Club + Resort Business October 2022

Oasis

Editorial EDITOR

Rob Thomas rthomas@wtwhmedia.com 216-316-5294 1111 Superior Ave., 26th Floor Cleveland, OH 44114

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Phil Keren pkeren@wtwhmedia.com 216-399-9069 cell

EDITOR

CLUB + RESORT CHEF Joanna DeChellis jdechellis@wtwhmedia.com 412-260-9233

SENIOR EDITOR

CLUB + RESORT CHEF Isabelle Gustafson igustafson@wtwhmedia.com 216-296-2041

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

Course + Grounds: Betsy Gilliland Jeff Bollig

Design + Renovation: Pamela Brill Food + Beverage: Marilyn Odesser-Torpey

Production services

CUSTOMER SERVICE MANAGER Stephanie Hulett shulett@wtwhmedia.com

CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE Jane Cooper jcooper@wtwhmedia.com

Leadership Team

MANAGING DIRECTOR Scott McCafferty smccafferty@wtwhmedia.com

CO/FOUNDER, VP SALES Mike Emich memich@wtwhmedia.com

EVP Marshall Matheson mmatheson@wtwhmedia.com

Sales Team

PUBLISHER John Petersen jpetersen@wtwhmedia.com 216-346-8790

SALES DIRECTOR Tony Bolla tbolla@wtwhmedia.com 773-859-1107

REGIONAL SALES MANAGER Ashley Burk aburk@wtwhmedia.com

REGIONAL SALES MANAGER Jake Bechtel jbechtel@wtwhmedia.com 440-465-1914

REGIONAL SALES MANAGER Patrick McIntyre pmcintyre@wtwhmedia.com 216-372-8112

Finance

CONTROLLER Brian Korsberg bkorsberg@wtwhmedia.com

ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE SPECIALIST Jamila Milton jmilton@wtwhmedia.com

Creative Services

VP, CREATIVE SERVICES Mark Rook mrook@wtwhmedia.com

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Erin Canetta ecanetta@wtwhmedia.com

ART DIRECTOR Matthew Claney mclaney@wtwhmedia.com

DIRECTOR, AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT Bruce Sprague bsprague@wtwhmedia.com

Events

EVENTS MANAGER Jen Osborne josborne@wtwhmedia.com

EVENTS MANAGER Brittany Belko bbelko@wtwhmedia.com

EVENT MARKETING SPECIALIST Olivia Zemanek ozemanek@wtwhmedia.com

Video Services

VIDEOGRAPHER Bradley Voyten bvoyten@wtwhmedia.com

VIDEOGRAPHER Garrett McCafferty gmccafferty@wtwhmedia.com

VIDEO EDITOR Kara Singleton ksingleton@wtwhmedia.com

Digital Media/Web/Development

VP, DIGITAL MARKETING Virginia Goulding vgoulding@wtwhmedia.com

DEVELOPMENT MANAGER

Dave Miyares dmiyares@wtwhmedia.com

SR. DIGITAL MEDIA MANAGER Pat Curran pcurran@wtwhmedia.com

DIGITAL MARKETING MANAGER Taylor Meade tmeade@wtwhmedia.com

DIGITAL PRODUCTION MANAGER Reggie Hall rhall@wtwhmedia.com

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DIGITAL PRODUCTION/ MARKETING DESIGNER Samantha King sking@wtwhmedia.com

VP STRATEGIC INITIATIVES Jay Hopper jhopper@wtwhmedia.com

WEBINAR COORDINATOR Halle Kirsh hkirsh@wtwhmedia.com

WEBINAR COORDINATOR Kim Dorsey kdorsey@wtwhmedia.com

SUBSCRIPTION

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U.P. Up and Away

I RECENTLY JOINED A GROUP of golf writers on a FAM trip to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. The impetus for the trip was the Island Resort & Casino’s $33 million expansion that included 138 additional hotel rooms, a steakhouse, a pool area with water park features, and four new elevators. Read all about it on page 12.

General Manager Tony Mancilla says the new wing and amenities were “developed out of necessity.”

“Our demand and backlog of guests who wanted to get in on the weekends had become overwhelming,” he says.

If the line at registration on a Wednesday night was any indication, I can see where Mancilla was coming from.

ABOUT THE TRIP

Getting to the resort isn’t easy (it took three flights from Cleveland, Ohio, for instance), but if you’re a golfer, I promise it’s worth the effort. Flying into Delta County Airport in Escanaba, Mich. is the closest route, but you can also fly into Sawyer International Airport near Marquette, Mich. or even Austin Straubel International Airport in Green Bay, Wis.

Once at the Island Resort & Casino, try your luck at some Vegas-style gaming, go for a swim at Splash Island or enjoy a relaxing massage at the Drift Spa. I’m not much of a gambler, so I grabbed a burger and fries at The Reef while I waited for my room to be ready.

That night with the group, I saw poutine on the menu and had always wanted to try it but passed. If you’re not familiar with poutine, it traces its origin to Quebec and is basically french fries and cheese curds topped with a brown gravy. Sounds delicious, but very unhealthy.

Round 1 of the trip took us to Timber Stone Golf Course at Pine Mountain

Resort in Iron Mountain. As mentioned, the Upper Peninsula is pretty remote, so Timber Stone and Greywalls Golf Course at the Marquette Golf Club partnered with the Island Resort to create a stayand-play package to entice out-of-town visitors.

Designed by Jerry Matthews, who recently passed away, Timber Stone is a classic mountain course with challenging holes that weave between towering trees. As a bonus, dinner that night was at Famers Restaurant at the Pine Mountain Resort—home of the Upper Peninsula’s Sports Hall of Fame. The memorabilia was terrific, as was the poutine (I couldn’t resist)!

Round 2 took us up to Marquette for Greywalls. This Mike DeVries beauty boasts dramatic elevation changes, striking rock outcroppings and amazing views of Lake Superior and Pictured Rocks.

Back at the Island Resort & Casino for

Rounds 3 and 4, it was a 36-hole day with Sage Run leading us off and Sweetgrass as the capper. Matt Sly, Sage Run’s Golf Course Superintendent, describes the pair as “two completely different styles. Sweetgrass is highly manicured, and Sage Run is rough and rugged.”

This was my first go-around on Sage Run, but I had played Sweetgrass a few times in my previous life as a PR professional. Having been unsuccessful on three different attempts to hit the signature island green (by a combined total of about three feet), I’m happy to report that my tee shot this time stayed dry … barely.

Paul Albanese of Albanese & Lutzke designed both courses and did a masterful job of provided two stunningly different experiences within a 15-minute drive.

My job as editor of C+RB has taken me to some wonderful clubs, but participating in a FAM trip is a unique experience. While I get to see behind-the-scenes on club visits—from kitchens to maintenance buildings—a FAM trip allows me to experience the properties from the eye of a member or guest. In this case, a guest in a rugged and picturesque part of the United States a lucky few from around the country get to enjoy.

Rob Thomas rthomas@wtwhmedia.com

“The impetus for the trip was the Island Resort & Casino’s $33 million expansion that included 138 additional hotel rooms, a steakhouse, and a pool area with water park features.”

America Is Experiencing Pickleball Fever

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL IN the 1980s had a promotional campaign with the tagline, “Baseball Fever. Catch It.” In the 2020s, there could be a new ad blitz showing people of all ages chasing and hitting a plastic ball with a paddle on a smaller version of a tennis court. This time, the catch phrase could be “Pickleball Fever. Catch It.”

Pickleball, a combination of tennis, ping-pong and badminton, is now the fastest-growing sport in America. The popularity of the game rose during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 when many people were looking for a new activity that they could enjoy at a safe distance. Membership in USA Pickleball—The National Governing Body for the sport—increased by 43% from 2020 to 2021. That’s the largest one-year increase in the organization’s history, per usapickleball.org. The number of pickleball players grew by 14.8% from 2020 to 2021 and there are now 4.8 million pickleball players in the U.S., according to the 2022 Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) Single Sport Report on Pickleball. The number of players grew by 21.3% from 2019 to 2020.

The sport has also clearly caught on with people of all ages. The average age of all pickleball players declined by 2.9 years to 38.1 in 2021, according to usapickleball.org. However, the average age of more serious players trends higher: The average age of Core players (defined as people who play eight or more times annually) is 47.9, while the average age of Casual players (people who play less than eight times per year) is 34.3.

