2023 Summer Almanac

ALMANAC

From the General Manager

Another summer is drawing to an end, only to make room for a fantastic fall season. There are a number of reasons to miss the summer: vacations with family, pool days, sun tans and watermelon…but they pale in comparison to the reasons why many of us enjoy fall. Cool nights around the fire, football, school back in session, cooler days to play golf and amazing course conditions.

In the following pages, we will reminisce about the events that have already occurred: Member-Member, Member-Guest, and wine tastings.

With that said, our focus is on the future and what there is still to look forward to at

Champions Retreat for the remainder of the year. The Steakhouse Experience in the Barn near the end of September, the upcoming Fall Member-Guest, Thanksgiving luncheon in the Barn and a host of Holiday parties, both private and Club held events.

Our team of staff are ready and waiting for your next visit to the Club. Don’t hesitate to share opportunities for us to help you plan your special event, whether it is golf with friends from away or a special occasion, we hope you would allow us the chance to make it amazing.

See you at the Club.

Cameron S. Wiebe, PGA Champions Retreat General Manager

(706) 854-6999 | cameron@championsretreat.net

Cameron S. Wiebe

Membership

There are only a few words that could describe the past couple of months here at the Club. The moments held on property, the laughter shared in the Grille, the new faces we have been introduced to, and of course the celebratory golf achievements on our three golf courses! #holeinone

There are also only a few words that could adequately describe the incredible teamwork, hospitality, and experiences that our staff has executed during that time.

The term “hidden gem” is often heard stated when referring to Champions Retreat. Whether it’s from a current member, or perhaps a guest telling a friend , loved one, or colleague about their experience here. It’s a term of endearment that as a tea m we have grown to smile over and appreciate. We are so proud to be that framework for so many and continue to execute the way we do!

However, sure, our property has never been in better shape, and our staff has never been stronger, but the true “hidden gem” aspect of our private golf club, is our membership. Our members are friendly and welcoming to both new members and daily guests. Our members are proud to wear their Champions Retreat logo’d gear all over the globe (I’ve seen the pictures!). Our members share their closest friends, family milestones, and even their core business conversation, with us.

Thank you for being the true “hidden gem” of Champions Retreat!

As we head into Fall’s exceptional playing season, we are excited and ready for great camaraderie, great golf, and authentic southern hospitality. I am proud to be a part of this membership community and can’t wait to see each of you soon.

Kelly Pickard | Director of Membership & Sales

(570)

269–8382 | kelly@championsretreat.net

Our Concierge team is committed to ensuring an exceptional experience during your stay. From our national caliber golf to our regionally sourced cuisine, Champions Retreat has much to offer.

In an effort to meet and exceed your expectations, be sure to inform us of any special occasions or specific requests that you might have. You will find your cottage stocked with complimentary water and coffee as well as snacks, beer, wine, sodas and juice.

We offer a variety of services during your stay:

• Complimentary Breakfast in Grille House

• In-cottage Dining Experiences

• Special stock of your preferred alcohol

• Spa Services

• Charcuterie Boards

• Firepit Building/Starting

• Corn Hole

• Transportation

Club Concierge

clubconcierge@championsretreat.net

(706) 854-6960

Club Concierge Team

JiLLian RoLL

Bethany USry

Leah Byrne

LaCey Lantz

Masters Week at Champions Retreat

Champions Retreat offers an exclusive, private setting and golf experience for you and your guests during Masters Week. Along with a variety of dining options and entertainment, we have carefully curated an all-inclusive experience for those visiting Champions Retreat during this exciting week.

A MESSAGE FROM YOUR MASTERS SALES COORDINATOR...

As the face of your Masters Week experience here at the Club, I am both excited and truly honored to be apart of Champions Retreat. With a background of coordinating high-end events and working closely with unique clients all over the world, I am able to bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to my position as Masters Sales Coordinator.

Masters Week presents an exciting opportunity for our Club as it is the only time of year we open our gates to non-members. With that, we designed an elevated experience for our Members and their guests to enjoy.

