L E T T E R F R O M T H E
G E N E R A L M A N A G E R
Brandon Lejeune General Manager
bjl@rivercrestgolfclub com
Welcome
back!
As the days grow longer and the first signs of spring settle over us, we are excited to once again welcome you to another great season of golf here at the Crest!
Whether you're returning to the course after a wellearned winter break or have been keeping your swing sharp all year long, there's nothing quite like that first drive of the season (hopefully straight). Tim’s team has been working diligently this off season and spring to ensure the course is in excep-
GOLF HOUSE RENOVATIONS
In the spirit of my family’s philosophy of always reinvesting and keeping our facilities fresh and modern, the golf house will be getting some much needed TLC this spring. After 22 years, it’s now time for some improvements!
The interior has been painted, new carpet has been installed in the golf shop and the new ceramic tile will be installed in the lobby and bathroom this upcoming week In addition, the exterior of the golf house, cart barn and learning center will receive a fresh coat of new paint (new color too!). Please pardon the disruption as we do all this work during the spring. The buildings are going to look fantastic!
THE “NOTSO” NEWLYWED GAME
Twelve years ago I hosted the first Newlywed Game Night on the terrace I broke out my polyester suit, donned the iconic hair of Bob Eubanks and got to asking four couples how much they really knew about each other It was a beautiful night on the terrace and it was seriously one of the funniest nights I can remember as your GM Well, I have the itch to make a comeback! Bob will be hosting the show on Friday, June 13th on the back patio
tional condition, and we're excited for what promises to be another fantastic season of golf in 2025 It appears the warm weather is finally arriving this weekend so it’s time to get out there and enjoy the game you love
As we do every year, our staff is ready to bring you a full slate of fun events, tournaments and social gatherings. So whether you are showing up for live music, getting the rust off the golf game or stopping in for a beer at the bar…welcome back!
Make your dinner reservations if you are interested in watching what will be sure to be one of the most entertaining nights of the season!
GOLF COURSE ETIQUETTE
I want to remind the membership the importance of golf course etiquette. It’s EVERY member's responsibility to leave the course in better shape than you found it. It should be on your mind during your entire round If you see a ballmark or divot, whether it’s yours or not, fix it. On the following page is our Stewardship Pledge Please take the time to remind yourself of the proper course etiquette Respecting course etiquette is respecting your fellow members
DRESS CODE
We pride ourselves in promoting a relaxed and comfortable atmosphere at the Club, however it’s important that all members make themselves familiar with the dress code and adhere to this important policy When visiting the Clubhouse, please refrain from wearing hooded sweatshirts, t-shirts, sweat pants These items are not considered appropriate attire The Club’s dress code policy is outlined on Clubessential. It’s every member ’s responsibility to know the dress code
I pledge to abide by the following policies to ensure an enjoyable experience for all Members of the Club: RiverCrest Membership Pledge to create awareness and encourage proper course etiquette while maintaining a 4 hour pace of play.
R E S P E C T T h E C O u R S E
In every aspect, leave the course in better shape than you found it
R E S P E C T P A C E O F P L A Y
Play in 4 hours and allow faster groups to play through
R E P L A C E D I V O T S
Please always replace your divots
R E P A I R B A L L M A R k S
Repair your ball mark and others you see on the greens
R A k E B u N k E R S
Bunkers are to be raked after each use Leave rakes in the bunker
R E S P E C T C A R T R u L E S
Carts are never to be in the native grasses or within 30 yards of a green
Tim Edwards Course Superintendant tge@rivercrestgolfclub com
GREENS
C O U R S E U P D A T E
The cold winter of 24-25 seems to finally be leaving us The tell tale signs of spring are all around; the grass is greening up, the bulbs are pushing through the mulch, the trees are flowering and the golfers have returned to the Crest This past winter was one of the coldest on record and we are seeing about a 2-3 week delay in spring weather versus the past few warmer winters The team has the golf course ready for another great season of golf and we can’t wait to see everyone out on the course
FAIRWAYS
This spring the greens are shaping up nicely The cold winter has them a few weeks behind their normal conditioning Late winter we completed a verticut, topdressing and fertilizing that should have them in great shape all spring long. The team is spending time over the next few weeks hand picking poa annua out of our greens. keeping our stand of A1/A4 creeping bentgrass clean We will not be doing any spring aeration, and we have begun daily conditioning of mowing and rolling as weather permits
TEES
In mid-March the team aerated and fertilized all our tee boxes They have already recovered and are in great shape for the season. The new blue/black tee box on #1 is open and hopefully added to everyone’s first tee experience Thank you to all the members and guests for using the divot boxes on the par 3 tees This has helped with the conditions of our most divoted areas and reduced our labor cost on divots, ThANk YOu!
