WELCOME
GENERAL MANAGER
Craig Hicks
Considering the August we had last year, I think 2024 was a vast improvement weather wise The rainfall has certainly been more prevalent The overall health of the golf course has appreciated the help from Mother Nature You have probably heard this before, but nothing beats rainfall The irrigation system we have does a great job, but there will always be some gaps in coverage, especially in an area with our climate Thus, the rainfall has been beneficial!
This kicks off the “ber” months and my favorite time of the year I love the months leading into fall and the holidays They are also significant months for championship golf, with the Club Championship this month and the BlackHorse Derby Member Guest in October Speaking of the Derby, our 2024 committee met recently, and we have some exciting plans for this year's edition. Make plans to be a part of that weekend on October 25-27. Registration is going to open on September 14th, the same day as round one of the Club Championship.
A week I am truly looking forward to is the first week of December. Excitement is building internally about what that week will be like and the impact we get to make for kids in Cypress and beyond. It kicks off on Monday, December 2nd with the Stocking Stuffer Ladies Invitational Scramble! You can see the flyer/registration form in the newsletter, but the impact here will be the ability to fill stockings for underprivileged children in our community through Cypress Assistance Ministries (CAM) We encourage all our lady Members to form teams and be a part of this event Mid-week, on Wednesday, December 4th, we will host our annual Member Christmas party, which we aim to make the best yet! We will wrap it all up on Saturday, December 7th with the Santa Hat Classic We again partner with CAM to get hundreds of bikes to young boys and girls for Christmas this year Please mark your calendars for all of these great happenings at the Club
MEETOURTEAM
HEAD GOLF PROFESSIONAL
Jesse Campbell, PGA
jcampbell@blackhorsegolfclub com 832.220.5216
MEMBERSHIP DIRECTOR
Neil Sherrod
nsherrod@blackhorsegolfclub com 832 220 5219
ASSISTANT GOLF PRO OF OPERATIONS
Jacob Howell
jhowell@blackhorsegolfclub com 832-220-5223
FOOD & BEVERAGE MANAGER
Erin Roper
eroper@blackhorsegolfclub com 832 220 5212
GENERAL MANAGER
Craig Hicks, PGA
chicks@blackhorsegolfclub.com 832.220.5210
ADMIN ASSISTANT
Starla Travis
stravis@blackhorsegolfclub com 832 220 5234
EVENT SALES MANAGER
Randy Roberts
rroberts@blackhorsegolfclub.com 832.220.5222
EXECUTIVE CHEF
Gustavo Miranda gmiranda@blackhorsegolfclub com
SUPERINTENDENT
Alex Irizarry airizarry@blackhorsegolfclub com
CLUB HOURS: Open Daily: 6:00 am - 6:00 pm
12205 Fry Road, Cypress, TX 77433 @blackhorsegolfclub | blackhorsegolfclubcom
THESTOCKINGSTUFFER REGISTRATIONNOWOPENFORMEMBERS
MEMBERSHIP
MEMBERSHIP UPDATE
Neil Sherrod
For those of you that missed Family Feud, you missed a fun night Congrats to the Pyles family on their big win from that night As I have said before, these social events are for you, the Members to come out and enjoy some fun, safe friends and family time out of the house A couple of staples return for this month - Bingo is back early in the month on September 3rd and Trivia night returns on September 19th
Thinking ahead, we have a couple of new events this year A lot of time families are looking for places to go for Halloween and Christmas to get into the spirit of each of those holidays This year, we will host a Trunk or Treat here at BlackHorse and also Breakfast with Santa. Those events are on the calendar for October 30th and December 14th, respectively.
I know championship season is upon us, but I am eyeing the end of October and the 2024 BlackHorse Derby Member Guest Tournament. I have no doubts this is going to be one of the best tournaments of the year. In our committee meeting, we discussed the many reasons people play in that tournament, for example: playing with the guest that always invites you to theirs, entertaining a client, flying in a good friend, creating memories with a family member... the list could go on and on When we think about how to plan and execute the event, we are trying to create an experience that you will enjoy, no matter what your reason for playing
$25mem/$45guest 9HolesofgreatGolf,wine& cheeseboard
GOLFCOURSEMAINTENANCE
SUPERINTENDENT
Alex Irizarry
The greens are starting to respond to our processes After aerification, the goal has been to mow and roll as much as possible The North greens are a week ahead, obviously being aerified one week earlier, but are really starting to roll smooth and even picked up some speed this week. It was a big accomplishment getting four aerifcations completed in two weeks time You can see some photos below of the process
On a weekly basis, we are spraying greens You have heard us mention growth regulator before and the benefits of using it... well the greens are no exception. Restriction vertical growth and promoting lateral equals smoother greens with more pace Top priority with any turf is no doubt health With that said, there is a right way to get the greens where we want them and that is the approach we are taking You can expect more verticutting and more topdressing to keep making them better
We have made some nice progress with our equipment in the shop In August, we welcomed our new equipment manager, Mike This has afforded us the ability to make some nice progress on the course, specifically mowing Ruben, who you may see often on the spray rig, has been making big progress on our spray programs as well. You may see some brown patches out there with dead “ grass ” That is sedge that we have deliberately whacked out! We will feed the Bermuda around it and see that spread back into those areas. We will be targeting additional weed pressure this month to keep improving overall conditions
Ruben is also spraying growth regulator on the fairways and tees This is designed to tighten the grass, which for playability helps prop your ball up better The grand plan with that program is to spray one pass in the rough on each side of the fairway and around all greens This will do the same thing to the rough and tighten it, allowing the golf ball to sit up better in the rough closest to the green and fairway Once the grass starts to get trained, you will love the way it plays
GOLF
HEAD GOLF PROFESSIONAL
Jesse Campbell, PGA
If you have not registered for the 2024 Club Championship, now is the time to do so While we have many divisions competing, I always look forward to seeing who the best golfer at the Club is for the year! I know it is just one weekend, but a lot like the Open Championship across the pond... if you win, you are the Champion Golfer of the Year. That is how I view our Club Champion I still walk by Keith Rodriguez all the time and call him champ, and he won two years ago Point here is that it’s a big deal to win the Club Championship. Good luck to all in this year ’ s event.
