March Newsletter Newsletter
LETTER FROM THE GENERAL MANAGER JIM BULTEMA
Looking Ahead
Letter from the General Manager
It feels as if spring has sprung, but as we all know that we can never be sure with Michigan’s weather. The Railside team has been hard at work preparing for the upcoming golf season and are excited for another great year! A few things looking ahead:
Membership Matters
Invite your friends to join the Club! This program gives existing members the opportunity to earn 25 percent off 2020 dues by referring new members to the Club. This is for golf memberships only.
Easter
Easter brunch will be served in The Union Pavilion this year. We are excited to accommodate larger tables and more people than ever before. The price will be $29.99 per person. Please call or email Jennifer to make your reservations.
New Menu
Spring has sprung, and with it a new menu! Be sure to stop in within the upcoming weeks to enjoy new specialties in the Clubhouse.
Holiday Parties
Donna is starting to book The Union Pavilion for holiday parties! If you are in search of a holiday party venue or know someone who is, encourage them to reach out to Donna soon.
Jim Bultema
General Manager
FROM THE PRO MATT KOETS
What's New for Spring
Men’s and Ladies’ League Sign up Night Open House
Please join us for our annual Men’s and Ladies’ League Sign Up Night Open House on Thursday, March 26. The open house will begin at 6:00pm with your opportunity to sign up for the 2020 leagues. This evening will give you time to connect with your league partner and see other fellow members after a loooooonng winter. If you haven’t found a league partner yet, this is a great opportunity to sign up as an individual too! The professional staff would love the opportunity to help you find your next league partner. Perfect for new members, those new to the leagues, and those who are ready for a change.
Ladies’ Opening Dinner
Mark your calendars and plan to join us for the Ladies’ Opening Dinner on Tuesday, April 14! Cocktails begin at 6:00pm followed by dinner at 6:30pm. Enjoy friendship and fellowship while learning about the wonderful golf opportunities and events your club has to offer. We are pleased to welcome Zero Restriction and their sales representative, Kelli, to RGC for the evening as well. Kelli will have the brand-new Active Lifestyle Collection for you to look through. Special discounts and pricing for orders placed during the evening will be offered.
World Handicap System (WHS)
The new World Handicap System (WHS) is live and those of you who live in warmer climates during the winter have experienced the changes first-hand already. The system became active as of January 6, 2020 and includes many changes. These changes will directly affect how your handicap is created, computed, and maintained. Please click this link to read some FAQs provided by the USGA.
Golf Genius
The Professional Staff is transitioning our tournament management program to Golf Genius powered by the USGA. This new platform will enhance your experience as you participate in the club’s tournaments throughout the season. Golf Genius is cloud-based and can be accessed wherever you happen to be. The program offers a mobile app and live scoring as well as enhanced printed materials and live scoreboards. As we complete the training for the program, we will slowly apply more features of the program into each of our events. Golf Genius is also fully integrated with the GHIN System and the new WHS as well. We encourage you to download the Golf Genius app on your mobile phone in advance of the season. Our goal is to be using the live scoring features by the beginning of the summer.
PGA Junior League Registration Is Now Open
Railside is pleased to, once again, host a PGA Junior League (PGAJL) Team for the 2020 season! PGA JL exists to bring friends, families, and communities around the game of golf. The team is open to both girls and boys, 13 and under, of all skill levels, and abilities. During the PGAJL season, our team will play in a local league with other country clubs and the team will play four 9-hole matches in a two-person scramble format. Reinforcing the team concept all while creating a positive environment for learning the game. Please visit www.pgajrleague.com for more information and to register your junior(s) for this season’s team. The passcode is Railside1
Stuff Your Locker Sale
We are pleased to be offering the annual Titleist Loyalty Rewarded Program again this year. Remember, the promotion is only available for a limited time! Golfers who purchase 3 dozen at $50 per dozen of Titleist Pro V1, Pro V1x or AVX golf balls from March 19 through April 19, 2020, will receive 1 dozen of the same ball type at no charge. This special offer from Titleist is available via the following 2 options:
OPTION #1
Free Personalization with Standard Play Numbers. (1-4) or (5-8)*
*(5-8) are only available with Pro V1 and Pro V1x white golf balls.
OPTION #2
Free Personalization with all the same Play Number.
To place your order please click here and enter the password Loyalty
Please note that orders will ship within 4 weeks of receipt of order.
Other items included in the Stuff Your Locker Sale include FootJoy golf gloves and FootJoy socks. Purchase five gloves or five pairs of socks and receive one FREE! Ordering is simple and the items will be delivered to your locker just in time for the start of the golf season.
Contact the Golf Shop at 616.878.0202 to place your orders today. Or email a member of the professional staff for more information: matt@railsidegolf.com and avery@railsidegolf.com.
Warm weather is coming, and we look forward to seeing you at the club soon!
Matt Koets
PGA Head Professional
FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT JEFF SMITH
Around the Course
Just saying the word “March” is pretty exciting! In a way, it’s the start of a new season. After being cooped up in the shop working on equipment, we’re all ready to get going. From what has been said, this upcoming month should be warmer than average. We’ve been lucky, knock on wood, that Mother Nature has been kind to us. This past winter, we were fortunate to not lose any trees to wind damage and had very limited debris.
The plan for this month will concentrate on getting the course ready for play. First thing we’ll be tackling is course clean up. This means, as a crew, we will be starting at the clubhouse and working our way through each hole; picking up sticks, trimming any low hanging limbs, and blowing out bunkers, tees, and fairways. Once this is finished, and weather permitting, we can set our course up to play golf.
Upcoming projects will include our continuous efforts to improve the drainage on #2, #5, and #13. This project will entail a ditch witch slicing a path to create flow from one spot to another. It should be a quick and easy process without any interference to play.
The next objective will be clearing out any dead trees along #12 bridge and #13 tree line. The #12 ladies’ tee will benefit the most. I’m intrigued to see how clean it will look once it’s completed. Now, there are two problems that grass faces in the shade. First is the shortage of sunlight, and second is the quality of sunlight. If the grass is under trees or an overhang, there is simply less light striking it. Grass in shade is not as hardy as grass grown in direct sunlight and is more easily damaged by leaf diseases.
As a team, we strive for excellence and have been conscientiously working hard to get prepped for another successful year. We look forward to seeing everyone soon!
Jeff Smith
Golf Course Superintendent