a p r i l 2 0 1 8 Vo l u m e X i i i N u m b e r 3 PHOenIxvILLe, PennSYLvAnIA. APRIL 4, 2018 BRING ON THE 2018 SEASON! BY: BRANDON LEJEUNE NEW CARTS! The new fleet has arrived! The gas carts all have the new quiet-tech technology that greatly reduces noise and usb ports to allow for Members to connect their phones or music devices. GREENSIDE AND HALFWAY HOUSE UPDATE The Greenside and Halfway House open this month but there are few changes to mention. The Greenside hours have changed this season as outlined below. Monday 11am to 6pm Tuesdays - Closed Wednesday 11am to 3pm Thursdays Closed (Honor System) Friday, Saturday & Sunday Half hour before 1st starting time to 10:30am The primary reason for the change in hours is the popularity of the grill at the halfway on Friday and Saturdays and the Fireside now opening on the weekends during the day. The Greenside will remain open during the busy periods we ve experienced in the past. The honor system will always be available to grab a snack and cold beverages. At the Halfway House, you can expect to see Rob manning the grill on the weekends. His grilling talents will allow us to expand our offerings in the coming months. NEW FACES! Below are some of our newest staff members! FIRESIDE LOUNGE Open for Lunch Saturday & Sundays beginning April 7 The Fireside Lounge will now open on Saturdays and Sundays at noon. Once the weather gets nice and the Patio Terrace opens the bartender will be moved to the outside bar. So plan on stopping by after your early round of golf on Saturday and Sunday mornings and grab lunch with your favorite bartenders! Mike Matson ASSISTAnT GOLF PRO Karen Salines ReSTAuRAnT SeRveR Amber LaPera BAnqueT MAnAGeR Margaritaville RETURNS! FRIDAY, June 22nd My sister, Tina, would have been stoked to see her favorite member event return for 2018. As in previous years, the pool terrace will be rocking, the margaritas will be flowing and the live music will have you dancing! More details to follow! Signups begin Thursday, May 3rd
EASTER BUNNY BRUNCH S Ê Brunch Buffet Ê DJ Dance Party $ S $34.95++ per adult Kids 3 and under eat FREE! Guests Welcome!
APRIL 2018 THE PRESERVE PA G E 3 Mother Daughter Tea Party Social Sunday, April 29th SOLD OUT 1pm to 3pm - Roberts Room S Join us for a delightful afternoon tea luncheon. Women of all ages are encouraged to attend. Please bring your Moms, Daughters, Aunts, Grandmothers and friends! t hbest r e evintage, P r i z eglamorous s f o r b eand s t colorful h At s hats Prizes for reservations Are limited. signup online ++ ++ ++ ++ Per PerADult ADult $19 $19 Per PerchilD KiD $35 $35
A P R I L 2 0 1 8 T H E P R E S E R V E PA G E 4 Meet our Parents Night Out Staff! They make sure your kids are having a great time at the Club while you get to enjoy a night out! CRAFTS, GAMES, KIDS MEAL & MOVIE INCLUDED Activity Room 5:30pm to 8:30pm $12 per child Kids must be Age 3+ and potty-trained. Parent must be onsite. MOTHERS DAY BRUNCH Sunday, May 13th 11:30am Seating $ 14 99 $ per child 12 and under 34 99 per adult CHILDREN UNDER 3 EAT FREE GUESTS WELCOME SIGN UP ONLINE
APRIL 2018 THE PRESERVE PA G E 5 The RiverCrest Stewardship Committee prepared this Membership Pledge to create awareness and encourage proper course etiquette while maintaining a 4 hour pace of play. It's the responsibility of each Member to abide by the following policies to ensure an enjoyable experience for all Members of the Club. RESPECT THE COURSE - In every aspect, leave the course in better shape than you found it RESPECT PACE OF PLAY -Play in 4 hours and allow faster groups to play through REPLACE DIVOTS - Divot replacement is favored over filling with seed mix REPAIR BALL MARKS - Repair your ball mark and others you see on the greens RAKE BUNKERS - Bunkers are to be raked after each use. Leave rakes in the bunker RESPECT CART RULES - Carts are never to be in the native grasses or within 30 yards of a green RIV ERCRE S T P RE S ER V ES
