PDRC 2024 March/April Newsletter

THE RIVER REPORT

PETE DYE RIVER COURSE OF VIRGINIA TECH

YOUR CLUB

HOURSOFOPERATION

PRESTON’SRESTAURANT*

Monday I CLOSED

Tuesday I 11:00am - 8:00pm (Bar 10:00am - 8:00pm)

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)

GOLFSHOP*

Monday-Thursday I 8:00am - 6:00pm

Friday-Sunday I 8:00am - 6:00pm

PRACTICEFACILITIES

Open 30 minutes prior to first tee time

Closes at dusk

Sundays I Closed from 5:00pm

CLUBNUMBERS

Main Office

Golf Shop

Restaurant

Special Events

*Hours are subject to change

CLUB CONTACTS

CLUBHOUSE AND ADMINISTRATIVE

Michael Abraham | General Manager mabraham@petedyerivercourse.com

Fran Davis | Business Manager / Special Events fdavis@petedyerivercourse.com

FOOD AND BEVERAGE

Abigail Johnston | F&B Manager ajohnston@petedyerivercourse.com

Anastasia Kramer I Executive Chef chef@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,

Hopefully we are past the winter months! The groundhog did tell us to be positive these last few weeks, right? Spring is the season for new beginnings. Take a moment to reflect. What does the new season bring to you and what goals do you want to accomplish? Is there a golf goal, a travel goal, a financial goal? What is motivating you to shake off the winter cold and get off to a fast start this season?

For us at The River, we’re looking to keep the momentum from the fast start to the year. The weather was hit or miss on the golf course, however the F&B operation was busy with events and the restaurant had a nice flow. March and April bring a lot of social events with a Trivia Night (March 7), special menus for St. Patrick’s Day and NCAA March Madness, Wine Tasting (March 30) and Easter Brunch (March 31).

The golf calendar really kicks off in April with two new events and the MemberMember.

One thing I’m proud to say Our member retention rate is nearly 100% from those who were eligible to renew the first two months of this year That makes me feel that we are heading in the right direction and doing things that the membership approves of I ask that each of you continue to be our support team Talk to your friends about joining Bring them out here and showcase your golf course and your restaurant We are building something special here at The River and I’d like for everyone to jump onboard and be a part of this ride

Michael Abraham, PGA Master Professional General Manager / Director of Golf

The Pete Dye River Course

mabraham@petedyerivercourse.com

ON THE LINKS

I, like the rest of us, am happy to see the return of some 6o degree days A couple things coming up over the next couple months:

Reminder the course will be closed March 4 and 5 for aerification In April, we will have our first annual Hokie Ball tournament We will have a blind draft on Friday the 5th with dinner following We will also have a Master’s par 3 tournament on Apil 10th Member-Member will be held on April 26-28

We are also bringing back our Women’s Golf Association! The first event is Thursday, April 18 We will have formal 18-hole formats on Thursdays and more informal events on Tuesday evenings for 9-holes Be sure to get signed up for the WGA to participate You don’t have to be a member of The River Course to join the WGA

In other news, we will have a new range machine installed in March The machine has a feature that allows you to download an app and prepay for range balls on your phone! Also, we purchased a starter’s podium and you’ll begin seeing a starter/ranger Thursdays through Sundays during the busy season

Finally, congratulations to Steven Carter for getting a Hole-In-One on #7 on February 7 This was Mr Carter’s first ever hole-in-one! Congrats!

DJ Shively

Assistant Golf Professional

dj shively@petedyerivercourse com

April Golf Events

Hokie Ball

$85/person

Includes food Friday, Entry Fee, Cart Fee, Lunch Saturday and Prizes!

Draft: Friday, April 5 @ 6pm

Golf: Saturday, April 6 @ 10am Shotgun

Three person teams. Teams will be drafted on Friday evening. On the first hole one person will have the ‘Hokie Ball’ and play that ball all the way through. The other two players on the team will play a two-person captain’s choice. The ‘Hokie Ball’ score plus the captain’s choice score is the team total for that hole! There is a catch though....don’t lose the Hokie Ball....

