THE RIVER REPORT
PETE DYE RIVER COURSE OF VIRGINIA TECH
YOUR CLUB
HOURS OF OPERATION
PRESTON’S RESTAURANT*
Monday I CLOSED
Tuesday I 11:00am - 4:00pm (Bar 10:00am - 4:00pm)
Wednesday I 11:00am - 8:00pm (Bar 10:00am - 8:00pm)
Thursday I 11:00am - 8:00pm (Bar 10:00am - 8:00pm)
Friday I 11:00am - 8:00pm (Bar 10:00am - 8:00pm)
Saturday I 11:00am - 8:00pm (Bar 10:00am - 8:00pm)
Sunday I 11:00am - 5:00pm (Bar 10:00am - 5:00pm)
GOLF SHOP
Monday-Thursday I 7:00am - 5:00pm
Friday-Sunday I 7:00am - 5:00pm
PRACTICE FACILITIES
Open 30 minutes prior to first tee time Closes at dusk
CLUB NUMBERS
Main Office Golf Shop
Restaurant Special Events
CLUB CONTACTS
CLUBHOUSE AND ADMINISTRATIVE
Michael Abraham | General Manager mabraham@petedyerivercourse.com
Fran Davis | Business Manager / Special Events fdavis@petedyerivercourse.com
FOOD AND BEVERAGE
Anastasia Kramer I Executive Chef chef@petedyerivercourse com
Kari Kendall I Front of House & Catering Manager foh@petedyerivercourse com
GOLF
Michael Abraham | PGA Director of Golf mabraham@petedyerivercourse.com
DJ Shively | Assistant Golf Professional dj.shively@petedyerivercourse.com
GROUNDS
Greg Caldwell | Golf Course Superintendent greg.caldwell@petedyerivercourse.com
THE CORNER OFFICE
Dear Members,
Mother Nature is undefeated, isn’t she? Unfortunately, nothing could have been done to prevent what Hurricane Helene did to communities in South Carolina, North Carolina, southwest Virginia and into parts of Tennessee It will be a long road to recovery for many people, communities and entire towns
In a time like this it reminds me how we can take for granted some things in our lives Basic essentials like having clean water to drink, a roof over your head, food to eat Disasters like this also show how responsive and supportive we can all be when called to action We partnered with Feeding SWVA as a drop-off center for Hurricane Relief Items and were able to provide them with two huge carloads of food, water, baby food/formula, diapers, towels, blankets, pillows and more
As we all know the hurricane impacted us greatly. What started out as a whimsical ‘oh look the green on #17 is an island’ turned into a ‘I’ve never seen anything like this before’. We suffered damage to three greens that will be reconstructed, nearly all bunkers will need to be reconstructed, damage to cart paths, erosion along the riverbank, holes in fairways, dirt and sediment on top of everything! As I eluded earlier about a call to action, many of our members, students at the VT Turfgrass program and other community members have helped our maintenance crew and staff in getting back on our feet. It’s been a tremendous effort by Greg Caldwell and his staff, and they have done a fantastic job in the clean-up. There will be more heavy lifting to do; however, I couldn’t be prouder of Greg, his team and all those that have assisted The River Course One day at a time and we’ll get our course back to the way we know and love it
Switching gears, it’s hard to believe we’re coming to the end of 2024 I feel the facility as a whole took several steps in the right direction in terms of enhancing the overall experience when a member or guest visits The River Course We’re ready for a great finish to the year with holiday events and offerings, so keep an eye on your emails and our social media pages for more ways to spend time with us during the holiday season
Thanks again for all the support, and we look forward to seeing you around the club soon!
ON THE LINKS
As we continue the process of getting the course reopened, we thank you all for your patience and understanding
We will start our winter simulator league on December 5th
More information will be in the weekly emails as we get closer to the date A reminder that the simulator is available for practice and lessons Practice rates are $20/hr For lessons, reach out to Michael Abraham or DJ Shively to schedule a time
As we close in on the end of 2024, remember to use any shop credit you may have accrued over the year These credits will expire on December 31, 2024 We’ll have end of season sales and packages in the golf shop that would be great stocking stuffers and gifts for that special golfer in your life
Finally, I would like to thank all of you for helping make this year one to be remembered Our member events flourished, and we had the opportunity to begin several firsts at our facility; including the introduction of our Women’s Golf Association, Thursday Night Men's league, and the Men's Match Play Championship We had great participation in our Club Championship and other fun events like The Masters Par 3 Tournament, Po-Am competitions weekends during Majors, the Hokie Ball and a Friday evening couples league
We also set a new record by raising over $13,000 for local veterans during the Wayne Zellers Wounded Warrior Tournament! All of which could not have been done without your support and participation In the coming weeks we’ll be working on the golf calendar for 2025 and hope to see you at our events
DJ Shively
Assistant Golf Professional dj shively@petedyerivercourse com
Winter Simulator League
It’s back! We had a great turnout last year and plan on riding that momentum in another fun Simulator League this winter
NEW THIS YEAR!
