¶ Notes
The January 2023 HAF League outing was held at the Desert Hawk Golf Course in Pueblo West, Colorado. Click the logo if you'd like to learn more about them.
Desert Hawk at Pueblo West was designed by Johnny Bulla, a professional golfer who played in the 1940s and 1950s and was a contemporary and friend of Hall of Famer Sam Snead. He designed a handful of courses in Colorado and Arizona. This event was the first League event there.
The weather was really good for January golf with mostly cloudy skies, temperatures in the low to mid 50s and no wind.
For the time of year, the course was in great shape. The greens were still mostly green and rolled really well. There was no snow on the course. That seems to be the case for Pueblo generally and reinforces the idea of going down there in the winter. The course is nothing special from a design standpoint but it's not bad. It's comparable with Valley Hi in Colorado Springs. It is fairly flat with short distances from one green to the next tee. Accordingly, it is ideal for walking and some of us did that and enjoyed it. It would probably be pretty in the spring when the trees (which aren't really in play) have leaves on them.
They have a driving range, a putting green and chipping area with a bunker. It's a bit of a hike from the pro shop to the driving range and back over to the first tee. That's not necessarily a problem but, for the future, golfers will want to plan their practice/warm-up acordingly. The price was very good for the condition of the course and facilities.
There is a bar and grill in the clubhouse. Service there was terrific - fast and friendly - and prices were fair. There was no beverage service on the course.
The competition was the second "annual" HAF MAST, a Modified Alternate Shot Tournament for teams of two people. Check the link for the rules of modified alternate shot, complete with an example of play. The tournament entry fee was $20 per person. Sam Martella decided not to play in the competition. 70% of the prize pool was awarded to the first place team and 30% for second place. Handicaps were used, with teams receiving 60% of the course handicap for the better player on each team and 40% of the course handicap of the other player. Each team had to use at least 7 tee shots from each player. We were started on the back 9. The created a little bit of confusion for the scorecards. The outing coordinator will want to ask about this in the future.
The results may be found in the documents linked below. They are, as indicated, available in Microsoft Excel and PDF formats.
Results in Excel Format
Results in PDF Format
¶ Rates (as of 15 January 2023)
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Greens Fees | $36 |
| Riding Cart | $14 |
| Walking Cart | $4 |
| Club Rental | $20 |
| Range balls | $6 (small) |
¶ Tee Times and Pairings
10:30
Team 1
Sam Ferris
Dawn Ferris
Team 2
John Allen
Curt Balcerzak
10:40
Team 3
Marcus Fast
Pete Friesen
Team 4
Sam Martella (solo)