TOM TOM JUNE 2022
THE SAHALEE TEAM
STAFF MARCUS KING GENERAL MANAGER MARCUS@SAHALEE.COM BRYAN NICHOLSON DIRECTOR OF GOLF BRYAN@SAHALEE.COM CHARLIE SCHAUWECKER GOLF COURSE SUPERINTENDENT CHARLIE.SAHALEE@GMAIL.COM JUSTIN KEENER CLUBHOUSE MANAGER JUSTINK@SAHALEE.COM ADRIAN SIBUG EXECUTIVE CHEF ADRIAN@SAHALEE.COM SIEMON SLAGTER CONTROLLER SIEMON@SAHALEE.COM BRITTIANY LATHRUP MEMBERSHIP & COMMUNICATION DIRECTOR BRITTIANY@SAHALEE.COM
BOARD OF DIRECTORS SCOTT HEYDON-PRESIDENT MIKE DENTON- VICE PRESIDENT STEVE MOGER-TREASURER JOHN TINKHAM-SECRETARY JAY KIRSCHENMAN-SOCIAL LIAISON PAUL COOKE-LONG RANGE/BYLAW LIAISON BILL BONNELL-MEMBERSHIP LIAISON NORMAN CHEUK-CHAMPIONSHIP LIAISON MARYLE TRACY-GREEN LIAISON
COMMITTEE CHAIRS GOLF-BRIAN SELBY GREEN-MICHELLE HOOD FINANCE-DAWN NAYE HOUSE-BILL PHILLIPS MEMBERSHIP-HOWARD LEE RULES AND HANDICAP-JEANNE LINK JUNIOR GOLF-BEAU CLINE CHAMPIONSHIP-TYLER DION SOCIAL-LIZ PHIPPS MEN'S DIVISION-GEORGE GLAUSER WOMEN'S DIVISION-DEBBIE ACTON
LAURIE COLEMAN ACCOUNTING ADMINISTRATOR LAURIE@SAHALEE.COM JACOB LIPPOLD PGA HEAD GOLF PROFESSIONAL JACOB@SAHALEE.COM JUSTIN STURDY PGA ASSISTANT PRO JUSTIN.STURDY@SAHALEE.COM LAURA KRAFT ASSISTANT PRO LAURA@SAHALEE.COM ADAM POOL ASSISTANT PRO ADAM@SAHALEE.COM KYLE MCPHERSON ASSISTANT PRO KYLE@SAHALEE.COM RYAN BENZEL PGA DIRECTOR OF INSTRUCTION RYAN.BENZEL@SAHALEE.COM JIM PIKE PGA GOLF PROFESSIONAL EMERITUS PIKEPGA@SAHALEE.COM DEVIN BRIGHAM CADDIE MASTER/OUTSIDE SERVICES MANAGER DEVIN@SAHALEE.COM KYLE DICKEY ASSISTANT CADDIE MASTER/OUTSIDE SERVICES MANAGER KYLED@SAHALEE.COM
Cover Photo Credit: Bill Phillips Current Page Photo Credit: Nancy Weller
Warm Welcomes
Cheers TO NEW MEMBERS!
