Sixtyone members embrace the Change. Think. Golf. philosophy. We believe that golf is special; it’s different. It is a game of honor. Golfers keep their own scores. For Sixtyone members, everything comes back to golf, so we keep things simple.
We don’t do a lot of things, but what we do, we do well. We spend each month focusing on four basic themes: self-awareness, strategy, culture and enjoyment. Then, we rinse and repeat.
Coincidentally, 2023 ends on enjoyment week. This is the week that Sixtyone members focus on physical and mental fitness. We work on finding the fun. In the spirit of this week’s theme, here is a look at some of the fun we had in 2023:
January
The year started with a Golf Talks Q & A to help parents figure out how to connect their kids to the positive aspects of golf. The month ended with a road trip to Torrey Pine for the Farmers Insurance Open/APGA Invitational for 25 students and their parents so they could see the positive aspects in person.
February
February we had dual Golf Talks guests. Aaron Grimes and Gene Webster Jr. talked about growing up as golfers in nontraditional golf environments. February also included a Genesis Invitational road trip. Though we lost connection with one family for a bit. They were safe. It’s golf. They were also lucky. They got caught in the Tiger wave, and spent the afternoon walking Riviera along with the throng of humanity who were following the greatest golfer of all time.
March
Mike Young explained his golf course design philosophy, and why he does not like to move dirt. He even gave aspiring course developers tips on how to construct their own backyard putting greens. It also snowed again. That’s right… again. It also snowed in February, but we didn’t even mention it because we were having so much other fun.
April
The Golf Talks guest was Andrew Soriano, one of the most accomplished SBCUSD/Sixtyone golfers around. He talked about his road to becoming a golfer. And, get this… he had not even hit his stride yet. April finished with another road trip. All road trips are pretty cool. But this was especially fun. Thanks to the LPGA, Wishire CC and Outlyr; the Golf Squad members got to have lunch backstage with the LPGA pros in the player’s lounge area. All you can eat buffet!
May
Todd Pallis and his family have been in the golf retail business for almost 30 years. Todd has seen it all. He joined the May Golf Talks session and shared his insights on the changes golf equipment has gone through over the years. May was also a breakthrough month for high school students participating in the SBCUSD/EXL afterschool golf program. There is still a lot of Change. Think. Golf. work to do. But last May showed that we are on the right path in San Bernardino.
June
The Golf Talks theme for June was based on the encouraging results from San Bernardino high school students in May. The topic was the Sixtyone ICTM network, and how high school students could develop into Sixtyone instructors. The month ended at the US Open at LACC with Golf Squad members having a conversation with Gil Hanse. Yes… you heard that right. The man responsible for preparing the course to host the U.S. Open spent time with Sixtyone students talking about golf.
July
July’s Talk was about summer golf. New golfers do not always understand the importance of preparing for the weather when you are heading to the golf course. July is the wrong month to get caught unprepared. This month’s road trip was a visit to The 19th Tee indoor golf facility in Redlands. We have been back a bunch of times since. We’ll be heading back again soon.
August
The 19th Tee visit led this month’s Golf Talks guest. Chayuth “Chay” Chantakoma talked about the vision he and partner Taurel Hankins had when they opened their premier indoor golf experience in downtown Redlands. The August road trip was to Camp Jain. Andrew Soriano (remember him) showed out. He took home a trophy almost as tall as he is by winning the closest to the pin contest. The contest included everyone. He beat everybody.
Sept
On-campus are fully back in rhythm now. PGA member, Kenny Pigman, is the Golf Talks guest. He is also the GM at our home course in San Bernardino, Shandin Hills GC. Kenny learned to play in the IE and has qualified a number of times to play in the PGA Championship. He knows a bit about playing golf, and shared it with the Squad.
October
October was all about the Golf Squad Halloween party. The road trip for this month was a visit to the LA84’s Topgolf event. The Sixtyone squad performed well, but pencil whipped themselves out of first place. It’s long story and requires a bit of algebra to completely figure it out. But they played three scores against six scores and only lost by a few points. They get it right in 2024.
November
The Golf Talks host was a special mystery guest. That’s all we can say about it. If you were not there, you are out of luck.
December
The year ended with an epic Golf Talks session. PGA member, Justin Klembala, closed out the year in style. Again, you had to be there. It is too hard to describe what happened in a few words. He will be back. Don’t miss it.
To close out the year, we want to thank all Sixtyone members who worked in 2023 to help change the way people think about golf. In 2024, we will do it again. You are welcome to join us.
Be Sixtyone.
Change. Think. Golf.
Rinse and repeat.
