In Loving Memory

It is with deep regret that we inform the membership of the passing of one of our members, Bill Holthaus. Bill passed away on March 10, 2023, at the age of 69, after a long battle with Lewy Body Dementia.

Well-known for his quick-wit and free spirit, he made friends easily and loved trading jokes and laughing at life. He was a long-time member of Forest Hills Country Club where, in addition to golf, he played gin rummy nearly every weekend. He also attended nearly every Forest Hills swimming and diving meet to cheer on his sons. He vacationed frequently at the Lake of the Ozarks where he enjoyed boating, water sports, and drinks with friends and family. During his youth and middle age, he was an avid motorcycle enthusiast and a skilled rider, pulling wheelies into his 50s. He also had a life-long love of dogs and fast cars.

He was a loving husband, father, grandfather, uncle, and brother who will be missed dearly by many. We extend our thoughts and deepest sympathies to the Holthaus family during this difficult time.

Club News and Reminders

Now Open for Tuesday Lunch Service

The Club will reopen for a la carte lunch service on Tuesdays beginning Tuesday, April 4th and will remain open on Tuesdays from that date through the month of October. As a reminder, the Club is always closed for dinner service on Mondays and Tuesdays.

Lock Your Vehicles

Over the last couple of weeks, we've received reports of vehicles being broken into in our parking lots. Country clubs continue to be targets of theft in the area. Please remember to lock your vehicles when on club property and do not leave any valuables in sight, even if you'll only be away from your vehicle for a few minutes.

Updates/Additions to Club Rules

The Board of Directors has approved the addition of the following to the Club's Rules:

• Smoking Policy (update- page 2)

• Short Game Area Rules (addition– page 7)

• Bocce Courts Rules (addition – page 10)

• Hole #7 and #8 Local Rule

We encourage all members to familiarize themselves with these new additions. They can be viewed on the Club website.

Junior Registration for Golf, Tennis and Swim Now Available

If you are interested in signing up your child for Junior Golf, Swim Team or Junior Tennis, you will need to register now through the end of April.

Junior Golf and Swim Team registration will be on the website, at www.foresthillscc.net; however, all Junior Tennis registration will be on the ForeTees ‘Racquet Sports Event Sign Up’ page.

Please be sure to sign up all of your participants within that time frame to avoid any penalties. Reach out to Ali Kaplan at (636) 207-3545 or alik@foresthillscc.net if you need any assistance.

Have Exciting News To Share?

We encourage our members to share with us the interesting and exciting things happening in your lives! Please send your details to Ali Kaplan at alik@foresthillscc.net. We will do our very best to include your information in our upcoming newsletter. The Newsletter Prize

Hidden within the pages of this issue and future issues, we have included a member’s number chosen at random. If you come across this number and it happens to be yours, contact Ali at alik@foresthillscc.net to redeem a $100 Gift Certificate good toward your next food and beverage purchase.

Emma Gore

On Sunday, March 26th, Forest Hills Country Club held its Annual Meeting for the membership. For those of you who were not able to attend the Annual Meeting, I would like to provide an update.

The meeting had approximately 50 members in attendance. In addition to the current Board members, also in attendance were our newest Board of Directors: members Michael Buescher, John Mazzola and Robert Whiting. The new Board Officers for Fiscal Year 2024 were also announced: Charles Nance, Board Chair; Steve Sigman, Vice Board Chair; Laurie LambertHopkins, Treasurer; David Linenbroker, Secretary. Members of the executive management team were there to assist in presenting reports including Club Controller, Julie Kennedy; Membership Director, Ali Kaplan and myself.

Pete Arman welcomed our new Board members: Michael Buescher, John Mazzola and Robert Whiting; and wished the outgoing Board members, Matt Ott and Larry Giglio a sincere thank you for their service. I also wished Pete Arman a sincere thank you for his service and leadership as his term as Board Chair is complete.

Mark Forst gave the report on the status of the Club’s membership. Membership is at historically high levels with the 25 additional social spots added in January 2023, increasing cap from 125 to 150. Our golf membership remains full with fifty- nine on the waitlist. The Club implemented a golf deposit requirement in November 2022 which has helped in achieving a more realistic wait time, which we are estimating taking approximately 15 months. The current golf initiation fee is $30,000.

Treasurer, Zac Smith, provided the financial update for the past year and shared budget information as well as the Club’s financial performance over the past year. Zac also updated the membership on the creek, short game and bocce finances and future annual capital items approved for FY 2024. He noted that the Club will not be charging the membership an operational assessment (13th month) this year and that we have had the ability to fund phase 2 of the creek project and there will be no future assessment for an additional phase. He reviewed the FY 2024 budget and explained that the Club is forecasting a 5.5% increase in costs to operate the Club driven by increased labor costs, continued inflation, and supporting new amenities. These increased costs will be supported by cutting back the hours of operation in season and closing out of season in the 19th hole, adding a gratuity on club sponsored events and a dues increase of $30 a month for regular golf and $10 a month for social member effective April 1, 2023.