Regular Golf
Brian and Marie Ward Shanna Xiao and Xun Zhang Troy and Michelle Johnson
Social
Mike and Emily O'Connell Jason and Diana Danforth
HOURS OF OPERATION Driving Range Monday: 10am-8pm Tuesday: 7am-7pm Wednesday: 7am-8pm Thursday: 7am-8pm Friday: 7am-8pm Saturday: 6:30am-8pm Sunday: 6:30am-8pm
Pro Shop Monday: 10am-8pm Tuesday: 7am-8pm Wednesday: 7am-8pm Thursday: 7am-8pm Friday: 7am-8pm Saturday: 6:30am-8pm Sunday: 6:30am-8pm
Golfer's Grill
Restaurant
Monday-Tuesday: 10am-5pm
Breakfast Saturday-Sunday 7am-11am
Honor Bar Service Starter House Daily
Lunch Wednesday-Sunday 11am-5pm
Dinner Thursday, Friday, Sunday 5pm-8:30pm
A Letter from our President What a cold, wet, soggy month May turned out to be. Most divisional events involved some form of weather gear. According to the National Weather Service, May 2022 ended up being the second wettest and seventh coldest on record with only six (yes six!) hours above 70 degrees. It has to get better, right? Despite the rain, the agronomy team was able to upgrade the practice area bunker – a great opportunity to prepare for the full 27 starting August 24th. Please check it out for yourself. Considerable depth was removed from the greenside lip where splash sand had built up over the decades. The floor of the bunker was raised – making it easier to enter and exit. And a porous concrete liner and drainage was installed, making for quite the transformation. Overall, it gives us a much better practice area, consistent with what the course bunkers will become. In May the club hosted our first ‘Major,’ hosting the first combined Men’s and Women’s Presidents Cup. It was a great day, with a full and energized ballroom for the awards ceremony. I think all will agree it was a fun format to get both groups together. All the Sahalee teams did an amazing job in making sure our experiences were memorable and top notch. We had five new member families join this month: three Regular Golf and two Social memberships. Additionally, we have met several prospective members who are thrilled to potentially join our Sahalee family. With a “for sale list” we still want to continue to make people aware of the amazing place Sahalee is for all to experience. One of the best things you can do as a member is to connect with our new members. Invite them into your group, out for a round, or out for a social event or a glass of wine. It’s how we deepen our culture here. Past Business Financially through April, Sahalee is on track to hit its budget, despite many challenges. Inflationary pressures (wages and cost of everything we buy) are having a meaningful impact to our operations. The leadership team is doing a good job to reduce expenses while maintaining the high standards we have for membership experiences. But the leadership team and Board continue to evaluate operational changes to counteract these pressures. The self-serve starter shack “Honor Bar” is a good example of this: providing members the ability to quickly get the food and beverage they desire with minimal labor costs. Collectively, the team is short over 15 positions relative to our original 2022 budget (no team is at full strength). While this helps to keep costs down, it also puts additional pressure on the existing team members to maintain the desired service levels. The team is continuing to look for ways to create a healthy work environment while also being good stewards of members’ money from dues. For some time now, there’s been a Sahalee task force that has worked on raising Sahalee’s brand profile in the area. Last year the website and photography were updated. This year we have been showcasing all that is Sahalee on social media and are exploring a short video to promote the club. The team is also connecting with realtors, relocators, and business groups in the area to make Sahalee more front-of-mind. More to come on these efforts soon. Lastly, the board was also updated on regular Committee work and several other longer-term projects (by-laws review, quarterly forecast process). New Business The Finance Committee, led by former President Dawn Naye, is working on three important endeavors that will come before the board soon: 1.The previously mentioned quarterly forecasting process to streamline our financial forecasting abilities. 2.Evaluating Sahalee’s position on ‘refundability’ for departing members (I committed to reviewing the decision and providing more transparency around this process at the Annual meeting last November). 