October 2018 Newsletter
LETTER FROM THE GENERAL MANAGER JIM BULTEMA
Cold on the Course
Letter from the General Manager
DEAR RAILSIDE FRIENDS,
And just like that, the leaves are starting to change colors. It always, always goes by quickly. I can hardly believe it. But fortunately, good weather has extended our summer season and the golf will continue. Thank you for your full support and use of the Club over these past several months – and in the days and weeks to come.
A quick overview of this month’s activities:
Membership Matters: A reminder that Membership Matters program is still in effect. The program gives existing members the opportunity to earn 25 percent of their 2019 dues by referring new members to the Club.
Stay tuned for additional details and be sure to reach out if you have any questions concerning this opportunity.
Fall Activities: There will be a few fall activities this year, including a Halloween event and Santa event, etc. Make sure you keep an eye out for these events and mark your calendars. It’s a great way to stay involved in the Club outside the golf course. Our fall menu will be coming out soon as well!
Fall Projects: We are looking at plans to kick off a renovation of our weddings/event tent. As soon as I have final drawings, I will send them along to you all. Currently, we are looking at making the tent a permanent structure that may be used all year long. Stay tuned!
Jim Bultema
General Manager
FROM THE PRO MATT KOETS
From the Pro
We’ve enjoyed some great competition in the last few months – our congratulations to the winners!
Club Championship Results
August is our “club championship month” with several club championship events scheduled. I would like to congratulate the following players on their fine play.
- Joe Faber- 2018 Men’s Club Champion
- Traci Simon- 2018 Ladies’ Club Champion
- Joe Faber- 2018 Men’s Senior Club Champion
- Renee Lynam- 2018 Ladies’ Senior Club Champion
- Lee and Renee Lynam- 2018 Couples’ Club Champions
- All of our 2018 Junior Club Champions
Junior-Senior Championships
Congratulations to the following teams for winning their respective Junior-Senior Championship.
- Brian Hogan and Dave Stavale- 2018 Men’s Junior-Senior Champions
- Robin Bartells and Tatum Berger- 2018 Ladies’ Junior-Senior Champions
Ladies’ Ringer Event
The 2018 Ringer event concluded at the end of August and here are the final results.
- Renee Lynam- 18 Hole First Flight Champion, Ringer score 46
- Peg Ott- 18 Hole Second Flight Champion, Ringer score 42
- Michelle Postma and Nancy Kitchen- 9 (front) Hole First Flight Champion, Ringer score 24
- Nancy Kitchen- 9 (back) Hole First Flight Champion, Ringer score 23
- Joy Kerns- 9 (front) Hole Second Flight Champion, Ringer score 21
- Marie Johnson- 9 (back) Hole Second Flight Champion, Ringer score 31
President’s Cup
Congratulations to the following President’s Cup Champions.
- John Zoellner- 2018 Men’s President’s Cup Champion
- Shannon Smith- 2018 Ladies’ President’s Cup Champion
- Herm and Marie Johnson- 2018 Couples’ President’s Cup Champions
Fall Leagues
The Men’s and Ladies’ Fall Leagues are underway and we’ve got a nice variety of two-person events to enjoy over the next six weeks. Just a reminder to those participating that the starting time for both Fall Leagues is a 5:15pm shotgun.
Ladies’ Thistle Cup and Men’s Gallagher Cup
Saturday, September 29 is the annual Thistle Cup and Gallagher Cup. The Ladies’ Thistle Cup is comprised of two 12-woman teams who will square off over 27 holes (three nine- hole match play formats) to determine the winner of the Thistle Cup. The Men’s Gallagher Cup operates in the same manner. Both events will have participants who have qualified based on their fine play and participation over the season in the specific qualifying events.
New Fall Merchandise Arriving
The Golf Shop will see the arrival of new Fall merchandise and apparel from many of your favorite brands. Lole, Nike, FootJoy, and Peter Millar to name a few. Please make sure to visit the Golf Shop often throughout the Fall to see the new merchandise and to use your gift certificate balances before they expire on October 31. Beginning in October, the staff will be sending you weekly updates with your current gift certificate balance. Let us help you find that unique item too as special orders are always available. We have accounts with many different vendors and are happy to assist you.
Thank you for your continued support of the Golf Shop and the Club Events. Go Green! Go White!
Matt Koets, PGA
Head Golf Professional
FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT JEFF SMITH
Turf Newsletter
Fall Conditions
Fall has finally arrived. Days are getting shorter, nights are getting cooler, and as a result, the leaves are beginning to change and fall to the ground.
We want to assure you that our grounds staff will continue to do our best everyday to remove leaves from areas in play to provide you with the best possible conditions. You also will begin to see more mud on your golf balls as this time of the year also brings wetter conditions. With shorter days and lower temperatures, the turf will be soggy for longer periods of time as the moisture tends to stay closer to the surface of the soil profile. With that in mind, please try to stick to cart paths or drive in high areas of the course to help prevent tracks that can hang around for quite a while!
This past summer brought every bit of emotion. We’re thankful for Eagle Crest Golf Construction and our staff for the hard work they put in this summer. The renovation that was done will be a great benefit for everyone. The time we have now will be on maintaining and improving conditions, rather than taking one step forward and two steps back. It will be nice to get back to basics. Let me take this opportunity to personally thank you all for your support and patience.
We have a lot planned this upcoming month and we’ll be battling the falling temps and possibly, (hard to believe I’m saying this word), frost.
Plans for October include:
- Oct. 9th aerification on greens
- Oct. 16th verticutting fairways
- Oct 18th verticutting tees
Thank you for your continued support!
Jeff Smith
Golf Course Superintendent
New Fall Menu
Pumpkins, falling leaves, cider… Autumn is here, and we’re excited to announce that the fall menu will soon begin! Stay tuned for updates to the Railside Golf Club lunch and dinner offerings.
Welcome!
We would like to extend a warm welcome to the following new members and their families:
Gary Grahs
Melanie Loughin
Mike Nawrocki
Grant Kapteyn
Les O’nan
Damion Payne
Robert Rix
Joe Stowell
Kevin TenBrink
Ryan Winkels
Fall Membership Special
Do you have a friend or family member considering membership at Railside? If so, now may be a perfect time to encourage them to join. We are currently offering the following special for NEW members that we think is a good deal for them and for you:
-A NEW member can join now and lock in at 2018 Dues prices. A payment of 25% of the dues is required upfront, and the other 3 installment payments aren’t due until January, February, and March of 2019. This way you can enjoy fall golf and all other membership privileges right away.
-The referring member will receive a discount on their account equal to 25% of the new member dues. Making a few referrals could potentially offset your own dues costs for the year!
If you or someone you know is interested, please contact Kari Bergsma at 878-1140 for more information or to schedule a tour.