March 2023

Published by Woodbridge Golf & Country Club 950 E Woodbridge Rd, Woodbridge, CA 95258 Digital version available at www.woodbridgegcc.net

Officers

President Cody Diede | VP Mark Berry | Treasurer Nolan Person | Secretary Danny Miladinovich | Past President Nick Salvetti

Directors

Stan Demski, Dan Grauman, Greg Kozlowski, Chris Phelps, Laura Reeves, Josh Sturman

Club Contacts

Thomas Schunn, General Manager 263-0113 | tsschunn@woodbridgegcc.com

Questions about this publication should be directed to Kristine Roberson, 263-0115 or kroberson@woodbridgegcc.com

MARCH

BY TOM SCHUNN GENERAL MANAGER

Retention

FROM THE GM’S DESK

Membership & Marketing Director Kristine Roberson 263-0115 | kroberson@woodbridgegcc.com

Office Manager Evelyn Chinchiolo 263-0116 | elchinchiolo@woodbridgegcc.com

Human Resources Manager Mindy Adolf 263-0114 | madolf@woodbridgegcc.com

Administration Office 334-5454 x 100

Events Manager Jessica Johnstone 263-0121 | jjohnstone@woodbridgegcc.com

Food & Beverage Supervisor Kelley Mori 263-0133 | kmori@woodbridgegcc.com

Cafe 263-0133 | Private Events 263-0121

Head Golf Professional John Hughes, PGA 368-2685 | jhughes@woodbridgegcc.com

Class A Golf Course Super. Kurtis Wolford 368-9040 | kwolford@woodbridgegcc.com

Player Development Professional Ryan Williams 369-2371 | rawilliams@woodbridgegcc.com

Golf Shop/Tee Times 369-2371

Fitness Center 370-6330

Tennis Professional Mauricio Achondo, USPTA 327-5659 | machondo@woodbridgegcc.com

Tennis Professional Haley Marais, USPTA 275-5158 | hmarais@woodbridgegcc.com

Tennis/ Court Reservations 370-6330

You have likely heard it is easier to retain a customer as opposed to attempting to gain another customer. This is also true in the club industry when referring to members. It is much easier to keep a member in comparison to recruiting a new member. It is also costlier to recruit. My belief is the best way to retain members is to continually improve services and to add amenities. The Club has recently rolled out some great new amenities. The fitness center is a momentous example. It is a member service that did not previously exist. It was a brilliant project to driving a future trajectory. Outdoor dining areas have been added. Outdoor dining is now amazingly popular. The back Courtyard Patio is a charming location, and it is used extensively for member events. The Founders Café Patio with the new pergola is a attractive area to dine and gaze out on the pristine property. This is especially true at the end of the day with the sun setting in the west. Also, worthy of mention is the new practice golf facility. It is world class. It rivals any other private practice facility in the area.

Recruitment

On the other side of the coin is recruitment. I believe wholeheartedly that it is a member’s obligation to recruit other members in order to create a sustainable organization. Purely retaining members is not a long-term sustainable model. I will refrain from explaining further. It is altogether necessary to replace those that leave for all various reasons. It is worthy to mention that your Club was immersed in employee recruitment in the months following COVID operating restrictions. It was a national story about the worker shortage. It even had its own buzz phrase called the great resignation. The Club got through that period of time, and now there is more of a focus on employee retention. We want to retain the most talented and enthusiastic staff. The aforementioned new amenities were solid tools that contributed to membership recruitment. The Club continues to attract new member families even during periods of time that historically are cyclically really slow. You have hopefully heard about the Legacy Program. The very busiest time for membership applications is in early spring. Please help your Club achieve its membership recruitment goals and refer any prospectives to Director of Membership, Marketing & Communications Kristine Roberson.

