THE
P RES ERV E SUMMER 2021
LET TER FROM THE GM DEAR MEMBERS, As our daily lives trend back towards normalcy, it has been nice to see the club buzzing with activity. The memberships’ diligence regarding COVId restrictions have certainly kept riverCrest a safe environment for both your fellow members and the staff. My staff and I thank you for this! Brandon Lejeune General Manager bjl@rivercrestgolfclub.com
On that note, the club is pleased to announce the easing of mask restrictions effective immediately. Please read below for more information on that as well other updates!
MASK POLICY
MEMBERSHIP WAITLISTS
OutdOOrS For both vaccinated and non-vaccinated members and staff, including children, masks will not be required outside. It is up to the discretion of each member as to whether they are more comfortable wearing a mask.
For the first time in our history, the club currently has waitlists for all membership categories. The pandemic has had a tremendous impact on golf, and with our excellent reputation as a club, demand for access has been at an all-time high. Currently, we have over 50 people on our membership waitlists. We will monitor existing membership activity over the course of the year to determine access for new members.
IndOOrS Members and staff who are fully vaccinated are not required to wear a mask inside any club buildings. Members and staff who are not fully vaccinated are required to wear a mask inside any club building. The club will not seek proof of vaccination but will rely on the honor system.
SUMMER FUN ON THE TERRACE This past Friday was our first of many fun food nights planned for the dining terrace this summer. The burger bar is always a big hit, and coming soon will be taco night and seafood night (and don’t forget live music every Friday). I’d recommended making reservations for these nights because they fill up quickly!
BALLROOM & POOL RENOVATIONS The ballroom renovations are now complete! After a year working with Henck design, the riverCrest ballroom is now a modern beauty. The financial health of our wedding and event business is a crucial element to the overall success of the club. And we look forward to once again hosting the best weddings and events in the Philadelphia area. I encourage you to take a stroll down to the end of the building when you get a chance to take a look for yourself ! In addition, the pool has been completely resurfaced and is now ready for the opening of the pool season this Saturday.
F O O D M I N I M U M R E I N S TA T E D Starting June 1st, the quarterly food minimums will be reinstated. The phase will be implemented as follows: 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 HOLE-IN-ONES There have been three hole-in-ones so far this year, all coming on Hole #5. Congratulations to Karen Stanley, Bill Artosky and rich Menseck on their perfect shots! Are you next?
MEMORIAL DAY SALE Wednesday, May 26th through Monday, May 31st Summer is here! Memorial day weekend kicks off another summer season, one we are very excited about. to get ready for summer the Golf Shop will be having a Memorial day Sale Wednesday, May 26th through Monday, May 31st! The sale applies to in-stock items. Men’s, Ladies & Junior Apparel - 20% OFF Golf Shoes - 15% OFF Leather Duffel Bags - 25% OFF Buy 1 Hat or Visor Get 1 at 50% OFF
P A R T I C I P AT I O N AT A L L -T I M E H I G H S The golf season is in full swing, with several programs and events which have had a record number of participants! Men’s, Ladies, Seniors and Super Senior Match Play Championships have all exceeded previous highs for number of participants. The Men’s League is 80 players strong, and the PGA Junior League teams are at 40 participants! There were four Men’s GAP teams, four Ladies WGAP teams, there are both Senior Inter-Club and Junior Inter-Club teams. We look forward to continued participation in all of our events this year!
RYDER CUP SIGNUPS S TA R T M AY 2 7 T H tHE most popular event of the year will return on Saturday, August 7th! The ryder Cup features teams of eight players playing several different formats all in the same day. The field is limited to 18 teams (144 players). Formats will include: Scramble, Better Ball of Partners, Chapman and Alternate Shot. The event starts with a 9:00am shotgun. Get your team together and be sure to sign up on May 27th!