Charles Nance reviewed the Long Range Planning Committee’s progress during the past year. The committee is focusing on communications and continuity for the Club’s future by creating master plans for the golf course and common grounds and a master plan for the Clubhouse. The Golf Course Conceptual Mater Plan is complete and has been approved by both the Long Range Planning Committee and the Grounds Committee. Details of this Master Plan will be available on the Club website in the coming weeks. Charles also shared an update on the capital projects to date. The physical creek construction is complete and restoration of the Championship Course has begun.

Steve Sigman presented the results of the Long Range Clubhouse Master Plan Survey. Overall, the areas that have been identified by the membership needing future investment are the indoor dining areas: Fairway Room, Dutch’s Lounge and Double Dutch. The preferred indoor dining experience has been identified as “modern and vibing” and keeping a designated family dining area is preferred.

As General Manager/Chief Operating Officer, I provided the operations report which we will be focusing on in the coming months which highlights team development, developing new programming opportunities and welcoming new ideas. In order to keep abreast of member satisfaction, we will continue to send out pulse surveys every 3-6 months to keep our finger on the pulse of the member experience.

We have instituted a staff organizational structure which includes a club wide organizational chart. As well as developed goals and objectives for the various departments and implemented staff performance evaluations. We will promote staff development through education and training. A well-educated and trained staff provides a better member experience. We have a Human Resources professional on our management team that assists with employee retention, recruiting, onboarding, education and training and assisting in managing the performance programs in place. This allows us to better serve our staff and members. An area of focus in the next couple of months will be the food and beverage department and the Grounds Maintenance Department. We are welcoming a new leader to our culinary team, Executive Chef Michael Dority mid-April. We are committed to leadership and training with the goal being to enhance the member experience with a consistent, high quality product and a “Members First” service culture.

Additional Content Continued on Page 10

Tee by Ryan Martin, PGA

Spring weather is finally here, but most of our golf swings are rusty, and conditions can be difficult to play in. This month I will discuss a great way to fix both your impact position, and control your ball flight on those windy Spring days.

Great ball strikers all share a similar impact position with their irons. At impact, the shaft of their golf club leans forward slightly, giving the club face less loft than at set up. This allows the club to compress the golf ball for proper launch angles and spin rates. Doing this gives the player greater control of the ball flight, and will be beneficial on windy days.

To accomplish this, there are a few key elements that I need to explain. The first would be how your wrists and hands deliver the golf club down into the ball. Just before impact, the wrists should unhinge and release the club downward. Additionally, your lower body should have shifted weight into the front foot, and the hips need to rotate toward the target.

To further understand this, picture a hockey player firing a slap shot. This player would put weight into their front foot, and turn their hips towards the intended target like a golfer. Looking at a picture of them striking the puck, their stick would be leaning forward and flexing a bit. It can be difficult for golfers to do this because their hands are together and the wrists can flip or scoop through impact of the ball.

To improve impact, try firing a slap shot with one of your golf clubs. Hold a long iron with your hands split five or six inches apart, and do some slow practice swings pausing at impact. As you get to the impact position, you should feel weight shifted into your front foot and the club leaning forward. This will make golf shots feel much more solid, producing a very controlled ball flight, and you to hit more greens.

Lastly, it is bittersweet for me to announce that this will be my last article as I will be leaving Forest Hills to become the Director of Instruction at the Country Club of St. Albans. I would like to thank you for giving me the opportunity to grow and develop my passion for coaching golfers. My time here has been special and has allowed me to gain some wonderful friendships. Your support is very appreciated, and I hope many of you have a chance to visit me at St. Albans. While it is an exciting time for my family, I will greatly miss being a part of the Forest Hills family.

Hole In One News & Divot Team Recognition

Congratulations, Scott Lambert!

• Saturday, March 25th

• Hole #16

• 154 yards

• 7 iron

• Witnesses: John Durham, Steve Durham, Ron Miles

Interested in joining the Hole-In

-One Club?

Divot Repair Team Recognition

The Forest Hills Divot Repair Team always deserves recognition! The group meets every Monday at 1:00 pm to fill fairway divots.

If you would like to sign up for the Hole-in-One Club, please email Monica at monicak@foresthillscc.net. As a member of the Holein-One Club, you are billed $5 anytime a member of the Club makes a hole-in-one on the Championship Course. The total amount collected from those who participate is what the player is rewarded with when they hit a hole-in-one.