Inflation

The prices for goods and services across the entire country have become outrageously expensive. It is hard for many families to make ends meet even for just the essentials. The Club experienced cost increases in seemingly every area. The increased costs impacted the 2022 financial performance. Possibly the largest increases came in the way of food prices. Households experienced high inflation when going to the grocery store and to restaurants. Increases were also prevalent in utilities and fuel. Fuel prices also impacted things such as fertilizer and other materials used in golf course maintenance. There was

also wage inflation. Since 2020, payroll expenses have increased significantly, not just headcount through expanded services, but also minimum wage, middle tier, and management compensation. All this said, we are operating under a new budget. Management is committed to operating within that budget. Members experienced increases in dues and fees. It should be expected. It is also understood that with those increases there should be an elevation of quality; management is working diligently in this area.

Contribution

I finally would like to share with you some specific information of what best contributes to your Club’s financial health. There are certain activities that are positive forces to the Club’s overall finances. Already mentioned and absolutely paramount, membership retention and recruitment protect the most important inflows of revenue, namely dues! The dues income line should be a reflection of the payroll and benefits costs. The initiation fees are also important and the primary source of capital expenditure funding. Discretionary spending is another critical contributor to club financial health, but certain discretionary spending is more beneficial to finances than other spending. It depends on the costs and overhead to provide for that spend. Food and beverage have high costs to deliver. Banquet and event income, on the other hand, does highly contribute to the bottom line. There are all sorts of reasons for this. One for you to know, during a cocktail hour the total sales might equate to three days of daily bar sales. You can guess which is more profitable. Rentals are another source of valuable revenue. This would be cart rental, room rental, locker rental and other rentals. Guest fees are an notably impactful source of club financial health. Bringing guests to the Club has the harder to quantify, but clearly a huge benefit, of promoting membership to prospective members. Bringing it all back around to the earlier information, membership recruitment and retention are the top priority. Please contribute to the Club as much as you possibly can to keep your Club healthy. It truly is YOUR Club when it comes down to it, so keep looking out for its well-being. See you around Woodbridge soon!

the Gift of Legacyfor you & your family

Woodbridge Golf & Country Club is known in our community as a welcoming family club. We are proud of this legacy, and it is because of this long-standing value that we are opening membership to your children, grandchildren and immediate family through the Gift of Legacy.

For a limited-time, the Gift of Legacy program allows you to offer any of our Woodbridge memberships to your children, grandchildren or immediate family with no upfront Initiation Fee, with a two-year commitment to membership. Our families, who are just heading down their chosen career paths and starting families of their own, want a Woodbridge membership, but the Initiation Fee is very likely a barrier of entry for them. The 2023 Legacy Program will allow them to join your Club with no upfront costs, now through March 31, 2023.

Also through March 31, 2023, current members can upgrade their memberships to a higher category for no upgrade fee, providing they sign a new two-year commitment to membership!

See Kristine in the Membership Office for more information!

Friday Dinners are back

Our Dinner Menu runs each Friday night, 5-8pm. Reservations are highly recommended, and can be made online using the QR code.

BY KRISTINE ROBERSON MEMBERSHIP DIRECTOR

BOARD UPDATES & Spring Time Happenings

Coming soon to all proprietary members — the 2023 Perks Packs are back! The Board of Directors approved this program at its meeting last month. For Full Golf, Single Golf and Young Professional members, these are vouchers in our system allowing you to bring up to four Golf guests this year, as well as up to 12 Sports guests this year. That’s a potential savings of $460 (if your bringing guests to golf on the weekends)! If you’re not in one of the above categories, but are considering upgrading, don’t forget this is your final month to be able to upgrade for no additional upgrade fee (with a two-year commitment). We had five members upgrade last month... who’s next?

March is also the final month of our 2023 Legacy Program. This program waives the initiaiton fee for new members who are relatives of existing members. Do you have a brother, sister, daughter, son, granddaughter, grandson, mother or father interested in joining the Club? Send them my way ASAP before the program ends!

Also approved at the last Board of Directors meeting was the 2023 Business Plan. The Board indicated it would like to see the plan posted on our website for members to review. Look for that plan (it’s a hefty one!) on the website this month.

