Hello everyone,
Fall is just around the corner with some cooler temperatures hopefully. The leaves will start to turn a magnificent array of colors and with that we start looking at frost delays usually somewhere around the end of September. Starting Tuesday, September 7th the tee will open at 7:30am daily.
I know many of you have heard myself, Howard or John talk about renovating a few more tee boxes. Rather than drawing the process out, Mr. Nappi has decided to bring Agri-Scapes back to polish off items on our to-do list. They will arrive Monday, September 20th. As you have seen from their previous work here, they move quickly, create beautiful level tee boxes and are a marvelous team to work with!
We are also beginning some restoration to the barn. First item is the over hang on the side. If you have seen this, it is a huge eye sore, not to mention an unusable space. Once fixed, this area will provide better storage options for the equipment throughout the year. It will still be the same height and length, but no longer in danger of falling down. The renovation process will begin this week.
2022 Membership pricing is listed below. Because we sold out in memberships again this year, all current members of Kwiniaska have 1st dibbs on joining in 2022. You have over three weeks to make a deposit, or pay the full amount. After that we will open up remaining memberships to the public.
COMING UP:
- Saturday, September 18th: Member - Member
- Monday, September 20th: Agri-Scapes arrive and tee renovation begins
- Sunday, October 3rd: Goofy Golf
- Monday, October 4th and Tuesday, October 5th: Deep Tining & Aerification
- Course completely closed for day on Monday, October 4th
- Course will have 9 holes open on Tuesday, October 5th starting at 12pm
- Monday, October 11th we will NOT open at 12pm but rather normal start time.
RESULTS OF AUGUST EVENTS:
Individual Match Play Cup Champion
Jamie Rozzi
Member - Member Match Play Cup Champions
Ashley Bond & Meghan Sweezey
Junior Match Play Champion
Alex Partilo
1st Annual Marcia G. Nappi Ladies Open
1st Gross: Amy Eroh & Jazz Bruce
1st Net: Lisa St. Peter & Jodie Bisson
Men's League
Palmer Flight: Dave Marshall & George Mills
Hogan Flight: Matt Schofield & Shawn Place
Sarazen Flight: Abbott Abbott & Jeff Abbott
August Member - Guest
1st Gross: Rob McDougall & Brandon Decoff (M.O.C.)
1st Net: Shawn Place & Matt Nelson (M.O.C.)
Congratulations to all!
I would like to ask everyone: staff, members, guests and visitors, if you are not feeling well, even if it is just a cold, please refrain from coming to the course. While you may feel it is not that bad, given the world and COVID, please think of others and take the time to get better before spreading the germs.
As always, if you have any questions or need any help, please do not hesitate to reach out to JP or myself. We are here for you.
Club Manager
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LEFT: Playoff for 1st Gross in Marcia G. Nappi Memorial Ladies Open
CENTER: Ashely Bond & Meghan Sweezey after winning 2021 Member-Member Match Play
RIGHT: Members and their guests participating in Saturday's Member-Guest round.
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2022 MEMBERSHIP
Returning Members Deposits Due By Friday, September 24th
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In 2022 Kwiniaska will be entering its 5th year with Mr. Nappi as the owner. The course has come along wonderfully and we have no course renovations planned for 2022! By bringing Agri-Scapes back this fall, they should complete the rest of the "To-Do" list.
As the world tries to rebound from the effects of the pandemic, the cost of everything has gone up, from chemicals, materials, fuel, payroll, etc. Due to this, membership pricing for 2022 has increased as well.
To thank all of you who have been with us the past few years as the course became anew, returning members will pay less than new members. Your support has been amazing and we thank you! On top of that, returning members paying in full with cash or check will have the 6% sales tax included in their 2022 price. That is a 6% savings!
Memberships are non-refundable and non-transferable. Regular golf season is defined May 1st - November 1st, weather permitting.
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MEMBER - MEMBER
Register by Wednesday, September 15th
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GOOFY GOLF
Register by Wednesday, September 29th
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Monday :
Closed
Snacks and cold beverages available through the Golf Shop
Tuesday - Sunday:
9am - 4pm
Sue has been amazing this summer, cranking out fabulous food.
Thank you to everyone for your continued support of the pub.
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As the Dog Days of Summer start to fade away and a hint of fall is in the air, I thought it might be fun to list a few interesting, fun and historical facts about the great game of golf. They are in no particular order just facts that you may find enjoyable to know:
· The origins of golf are unclear and much debated. It is accepted that modern golf developed in Scotland from the Middle Ages onward.
· King James II banned the sport in 1457 for many in the military were forgoing their military training to play golf.
· The first ever 18-hole course was constructed at St. Andrews in 1764. St. Andrews was established as the world’s premiere Golf Club.
· The first balls used in playing golf were made from a leather skin and stuffed with boiled bird feathers. The next generation of balls was known as the Gutta-Percha made from harden juice from trees located in South America and the Pacific Islands. Balls were also hand carved out of beech wood as well. The modern golf ball is made from urethane and has 300 to 500 dimples for aerodynamic flight.
· There were no golf tees until the end of the 19th century. A small mound of sand or soil was used to tee your ball up.
· The United States Golf Association (USGA) was established in 1894. By 1900 more than a thousand Golf Clubs had been formed. The USA quickly established itself as the center of the Professional game.