3.Develop proposals to continue funding Sahalee’s long-term capital needs. Each of these topics and the longer-term committee work is complex, involving lots of analysis of options and implications. They are being addressed with a view to improve the long-term financial health of Sahalee and members. I’ll stress again, most of these complex issues are being led by an amazing group of Sahalee members who are volunteering their time supported by a set of professionals that have deep private club experience. I am proud of the effort and the quality of thinking the Sahalee team is dedicating to these important, longer-term endeavors. If you play golf with a member who is volunteering on a committee or as a Board or Committee chair, please thank them for their involvement and time. They are the silent heroes of our wonderful club. Warmly, Scott Heydon Club President
JUNE
JULY
AUGUST
SEPTEMBER
OCTOBER
5 SOCIAL GOLF: "GUEST DAY" 7 SWD SPRING FIELD DAY 13 BRIDGE OF PROMISE (PRIVATE) 18 PARENT / CHILD TOURNAMENT 22 TWILIGHT GOLF 26 SOCIAL GOLF: PUTTING CHAMPIONSHIP 30 SEATTLE WOMEN'S TEAM PLAY 7-8 WOMEN'S INVITATIONAL 11 AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY (PRIVATE) 15 TWILIGHT GOLF 18 KPMG EVENT (PRIVATE) 21-22 SWD MEMBER-MEMBER 28-30 MEN'S INVITATIONAL 8 12-13 19-21 22 23
JPW EVENT (PRIVATE) SMD MEMBER-MEMBER CLUB CHAMPIONSHIPS (MENS/LADIES/JUNIOR) COSTCO (PRIVATE) BUNKER RENOVATION BEGINS
2-3 SENIOR CLUB CHAMPIONSHIPS 9 SWD FALL FIELD DAY 26 EVANS CUP EVENT (PRIVATE) 27 SWD GUEST DAY 1 SMD STABLEFORD 9 SOCIAL GOLF: FALL FLING EVENT 10 WA GOLF ASSOCIATION PLAY DAY (PRIVATE) 15 SMD MEN'S AWARDS NIGHT 29 SMD FOUR BALL SCRAMBLE
2022 Golf Calendar
A Letter from our Director of Golf We are marching to the beat of the ole weather drum, aren’t we this spring? A fellow member recently shared the statistic that we spent a grand total of 5 hours above 70 degrees in May, while the month was officially the second wettest on record. All that weather discussion translates to rounds of golf being down 20% for our first full month of our in-season play. We will see what hand Mother Nature deals us here in June, but let’s hope for more sunshine and an opportunity to shed a layer! I’ll start this month with a quick recap of the fabulous President’s Cup tournament that was co-hosted by the Sahalee Men’s and Women’s Division in early May. What began as a soggy spring morning turned into a gorgeous day for the first combined event between the two divisions. A total of 122 players in the field teed it up and the competition on the course was closely contested in both divisions for both gross and net prizes. Topping the field with a net score of two under par 70, our 2022 SWD President’s Cup Champion was Eleanor Devlin! The Men’s Division competition was 27 holes, with 18 holes of qualifying before the Championship 9. Shooting an opening round of 70 and buoyed by back-to-back birdies to start the final 9, Shad Flynn closed with a net 33 in the Championship finals to secure a two-shot victory. In the gross competition, Kevin White closed strong on the Championship 9 with an impressive two under par round of 34. A big congratulations to all our winners from the President’s Cup. Also in May, the Men’s Division hosted their PGA Championship. A total of 77 players teed it up in our tribute to the 80th PGA hosted at the High Heavenly Ground. Players tested their mettle by playing to the final round hole locations of the ’98 Championship, and the field found the day to be challenging with an average net score of 9.1 strokes over par. Two competitors conquered the challenge better than the rest and rising to the top of leaderboard was Erik Hanson and Ron Escarda. Hanson fired an even par 72 including a bogey-free back 9 to take home the Maroon Jacket in the Gross division by 3 strokes over Brad Carey. Escarda, meanwhile, closed his round very hot, finishing net 5 under par through his last 9 holes to fire a net 71 and win by one shot over John Hoskins. A big congratulations to our two newest members of the Maroon Jacket club, and great playing gentlemen! I would be remised if I didn’t share some other exciting tournament news from around the Club. Our Sahalee Women’s Team continues its strong play in the SWGA. After their most recent match at Sand Point, the ladies have a 9-point edge over Rainier CC with three matches remaining to retain the Cup! The SWGA will be hosted at Sahalee later this month on Thursday, June 30. Last month, Akshay Anand fired 73-68 at the Class 4A WIAA State Championship hosted at Indian Summer Golf & Country Club. Akshay has committed to Northwestern University later this fall. Additionally, Erik Hanson recently finished as the low amateur at the 2022 Washington State Senior Open contested at The Cedars at Dungeness. Hanson shot 5 