfers at all levels of play. Key changes include:

Modifications for Players with Disabilities: The modifications for players with disabilities have been made part of the Rules and are in effect for all players who are classified in the categories covered in Rule 25

Handicap Usage in Stroke Play: With the continued growth of score-posting technology following the adoption of the World Handicap System™, players are no longer penalized for failing to put their handicap on their scorecard in stroke play. The committee will be responsible for ensuring the accuracy of each player’s handicap.

Club Damaged During Round: The Rule has been amended to allow a player to replace a club that is damaged during a round, provided the player did not damage it through abuse.

Ball Moved by Natural Forces: A new exception provides that a ball at rest must be replaced if it moves to another area of the course or comes to rest out of bounds after being dropped, placed or replaced.

Back-on-the-Line Relief Procedure: The back-on-the-line relief procedure, often used for penalty area and unplayable ball relief, has been simplified so that the player now drops their ball on the line, and the ball must come to rest within one club-length of where it is dropped.

Golfers will be able to learn more about the major changes and review the official 2023 Rules of Golf by visiting www usga org/2023Rules

CHANGE YOUR GOLF BALLS

one particular th considering t winter conditi enefit from a fi rries further th nt optimum ca ns are soft. Th also mean yo f in softness,

9 Top Winter

your best when the

PRACTICE YOUR SHORT GAME

neglect your s u should prac very good re g longer and o need it more o e playing diffe rom all sorts o erently on wet you vary the he same mod intend to use out on the cours more realistic

TAKE MORE CLUB

Your yardages will be shorter in winter because the ball doesn’t fly as far through the air and you’ll get much less roll when it lands. You’re also more likely to play in strong winds that will really knock the ball in the air, and heavy rain will also affect the ball flight.

Generally, taking one extra club is usually a good idea, and conditions might dictate you’re playing two or three more clubs more than you might in the summer

TAKE MORE THAN ONE TOWEL

ng to get pretty messy in e mud you need to wipe off e sure you’re always able to y carrying an extra one s also brilliant if it rains use it to dry your grips ng any mud you’ve already

KEEP YOUR GOLF BALLS WARM

A warm golf ball will actually fly further than a cold one – roughly two yards for every 10 degrees centigrade. Keep your balls in your pockets and benefitting from your body heat and you’ll get a bit more yardage out of them.

Golf Hacks

ou

ADJUST YOUR DRIVER

Adjustable clubs are fantastic and heading into winter is the ideal time to take advantage of this versatility. Softer ground conditions mean you’re going to need more carry to achieve your optimal total distance You can get this by increasing loft to launch the ball higher and moving weight back to increase the spin - most of the best golf drivers will allow you to do this using a standard wrench tool

You don’t want to go too far and start ballooning it, so it’s definitely worth consulting a Club pro to find the best set-up for you in the winter.

GET A GOOD PAIR OF WET WEATHER GLOVES

orse than losing grip in wet good pair of winter golf y improve your grip of the wet

be a little thicker than a which helps keep your ll They take a while to get make all the difference r rounds

ADJUST YOUR PUTTING PERCEPTION

s and added moisture on winter means there’s more r ball rolls, so putts will be less. Get yourself calibrated nd break and your course by f time on the practice green. an putt more aggressively in the less speed and break If gling to get the ball to the h a firmer feel off the face or heavier weighting could also help Another solution might be to switch to a mallet putter, which comes with the added benefit of more

stability

GET WINTER TROLLEY WHEELS

continue using an electric then using winter-specific ay to reduce the impact you se At some courses, these n winter months, so always rules and potential trolley our trolley in winter

GOLFER'S GUIDE TO WINTER RULES

Proceed With Confidence in Every Situation

For avid golfers, there’s no better feeling than heading back to the course after a few stormy days But those exciting rounds are often played on less than ideal course conditions Soggy fairways lead to muddy balls, and standing water in all the wrong places.

Thankfully, the USGA offers the option of a Local Rule that allows golfers to persevere through wet course conditions When in effect, Preferred Lies, often referred to as “Winter Rules” or “playing it up”, help golfers navigate a golf course recovering from prolonged rain that either caused damage to the course or prevented the grounds crew from properly maintaining it.

By the time you are reading this, chances are we will be under Winter Rules Here's what that means

Winter Rules allows a player whose ball lies in the fairway to take free relief by placing the original ball or another ball within a specified relief area (one club length, six inches, one scorecard length, for example) from the spot of the original ball that is not nearer to the hole and is in the general area Before replacing your ball, feel free to clean off any mud it has collected This process is also known by its very descriptive nickname: lift, clean and place.

OTHER COURSE CONDITION PROCEDURES

Embedded Ball

Whether or not Winter Rules are in effect, you are entitled to free relief for an embedded ball in the general area. Your ball is deemed to be embedded when it is in its own pitch-mark as a result of your previous stroke and when part of the ball is below the level of the ground If you find yourself in this situation, simply mark your reference point in the spot right behind the embedded ball, and drop within one club-length of that reference point, no nearer to the hole and within the general area.

Outside of the general area, players aren’t as protected from an embedded ball Of course, on the putting green you can mark, lift, clean and replace your ball, and fix any pitch-mark. However, you are not entitled to relief from an embedded ball in a bunker or penalty area.

Standing Water in a Bunker

If you find your ball in standing water in the bunker, you’ll have options, but you might not like them Assuming you’d like to forego your option to play the ball as it lies, you may find the nearest point of complete relief in the bunker and no nearer to the hole, and drop within one club-length.

If complete relief is not available, you may take free maximum available relief under the same procedures outlined above If you still don’t like any of your relief options, you also have the option to drop the ball outside of the bunker by going back-on-the-line any distance you choose as long as you keep the point where your ball lies between you and the hole. This option, however, will cost you one penalty stroke.

Standing Water on the Putting Green

When your ball is on the putting green and there is interference from an abnormal course condition - in this case, standing water - you get free relief at the spot of nearest complete relief not nearer to the hole, whether that be on the putting green or in the general area.

Standing Water in the General Area

You are entitled to free relief from an abnormal course condition, in this case, standing water, in the general area Determine your nearest point of complete relief (reference point) and drop within one club-length of that point, no nearer to the hole. The ball must come to rest within that relief area and must be in the general area.