While I have yet to grab a paddle myself, it seems that one reason for pickleball’s appeal is that it is not as physically demanding as tennis. For a couple years at an earlier point in my adult life, I played a decent amount of tennis. The game is fun, but it’s exhausting and causes a lot of aches and pains. It looks

like you still get plenty of exercise playing pickleball, but you don’t have to cover as much ground as you do in tennis. As a result, it certainly seems that people can continue playing the game for a much longer period of time than tennis. This actually makes pickleball more similar to another sport that thrived during the pandemic, golf.

Many country clubs are responding to these trends by building pickleball courts and/or converting some of their tennis courts into pickleball courts. There is an efficiency element at play, too. Pickleball does not require as much space as tennis does. While researching this column, I learned that four pickleball courts can fit in the area occupied by one tennis court.

A quick survey of stories that have appeared in Club + Resort Business during the past couple years found many examples of clubs building pickleball courts. Commercial real estate entrepreneurs Brian and Valerie McCarthy, along with business partner Matthew Gordon, are investing $180 million-plus to construct at least 15 private indoor private pickleball clubs. The McCarthys are the founders of The Pickleball Club, which is constructing a site in Sarasota, Fla. that will have 12 indoor courts, two outdoor courts, a retail shop and cafe in a 33,000-sq.-ft. facility.

Meanwhile, Hunters Run Country Club in Boynton Beach, Fla. recently added eight more pickleball courts, bringing its total number to 12. Vineyards Country Club in Naples, Fla. added three more courts, bringing its total number to six.

Sea Pines Resort in Hilton Head Island, S.C. built six courts.

Clearly, pickleball has a bright future, and country clubs can offer appealing pickleball facilities to attract more members. I am interested in hearing from country club general managers about pickleball. If you don’t have pickleball courts now, are you thinking about building some at your facility? If you have tennis courts, are you thinking about repurposing some of those courts into pickleball courts? If you already have pickleball courts at your site, are you planning to build more?

I’m also interested in how the increase in pickleball offerings at clubs will impact the tennis offerings at clubs over the long-term. I wonder whether the two racquet sports can co-exist at clubs, or will there be a tipping point when pickleball overwhelms tennis? Perhaps that’s already happened.

If you’re a club general manager who would like to share some thoughts on these questions, drop me a line at pkeren@wtwhmedia.com. If I receive enough responses, I will share those in an upcoming column. I look forward to hearing from you.

Phil Keren • Associate Editor pkeren@wtwhmedia.com

CORNERING NEW MEMBERS

By Chris Baird • Director of Sales & Marketing Cutalong at Lake Anna • Mineral, Va.

NO MATTER WHERE YOU get your golf news—the Internet, social media, print magazine—you will notice we are in a new era in golf. Rival tours, equipment innovations, younger, bulkier players, and a more vibrant and festive feel in the game. The days of persimmon woods, 6,500-yard championship courses and metal spikes seem like ancient history.

Also changing with the times is the private golf landscape. Traditional clubs continue to thrive by adhering to rules and standards that make this game so great. However, newer clubs are popping up and making waves by offering something fresh and up-to-speed with the modern demands of the prospective member.

Cutalong at Lake Anna is a private golf club located in Mineral, Va. Although Lake Anna is the main attraction, the Tom Clark-designed championship golf course has taken the area by storm with its popularity. Lake Anna alone attracts well over a million visitors a year and is slowly becoming a primary residence to many families looking to retreat from the suburbs.

Director of Golf Brady Noland and I have been at Cutalong since day one. We grew up living alongside Lake Anna, so when it came to figuring out ways to attract membership, we devised some very interesting ideas involving our community.

Being in the very beginning stages of the development, Cutalong has fostered relationships with local vendors to host member socials and outings. One of the most successful ways we were able to grow membership was to partner with a local social group that conducts a cornhole tournament at one of the local breweries.

We then invited the club’s current members to this tournament, where we grilled burgers, provided

drinks, music and socialized. The idea of this cornhole tournament was for current members of Cutalong to interact with potential members in attendance.

Overall, the cornhole tournament was a success and we were able to grow our membership tremendously through this outing. Combining our current members with potential members in one large social setting, while also enjoying cornhole, was huge. It allowed everyone to mingle, and potential members to ask questions about the club from a member’s point of view.

While we anticipate having our first building for social events coming online in 2023, we still enjoy hosting events at local venues. Another highlighted event was a viewing party for The Masters Tournament at a local orchard. Members were encouraged to bring their friends out, mingle, enjoy hors d’ouerves and submit a golf pick ’em pool to win prizes.

Lake Anna is a very tightknit community, and with the great support of our initial members, it will only help the growth of our membership.

“ One of the most successful ways we were able to grow membership was to partner with a local social group that conducts a cornhole tournament at one of the local breweries.”

CULTURE, TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT: REDEFINING THE ROLE OF HUMAN RESOURCES

Don Emery • General Manager

Grey Oaks Country Club

• Naples, Fla.

HUMAN RESOURCES HAS LONG held the reputation of “work police” or a place employees are sent when they’ve done something wrong. To the detriment of our industry, this perception is no different within private clubs. Fortunately, it doesn’t need to stay this way.

Imagine a work environment that advo cates first for the employee ... and encour ages and facilitates personal and profes sional staff development. The human resources function has a direct impact not only on organizational performance but also on employee behavior and attitudes. Club management must assess how the HR department serves its employees in order to attract and retain the best employees.

In 2021, following an extensive review and comprehensive analysis, Grey Oaks Country Club initiated a complete transformation of the HR department. With assistance from workforce strategist Eric Swenson, CEO of Symmetry HR Outsourcing and Tanzanite Leadership Development, we revamped the role, structure, location and even name of human resources.

“At the best places to work, HR advises managers and develops employees and culture. Many companies, including almost all the private clubs I’ve worked with, do it backwards. Managers refer problem employees to HR for handling. It needs to be just the opposite: managers need to be managing employees with guidance from HR,” says Swenson.

Grey Oaks’ new Culture, Training and Development department was relocated from a small, dark, windowless space to an expansive area with a lakeside view. Floorto-ceiling windows, as well as glass doors, created an open, inviting space, as did the

natural lighting and Grey Oaks branding and imagery covering the walls. An employee resource center and conference room were also placed in the large space.

“It’s more than a name or location change” Swenson says. There’s a significant culture shift that has to take place throughout the organization, and it starts with the managers and department heads.”

As Director of Culture, Training and Development, Hannah Tynion and her team immediately embraced the new philosophy and implemented the following programs.

Manager Onboarding Program: All newly hired managers and directors complete a required onboarding program where they hold in-depth meetings with each club department head and discuss opportunities and challenges within the organization.

Continuing Education Program: The Grey Oaks leadership team tailors educational opportunities for each employee. For example, employees who express an interest in obtaining a job-related certification or those who could benefit from attending a particular industry conference are encouraged to register and participate to further their education and skill set.

Ambassador Program: Educational sessions provided by this program focus on the club’s history and purpose, answering questions such as:

• Why was the club founded?

• What type of environment did its founders hope to create for its members?

• Why does the club follow certain traditions?

Rotational Internship Program: Top uni versity students from hospitality programs

across the country are invited to join the club’s internship program, where they have the opportunity to work alongside employees and managers in multiple departments.

With all of these changes, a significant paradigm shift has occurred at Grey Oaks as the Culture, Training, and Develop department space has become a sanctuary for employees. Team members stop in to say hello, share their concerns or feedback and seek guidance from the department team. They find they relate to one or all members of the team, which reassures them that their concerns are heard and valued. Employees have also recently expressed their long-term intentions with the club and many have begun charting their career trajectory within the manage ment team. By empowering the employees and shifting our focus to developing the whole individual, we are giving them the confidence to succeed and the opportunity to grow within Grey Oaks.

As the saying goes, “Rome wasn’t built in a day.” Any transformative change that is worthwhile will take time. Particularly in the private club industry, our business success is predicated on people. The impact such a change to the human resources department will have on your staff will carry outward, strengthening and enhancing the entire club from the inside out.

Don Emery is an experienced executive leader with expertise in managing luxury private clubs. He currently serves as general manager of Grey Oaks Country Club, a nationally recognized premier private golf, sports and wellness club in Naples, Fla.

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For additional details, visit: www.clubandresortbusiness.com

THE MYTH OF CONSISTENCY

By Matt Kilgariff

ONE THING I HEAR FROM players who want to improve their game is that they want to become more consistent. They share that one day they play well and the next they play like a different player. Somehow in their minds they believe that they should shoot close to the same score every day, if not better. At a minimum, they think the range should be very tight.

It is likely that this perception is a product of the “seemingly” consistent play of the world’s top players that we see regularly on television. However, if you look at the numbers in detail, you realize how inconsistent all of us really are.