Scratch League is back underway. First, it is a great way to fine tune your game for the club championship. Second, whether you think of yourself as a scratch player, low handicap or not, playing gross only golf is an avenue to getting better and learning from other players that might be better than you That is why I play with Craig, even though it’s tough to beat him
I was watching the Tour Championship this week and saw a story about Sahith Theegala If you didn’t see it, he had two 8-irons in his bag this week instead of a 7-iron There are some lessons here that I think most golfers could benefit from. Number one - it does not matter what number is on the bottom of the club when it comes to hitting a shot. More often than not you see this when someone wants to try to hit it as far as their buddy, who pules an 8-iron from 190 yards. Hit the club you need to get the job done.. It may sound cool to hit your 8-iron that far, but it also sounds cool to not hit it short of the green! The second lesson is this - know your equipment and how far you truly hit each one The guys and gals on tour are so good with distance control. They miss right and left, but seldom long or short. Take the time to inventory your game and understand what yardages your clubs are good for and what types of shots you can make After you have done that, strengthen the current inventory and then fill in the gaps!
FOOD&BEVERAGE
FOOD & BEVERAGE DIRECTOR
Erin Roper
September is upon us and so too is the launch of our fall menu When we build new menus, we really do try to cater to what you are telling us, not always directly, but through the data We closely track the menu items that are purchased the most With that said, here is a fun pop quiz! The winner will get a complimentary lunch on us Simply send the answer to eroper@blackhorsegolfclub com Here we go: Since the launch of the summer menu, what three menu items have been the most popular? The first to send the correct answer to me will win a complimentary lunch!
Anyway, back to the data We take this information along with the verbal feedback from “grill talk” and develop the new menus This new menu with feature the Cuban, which has been one of the most popular specials of the year. We will also add the Pulled Pork Sandwich. Someone just ate it the other day and said, “I know Chef didn’t buy that slaw”! You would be correct... made in house! If you have feedback or would like to see an item featured as a special, feel free to reach out to me or Chef and let us know!
TUESDAY
03
Bingo Night
6:00 p.m.
Calling all Members: B I N G O BlackHorse style!
WEDNESDAY
11
Scratch League
5:15 p.m. Shotgun
Weekly Battle for Gross Skins & Low Gross Honors $20 entry
WEDNESDAY
18
Scratch League
5:15 p.m. Shotgun
Weekly Battle for Gross Skins & Low Gross Honors $20 entry
WEDNESDAY
04
Scratch League 5:15 p.m. Shotgun
Weekly Battle for Gross Skins & Low Gross Honors $20 entry
FRIDAY
14
Club Championship Day One
Seniors, Women, & Juniors: Stroke Play, Gross & Net
SUNDAY
08
TaylorMade Fitting 9 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Get fit for the best new equipment TaylorMade has to offer
SUNDAY
15
Club Championship Day Two
Seniors, Women, & Juniors: Stroke Play, Gross & Net
SUNDAY
08
Couples 9-hole scramble w/ wine & cheese board! $25 members / $45 Guest Nine & Wine Event 5:30 p.m. Shotgun
TUESDAY
17
Callaway Fitting Day 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Get fit for the best new equipment Callaway has to offer
THURSDAY
19
Trivia Night 6:00 p.m.
Trivia Night for BlackHorse Members
SUNDAY
22
Nine & Wine Event 5:30 p.m. Shotgun
Couples 9-hole scramble w wine & cheese board! $25 members / $45 Guest
Save the Date
Trunk or Treat - October 30
Stocking Stuffer Ladies Invitational - December 2
Member Christmas Party - December 4
Santa Hat Classic - December 7
Breakfast with Santa - December 14
WEDNESDAY
25
Scratch League 5:15 p.m. Shotgun
Weekly Battle for Gross Skins & Low Gross Honors $20 entry
BlackHorse Derby Member Guest Tournament - October 25-27