WOMEN'S SUMMER CLINIC S ER I E S I S BAC K ! We are excited to offer our Women's Clinic Series again this coming summer season. This clinic series is designed for all skill level of golfer. The series will start on the putting green and work up to hitting longer clubs at the end of the clinic series. Cost $30 for each clinic/ $120 for the clinic package of 5. Thursdays 5:30 to 6:45 pm July 1st--Putting July 8th--Chipping/Pitching July 15th--Pre-Swing and irons
July 22nd—Hybrids and Fairway woods July 29th--driver
JUNIOR PRE-SEASON CLINICS MAKE TRIUMPHANT RETURN!! If you missed signing your child up for the pre-season clinics you will have an opportunity for the them to have this much fun in the fall when the post-season clinics will be back!
M E N ’ S I N V I TAT I O N A L S I G N U P S S TA R T J U N E 2 5 T H The Men’s 2-day Invitational Member Guest will be held on Friday, September 17th and Saturday, September 18th. Signups for all Full Members begins on Friday, June 25th at 8:00am. A one week priority will be given to Full Members who participated in 2019 (no event in 2020). All non-Full Members may sing up beginning Friday, July 2nd at 8:00am. This event sells out quickly so be sure to mark your calendar! We look forward to resuming this fantastic event!
J U LY I S C L U B C H A M P I O N S H I P M O N T H S I G N U P S H AV E B E G U N ! tLadies Club Championship – July 10th and 11th Senior Club Championship – July 10th and 11th Young Executive Club Championship – July 10th and 11th Men’s Club Championship – July 17th and 18th
C O U R S E U P D AT E
tim Edwards Course Superintendant tge@rivercrestgolfclub.com
The Crest is having an excellent spring season; the weather has been warm and dry, making for great course conditions. normalcy has gradually returned as course accessories are back, the clubhouse summer flowers are planted, and we open up the pool for another summer season. All great things! You might also notice that extensive work has gone into the waterfall features with the installation of new lights (plus lots of maintenance). In the meantime, we are looking forward to the upcoming Member-Member!
THE GREENS Our putting surfaces have been terrific this spring. The programs to improve the health, density, and ball mark recovery are working very well. Hearing from guests from other local clubs comment on "how fast our greens are” has certainly widened the smiles on our faces down here at the grounds crew facility. Moving forward, our program requires regular verticutting and topdressing. These practices will continue every few weeks as weather and the golf calendar allow. Our next scheduled agronomic practice will be a solid tine venting, verticutting, and topdressing of the greens after the Member-Members. Thank you for your understanding as we complete these vital programs. THE TEES rotating the tee marks into novel areas has been a focus point for the agronomy team this year. This gives us better divot recovery, reduced mechanical stress, and
provides the golfer with different looks at familiar shots. The seedhead emergence of the poa anna and the need for some spring fertility has the tees looking a little off. We have aerated, topdressed, and fertilized the tee boxes, which will have them looking good in a few days. Our super aggressive aeration over the past two seasons seem to be working. This year we are only looking to aerate the tee boxes three times; now, in August, and at the end of the season. We are continuing our herbicide program to reduce the influx of summer weeds and will be monitoring the health and moisture of the tees all season long.
THE FAIRWAYS despite a warm and dry spring, the fairways are looking great, thanks in large part to our assistant superintendents Brian, travis and Micah, who have worked tirelessly on the irrigation system, ensuring it is working at optimal levels. We have made a barrage of chemical applications to the fairways this spring, including but not limited to different weed controls, insecticides, fertilizers and fungicides. The nice weather, irrigating, sod patching, chemical controls and all the cultivation practices of the past two seasons have the fairways primed for a great season. ROUGH AND FESCUE during this time of year, all cool-season grasses go to seed. The seedheads in our fescue will be turning purple then brown in June, giving riverCrest its signature look. unfortunately, this also makes the primary rough very thick for the next few weeks. Please bear with us as we do our best to keep it mowed down. Also, please remember not to drive through the fescue after it has gone to seed. Once the seedhead is crushed by cart traffic it will not stand back up.
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