We are going to add a team element to this year’s competition! Players can create a team of three Each week, along with the individual competition, we will have a team competition, where we will count 2 of the best 3 scores from each team. End of year we will have prizes for the top teams!
Dates
December 9 - March 9
League Fee to Enter $40
TURF TALK
A Familiar Foe - On June 23, 2016, I had only been working on The Old White TPC at The Greenbrier for 17 days. We were just two weeks away from The Greenbrier Classic. That morning, line after line of raining thunderstorms dumped over 10” of rain in Greenbrier County in about 12 hours leading to a 1000-year flood event. White Sulphur Springs was devastated. Much of the debris from the town was deposited onto the golf course. We found anything and everything you could imagine.
On September 26, 2024, Hurricane Helene made landfall in the Big Bend region of Florida and traveled northward to our region. Helene stalled out over western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee causing a 1000-year flood event. Although we only received a little over three inches of rain at The Pete Dye River Course, the headwaters of the New River in Watauga County, NC saw a different story. According to the National Weather Service in Blacksburg, locations in Watauga County received between 8" and 21” of rain from Helene. Combined with all the rain along the New River’s path, we experienced the second highest crest ever in Radford, VA. The river crested at 31.03’ around 4:00am on September 28th. Flood waters cover approximately 70% of the course leaving behind silt, debris and damage.
Although these two events were caused by different weather patterns, their damage is very similar. Greens, tees, fairways and bunkers sustained major damage at both courses, carved out by crashing waters. The amount of silt deposited is astonishing. The riverbanks were altered in a similar manner. The one major difference is the amount of debris left behind at The Old White TPC. The pictures below show just how similar the damage is between the two events.
Regards,
Greg Caldwell / Superintendent greg.caldwell@petedyerivercourse.com
OLD WHITE #15 GREEN
OLD WHITE #17 BUNKER
WHAT’S COOKIN’?
CHEF ANASTASIA KRAMER
It’s almost my favorite time of the year! The holidays have always been filled with family and traditions. In my house we have MANY traditions, but my favorite one being cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning. My Grandma Olehbeck had the best yeast roll recipe she would make on the holidays. This ended up being the base for our cinnamon rolls. The holidays were all about cooking and baking with friends, family, teachers, bus drivers, and coworkers. This is what drove my passion to be a chef. I hope the I can share some traditions with you all. Maybe we could start some together?
Please test out one of my favorite Christmas cookie recipes from my grandmother :
Star Anise Shortbread
Ingredients
For the Cookie:
·2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar
·1 teaspoon ground anise
·1 teaspoon anise extract
For the Icing:
·2 cups confectioner’s sugar
·3 teaspoons anise extract
·2 tablespoons milk
·1/4 cup silver dragees, or any sprinkles you desire
KARI KENDALL
We are pleased to announce Waterman Vodka to Preston’s! Waterman is owned and operated by Mariah Standing, from Va Beach, VA. Waterman Vodka is an organic, double filtered, corn based, and gluten free. We are pleased to release our newest cocktails, just in time for the holiday season Stop in and discover the joy of the season in a glass
Keep your eyes open for holiday fun. I’ve been brushing up on all my Christmas movies, and be warned, the ideas are flowing! Mark your calendars for Cocktails & Candy Canes on Dec 6 & Brunch with Santa on Dec 14
Don’t overlook our beautiful Restaurant & River Room for your event needs. Call or email anytime to get information about booking your next event with us!
Also, keep an eye out for ‘Thanksgiving-To-Go’ and a Wine Dinner on Nov 7 featuring NEW menu items!
Happy Holidays,
Kari Kendall
Front of House & Catering Manager
foh@petedyerivercourse.com
Directions
For the Cookie:
1. In a large bowl, use a hand-held mixer to combine the butter and sugar until well blended.
2. Add the anise extract and beat into the butter mixture.
3. Add the ground anise and the flour and blend into the butter mixture until just incorporated. Do not over mix!
4. Turn the dough out onto a sheet of plastic wrap and wrap tightly. Refrigerate for 15 minutes
5 In the meantime, preheat your oven to 350 degrees and prepare a baking sheet by lining it with a silicone mat or parchment paper Set aside
6 Dust a flat surface, such as your counter top, with flour and roll the chilled dough out with a rolling pin to 1/4 inch thick
7 Use a star-shaped cookie cutter to cut out the cookies I didn’t have a star cookie cutter shape, so I used a snowflake shape
8. Transfer the dough to the baking sheet using a flat, slotted, metal spatula. Leave 2 inches between each cookie.
9. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven promptly and allow cookies to rest for 2 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack to finish cooling.
