THE MAPLE RIDGE MESSENGER
The Official Newsletter of Maple Ridge Golf Club, Columbus, Ga.
FEBRUARY 1, 2010 EDITION
THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME !!! Tom Kubik, General Manager
We have been interviewing candidates for the Food & Beverage Manager’s position for the last sixty days or so and have come to the conclusion that “There’s no place like Home”. That being said, we have decided to promote two Homegrown Members of our Staff. Bill Williams has been promoted to Kitchen Manager and will be responsible for the back of the house function and Lisa Cotton has been promoted to Restaurant Manager and will be responsible for the front of the house function in the Grille. We ask that you welcome them in their new expanded roles and let them know what you like and dislike about the Grille so that we can continue to improve our products and service in the area of Food & Beverage.
We also want to thank Dick Esterson for coming out of retirement and helping the Club in its time of need. He has agreed to help us when needed in the future or when his wife needs to get him out of the house, whichever come first.
Thank you so much for your continuing support…and don’t forget about the Valentine Sweetheart Dinner on Saturday, February 13…please call for details and reservations.
Thanks again for your continuing support of YOUR CLUB!
DIVOTS, DIVOTS, DIVOTS… ! Gene Matthews, PGA Head Golf Professional
… Everywhere you look, divots!!! Please help us with this problem. Fill your divot and as many more as you see. I know we have been cart-path only most of the winter and it’s hard to carry clubs, rangefinder, sand and who knows what else out to hit your shot, but do all you can to help. When spring finally gets here, we should see a huge difference in the fairways.
We’re serving notice, as well, that news lessons series are being planned for Juniors, beginners and advanced golfers, to begin in March or April. Maple Ridge membership isn’t required, please e-mail gmatthews1@wcbradley.com or mgill@wcbradley.com, or call me or Mike to be on our contact list when the starting date is set.
LET’S TALK TURF! Doug Smith, Certified Golf Course Superintendent
Root Shear Prevention Policy. Just a few weeks ago our winter weather was in full force. We had the longest cold snap on record according to the National Weather Service, an agency that began recording weather data at some locations in the United States in the mid 1800’s! During that two week cold spell there were many days when the high temperature barely made it above freezing even as the sun was shining in the southern sky. On those cold winter days the radiant energy from the sun was absorbed by the dark surface of the greens and in turn warmed them enough to thaw the grass. However during that time when the dormant grass was soft and supple, the air temperature was still near or even below freezing and the sand/peat soil of the greens still frozen from just below the surface down approximately six inches deep. Those of you who braved the elements and played a round during this time will remember that the greens were not very receptive and the ball marks were difficult to repair if a mark was even made at all!
Shortly after that weather event I received a regional update from the USGA Green Section. In this update there was an article attached, written by USGA Sr. Agronomist, Darin S. Bevard titled Roots Are Not Elastic. In the article he stated that when frozen soil conditions exist, there is a potential danger that the roots of the grass plants may shear when there is foot and/or mechanical traffic above. He also stated that the negative impacts of winter play are difficult to quantify since we would likely not realize the damage until the turf begins to recover from winter dormancy sometime in the spring. And that it is a generally accepted industry-wide belief that golfer traffic on dormant frozen greens can create problems.
Thanks to the USGA with their timely information, we now understand it is in everyone’s best interest that Maple Ridge does not to allow play when the soil in the root zone of the greens is frozen. This new policy has taken effect immediately, so when we get our next arctic blast or strong cold front, please check with the pro shop to see if the course will be open for play. Thank you for your understanding in our efforts to make Maple Ridge the best it can be!
