I have had two people this week tell me that they think this U.S. Open will be one for the history books. I agree but we cannot pinpoint why. It just seems like an exciting year. So who are you following next week at The Olympic Club? Who is going to win?
Monthly Archives: June 2012
Teal Bend: Serene Gem-Superior Customer Service
On a recent Sunday with glorious weather on the forecast, a group of my playing partners and I headed to Teal Bend Golf Club near the airport in Sacramento. This was my second visit, and though I had a great time on my first visit, the second proved to be a day to remember as I will explain later.
But first a little about the course, Teal Bend sits close to the Sacramento River. The river is not visible on the course; nonetheless, the surrounding area is peaceful countryside with a plenitude of wildlife. Rabbits, deer, and turkeys were all spotted during our round. This is not a country club setting with mansion-lined fairways but instead a rural oasis. I did mention it is close to the airport and planes taking off are visible, but they do not create the noise one would expect. If you are looking to get out of the hustle and bustle of city life, go to Teal Bend.
The facilities and course are well-maintained. Good grass range, chipping area with bunkers and a couple large putting greens make warming up a breeze. You could also spend a practice day working on all aspects of your game. All employees I have come across in both my visits are friendly and helpful.
The course is fun but still challenging for all levels. Both times I played there, it was from the gold tees, which are the most forward. The course is short from these tees-just a little over 5000 yards. This allows for some good scoring opportunities even for high handicappers. With that said, the gold tees still allow trouble to lurk. Water protects a couple of the par 3’s forcing you to carry to the green or bail out to one side. The par 5’s are fun for us as we can reach in regulation, which we can’t do on a lot of courses.
Four sets of tees allow for different golfers to play the course and find enough challenges to keep the round interesting. They also placed a set of junior tees out into the middle of the fairway, so families with young golfers could easily spend a great day together on this course.
Though Teal Bend is a great local course, it was not going to be my first review. However, a situation arose on my second visit, and I feel the need to give the course a “shout out” for their superior customer service. Through email, my group of friends had organized a play day together. We had 12 players coming from different locations, but when a majority of the group arrived at Teal Bend, we were told we had no tee times. The organizing player had not yet arrived and we called her. Our wires had gotten crossed and the reservation was for a different course several miles away. We could not get there in time. For a minute, it looked as if our Sunday golf plans were dashed.
The mix up was completely our fault; however, the young man at the pro shop double checked and he could squeeze in both our foursomes. They were busy, so we had to be on the first tee immediately. We rushed to pay so we could load carts, put on shoes etc… Then came the real surprise. We were given a $10 discount because we had to rush. I was thinking, “But wait, this was out mistake.” Now that is customer service! Without their service in getting us on the course, we would not have enjoyed the perfect day-the weather, the serenity, the friends. It was a day to remember because Teal Bend does it right!