10. Re-roll the left over dough and bake the next batch.
Fo 1 2
CLUB EVENTS
Paint Night with Terri Welch Returns!
Thursday, November 7 @
Wednesday, December 11
6pm
Price is $35/person
VETERANS DAY RECOGNITION
IN HONOR OF VETERANS DAY, WE’D LIKE TO RECOGNIZE FORMER MILITARY PERSONNEL THAT CURRENTLY WORK AT THE PETE DYE RIVER COURSE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE!
Rick Mattox
ServedintheUSAirForce 20YearsofService
S 0
StartedworkingatTheRiverCourseSpring2024
Commissi
Mike Simms
CommissionedthroughROTCatVTin1976 Service tookhimto WrightAFBase,Kansas,Spain&Germany HasworkedatTheRiverCoursesince2008
isonin1978
Assignedto9th hingtonfor3years Spentnext17yearsi ision,VirginiaReserves Has 2008
Brown Butter-Chocolate Chip Cookie by Iris Anderson, Executive Chef at The Reserve Golf Club
White Chocolate & Cranberry Cookie by Kenric Hunt, Executive Chef at Brook Valley Country Club
INSTRUCTION
How was your golf season? Did you accomplish what you wanted to?
There are so many components to analyzing your golf game, how do you go about breaking yourself down and seeing where you need to improve? I touched on this a little earlier this year, but let’s dive a little deeper
Let’s start with goal setting How can you measure your progress if you didn’t set any goals to start the season? Goals can vary depending on the player Some may have aspirations of competing in State Golf Association events, some may want to simply lower their handicap, some may want to break 100 for the first time and some may simply want to feel confident in signing up for their course’s Club Championship. No matter what the goal is, set one, or set several, but put something down!
Now that we have a goal, how do we get there? Take a deep, and realistic, look into your golf game. What do you do well, what could use some improvement, and what could use a complete overhaul? I get it Analyzing yourself, in any way, can be
difficult and uncomfortable It’s human nature not to want to show your flaws and imperfections But how can we improve if we’re not honest with ourselves Here are some stats that I like to look at:
Fairways in Regulation - I don’t worry too much about this one I can hit a great drive and it roll a yard into the rough I like to think of how many drives did I execute the way I wanted to?
Greens In Regulation - How many are you hitting? Are you missing with long irons, mid irons or short irons/wedges? PInpoint where your misses are mostly coming from and work on those clubs!
Number of Putts per Round - If you two putt every hole that would give you 36 putts. That’s a good starting point. Personally, i shoot for 30 putts or less per round
Up & Downs - If I missed a green in regulation, how many times did I get up and down? I shoot for 67% or better each round
Now let’s dig deeper...
If you hit the green in regulation, how many realistic birdie opportunities did you give yourself? I consider this 15 ft and in. Then, of those realistic birdie opportunities, how many did you make?
If you missed the green, how close was your chip? If you chip inside 5ft, but miss the putt, it hurts your ‘Up and Down’ stat, however, tells you that you need to work on your short putting If you’re chipping outside 5-10ft, depending on the difficulty of the shot, then you need to work on your chipping
Scoring Zone - I consider this to be your PW distance and in You NEED to be hitting greens from this distance If you aren’t then you’re losing strokes. Again, if you’re missing greens from this distance, then you need to work on this.
Putting - Is it distance or direction? Are you hitting the ball the distance you want but not reading them correctly, or vice versa? Let’s go back to the scoring zone optic. If you have a wedge but have a 30ft putt after it, I’d say your wedge is largely to blame for your poor putting stats. If you get that shot to 20ft or less then you take a lot of stress off your putting.
After reviewing your goals and analyzing your stats, and feel you need help, please reach out to your local PGA Professional to give you specific guidance There is so much ‘noise’ and information on the internet and magazines today, but those are all generic bits of information Getting a lesson from a PGA Professional will give you the knowledge about YOUR golfing DNA and how you can improve YOUR game, not just reading a generic article or video that could fit any golfer out there
Michael Abraham, PGA Master Professional
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