A P R I L 2 0 1 8 T H E P R E S E R V E PA G E 6 SO LONG WINTER! I think last Sunday s little burst was the last gasp and we are through winter. Finally! Grip em and rip em. Sand Management The aggressive approach we ve employed over the last 6 years to attack the heavy layer of thatch has yielded great results. This year we will discontinue the Graden process and replace it with regular topdressing. The advantages of a regular sanding schedule - thatch dilution - smoother more consistent surface - increased firmness - algae reduction - increased drainage The disadvantages - timing is critical (sand is abrasive to the plants so discontinuing during heat spells) - slower speed for a short time until sand is completely incorporated - abrasive on mower parts (reels and bedknives will be destroyed quickly so backups must be ready within a few greens) - increased labor The overall advantages outweigh the negatives especially since we are discontinuing our aggressive aerification process. The health of the greens is my main concern and too much thatch causes numerous issues reducing recovery, holding excess water near the surface, and spongy greens which are susceptible to mower scalping. The club purchased a brand new topdresser with a wireless remote. This machine will greatly enhance our ability to apply sand with rapid adjustments and uniform coverage. Once the sand is applied we will follow up with a brushing and light watering to incorporate. Verticutting/ Grooming We will also be employing a verticutting schedule in tandem with the topdressing. The verticut units will be attached to our triplex and act like a MICRO Graden. The units will be set to just tickle the very top surface of the greens to reduce cross/or lateral growth. This will help the plants to stand more upright, eliminate some of the dead grass material, and open shallow slits for the sand to penetrate. I will post a video of the process on the blog. I m very excited to get the season underway to employ these techniques. Both have been used sparingly before due to the aggressive Graden and its recovery time but removing the thick thatch layer was imperative to better greens health, playability, and ball speeds.
A P R I L 2 0 1 8 T H E P R E S E R V E PA G E 7 A P R I L T O U R N A M E N T S DATE TOURNAMENT RIVERCREST DAY MEMBER GUEST SIGNUPS ARE OPEN ONLINE! The first RiverCrest Day One-Day Member-Guest is scheduled for Thursday, May 17th. The event is an excellent way to entertain those special guests or clients. A Member may bring either one or three Guests to participate. The format is 2 Best Balls of 4, both gross and net divisions as well as fun skills contests and a Beat the Pro. The event has a 1:00pm shotgun start and lunch starting at 11:30am. Following golf is a dinner and an awards presentation. The field is limited to 112 players so don t wait too long. Signups have already begun online and are starting to fill up. PGA JUNIOR LEAGUE REGISTRATIONS START SOON New this year, RiverCrest will be fielding three teams for the PGA Jr. League. Two teams will consist of juniors ages 8-13. And for the first time ever we will be fielding a team in the 16U division which is for juniors ages 14-16. The two younger teams will participate in a 6 team league with Stonewall, Spring-Ford, Applecross and Phoenixville. Each RiverCrest team will play 5 matches, with 2 matches being played at away courses. We are still waiting on details about the 16U league. If you are interested in having your child participate in the leagues please email the Professional Staff at golfshop@rivercrestgolfclub.com. Once we see how many kids are interested in participating we ll send April 1 April 2 April 7 April 12 April 16 April 18 April 19 April 22,29 April 23 April 24,27 April 25 April 25 April 26 April 28 Qualifying begins for Men s, Scratch, Senior and Super Senior Match Play Tournaments Sign Ups begin for Men s Member-Member at 8:00am Masters Saturday Event (starting times) Ladies Opening Day (9:30am shotgun) Happy Hackers (9:00am-10:00am starting times) Senior Golf Opening Day (8:30am shotgun) Ladies Golf (9:00am-10:00am starting times) GAP Matches (9:30am-12:00pm starting times) Happy Hackers (9:00am-10:00am starting times) WGAP Matches (8:30am shotguns) Senior Golf (9:00am-10:00am starting times) Men s League Begins (5:30pm shotgun) Ladies Golf (9:00am-10:00am starting times) TaylorMade Demo Day (11:00am-3:00pm) MATCH