The Royal Fox Newsletter Spring 2017 INSIDE THIS ISSUE Welcome to Spring at Royal Fox! I hope everyone is as excited as I am to get the season started and back to enjoying the club and all it has to offer. It s great to finally be here on a full-time basis and we ve hit the ground running, working together with the staff and committees to finalize the calendar for golf and social events for the upcoming season. It s been a busy first week and has been a great opportunity to meet many of you at the Dueling Pianos event last Friday and at the Egg Hunt last Sunday. Nearly 200 Members attended the Dueling Pianos event and it was nice to see so many of you enjoying the event. The food and entertainment were great and Carie, Chef Rob and their staff made concerted effort to accommodate everyone in attendance. I m looking forward to seeing many of you at the annual Easter Brunch this Sunday, with over 350 reservations on the books. Opening Day is this Friday, April 14th. We re working hard to make preparations and we are expecting a great turnout with over 50 players already signed up. If you haven t booked your foursome for the noon shotgun, contact Chris Ettner in the golf shop. If you are a new member or you don t have a group, please let us know and we are happy to pair you up. We have a great day planned starting with lunch at 11:00. The grounds crew, led by our Superintendent, Mike Siefken have been getting the course in great shape for Opening Day. BJ will be out on the course with a par 3 challenge to make the event even more fun as we get the season started. As many of you know, we are making several enhancements to the membership experience at Royal Fox. To meet this goal, the Capital Improvement Committee has identified several clubhouse projects that are in the process of being completed. We will also be receiving a new fleet of grounds maintenance equipment to assist Mike and his crew to exceed your expectations on the golf course. The fleet should arrive in the next 4 weeks. Introducing new members is the key to a successful club and we need your assistance to recruit new members this Spring. The Membership Committee has been coordinating several weekly Open House events to provide an opportunity for prospective members to visit the club and learn more about our amenities and programs. Membership Director Brittany Bauer and myself will be here every in April and May to welcome anyone interested in Royal Fox Membership. The events will begin at 6:30pm and we will provide facility tours and answer any questions. Nearly 80% of all new members are introduced by a current member, so please feel free to bring a prospective member to one of the upcoming Open House events. If those dates aren t convenient, we are happy to meet anytime. As we begin a new season at Royal Fox, it is important to remember that a club is not identified by a great golf course or lavish clubhouse, but the people that fill it. You, the Members, make it a special place. The staff is committed to making your experience here enjoyable and we are all looking forward to working together to exceed your expectations at Royal Fox in 2017 and beyond. If there is anything I can do to assist you in any way, please do not hesitate to contact me anytime. My door is always open. I m happy to be here and to call Royal Fox Country Club home. See you soon, Brian Tulk, PGA Royal Fox General Manager btulk@golfatroyal.com Course Update... 2 Pros Message... 2 Clinic Information... 3 Food and Beverage... 4 Membership... 5 Monthly Calendars... 6 SAVE THE DATES Saturday, May 5th Men s Opening Day Derby Party Sunday, May 14th Royal Fox Mother s Day Brunch Sunday, May st Princess Luncheon Thursday, May 25th Spring Wine Mixer Saturday, May 27th Outdoor Pool Opens Sunday, May 28th Memorial Day Mixer
FAIRWAYS AND GREENS Spring cleanup and the golf course renovations and repairs have begun! The grounds staffs have been working diligently to get ready for opening day this Friday. It will be exciting for the membership to see the progress that is being made. Here is a brief update on the current golf course renovations. The staircases on the course have been repaired. Sand for the bunkers have been delivered and installed The clock on the putting green has been repaired Removal of dead trees and grinding the stumps is in progress, there have been 75 stumps ground Installation of 3 bald cypress trees and 3 European hornbeam trees will be completed before opening day. The new tree locations are to the right of the #2 fairway and near the first green. New mulch has been installed by the clubhouse and parking lot. Clean up of the landscape beds have begun. Fountains have been repaired or replaced Mike Siefken Golf Course Superintendent msiefken@golfatroyal.com Always make a total effort, even when the odds are against you. Arnold Palmer UPCOMING GOLF EVENTS Royal Fox Golf Course Open Friday, April 14th 12pm Shotgun Ladies Opening Cocktail Party Tuesday, April 18th Ladies Opening Day Tuesday, April 25 