BLACKHORSE GOLF CLUB February 2024
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WELCOME GENERAL MANAGER Craig Hicks
The weather in mid to late January was not cooperative for us. It was nice to close out the month with some days in the 60s and I look forward better days ahead in February. Houston has an interesting way of making up for a lack of rain all at one time. Shifting gears to the fun stuff, we have a lot of momentum building around our new 6FORE7 Golf League where we are bringing team golf to BlackHorse. Playing with a partner is fun, but playing with a team is going to be incredible! I cannot wait to see the team names, logos and ultimately, who takes home the Josey Cup! At the end of January we took care of some work in the Pro Shop. The team we hired to come in did a great job, both with execution and timeliness. They were able to get the job done a week sooner than expected. I guess that’s an example of under promising and overdelivering. We apologize for any inconvenience the work may have caused but are excited about the progress made. I am thrilled to announce that we have a new chef coming on board. Chef Gus will join us this month and we look forward to instilling his passion for food into our menus and overall culture. When Members come to me and ask what they can do to help the club, my answer is always the same - be active and participate. As we continue in our paradigm shift in membership culture, we want each and every one of you to get a taste of the programming we are offering. We are trying to vary our days of the week and types of offerings to foster inclusivity.
MEET OUR TEAM HEAD GOLF PROFESSIONAL Jesse Campbell, PGA jcampbell@blackhorsegolfclub.com 832.220.5216
ADMIN ASSISTANT Starla Travis stravis@blackhorsegolfclub.com 832.220.5234
MEMBERSHIP DIRECTOR Neil Sherrod nsherrod@blackhorsegolfclub.com 832.220.5219
EVENT SALES MANAGER Randy Roberts rroberts@blackhorsegolfclub.com 832.220.5222
ASSITANT GOLF PRO OF OPERATIONS Jacob Howell jhowell@blackhorsegolfclub.com 832-220-5223
Superintendent Chris Teafatiller cteafatiller@blackhorsegolfclub.com
FOOD & BEVERAGE MANAGER Erin Roper eroper@blackhorsegolfclub.com 832.220.5212 GENERAL MANAGER Craig Hicks, PGA chicks@blackhorsegolfclub.com 832.220.5210
CLUB HOURS: Open Daily: 6:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. 12205 Fry Road, Cypress, TX 77433 @blackhorsegolfclub | blackhorsegolfclub.com
MEMBERSHIP MEMBERSHIP UPDATE Neil Sherrod
December will go down as a month to remember. This was the first line I wrote down in January’s newsletter. January on the other had will go down as a month to forget when as it relates to the weather! It was a crazy month with cold freezes, frozen precipitation, torrential rains and high winds. I am sure I am missing something, but I am ready to shift my attention to February. Before I do, I want to highlight some of the good things in January. The Texans gave us a little bit of excitement, and while I could not make it by, I was glad to hear we had many of you swing by for the playoff watch party. I am looking forward to next season. Our first stab a live music at the Club was a lot of fun. A common theme you will hear from all of us is participation. We want you to come out and use the Club for golf, dining and social fun. We are upping our game all the way around to make each of those experiences more memorable for you. I want to thank all of our members that referred their friends last month. As we continue moving toward a better membership culture, it is going to involve membership growth through you, our current members. We know to get to the next step and level we have to have membership growth and would much prefer it to be your friends! February is here and some exciting events are taking place this month. Our two social events this month are the Couple’s Wine and Dine and Trivia Night. Then we have the much-anticipated 2024 Stallion Cup, where last year’s top point earners will battle in Ryder Cup fashion to see who comes out on top. Who is jumping in the pond this year, Jesse or Jacob? The guys (Craig and Jesse) are also taking another group of members to the Golden Nugget for the STPGA Pro-Pro-Am-Am. If you are interested in participating in a member trip, let us know so we can add you to our Member Trips distribution list. Finally, if you are not able to access your member mortal on the website, please send us an email at membership@blackhorsegolfclub.com.
GOLF COURSE MAINTENANCE SUPERINTENDENT UPDATE Chris Teafatiller
Another month in the agronomic books and it feels like winter was truly upon us, or at least what we call winter here in Houston. It’d been a tough month for the turf all around the course, but we have seen the turf perform really well in these less than ideal conditions and are doing everything we can to maintain that. January saw a lot of very cold temperatures for multiple day stretches and the agronomy team spent a lot of time keeping extra moisture in the greens through spot watering with hoses and manually turning on sprinkler heads throughout the course. The frozen precipitation didn’t hurt either as it provided a layer of insulation from the cold temperatures and specifically the wind chill. We also sprayed a preventative fungicide twice this month to help protect against all the extra water we put out as well as the predominantly cloudy skies we have seen for most of January. While our first attempt at venting didn’t happen this month because of all the adverse conditions, we do have one planned for both courses in February. We will be opening up the surface to help water and oxygen infiltration, all in an effort to get our greens to “great”. This process will be followed up with topdressing, brushing and rolling of the greens. This is an important part in our year-long process of thatch removal and making the greens firmer and faster. I am looking forward to my first growing season here and my team and I are doing all that we can to make this the best year yet.
