Riverhill Reporter January 2017 From the Desk of John Junker General Manager Riverhill Membership, As this year comes to an end, we hope you had a wonderful Christmas and we wish you many blessings for 2017. 2016 was another great year at The Club. Our membership numbers are the highest in the last five years. Several improvements were completed at Riverhill in 2016. Nate and his crew completed all but 7 of the bunkers. These will be finished in 2017. The Tree Project was a success for the second straight year. To date we have planted a total of 49 trees. We will be putting further Tree Planting projects on hold until 2018 on the advice from the architect we have been working with. The Roofing project at Riverhill made a huge change to the entire Club. The Club took the opportunity to change many other aspects of Riverhill during the re-roofing projects. Roof lines were changed dramatically with decorative dormers and cupolas, walkways were changed, along with new lighting and a new deck for Joe Fingers Turning Point. Again in 2017 we will be reroofing The Club due to the June hail storm. A new Fleet of Club Cars were brought in to Riverhill in July. The City of Kerrville passed the long awaited gray water distribution deal for Riverhill and other Kerrville entities. Thanks to many Riverhill members for your efforts, assistance and support in making this happen. This is a great opportunity for Riverhill Country Club. Many things were accomplished in 2016, but still many improvements need to be addressed
moving forward. Our focus for 2017 will be to increase the value of The Club to our Membership. This entails improved customer service levels in all areas, enhanced communications with our members, and creative programs and events. Thank you to each and every Member at Riverhill Country Club. Together, we made 2016 a success. We look forward to more successes in 2017 and again wish you all many great blessings for 2017. Riverhill Proud! Sincerely, John Junker General Manager From the Desk of Bryan Hargrove Membership Director Happy New Year!! Last year just flew by. We are looking forward to an exciting year in 2017. Memberships have leveled off the last couple of months, but we are still in a very good position. We will continue to promote Riverhill with the enthusiasm that the members deserve. I feel that we are blessed to live in the Hill Country and to be a part of the Riverhill family makes living here even more special. When I visit with prospective members, I always ask them how they heard of Riverhill. It amazes me how people know of Riverhill. I played Riverhill while in college way back in 1976. Before that, I didn t even know Riverhill existed. If you would like to share with the other members how you found out about Riverhill, send your story to me at my email address of bhargrove@riverhillcc.com and I will include it in my future newsletter articles. I think it would be very interesting to find out how we all have become part of the Riverhill family. Again, I look forward to a very exciting 2017. Thank you for all your support in the past and let s make this year the best ever. As always, I am Riverhill Proud!
Bryan Hargrove Membership Director Welcome to our new members who joined in December: Riverhill Women's Association MEETING NOTICE THURSDAY, JANUARY 12th SOCIAL MEET & GREET 11:30 a.m. LUNCHEON: 12:00 Noon PROGRAM: 12:30 p.m. LET S ALL PRESS OUR RESTART BUTTON > IT S A NEW YEAR A TIME FOR NEW HOPE, A TIME FOR NEW ASPIRATIONS, A TIME FOR NEW RESOLUTIONS, A TIME WHEN OUR 'SPIRITS ARE NEW WE HOPE YOU WILL JOIN US AND BRING FRIENDS FOR FOOD, FUN & FELLOWSHIP AS WE TAKE DELIGHT IN LISTENING TO HUMORIST AND MASTERFUL STORY TELLER T. SCOTT GROSS RWA wishes everyone a promising, fulfilling and Happy New Year 2017! For Reservations call Riverhill Country Club at 830 896-1400 ~ Ext. 2220 (Luncheon $17)
Golf 2016 Puerto Vallarta Pro Am Teams Happy New Year to everyone and thank you for supporting the Golf Shop in 2016. We are pleased to announce a staff change in the Golf Shop. Raul Smith after nearly 9 years of service at Riverhill will be moving into part time retirement and will continue part time on our outside service staff. We thank Raul for his dedicated service and wish him the best in his part time retirement. Mark Duncan has been in the Golf Shop for about 1 ½ years now and is being promoted to the 1 st Assistant. Taking Mark s spot as 2 nd Assistant is Chris Blanchard. Most of you already know Chris as he has been working for us on our outside staff for about a year. As a staff we will being