In other Board updates, we talked about improving our outside services for Golf, as well as surveying our members on dining at the Club. You should have already received the online survey via email from me, but if you missed it, please let us know.

March marks the start of Spring, and the start of lots of social activites at the Club. Tennis has a Round Robin this month, and each month through the Spring. We’ve already had our Men’s Golf Kickoff and this month the guys will be playing in a St Patrick’s Scramble on Mar 11. In Food & Beverage, we are offering a special St Patrick’s Day Dinner on Mar 17 (see page 14). Then, on Mar 23, we have a special Oak Farms Wine Dinner. The menu will be posted soon, but will be gluten-free!

March is also Spring Break for the local littles! Don’t let them die of boredom — sign them up for one or both of our Spring Camps, Mar 21-24. See the Golf Shop for Jr Golf Camp, and Fitness Center for Jr Tennis Camp.

Looking ahead to April, our Master’s Menu last year was a big hit, so we are bringing that back Apr 5-9. Our annual Easter Egg Hunt — always scheduled the Sunday prior to Easter — is on Apr 2, while our Easter Day Brunch is on Apr 9 (Easter Sunday). Both events are now online and taking reservations! Don’t delay on either one of these events — they sell out every year!

A new event in April is our Administrative Professionals Day Luncheon. Why not treat your office or administrative staff to lunch at the Club on Wed, Apr 26? Look for details on this new event soon!

FEBRUARY’S

New Members

Ashley Rotner

Sponsor: P Johnson

Category: Sports

Andrew Cooper

Sponsor: Cooper

Category: Young Professional

Carl Nahigian

Sponsor: Nahigian

Category: Young Professional Justin Boyle

Sponsor: A Atwood

Category: Proprietary

Travis McRoberts

Sponsor: A Atwood

Category: Proprietary

Steven McRoberts

Sponsor: A Atwood

Category: Proprietary

BY RYAN WILLIAMS PLAYER DEVELOPMENT PROFESSIONAL

A TREATISE ON BUNKERS March’s Tip of the Month

Few shots separate higher handicaps from scratch players like greenside bunker shots. While watching golf broadcasts on television, the commentators will make statements like, “She will be happy the ball found the bunker rather than the rough.” Many of you may respond rightfully confused. How can someone prefer to be in a place that inspires great anxiety in many golfers?

The truth is, with proper technique, you have a greater margin for error on a greenside bunker shot than any other shot in golf. Without proper technique, you have arguably a smaller margin for error than any shot you might face. So, what is the proper technique? There are 3 parts to my treatise on bunkers. Run through the checklist and see which parts you fit and which you are missing!

Part 1: The 4 Good Words

1. Wide: take a wide stance (at least as wide as you would with a driver)

a. A wide stance provides more stability to allow the club to hit the same spot in the sand easier

2. Open: turn the clubface to where it faces the sky, then take your grip (Never reverse that order)

a. an open face allows the club to glide through the sand rather than dig

3. Full: make a swing closer to full than a normal chip shot

a. This gives the club enough speed to go through the sand

4. Smooth: A bunker shot should be a long rhythmic motion

a. Once you start to trust the club going through the sand, your fast and anxious swings will go away

Part 2: Stay on the Stool

Pretend you’re sitting on the worst stool in the world: it has only one leg that’s cracked at the top and, if you were to move your rear end aggressively, it would break and you would fall. We must remember that greenside bunker shots require the club to hit the sand before the ball.

If you apply the legwork that makes golfers successful on full swing shots, it will result in ball-first contact in a bunker; in other words, the most destructive result possible. Keep the image of “staying on the stool” to get consistent with where the club strikes the sand.

By the way, if the clubface is sufficiently open and you are making a big enough swing, you have about a four-inch window where the club can enter the sand. Name another shot so great a margin for error!

Part 3: Send Sand Where You Want the Ball to Go

The last section of the bunker treatise is the most “feel” oriented and has to do with controlling the distance of the shot. It’s also what I would recommend you focus on while actually playing a bunker shot on the course. Simply imagine that you are sending sand to the flag. Let your athleticism take over the way it would if you were playing catch or shooting hoops.