MGA OFF TO SUCCESSFUL, IF SOGGY, START! Mike Gill, Director of Golf
In the January 23 Men’s Golf Association 2010 opener, the Kip Fox-Michael Ray partnership won the gross division with 2-under-par 70, while Andrew Ginther-John Scuba posted low net (61) in Two-Man Best Ball format. 2nd place gross and net: Jason Burdette-Trevor Wiley (71, 64); 3rd-place gross: Clyde Hopson-Phil Hand (72), 3rd net: Scott Frazier-Steve Wiley (65); Tied for 4th-place gross: Jason Stansell-Brian Williams and Jed Holcomb-Jeff Keefe (73); 4th-place net: Charlie Hamlin-Danny Sellers (66); Tied for 5th-place net: Neil Snoddy-Mike Kocian, Dave Reiss-Ryland Harrelson and Jack Letz-Brent Burns (67).
Brent’s year-long MGA sponsorship through his ReMax Prime Realty agency is greatly appreciated by the Club! He’s paying 2010 MGA dues for all new male members 21 or older, buying their first Thursday MGA dinner and purchasing the $30 closest-to-the-pin golf shop prizes for every monthly tournament. The next events are February 18 dinner and meeting (it’ll also be Callaway/Cobra Demo Day) and the fun 4-Man Yellow Ball tourney on February 20.
“TAYLOR-MADE” FOR CONSUMPTION! Rick Jacobson, Dir. of Sales & Marketing
We have heartening news about the miraculous recovery of member Taylor Ward, a Ft. Benning-based soldier from Bloomfield Hills, Michigan who suffered life-threatening injuries in a downtown accident last December. Taylor’s mom Carolyn called to say he’s “up and walking, taking care of himself, moving all his body parts and all his bones are healed. With continued prayers and support, he hopes to be back on the Maple Ridge golf course soon”. Taylor, 22, has received immense aid from Infantry Officer and fellow member Jay Diller, 25, his roommate and pal from their Michigan State years. Ward, one of our top golfers, spent time at the Shepherd Spinal Center in Atlanta after receiving initial care at the Columbus Regional Healthcare System Trauma Center. His father Kevin and a sister spent considerable time here.
Welcome to the Club Katrina Lewis, owner of events planning firm “Meetings R Us”! She looks forward to socializing and meeting members at the grille as a Clubhouse Member. For just $150 annually, non-golfers can enjoy all the social activities, networking opportunities and pure fun of the Maple Ridge atmosphere, where friends are easily made and business dealings often result. Don’t forget, also, our “New Golfer Membership” – heavy on instruction and usage of the practice range, with individual lessons, group clinics, access to the golf course and golf shop merchandise packaged into a two-or-three-month trial with option to join at its completion. Call me at 706-569-0966 or e-mail rjacobson@wcbradley.com for full details!
Our 2010 membership drive is taking shape, and that starts with media planning. A list of our planned partners include the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer (daily newspaper), The Bayonet (Ft. Benning weekly), Columbus and the Valley Magazine, CBS Outdoor (high-traffic billboards), Money Mailer and American Town Marketing (direct-mail coupons), WLTZ-TV NBC-38, Clear Channel Radio, In the Game Magazine (high-school sports), Bell Media (high-definition rotating signs), Rolling Impressions (mobile signs), PMB Broadcasting, alloverthevalley.com (attraction website). Also under consideration is cable TV advertising.
It’s going to be a big outing and tournament year! We ease into February with the Super Bowl Tourney and Chili Cookoff (Feb. 7), Dixie Seniors (Feb. 16), MGA Yellow Ball (Feb. 20) while twenty or so Cottonmouths Hockey Legends join us Friday afternoon the 5th!
Thanks also to new Tuesday outing clients The University of Phoenix (July 20) and the Ranger Assistance Foundation (May 11). The RAF fundraiser will contribute to a needed addition to a Ft. Benning monument honoring fallen members of the 3rd Battalion 75th Ranger Regiment, which has run out of space for names. Our friends at Jay Buick-Pontiac-GMC are RAF sponsors and have also committed to our 3rd Annual Chattahoochee Valley Amateur scheduled for August 14-15! We have plenty of room left for new outing and tourney sponsors!