th Men s Opening Day Saturday, May 5 th Kentucky Derby themed lunch and activities to follow. Couples Memorial Day Mixer Sunday, May 28 th Dinner to follow at the patio bar Men s Guest Day Friday, June 9 th, the golf course being closed for the event, reopening Saturday morning. Ladies Guest Day Tuesday, June 13 th, the golf course being closed until 3:00pm that afternoon. Please look for all the information for these upcoming events via your weekly email, and they will be posted on the board outside of the golf shop as well. FROM THE GOLF SHOP I would like to take this opportunity to welcome all our members back for what promises to be an exciting 2017 golf season. BJ Paul will be heading up our Player Development programs. He has clinics planned for Men, Women, and Juniors. Adam Coles will again be assisting in the golf shop with Josh Bright will be running our outside operations. Please say hello and welcome them back, as they are all eager to begin the season. There will be some nice upgrades to the golf course. There has been significant stump removal from the trees that have been excavated, lots of new bunker sand has been added where needed, and an aggressive top dressing program is in place to ensure our greens are in tournament playing condition throughout the season. The golf shop will be home to some wonderful equipment and apparel this season. We will be featuring apparel from Footjoy, Fairway & Greene, Donald Ross, and Under Armour. Footwear selections will be from Footjoy & Under Armour, and equipment featuring Scotty Cameron putters, Titleist Vokey wedges, the G Series from Ping, and the X series from Tour Edge. If there is something that you want that we do not carry on the floor, please ask one of the staff members, and we will be happy to special order anything that you wish. The Golf Committee working in conjunction with the golf staff has put together a tournament program which offers something for everyone. Thank you in advance for your support of the club in 2017, and I look forward to seeing everyone soon at the club. Chris Ettner PGA Head Golf Professional cettner@golfatroyal.com 630.584.4003 2
GOLF CLINICS AND LESSONS I'm excited to get the 2017 golf season under way! I look forward to my 2nd season as your Teaching Professional. This season I will be offering a variety of classes and clinics to cater to your golfing needs. All classes will focus on learning skills through use of instruction, games and competitions. Playing the course will be top priority as playing the game is the best way to learn. Each Class will have a specified curriculum to follow so you know what to expect each session. If classes are not for you I will be available to teach privately throughout the season as well. I will have training aids available on the range for use and I plan on making some videos to post to the clubs Facebook page so if you have not done so please like the page. Finally I will be sending out a Golf Instruction Newsletter. This is a place where I will inform you all of upcoming events, instructional content, contests, promotions, acknowledgments, etc. I send one to two emails per month. If you do not wish to receive emails from BJ Paul Golf Instruction you can opt out at the bottom of the mail chimp email. Golf Shop Hours Monday Tuesday Sunday 7:30am-6:00pm BJ Paul Golf Teaching Professional bjpaul@golfatroyal.com 630.589.4863 3
FOOD AND BEVERAGE NEWS Weddings & Special Events I look forward to seeing so many of you up at the Clubhouse again soon. Thank you to the many of you who have booked their communion & graduation parties this spring. We do have dates still available if you are looking to book graduation parties and family events. Please contact me so that I may reserve your date! Jane Spair Weddings & Banquet Sales 630. 584.4035 jspair@royalfoxcc.com Booking Tournaments The staff at Royal Fox is ready to help you showcase your club. Whether you are looking to host your business event or support a charitable organization with a golf tournament, we are here to help! For details or to get your date secured now, contact Nancy Nancy Weiss Outing Sales 630.584.4000 ext 1 nweiss@royalfoxcc.com 4 The 2017 season is almost up and running. There have been a lot of improvements around the clubhouse and we hope you come in soon to experience some of the improvements. In the off season the food and beverage staff have been working on creating new menus, updating our wine lists, planning member events and hiring and training of staff. We are excited about the new changes we are implementing for this upcoming season. To name a few; new and improved member events with the assistance of our social committee, live entertainment at the club on the third Friday of the month, a limited breakfast menu and bar service in the saloon on Saturday and Sunday mornings beginning May 20, special liquor and wine tastings in the saloon and special feature nights throughout the month of April. We also will be rolling out our 2017 dining menu