under over three rounds (71-70-70) to claim the honors. Please be sure to congratulate our competitors! The month of June is an active one on the event calendar, and I am looking forward to hosting our parent/child tournament over Father’s Day weekend. We are excited to have multiple divisions of competition, with Adult, 14-17, 11-13, and 10 & Under. Grandparents and grandchildren are also welcomed to participate! It will be loads of fun for our Sahalee families to share time on the course at the High Heavenly Ground. I am also looking forward to hosting our second combined Divisional event on Sunday, June 26 for our Sahalee Putting Championship. Who will emerge as the best putter in the Club? If you have a son/daughter, grandchild, or niece or nephew under the age of 13 looking to begin or develop their journey into golf, we have a flurry of junior golf programming taking place at the Club this summer. Our Sahalee Ravens Junior Development program has started on Wednesday afternoons and will continue through the end of summer. Additionally, we have a “Practice with a Pro” series for junior golfers on Thursday evenings from 5 – 6:30 pm. We also have 3 junior golf camps being hosted in June, July and August. For more information on our junior golf programming, please stop in the golf shop and my team will be delighted to assist you! I’ll leave off this month with some interesting data from Arccos Golf – a shot tracker that has recorded millions of shots from players of all playing abilities. The device rests in the end of the golf club and provides users with their statistical data from their round of golf. Here is some food for thought - A 15 handicap from 170 yards in the fairway is more likely to make a double bogey or worse than hit the green in regulation! Think about that for a moment……but what does this mean for the average player? We must all manage our expectations when on the course! Unrelated but also in the realm of fun statistics – I recently had a member after an event tell me, “Bryan, I had a bunch of 15 footers today that I should have made.” That line made me dive deeper into PGA Tour Shotlink statistics. Interestingly, PGA Tour professionals average only ONE made putt per round from 13 feet or longer. The theme this month – learn to manage your expectations! To quote the late Arnold Palmer, "Golf is deceptively simple and endlessly complicated; it satisfies the soul and frustrates the intellect. It is at the same time rewarding and maddening - and it is without a doubt the greatest game mankind has ever invented." See you at the Club! Bryan
Turf Talk with Charlie
Short Game Practice Bunker Update For those who have visited the club over the past few weeks, you may have noticed the newly renovated practice bunker at our short game area near 8 South. With construction completed, we are now in the growin phase with an expected opening date of mid-June. The reshaping of this bunker will increase its functionality for practice with a larger floor and lowered greenside face. Additionally, the renovation increased accessibility around this bunker by lowering the outer faces for safe entry and exit from the sand trap. Featuring new drainage, a porous aggregate liner and our selection of high performing silica bunker sand, the new short game practice bunker is representative of the construction materials and methods that will be carried onto the course in our fall 2022 bunker renovation project. Upon the reopening of the short game practice bunker, you may notice that the bunker sand is softer than what we’re used to on the golf course. Following the installation of new bunker sand, it takes time, traffic, and rain to fully compact the sand to our desired firmness. The agronomy team will be taking steps to accelerate this process with watering and mechanical compaction over the upcoming weeks. La Niña Greens Speeds Continuing cool and wet weather through the month of May has resulted in a slow start to our primary golf season. Not only has traffic on the course been affected, but also many aspects of our golf course maintenance program. After receiving 5.5 inches of rain in May (compared to only 2.25 inches in 2021), several adjustments to our maintenance practices that affect the speed of our greens have been delayed relative to years past. During rainy and saturated conditions, we act with an abundance of caution to protect our green surfaces. Frequent use of greens rollers and mowers set at low heights of cut can damage these areas when wet, setting us back with summer right around the corner. With weather improving over the past several weeks, these delayed adjustments