Look no further than histograms (right) that chart the performance of the top two players on Tour last season, Scottie Scheffler and Cameron Smith.

Like all of us, their scores collect around an average and fan out over a wide range, much wider than most of us realize. For instance, there was a 14-stroke range between Scottie’s best and worst round last year (62-76). Cam Smith had a 13-stroke difference between his best and worst (64-77).

These are two of the most “consistent” players on the planet. So, it is reasonable to expect that we mere mortals should have a slightly wider range of scores. Most people score about 90% of their rounds in a 12-stroke range.

Sheer randomness can often account for a five-stroke swing either way, before you even factor in the quality of your play on a particular day. Remember that plugged lie in a bunker, a bounce off a cart path into a bush, or better yet, an extra 50 yards down the hole in a good lie with a clear shot? These are the types of things we often overlook at the end of the round, but they may drastically impact our score. This is the nature of golf, and why no

golfer is truly consistent.

It is easy to look at good rounds, while completely overlooking good breaks or shots we “got away with.” Most of us do not play enough rounds in a year to get a genuinely good sample size to mea sure our performance. Therefore, it is important to not worry excessively about performance and enjoy the day.

I recommend tracking simple metrics over a period of 20 rounds. This will allow you to get valuable data to evaluate. Track simple things such as fairways hit, greens in regulation and number of putts. This method may not be exact, but is a terrific way to get a good picture of your game over a measured period.

There are several great tools out there now that can help you get more information out of your game and figure out your best opportunity to improve. The ones I like are Decade Golf (birdiefire.com), and MyTaylorMade+ app (taylormadegolf.com). Give them a try. I know they will help you lower you handicap and turn your weaknesses into strengths in your game.

Matt Kilgariff is a PGA professional who spent much of his career working for Butch Harmon and the Harmon Family. He is currently the Director of Player Development at The Bridges at Rancho Santa Fe in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif. Prior to joining The Bridges, Kilgariff was Director of Player Development at The Olympic Club in San Francisco. Matt has also been part of TaylorMade’s National Advisory Staff since 2012.

Unspoiled U.P. Oasis

MICHIGAN’S UPPER PENINSULA has long been a bastion for outdoor enthusiasts. From hunting and fishing to dogsleds and snowmobiles, this remote location is both rugged and beautiful.

In the heart of it all, sits the Island Resort & Casino, owned and operated by the Hannahville Indian Community, a federally recognized Potawatomi Indian Tribe. General Manager Tony Mancilla says the Harris, Mich. resort caters to every taste.

“We have a large number of entertainment options with great packages for each different customer,” he says. “Gaming packages, golf packages, spa and entertainment packages … All with 454 hotel rooms and four dining options.”

A growing demand drove the Island Resort & Casino in Harris, Mich. to complete a $33 million expansion, adding 138 guest rooms and suites, a steakhouse, and family water attraction.

By Rob Thomas, Editor

Photo Courtesy Island Resort & Casino

What began as a modest bingo hall in the early 1980s has grown into Vegasstyle gaming tables, an expansive slots floor, poker rooms and world-class entertainment in a 1,315-seat showroom.

AT A GLANCE:

ISLAND RESORT & CASINO

Harris, Mich.

www.islandresortandcasino.com

Guest Rooms/Suites: 454

Showroom: 1,315 Seats

Convention Center: 13,000 sq. ft.

Rounds Played: 36,000

Sweetgrass: Opened 2008

Sage Run: Opened 2019

General Manager: Tony Mancilla

Director of Golf: Dave Douglas

Golf Course Superintendent: John Holberton (Sweetgrass)

Golf Course Superintendent: Matt Sly (Sage Run)

Director of Food & Beverage: Stephen Gakstatter

Marketing Director: Rachel Sattem

What began as a modest bingo hall in the early 1980s has grown into a full-scale casino and entertainment hub. In addition to table games, bingo, poker, and a Vegas-style slot floor, the resort boasts a state-of-the-art, 1,315-seat theatre-style Island Showroom that features world-class entertainment and headline acts.

In 2007, the Palm Tower opened, offering overnight guests a place to stay and play. A year later, the 18-hole Sweetgrass golf course ushered in a new era. Sister course, Sage Run, made its official debut in 2019.

EXPANSIVE EXPANSION

The resort completed a $33 million expansion to cap 2021. The new hotel, which opened on New Year’s Eve, is connected to the south end of the current 11-story Palm Tower. The addition features 138 guest rooms and suites, the Horizons Steakhouse, located on the top floor, and the resort’s new family water attraction, Splash Island.

The new rooms boast modern furnishings, décor and technology with views of the Sweetgrass golf course and Northern Michigan forests. Guest room offerings include specialized Golf and Spa Suites featuring a luxury experience

“We budgeted $33 million for 138 hotel rooms, a seafood and steakhouse, a pool area with water park features and four new elevators,” he says. “The total came in at $31.5 million. We were able to procure our materials and labor prior to the pandemic and worked during those months.”

— Tony Mancilla General Manager

with hot tubs and a unique option of getting in-room massages. There are also 34 rooms that can be converted into 17 family-style suites for people who want to bring children to the new waterpark and pool area.

“This expansion is a fantastic addition for us,” Mancilla said at the time of the opening. “It was developed out of necessity. Our demand and backlog of guests who wanted to get in on the weekends had become overwhelming.”

Mancilla says the project took two years, from planning to completion … and it came in on time and under budget.

“We budgeted $33 million for 138 hotel rooms, a seafood and steakhouse, a pool area with water park features and four new elevators,” he says. “The total came in at $31.5 million. We were

The $33-million addition of the 11-story Palm Tower in 2021 included 138 guest rooms and suites, as well as the Horizons Steakhouse, which is located on the top floor with views of Sweetgrass Golf Course and the Northern Michigan forests.

able to procure our materials and labor prior to the pandemic and worked during those months.”

Mancilla says the Tribe hired “a great general contractor,” met on a bi-weekly basis and the project went as scheduled. A few specialty items took some extra time to get but did not delay the opening. Next up? Leadership is looking at the convention center and a need for more square footage.

ON THE GREENS

The expansion provides an added perk for golfers with the luxuri ous Golf Suites. The 675-sq.ft. suites are complete with a king, double queen, sleeper sofas and a common area, all with views of the Sweetgrass Golf Course. Perfect for foursomes looking for added space and a fun environment.

The award-winning Sweetgrass Golf Course (above), which was designed by the firm of Albanese-Lutzke and opened in 2008, was joined by Sage Run Golf Course in 2019. Also designed by Paul Albanese and Chris Lutzke, Sage Run offers a rough-andrugged alternative to the manicured Sweetgrass.

Splash Island added a family-friendly option to the Island Resort & Casino’s amenities. The 14,010-sq.-ft. waterpark has a pair of tube slides, kid-friendly pool and lazy river. Adults can enjoy an 18+ pool or a nature-based treatment at the new Drift Spa.

Mancilla says the math was easy when the Tribe decided to add Sage Run. “Golf customers are a very good customers,” he says. “We were doing 16,000 rounds at Sweetgrass. This year, with both courses, we will do over 36,000 rounds.”

Director of Golf Dave Douglas is charged with filling the tee sheet throughout the relatively brief time both courses are open for play. “Our peak season is June through September,” he says. “Both courses open around the first of May and stay open until midOctober.”

Each course employs approximately 26 part-time, seasonal employees and both host major events.

“We continue to help the growth of the game through supporting the local county junior golf program,” Douglas says. “Sage Run and Sweetgrass host the Division 1 Boys and Girls U.P. high school finals, Sage Run is host to an NCAA Division 1 Men’s Tournament, and Sweetgrass has been a 10-year host of an Epson Tour event.

“Hosting the Epson Tour and the NCAA Men’s event gives both courses some media exposure, which in turn

helps drive customers to the resort,” he adds.

Sage Run Golf Course Superintendent Matt Sly says there are both similarities and differences between dayto-day maintenance and hosting a major golf event.

“In both situations, the expectation for the golf course is to be in perfect condition, so if we can maintain that standard every day, there is nothing different that needs to be done,” Sly explains. “The biggest challenge is completing our normal routine in less time.”

The differences don’t end there, however. Sly says each layout dictates maintenance practices.

“They are two completely different styles,” he says. “Sweetgrass is highly manicured, and Sage Run is rough and rugged. Both are unique by design.”

Staffing has been an issue across the industry, but Sly has been fortunate with his crew.