Sign-up by April 4th

Master’s Par 3 Shootout

9-Hole Event

Cart Fee + $5 entry fee

Wednesday, April 10 @ 5:30pm

Member-Member

$125/person

April 26-28

February April July August

September 22 Ryder Cup

*Events may be subject to change

Thursday Night

May 9

May 16

June 6

June 13

June 20

June 27

June 7 September 6

June 21 September 13

In January, we started an exciting project to renovate our bunkers on holes 15 through 18. Our bunkers haven’t been renovated since Pete Dye’s renovation in the mid-2000s. We completed this project in late February just in time to start aerification. The bunker on hole 14 was included in this, but due to the snow on January 15th we decided to leave that one for a fall project. We hope to include some of the bunkers on hole 13 in the fall with the remaining product.

The bunkers were cored out with an excavator, the drainage checked, and then lined with Sandtrapper II fabric to prevent contamination of the new sand. The new sand has a uniform size particle and compacts well for great playability. In addition, we were able to reshape the pot bunker in front of the green on hole 10. Hitting a shot off a downslope out of that bunker was extremely difficult. The floor has been adjusted for an upslope shot which will make the bunker much more playable. The right greenside bunker on hole 15 has been completely renovated including new drainage. I’m sure everyone can remember how much water that bunker held when it rained.

Thank you for your support as we strive to

Regards,

Greg Caldwell Superintendent greg.caldwell@petedyerivercourse.com

WHAT’S COOKIN’?

CHEF ANASTASIA KRAMER

What a great start to the year; wine dinners, Valentine's Day, and the Super Bowl! What more could you ask for? Well, aside from traditional Irish food, Guinness, Easter brunch, an Easter egg hunt, and another wine dinner! We are excited to help celebrate some fun occasions with you all, as well as making every day a special occasion. Beginning of March we will be changing to our Spring dinner menu; with popular requests we will be offering handhelds again! What have been your favorite menu items over the years? I'd love to hear some crowd favorites!

With Easter just around the corner, here is a peak into one of my household traditions:

Grandma Oehlbeck's Rosemary Lamb Bread

Ingredients

4-4 ½ cups All Purpose flour

1/3 cup sugar

½ teaspoon salt

1 package fast-rising yeast

5 Tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces

½ teaspoon crushed rosemary

1 1/3 cup hot water

1 egg

½ cup diced dried fruit bites fresh rosemary for necklace

Instructions

Grease front and back secionts of the lamb pan.

1. In a large bowl, combine 2 cups of flour, sugar, salt, yeast, butter and rosemary

2. Gradually add hot water, stirring to melt butter

3 Add egg, beat well.

5.

4. Stir in dried fruit bits and enough of remaining flour to make a soft dough.

7

6. Place in back of prepared pan, tie top of pan over bottom with string

8

Knead doug on lightly floured surface, 8-10 minutes

Let dough rise for 30 minutes or until its doubled in size

10.

9. Remove from mold and serve with butter

Bake 35-40 minutes, or until lightly browned, at 350 degrres.

CLUB EVENTS

Paint Night with Terri Welch Returns!

Thursday, March 28 @ 6pm

Scan the QR code to register. Price is $35/person.

Easter Brunch

Sunday, March 31 - 11am-2pm

The Easter Bunny will be making an appearance with picture opportunities and an egg hunt!

A buffet will be available with pricing for adults and children 12 years and under.

Reservations are strongly recommended.

OF THE MONTH...

MEMBER OF THE MONTH

Andrew Crowder

PDRC: How long have you been a member?

Andrew: Since 2020

PDRC: What‘s your favorite hole at The River?

Andrew: #9 & #16 are the most aesthetically pleasing, but every hole at The RIver has its own beauty

PDRC: Best round you‘ve ever played?

Andrew: Mid Pines Inn & Golf Club I shot a 67. If it weren’t for #17 & #18 out here I would have broken that!

PDRC: Who‘s in your dream foursome?

