M A R C H 2 0 1 7 VO L U M E X I I N U M B E R 2 Dan Lejeune 1941-2017 On February 5, 2017, the RiverCrest community lost its founder, Dan Lejeune, to Alzheimer's disease. Even though he is gone, he will never be forgotten. As long as the membership and guests are enjoying the club, his legacy will endure for years to come.
M A R C H 2 0 1 7 T H E P R E S E R V E PA G E 2 EASTER BRUNCH AND Petting Zoo Sunday, April 9 th 11:30 am seating Meet the Easter Bunny Brunch Buffet DJ Dance Party $14.95++ per child $34.95++ per adult Kids 3 and under eat FREE! Standard Club Dress Code Guests Welcome! U P C O M I N G E V E N T S Easter Bunny Brunch - Sunday, April 9th Cooking Demo & Dinner - Wednesday, April 12th Easter Brunch & Dinner - Sunday, April 16th Mother Daughter Tea Party - Sunday, April 30th Kentucky Derby Happy Hour - Saturday, May 6th Beer Dinner - Thursday, May 11th Mother s Day Brunch - Sunday, May 14th New Member Happy Hour - Friday, May 19th Memorial Day Pool Party - Monday, May 29th
MARCH 2017 THE PRESERVE PA G E 3 HERE WE GO! MY STAFF AND I ARE ANXIOUSLY AWAITING THE START OF THE 2017 SEASON HERE AT THE CREST. WE VE HAD GREAT WEATHER THROUGHOUT THE WINTER TO ACCOMPLISH QUITE A BIT WORK TO JUMP START THIS YEAR. 9 tee hillside was a main priority to provide more sunlight and airflow to the teeing areas. This tee has always been troublesome with the closed in surroundings and smaller size. We extended the tee last year to provide more hitting area but really needed to attack the main cause of stressed turf - no morning sunlight and little airflow. Over the years, troubled areas around the course (mainly greens) could all be attributed to these detrimental conditions. With no sunlight, especially morning, the grass will adapt by using most of its energy to push long, thin leaf blades to grab as much light as possible. The downside is this energy pulled from the roots. This will produce thin, spindly, and shallow roots which can t absorb as much oxygen, nutrients, and water. Normal wear, from walking, mowing, and especially spinning feet during shots from golfers will quickly rip the turf with no solid base. Lack of airflow will severely stress cool season grasses in summer as adequate airflow reduces surface temps and This tee receives full sun and good airflow. The turf is dense and tight helps to dry out the soil after rainfall. Without it, this will create a toxic combo to the plant as the saturated soil contains much lower levels of oxygen and disease can spread quickly. After clearing underbrush or removing specific trees the plants can thrive. If this an impossibility (#13) a fan could be installed to provide airflow which helps cool off and dry out the bentgrass. #1 green can be difficult to manage as the treeline and maintenance building to left of the hole block the typical westerly breezes. We will be installing a fan on the back 1 green this spring to provide a steady cooling, drying breeze when needed. We will do as much as possible to open 9 tee area. The pics below will show how micro-climates on a golf course can affect an area only a few hundred feet apart. 9 Tee. Very shaded. Notice the long thin leaf blades, lack of roots, and wet soil/mix.