Flags cut further away from you require less speed and energy than those cut close. Toy around with how much “effort” your expending when hitting bunker shots to improve distance control. On bunker shots longer than 30 yards or so, experiment with using a less-lofted club.

Now, where do you fit within these fundamentals? Maybe you do some parts well but needed the missing piece. Still uncertain? Feel free to schedule a bunker lesson anytime or take part in our seasonal Short Game Clinics!

BY JOHN HUGHES, PGA HEAD GOLF PROFESSIONAL

KICKOFF WINNERS & Golf Cart Policies

Congratulations

Golf

Single

Two

Three Players 2 Carts

Four Players 2 Carts

Five Players 3 Carts

Six Players 3 Carts

If a member (or guest) chooses to ride alone when there is a seat available in another cart, then an additional cart fee is charged.

If member (or guest) rides in a private cart with its owner, there is no cart fee charged.

Cart

Upcoming Golf Events

May

May

BY KRISTINE ROBERSON MEMBERSHIP DIRECTOR

CHALLENGE ACHIEVED!

Winners of the 2023 Fitness Challenge

In other Fitness Center news, we have reduced our spin bikes by four. With the data we have over the entire year last year, the highest-attended spin classes had 9 members. Selling the four bikes leaves us with 10 total, and plenty of scheduling space to add more spin classes should demand incrase. The sale of the four bikes allowed us to purchase a much-needed additional recumbant bike for the workout room. You’ll also notice this month a little rearranging — we want to maximize the usage of the spin room by moving the free

Who says hard work doesn’t pay off? Not us, and not all of our members who completed the Goal Getter Fitness Challenge! Members had to complete 30 workouts in six weeks!

Congratulations to: David Nefouse, Donita Copriviza, Bob Gross, Raquel Akers, Karen Peterson, Michelle Gaddy, Cynthia Bannon, Jenn Shoup (above left), Tristen Shoup (above left-center), Jay Anema (above right-center), Mark Massa (above right), and our Grand Prize Winner, Brook Reich, who also won the tshirt and water bottle, pictured left!

weights and benches in there. This should free up more space for our lifters!

Pool Update

Our pool heater was repaired last month! Thank you to all the swimmers who braved the cold water while we waited for replacement parts to be delivered and installed! And, as of this writing, we now have backstroke flags and are awaiting the poles to hold them. Next, we are starting to look at the 2023 swim season and its programming. Look for updates in the

next month!

Tennis Update

Haley and Mauricio have planned a fun first half of the year with round robins and a barbecue to kick off the summer. Keep watching the weekly news and the monthly Bulletin for details on all of these. Our first Round Robin was Sat, Mar 4, with about 14 members competing in the fun. The next one will be on Apr 29, and is Easter themed.

Magnolia is a silly, compassionate and determined 5 year old that enjoys playing tennis at Woodbridge Country Club, especially when she hits the ball at Ms. Haley! She loves her family, ice cream, playing dress up and make believe, reading books and exploring new places. She dislikes cheese, milk and anything scary. When she grows up she wants to be a Police Officer and a Police Officer Teacher.

JR TENNIS PLAYER OF THE MONTH

Pickleball: The Rise of America's Newest Obsession

Over the last few years, pickleball has been gaining popularity across America. This sport, which combines elements of tennis, badminton, and ping-pong, is played on a smaller court with a lower net and a paddle instead of a racket. It's easy to learn, low-impact, and can be played by people of all ages and skill levels.

Best of all, Woodbridge has two dedicated pickleball courts at the Sports Complex!

Part of the appeal of pickleball is its social aspect. It's often played in doubles, which means players can enjoy the game with friends or meet new people. Pickleball courts are popping up everywhere to accommodate the growing demand — I even noticed a pickleball resort in Los Barilles, Baja Mexico, while on vacation!

Pickleball has also gained attention from professional athletes and celebrities, such as Bill Gates and Justin Timberlake. In fact, there are now pickleball tournaments and leagues across the country, with thousands of players competing at all levels.