getting in lots of training over the winter and gearing up for a great 2017 season. Due to harsh winter weather, the Winter Scramble was postponed a week and ultimately cancelled. It is on the 2017 calendar and we hope for better weather next time. Congratulations to our December Member-Staff Scramble winners: Charlie Digges, Niel Powers, Blake Laird and Matt Trevino. Our next Member-Staff Scramble is on January 26 th at 3:00. The 2017 tournament calendar is ready. The listing is below and it can also be found on www.riverhillcc.com or there are copies in the golf shop. January 21 st The Team Putting Championship 2-Person Best Ball February 18 th The Par 3 Challenge Individual Stroke Play within flights March 14 th Riverhill Cup Matches begin - Individual Match Play March 25 th - 26 th Spring Member Member 2-Person Teams - One Net Best Ball April 22 nd 23 rd Senior Men s Club Championship Flighted by age, Individual Stroke play May 18 th 20 th Byron Nelson Invitational Member-Guest - One net best ball, stableford scoring June 20 th Riverhill Team Championship begins 2-Person teams, flighted best ball match play September 8 th 9 th - Ladies Club Championship Individual Stroke Play September 22 nd 24 th - Men s Club Championship Flighted by tee played, Individual Stroke play October 20 th 22 nd Fall Member Member Match Play Net Best Ball Match Play November 10 th & 11 th Collins Cup Ryder Cup style format December 1 st Golf Shop Christmas Sale December 2 nd Winter Scramble 2 person scramble Aerification dates will be: February 20 th 22 nd, June 5 th 7 th and November 13 th 14 th. We will once again be conducting our Junior Golf Camps. The dates for our three camps are: June 20 th June 22 nd June 27 th June 29 th July 25 th July 27 th Camps will cover putting, short game, long game, rules and etiquette. Lunch is included and the kids can go home cool and refreshed with pool time each day after camp. The cost is $125 per
week and applications will be in the golf shop and on the website. Phase 3 of the 3 year tree planting project will postponed at this time. We have consulted with the architect that helped us pick the locations and it has been determined that more tree planting at this time will over crowd the course and that tree cleaning is what should be focused on. Thank you to each of the 50+ members that contributed to the project. The trees are alive and well. They will continue to enhance the course in the years to come for everyone to enjoy. New for 2017 will be the USGA has presented a local rules change for the Dustin Johnson incident at the US Open. If your ball is accidentally moved on the green, in the process of addressing the ball, marking or remarking ball there is no penalty and the ball is to be replaced. Our first club event of 2017, The Team Putting Championship, will take place Saturday afternoon January 21 st at 2:30. We will transform the back 9 greens into an 18-hole putting course and the format will be a 2 person best ball. The entry will be $30 per player including prizes and appetizers, call the golf shop to sign-up. This is a good time of year to look at your grips. Grips should be changed out once a year and twice a year for golfers playing twice a week or more. The golf shop has plenty of grips in stock and if there are special ones you would like we can order them for you. If you would like the golf staff to evaluate them for you just bring them by. Turnaround on grips is typically about a day. As we move into the Spring the club companies will be releasing their new product. With that in mind we offer a trade-in program that allows you to return your old golf clubs and most GPS units for credit book and the credit can be used for merchandise purchases in the golf shop. If you are a business owner and looking for logoed product we can order custom golf balls, shirts and hats for your business or for your tournament outing. Stop by so we can show you samples or help with the order. If anyone has a lead on a golf outing please contact the golf shop so we can help secure the event. These events are vital to the health of the club and we can provide golf, lodging and food and beverage. Golf Tip of the Month: With the cold weather this time of year and the new fitness center being open, now is the perfect time of year to get in there and work on your flexibility and conditioning. Fairway Feats:
Fred Apffel Hole in One #8 5 iron 180 yards Dec. 16 Dan Ostos shot 79 on Dec. 21 Men's Golf Association (MGA) As regular readers know, I often use this column to give a shout out to noteworthy individuals. This month it is almost all about shout outs. Every leader of an organization such as the MGA has three primary responsibilities: Preserve the mission of the organization, protect the viability of the organization, and advance the success of the organization. As our leader of the last two years of the MGA, Ford Smith has performed admirably in all three areas. Ford has made the decision to step down at the end of this year, and we want to thank him for his hard work serving the MGA as a board member and as the president. A second shout out goes to the board members and leaders that will continue to advance the success of the MGA in 2017. Mike Wilson has graciously (well, pretty much graciously) agreed to step in to the president s role. We also have three new board members Raymond Holloway, Greg Shrader, and Larry Howard. Thank you, gentlemen for stepping up. Or being railroaded. Whatever. I would also like to give a shout out to the board members that are ending their terms at the start of 2017, Jim Carter and Jim Holloway as well as Ford Smith. Thank you, gentlemen. It is the willingness to volunteer and participate that keeps the organization moving forward. One last shout out for the year. Ken Ricks and Phil DeMasco worked together with the MGA, the RWGA, and the RWA to coordinate and collect money for the Blue Santa program here in Kerrville. They proved to be good choices. Ken and crew proved remarkably adept at twisting arms! Between the groups, we raised over $3,500 and the RWA collected a whole bunch of toys
at their dinner. I think we caught the city by surprise, and a whole bunch of families and kids will have a much better Christmas as a result. We also helped brighten Christmas with a standing tradition for the MGA. At our annual meeting early in December, Ford presented checks to each person on the maintenance staff in appreciation for the fine work they do in keeping the course in great shape. And this year, with more normal rainfall, it truly is in fine shape. Now on to 2017. The first quarter calendar is being finalized as we speak, and when it is done you will find it here, on the website, and in your e-mail inbox. We ll be going to three play days per month, usually one Thursday and two Saturdays. The board is working on one truly special play day per quarter and more social events to accompany these events. So stay tuned. It is a truly amazing value for the $30 you pay every year to belong. Yes, dues are increasing by a measly five dollars, the approximate price of one Titleist Pro V1. So keep those golf balls dry and we ll see you next year. Niel Powers New officers for 2017 President, Diana Howard Vice-President, Terry Terrell Secretary, Wendy Danford Treasurer, Lynn Perilloux Riverhill Women's Golf Association - RWGA
Riverhill Women s Golf Association finished the year with our annual luncheon on November 30 th in the beautifully decorated Grille. Thank you to the chefs and serving staff for a lovely setting and delicious food. The members and guests looked just as lovely, fun to see each other without the caps and visors! Second half ringer board winners are as follows: Carol Swanson, 1st low gross, Carol Powers, 1st Low net, Jenny Mitchell, 2nd low net and Lynn Perilloux, 3rd low net. For the Green tees, the winners are Jane Kutach, 1st low gross, Nancy DeYoung, 1st low net, Marlene Grothues, 2nd low net, and Sally Peterson, 3rd low net. Contact Jane Kutach for your winnings or see her at the January meeting. Thank you, Jane, for keeping the ringer board last year. Most Improved players for the year are: Green Flight, Sally Peterson and Red Flight, Cheryl Smith The new yearkicks off with a meeting on Wednesday, Jan 18 th at 9:00 a.m., Scramble shotgunstart at 10:00. January 25 th is ACE of the Month, 10:00 a.m. shotgun AND a Happy Hour Q & A with Matt at 5:30 p.m. If you have been thinking about playing golf with the Riverhill Women s Golf Association, this is the perfect time to join and get in on the fun. Call the Pro Shop to sign up or contact any of the officers listed above. We want to get to know you!