GOLF HEAD GOLF PROFESSIONAL Jesse Campbell, PGA
I for one am happy to see the ponds filling back up! I would hate to have to see Jacob jump in an empty pond at the conclusion of the Stallion Cup! I do not plan on being back in there this year and truly believe it will become Jacob’s Pond for 2024. Our invitations have been sent to our top 22 in the Race to the Stallion Cup points and great to see so many accepting responses. I am looking forward to that Ryder Cup style event. We have had great response to the 6FORE7 Golf League. A big thank you to our committee members: Beemal Vasani, Kurt Pfeiffer, David Guy and Spencer Pyles. With the help of those four, we were able to quickly build a framework that will be put to the test this year and carry us through this league for years to come. Team golf belongs at the Club level, and we are excited to launch it here. It was great to get the Dream Course back into the rotation. For those that are not familiar, we played the kick-off shamble on the front nine of the North and back nine of the South. It was a great time had by all, with good weather and some pretty decent scores posted. As noted, next up is the Stallion Cup followed by the Member-Member. Be on the lookout for more information. For the early birds out there, registration for that event is already open! The Member-Member is formatted as a best ball contest over 36 holes of golf. It is sure to be another great event. A big thank you to our Membership for pairing up in the carts. We have been working hard to keep the condition of our new fleet and the golf course as good as possible for everyone. Your efforts to pair up go a long way and I am grateful for that. Please keep it up and as always, try to hit it down the middle.
FOOD & BEVERAGE F&B DIRECTOR Erin Roper
January has not been our friend the last couple of years, but we tried to make the most of it this year. While I am disappointed the Texans lost, it was a lot of fun having many of you come join us in Roper’s Grill for the playoff game. I think the team is rounding into a position where more Texans’ playoff games are on the horizon! Thank you to everyone that came out and supported our first live music night as well. Again, we are excited to have 24 social events on the calendar this year for the members and having you there is what allows us to do them. Speaking of the social calendar, let’s highlight what we have coming up for February. This month includes the Couple’s Wine & Dine on February 13 and Trivia Night on February 28. We are excited to offer a great offering at the Wine and Dine courtesy of our new Chef! You read that right, BlackHorse has officially hired a new chef. Gustavo Miranda joins our team February 3 and is bringing passion and excitement back into the kitchen. We believe his knowledge, ambition, and heart will help me lead our F&B operation to new heights, which you serve to benefit from. We look forward to new menu items, enhanced programming and better overall food at the Club. Thank you everyone for sticking with us during this period of transition and we look forward to what’s ahead.
CLUB HAPPENINGS
Two BlackHorse Team Member Reconized Nationally for Escalante Golf
Remembering Ed Langenfeld BlackHorse is saddened by the loss of one of our own. Ed Langenfeld was a member of our starter/marshal team and the BlackHorse family. Our thoughts and prayers are with his friends and family. In the words of BlackHorse Member Emi Chemat, “let's toast to a dear friend playing endless golf up there, no more cart path only, no more shivering in the cold, or sweating in the heat.” As a BlackHorse family, we remember Ed Langenfeld.
MONTHLY EVENTS
February 2024
06
TUESDAY BHLGA 8:30 a.m. Tee Times Join the ladies for Ace Qualifier - Low Net
10
SATURDAY THE Stallion Cup 8:00 a.m. Tee Times 27-Holes, 24 players, Individual Stroke Play, Invitation Only!
16
FRIDAY
PXG Fitting Day 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Come get fit for the latest technology from PXG Golf
22
THURSDAY
Member Clinic 9:00 a.m.
Join our Golf Pro and learn how to Curve the Ball on purpose for a purpose.
27
TUESDAY BHLGA 8:30 a.m. Tee Time Join the ladies in a Mutt & Jeff - Net
06
TUESDAY Member Guest Day After 11 a.m. Bring a guest out to the Club for just $49
13
TUESDAY Couples Wine & Dine 6 p.m. Bring that special someone to the club for a fine dining experience
17
07 09
WEDNESDAY Member Clinic 5:00 p.m.
Join the Golf Pro and learn about weight distribution
FRIDAY Callaway Fitting Day 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. Come get fit for the latest technology from Callaway Golf
13 15 TUESDAY
THURSDAY
BHLGA 8:30 a.m. Tee Time
Member Guest Day After 11 a.m.
Join the ladies for Valentines Day Bingo
Bring a guest out to the Club for just $49
20 20
TUESDAY
SATURDAY
TUESDAY
Member Clinic 4:00 p.m.
BHLGA 8:30 a.m. Tee Times
Member Guest Day After 11 a.m.
Join the ladies in a Nine Blind Holes - Net
Bring a guest out to the Club for just $49
Join the Golf Pro and learn how hit out of bunkers.
24
25 27
Come get fit for the latest technology from TaylorMade Golf
Come get fit for the latest technology from Titleist Golf
28
WEDNESDAY
SATURDAY
TaylorMade Fitting Day 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
WEDNESDAY Member Clinic 5:00 p.m. Join our Golf Pro and learn how to Chip & Pitch successfully!
SUNDAY
TUESDAY
Titleist Fitting Day 8 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Member Guest Day After 11 a.m.
28 Trivia Night 6:00 p.m.
Come test out your knowledge in the next edition of Trivia Night!
Bring a guest out to the Club for just $49