So what's behind the rise of pickleball? Some experts point to the aging population in America, who are looking for low-impact ways to stay active. Others attribute it to the sport's accessibility and social nature. Whatever the reason, it's clear that pickleball is here to stay.

Have you tried pickleball yet? If not, it might be time to give it a shot and see what all the fuss is about.

Here are some statistics about the growing popularity of pickleball in America:

• According to the Sports and Fitness Industry Association (SFIA), pickleball participation increased by 21.3 percent from 2019 to 2020, making it one of the fastest-growing sports in America.

• In 2019, there were an estimated 3.3 million pickleball players in the United States, and that number is expected to grow even more in the coming years.

• The USA Pickleball Association (USAPA) has reported more than 8,000 registered places to play pickleball across the country, including indoor and outdoor courts.

• While pickleball is popular among older adults, it is also gaining traction among younger generations, with 64 percent of players are under the age of 65 (USAPA).

• Pickleball is also becoming more competitive, with hundreds of sanctioned tournaments taking place each year, including the US Open Pickleball Championships, which had more than 2,200 participants in 2021. Could one of our own members be the next US champion?

Upcoming Tennis Events

Mark your calendars!

Mar 4: St Patricks Round Robin

noon-3

Apr 29: Easter Round Robin

noon-3

May 13: Mother’s Day Round Robin 9am-noon

June 3: Summer Kickoff Round Robin 9am-noon

June 16: Beer, Balls & Barbecue 9am-noon

BY KATHIE HOLTZAPPLE & BETH HANDEL 18-HOLE LADIES CO-CAPTAINS

Wet start to the yearDETAILS ON MEDALLION PLAY

When setting the 2023 Tournament Calendar, your Captains decided it would be fun to play some different games. To start it off, Jan 31 was scheduled at Match Play Day. Our field was small in number — as many members were on the Mexico Golf trip — but mighty in spirit. The players were flighted and set up to play against a player of similar index. As shown in the table below, many of the matches were tightly contested. Many thanks to Teresa for setting up the matches and tracking the results. More inter club Match Play Days to come.

The first tournament play on Feb 7 was slated to be played on the River/Lake. However, due to the River being closed, our Low Net tournament was held on Vineyard/Lake. The day was quite cold, but enough players hung in there, and we had a least one flight. The winners were: Kathie Holtzapple (73), winning a tie breaker over Cynthia Neely (73), and Patty Anderson third at 75.

On Feb 14, Valentines Day, our hostesses, Diane Gardemeyer, Anne Huyett, and Sondra Huff, showed us how to celebrate the day with our golfing buddies. Hats off to the ladies for creating a festive mood and providing fun prizes.

Winners of the event were:

1: Diane Gardemeyer, Anne Huyett & Sondra Huff

2: Kim D’Angelo, Dianne Wheeler & Cynthia Neely

3: Joy Sasaki, Chris Phelps & Linda Fyffe

Special Award Winners: Hilda Wentland & Cynthia Bannon

Closest to the Pin: Sondra Huff

February came in with the promise of nice golfing weather – would it last? We hoped so. So much that a couple of our members, Laura Reeves, Ginny Pelton and Melissa Krebill, decided to play. These ladies are hardy players, but even they had to call it quits after having been caught in a downpour of rain. You can only absorb so much water.

After the Valentines Party, I held the first meeting for the WWGA 2023 Invitational. The agenda for this meeting was to introduce the suggested theme for the event and to get an idea of who would be heading up the committees.

The theme for this year’s Invitational to be held June 14, 15 & 16, will be “Cruising” with Laura taking the lead for incorporating the theme into the activities. Cost of the event has not been determined as I am just beginning to work on the budget. We are planning a Wednesday-

evening cocktail party with a band, a horse race and the two-day eclectic tournament. More information to follow as it develops. insert 3 0f 70

Play on Feb 21 was brutal due to temperature — it was so cold. That means the winners deserve a major round of applause for posting the scores they did.