“The human resources department does an excellent job recruiting most of the candidates that apply, but I also utilize current crew members to connect with people they know who are interested in work or the benefit of free golf,” he says. “I have found the best

way to retain staff is for them to enjoy their job. By rotating tasks and allowing them to have input on how things are done, they take pride in how the golf course looks.”

SPLASH AND SPA

Prior to the expansion, the Island Resort & Casino wasn’t exactly kid-friendly, but the introduction of Splash Island changed that. The waterpark covers 14,010 sq. ft. and has something for everyone. Race down two winding tube slides— one of which empties into the kid-friendly pool—or try the lazy river.

Non-resort guests are welcome to dive in, as well. Day passes are available, based on availability. A large hot tub and 18+ saltwater pool are geared toward a slightly older crowd.

The Drift Spa offers nature-based treatments and skilled therapists to help guests relax, refresh and restore mind-body-synergy … embracing the traditions of Native American healers. Spa guests are invited to relax in tranquility rooms and enjoy the indoor salt-water pool and fitness center, including a co-ed sauna, separate steam rooms and locker rooms.

Swinging into Action

By Pamela Brill, Contributing Editor

Photo

Ray Walsh

Racquet facilities are getting a workout as members flock to the courts for tennis, padel and pickleball.

MEMBERS ARE HAVING a ball, quite literally. After the pandemic accelerated their interest in outdoor recreation like tennis and fueled the emerging pickleball trend, clubs that had primarily focused on golf have turned their at tention to the expansion of racquet sports. New dedicated facilities that provide space for additional players and room for spectators (and those waiting to get on the court) are satisfying the demand for year-round racquets—and that’s a win-win for clubs and their membership.

THREE’S COMPANY

Proud to call itself the only private club in the Austin, Texas area that offers three types of racquet sports, the Polo Ten nis & Fitness Club has fulfilled the need for broader services head-on with its latest renovation. This past July, the facility unveiled three new lighted pickleball courts and three new lighted padel courts as a result of a club-wide expansion that was a year in the making. “Our building renovations and amenities upgrade was planned in the spring of 2021 by the Polo Board of Directors and executed with the help of Cliff Drysdale Tennis Management to stay at the forefront of the racquet club industry in Texas,” says Dan Carozza, Club Manager/Director of Racquets. As part of this project, the second floor of the clubhouse was expanded to accommo

date fitness center offerings and double the available space and gym equipment.

Polo Tennis’s clubhouse is centrally located, with the front doors of the pro shop leading directly out to 10 tennis courts. An existing adjacent member pavilion is outfitted with a 58-inch flat-screen television, a seating area, gas grill and other related amenities for special events and tourna ments. On the back end of the pro shop, members can walk past the first-floor gym and locker room area and head directly out onto the pickleball and padel courts.

When constructing the new tennis and pickleball courts, designers opted for plexi-cushion hard-court surfaces which, Carozza noted “allows for absorption of stress on the ankles, knees, hips and back.” In contrast, padel courts feature a carpet-like Astro turf and are completely enclosed in glass. While two of the tennis courts were doing double duty, plans are in place to resurface them and remove the extra lines for pickleball.

Polo Tennis & Fitness’s new racquet set-up has been prov ing its worth, boasting one of the largest junior programs in Texas. Among the 300+ players ages 4-18, seven of the most recent high school graduate participants earned scholarships for Division 1 college tennis teams this fall. The club also runs a robust program of junior USTA teams for all ages. “The five

POLO TENNIS & FITNESS CLUB

Austin, Texas

“The five two-court, plus a cabana-style layout, allows for several different programs to coexist while leaving courts available for member play.”

— Dan Carozza, Club Manager/Director of Racquets

Polo Tennis & Fitness Club is the only private club in the Austin, Texas area that can lay claim to offering members three types of racquet sports—tennis, pickleball and padel.

two-court, plus a cabana-style layout, allows for several different programs to coexist while leaving courts avail able for member play,” says Carozza.

Since the racquet renovation, the club has seen a 20-percent increase in activities for non-members, includ ing round robins, tournaments, padel and pickleball drill and play days. Membership also amassed 200 active regis

trants in the third quarter. And when the club received the USTA’s 2022 Outstanding Facility Award last month, the newly updated clubhouse was the perfect place in which to display these accolades.

FEATHERING THE NEST

In the White Mountains of New Hampshire, the thwack of a ball bouncing off a racquet can be heard within the colossal backdrop of the Owl’s Nest Resort in Thorton, N.H. Over the past few years, the demand for pickleball and tennis has surged among guests, which prompted the development of a 25-court racquet complex. “Our owner enjoys both of these sports very much and has always wanted a [dedicated] racquet facility,” explains Director of Sports Cole Ryan. “Prior to construction, we had no racquet facilities at all.”

As a follow-up to the four platform tennis courts built in fall 2020, the resort expanded its complex with the addition of eight tennis courts and 13 pickleball courts. Court styles vary by sport, with red clay for tennis and hard surface for pickleball. Resort guests have easy access to the burgeoning facility, which is located directly behind the resort’s Sports Nest and serves as the central hub for the racquet complex and golf course. Here, visitors can rent equipment, purchase clothing and indulge in refresh ments at the adjacent Panorama 682 restaurant.

The racquets renovation was well received by both members and experts—earning the Polo Tennis & Fitness Club national recognition.

At night, pickleball players can extend their games on two of the courts that are illuminated. And when the sea

sons change and colder weather takes over the region, platform tennis players can take advantage of the heated courts, which are open year-round. (Future plans for indoor courts are in development.)

Thanks to the versatility of the Owl’s Nest racquets space, the resort has seen an uptick in business and has attracted guests from across the country. During this past August’s official grand opening of the racquet complex, more than 250 guests were in attendance to usher in the new space. “We are looking to host many more events in 2023,” says Hall.

PICKLEBALL APLENTY

At Hunters Run Country Club in Boynton Beach, Fla., getting a jump-

OWL’S NEST RESORT Thorton, N.H.

“Our owner enjoys [tennis and pickleball] very much and has always wanted a [dedicated] racquet facility. Prior to construction, we had no racquet facilities at all.”

NJ

—Cole Ryan, Director of Sports

Photo credit

Ray Walsh from

Ray

HUNTERS RUN COUNTRY CLUB

Boynton Beach, Fla.

“With 12 courts, the member experience has been enhanced with minimal wait times and increased satisfaction with additional programming.”

start on the latest racquet trend set the stage for the latest renovation. “We were ahead of the popularity in pickleball pre-COVID and converted one tennis court in 2017 into four pickleball courts,” says Director of Racquet Sports Mali Hall. While the initial facilities drew 40 players, the club’s pickleball community grew exponentially, now counting up to 250 members. Providing room to accommodate this expansion became a necessity, so eight additional pickleball courts were constructed this past

February.

Located within walking distance from the main clubhouse, the racquet sports center provides easy access to dining, locker rooms, fitness center and card rooms. The building’s Courtside Café has a service window for grab-and-go bites, while an outdoor lounge area houses a complimentary coffee station and other beverages for pre- and post-match sustenance.

The courts themselves feature a hard-surface asphalt design, complete with textured acrylic paint for new surfaces and finished with two coats of high-performance textured acrylic. Windscreens surround the playing area, and covered viewer seating offers a shady vantage point of the first four exhibition courts.

“Since we have players waiting their turn and spectators watching, we added a 31-foot awning over the seating area in July 2022 to provide ample sun coverage,” explains Hall of the addition that is proving its value under the South Florida sun.

Hunters Run Country Club was ahead of the pickleball trend, but saw a remarkable jump in play following a racquet-facilities renovation.

In addition to regular racquet play, Hunters Run supplements its in-person offering with a pickleball pool, a proprietary digital program that creates games for players based on skill level. Upon completing a calendar that makes note of days they are available for tennis or pickleball doubles, members are then matched with similar

—Mali Hall, Director of Racquet Sports

Hunters Run Country Club added a 31-foot awning over the seating area to keep members waiting for a game shaded from the South Florida sun.

players and provided a game day and time. “The pool system is especially rewarding for the brand-new members who…don’t know anyone to play tennis or pickleball with,” she says. “Once they enter the pool and play their first game, they become part of a community and meet new friends.”

Thanks to services like these, Hunters Run has attracted new members who play both golf and pickleball. “With 12 courts, the member experience has been enhanced with minimal wait times and increased satisfaction with additional programming,” notes Hall.