PLAY QUALIFYING BEGINS APRIL 1ST The season-long Men s Match Play events (Men s Handicap Championship, Men s Better Ball Championship, Scratch Match Play, Senior Handicap Championship, Senior Better Ball Championship, and Super Senior Handicap Championship) will have qualifying starting April 1st. Qualifying for the Men s Handicap Championship and the Men s Better Ball Championship will end on April 29th. All other Match Play qualifying will end on May 30th. The entry fee for each Championship is $25. To qualify let a Member of the Professional Staff know on the day you play before you start your round. They will provide you a scorecard for your qualifying attempt. Players may qualify one time for each of the tournaments they are eligible for. April 29 April 30 Qualifying ends for Men s Handicap and Better Ball Match Play Tournaments Philadelphia Section PGA Tournament Course Closed FREE GREENS FEE Purchase 5 Guest Fees & get 1 Guest Fee Free! The 2018 Pre-Paid Guest Fee Package is an added value to Members who frequently invite Guests. Members purchase five Guest rounds at $85 per round ($425) and receive a 6th Guest round Free. Members may purchase as many Packages as desired but must do so by May 15th. Rounds must be used by December 31st of 2018. To purchase the package or for additional details please contact the Golf Shop.
A P R I L 2 0 1 8 T H E P R E S E R V E PA G E 8 NIGHT GOLF RETURNS! Thursday, May 10th Night Golf made its RiverCrest debut in 2017 with over 70 Members participating. The success of the event demanded its return this year on Thursday, May 10th. So if you d like to try your swing in the dark of night, be sure to sign up for this fun event. Play begins around 8:00pm. Players may sign up online as singles or in groups up to 4 players. Following golf players PGA PROS COME TO RIVERCREST! Ok, maybe not PGA Tour Pros, but the local Philadelphia Section PGA Professionals will be coming to RiverCrest on Monday, April 30th to play in the TaylorMade Classic. Golf Professionals from Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware will be bringing their games to test out our course. The course will be closed to Member play that day, but feel free to come out and watch some great golf! HAPPY HACKERS START HACKING HAPPILY ON APRIL 16TH The Happy Hackers is a group of beginner ladies who just want to play golf for fun. This group of over 30 ladies plays up to 9 holes Monday mornings starting at 9:00am, followed by laughs over lunch. Hacking begins Monday, April 16th. There are no official rules to follow other than to laugh, support one another and keep on hacking away. While keeping score is optional, they do emphasize following golf etiquette and keeping a proper pace of play (all things easily learned with this great group.) For more details or to join the Happy Hackers please contact Kelly Komancheck in the Golf Shop, kmk@rivercrestgolfclub.com. GET FIT FOR YOUR CLUBS LIKE A TOUR PRO! Saturday, April 28th RiverCrest is excited to announce that we have booked an exclusive TaylorMade club fitting experience on Saturday, April 28th, from 11:00am until 3:00pm! Members will have the opportunity to go through a custom club fitting, the same way Tour pros do! A TaylorMade Tech Fitting Specialist will be showcasing the new M3 & M4 products and all new irons and wedges at the Practice Range. To ensure a quality and one-on-one experience for those serious buyers, we will be taking reservations every 30 minutes with the TaylorMade Tech Specialist. To schedule a 30-minute session, send us an email (golfshop@rivercrestgolfclub.com) or stop by the Golf Shop. The Professional Staff will also be available during the product experience to assist you and to properly fit you if you choose to walk-in. We hope you enjoy this exclusive fitting experience! SENIOR GOLF OPENING DAY WEDNESDAY, APRIL 18TH 8:30AM SHOTGUN The Snowbirds will be returning from Florida by mid-april, so our Senior Golf season can begin! We ll kick off the season with the Senior Golf Opening Day tournament on Wednesday, April 18th. The Professional Staff will come up with a fun theme and format and put together the pairings. There will be a