Flight 1: Flight 2:

1. Pamela Hughes 89 1. Cheri Firpo 98

2. Patty Anderson 91 2. Pat Kishida 107

3. Joy Sasaki 93 3. Sandi Small 108 Merlot Flight

1.Vicki Gallego 103

This tournament was also the first of seven designated as Medallion Play. Our Club has two Medallions from NCAG that we give out at the end of the year. The two players who have the lowest net score from 3 of the 7 play dates will be awarded the Medallions at year end.

Our last play date of the month will be a Blind Draw with Low Putts. Here’s hoping we don’t get rained out.

Check your Roster for happenings in March. If you haven’t received your 2023 WWGA booklet or the updated Roster, please contact Kathie Holtzapple.

SAVE THE DATE FOR THE INVITATIONAL

Hoping to stay dry.

Kathie

BY ARLEEN MATAGA FORE-TEE NINERS CAPTAIN

49er Update March Play Days

Hey Fore-Tee-Niners. The weather getting nicer and it’s good to get out, so come golf...Last month, we had such a fun Valentine's Party, thanks to Melissa Krebill who did all the planning, and helper, Kathy Cockayne. We had a fun set up on the Lake with all par 3s, thanks to the Golf Shop staff. Everyone thought they would do so much better, but it was still harder than we thought. Oh well, that's golf.

March Play

2 — Vineyard; Tee times, stroke

9 — River (If open); Tee times, stroke

FRIDAY, the 17th — Lake; St. Patrick's Day Party; 8:30am check in and snack, 8:50am shotgun, Merlot Tees Special play, 11:30am lunch set, no meeting. Or with no party planner, it will be stroke play. (18 holers will be playing that day also)

23 — Vineyard; Tee times, stroke

30 — Lake; GUEST DAY; check in 8:30am and snack, Merlot

Tees 9am shotgun. Low Putts

This is the first Guest Day for 2023. Invite someone. No green fees. You can invite someone with or without a handicap. Female or male. Low Putts for member category and guest category. Every last Thursday of the month until October is Guest Day, 8 of them. Start planning on have a different guest every month, show off our great club and courses.

Arleen

February Scores

Group 1 — Linda Fugazi and Eric Daegling 3550

Group 2 — Mariane Adams and Lee Furr 3350

Group 3 — Liza Kanemura and Mary Slate 3090

Please remember to post your make-up scores to remain in competition!

CHARITY BRIDGE

BY GEOFF SEIFERT EXECUTIVE CHEF

Building Better Burgers

Last month, I briefly talked about our multiple vendors, and where and how we use them. This month, I want to focus on Thomas Beef and our hamburgers at the Club. Currently, we use Thomas Beef for all of our hamburgers. The kids burger, the Woodbridge Burger, the Blue Burger and, my favorite, the Spicy Sunny Side. The beef grind is all Angus beef and because they’re a very small producer, some better cuts such as brisket and short rib get put in the grind. This gives the burger better texture and flavor than just a commodity grind. I order about 20lbs of kids burgers and 50lbs-70lbs of our 8oz burgers, weekly. Even in the slow times, the burgers here sell well.

I source the best-quality ingredients for our burgers, including sweet brioche buns. These buns hold up well to our big burgers, and we toast them with clarified butter we melt from 55lb blocks. We make our own 1000 Island or "Yum-Yum" sauce, with big chunks of egg and diced pickles to give more texture, and get our fresh produce from Produce Express. My favorite burger, the Spicy Sunny Side, with its housemade chipotle mayo, thick cut bacon, grilled Ortega chili, and sunnyside-up egg, hits all my favorite things. It's like a spicy breakfast burger!

This month, don't forget to check out our Oak Farm Wine Dinner on Mar 23, and the St. Patrick's Day Dinner Buffet on Mar 17. I hope to see everyone there.

Shrimp Boil Shots

The kitchen was busy last month cooking up a Cajun Shrimp Boil dinner!

Don’t miss our next member event — check out the calendar!

MARCH