The surge in pickleball participation has since prompted the club to hire Director of Pickleball Regina F. Goldberg. The professional player and world champion is responsible for cultivating an extensive pickleball program, including intra- and interclub leagues, round robins, tournaments and other special events, as well as private lessons, clinics and team practices. “We are very excited for our members, who are equally enthusiastic about the future of pickleball at Hunters Run,” says Hall. C+RB

SUMMING IT UP

> Expanded racquet space provides clubs with much-needed room for pickleball, padel and tennis.

> Court design focused on sport-specific surfaces is enhanced by viewing areas and easy access to surrounding amenities.

> Refreshed racquet facilities provide more opportunities for member tournaments, outside teams and junior leagues.

Renovations to the 18-hole golf course at The Tuxedo Club, along with facilitated maintenance inputs, has the property looking and playing its best.

By Betsy Gilliland, Contributing Editor

AS ONE OF THE OLDEST private facilities in America, The Tuxedo Club, in Tuxedo Park, N.Y. has a long and venerable history. Founded in 1886, the property has two campuses featuring two separate clubhouses, facilities for five distinct racquet sports, a swimming pool, boathouse, skating rink, and a Robert Trent Jones Sr.-designed golf course built in 1957.

However, with no major renovations to the golf course since it opened, when construction of the New York Thruway required that the existing golf course be moved, the 18-hole layout was beginning to show its age.

When

says

Yet it was only fitting for the property, which originally introduced golf with a sixhole course in 1889, to have a course that suited its place in the game. After all, The Tuxedo Club is the place where a member first introduced the short-tailed dinner jacket, or tuxedo, to America, and it is the site of the country’s first inter-club match and the longest continuous interclub match in the nation.

In late May, the golf course reopened after golf course architect Rees Jones, who

THE TUXEDO CLUB

and

had been hired by the property in 2014 to create a master plan, and his Vice President and Senior Designer Bryce Swanson, led an extensive seven-month $2.2 million renovation of the property that Jones’ father originally designed.

“Overall, the bones of the golf course are still very much the same, but Rees Jones gave it a modern twist,” says Director of Agronomy Casey Klossner, who provided daily direction and oversight of the project.

CLASSIC, YET MODERN

The objectives of the renovation were to restore the golf course to the original intent while modernizing the layout, giving the property a uniform look and feel, and to improve playability.

“Our goal was to make the best possible 18 holes we could on the property,” says General Manager Randy St. John, COO.

The Tuxedo Club had installed a new irrigation system in 2016, allowing the property to make the changes that the golf course needed.

“That was the first step in the renovation process,” says PGA Head Golf Professional Chris Muldoon, who has worked at The

Tuxedo Club since 2011. “We had a singlerow irrigation system since the 1970s or ’80s, and we have a multi-row irrigation system now. It’s largely three rows, but it’s not wall-to-wall.”

However, the impetus of the project was the condition of the bunkers, most of which were original to the 1957 design.

“Historically, the bunkers were a major complaint,” says Klossner, who joined the staff in 2013. “There’s no evidence of the bunkers ever being renovated in the history of the golf course. Some were about 100% rocks. They were contaminated, drained poorly, and their edges had broken down.”

The bunkers were repositioned and reimagined to make them relevant to the modern game, while restoring their character to the original Robert Trent Jones Sr. style.

“We removed some of the shorter ones and added them further down the hole to challenge low handicappers, but we still tried to keep higher handicappers in mind,” Muldoon says.

“It was rare that we put a bunker back in

the same location,” adds Klossner.

The property also installed Better Billy Bunkers, adding new sand, new drainage, and new liners to improve playability. In addition, all of the edges and greens surrounds were resodded.

New greenside chipping areas provide more options for recovery shots, and the fairways were widened to tie them back to the bunkers and green complexes. New tee complexes also were constructed on Nos. 1, 2, and 6.

However, Klossner says one of the most important and most well-received renova tions was the creation of a short-game practice area on the former ninth hole greens complex.

The short game area includes different bunkers, a large chipping area, rough, and short-cut turf.

“The new short game area is getting a lot of use,” Muldoon says. “It’s a nice area where people can get away. It’s close, but it has a feeling of seclusion.”

With the short game area occupying the former ninth hole, a new No. 9 was created as part of the project.

Klossner says everything, including the tees and the front of the fairway, was moved back on the ninth hole. A forward

Superintendent Profile

CASEY KLOSSNER

Education and Training: Cornell University, Bachelor’s Degree in Turfgrass Science

Years at The Tuxedo Club: 9

Years in the Golf Course Maintenance Business:

Previous Employment: Winged Foot Golf Club, Mamaroneck, N.Y. (West Course Superintendent); Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, Southampton, N.Y. (Sen ior Assistant Superintendent)

Certifications: New York state commercial pesticide applicator

Honors and Awards: 2019 Metropolitan Golf Writers Club of the Year

bunker and a USGA-spec green with differ ent contours from the previous ninth green also were added.

“We only disturbed the ninth hole. It was the weakest hole on the golf course,” says Muldoon. “It gave us an opportunity to make the hole better and gave us a shortgame area that was entirely lacking. It was a win-win for us.”

Other improvements included tree work, the creation of a new turf nursery, and changes to cart and walking paths for people with pushcarts. Of the property’s 17,000 rounds per year, St. John says about half of the golfers are walkers.

“It looks like a golf course from the 1920s. It has a classic, native feel to it, and

it’s a great walk,” he adds. “The biggest hill is on the first hole, then it’s flat. It’s a gentle walk.”

The Tuxedo Club already is reaping the benefits of the renovations.

“There is a consistent look and feel throughout the property now,” says St. John. “It’s given us more options to set up for the modern game.”

New pin positions and angles can make the holes difficult, he adds, and golfers have to think their way around the course.

“It holds up to the best tournament players in the area, and this is only going to enhance that,” St. John says. “The course is playing great. It’s firm and fast.”

The renovations also enabled the prop erty to improve drainage in the fairways and rough, as well as adjust the location of sprinkler heads.

“We increased the acreage of short-cut turf in areas where it made sense from a playability standpoint,” Klossner says. “We created berms with excess material to shield the shop.”

However, he adds, “I think the real con ditioning and improvements will be shown next year.”

MAINTENANCE MENTALITY

In addition to converting the former ninth hole to a short-game practice area, the course renovation included tree work, the creation of a turf nursery, and changes to the cart and walking paths for people with pushcarts. Of the property’s 17,000 rounds played each year, approximately half of those golfers are walkers.

The renovations have changed the way the grounds crew maintains the golf course as well, and the new and improved inputs are probably most evident in the mainte nance of the bunkers.

Before the renovations, Klossner says the grounds crew would spend two days trying

Golf Course Operations

Annual Budget: $1.9 million

Staff: Nine fulltime and 13 part-time employees

Key Staff Members: Jeremy Oyer, Assistant Superintendent; Travis Garner, Assistant Superintendent; Daniel Rivera, Assistant in Training; and Annicq Groetsema, Equipment Manager

Irrigation System: Rain Bird, 2,000 heads

Water Source and Usage: Ponds; annual usage of between 12 and 14 million gallons

Equipment: Toro greens, tees and fairway mowers, rough unit, utility carts, and greens rollers all on lease. All other equipment is owned.

Technology: Rain Bird MI Series web-based control system for irrigation Maintenance Facility: We have two buildings. One is for equipment and chem ical storage with a mechanics office and bathroom. The other building has a break room, two locker rooms, two bathrooms, three offices, and apartments on the second level.

Aerating and Overseeding Schedules: Aerify greens in the spring, summer and fall. Aerify tees, fairways, and approaches in the spring and fall.

Renovations changed the square footage of the short-cut turf and increased the fairway acreage and the areas around the greens. Staff members mow more often now. One aspect of golf course maintenance that hasn’t changed, however, is the staff’s attention to environmentally friendly inputs.

to restore the bunkers after a torrential rain.

“The following day, we would close the golf course for half a day. The entire staff would be fixing bunker washouts on greenside bunkers. The next day, we would work on the fairway bunkers,” he says. “Other playing conditions would be sacrificed.”

However, after a few washouts in the spring, Klossner notes, “We just put the sand back, compacted it, and got back to business.”

On a daily basis, two people hand-rake the bunkers each morning, using the Aussie method with rolled faces and raked bottoms.

“It’s been a real pleasure seeing staff take pride and ownership in what they’re doing,” says Klossner.

If the golf course gets 2 inches of rain in two days now, however, the new and improved bunkers allow the staff to also tend to other needs, such as walk-mowing greens and changing cups.

The renovations also changed the square footages of the short-cut turf and increased the fairway acreage and the areas around the greens.

“All of our mowing lines have changed due to the construction and position of the new bunkers,” reports Klossner.

