THE
P RES ERV E FA L L 2 0 2 1
LET TER FROM THE GM DEAR MEMBERS,
Brandon Lejeune General Manager bjl@rivercrestgolfclub.com
I would like to start off by expressing my gratitude to the entire RiverCrest staff. During the last 18 months, with all the unknown and disruptions to their own lives, this dedicated team has truly stepped up to the plate and delivered. Each department has had to deal with different challenges throughout the season and I couldn’t be more proud of the perseverance and dedication of their efforts in providing the Membership an exceptional experience on a daily basis. So as the Fall rolls in here during the upcoming months, please take the time to say thank you. They deserve it.
MEMBERSHIP WAITLISTS Membership interest at RiverCrest remains extremely strong. To date, there are over 60 prospective members awaiting access to the Club. With this in mind, if you have friends who are looking to join the Club next year, I’d suggest having them reach out to me now as opposed to next season. In the meantime, we will continue to carefully monitor course access before allowing any new members to join this Fall.
MASKS For the safety and protection of our members and children, all staff members will be required to wear a mask inside all Club facilities including, Clubhouse, Golf House and Halfway House. At this time Members are not required to wear masks indoors, however the policy may change if Montgomery County changes their indoor masking recommendations.
SOCIAL EVENTS Despite the vibrant activity on both the course and in the restaurant, one of my disappointments this season has been the lack of Club social events. With our staffing challenges and the ongoing pandemic, our primary focus has been offering smaller monthly events on the outdoor terrace, such as themed food nights and Sundays at the Crest. We have recently started working on the 2022 social calendar and look forward hosting some new events as well as the old family favorites.
DRESS CODE We pride ourselves in providing the membership with a relaxed and comfortable atmosphere. With that said, it’s important that all members know and adhere to the dress code. When coming to the Clubhouse to dine, please refrain from wearing hooded sweatshirts and t-shirts. Respecting the dress code is respecting your fellow members.
PASTA NIGHT BEGINS THIS SUNDAY · NEW MENU COMING SEPTMBER 22ND
FOOD MINIMUM Group A - Member #s 1000 thru 2199, 3000 – 4150, 8000-8400, 8900-8999 Group B - Member #s 2200 thru 2600, 5000-5, 6000-6599 Group C - Member #s 6600 thru 6900, 7100-7400, 8500-8899 Group C – ( June thru Aug) will need to meet their food minimum by August 31st. Group A – ( July thru Sept) will need to meet their food minimum by September 30th Group B – (Aug thru Oct) will need to meet their food minimum by October 31st. Any questions please reach out to Stephanie Wolsky at skw@rivercrestgolfclub.com or give her a call at ext. 204
NEWS & NOTES SUMMER OF ACES HOLE #3 David Satterfield, David Justi, Jamie Stein
HOLE #5 W. Carey Tucker, Blake Prichard, Kurt Meyers
HOLE #17 Mark Decker, Marie Latoff
JENNIFER HELLER AND CHRISTINA Y E AG ER W I N 2021 L A D I E S M EM B ER MEMBER The ladies were divided into 5 flights. Participants played 27 holes with three different formats; better ball of partners, scramble, and alternate shot. Once the five flight winners were determined, a 3-hole alternate shot playoff awaited. Jennifer Heller and Christina Yeager outlasted their opponents and took home the championship! Congratulations to them on the big win, and thank you to all the other ladies who came out and had a great day! The flight winners were: FLIGHT 1: Amanda Bielski & Allie Robertson FLIGHT 2: Denise Hoffner & Christine Mulligan FLIGHT 3: Bridget Clemens & Christine Palde FLIGHT 4: Jen Heller & Christina Yeager FLIGHT 5: Belinda Penney & Tammy Griggs
MATT YANOCHA & DAVE HURLOCK WIN THE 2021 MEN'S MEMBER-MEMBER The 2021 Men’s Member Member was played on Friday, June 4th and Saturday, June 5th. The teams battled for two days and over 5 matches until Flight winners in all 12 flights were determined. The winners competed in a three-hole playoff over holes #16, #17 and #18. The team of Matt Yanocha and Dave Hurlock outlasted the rest of the Flight winners for their first Member/Member victory. Congratulations to Matt and Dave! Thank you to all the participants who made it a tremendous event and congratulations to all of the flight winners! OVERALL WINNERS: MATT YANOCHA & DAVE HURLOCK OVERALL RUNNERS UP: DAVE GULATI & JIM CASS
ALLIE ROBERTSON WINS 2021 LADIES CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP The 2021 Ladies Club Championship was held on Saturday July 13th and Sunday July 14th. Allie Robertson was able to hold off Delia Keys by one shot and best a strong field to win the Championship! Allie had a two day total of 161. Congratulations Allie! In the three other Flights Karen Thomas captured the Susquehanna Flight. Patti Angelos won the Alleghany Flight and Sue Choi took home the Monongahela Flight title. We want to thank all of the Ladies who participated and made it a great event, and we look forward to another fun Championship next year.