· The oldest continuously running Golf Club in the United States is the Dorset Field Club. Yes, right here in the state of Vermont. It was founded in 1886.
· There are only 2 PGA events named after famous Professionals. They are Byron Nelson and Arnold Palmer.
· In 1945 Byron Nelson played in 30 PGA events, winning 18 of them including 11 in a row. A record that may never be broke.
No wonder the game is so great. There is still a lot of great golf to be played during the fall months in fact one of my favorite times to play. Hope to see you on the course.
Sincerely,
Director of Golf
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Due to the heat advisory last week,
we rescheduled the final Member's Clinic for
Thursday, September 2nd at 5pm.
The topic being covered is Woods and Hybrids.
Meet you at the practice facility!
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JUST BECAUSE THE SUN COMES OUT |
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Every morning I get up now, the drive to work seems a little bit darker for a little longer, the sunrise a little later. My dogs are more inclined to want to stay in bed, as am I. The waning days of Summer. Although there are still a couple of solid months before we “Shut it Down!”, as I love to shout, when you get to within a few days of Labor Day, you know it’s getting close. When Charli starts her countdown of how many weekends we have left to work, you know the end is coming. Later start times, frost delays every day a skeleton crew, and slowly the window closes on anything you were hoping to get accomplished.
All is not darkness however. Some of my greatest sunrise pictures I capture in the fall. It is undoubtedly the best time to work and the best time to golf of the entire year. Brisk mornings, unfiltered sunshine and the depth of shadows on the golf course features, framed by color.
The cooler temperatures are always welcome as late August is always the time when people’s brains are the most crispy, and when the college kids are gone a certain weight sinks in. The rain and heat indexes of the last few weeks have certainly made things difficult. It has been all we could do to keep up with the mowing. Fall invariably signifies the things that are slipping away, just like the minutes of the days as we head to Winter.
Everything’s not lost however, because sometimes other great things happen in Fall. It was at this time two years ago that Agri Scape was just finishing its 11 week stint at the beginning of this project, so the news of their return to finish out a few outstanding items is welcome news. Their focus will be primarily on renovating and building new tees on 1,3,8 while finishing work we had begun on 5 and 11. Wherever possible, play will continue off existing tees that will then be discarded when the new tees are built. Play on #1 will go off of the forward and middle tee while the rear tees are redone and a new forward tee is constructed between the forward and middle tee. While work is done on #3, play will shift to the forward tee, which will then be abandoned. On #8 play will go off on the forward and rear tees, while a new larger forward tee is constructed in line with the back tees. #11 will move to the new forward tee and back tee. These new tees represent greater playability and truer surfaces to match what we have done to date. Other work will include work on #4 and other improvement projects that we will tackle as time and weather dictate.
Again, this endeavor represents Mr. Nappi’s continued commitment to Kwiniaska and the membership in general.
All of this takes place in the waning temperatures and sunshine of Fall. I’ve talked at length about Kwini clay and its properties and in the last few weeks, we’ve seen another side of its ugliness.
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One of the other characteristics of this property is that the clay sits on top of great expanses of ledge. Underneath the clay, great volumes of water move both on top off and through the limestone. Although the last two months of rain have allayed some of the fears about the water table, the replenished reservoir beneath the ground continues to seep out for days and even weeks after the rain has stopped. These represent the boobytraps I’ve mentioned before. It’s situations like these that warrant cart path only situations to avoid damaging what we’re trying to create. Moving through the Fall, whenever it rains, the likelihood of extended Cart Path Only situations is always possible. Things don’t dry when it’s 57 degrees and 40 at night and the sun is low in the sky. So as much as we talk about frost delays, when things get wet in Fall, they stay wet! So, just because the sun comes out, it doesn’t mean it’s time to let carts drive wherever they wish. Please be aware. In the past few weeks alone, I have had to pull machinery out of the mud numerous times, and we know where we’re going, most of the time.
Empty Nesters
Like many families around the country, we wake up in the morning to the reality that there are a few less members in our households. The house is quieter, there are empty places around the lunch or dinner table and things just seem a bit lonelier. Yes, the grocery bill may be a bit smaller and you can use the bathroom when you want, but if you’re paying for college, the tradeoff doesn’t really work out. We have the same experience here at Kwini, every Fall. Every year our kids leave, but for us, often they never return, not for Thanksgiving, not for Christmas, never. Whenever you walk into the clubhouse at this time of year, someone else has gone. In the maintenance barn, the morning banter is a little more subdued without the youthful component of our college staff. The cycle of life in the golf course industry means a little bit of hardship for those left behind. For this reason, we are busier in the Fall as we try to keep up with the bare minimum, we have set for ourselves.
Please know that although we are limited, and you may have seen it in our attempt to stay ahead of the rough this week, we will continue to do what we can, in all departments. Restaurants and businesses are closing because they cannot find help so say a prayer, and be thankful for those dedicated few that are carrying us to Winter.
Cheers,
Howie
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Kwiniaska Golf Club
August 13th, 2020
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Photo by Greg Carter, Civil Engineering Associates |
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Howard Nosek, Course Superintendent
John Paul, Director of Golf
Robert Nappi, Owner
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