Staff members mow more often now.

They mow the greens six or seven times a week or more, double cutting them for a tournament. They have continued to mow the tees three times a week as they did before the renovations, and they mow the fairways four times a week.

“We’re mowing fairways more often to keep them tighter,” notes Klossner.

After the renovations, however, he says the maintenance staff went through a learning curve to figure out how many people it takes to mow a surface.

Because of the trout stream that runs through the property, one aspect of golf course maintenance that has not changed is the staff’s attention to environmentally friendly inputs.

“We’ve always had that mentality at our property,” says Klossner.

COLLABORATION AND CAMARADERIE

Another part of The Tuxedo Club mentality that Klossner, St. John, and Muldoon share is their ability to collaborate together as a team.

“I do not believe in silos. I believe in open, candid conversation,” says St. John.

Senior management meets twice a month, and St. John gets together with Klossner and Muldoon informally multiple times a week to discuss topics such as course setup to determine how to “put out the best product for our guests.”

Klossner and Muldoon began their working relationship when they worked together briefly at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y., and Muldoon

was on the search committee to find a new superintendent when Klossner was hired.

“We’re there to help each other and make sure members have a good golf experience,” says Klossner.

The two of them are in constant communication, usually through e-mail, but Klossner says they’ll call each other on the phone if necessary.

They set up events and make sure they are done quickly, efficiently, and under budget constraints.

“Casey and I are in contact on a daily basis,” Muldoon says. “We talk about cart path restrictions, outings, and I pass along feedback from members.”

They also discuss general golf course readiness as well as daily golf course preparation, and they prepare holes for shotgun starts.

Although they have a master calendar for events, Muldoon says, they still talk daily about them. Hosting almost every one of the Metropolitan Golf Association’s majors, The Tuxedo Club is the site of an impressive lineup of outings. The property is home to a pair of special tournaments—the 1894 Matches and the Quadrangular Team Matches—as well.

In 1894, the first interclub matches in the United States, were at The Tuxedo Club in a competition that also included Shinnecock Hills, The Country Club in Brookline, Mass., and St. Andrews Golf Club in Westchester, N.Y.

When the matches were reinstated in the 1980s, Newport (R.I.) Country Club replaced

St. Andrews. “It’s more camaraderie than competition,” reports Muldoon.

The Quadrangular Team Matches—the longest continuous match in the United States—are held the first Sunday in October every year, and they include Somerset Hills Country Club in Bernardsville, N.J., Morris County Golf Club in Morristown, N.J., and Rumson (N.J.) Country Club.

Klossner also has a good working relationship with St. John, along with the Board of Governors, Greens Committee, and Greens Committee Chairman.

The trio of St. John, Klossner, and Muldoon carried over their ability to work together seamlessly to the renovation project as well.

St. John was the facilitator of the team, making sure everyone had the management tools, money, and labor they needed. He coordinated meetings, worked with the architect and committees, and met with the team onsite every week or every couple of weeks.

Klossner, who has been involved with golf course renovation projects throughout his career, including one at Winged Foot Country Club, coordinated closely with Rees Jones Inc.

He ensured that the design features were executed properly, saw that the irrigation was in the proper location, and made sure the golf course could be maintained in the proper, but not necessarily the easiest, manner.

In addition, Klossner says, “My staff was responsible for adjustments to the

irrigation system. We did it all in-house.”

Initially, the staff also did a lot of handwatering to make sure the sod survived.

“It was a pleasure to work with the other professionals. We went through the project without any major issues,” adds Klossner.

Muldoon, who was in master plan meetings and committee meetings, also had a hands-on role in the project. However, he says, “Once we got into the project, none of us wanted to be an amateur architect. We let the experts in the field do their thing.”

While the architect had “carte blanche” on the project, notes Muldoon, The Tuxedo Club staff members felt free to express their opinion if they felt strongly about an issue.

He was there many days during construction, going out into the field and taking part in discussions about revisions to the project. As an indication of Jones’ commitment to the property, he also says the architect signed a copy of his father’s autobiography for every member of The Tuxedo Club.

Despite the number of racquet sports and other activities offered at the property, there is no mistaking the length of golf’s coattails at the facility.

“The golf course is the gateway to our club,” Klossner says.

He also believes the membership has had a favorable reaction to the renovations.

“It’s been really great to see people have that pride factor in their property,” says Klossner. “They’re anxious to see what’s next.”

C+RB

Despite the number of racquet sports and other activities at The Tuxedo Club, there is no mistaking the length of golf’s coattails at the facility. “The golf course is the gateway to our club,” says Director of Agronomy, Casey Klossner.

Shrimp and Cheesy Grits (Recipe on page

BANQUETS GO BEYOND

While filet mignon served in the French style will probably never go out of style on club banquet menus, an increasing number of members and sponsored guests are giving chefs freer rein to exercise their culinary chops.

By Marilyn Odesser-Torpey, Contributing Editor

AT THE ARMY AND NAVY CLUB in Washington, D.C., surf and turf (usually crabcake and filet) is the most often selected banquet option, according to Executive Chef Kirk DeLoach. But the sophisticated and well-traveled members also often request the incorporation of global dishes and flavor profiles they have experienced into their banquet menus.

Popular entrée choices include Chicken Napoleon with portabella mushroom, asparagus, risotto and brandy cream and sauteed shrimp and scallops with corn puree and vegetable brunoise. A vegetarian favorite is spanakopita with couscous, mixed green salad, olive relish and tzatziki sauce. For luncheon banquets, DeLoach offers a Vietnamese rice noodle salad with caramelized chicken, cucumber, tomato, peanuts, mint, basil and nuoc cham dressing.

Local seafood is often the star attraction at coastal Coral Bay Club in Atlantic Beach, N.C. Executive Chef Geneveive Guthrie’s unique take on the South’s ubiqui tous shrimp and cheesy grits (her secret is cooking the shrimp and toppings in bacon fat) has earned the dish a loyal following for banquets.

Guthrie adds that members also “go crazy” for the club’s soft-shell bites, tempura-fried soft-shell crabs with chipotle mayonnaise. Also available on her seafood-centric menu are pan-seared grouper over sweet corn polenta and pan-seared scallops with chorizo and mushroom lemon risotto.

Coral Bay Club’s Executive Chef Geneveive Guthrie provides a unique take on shrimp and cheesy grits.

Recipe

SHRIMP AND CHEESY GRITS

YIELD: 4 SERVINGS

INGREDIENTS FOR CHEESY GRITS:

2 cups water

2 cups whole milk

3 dashes Tabasco sauce

4 oz. unsalted butter

1 cup stone ground grits

4 oz. shredded sharp cheddar salt and pepper to taste

PROCEDURE FOR CHEESY GRITS:

1. Place water, milk, Tabasco and butter over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer.

2. Add the grits and stir well. Reduce the flame to medium-low and stir often.

3. Once the grits are fully cooked, remove from heat, stir in cheese and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

INGREDIENTS FOR SHRIMP AND TOPPINGS:

2-3 tbsps. chilled bacon fat

12 local 26.30 shrimp

A stand-out display is her tuna prepared four ways— blackened, seared with salt and pepper, sesame seared and “candied.”

“To candy the tuna, we take small dices and marinate them in tamari, brown sugar, sesame oil and ginger,” she noted. “Guests are really intrigued by and enjoy this preparation.”

At BraeBurn Country Club in Houston, Texas, members may come in thinking steak for their banquet entrée, but leave with a vision of Executive Chef Pedro Sanchez’s lomo negro, beef chuck flap meat braised in Malta (non-alcoholic malt beverage), red wine, cloves and brown cane sugar.

1/2 tsp. minced garlic

1/2 cup destemmed and thinly sliced shiitake mushrooms

2 tbsps. rendered bacon

3 dashes Tabasco sauce

1 lemon, cut in half or 2 tbsps. fresh lemon juice 1/2 cup bias cut scallions salt and pepper to taste edible flowers for garnish

PROCEDURE FOR CHEESY GRITS:

1. In a medium stainless steel saute pan on high heat, melt bacon fat.

2. Once melted and hot, add shrimp, toss in fat followed by minced garlic.

3. After the shrimp have cooked partially, add shiitake mushrooms. Toss, then add bacon, toss again, add the juice of one lemon and the Tabasco sauce.

4. Once the shrimp are fully cooked, remove from heat, add 1/4 cup sliced scallions, lightly toss and adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper.

5. Using a Cosmopolitan glass and #16 scoop, scoop cheesy grits into the glass. Place three shrimp on the top and add toppings from the pan.