RYAN TALL WINS THE 2021 MEN’S CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP Congratulations to Ryan Tall on winning the 2021 Men’s Club Championship! (Saturday July 17th and Sunday July 18th). Ryan held off a strong field by shooting 137 to claim his first Men’s Club Championship title. The men competed in in 4 different flights and we had a great turn out!! Other flight winners included Roland Vigue, Andrew Albert and John Fessick. Thank you to all of the participants who made it an outstanding event!! Congratulations again to Ryan and to all of the Flight winners! Thank you to all the participants who made it a tremendous event and congratulations to all of the flight winners!!
JIM PICKENS WINS THE 2021 SENIOR CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP! The 2021 Senior Club Championship took place on the weekend of Saturday July 10th and Sunday July 11th. Jim Pickens was able to hold off Tony Collins and other seniors to win his first RiverCrest Senior Club Championship by 4 shots with a two day score of 150! Thank you for everyone who participated and made it a great event! Congratulations to Jim and all of the Flight winners!
CHAMPIONSHIP FLIGHT
FIRST FLIGHT
SECOND FLIGHT
Mike Shirk
Dick Moyer
Jim Pickens
2021 MEN’S LEAGUE The 2021 Men’s League had a record number of 40 teams participate. Each team playing 7 Round Robin matches throughout the spring and summer. After the Round Robin matches 16 teams advanced into the Playoffs. The Playoffs consisted of 4 rounds until the Champions were determined. And the winners of the 2021 Men's League are: Chris Caba and Jim DiGuiseppe! The Runner-Ups were the team of Jeff McCleary and Dan Nickischer.
JUNIOR RYDER CUP On Sunday, August 29th twenty-eight juniors came out to participate in the Junior Ryder Cup. Teams consisted of juniors from our 4 PGA Junior League teams, ranging in ages from 8-17. Two teams were evenly formed, and the juniors played a two-person scramble forma for 9 holes. As the scores rolled in, the outcome was hanging in the balance, coming down to the final group. The end result was a tie score of 269 to 269! A match of cards was used to break the tie, and the orange team came out victorious. The juniors then celebrated the season and had a few fun activities to round out the evening. Congratulations to the Orange team, and to all the juniors on a successful season!
R I TA’ S R U L E O F T H E M O N T H Rule 13.1c. Actions Allowed on Putting Greens By Jamie Komancheck, PGA Head Golf Professional This is a bittersweet Rule of the Month for me. I started writing these when Colby was just a couple months old. It’s hard to believe, but the young man just turned 12 a few weeks ago. I’ve had so much fun writing the Rules, and I’m very proud to say there were over 100 editions of Colby’s Rule of the Month over the years.
We navigated the course and any leftover debris pretty well. We got to teach Rita a few rules of golf. Rule 15.1 Loose Impediments allows a player to remove a loose impediment anywhere on or off the course, without penalty. While on the putting green, if the ball accidentally moves, it must be replaced on the original spot (Rule 13.1d.)
But the time has come, the passing of the torch to a new generation. Colby’s little sister Rita also celebrated a birthday a few weeks ago. So as one final gift for this beautiful, fun little 3 year old, the Rule of the Month will now be known as Rita’s Rule of the Month.
The final hole was a long, challenging double dogleg where you had to launch the ball over a small creek before it caromed off a few walls and headed around the corner to the hole. Rita crushed her tee shot, easily navigating the creek and bounding around the corner. The rest of us followed suit and sent our tee shots around the corner as well.
She’s a rambunctious ball of endless energy, easily wearing the rest of us out on a daily basis. She has been adamant about getting onto the golf course and beginning her competitive golf career. Not only does she want to take over the Rule of the Month, she also wants to take over the title of Best Golfer in the House (currently Colby has the title!) Rita needs a little work on her grip, but her core rotation and extension are excellent. She’s working on her ground reaction forces and posting on her front leg, but I’m pretty sure she’ll figure those things out in a few more weeks. Watch out world!
We were hoping to play the course this past week, but Hurricane Ida had different plans. The Hurricane brought a massive amount of rain, flooding, and a tornado to our area. All the area golf courses were shut down following the storm. That is, all except the mini golf courses. Rita asked if we could have a match on the local mini course. So we grabbed our putters and off we went. When we arrived at the mini course, it turns out that they hadn’t gone as unscathed as we had expected. The storm has scattered debris over most of the greens, but they still allowed us out to play which made Rita’s day.
When we arrived to where our golf balls were we encountered a unique situation. Rita’s golf ball had ended up on a large boulder that the Hurricane placed right next to the hole. Rita tried to lift the boulder but it wouldn’t budge, it was solidly embedded. She asked what the Rule was since this wasn’t a loose impediment. Rule 13.1c Actions Allowed on Putting Greens states you may repair damage on the putting green without penalty. “Damage on the putting green ” means any damage caused by a person or outside influence, such as embedded objects (such as a stone, acorn or tee). But “damage on the putting green” does not include any damage or conditions from rain or other natural forces. And Hurricane Ida certainly counts as a natural force. So….we made Rita play it as it lies. After all family bragging rights were on the line. She lined up the putt from behind the ball like a mini-Pro, and then putted it right off the boulder and into the hole! No seriously, she did make that putt. We all were in disbelief; Rita had won the family mini-golf shoot-out! Congratulations Rita and thanks to Colby for all the great memories from the Rules of the Month over the years!
