THE MAPLE RIDGE MESSENGER

The Official Newsletter of Maple Ridge Golf Club, Columbus, Ga.

MID-AUGUST, 2009 EDITION

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!!!                            Tom Kubik, General Manager

One thing we can never do often enough or emphasize too much is to THANK our members and express our appreciation for your continuing support of your Club.  This year has been a challenge in many ways, especially financial.  Making budget for 2009 is out of the question since the budget numbers were established before the full brunt of the recession took effect last year.  The single greatest reason for the shortfall is membership …we budgeted to have nearly 500 members in July and are currently at 412 and were at 484 last year at the same time.  Our goal this year is to hold our own and hopefully break even until the economy turns or the effects of BRAC are realized.  We will continue to strive to keep Maple Ridge the best Golf Club value in the Chattahoochee Valley area and with your continuing support, we will make it happen.

Thanks for your feedback from the last newsletter and questions about the condition of the course.  We now offer Diet Caffeine Free Coke as requested and we hear more and more compliments about the improvements and improved playing conditions on the course.  A great measuring stick was this past weekend when we hosted the Saturday round of the Chattahoochee Valley Amateur and heard very positive feedback from the players, especially those who are not members of “The Ridge”.

As always…please let us know your thoughts and ideas to make Your Club the Best it can be.  Thank you so much for your continuing support!

OUR MEMBERS SHINE AT CHATTAHOOCHEE VALLEY AMATEUR!                         Mike Gill, Dir. of Golf

            Congratulations to Chad Glanton and Kevin Padgett, winner and runner-up of the 2^nd Annual Chattahoochee Valley Amateur staged this past weekend at Maple Ridge (Saturday) and Green Island Country Club!  Both Maple Ridge members shot 3-under-par 140 to tie for first.  Chad salvaged a par from #18 bunker on the first playoff hole in a driving rain after a totally dry round.  Amazingly, the skies cleared in time for a placid sequel on #9, and after Kevin’s 30-footer slid past, Chad calmly drained a 10-footer for the champion’s trophy -- a fantastic finish by two classy, talented golfers!

            Fully 33 of our membership played in this tourney, rewarding our commitment to provide a competitive, yet fun event and atmosphere for all levels of golfers in the region.  Among other Flight 1 finishers from Maple Ridge:  Cates Culpepper (145), Jeff Keefe (149), Brent Paul (150), Jay Blankenship and Robert Mize (151),  Cole Phillips (153), Michael Ray (159), Kip Fox and Michael Urquhart (160).

Other prize winners representing our Club:  Jason Stansell (6^th place, Flight 2); Tony Nguyen (T-3, Flight 3); Scott McClung (5^th place, Flight 4); and James Brown (T-6, Flight 5).  Quite a few others were just out of the money;  everyone had a great time.

            Thanks to tournament sponsors Southern Luxury Pools (Mr. Terry Craig, Mrs. Terry Craig and Brad Williamson) and Jay Pontiac-Buick-GMC (David Sasser and Ronnie Carroll) for their enthusiastic presence and support all weekend!

SIGN UP KIDS FOR SEPT. NOW!   Gene Matthews, Head Pro/Jason Fober, Asst. Pro

                Our popular Saturday morning Junior Development program is now accepting signups on a first-come, first-served basis for September 5, 12, 19 and 26!  It’s just $55 for the month for the first 15 junior beginners at 9 a.m. each week.  Instruction covers Full Swing, Chipping, Pitching, Bunker Play, Putting, Golf Etiquette and Rules of Golf.  Neither you nor your child need to be a Maple Ridge member to participate!

            At 10 a.m., the Advanced Players Program is also now accepting the first 15 middle and high school golfers at $65 for the month.  Topics include In-Depth Swing Analysis, Short Game, Putting, Course Management … designed to prepare to player for tournament golf in a small group setting allowing for personalized instruction.  Call us: 706-569-0966 to register for September …but do it fast to avoid a sure-fire waiting list!

