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48 | SUN LAKES LIFESTYLES | MARCH 2017 | Executive Men's Golf Spring is just around the corner and it's time to think about dusting off those clubs and heading out to the golf course. The par 60 Executive Course comprises 18 challenging holes with six par 3s and three par 4s each nine. We play every Friday with monthly tournaments on the third Friday of the month. So come join us some Friday morning at the North Clubhouse for a 9 am tee time. Our next tournament on March 17 is an Irish 4-Ball format followed by lunch in the North Clubhouse. In this format the team score is the total of 1-net score for holes 1-6, 2-net scores for holes 7-11, 3-net scores for holes 12-15, and all 4-net scores for holes 16-18. Tournament winners have money credited to their accounts which can be used to purchase items from the Pro Shop or Restaurant/Lounge. Membership is open to all Sun Lakes male residents, and we welcome golfers of all levels. New member forms are available in the North Pro Shop or EMGC website. If you have any questions our Membership Chairman, Fred Richman, can be reached at 769-7595. For more information check out the Sun Lakes website at: www.sunlakescc.com/. Our Sun Lakes Country Club Superintendent of Golf Mark Burchfield has informed all of us that over the last four months the strong wet weather has forced us not to lose track of key projects for the golf courses. One of the projects we are currently working on is the storm water coming into the main golf course on Hole #16. We have a civil engineering firm working on the drainage improvements to help control the storm water once it comes into Sun Lakes. Simultaneously, the City of Beaumont and the owners of the property just north of the medical center are designing a plan to reduce silt and control debris. We are hoping for a plan to be available in the next few months. We are still working on a plan that will reduce our dependence on ground water. Water is getting more precious every day. It is a commodity, as well as a natural resource which is dependent on availability. The less available it (water) becomes, the more it will cost. As our drought continues, so does the pressure from our government forcing us to reduce the extraction of water from the aquifers below. Our concern is that the Governor could at any time mandate the use of "Ground Water" like he did the "Potable Water" back in June of 2015. We are dependent on this water for the aesthetics and well-being of all of Sun Lakes. Let's consider the prudent aspect of reducing turf while improving the property values and being pro-active for the environment. The water issues of Sun Lakes will not go away but we can have a plan to move this community towards the future before the state again forces us to comply to a different and more drastic type of mandate. The Sun Lakes BOD is working on a solution and I salute them for doing so. Please take our water situation seriously while we still have some control over the way we choose to use it. At the Men's Club Board meeting in January we were informed that the Local Rule pertaining to the bridge on Hole #14 that was approved last month violates SCGA and USGA rules. The rule in question is on page 4 in your 2017 Men's Golf Club booklet, under Local Rules; Obstructions. As a result, Rule #24 (1) has been revised to read, "Take relief if it interferes with your stance or swing." The rest of the sentence has been deleted. The Board apologizes for any confusion the rule change may have caused. Other things talked about at the meeting was the development of our 2017 budget, and numerous issues related to encouraging new membership, ways of improving communication with the membership, and innovative ways to make our tournaments more attractive to the membership and encourage member interaction. Should you have any ideas that you feel will make our club better please feel free to contact any Board member and share your thoughts. We truly want to hear from you. The Men's Club has two tournaments scheduled for the month of March. On Wed., March 1 we will have the Safari/Modified Tournament and on Sat., March 18 the Three In One Tournament. All information pertaining to these tournaments will be posted on the SLCC web page and also highlighted in the Men's Club Breeze. Come and join us on a great golf course. Men's Golf