The fairways of the crest are benefiting the most from all the April showers. The deep-tining from last winter is healed over and our bentgrass fairways are growing nicely to start the season The seasonal staff is out seeding and filing all the divots from the end of last season and the start of this year. We will be looking for an opportunity to spike the fairways in the coming weeks to make more macropore space this spring.
ROUGH AND FESCUE
This past fall and winter we made a concerted effort to overs-eed some of the deep rough and fescue areas. These areas are coming in nicely this spring and should provide more turf coverage over the golf course.
BUNKERS
The bunkers this spring got a lot of attention. All the bunkers were freshly edged, and we added over 80 tons of sand to them. Our hope is to have them be as consistent as possible this upcoming season.
MUSIC STARTS at 6PM
MUSiC BiNGO iS A FUN AND EXCiTiNG TAKE ON THE CLASSiC GAME OF BiNGO. WiTH SONGS REPLACiNG THE NUMBERS ON A BiNGO CARD, THiS GAME CAN BE PLAYED BY MANY. AFTER RECEiViNG A CARD, THE HOST WiLL PLAY MUSiC, AND iF YOU HAVE THAT SONG LiSTED ON YOUR CARD, YOU TiCK iT OFF. SiNG ALONG, DANCE AND WiN PRiZES!
THURSDAY, MAY 22ND
STARTING @ 7:00PM iN THE PEARSALL
TO SIGN UP... CALL BROOKE AT THE HOST NO ONLINE RESERVATIONS FREE TO PLAY
MAXIMUM TEAM SIZE IS 6
G O L F N E W S & N O T E S
FIRST HOLE IN HOLE OF ‘25
Congratulations to kevin Reilly on recording the first ace of the year! kevin hit a perfect shot on hole #17 on Friday, April 4th using a 9 wood from 114 yards. It is kevin’s 1st career hole-in-One. Congrats again! Who’s next?
GOLF OPERATION HOURS IN APRIL
The start of the golf season is here! With the arrival of April comes new extended hours for starting times The first starting times will begin at 8:00am on weekends and weekdays The Practice range will open at 7:30am daily, and will close at 7:00pm (5:30pm on Mondays to allow for a clean pick )
PACE OF PLAY
BETA TESTING
RiverCrest is excited to be part of a beta testing platform for a brand-new Pace of Play product from AccuPace The testing will include several lightweight GPS trackers which can attach to the frame of a golf cart or be placed in a push cart as well The trackers can be monitored by the Professional Staff in real time to see where groups are on the golf course, and notice any pace of play issues. This will allow the Staff to efficiently and quickly target those issues. We look forward to be part of this beta testing, and hope it’s a successful product that helps with Pace of Play
UPCOMING GOLF EVENTS
April 13 - Men's GAP Matches
April 17 - Ladies Opening Day
April 19 - TaylorMade Fitting Day (11:00-3:00)
April 22 - Ladies WGAP Matches
April 23 - Men's League (5:30pm shotgun)
April 24 - Ladies Golf (9:00-10:00 times)
April 24 - Ping Fitting Day (3:00-7:00)
April 25 - Ladies WGAP Matches
April 25 - Deadline to sign up for Men's Match Play
April 27 - Men's GAP Matches
April 29 - Ladies WGAP Matches
April 30 - Senior Opening Day
May 1 - Ladies Golf (9:00-10:00 times)
May 2 - Ladies WGAP Matches
May 3 - Cobra Fitting Day (11:00-3:00)
May 4 - Men's GAP Matches
May 6 - Ladies WGAP Matches
May 7 - Men's League (5:30pm shotgun)
May 8 - Ladies Golf (9:00-10:00 times)
May 8 - Deadline to sign up for Ladies Match Play
May 15 - RiverCrest Day Member Guest
May 17 - TaylorMade Fitting Day (11:00-3:00)
May 18 - Callaway Fitting Day (11:00-3:00)
May 21 - Men's League (5:30pm shotgun)
May 22 - Ladies Golf (9:00-10:00 times)
May 30 - Men's Member Member
May 31 – Men's Member Member
TPI GOLF FITNESS WITH STEVE PALAZZOLO
RiverCrest Professional Steve Palazzolo will continue offering fitness classes in April. The group classes will be $25 per class with a maximum of 3 People per class
Please e-mail steve@rivercrestgolfclub.com to sign up.