are now being made to deliver our desired greens speeds, smoothness, and firmness. Best wishes to Ray McCormick! As some of you know our First Assistant Superintendent, Ray McCormick, will be moving on from Sahalee to the next chapter in his career this June. Ray will be joining the team at Gamble Sands to assist with managing their agronomy staff as well as the construction and grow-in of their second 18-hole golf course. Over his four seasons at Sahalee, Ray’s technical abilities and desire for constant improvement have been instrumental in elevating our golf course maintenance operation. His enthusiasm for helping others has carried throughout the club and community including assisting with clubhouse projects, building interdepartmental HR resources, volunteering his equipment operating capabilities for the SMA, and adding special touches to so many of our events. He will be missed. Not only is Ray taking on a new career opportunity, but he and his wife are also expecting their first baby this June. Quite the summer! Please join the turf care team and myself in congratulating Ray! In closing, I’d like to extend my sincere gratitude to our dedicated agronomy staff. As our golf calendar ramps up and activity on the course(s) increases, our team of greenkeeping professionals is going above and beyond to present Sahalee at its best each day for our members and guests. See you on the course! Charlie Schauwecker Golf Course Superintendent
Fond Farewell to Ray McCormick!
Lessons and Tips with Ryan Have you taken golf lessons? The standard golf lesson is on the practice tee getting help, guidance, and coaching on your golf swing. This is highly important for golfers of all levels: beginner, country club member, and Tour player. BUT, have you ever learned how to improve your ON-COURSE performance and scoring? I am starting On-Course Coaching sessions! From June thru early September I have 8 coaching sessions, focused on your course performance and scoring improvement. These are not designed to be focused help on your golf swing. On-Course coaching is to help you to learn how to play better by evaluating your shot and score performance, talk strategy, help with club selection, green reading, acceptable vs. not acceptable golf shots, and learning “key” areas YOU should practice to improve you game. Lower your scoring ability with on-course coaching! These coaching sessions are limited to groups of four golfers playing nine holes. I will do my best to pair like handicaps, but anyone can sign up for any date. You can sign up for multiple dates. Practice those “key” areas learned from the first and check for improvement later in the season. If you have a group of four in mind, please contact me to ensure availability. Sign up today!
DIREC TO R O F INSTRUC TIO N
LESSON RATES
Single Lesson: $100 Series of 3: $285 Series of 5: $450 Playing Lesson: $225 Junior Lesson: $75 Available Tuesday - Saturday 206-683-0025 cell ryan.benzel@sahalee.com 2016 Western WA Chapter PGA Teacher of the Year 2021 GRAA Top 100 Growth of the Game Teaching Professional
Subscribe and follow Ryan on his YouTube Channel !
Krafty Korner Golf is so much more than a game of physical prowess. Training your mind is just as important as training your body. Whether you’re Vijay Singh on the final hole at the PGA Championship in 1998 or you’re a 20 handicap playing the Neville game on Saturday, all golfers are affected by nervousness and anxiety. These feelings are most often caused by a fear of failure. Experiencing collegiate athletics and training as a golf professional has provided me with insight I’d like to share with you all about the power of controlling your mentality on the course. I spent my first year at University of Missouri trying to be realistic by not expecting to unseat the upperclassmen on the team. This may sound like a lack of confidence, but looking back on my experience, this was the beginning of a massive learning process about the power of expectations. Due to my low expectations, I felt very little pressure and qualified for almost every tournament my freshman year, but I also did not reach my full potential because I did not expect greater success. The following years got more and more difficult. It became painfully obvious fine tuning the mental game is just as important as practicing your physical skills. After the fall season of my junior year had been derailed, I spent the majority of the late fall and winter working on my mental game and expectations. I spoke with my coaches, started seeing a sports psychologist, set new goals for myself, actively learned and implemented new tactics to reduce stress, and