Tennis We had a great day of tennis at the December tennis mixer. Thanks to everyone for donating toys for the Kerrville Police department Blue Santa. I'm sure the many kids around town had a better Christmas due to your kind donations. The 2017 tennis calendar is out and we have many events for you to come out and enjoy tennis and improve your games, keep fit and healthy while socializing at the Riverhill courts. Last years mixers were great coinciding with Wimbledon and the US Open Tennis events so we hope to build on these again this year and make them even better. In the spring when weather begins to warm up the singles leagues will begin as last years had some great matches and results. We have added another Las Vegas Tennis Pro Am event for the month of March to go also with the usual event to be held in October. Don't forget the weekly tennis drills we have for Men and Women to participate in and work on improving your tennis strokes and fitness to help you enjoy playing more with your friends. The children's spring, summer and fall clinic dates are listed and we are ready to help them learn or improve their tennis skills and games also. The children's clinics take a break over the holidays and then resume once school has started and the kids are settled in again, they begin Monday January 30th. As I am beginning my 11th year here at Riverhill, I am looking forward to another great year here
on the tennis courts. Happy New Year From Riverhill Tennis. Riverhill Tennis Calendar 2017 January 30th (Mon) Spring Junior Clinics Begin Monday Tuesday & Thursday 10 under & beginner clinic 4:30pm to 5:30pm Intermediate 4:30pm to 6:00pm Tuesday 6-7 pm & Saturday 9-10:30 am Advanced Junior Clinic Session1 January 30 th to February 23 rd Session 2 February 27 th to March 30 th (No class Spring Bk) Session 3 April 3 rd to April 27 th Session 4 May 1 st to May 25 th February 21 st (Mon) Our Lady of the Hills Tennis Team Practice begins. March Date 13 th & 14 th (Mon-Tues) Las Vegas Pro-Am Tennis Event March 12 th 19 th (Mon Fri) Spring Break March 20 th Spring Singles League/Ladder Begins April 15 th (Sat) Spring Tax Day Tennis Mixer June Kids Tennis, Fun & Swim camp Session 1 May 30 th to June 2 nd Session 2 June 6 th to June 9 th Session 3 June 13 th to June 16 th Session 4 June 20 th to June 23 rd June 5 th (Mon and Wed) Intermediate /Advanced Kids Clinics Session 1 June 5 th to June 28 th Session 2 July 3 rd to July 26 th Session 3 July 31 st to August 16 th (3 Week session Pro-rated) July 1st (Sat) Wimbledon Tennis Mixer July Kids Tennis, Fun & Swim Camp Session 5 June 27 th to June 30 th Session 6 July 4 th to July 7 th Session 7 July 11 th to July 14 th Session 8 July 18 th to July 21 st August Kids Tennis, Fun & Swim Camp
Session 9 July 25 th to July 28 th Session 10 August 1st to August 4 th Session 11 August 8 th to August 11 th Session 12 August 15 th to August 18 th September 2 nd (Sat) US Open Tennis Mixer September 28 th (Mon) Fall Junior Clinics Begin Monday Tuesday & Thursday 10 under & beginner clinic 4:30pm to 5:30pm Intermediate 4:30pm to 6:00pm Tuesday 6-7 pm & Saturday 9-10:30 am Advanced Junior Clinic Session1 August 28 th to September 21st Session 2 September 25 th to October 19 th Session 3 October 23rd to November 16 th Session 4 November 20 th to December 14th September Fall Singles League/Ladder October 7th, Saturday, Houston Ladies Tennis Mixer October 23 rd& 24 th (Mon- Tues) Las Vegas Pro-Am Tennis Event December 9 th (Sat) Christmas Tennis Mixer Donate Toys for Blue Santa (Kerrville Police Department) Weekly Tennis Events Men s and Women s Drill: Saturday 9:00am to 10:30am Men s and Women s Drill: Tuesday 6:00pm to 7:00pm (Play Doubles After) Ladies Morning Tennis Drill: Thursday 9:00am to 10:30am Singles League/Ladder: Spring, Summer and Fall Sessions Junior Tennis Clinics Monday Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday Year round, Check with Garry to see what Group is best for you.