breakfast prior to the 8:30am shotgun start, and lunch and awards following golf. Gentlemen 50 years and older may sign up online or by calling the Golf Shop. 2018 LADIES OPENING DAY WITH FOOTJOY TRUNK SHOW! Thursday, April 12th 9:30am shotgun Ladies officially start their season with the Ladies Opening Day on Thursday, April 12th. The event will have a fun team scramble format with random pairings made by the Professional Staff. There will be a continental breakfast prior to golf which starts with a 9:30am shotgun, followed by lunch and awards. During lunch there will also be a FootJoy Trunk Show with all the newest 2018 styles of SHOES!! Kelly also asked the FootJoy Rep to bring his Red/White/Grey apparel collection that will be available in mid-june. This collection is an opportunity to purchase some great add-on WGAP team-colored uniform pieces that can be special ordered that day. Sign up online or by calling the Golf Shop. RIVERCREST MEN S GAP AND LADIES WGAP TEAMS SET TO COMPETE The Men s and Women s GAP matches get underway the end of April. The Men s team matches are held on Sundays April 22nd, April 29th and May 6th. The Ladies teams play their matches on April 24th, April 27th, May 1st, May 4th and May 8th. Good luck to all players representing RiverCrest. Play well! 5TH YEAR OF MEN S LEAGUE BEGINS APRIL 25TH After another successful year, the Men s League is set to begin on Wednesday, April 25th. Sixty-four Members will tee it up on thirty-two teams The Professional Staff will establish four divisions where each team will face off against all other teams in their division in 9-hole matches. The matches are held bi-weekly on Wednesday nights with 5:30pm shotguns. The matches go thru the middle of July followed by 3 weeks of Playoffs.
A P R I L 2 0 1 8 T H E P R E S E R V E PA G E 9 Colby s rule of the month rule 5-3 ball unfit for play by Jamie Komancheck, pga Head Golf professional It s been a long, cold winter in the Northeast. The calendar said that Spring arrived, just as another storm dumped 14 inches of snow on us. Happy Spring! So while the nor easter kept the course covered, the real Easter gave us reason to get the clubs out of storage. Colby had an extended break over the Easter holiday so we decided to head south towards warmer weather. The first part of the trip took in some historical sites in the great towns of Charleston and Beaufort in South Carolina. Colby learned that the first shot of the Civil War were fired in Charleston and that was about all Colby was interested in learning about history (wasn t my favorite subject either.) He was far more interested in firing his own first shots on a golf course. After a few days in South Carolina the second half of the trip visited our new favorite destination, Pinehurst, North Carolina. We ve now made three trips to Pinehurst in the last 17 months. The resort and the golf courses are a fantastic destination for all who love the game of golf. It is known as the Cradle of American Golf. The resort boasts 9 fantastic golf courses, including the famous Pinehurst No. 2 course which has hosted multiple U.S. Opens. But the purpose of our trip was to visit the newest course at Pinehurst, a Par 3 course named The Cradle. If you can imagine this, our visit to The Cradle wasn t even to play the course. Our visit was simply to hit a ceremonial tee shot on the course. Excuse me? You see Colby, Kelly and I are very excited to announce that Colby is going to be a BIG BROTHER! A wish of Colby s since he could talk would now be fulfilled. the driver a few times behind the ball. He took one last look toward the target off in the distance. I ve never been so nervous or anxious over a first tee shot in my life, and I wasn t even hitting the shot. Colby looked back at the ball, knowing the significance of this one swing. It would change our lives forever. He steadied his 8-year old nerves, drew the club back to the top of his swing. In seemingly slow motion he shifted his weight onto his front foot, uncoiled his hips and unleashed a mighty swing at the golf ball.the ball exploded on impact, sending a beautiful pink cloud towards the green. A more perfect shot I have never seen. We