most of all I PRACTICED a more confident mentality every day. That hard work paid off. Once I qualified to play the following spring, I had my best college performance, finishing in a tie for fourth. From that point on I never missed a single event. I had learned to master the things I could control and learned to accept whatever the outcome might be, knowing I had given each shot my best effort. There are many tactics for dealing with nerves and anxiety. One such tactic is proper breathing. Nerves and anxiety often present themselves as tension. One way to calm this natural reaction is to take deep, slow breaths in through the nose and out through the mouth. It may seem trivial, but this simple process delivers calming responses. Perhaps the most important tactic to reduce anxiety is having a reliable and repeatable routine. Developing a pre-shot routine is much like having a safety blanket. It’s something familiar that a player can cling to when uncertainty arises. In developing your pre-shot routine, be certain that it is repeatable, comfortable, and time efficient. Another tactic is to add something calming or personally special in your golf game. This can be something as simple as marking your ball with your favorite color or complex like writing some of your favorite memories on a sheet of paper and keeping it in your golf bag. Having a connection to a deeper purpose or a calming memory can help your brain settle into a comfort zone. Tour players, collegiate players, and, of course, the players here at Sahalee can all benefit by learning how to distinguish between outcome and process based goals. Outcome based goals may include having a set score to shoot, picking out opponents to defeat, or even beating your previous score on the same course. Outcome based goals create pressure through elevated expectations and attempting to control factors that are not within the player’s control. Process based goals are within a player’s direct control and tend to be on a shot-to-shot basis. These may include visualizing the shot, taking into account all factors in your control, and making the best effort to execute each small step in “the process.” Perhaps the phrase “prepare like you care, hit it like you don’t” sounds familiar? By choosing process based goals instead of outcome based goals, a player creates the best chance of success both mentally and physically. It’s no secret a large portion of golf is the mental game, and anxiety in sport is a serious matter. Just as I sought the help of my coaches, I hope that any of you who resonate with this article choose to seek help whether it’s implementing some of these things on your own or visiting your lovely golf pros here at the club. I, personally, love to incorporate mental conditioning during my golf lessons just as much as I love to teach the golf swing. Success is out there for those who are willing to work for it. Find your path to confidence and go low! Laura Kraft
Aces, Eagles and Incredible Rounds
Twilight Social Golf Register Here!
HOLE IN ONE Robert Phipps 5/21 8 North 152 yards, 8 iron This was his SECOND ace of the week, but the first at Sahalee! Seiji Yamamoto 5/26 Shot a 74.That's one under his age! Paul Rimlinger 5/27 Shot 88 which under his age!
Scoring Clinic Series All members of Sahalee are encouraged to sign up! Register here today!
Golf Genius The Professional Staff has made it a priority during the offseason to make Golf Genius more user friendly for the membership. We now have multiple ways to register for events, look at past results and more. Sahalee now has four unique directories that make it easy to navigate all the events within that directory. The four directories are listed below along with links to each, or can be found on the Sahalee website: Men’s Division: https://www.golfgenius.com/ggid/sahalee%20men Women’s Division: https://www.golfgenius.com/ggid/sahalee%20women Junior Division: https://www.golfgenius.com/ggid/sahalee%20junior Social Golf: https://www.golfgenius.com/ggid/sahalee%20social Another option to find these directories is to use the Golf Genius mobile app. Sahalee members will NOT need to create a username or password, instead they will be able to use the following GGID’s to log in via the mobile app: Men’s Division: SAHALEE MEN Women’s Division: SAHALEE WOMEN Junior Division: SAHALEE JUNIOR Social Golf: SAHALEE SOCIAL We hope this will help with any challenges anyone has faced with event registration. If you still need help, please stop in the Golf Shop and we will be happy to assist you! Note: The Men’s Opening Day Results are viewable via the Men’s Division directory listed above!
