March marks the beginning of the busy Spring golf season here in South Texas. Not only is it a great time to come out and play with some friends or clients when the golf course is in fantastic shape, but we also have a number of events that highlight the tournament calendar.

The 7th Annual Cordillera Cup will take place Saturday and Sunday March 23rd-24th. This Ryder Cup-style team competition is the most popular tournament we have amongst our members and thus continues to grow in numbers every year. The Northington team continues to dominate the event as last year they put together another strong performance for a 51.5 – 36.5 victory. Despite the event’s one-sidedness, the format is always fun and being a part of a team is what makes this event so special.

The Cordillera Ranch Golf Professional staff will once again be hosting an Adult Short Game Clinic Tuesday-Thursday March 26th-28th from 5:00pm – 7:00pm at the Practice Park. This always seems to be a well attended event and space is limited to the first 24 participants. Focus will once again be on Chipping and Pitching, Bunker play and Putting.

The Blockbuster Demo Day is set for Saturday April 13th from 9:00am – 3:00pm. We have a fantastic group of manufacturers lined up to showcase the latest technology in the industry. We will have special discounts on products purchased or ordered that day only so I hope you have the chance to take advantage of this unique opportunity.

Last year marked the re-branding of our Member-Member tournament to the “El Compadre.” It was very well received as we had 28 teams participate, which was outstanding. We hope to build on that success this year as the tournament will take place Saturday and Sunday April 27th and 28th. The format will be the same as we play a Two-Man Quota and Net BB Quota and we will continue the popular Saturday Casino night that has become a big part of the event. Put this date on your calendar and come join us for a great time with good friends.

We also will be hosting our Major’s series of One Day Member-Guests’ this year and our Master’s One Day Member-Guest will kick us off. The tournament is scheduled for Friday April 12th and is a great way to bring up to three guests and showcase all of the beautiful Cordillera Ranch facilities and incredible Jack Nicklaus Signature Course. Check with the Golf Shop at 830-336-4653 for format and details.

Finally, April means the return of the Valero Texas Open here in San Antonio. Golf San Antonio has done a terrific job with this event in their efforts to make this one of the best events on the PGA Tour. Valero continues to sponsor the event and help make it the leading tournament on the PGA tour with over $9 million going to charity last year. The event is under new management with Greg Norman Productions actually running the event. I hope you will consider supporting this event in some way and head out to the TPC San Antonio course and enjoy some great golf.

If you have an opening in your group, please let me know if you need a 4th as I would love to join you and your group for a great day of golf. Spring is here, The Master’s begins in early April and there is no better time to enjoy the game.

See you on the course,
Marc DeWall, PGA
Director of Golf, The Clubs of Cordillera Ranch
mdewall@cordilleraranch.com | 830.336.4653

Tips and Tricks

Product Feature
By Marc Dewall

The New Nike Covert Driver
The First Cavity Back Driver Ever Made

The Nike Covert Driver features a cavity back. While the red crown of the Nike VR_S Covert Performance and VR_S Covert Tour drivers will draw a lot of attention, it’s what’s under the hood that everyone is going to be talking about. The back-middle section of the sole has been removed, leaving the crown hanging over, well, nothing. The dramatic design is Nike’s way of bringing perimeter weighting, which has long been popular in putters and irons, to the tee box. “What that enabled us to do is produce a slightly higher MOI [moment of inertia],” says Robert Boyd, Innovation Team Leader for metal woods and irons at Nike Golf. “It also helped us move the center of gravity a little more forward, which produces a slightly more boring ball flight. We’re really trying to push the limits of distance and forgiveness on this driver.” In addition, these clubs feature Nike’s updated adjustable hosel that not only lets you pre-set the Covert drivers to have a right, left or neutral face angle at address, but also to set the loft between 8.5° and 12.5°. With a 460-cc head and silver-toned face, the VR_S Covert Performance is designed to be slightly more forgiving and have a higher ball flight than the 430-cc VR_S Covert Tour edition, which has a black face. Stop by the Cordillera Ranch Golf Shop today to learn more.

PLAYING THE COURSE
Hole #9 547 yards Par 5 Handicap 5

This month we have our fifth installment in a series of articles describing course strategy for some of the best holes at Cordillera Ranch. Hole #5 is a wonderful Par 5 and probably the best opportunity to make birdie on the course because of its relatively short length. Here are a few tips on how to accomplish that:

The fairway is plenty wide but does narrow the farther you hit it. The left side of the hole is well protected with bunkers lining the fairway and on the right side there is one bunker that must be avoided. It is important to get lined up properly on the teebox on this hole as I often find it pointing me left.

A tee shot that finds the fairway will leave you in a position of about 200-230 yards out. From here you have a decision to either go for the green or lay up.

Going for the green requires that you favor the left side of the green as a ball hit the right distance will release off the hill and find the middle of the green. Do not go too far left because missing the green requires a very difficult chip shot to a very fast green that is running away from you and a lot of undulation.

Laying up short of the cross bunkers allows you a shot that is straight up the hill and angle into the green. If you play farther up the right side, the shot will be a little shorter and you have an opportunity to hit your third shot and use the hillside as a backdrop for your approach. I personally like this lay-up a little bit better.

The green is very fast moving left to right and back to front. There is a false front that you have to shy away from with most balls wanting to move in that direction.

Avoiding the bunkers on this hole is the key to success. This is a good hole to finish off your front nine with before the beautiful 10th hole and drama of the Back 9 begins.