Our all-inclusive tee times will include the following, at no additional cost:

• 1 round of golf (18 Holes)

• Full access to our Practice Facilities

• Golf Cart

• Forecaddie

• Breakfast & Lunch Buffet

• Alcohol until 4 pm

• $50 merchandise credit to use in the Golf Shop

Evenings throughout Masters Week will offer a variety of options for our golf enthusiasts including an opportunity to play at night on our lit Driving Range and Putting Greens. These areas will be furnished with a full bar and different music experiences each night. Our amazing staff has worked incredibly hard to provide expanded dining options, allowing a truly elevated experience for both our Members and guests.

Please don’t hesitate to contact me directly to discuss Member exclusive pricing or just to say hello! I'm sincerely looking forward to meeting you all and your guests during Masters Week 2024.

Golf News

Late Spring/Early Summer is a time for some of the Club’s “majo rs” on the Tournament Schedule and this year didn’t disappoint. First on the list, the 2023 Member-Member Tournament. Nine flights, totaling 54 teams, competed for the ch erished “Barrells," which are the signature awards for the Tournament Champions. This event is unique in that it features 4 different 9-hole formats followed by a Flight Winner’s Shootout to determine the Tournament Champion. A final shootout between Flight 1 and Flight 7 on the final hole made for an exciting competition. In the end, due to some steady play by the “Lous," the team of Lou Madeira and Lou Delligatti captured the first major of the year.

Tournament Champions - Lou Madeira/Lou Delligatti

Flight Winners

Flight 1 – Davis Battle/Zack Tully

Flight 2 – Wayne McKenney/James Cartledge

Flight 3 – Stuart Price/David Barnett

Flight 4 – Paul Morlan/Shannon Rainey

Flight 5 – Russell Kowalczyk/Chris Perry

Flight 6 – Nathan Vick/Chris Perry

Flight 7 – Lou Madeira/Lou Delligatti

Flight 8 – Bryon Reynolds/James Lombardo

Flight 9 – Matt Eschelbach/Phillip Tully

We hosted the first of two annual Member-Guest events here at the Club. This year, we are excited to host two of these events due to the incredible response we received from last years participants. Member-Guest is played over the course of two days, consisting of five 9-hole

matches within the 10 flights of 6 teams each. After flight winners are determined, the Championship Shootout takes place on holes 6-9 on Bluff #9. The first of these two events was held June 22nd-24th and it did not disappoint.

One of the most epic shootouts consisted of a sudden-death battle between Flight 7 (Greg Honeymichael/Eric Bowen) and Flight 9 (Chris Booker/Anthony Bernardo) on Bluff #9. After a great battle, Booke and Bernardo were the only ones left standing. Congratulations on a terrific victory.

2023 June Member-Guest Results

Overall Tournament Champions- Chris Booker/Anthony Bernardo

Flight 1 – John Mabery/Robert Mize

Flight 2 – Clay Booth/Robby Watson

Flight 3 – Nathan Vick/Matt Perara

Flight 4 – Ryan Mitchell/Bob Kendra

Flight 5 – Rich Poythress/Evan Parrish

Flight 6 – Jeff Mason/Tom Mastny

Flight 7 – Greg Honeymichael/Eric Bowen

Flight 8 – Adam Harris/Lee Fowler

Flight 9 – Chris Booker/Anthony Bernardo

Flight 10 – Al Farlow/Craig Farlow Mike Rymer | Director of Golf (706) 854-6964

Food & Beverage

The warm weather is nearly behind us as we look forward to the cooler temperatures. Despite the summer heat, we experienced excellent patronage from our Members in the Grille House as well as private events. With the beginning of 2023 being busy in all areas Food and Beverage, our bi-weekly Prime Rib Night, Live Music Fridays, and Saturday Margarita Flight Nights were positively received by Members and their guests. Our annual Wholesale Wine Tasting event broke records with nearly 90 reservations. Members took advantage of wholesale wine prices by purchasing an outstanding number of bottles by the end of the night.