6. Garnish with the remaining sliced scallions and an edible flower.

7. Serve immediately.

SUBMITTED BY GENEVEIVE GUTHRIE, EXECUTIVE CHEF, CORAL BAY CLUB, ATLANTIC BEACH, N.C.

“This dish takes a lot of prep, but holds very well,” Sanchez explained. “It originated on our supper menu but was so wildly popular that we offer it for banquets as well.”

Another banquet option that has caught on at BraeBurn, “especially for bar mitzvahs,” is the upscale taco bar. Stations with flattops produce tacos with lobster, shrimp, roasted chicken and al pastore (roasted pork).

Whimsical desserts are also a hallmark at the club. One, called the Sub-Zero station, involves flash-freezing Fruity Pebbles cereal in liquid nitrogen so when the guests eat it smoke comes out of their mouths and noses. At the same

Recipe

LOMO NEGRO

YIELD: 12 servings

INGREDIENTS:

5 lbs. beef chuck flap meat

1.5 gallons beef broth

1 head garlic, chopped

12-15 ground cloves

2 tbsps. black pepper

1 tbsp. nutmeg

3 yellow onions, small diced

3 red peppers, small diced

1 cup grated piloncillo panela (brown sugar cane)

6 bay leaves

1/2 cup canola oil

6 12-oz. bottles non-alcoholic malt beverage (Malta)

6 tomatoes, small diced

2 cups red wine

PROCEDURE:

1. Trim the excess fat from the chuck flap and cut into 7-ounce portions.

2. In a hotel pan, marinate the beef with the Malta, red wine, garlic, tomatoes, onions and red peppers. Let it marinate for at least 12 hours.

3. After the 12 hours, remove the beef from the marinade, strain the liquid and reserve it and the vegetables.

4. Heat up the oil in a skillet and sear the beef on all sides. Make sure you get nice caramelization on all sides, the darker the better.

5. Remove the beef from the skillet, add the shredded piloncillo and cook until melted and gets a dark color. Deglaze the skillet with the malt and wine mix from the marinade, bring to a boil and add the vegetables from the marinade.

6. Put the beef back in the skillet and lower the temperature. Add the beef broth (enough to cover the beef by 3/4).

7. Add the cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg, salt and pepper and bay leaf. Let it simmer for around 20 minutes then place the beef in deep hotel pans and cover with liquid 3/4 of the way.

8. Cover and bake in the oven at 350 F for about 4 hours or until tender.

9. Reduce the broth until nape, season with salt and pepper as needed.

SUBMITTED BY PEDRO SANCHEZ, EXECUTIVE CHEF, BRAEBURN COUNTRY CLUB, HOUSTON, TEXAS

station, jumbo-size marshmallows are dipped in vanilla, chocolate, or strawberry crème anglaise then into frozen nitrogen to create a treat that tastes like an ice cream-covered marshmallow.

“Kids really love this station, so it is another great one for bar mitzvahs,” Sanchez points out.

Like its dining room menus, the banquet menus at The Peninsula Golf & Country Club in San Matteo, Calif. change with the seasons. Members are open to switch ing up the traditional steak and potatoes to something fresher and more elaborate like Chilean sea bass on a bed of sticky rice with baby bok choy, pickled and roasted shiitake mushrooms and shiitake mushroom dashi broth, says Matthew Azevedo, the club’s Execu tive Chef.

In the late summer, a choice was wild-caught local king salmon with lemon smashed potatoes, ratatouille, and basil aioli. For winter, the salmon might be paired with roasted beets and horseradish aioli.

Vegetarian or vegan guests have thoughtful options of their own. They can choose a napoleon of roasted vegetables or a risotto timbale with roasted red pepper sauce.

REDEFINING SERVICE

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, BraeBurn Country Club in Houston, Texas, did a brisk banquet business, says Pedro Sanchez, the club’s Executive Chef. But, he notes, two years with no big events gave club management an opportunity to re-examine and re-evaluate their banquet thinking, planning and execution.

The most dramatic changes have been made in the realm of service.

Instead of buffets, since Covid, 80 percent of banquet meals are plated or served at stations, Sanchez explained.

“We decided to stay away from pre-plating and hot boxes,” he said. “All plating is done through the line or at the buffet.”

He pointed out that while pre-plating may save time, it can take a toll on food quality.

“We chose quality,” Sanchez states.

In addition to providing guests with fresher food, he notes, plated and station service also cut down on food waste. And guests really enjoy interacting with the chefs at the stations, he adds.

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Recipe

SUBMITTED BY MATT AZEVEDO, EXECUTIVE CHEF, THE PENINSULA GOLF & COUNTRY CLUB, SAN MATTEO, CALIFORNIA

PROCEDURE:

GRILLED SALMON WITH LEMON SMASHED POTATOES, CHARRED TOMATO RELISH AND BASIL AIOLI

YIELD: 1 SERVING

INGREDIENTS FOR SALMON:

1 - 8 oz. portion wild king salmon, skin on

INGREDIENTS FOR LEMON SMASHED POTATOES:

1/5 lb. fingerling potatoes, cut into 1” pieces Juice of one lemon

INGREDIENTS FOR CHARRED TOMATO RELISH:

6 large heirloom tomatoes

6 toybox cherry tomatoes, halved through the stem

2 shallots, diced fine

1/2 bunch parsley, finely minced

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil Dash sherry vinegar

INGREDIENTS FOR CHARRED BASIL AIOLI:

4 egg yolks

1 whole egg

2 cups blended cooking oil

3 bunches basil, de-stemmed Juice of 1/2 lemon

1. Bring a small pot of salted water to a boil. Once boiling, blanch basil leaves until tender, about 30 seconds. Immediately submerge in ice water.

2. Squeeze water out of basil and combine in a blender with 1/2 cup blended cooking oil. Puree to a smooth, bright green puree.

3. Add egg, egg yolks, lemon juice and desired pinch of salt to a food processor. Puree until smooth, the slowly drizzle in basil oil to emulsify. Finish with 1 to 1 1/2 cups blended oil. Season to taste. Set aside.

4. Submerge potatoes in a pot of cold, salted water and bring to simmer. Cook until fork tender, about 10 minutes. Drain potatoes and set aside.

5. Char heirloom potatoes on a hot grill until the skin begins to peel and turns black, about 3 to 5 minutes. Let tomatoes cool slightly, then roughly chop them and toss with shallots, parsley, olive oil and sherry vinegar. Season to taste.

6. Heat a saute pan over medium-high heat. Add 1/2 cup blended cooking oil. Once oil reaches smoke point, smash potatoes with the back of a spoon by hand and fry them in the saute pan until crispy, about 3 minutes. Do not overcrowd pan. Finish potatoes with lemon juice and salt to taste.

7. Grill salmon to desired temperature.

“Out of 200 guests, we’ll sell about 10,” Azevedo says.

BraeBurn serves its banquets in the French style with six servers to a table and no trays. Azevedo explains that members appreciate the elegance of the presentation.

Azevedo can set up a seated banquet for up to 150 guests at the pool. In summer, he uses the space for barbeque buffet banquets.

The front terrace of the club’s ballroom, which overlooks the San Francisco Bay, can accommodate 80 guests.

Sometimes he will set the buffet up outside and guests can dine in the ballroom.

Although members of The Army and Navy Club often like to dine outdoors, being a city club means not having a great deal of outside space. For special functions, DeLoach will set up in the rooftop garden. From May through September, he is also able to utilize the rooftop of a connected building once a month.

“These spaces consistently sell out,” he states.

Since COVID restrictions have relaxed, some clubs are seeing more banquet business than ever. Guthrie reported that the club’s numbers in 2021 were even bigger than in 2019 and that it is booked for weddings every weekend.

Sanchez says that BraeBurn’s banquet business has recovered about 60% since the pandemic. He noted that the events have been smaller than they used to be, around 30 to 50 guests, and about 50% are sponsored or referred by members.

In April and May, The Peninsula Club had a wedding or bar mitzvah scheduled every Saturday. (For the bar mitzvahs he does plated food for the adults and a buffet for the youngsters.) From now until the end of the year, the banquet facility is booked out, Azevedo says.

At The Army and Navy Club, banquets have picked up “considerably,” according to DeLoach.

“At this point, we should match or even surpass pre-COVID revenues,” he said.

In addition to members’ private events, the club has an extensive annual banquet roster. Some of them are The Annual Salute to the Armed Forces Gala, Golden Nights Dinner (for members who have been with the club for more than 50 years), Military Promotions Ceremonies and Receptions, Young Members Masquerade Ball and the Army vs. Navy Annual Football Viewing Party.