Team News
Sahalee Women's Division Our Women’s Golf Team continues to play great golf! May 19th brought us a very tough golf course at Inglewood, but our team prevailed and beat Sand Point Country Club by taking all 12 points. Currently, we are in first position in Scratch, Handicap and Sub, which basically means that everyone on our roster is continuing to play well. Thanks to Eleanor Devlin and Shane McTaggart who stepped up to play Sub. We have three more matches for the season, so keep it going everyone! Cheers, Rose Crowe Team Captain
Photo Credit: Bill Phillips
Fairways in the Forest 2022 SWD Invitational July 6, 7 & 8 Sign Up Today! Wednesday, July 6 Welcome Party for Participants Thursday, July 7 Golf & Putting Contest Friday, July 8 Golf & Awards Luncheon Don’t delay — invite your partner now! Questions? Contact Marcia McAfee at marcia.mcafee@comcast.net
Junior Golf News
Junior Development Clinic Wednesdays June-August 5pm-6pm
Sahalee Parent/ Child Golf Tournament Saturday June 18, 2022 Prizes, BBQ lunch, Snacks & Drinks, Team Photo, Tee Gift Register: GGID - "Parent Child"
Junior Golf News
Sahalee Players Championship Update The Sahalee Players Championship (SPC) is the Men’s College event that Sahalee will be hosting on an annual basis starting in September 2023. Co-Hosted by UW Men’s Golf, and Sahalee, the SPC will be one of the best fields in College Golf, showcasing the beauty and pure golf course that Sahalee is. The expected field includes: Arizona, Arizona State, Duke, Florida, Illinois, Oklahoma State, Pepperdine, Stanford, Texas, USC, Wake Forest, and Washington. Tournament Update – Countdown to September 2023 With the Men’s NCAA schedule in full championship mode, and the Sahalee golf schedule approaching its main season, there is very little to report. Mostly behind the scenes discussions and planning. There are two main callouts for the Sahalee membership: 1. For those of you interested in volunteering for the SPC, please contact Kevin White or Bryan Nicholson at any time. Volunteer coordination will begin this winter. 2. The date and format for the UW Showcase / SPC member/player event will be announced in a few weeks. This event will be a casual round of golf for Sahalee members to be paired with a player from the UW Roster UW Men’s Golf Update: The UW Men’s season came to an end a few weeks ago at the Regional Qualifying tournament for the NCAA Championships in Stockton, California. To say the least, this is a surprising, and I am sure the team would tell you, disappointing end to an amazing season. The Huskies were the 9th ranked team in the country going to regionals, and the 2nd highest seeded team at this site, but were unable to crack the top 5 in the tournament to advance to the National Championships. What an amazing season for the Huskies – 4 tournament victories, ranked as high as #6 in the country, Pac 12 Champions, and the Pac 12 player of the year! For Seniors Noah Woolsey and RJ Manke, their incredible careers as Huskies have now come to a close. Noah will be playing full time on the PGA Tour Canada, beginning this weekend in Victoria. RJ will be playing full time on the Korn Ferry Tour likely in the next few weeks (more on that below). We wish them all the best as they transition to professional golf! NCAA Championship Recap For the second year in a row, Grayhawk Golf Course in Scottsdale, Arizona hosted the NCAA Men’s Golf Championships. The format pits 30 teams in a stroke play competition to identify the top 8 teams that advance into a single elimination team match play tournament. Additionally, an Individual Champion is crowned after 72 holes of stroke play. Individuals from all the teams plus one individual from a team not advancing compete for the individual title. RJ Manke from UW did advance as an individual from the Stockton Region to compete as an individual. The stakes were high for RJ, as going into the tournament, he was ranked #6 on the PGA Tour University Rankings. The PGA Tour University Rankings is an Order of Merit for NCAA Seniors providing the top 5 a direct exemption onto the Korn Ferry Tour, and for players 6-15 a direct exemption onto an international PGA Tour (Canada or