Sage Meadows Country Club Newsletter
November 2011

From the General Manager

Dear Members,

We have concluded another beautiful October at Sage Meadows. The golf course is in good shape. The weather has been outstanding and October has been a good month financially as is all of 2011. We continue to make progress towards improving Sage Meadows Country Club.

We won 2011 awards for Best Golf Course from The Jonesboro Sun, KAIT, and Occasions Magazine. We should all be very proud! We will be decorating the entrance on Friday November 11 th. If you would like to help, be at the entrance at 10:00 A.M.

I will be having a Holiday Open House in the Pro Shop on Saturday December 3rd. This will coincide with Breakfast with Frosty. There will be specials for Saturday only so don't miss this date. All tournament shop credit needs to be used by December 31st or it will expire.

The pro shop will open at 7:30 A.M. daily and close at 5:00 P.M. weather permitting. November still has plenty of good weather for golfing. We look forward to seeing you soon.

Sincerely,
Tom Guipe P.G.A.
G.M.

Dates to Remember

November

11th--Sorority Dance

12th--Wedding Shower

15th--Garden Club, Clubhouse, 11 a.m.
 
15th--Ladies Club, Clubhouse, 6:30 p.m.

19th-- Wedding Reception

22nd--POA Meeting, Clubhouse, 6:30 p.m.

December

3rd--Christmas with Frosty, Clubhouse

3rd--Open House at the Sage Meadows Pro Shop, 9am to 5pm

13th--Judging of Christmas Decorations, 6:00 p.m.

31st--New Year's Eve party

New Winter Golf Rates

Our winter rates are here! Take advantage of the warm days in November and December!

Weekdays--$25.00 for 18 holes with a cart

Weekends--$35.00 for 18 holes with a cart

Restaurant News

I've had an exciting first month at Sage Meadows. I've had the wonderful opportunity to meet many of the residents and members already. We are still in the lengthy process of changing the menu and we are also working on offering a full service dining experience in the dining room.

I've been busy normalizing everything and creating recipes for the menu items so every time you order your favorite entree it will be the same no matter who is preparing it for you. Recipes also give us a mechanism to control our food costs and make the Club House a more profitable business. We've also put systems in place regarding safety and sanitation to make sure the restaurant is clean and safe for all who come. In case you were wondering the health inspector came last week and we got an A+.

We've accomplished a lot but still have much more to do. Thank you for making me feel at home and stay tuned for some of these exciting changes.

Patrick Wilson
Restaurant Manager

View our menu online.

Report from the Course

As we experience lower temperatures, I would once again like to take the opportunity to mention the potential disasters associated with cold weather on the course. Frost damage is the biggest concern as turf can die when pressure is applied to it while frost is on the leaf surface. This pressure can be from walking on the grass or driving on it with a cart but regardless, it is necessary to check into the pro shop before stepping onto the golf course. Another undesirable aspect of the cold weather is the necessity to winterize the buildings throughout the course. This includes the bathrooms, which will be closed soon. This is necessary, as they are not heated and if water is left on, the pipes will break as they did several years ago. Further damage can result from broken pipes in the form of mold and electrical damage. I understand the inconvenience closing the bathrooms creates; however this is a necessity rather than an option.

So far this fall has been dry and mild. These warmer than average temperatures have allowed a slower decline into dormancy than what is usually expected for the warm season turf. Although growth is almost nonexistent, there is still some color to the turf, albeit a little faded. Nonetheless we still have some excellent days of golfing weather ahead and excellent opportunities to enjoy the course before winter sets in. I have begun the planning stages for the 2012 season and hope to complete my preliminary budget before Thanksgiving. As I have stated in the past, this is among the most critical aspects to the success of a season, as the budget process is when all of the planning for the year to come takes place and an outline for the methods and tasks at hand take shape. My staff is continuing to reduce in numbers with the layoffs and continuing to try to tie up loose ends and complete some projects before winter sets in.

For a number of reasons, things are getting better each year at Sage Meadows. I am confident that we will continue to improve and establish ourselves as a mainstay as an excellent community and quality golf course. In just a few short years we have accomplished great things as a community and as a golf course. I am encouraged and excited to see what comes to pass in the future.

Bob Wollenberg,
Golf Course Superintendent