Andrew: Dustin Johnson, Michael Jordan and my dad However, I do get to play with The RIver Hacks every week and the relationships built there are pretty amazing!

PDRC: What’s in the bag?

Andrew: I’m a Titleist guy through and through! From driver to putter to the ball! #Team Titleist

EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH

Kaylyn Baggett

PDRC: How long have you worked at PDRC?

Kaylyn: About 5 months, since October 2023.

PDRC: What department do you work in?

Kaylyn: F&B I’m a server

PDRC:What do you like to do for fun away from PDRC?

Kaylyn: I love to spend time with my friends, shop and relax!

PDRC: Where do you see yourself in five years?

Kaylyn: I see myself working in a hospital as a nurse in the pediatric pre-operation unit I’d love to stay around a golf course because I just started to play and have always been around one!

COOKIES OF THE MONTH

March

April

Lemon Cookie

Butter Pecan Sandies

INSTRUCTION

Coach Nick here! Spring is almost upon us, and it’s time for more golf! We’re excited for the grass to turn green and officially start our season. We’re very grateful for the opportunities the simulator provided for us as an Academy this winter, as GSPro and Foresight Sports have led to a noticeable improvement in abilities from our students, and myself as well.

As we prepare for a great 2024 season, I’d like to extend an invitation to all River Course members who may be curious about what our format can do for your golf game, by attending one of our 9-Hole Events and try out a yardage of your choosing As a reminder, our 9-Hole Events are welcome to be participated in without needing to be enrolled in a group class offering.

We have a lot of exciting programming coming this spring and summer. We will be hosting a Spring Adult-Junior tournament, and I will have additional information for that event soon. It was a huge success last fall, and we’re excited to build on the experience for our Academy students and families, and River Course families.

PGA Camps are returning this summer and registration is live! We are offering three camp weeks this summer for juniors, with half-day and full-day options available Camps will sell out, so please visit the PGA Camps website to book your junior(s) camp(s) while space remains! We also have a QR code in the golf shop that can be scanned to take you directly to our course’s page.

This is an old school thought, however one that I feel still holds a lot of merit. If the foundation of your golf swing is not where it needs to be, then no matter how good a swing you make, your results are going to be off. Much like the foundation to a new home, if that foundation is built poorly, then it will be susceptible to cracks and breaks and crumble under stressful conditions Does this sound like your golf game?!

What is the foundation of a golf swing Well, that would be P G A : Posture, Grip and Alignment

In short, with our Posture we want to have a slight tilt at the waist, soft knee bend and let the arms hang naturally down. Our Grip should be neutral. Our alignment should have our left shoulder (for a right handed golfer) lined up slightly left of our target. This goes back to the ‘train track’ theory.

-Michael Abraham, PGA Master Professional

POSTURE

GRIP

ALIGNMENT

March

Aerification

Trivia Night

Birthday Dinner

Ladies on the Links

VT Campus Ministry Golf Outing

Master’s Par 3

Shootout

Radford Chamber Golf Outing

Wine Club Dinner

St Patrick’s Day Theme Buffet & Live Music

Wine Tasting Easter Brunch

Hokie Ball Draft Party Hoke Ball Golf Tournament

VT Monogram Club Golf Outing

Birthday Dinner Wine Tasting

Titleist Fitting Day

Member-Member Tournament

Steal the Pint Night

PDRC buzz

Never miss out on a club event, the latest McConnell Golf news or the chance to share your member experience Stay connected to Pete Dye River Course of Virginia Tech and McConnell Golf on social media and join the conversation today

@petedyerivercourse @mcconnellgolf @rivercourseofvt

SUBSCRIBE TO MCCONNELL GOLF ON YOUTUBE

From club drone flyovers to member interviews, and tournament and event recaps, you can stay up to date with the latest video content from the marketing team at McConnell Golf Subscribe to our YouTube channel and be a part of a growing audience with nearly 40,000 views (and counting) on record Visit YouTube.com/McConnellGolf and subscribe to our channel today!

@chefheadbanger

Pretty solid view after work today.

Greg Caldwell Obligatory snow picture.