Latin America). Additionally, the top 5 players receive an exemption to the final stage of Korn Ferry Q School. When the dust had settled, RJ finished tied for 15th, good enough to place him #4 on the PGA Tour University Ranking and an automatic place on the Korn Ferry Tour! The team championship featured the top 8 ranked teams in the country, so the cream rose to the top. 4 of the 8 teams in the finals are teams that will participate in next year’s SPC – Arizona State, Texas, Oklahoma State, and defending National Champions – Pepperdine. The competition was amazing, the matches were tight, with Arizona State, Texas, Vanderbilt, and Pepperdine advancing to the semifinals. In the semi-finals, Arizona State narrowly defeated Pepperdine, and Texas took care of Vanderbilt, leaving Arizona State and Texas as the two teams left standing. In the finals, Texas took an early lead in the matches and looked to be in control most of the day. ASU rallied several late matches to make it come down to the last hole in the 2nd to last match, but it was too little, too late for the Sun Devils, as the Texas Longhorns took home the title. This year’s event featured many SPC alumni playing starring roles for their teams: • Cameron Sisk, Mason Anderson, and James Leow for ASU • Joe Highsmith (SPC Champ 2019), Derek Hitchener and Dylan Menante for Pepperdine • Cole Hammer for Texas If you like golf – you need to watch this event every year – these young men are playing for their schools with incredible passion. Next up is the summer Amateur calendar for the best amateurs in the world – It is a good life for these kids! Sincerely, Kevin White SPC Tournament Chair
Member Inspired Events and Meetups
9 & Wine News We had 8 golfers that braved the cold rains to play 4 holes before we retired to food & wine on our May 26th event. A fun time for all while meeting new friends . Please join us in June where we hope for sunny weather !
Mahjong Have you ever wanted to learn to play Mahjong? Please join us and learn one of the worlds oldest games. It’s never too late to learn something new. We start with lunch at 11:00 on Wednesdays followed by Mahjong. Contact Patricia Domine at 425-241-8506 or p_domine@hotmail.com to RSVP or for more information.
FATHER'S DAY
BBQ SUNDAY JUNE 19TH GOLF, BEER AND BBQ – THAT’S WHAT DADS WANT FOR FATHER’S DAY! OUR BBQ BUFFET DINNER WILL BE SERVED FROM 5PM-8:30PM AND INCLUDES FREE BEER FOR ALL DADS. $39.95 FOR ADULTS, $16.95 FOR KIDS 7-12 $9.95 FOR KIDS 3-6 RESERVATIONS@SAHALEE.COM
MIXOLOGY CLASS Saturday June 11th $40/person 4pm – 6pm Have you ever wanted to make a cocktail at home but didn’t have the right ingredients, equipment or know-how? Let Matt, our mixologist extraordinaire, teach you how to mix a perfect, well balanced drink with some hands on training. Appetizers will be served and you get to drink the awesome cocktails you mix! reservations@sahalee.com
Our new Executive Chef-Adrian Sibug Adrian comes with over a decade of fine dining and hospitality experience having spent 15 years of his culinary career working at JOEY Restaurant Group. Adrian started his career training in the Japanese culinary arts helping manage a family-owned sushi restaurant, where he learned the importance of technique and quality ingredients. During his time as Head Chef at JOEY, Adrian had the opportunity to travel on-assignment to experience new culinary techniques from some of the most talented chefs around the world, allowing him to expand his cultural horizons and add diverse flavors and exciting recipes to his repertoire. Adrian’s travels have left him long-lasting memories and unforgettable experiences like preparing a family-style dinner with local chefs for a small village in Lisbon, preparing paella from freshly caught seafood in Barcelona, hand-crafting fresh pasta in Tuscany and sourcing spices from the local markets of Marrakesh. Having grown up in a Filipino household, where food is the center of all celebrations, Adrian is looking forward to bringing his culinary pedigree to create memorable dining experiences for Sahalee members and guests.
Photo at right: Chef Adrian donated a culinary experience for six at the Bridge of Promise auction.