C O U R S E U P D AT E
Tim Edwards Course Superintendant tge@rivercrestgolfclub.com
Fall is just around the corner, the golf course and the agronomy team are looking forward to some cooler nights and shorter days! The course is 95% recovered from aeration and we were able to get a large area of rough seeded before the rain from hurricane Ida. The team is excited for sweatshirt weather and being able to show off our amazing golf course in the upcoming member events.
THE GREENS The greens continue to improve every season with our balanced approach to health, and playing conditions. We have reduced the number of disturbance incidents (any cultural practice that temporarily impacts play i.e. topdressing or aerating) from 8 last year to 6 planned for this year. The team is anticipating some great conditions on the greens this fall as the heat and humidity dissipate and we can get the greens rolling again. THE TEES Beautiful tees have been a focus point of the team this season, and generally we feel we have achieved our goal. We have made changes to the herbicide protocols as well as the fertility regiment that have worked well which we hope to see this carry through the Fall.
THE FAIRWAYS The fairways have been much improved this season. Until aeration week we were fairly dry for the season and did not get to test our new drainage systems. Now those systems are working overtime as we seem to be
stuck in a wetter weather pattern. The drainage is working well. However, the fairways in general were under a lot of stress the week after aeration with over 5 inches of rain followed by extreme heat and humidity. This has caused us to be very conservitve with cart rules. We hope as the cool nights and fall weather set in the fairways will recover quickly and we can have carts back on them like normal.
ROUGH AND FESCUE Aerovating and seeding is already started in the rough, we will be working through the entire rough into September getting it in great shape. The fescue is already being cut down for the fall in anticipation of the first round of fall herbicide applications. It is critical to get these areas sprayed before the frost, because warm season forage grasses will not be able to be knocked back after the frost sets them into dormancy. Thank you all for your support this summer. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns. ( tge@rivercrestgolfclub.com)
G O LF AC A D EM Y N EW S
Brian Moose Director of Instruction moose.brian@gmail.com
GOLF ACADEMY STUDENTS ARE ONE STEP AWAY FROM THE DRIVE, CHIP AND PUTT NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP HELD AT AUGUSTA, GEORGIA! Nathan Lobo, Kate Roberts, Kayley Roberts and Alexandra Engart are one step away from teeing it up the Sunday before The Masters in the Drive, Chip and Putt National Championship! They are both headed to the Regional Qualifier to be held on September 19th at Oak Hill Country Club in New York and if they win their age division they are headed south. Nathan earned his spot in the Regional by in a tie for second place at his sub-regional held at Dupont Country Club on August 10th and because of a higher score in the Putting category it was determined that he would move on to New York. Alexandra won her sub-regional held at Union League Liberty Hill On August 3rd with strong performances in driving and chipping but especially putting where she won the category with ease. Good luck to all the participants but maybe even a little more luck for these two when they head to New York later this month!
SUMMER CAMPS RETURN! Summer camps were back this summer and I think it is safe to say that we all missed our time together! Can’t wait to see all the juniors again next summer and pick up right where we left off ! A big thank you to all the parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters and baby sitters that could make it all possible. See you next summer!
C L U B H O U R S O F O P E R AT I O N GOLF COURSE Open daily March through November until dusk. Refer to the Club's website for first starting times, frost delays or superintendent notifications. Course closed on Tuesdays, including practice facilities. Temporary greens December through mid-March. DRIVING RANGE Open a half hour before first starting time. Mondays - closes 90 minutes early for maintenance. March – weather permitting (check website) April, May & September – closes at 7:00pm June, July & August - closes at 8:00pm October - closes at 6:00pm November - closes at 4:30pm January, February & December - closed GOLF SHOP Open daily 15 minutes before first starting time. Tuesdays - closed January - closed February, March, November & December – closes at 5:00pm April, May, September & October – closes at 6:00pm June, July & August - closes at 6:30pm CLUBHOUSE RESTAURANT Wednesday through Sunday - open for lunch & dinner starting at 11:00am. No food service after 9pm on Wednesday, Thursday & Sunday / 10pm on Friday & Saturdays. FIRESIDE LOUNGE April through December Opens Wednesday, Thursday & Friday at 4:00pm / Saturdays & Sundays at noon. January through March Closed on Sundays FITNESS CENTER GOLF SEASON 6:30am to 6:00pm on Monday / 6:30am to 9:00pm Wednesday through Sunday. Tuesdays - closed OFF-SEASON 8:00am - 5:00pm on Monday / 8:00am - 9:00pm Wednesday through Sunday. GREENSIDE GRILLE Open April 1st through November 15th (honor system only) Closed on Tuesdays