M A R C H 2 0 1 7 T H E P R E S E R V E PA G E 4 REGRIPPING SPECIAL The new golf season is quickly approaching. Before the season starts we recommend checking your grips to see if they need replaced. Throughout the month of March all grips will be 15% off. See what new grip options we have, including the SuperStroke grips for your putter! Bring your clubs by and have the Professional Staff replace the grips so you are ready for your best year yet! NEW EVENT!!! MAY THE FOURTH BE WITH YOU NIGHT GOLF EVENT! For the first time ever, RiverCrest will be conducting a Night Golf event! And this isn t going to be just any ordinary night golf tournament. Oh no, this is going to be EPIC! We are selecting the date of Thursday, May 4th for a Star Wars themed May the 4th Be With You adventure. The details are still being worked out, but this will be an event you do not want to miss out on! Signups will be taken online only (after all it is a futuristic event!) 2017 Upcoming Golf Events March 6th Sign Ups for Men s League March 22nd Ladies Pre-season Meeting April 1st Cross Country Tournament April 1st Qualifying for Match Play April 1st Sign Ups Men s Member-Member April 13th Ladies Opening Day April 19th - Senior Opening Day April 23rd GAP Matches April 25th WGAP Matches April 28th WGAP Matches April 29th TaylorMade Demo Day April 30th GAP Matches May 4th Night Golf May 5th - WGAP Matches May 7th - GAP Matches May 9th - WGAP Matches May 11th Callaway Demo Day May 18th RiverCrest Day May 27th Memorial Day Tournament June 2nd & 3rd Member Member June 8th Ladies Member Member June 15th - RiverCrest Day June 28th Ladies 9 & Dine July 8th and 9th Club Championships July 20th WGAP Powell Cup July 22 & 23 Men s Club Championship July 27th Ladies Member Guest August 5th Ryder Cup August 9th Senior Inter-Club August 10th Y.E./RiverCrest Day August 27th Junior Banquet September 3rd Husband & Wife CC September 6th - Ladies 9 & Dine September 15th & 16th Invitational September 21st Charity Classic October 5th - Ladies Closing Day October 7th Fall Member Member October 11th - Senior Closing Day October 12th - RiverCrest Day October 14th Superintendent s Revenge October 18th Ladies Banquet Octboer TBD Backyard Brawl MEN S GAP MATCHES The matches will be held on Sundays, April 23rd, 30th and May 7th. With 3 teams we will need 36 players each week of the matches. If you are interested in participating sign up online for each of the weeks you are available (there are 3 different events online) or email us at golfshop@rivercrestgolfclub.com. We look forward to another great year of GAP competition. LADIES WGAP MATCHES SIGN UPS REQUIRED BY MARCH 10TH! The 2017 Ladies WGAP Matches, featuring 3 WGAP teams, will be held on April 25th, 28th, May 2nd, 5th and 9th. If you are interested in playing please SIGN UP ONLINE as soon as possible. THE DEADLINE TO SIGN UP HAS BEEN MOVED UP TO MARCH 10TH!!! Members will need a USGA Handicap Index of 36.0 or better on the WGAP GHIN handicap report of November 1, 2016 and at least 10 scores posted in 2016. Go to http://www.wgapgolf.org
M A R C H 2 0 1 7 T H E P R E S E R V E PA G E 5 APRIL FOOL S CROSS COUNTRY NOW STARTING TIMES The April Fool s Day tournament scheduled for Saturday, April 1st is being changed to a starting time event, with just a Cross Country format. The tournament course will be expanded to feature 13 holes (8 of which have never been played before.) The event will now be a starting time event, with times beginning at 8:00am. Players may make starting times under the normal starting time policy. Don t miss out on this fun way to experience the course! MEN S LEAGUE SIGNUPS BEGIN MARCH 6TH! Men s League will start on Wednesday, April 26th. The League features 32 two-man teams competing in a Better Ball of Partners Match Play format. The 9-hole matches are played bi-weekly on Wednesday evenings with 5:30pm shotguns. The season consists of 7 matches thru July 19th followed by the Playoffs. Signups will begin online March 6th. This has become a great addition to our tournament calendar. Find a partner and get signed up! QUALIFYING FOR MEN S MATCH PLAY EVENTS Begins April 1st Qualifying for all major Men s Match Play events begins on April 1st. The following is the list of Match Play Events and the deadlines which qualifying must be completed by: Men s Handicap Championship deadline April 30th Men s Better Ball Championship deadline April 30th Scratch Match Play Championship deadline May 31st Senior Handicap Championship deadline May 31st Senior Better Ball Championship deadline May 31st Super Senior Handicap Championship deadline May 31st Qualifying consists of 18 holes and is limited to one chance to qualify per event with a fee of $25 per event. Players must declare their qualifying round to the Golf Shop prior to teeing off. Qualifying rounds must be completed by 6:00pm on the designated deadline. Once qualifying has been completed each round has a one month deadline to complete all matches. These events are very popular at RiverCrest and we look forward to your participation and continued success with these major championships. If you have any questions, please contact the Golf Professional Staff. 70 golfing in February! LADIES OPENING DAY TOURNAMENT & LUNCHEON The Ladies Golf Program officially begins on Thursday, April 13th with a 9:30am shotgun start. The format will be a 4-person Step Aside Scramble. The Golf Shop staff will make random pairings. There will be a continental breakfast prior to golf and lunch and awards following golf. Players may sign up online or by calling the Golf Shop. SENIOR GOLF OPENING DAY TOURNAMENT & LUNCHEON The Senior Golf season kicks-off on Wednesday, April 19th with an 8:30am shotgun start using a fun format put on by the Professional Staff. This is a great way to meet other experienced golfers and enjoy a fun format to start the year. Teams will be randomly put together using the ABCD format where teams will be evenly matched as well. There will be a breakfast prior to golf and lunch and awards following golf. Gentlemen 50 years and older may sign up online or by calling the Golf Shop. So sign up and come join in the fun.