starting on May 1st. One new policy for 2017 is that reservations for dining and events are required. This ensures the proper staffing in both the front and back of the house and enables us to provide the best experience possible for you and your guests. Thank you to all of you that have helped with this transition. Once the new software has been upgraded, there will be significant changes in order efficiency, particularly at the patio bar, the ipads will help reduce the wait time on food orders and eliminate the running up and down to place orders and print checks. We are excited for these new changes to be put in place to assist in providing the best service possible. In other news, Toni Ford has been promoted to Bar Manager, she will be a wonderful addition to the management team. Please let us know if there is anything particular that you would like to see on any of our menus. We will do our best to accommodate your needs. Looking forward to a fantastic season, Carie Scallion Food and Beverage Manager cscallion@golfatroyal.com 630.584.4175
Notes from the Accounting Department blowing bubbles at the Royal Fox Easter Egg hunt and Drop at the Royal Fox on Sunday, April 9th. MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION This spring kicks off our 2017 Membership Drive. The Royal Fox Country Club is asking for your help to expand our membership community. We greatly appreciate your support in growing the club. If you have a friend, family member or colleague interested in joining The Royal Fox Country Club, we would welcome the opportunity to share the details about membership. We will be hosting a series of Open House Events at the Club on evenings throughout April and May at the Royal Fox Clubhouse. We encourage you to bring along any guests that you may have to meet other members of the Club in a relaxed setting. The Open House will begin at 6:30pm, and provide a brief overview of benefits of membership at the Royal Fox. evenings are also Wine s at the Club, we will feature $20 bottomless glasses of house wine, half priced pizzas, and pasta specials. I am excited to be working with you in helping grow the membership at the Club. If I can be of any assistance, please feel free to contact me! Thank you- looking forward to seeing you around the clubhouse soon! Brittany Bauer Membership Director bbauer@golfatroyal.com 630.584.4035 On behalf of all the Club s staff, We would like to welcome the following new members to the Royal Fox: Bob & Georgia Viscomi Mr. & Mrs. Tom Russe Mr. Tom Meyer Deo & Gina Cerrone Carl & Barbara Amacher Richard & Sherri Mattiussi James & Celeste Boler Mathieu & Perrine Baudouin Northstar Upgrade We are currently working on both hardware and software upgrades to allow our staff to work more efficiently and accurately in both the Food and Beverage and Golf operations. Our WiFi infrastructure has been upgraded allowing us to replace the old POS terminals with ipads in the Saloon, Pro Shop, Patio Bar and Cabana. This will speed up service, especially for the Patio Bar, as well as improve the accuracy of the billing. On the software side, we are upgrading to the latest version of Northstar which was voted the 2016 Club Management Software of the Year. This version of Northstar includes the ClubNow mobile app. ClubNow will allow members to receive instant updates about club events, make dining and event reservations, update your member profile and view and pay your club bill. Adding this top of the line technology will give our staff the necessary tools to operate more efficiently and accurately, enhancing the overall experience for our membership. Dining Discount Over the past 6 years, our menu has been providing competitive priced appetizers, entrees and desserts to members. The Board of Directors have made a decision to eliminate the 25% discount from our menu. We are confident even with this change, our pricing will still remain very competitive. Autopay Reminder If you have not set up your autopay please send the form in before the end of April to avoid penalty. To get the form, please contact Amber at memberservices@golfatroyal.com. If you are already on autopay or have submitted your form, we thank you 5
April 2017 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Office Hours Monday Friday 9:00a 5:00p 1 2 Easter Egg Hunt and Drop 3 4 5 6 7 Dueling Pianos 6p Dinner 7:30p Show 8 5p-9p 9 Easter Brunch No regular Dining 10 11 12 13 14 Golf course Open 15 16 11a-5p 17 18 Ladies Opening 19 Wine 20 Live Entertainment 22 23 11a-5p 24 25 26 Wine 27 Chophouse Night 29 30 11a-5p For Reservations, please call the saloon 630.584.4000 ext.2 May 2017 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 2 3 Wine 4 5 Tequila Tasting Chophouse Night 6 Men's Opener Derby Party 7 8 9 10 Junior Sign up 11 12 Chophouse Night 13 14 Mother s Day Brunch 15 16 17 Wine 18 Live Entertainment 20 Princess Lunch 22 23 24 Wine 25 Spring Wine Mixer 26 Chophouse Night 27 28 Couples Mixer 29 Memorial Day Dining Hours 11a-6p 30 31 Wine