all hugged one another and wiped the tears of joy from our eyes. Since this is Colby s Rule of the Month, he would first like to proudly announce that we will be welcoming a little girl into our family in late August. And secondly, he would like to announce that under Rule 5-3 Ball Unfit for Play, if a ball becomes unfit for play during the play of the hole, the player may substitute another ball, where the original ball lay, without penalty. In this case, Colby felt that the original ball was definitely still fit for play! And one thing I m very proud to say, I know he s going to be an awesome BIG BROTHER! Happy Spring! Once Colby found out about the new addition to our golfing family, his first question was, Is the baby going to be a BOY or a GIRL? And at that point we didn t know the answer (but our good friend Dr. Joe did and he put the answer in a sealed envelope for us.) And with the help of a dear friend, we would all be finding out the answer together at The Cradle. We all stood on the tee as Colby teed up the golf ball. He took a few deep breaths, paused, and then waggled
A P R I L 2 0 1 8 T H E P R E S E R V E PA G E 10 GOLF ACADEMY NEWS with Moose Brian Moose DIRECTOR OF INSTRUCTION RANDOM COMPETITIVE PRACTICE In the years that I ve been a golf coach, I ve witnessed first-hand how golfers of all levels spend their practice time. And most could do much better job of developing skills that are going to translate into lower scores on the course. THE REASONS: 1...Students don t know which areas of their game they need to improve most. 2...There s not enough random and competitive skills practice. What is Random Practice? On the golf course you don t have the luxury of playing a shot twice. So, it s important to practice in this way too (for a portion of it anyway). Random Practice helps you: Find a solution for each new shot (as it represents a new challenge). Deepen learning and skill development as you re engagement is higher and you re not hitting each shot from memory, the way you do with block practice. Your brain forms stronger neural pathways when it has to work for it. Develop the "feel" for any shot you might be required to hit on the course. What is Competitive Skills Practice? On the golf course there are consequences for missing a shot and this creates pressure. This pressure can affect your thinking and your swing. You need to practice for this, so you can become more comfortable being uncomfortable and get access to your best skills under pressure. Competitive skills practice helps you: Simulate the pressure you feel on the golf course, so it will become easier to handle it for real on the course. You ll work on improving focus, your process and get better at managing performance anxiety. Pressure also exacerbates your weaknesses, so it s easier to identify what you need to improve (better you do this in practice, than on the course!) Random and Competitive Skills Practice Drills So what drills should you do for Random and Competitive Skills Practice? Over the years I ve worked with hundreds of players and I ve developed a huge library of Random and Competitive Skills Drills. If you run out of ideas please feel free to reach out! HERE ARE A COUPLE OF ExAMPLES: Short Game Ladder Drill Aim of the game: to improve trajectory and landing spot control. 1. Pick a spot about 10 yards off the green, but with about 30 yards of green to work with. 2. Place a ball every 6 yards between the fringe and the hole (so you have 5 zones or 5 rungs on a ladder. 3. Your goal is to play 5 shots, each landing in each zone and the ball finishing within 6 feet of the hole. 4. Hit as many balls as it takes to complete the challenge and total up the number of balls needed (ideally no more than 2 per landing zone). 5 to 25 Putting Drill Aim of the game: to make more putts from 5-25 ft. 1. Place 1 ball at 5ft 2. Place 2 balls at 10ft 3. Place 3 balls at 15ft 4. Place 4 balls at 20 ft 5. Place 5 balls at 25ft 6. The aim of the game is to hole one ball out from each location from the number of balls you have e.g. From 25ft you have 5 attempts to hole one. 7. The challenge is complete when you ve holed out a putt from each location.