Rule 4-1 Form and Make of Clubs By Jamie Komancheck, PGA Head Golf Professional Golf in the Northeast doesn t usually kick into high gear until mid-april. So any days we can get out prior to then are bonus days. Colby was anxious to try out his new TaylorMade M1 driver he picked up at the PGA Show. In mid-february we caught an unseasonably warm day, so off to RiverCrest we went for a friendly round. We both slapped it around the first hole and got some of the rust off our swings. Apparently there s less rust on seven year olds, because when we got to the 2nd tee Colby said he was going to cut the corner to try reaching the Par 5 in two. Colby s tee shot drew a little more than he wanted it to and it hugged the corner of the dogleg. We weren t sure if it made it around the corner or ended up out of bounds. Colby was confident it was safe so he didn t play a provisional. As we walked up the left side I told Colby to check along the wooded area along the out of bounds stakes to see if we find his ball before checking around the corner. Colby gave me the yeah right Dad eye roll as if I should question the ball being safe. Nevertheless he headed over and started looking along the edge. While he was over there something caught his eye and he ventured into the woods. I yelled to him not to bother looking in there, he was out of bounds. A few seconds later he popped back out. Dad, look what I found! Colby shouted holding up a golf club. I found the perfect club! He brought the club over to me, and sure enough it was The Perfect Club. The Perfect Club is a hybrid club that gained popularity through infomercials in the early 2000 s around the time RiverCrest was being built. The club was in pretty good shape; with only the sole of the club looking like it was slightly altered in a nearby workshop. Colby was pretty excited with his discovery. We went around the corner and sure enough Colby s ball was sitting in the first cut of rough, in plain view 215 yards from the green. Colby asked if he could use The Perfect Club. I told him, since he only had 8 clubs in his bag, that he could add the additional club for this round (Rule 4-4). He asked about the sole being altered, if that kept the club legal to use? Under Rule 4-1 Form and Make of Clubs, any part of the club that has been purposely altered is regarded as new and must, in its altered state, conform with the Rules. That rule leads you to Appendix II Design of Clubs at the back of the rule book (a section only a rules nut would read.) I told Colby the club looked perfect to me, so go ahead and hit it. Colby lined up the shot, drew The Perfect Club back to the top of his swing, and then unloaded every ounce in his 60 pound body. He struck the ball cleanly despite keeping his weight on his back foot. The ball sailed Far and Sure as they would say centuries ago (high and straight nowadays). We climbed up the fairway until the 2nd green came in sight. Unfortunately there was no ball visible on the green. Colby blurted, It must be in the hole! (Years of saying the same thing, only to be disappointed left me skeptical.) Colby took off towards the hole. When he got there, he peered over the edge of the cup. He slowly turned around, his face lit up and then he jumped higher than Phil Mickelson and yelled, It s in the hole! A perfect shot from The Perfect Club! The rest of the round was a blur for both of us. Colby was beaming with pride, wearing a permanent grin for the next few hours. He had the opportunity to hit The Perfect Club on a couple other occasions during the round but decided against it. The club had a perfect record with him. For me the round was a blur, much as the past seven years have been as well. I cherished each shot, each laugh, each cheer, each oops! I wish somehow that I could, but I just can t stop time. We walked up the 18th hole approaching the clubhouse and the final green. We holed out our putts, shook hands and paused for a moment. I wish I could keep The Perfect Club, Colby told me, knowing the right thing to do was to turn it in. He then added, But at least we can still play at the perfect Club! I couldn t agree more. And for that, we d like to say Thank you Mr. Lejeune! This Rule of the Month was written in memory of Mr. Dan Lejeune, founder of RiverCrest Golf Club and Preserve, who passed away a few weeks ago. He will be dearly missed. He loved the game of golf and the never-ending challenge of getting better. I enjoyed giving him lessons and working on getting him off his back foot trying to hit 300 yard drives. He loved golf equipment and was always searching magazines and watching infomercials looking for a club or training aid that would help his game, including The Perfect Club. He was a wonderful man and he built a Club that will forge a legacy. The Perfect Club!
