TEMECULA, Calif. – Nov.20, 2013 – Apparently it is not easy to get selected as a calendar girl. Just ask Journey at Pechanga’s two golf course dogs, Honey and Tessa. The sisters and four year old border collies, were recently selected as the only dogs from a Southern California golf course for the 2014 GSCAA Dog Days of Golf calendar, a prestigious honor as it goes out to nearly 50,000 people across the country. Honey and Tessa were chosen from a field of more than 350 entries and appear as Misses May 2014. The calendar celebrating the hard work that golf dogs do every day is sponsored by Lebabon Turf and can be requested from the company by visiting www.LebanonTurf.com.
Honey and Tessa were brought on to the championship Journey at Pechanga three years ago as part of the course’s overall eco-friendly practices. The pooch pair’s main job is to run the golf course grounds for several hours each morning and chase away mud hens, which if left unchecked, overpopulate and leave behind large amounts of acidic droppings that damage turf. Before the hard-working sisters came on board at Journey, the course had nearly 1,500 mud hens. Since the dogs began their beat, only several dozen dare to venture back each season. Honey jumps in the water while Tessa patrols the banks of Journey’s many water features to shoo the dirty birdies elsewhere. Superintendent, John Martinez, his four-legged employees’ job is a labor of love. “They would chase birds all day if we let them.” Honey and Tessa are actual employees of the golf course and even have team member access badges. They live at the course in comfortable indoor/outdoor accommodations attached to the superintendent’s building and have a trainer and an on-call groomer. “Golfers love seeing the dogs,” says Martinez. “They ask me about them probably more than they ask about the features of the course, but we love having them here and the work they do is a kinder and gentler approach than getting a license to exterminate the birds.” Martinez says golfers who make tee times any time around 6:00a.m. are likely to see Honey and Tessa at work at some point during their round.
About Journey at Pechanga
Journey at Pechanga offers a 7,219 yard, ar-72, championship, 18-hole golf course open to the public and Pechanga guests alike. Rated as one of the top 20 public courses in the state by GolfWeek magazine, the impressive, Arthur Hills-designed course winds along a spectacular boulder strewn mountain. Journey snakes across the dry ravine of the Pechanga River, over rustic wooden bridges and takes full advantage of the simply awe-inspiring terrain which rises and falls a breathtaking 300 feet – often with majestic views of the Temecula Valley. The course is challenging and enjoyable with a choice of five tee boxes. The 62,000 square-foot clubhouse, Journey’s End, with high-end resort amenities and an upscale casual restaurant, has recently been named as the absolute best in Southern California and is a popular spot for parties, weddings, banquets and other special events. Call (877) 711-2WIN or log onto www.JourneyAtPechanga.com for more information.