            Come on out and join the field Saturday, August 29 for the McGladrey Team Championship, a three-player, net-best-ball event!  We’re halfway to the 18 teams needed to send two winners to the state qualifier September 24 at Chateau Elan Golf Resort in Braselton, GA.  From there, 41 successful teams will advance to the national championship October 26-28 at the world-famous Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina!  Gather your partners, fill out your entry forms and turn them in pronto to the golf shop!

HALFWAY THROUGH A HUGE AUGUST!                  Rick Jacobson, Dir. of Sales & Marketing

                Fun, to me, is welcoming new members to Maple Ridge!  On the cusp of our next “Potential Member Day” we introduce you to Andrew Ginther, former star catcher at Columbus State University and now Education Account Manager for Ricoh Americas; Scott Modesitt, from Evansville, Indiana, a U.S. Army Infantry Officer and 2^nd lieutenant;  Yong Kim, pastor at Korean Gospel Church of Columbus, and Billy Kilgore, TSYS Group Executive, are our latest.  We’re glad to have all of you in our Club! Thanks also to member sponsors Jason Burdette (Andrew), Kyong Su Johnston (Yong) and Rob Cavis (Billy), assisted by departing member Bryan Benson, whom we wish well after a long Maple Ridge tenure as he joins DiscoverCard in Chicago.

            This Saturday, the 22^nd, is a big day with the last Men’s Golf Association tourney of the 2^nd session, followed by our 4^th “PMD” promotion at noon! Signup is going well; we can still handle another ten non-members to hit range balls, have lunch, play 18 holes with cart and finish with a cold drink (all for just $25) – for the chance to save up to 83% to join Maple Ridge!  That’s right, huge group discounts on your initiation fee -- so call me or Andrea Steen at 706-569-0966 to hold your spot(s).  Bring your golfing buddies with you for fun and a great bargain!

            Congratulations to Danny Sellers, 2009 Maple Ridge match-play champion, outlasting runner-up Jeff Keefe August 9.  The hard-fought final match wasn’t settled till #18 on a Sellers birdie.  In semi-final play, Danny upended Bryant Matthews while Jeff knocked off  Kevin Padgett.  Twenty other members competed in our first Club Match-Play tournament since 2006.

Alas, the Maple Ridge Hackers softballers couldn’t seal the deal August 3-4, rallying twice from five runs down to tie, but losing our last games 11-10 and 9-7 to finish 3^rd in the ten-team Columbus Senior Softball League.  Eight wins a row gave us cause for great expectations, but member and League President Bill Hand pitched the Proclaimer’s Quartet to two stunning upsets over us and a powerhouse IHOP team (must’ve been the pancakes that got them in the end)!  We meet this week to plan a golf outing and party at Maple Ridge for the 140-player CSSL.

LET’S TALK TURF!                     Doug Smith, Certified Golf Course Superintendent

            Growing versus Grooming.  Green speed according to most who golf could safely be defined as how “quickly” or “slowly” the ball rolls on the surface of a putting green.  Green speed can also be defined as being variable from green to green, from day to day, from one golf course to another and from one putt to another because of many factors.  Some of these factors include, but are not limited to, weather, location, fertility, mowing equipment, height of cut, grooming practices and chemical applications.  And for each of these factors mentioned, I could easily write a 2,500-word essay!

            However, most importantly it is the goal of the maintenance department to try to achieve consistency of “acceptable” green speed for the majority while maintaining the number one priority of full turf coverage over the greens.  That is why in late July and early August our greens were considered slow, because our maintenance goal was growing turf.  And now most recently we have focused on grooming so the green speeds have returned to a more acceptable level.

            For those who played in the Chattahoochee Valley Amateur over the weekend, you may have also noticed a difference in green speed between Maple Ridge and Green Island.  This was primarily due to different grass species at Maple Ridge (TifEagle Bermudagrass) and Green Island (Crenshaw Bentgrass).  In most cases Bentgrass is quicker than Bermudagrass for two primary reasons:  leaf width and grain.  Bermudagrass usually has a wider blade and more grain, which creates more resistance against ball roll and therefore slower speeds.

            All that being said, you can rest assured our efforts at Maple Ridge are always to make the end result the best it can be!