February 2019 Newsletter

LETTER FROM THE GENERAL MANAGER JIM BULTEMA

Right on Schedule

Letter from the General Manager

Dear friends,

Things have been busy here at Railside, but I’m happy to announce that we’re still on schedule to complete our new event venue by the end of April. This one-of-a-kind facility has an airy, open feel in addition to heating and A/C, so events will be protected no matter what the Michigan weather brings. We couldn’t be more excited!Railside4.jpg

Interested in renting the new space? Please contact our Event Coordinator Donna for more information. This pavilion can handle 300+ guests, so we’re ready for you.

With excitement,

 

Jim Bultema
General Manager


FROM THE PRO MATT KOETS

Off-Season News and Notes

Dear friends,

I hope this note finds each of you well!  Your golf staff has enjoyed a very productive off-season as we anticipate the new golf season in a few short months. We’ve just returned from the 2019 PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, Florida armed with enthusiasm and ideas for the upcoming season. The show affords us the opportunity to see many new products and innovations in the golf industry along with great education and networking opportunities. All designed to provide our membership with the best golf experience possible!

The 2019 Golf Events Schedule is complete and is included in this month’s newsletter.  Please reach out should you need hard copies. Over the next few weeks, we will be finalizing golf event details and prepping the Golf Shop for new merchandise. We are in the office Tuesday-Friday and our door is always open if you would like to stop by and chat. We would love to catch up!

A Big Honor for Emily Rohdy

Our PGA Assistant Golf Professional, Emily Rohdy, was just announced as the 2019 Michigan PGA Assistant Golf Professional of the Year!  This is a very big honor and, perhaps, the hardest award to win in the Michigan Section of the PGA of America. Please extend warm congratulations to Emily next time you see her on this tremendous achievement!

Bag Room Renovation

Throughout the month of February, the bag room in the basement of the clubhouse will be undergoing some much needed renovation work. For those that store their clubs and walking carts, we will be moving these items to a safe and secure location during this project. If you would like to swing by and pick up your clubs and walking cart, please feel free to do so at your convenience. We are in the office Tuesday-Friday during the month of February.

GHIN App

For those fortunate to travel to other parts of the country to play golf this winter please use the GHIN app to enter your scores. It can be found in the app store on your mobile device and is very easy to use. You will need your GHIN number and we are happy to provide the number for you.  

New Rules of Golf

2019 marks sweeping changes to the Rules of Golf.  The number of rules has been reduced from 34 to 24 and the changes are designed to make playing the game easier and faster!

We’ve been posting short descriptions and videos of the significant changes on the club’s Facebook page so please check them out. You may read over a great summary of the changes here and here. We will be hosting a Rules of Golf Seminar after our League Sign Up Night Open house on March 28. The GAM will be here to give a very informative presentation so please mark the date on your calendars and plan to attend.

Off-Season Travel

Your golf staff is eager to help you plan your next golf trip this winter.  We are a valuable resource to recommend locations and courses throughout the country and we offer golf club shipping services through Shipsticks. Shipsticks truly is an all-inclusive golf shipping company that makes your travel easy and convenient. Many Railside members have used this service offered by Shipsticks and they’ve raved about this wonderful service. Please contact your PGA Professionals for more information – matt@railsidegolf.com and emily@railsidegolf.com.

 

Matt Koets
PGA Head Professional

 


FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT JEFF SMITH

Around the Course

Prep for Spring

The 2019 golf season will be here before we know it. Our team has been hard at work all winter getting our equipment and accessories ready for this season. They are down to their last few pieces of machinery. A big thanks goes out to them for always having our machinery in the best operating condition possible.

We also removed dead trees from the course. The majority of them were out of play areas, in tree lines and no-mow areas of the course.  The most noticeable change will be on Hole #9. They were mostly dead and starting to fall apart, very unsightly and not safe. We will continue to remove these on an as-needed basis to keep our course safe and looking good.

Drive safe, stay warm!

 

Jeff Smith
Golf Course Superintendent