M A R C H 2 0 1 7 T H E P R E S E R V E PA G E 7 GOLF ACADEMY NEWS with Moose Brian Moose DIRECTOR OF INSTRUCTION PRACTICE MAKES PERMANENT RETURNS It is back!! After seeing the success of this program last year it will return again this year. Starting March 7th through March 31st schedule 3 one-hour training sessions using brianmoose.uschedule.com, you can schedule sessions on ball striking, short game training, and mental approach. If you did not take advantage of this program the first time around you might want to act fast as the students who already participated are already waiting to book their first session. This exclusive program is only available to the first 10 students, so email or call to reserve your spot now! $180 Member rate $200 Non-Member rate WOMEN'S SPRING CLINIC SERIES We are excited to offer our Women's Clinic Series again this coming season. This clinic series is designed for all skill level of golfer. The series will start on the putting green and work up to hitting longer clubs at the end of the clinic series. Cost $25 for each clinic or $100 for the clinic package of 5.Wednesdays from 10:30 to 11:30 am DATES: April 5th--Putting April 12th--Chipping/Pitching April 19th--Pre-Swing April 26th--Irons and wedges May 3rd--Hybrids, Fairway woods, and Driver JUNIOR GOLF PRE-SEASON CLINICS The Pre-Season Clinic Series is designed to get the students back into the game after the off-season. Curriculum will be based on the US Kids Golf child friendly program. Basic golf skills will be incorporated while playing games to enhance learning and most importantly have fun! Ages: 7 to 17 Cost: $20 per clinic or $80 to attend all 5 clinics Session 1: 5:00-6:00 pm Session 2: 6:00-7:00 pm April 5th April 19th April 26th May 3rd May 17th
M A R C H 2 0 1 7 T H E P R E S E R V E PA G E 8 Natalie Hernandez YOUTH PROGRAM COORDINATOR NNH@RIVERCRESTGOLFCLUB.COM SAVE THE DATE ANNUAL RIVERCREST TEA PARTY GET THE GIRLS TOGETHER FOR A POSH AFTERNOON TEA AND LUNCH. SUNDAY, APRIL 30 AT 1PM CALL NATALIE AT EXT. 208 TO SIGN UP SUMMER CAMP REGISTRATION IS OPEN! New for 2017: Three different weeks of camp! Sign up for one, two or three (depending on your child s age). CREATIVE ARTS July 10-14 Creative arts week primarily focuses on crafts, art projects, and activities that inspire creativity. Campers will have the opportunity to participate in different activities throughout the week as well as go on field trips. GET MOVING July 17-21 Get Moving is a week focused on non-traditional activities of keeping fit in fun and exciting ways. This week may include trips to SkyZone, Golf Lesson with Coach Moose, and Rock Wall Climbing. OUTDOOR ADVENTURES July 24-28 Outdoor Adventures will include daily field trips to different places that highlight our local environments and history. This includes trips to Valley Forge Park, Elmwood Park Zoo, Longview Agricultural Center, and right in the Club s backyard; RiverCrest Preserve. Sign up online. Each camp is limited to 10 kids. $300/ for each camp week (discounted rates for multiple children or weeks) and includes activities, snacks and lunch. Please contact Natalie (nnh@rivercrestgolfclub.com) for more information.