Golf Club | Rainbowgc | United States

Heat, Hungry Squirrels, and Heroics
at Rancho Park

Rancho Park's redevelopment project—which includes a new clubhouse, pro shop, and restaurant—began back in 2021. The current projected completion date is September 2027 at the earliest, with the possibility of stretching into January 2028! In the meantime, golfers have no snack bar to rely on, only vending machines stocked with coconut water and sodas. Fortunately, we came prepared with musubi, which sold out quickly. Apparently, the local wildlife was hungry too. Birds and squirrels helped themselves to Pam's snack, Kirk's sandwich, and David's musubi. Tom M. took matters into his own hands and made the trek across the street to the corner bakery for some croissants.

Los Angeles served up a warm one, with temperatures flirting with 100 degrees. Fortunately, a slight breeze and plenty of trees providing shade made it feel much cooler than the thermometer suggested. A few golfers questioned whether they would survive the heat and finish the round, but everyone made it through the day by staying hydrated and seeking shade whenever possible.

One of the best quotes of the day came from Tracy, who proudly noted that he "shot lower than the temperature!" Tracy wanted to play Rancho Park to see if the course was still like he remembered it. The only problem? He couldn't remember anything about it! He also described the greens as treacherous—slick, slick, slick. Despite the challenging putting surfaces, Tracy somehow navigated them better than anyone else, taking Low Putts honors with just 31 putts.

The finish on the 18th hole provided some drama. Mark's eagle initially looked like the shot of the day until Lillian calmly parred the hole and, thanks to her handicap, matched it with a net eagle. Not content with that accomplishment, Lillian also chipped in twice for par during the round.

Robert credited the heat for keeping his back muscles loose and pain-free, and it certainly seemed to work. While the rest of his foursome faded faster than their image in the group photo below, Robert pressed on. By the end of the round, his foursome had effectively become a lonesome, with his former playing partners serving as spectators and cheerleaders as he finished with an impressive net 68.

The "Macho Macho Men" award goes to Tim, Steve, and Tom M., who walked the entire course in the extreme heat and lived to tell about it. Tim's scorecard may not have been one for the record books, but two well-timed pars were enough to earn him two skins. Proof that sometimes it's not how many good holes you have—it's having them at exactly the right time.

A special thank you to Ron T. for collecting the scorecards. While we appreciate his efforts, reports indicate he wasn't exactly thrilled about having to total all those putts and net scores. On the bright side, Ron did give high marks to the padded cart seats.

Our next tournament will be at Los Lagos on November 1. Registration closes October 8, and we still need additional players to meet our minimum field. Guests are welcome and, for this tournament only, may participate in the side bets. If you're planning to play, don't wait—sign up today!

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RESULTS

PHOTO GALLERY

HIGHLIGHTS
EL DORADO PARK

After enduring several weeks of heat and humidity, El Dorado provided a welcome break with pleasant weather and comfortable playing conditions. Considering the difficulty of the course, the pace of play was respectable, allowing everyone to enjoy the day without feeling rushed or having to wait on the group ahead of them.

Some players felt the greens were fast, while others questioned their overall condition. A few even suggested the holes appeared to be about a half-inch too small. Whatever the case, it didn't seem to bother Richard, David T., or Mark D., resulting in impressive totals of 28, 29, and 30 putts respectively. Only three skins were won, with Richard, Sats, and Vi each pocketing $94 per skin. Not surprisingly, Sats and Vi finished as the day's biggest money winners, collecting $139 each, with Richard close behind at $127.

While some players were cashing in, others were celebrating in a different fashion. The "Woodford Express" made another appearance in Group 3. Reports indicate the birdie shots were flowing freely throughout the round. However, a post-round review of the scorecard uncovered one minor detail: no birdies were actually recorded. Not everyone enjoyed a smooth ride to the clubhouse. Steve appeared headed for a strong finish before encountering one of golf's cruelest traditions—the dreaded blow-up hole. Unfortunately, Steve chose to make it a three-hole series, with trouble arriving over the final three holes of the round.

Meanwhile, Robert seemed determined to inspect every sand trap that El Dorado had to offer. He found an impressive nine bunkers on the front nine alone and may now qualify as an honorary member of the course maintenance staff. And then there was the quote of the day. After accidentally sitting on a cheese stick, Pauline immediately asked, "Did I cut the cheese?" Honorable Mention goes to one of our guests who demonstrated that persistence pays off. After a challenging front nine, he improved by an impressive 18 strokes on the back nine for a remarkable comeback.

One of the best parts of Rainbow Golf Club continues to be the friendships that develop through our outings. Donna enjoyed the opportunity to play with our newest member, Cathy A., whom she first met through Strawberry Farms Team Play. Normally, one of Rainbow's traditions is mixing up the groups so members have a chance to meet and play with different people throughout the year. This month, however, everyone was allowed to choose their own playing partners and cart mates.

Golf Genius Update: I am beginning to incorporate the free version of Golf Genius into our tournament operations and am currently using it for pairings, tee sheets, and scorecard printing. Looking ahead, we are exploring additional features, including online registration, online payments, and expanded scoring options for different games and tournament formats. Unfortunately, live scoring through the Golf Genius app remains cost-prohibitive at approximately $4,000 per year, so scores will continue to be entered manually into our Excel spreadsheets for the foreseeable future.

Next tournament is Sunday October 4th at Rancho Park, a classic old school course with mature trees lining the fairways. The clubhouse and restaurant are still under renovation.
The Los Lagos tournament will be on Sunday November 1st. Registration will open in the morning, on Saturday September 26th and close on October 8th

PHOTO GALLERY

RESULTS

I appreciate the 2 groups that submitted photos of their foursome. Group 3 got creative and said that I did not specify where to take the picture!! LOL

Added some additional pictures that just came in ...and apologies for not acknowledging our 3 musubi makers: Kathy T., Joyce T. and Linda M. i really

appreciated the help! Thank you Joyce for the bags of chips too!

Meet our Most Improved Golfer for the month of AUGUST...

RICHARD YEE

AND if that wasn't impressive enough, Richard did it again in SEPTEMBER!!

Over the past two months, Richard has lowered his handicap index from 17.5 to 14.0—

an incredible improvement of 3.5 strokes.

Congratulations !

We can't wait to see what the next few months bring.

Richard's golf journey began in Bellingham, Washington, when a high school friend's brother introduced him to the game. After retiring from Toyota Motor Sales in Torrance following a 31-year career, he now enjoys playing golf twice a week and dedicating time to improving his game. Along the way, he was a member of Lakewood Country Club and the Toyota Golf Club before eventually joining Rainbow Golf Club when the two clubs merged.

This season, Richard recognized that inconsistent iron play, short-game struggles, and a lack of confidence were limiting his progress. He has been focusing on making better contact with his irons and becoming more effective at getting up and down around the greens. He has also experimented with several drivers, finding greater accuracy and more fairways, even if the added distance remains elusive.

Away from the golf course, Richard has been married to his wife, Diane, since 1995. Many of our members have had the pleasure of meeting Diane at post-golf gatherings in Palm Springs and Escondido. Richard enjoys hunting for treasures at garage and estate sales, tackling home improvement projects, following motorsports, and cheering on his favorite Los Angeles teams, including the Dodgers, Lakers, Rams, LAFC, and Kings.

To be eligible for the Most Improved Golfer of the Year award, player must participate in at least 50% of the outings from the calendar year December to November. Winners of the monthly most improved golfers from December to November will be eligible for an annual drawing for $50.00 Rainbow credit.**