With so many banquet events and a clientele that ranges from presidents and members of Congress to admirals and generals, planning, service and execution have to be impeccable and reproducible. First, DeLoach meets with the club’s Director of Events and Catering to get an overall perspective on the event as far as food selections and service requirements. After that, he and the event managers go over timing and execution of service. C+RB

Recipe

SAUTEED SHRIMP AND SCALLOPS WITH CORN PUREE AND VEGETABLE BRUNOISE

YIELD: 4 servings

INGREDIENTS:

2 ears fresh corn shaved off the cob

1 medium russet potato

1 small yellow onion

1/2 tsp. turmeric

2 cups water

1/4 cup polenta

Salt and white pepper to taste

12 u-10 shrimp

8 u-10 scallops

1 cup brunoise vegetables (zucchini, yellow squash, red onion, green pepper and corn kernels)

1 clove garlic, chopped fine

1 small shallot, diced

Salt & white pepper to taste

PROCEDURE:

1. Place the first five items in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook for approximately 15 to 20 minutes until the potatoes are very soft. Add polenta and continue cooking another 5 minutes until polenta is very soft.

2. Place in blender on low speed at first, then increase speed until pureed and very smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

3. Remove from blender and set aside. Keep hot.

4. Saute the shrimp and scallops in a small amount of cooking oil for approximately one minute on each side until cooked through.

5. Remove shrimp and scallops from pan and keep warm.

6. Saute the shallot and garlic with the brunoise vegetables in a little butter until cooked through. Keep in a warm place.

7. Plate shrimp and scallops on polenta and top with brunoise vegetables.

SUBMITTED BY KIRK DELOACH, EXECUTIVE CHEF, THE ARMY AND NAVY CLUB IN WASHINGTON, D.C.

SUMMING IT UP

>

Banquet service has increased since COVID restrictions have relaxed, but many aren’t seeing it all the way back to previous levels.

> Upscale taco bars—featuring stations with flattops that produce tacos with lobster, shrimp, roasted chicken and al pastore—are gaining popularity.

> In addition to providing banquet guests with fresher food, plated and station service also cuts down on food waste.

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IDEAEXCHANGE Creating New Entry Points To The Game

By Phil Keren, Associate Editor

SHORT GOLF COURSES with an unconventional number of holes are a recent innovation that offer a unique and efficient entry point into the game for beginners and a new experience for longtime players. The Belmont Golf Course in Richmond, Va.— owned by First Tee Greater Richmond—has a 12-hole layout, a 6-hole, Par 3 course, and an 18-hole putting course that opened in May 2021. To the west of the Mississippi River, Mountain Top Golf Course at Big Cedar Lodge in Hollister, Mo. is a 13-hole, Par 3, walking-only site that opened in 2017.

Here’s a look at what each course has to offer.

BELMONT GOLF COURSE

Designed by renowned golf architect A.W. Tillinghast in 1917 and opened as Hermitage Country Club, Belmont Golf Course hosted two PGA Tour events — the 1945 Richmond Invitational (won by Ben Hogan) and the 1949 PGA Championship (won by Sam Snead). Another famous architect, Donald Ross, made design contributions to the course. Henrico County purchased Belmont in 1977 and converted it into a public golf course. During the last few years, the

Belmont Golf Course in Richmond, Va. has a 12-hole, Par 48 layout and a 6-hole, Par 3 course. First Tee Greater Richmond partnered with Love Golf Design on the project.

county started examining non-golf uses for the property, but com munity members said they wanted Belmont to remain a golf course.

In 2020, First Tee Greater Richmond partnered with Love Golf Design (owned by PGA Tour great Davis Love III and his brother Mark) to convert Belmont into a new facility that offered multiple playing options. Mark Lynch, Vice President of Operations for First Tee Greater Richmond, said his organization wanted to expand its reach in Richmond.

“It made sense for us to give ourselves an ability to host more kids from Henrico County, from the school system, [at] our normal weekly classes, camps,” says Lynch.

A 12-hole, Par 48 course, a 6-hole Par 3 course, an 18-hole putting course, a driving range, a wedge range, a chipping green and three practice greens were built to both provide instruction for youth in the First Tee program and to offer “all different kinds of entry points to the game” for players of all ages, Lynch says.

The 12-hole set-up, known as the Belmont, has five sets of tees with total yardage ranging from 2,855 to 4,325. The 6-hole course, called Little Bell, has two sets of tees with total distances ranging from 595 to 705 yards and can be played by a single player in about 45 minutes. A third, shorter set of tees expected to measure about 330 yards was recently added to accommodate the youngest junior players.

“The 6-hole course provides another entry point for beginning golfers that isn’t as intimidating as playing an 18-hole round,” Lynch says.

Multiple generations play Little Bell and seasoned golfers can also use the course to practice their repertoire of wedge shots and perhaps a couple mid-iron shots.

The 18-hole putting course, known as The Ringer, also gives new comers a chance to get their feet wet in the game.

“We saw [the putting course] as a really cool way for people to experience the property without having to spend multiple hours [playing],” Lynch says.

Mark Lynch, VP of Operations for First Tee Greater Richmond [left], says the 18-hole putting course at Belmont is a “cool way” to try out golf.

Pictured above is the 13th hole at Mountain Top Golf Course in Hollister, Mo. The 13-hole, Par 3 layout is one of five courses at Big Cedar Lodge. “It started as a 9-hole [Par 3] layout, but there ended up being space for a few extra holes,” says Matt McQueary, Director of Golf Sales & Marketing at Big Cedar Lodge [right].

Players also tell Lynch they like the condition of the course and the atmosphere.

“We do not have a dress code,” he explains. “Our dress code is essentially, wear pants and a shirt…we’ve had people play music… people just feel comfortable here.”

If there is negative feedback, it usually centers on pace of play being slow, but that’s partly due to many golfing newbies using the course.

As people’s lives become busier, Lynch believes short courses, large putting layouts and other new concepts are needed to en sure golf will survive in the future.

“We have to have [those uses]…that aren’t traditional, so people can still stay engaged in golf and not feel like they have to play a full 18 holes or play 9 holes,” he says.

MOUNTAIN TOP GOLF COURSE

Mountain Top is one of five golf courses at Big Cedar Lodge in Hollister, Mo. The 13-hole, Par 3 course was created through a collaboration between World Golf Hall of Fame legend Gary Player and Bass Pro Shop founder Johnny Morris.

“It started as a 9-hole [Par 3] layout, but there ended up being space for a few extra holes,” says Matt McQueary, Director of Golf Sales & Marketing at Big Cedar Lodge. “They added the extra holes …which I think most people appreciated. Nine never feels like enough and sometimes 18 …seems like too much, so 13 was kind of a serendipitous, good number to land on.”

Depending on where the golfer tees off from, the course plays at a total yardage ranging from 1,091 to 1,912 yards. The yard ages for a front tee and a back tee are listed on the scorecard and between those listings is a column called “Player’s Choice.” No yardages are listed in that column because, McQueary says, it reflects the fact that golfers can tee off from anywhere between the front and back tees.

The reasons for the course being walking-only are two-fold: It is a Par 3 course, but it also reflects the vision of its creators. Morris wants people to go outside and connect with nature, while Player is very committed to physical fitness, according to McQueary.

“It was kind of a perfect marriage to make the course walkingonly,” he says.

Since the mountains and hills of the Ozarks are made of limestone, golfers are surrounded by scenic geological features as they walk down the fairways.

“You go a couple feet under the soil and you have these limestone pillars…as [the builders] shaped the ground, they were just able to expose those limestone formations that were already there,” McQueary shares. “It’s a really pretty walk, especially in the fall…when the leaves start changing, you’ve got these rolling hills, [and] pops of orange and yellow and red everywhere.”

McQueary adds Mountain Top is very playable off the tee, and this quality makes it ideal for junior golfers and beginners.

The unique design of the greens gives players a chance to try creative approaches to putting.

“[The greens have] a lot more movement and swells and ridges…so putting is the more challenging part…which makes it really fun because there’s lots of ways to attack putts by playing it up the big swell and having it come down,” McQueary says.

A foursome can play Mountain Top in about two hours, while a single player or twosome on a quiet day could finish the course in about 90 minutes.

“A full 18-hole round is a big time commitment,” McQueary says. “So when you have these short courses, it’s easier to sneak it in if you’ve got work that day or a family or you go on a trip to Big Cedar and you’re traveling with a group of non-golfers and you just want to escape for an hour or two.”

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