CLASS SChEDuLE
ThuRS, APRIL 3RD
Stretch & Foundation Training - 5:00-5:50PM
WED, APRIL 9Th
Core Strength & Foundation Training - 2:00-2:50PM
WED, APRIL 23RD
Stretch & Foundation Training - 3:00-3:50PM
SATuRDAY, APRIL 26Th
Rotary & Core Strength - 11:00-11:50AM
MONDAY, APRIL 28Th
Power & Strength Training - 10:00-10:50AM
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 30Th
Stretch & Foundation Training - 3:00-3:50PM
* April Special : 1-on-1 Private Training for $45 per session or bring a friend for $60 *
GOLF EQUIPMENT FITTING DAYS COMING SOON
The Club will be hosting several Fitting Days in late April and May. Members may schedule 45-minute sessions. The Fitters will have a multitude of fitting components and launch monitors to fit all golfers If you are seriously interested in being fit and would like to schedule a session, please contact the Professional Staff here are the current dates, times and manufacturers.
TAYLORMADE – Saturday, April 19th from 11:00-3:00pm
PING – Thursday, April 24th from 3:00-7:00pm
COBRA – Saturday, May 3rd from 11:00-3:00pm
TAYLORMADE – Saturday, May 17th from 11:00-3:00pm
CALLAWAY – Sunday, May 18th from 11:00-3:00pm
FREE GUEST GREENS FEES
The Pre-Paid Guest Fee Package provides Members the opportunity to purchase five Guest rounds at $100 per round ($500) and receive a 6th Guest round Free For those that like to entertain guests on the course, then this package is for you! Rounds must be used by December 31st of 2025. To purchase the package or for additional details please contact the Golf Shop
MATCH PLAY SIGNUPS OPEN NOW UNTIL APRIL 25TH
Players that wish to participate in the Men’s, Senior, Super Senior and Ladies Match Play Championships just need to sign up online. Men’s, Senior and Super Senior Championships will have signups open until April 25th, and then the Matches will begin on May 1st. Ladies Match Play Championships will have signups open until May 8th, with matches beginning on May 15th Tournament brackets will be set after signups have closed !
GOOD LUCK GAP AND WGAP TEAMS
The Men’s and Women’s 2025 GAP season is upon us! There are 3 Men’s teams and 4 Women’s teams The Men’s matches are held on Sundays April 13th, April 27th, and May 4th, and the Women’s matches are held on April 22nd, April 25th, , April 29th, May 2nd and May 6th. Good luck to all of the RiverCrest teams this year!
NEW LIMITED FLIGHT YELLOW GOLF BALLS ONLY USE IF YOU CAN REACH THE LEARNING CENTER TEE
The distance from the front of the grass tee to the front of the Learning Center tee is 286 yards, which can be reached by our longer hitters. For players that can reach the tee box at the Learning Center, the Club has purchased limited flight yellow golf balls so that those players can practice with their woods. A couple large baskets of the yellow limited flight golf balls will be set at the yardage signs at the range Please save the golf balls for our longer hitters, and only use the yellow balls if your shot can reach the Learning Center tee box. These golf balls are not to be used at the practice green.
POLICY REMINDERS FOR 2025
We hope all Members and Guests enjoy the golf course and have a wonderful round of golf We kindly ask all fellow Members and Guests to do their part in helping maintain the excellent conditions by following the guidelines listed below:
GOLF COURSE ETIQUETTE
We ask your assistance following proper golf course etiquette Please make an extra effort this year to go above and beyond your normal routine by fixing multiple ball marks per green, replacing divots and raking bunkers. Be sure to leave the course in better shape than you find it
PACE OF PLAY
Our goal is to maintain a four-hour pace of play (2 hours for 9 holes). Please play ready golf and keep up with the group in front of yours. We ask that Members take the responsibility of their play and that of their guests and inform your fellow players that your group is falling behind and everyone needs to pick it up.
