May 2020 Newsletter

LETTER FROM THE GENERAL MANAGER JIM BULTEMA
Looking Ahead
Letter from the General Manager
Thank you for your continued support and grace as we navigate the COVID-19 situation. We are open for golf and take-out food orders for members only at this time. We are adopting additional practices to keep our employees and community safe.
Please see our precautions:
- Hand sanitizer should be used upon entry to the Clubhouse.
- Please wear a mask in the Clubhouse. Make sure it covers your mouth and nose at all times.
- Practice social distancing and respect the minimum distance of 6 feet.
- Two people are allowed per golf cart. We are encouraging one to walk, while the other drives the cart. Read more about this in Matt’s letter below.
- You may place take-out orders for curbside pickup via phone (616.878.1140). You will be charged directly to your account.
Be safe,
Jim Bultema
General Manager

FROM THE PRO MATT KOETS
Golf is Back!
Under the most trying of times, golf has provided us with a ray of hope as approach the summer months. It has been so wonderful to see our membership enjoy the course over the last several weeks as a respite from the monotony that we have all endured during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
A warm “welcome back to the club” to our long-time members. And a “welcome to the club” to our newest members. Our Golf Operations Team looks forward to a great season ahead. Things might look and feel slightly different in 2020, however, we are excited to provide you, your families, and your guests with outstanding service in a safe and healthy manner.
Golf Cart Safety
To ensure the health and safety of our membership, the Club is taking the following measures:
A divider system will be installed on each of our fleet golf carts during the week of May 11. This semi-permanent divider will allow two people to ride in the same golf cart by providing a clear barrier between the driver and passenger seats. A local company, SafeTeeShields, is manufacturing the system and it does comply with all CDC requirements.
The Club is renting an additional 12 golf carts for the remainder of May to ensure we have enough golf carts on hand for those who feel more comfortable riding alone.
Our staff will continue to disinfect all touch points on the golf carts before and after use.
Tournament Season Is Underway
The start of our modified 2020 Golf Events Calendar is underway. The first night of Men’s League kicks off on Thursday, May 14 at 3:00pm and 6:00pm. The Men’s Team Skins Event is slated for Saturday, May 16 and is the first of the 2020 Men’s Gallagher Cup Qualifying events. The first night of Ladies’ League is Tuesday, May 19 at 6:00pm. At this point, we are planning to host the remaining May golf events as listed on the 2020 Golf Events Calendar. Any changes to the schedule will be communicated as soon as possible.
Welcome Hillary Tierney
Our Golf Professional Staff is growing! We are pleased to welcome Hillary Tierney to our staff in a limited role for 2020. Hillary will be leading our new Ladies’ Learn To Golf Program on Wednesday evenings in May and June. She will also be available for private lessons. Get to know Hillary below:
Hillary grew up in Leelanau County and attended Glen Lake Schools. Hillary learned to play golf at an early age of 3. Hillary’s late father worked as a Head Golf Professional at Sugar Loaf in Cedar Michigan and taught her the fundamentals of the game. Hillary’s father was a teacher at heart and inspired her from a young age that teaching golf was something they could do together. Hillary’s brother, Daniel Urban Jr., is a Head Golf Professional at Gull Lake Country Club and sister, Claire Urban, is a head volleyball coach at Churchill High School and operations manager for Force Volleyball Academy.
Hillary obtained a degree in Paralegal Studies from Northwestern Michigan College in Traverse City and in 2012 moved to Florida to pursue a career in golf. She was an Assistant Golf Professional at LPGA International in Daytona Beach. In 2014, Hillary was recruited to take a position of Assistant Golf Professional at Duran Golf Club in Viera Florida. Hillary successfully grew the game of golf for the ladies in the area by creating weekly lessons and implementing golf leagues on their Par 3 course and on the regulation course, which is going strong to this day. Hillary’s last stop in Florida came at Fort Lauderdale Country Club, one of Brevard County’s oldest country clubs. She was hired as an Assistant Golf Professional and worked under the President of the South Florida PGA Section. Hillary’s teaching book grew substantially while at FLCC and was able to obtain her Class A with the PGA. In 2017, she and her husband were expecting their first child and decided they wanted to raise a family in Michigan. Hillary’s husband is an Assistant Golf Professional at Egypt Valley Country Club. Currently, Hillary works as a Legal Assistant to maintain a balanced schedule for raising their son, Luke.
Hillary’s golf background includes over 15 years in the golf industry and enjoys teaching ladies and growing all aspects of the game. With the amount of information that there is out there about the game of golf, Hillary takes in as much information as she can to further her education about teaching and learning the game of golf. She enjoys playing golf with her husband, going to the beach, hiking, and spending time with her son.
Junior Golf
Click here to view the full Junior Golf Program brochure. We look forward to having you join us!
Fairways, Greens, and more one putts!
Matt Koets, PGA
Head Golf Professional
FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT JEFF SMITH

Around the Course
The last few weeks have been very busy for us here in the maintenance department. In spite of the weather, we finished all of our spring projects and with golf officially open, we look forward to getting back to a normal routine.
Going forward we’ll be shifting our focus on improving play.
- Increasing green speed will be our main priority. To do this we will be spraying growth
regulators, rolling, lowering height of cut, and lightly top dressing with sand. - Spraying for broadleaf weeds: this will include all of our rough and now natural areas. It will give naturalized areas a visually appealing variation from manicured playing areas, and more importantly give golfers room to walk in and play a missed shot back onto the fairway.
I’m looking forward to a beautiful May as our world wakes up from hibernation. We’ll be pushing hard to produce a product that you can enjoy and be proud of.
Jeff Smith
Golf Course Superintendent
Welcome New Members
Join us in welcoming our newest members!
Kyle Boes
Dave Byker
Kristie Hollingsworth
Kevin Knapp
Pietro Messina
Josh Sheldon
Jeff Woodruff
Clubhouse Favorites To-Go
Simply call the Clubhouse at 616.878.1140 to place your order with the kitchen. Food will be made available for contactless pickup from 12-5pm every day.
Food Menu
Railside Burger | $11
An 8 oz. custom ground burger with lettuce, tomato, and red onion. Served on a toasted brioche bun.
Mr. Fabulous Burger | $12
An 8oz. custom ground burger with lettuce, tomato, red onion, green olives, Swiss cheese, and garlic herb mayonnaise.
Railside Club | $11
Classic three-layered sandwich on toasted white bread with turkey, American and Swiss, cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomato, and garlic herb mayonnaise.
Chicken Salad Wrap | $10
Chicken salad served with lettuce and tomato in a flour tortilla wrap.
Blackened Chicken Sandwich | $12
Blackened chicken, grilled pineapple, and sweet chili mayonnaise on a toasted brioche bun.
California Reuben | $10
Turkey, Swiss cheese, coleslaw, and Thousand Island dressing on toasted rye.
Hot Dog off the Grill | $4.50
All served with potato chips
OR
Substitute Bistro Fries or Sweet Potato Fries for $2
Build Your Own Pizza | $11
Create your own pizza with choice of sauce and toppings.
Sauce and cheese included, each additional topping is $1.
Sauces | Tomato or BBQ
Vegetables | Red Onion or Pineapple
Meats | Pepperoni, Bacon, and Grilled Chicken