We also welcomed a new Sous Chef to our team this year, Julie Aviles. Chef Julio has added his special touch to our menus since becoming a part of the Food and Beverage operation and we are eager to see what he comes up with next. With that, Chef Ross continues to rotate menus regularly highlighting local and seasonal produce to showcase his incredible dishes.

As we move into the fall season, we will continue our Friday Night tradition of live music from local artists as well as Fire & Ice. Thanksgiving Brunch is right around the corner, and we are accepting reservations now! You don’t want to miss Chef Ross’ traditional dishes along with a few new creations that will be added to this year’s menu. Cookies with Santa and Mrs. Claus on Sunday, December 17th, is another annual event that you don’t want to miss. Gather your friends and family for this special event to capture memories that will last a lifetime.

Private parties are already being booked and planned here at the Club as we move into the holiday season. Our Events Coordinator, Tamara Mimmie, is excited and ready to help plan your holiday party the Champions way.

As always, feel free to contact me with any requests you may have. We hope to see you all at the Club soon.

Course Conditions

Wow, what a great first summer it has been for me here at Champi ons Retreat! Although we are still amid the “dog days of summer,” cooler temperatures, college football, and fall golf events are on the horizon.

Over the last two months our team has performed core green aeration in two directions during the month of July, followed by a solid deep tine aeration which was completed in early August. One may ask “why aerate greens again in August once they finally begin to recover from the July aeration?” This is a great question. We aerate greens during these times because this is when the least number of rounds are played during the year resulting in less of an impact on golf play. Now that greens aeration is behind us, we will aim our focus on Firm, Fast, Crisp, and Clean putting surfaces as we prepare for upcoming Club events and higher volumes of play on the course.

Other areas that have received attention this summer include resurfacing areas around the Practice Greens due to poor transition from winter playing surfaces (ryegrass) to bermudagrass, resurfacing an area at the entrance near the pond, cart path edging, irrigation head edging, and pruning ornamental grass. In addition, a new bunker drainage system (Capillary Concrete) was installed on #9 Creek greens side bunker. Since installation of the new drainage system, the bunker drainage has performed well. Another upgraded feature added to the property is a new decorative fountain in the pond as you enter the property. Moving forward, lights will be installed on this fountain so it can illuminate at night. We will continue focusing on several details as we prepare for fall golf.

As I write this article, a few weeks have gone by without any substantial rain events. With that, we have had to rely on our irrigation system to supplement our water needs until the next rain event. During this time, we realized there is a considerable amount of irrigation heads that are not working properly. Therefore, our plan is to begin correcting these issues over the next few months. We have over 2000 irrigation heads on the golf course, and it takes time to go through

the system thoroughly to correct the issues.

As summer comes to an end, we will begin making applications to control winter weeds such as Poa annua and broadleaf weeds. Poa annua is a prolific weed in the southeast. In cool-season turf, Poa annua is sometimes used as a putting surfa ce. In warm-season turf, it becomes problematic in all areas of the golf course. Furthermore, just a few Poa annua plants look unsightly in the winter when the warm season turfgrasses go dormant. In our climate, Poa annua germinates in the fall. Research has found that about 80% of Poa annua germinates from September 1st through October 30th. Some germination can occur in November and even December depending on weather conditions. To get the best control of Poa annua, we moved our over-seeding date to early November. This will allow us to make the necessary herbicide applications prior to over seeding while achieving the best results to control this problematic weed.

For the non-overseeded playing surface, such as fairways and rough, there is a separate pre emerge program. This program is scheduled for later in the fall to allow some of the Poa annua to germinate. At this point, we will apply a pre and post emergent herbicide to control poa annua and broadleaf weeds.

In closing, I am happy to be part of such a prestigious Club wi th high expectations. I can’t thank our staff enough for all their hard work and dedication th rough the summer months. It has been hot, wet, shorthanded and these guys have done a superb job keeping conditions great for the enjoyment of our Membership.

All the best and see you on the course!

Barry Rewis | Director of Agronomy (706) 524-5402 | barry@championsretreat.net