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We recently received an email that we’d like to share with you. It brings up some points that are probably shared by other members of Hillcrest's golfing community. Every email that's sent to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. is read and addressed by the Board of Directors as public participation at the monthly Board Meeting. This email and its response are reprinted with permission by the author. Good afternoon: I received the newsletter in my inbox this morning and have read through it a couple of times. It seems the golf course direction is taking a turn away from the fairway and heading straight to the out of bounds markers on hole 17. I have been a long time member of Hillcrest and enjoy my time spent there. I do not disagree that rates have to increase as time marches on. With your Mission Statement and the Guiding Principles in mind, I do have the following questions, and a closing suggestion or thought: 1) For the past several years, the golfers have been paying a trail fee, $2 for 18 holes, $1 for 9 holes. When these fees were initially implemented, they were supposed to be used for upgrading the trails around the course. …
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Monday, 03 January 2022 15:48
Etiquette Corner - Pace of Play, Golf Cart Use, Music, and More!
Written by Lindsay Mattison
Greetings and welcome to the first edition of the Hillcrest Etiquette Corner, where we will periodically discuss the general etiquette and rules that are expected when participating in the game of golf. Over the past two years, we have introduced so many new golfers to the game. Men, women, families, and juniors, golfers young and old who have no experience at all or who have returned to golf after years away. It’s quite amazing to see the excitement level for the sport, and we hope that enthusiasm carries on for years to come! New and changed perceptions of a sport once thought of as “old-time” or “boring” have helped new golfers overcome the “stuffy” cogitations of the past. It’s undoubtedly the perception change our sport needed to survive the future. As we introduce new golfers to the sport, it’s important that we all know what is expected of us while inside the clubhouse, on the golf course, or casually hitting a bucket of range balls. These etiquette tips will provide both our new and seasoned golfers a chance to reflect on the question, “Am I meeting expectations?” Please take the time to read through these simple but important etiquette tips.…
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Monday, 03 January 2022 15:47
Training Tips - The Moment of Truth: Impact
Written by Lindsay Mattison
One of the most important aspects of golf is impact. Striking the ball and controlling the clubface through impact affects everything from ball flight to distance and direction. This is something the pros understand very well. If you take a look at these four photos, you'll notice several similarities. Starting with the top of the body down, the first conversation is always about the eyes. It's not just about keeping your head down but keeping your eyes focused on the ball without blinking. Notice how each pro's eyes are down, watching the ball compress off the face, and they remain down well after the golfer has swung through the ball. Proper Form is Key To do this, your body has to rotate completely around the eyes. Moving your body in this way creates the proper the path for the arms to find the ball. In these photos, you'll notice how consistently the right hand is square at impact to the target. If you can allow the right hand to stay quiet—not turned over and not twisted—it facilitates the face of the club to also remain square to the target at impact. Moving down to the core, all four photos show…
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Monday, 03 January 2022 15:47
A Day in the Life of Ken Kirby & The Hillcrest Maintenance Team
Written by Lindsay Mattison
Greetings Hillcrest golfing community! I’m Bill Gwinn, a newly elected Hillcrest board member and the chair of the grounds committee. I’m an avid golfer and a big fan of our golf course. What’s not to love about Hillcrest? The views here are incredible, and the course itself is pristine. As part of the grounds committee, I’ve had the opportunity to spend behind-the-scenes time with our maintenance team, and I’ve learned so much about the role they play in maintaining our fantastic golf course. I wanted to share that exclusive look by painting a picture of the day in the life of Hillcrest’s Superintendent, Ken Kirby, and the Hillcrest maintenance team. Ken started at Hillcrest in April of 1985. He was on the Fort Lewis golf team, getting a double major in economics and business (and maybe drinking a few Coors along the way). He needed a summer job, and Rick Kern, Hillcrest’s former superintendent, took Ken under his wing and started teaching him the tricks of the trade. In 1987 Ken became the assistant superintendent and he took over as superintendent in 2008. Ken never talks in terms of "I" or "me." He talks about his crew, assistant superintendent Will Herz…
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If you've ever had a club repaired or re-gripped at Hillcrest, you've probably met Bud Andersen. Hillcrest is one of the few places in Durango that offers full club repair, and Bud has been fixing clubs for 31 years. Break your shaft? Bud can fix it. Need to tune your club's loft and lie? No problem. Clubs too long or short? We'll cut them down or add extensions. Grips are the most common club repair done at Hillcrest. Many prefer regripping in the spring so the clubs don't sit on new grips all winter long. That said, end-of-season grips are common for anyone looking to use their golf shop credits. As a general rule of thumb, you'll want to regrip your clubs once a year. Golfers who play less than once a week can probably get away with regripping every couple years. You'll know it's time to re-grip your clubs when they start to crack. If your grips feel slicker than they used to, that's also a good indicator. You can regrip your clubs for years—Bud often sees clubs that are 15 to 20 years old. That said, at a certain point, you may want to upgrade technology with a…
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