CLUB IS CLOSED ON TUESDAYS
The Clubhouse, Golf house, Golf Course, Putting Greens and all Practice Facilities are closed to Members on Tuesdays Please do not use the main Putting Green or any of the Practice Facilities on Tuesdays
PRACTICE RANGE
Starting mid-to-late April the range tee will be set on grass on Fridays, Saturdays and Sunday and mats the other days of the week. Please aim balls towards the target greens and for long hitters please be aware of shots reaching the Learning Center and avoid hitting balls that can reach the tee box on that end. The Practice range closes 1 5 hours earlier on Mondays than the rest of the week This allows the maintenance crew to mow the entire range Tuesday mornings.
STARTING TIMES
The Club uses a starting time reservation system for all play. This reservation system coordinates play and allows the Club to pair Members more efficiently Starting times are issued in ten minute intervals and are required until 6:00pm on a daily basis After 6:00pm Members will be started on a first come-first out basis. A Member ’s ability to reserve starting times is as follows:
Full and Associate Members - 10 days in advance Young Executive & house Members - 7 days in advance
GOLF CARTS
Please notice and follow the daily cart regulations listed on the front window of you cart Golf Carts are never permitted in the native fescue grasses.
NO SHOW POLICY
With the uptick in play over the past couple years; the tee sheet has been active on a daily basis. On occasion we have had Members reserve starting times holding spots with other Members or Guests that have then not showed up to play In an effort to keep the tee sheet as open as possible to all Members, the Club will be implementing a No Show Policy If Members or their guests do not show up, and do not cancel their starting time in advance, the Member will be given a written notice. If there are additional occurrences, the Member will be subject to disciplinary action from the Club.
CLUB STORAGE
The Club provides Members storage of their golf bag in the Bag Room. Members and Guests are not permitted in the Cart Barn or Bag Room Storage area. Clubs will be retrieved by a member of the golf staff
Brian Moose Director of Instruction moose.brian@gmail.com
CELEBRATING 10 YEARS OF FLORIDA GOLF SCHOOLS!
First and foremost I would like to thank everyone who has attended my Florida Golf Schools over the last 10 years, I couldn’t do it without you! We started in Port St Lucie 10 years ago and made a pit stop at Reunion for a year and for the last 5 years have found a home at Celebration Golf Club in Celebration Florida. The school has a completely different look from 10 years ago. Over the years I have made many changes to the format of the school and I am really happy with those changes and what it has turned into today. I always wanted the school to be about playing better golf and the new formula seems to fit With 8 hours of instruction in the winter before the golf school the swing mechanics are now in place to play golf…which we do, 72 holes of golf in 3 days! There is also plenty of instruction while we are off the course and even 2 follow up lessons when we get home If you have ever thought or even if you haven’t thought about it, I am always looking for new participants to experience the Florida Golf School tradition. The dates are usually solidified in late September/early October for the following March Who knows, maybe next year you will join me to meet Brutus (Celebration’s 12 foot gator or watch a rocket launch!
C L U B H O U R S O F O P E R A T I O N
Each of our amenities has varying hours which are subject to change seasonally. The hours below offer a general guide. Please visit our website, or check the inside cover of our monthly newsletter, The Preserve, for the current hours of operation
G O L F C O u R S E
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.
D R I V I N G R A N G E
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
G O L F S h O P
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
C L u B h O u S E R E S TA u R A N T
Wednesday through Sunday - open for lunch at 11:00am & dinner starting at 5:00pm
No food service after 9pm on Wednesday thru Sunday. kitchen closed daily between 4:30pm5:00pm.
F I R E S I D E L O u N G E
April through December
Opens Wednesday, Thursday & Friday at 4:00pm / Saturdays & Sundays at noon
January through March
Closed on Sundays
F I T N E S S C E N T E R
April thru October - 6:30am to 6:00pm on Monday / 6:30am to 9:00pm Wednesday through Sunday.
Tuesdays - closed
November thru March - 8:00am - 5:00pm on Monday / 8:00am - 9:00pm Wednesday through Sunday.