OCTOBER / NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2023
THE RIVER REPORT ________________________
PETE DYE RIVER COURSE OF VIRGINIA TECH
YOUR CLUB
CLUB CONTACTS
HOURS OF OPERATION
CLUBHOUSE AND ADMINISTRATIVE
PRESTON’S RESTAURANT* Monday I CLOSED Tuesday I 11:00 am - 3:00 pm (Bar 10:00am-5:00pm) Wednesday I 11:00 am - 7:00 pm (Bar 10:00am-8:00pm) Thursday I 11:00 am - 7:00 pm (Bar 10:00am-8:00pm) Friday I 11:00 am - 8:00 pm (Bar 10:00am-9:00pm) Saturday I 11:00 am - 7:00 pm (Bar 10:00am-8:00pm) Sunday I 11:00 am - 6:00 pm (Bar 10:00am-7:00pm)
GOLF SHOP* Monday-Thursday I 7:30 am - 6:00 pm Friday-Sunday I 6:30 am - 6:00 pm
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
PRACTICE FACILITIES Open 30 minutes prior to first tee time Closes at dusk Sundays I Closed from 5:00pm
Michael Abraham | PGA Director of Golf mabraham@petedyerivercourse.com
CLUB NUMBERS Main Office Golf Shop Restaurant Special Events
GROUNDS
540.633.6732 540.633.6732 540.633.2667 540.633.1807
DJ Shively |Director of Golf dj.shively@petedyerivercourse.com
Greg Caldwell | Golf Course Superintendent greg.caldwell@petedyerivercourse.com
*Hours are subject to change
IN THIS ISSUE Your Club...……………….….....….….....…............….........2 The Corner Office...................................................3 On The Links............................................................4 Turf Talk.....................................................................5 What’s Cookin’?......................................................6 Club Events..............................................................7 Of The Month...........................................................8 Instructional TIps....................................................9 Event Calendars.............................................10-11 McConnell Golf Property Map.........................12
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THE CORNER OFFICE Dear Members, Welcome to The River Report! This is our first edition and we will send this bi-monthly newsletter to you via email, along with some printed copies in the Clubhouse. In this newsletter we will have reports from each department, we’ll have upcoming events and reminders along with other happenings around The River Course and McConnell Golf. This edition will cover October through December 2023, and then from there, do one newsletter every two months starting in January 2024. So, let me kick things off! Wow! What a first four months it’s been! I am very appreciative of the opportunity you all have given me. The openness to ideas, the feedback you’ve provided and the support you have given. I feel very strongly that we are making positive strides at The Pete Dye River Course. In the past few months we’ve added both golf and social events to the calendar. We’ve enhanced existing tournaments and have created new ones. We’ve seen social events like paint nights, wine dinners, Friday night buffets and live music. As excited as we are for 2024, there are plenty of great events upcoming. Oysterfest will be back on October 21, with our famous ‘Shuck Yea’ t-shirts for purchase. We’ll have a take home Thanksgiving dinner option along with a Murder Mystery Dinner Party on December 1. Keep your eyes on the bulletins around the Club, the website and Facebook page for all our events. Thanks again for your continued support, Michael Abraham, PGA Master Professional General Manager / Director of Golf The Pete Dye River Course mabraham@petedyerivercourse.com
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ON THE LINKS We have officially reached the last quarter of 2023. As we cheer on our Virginia Tech Hokies, we can enjoy the fall weather and the beautiful surroundings of the New River Valley. There are a few more events on the calendar for the remainder of the year. On Monday, October 16th the course will be closed for a private golf event. On October 21st & 22nd we will host the Swayne Soiree, a new member tournament inviting the lowest handicap golfers in the Club to compete in a fun two-day event. We will also have our last couples Hit N’ Giggle of the year on October 12. The format for that is Play with the Pro! As the weather grows colder and you are not able to play and practice outside as often, we will have the simulator open for practice, play and instruction. The price is $20/hour and may be split among your group. Also keep an eye out for our enhanced Simulator Winter League! We’re hopeful to run the league Thursdays-Saturdays with weekly 9hole competitions with weekly prizes, so keep a look out for more information on this. Hope to see you around the Club soon, and remember, fairways and greens! DJ Shively Assistant Golf Professional dj.shively@petedyerivercourse.com
October Golf Events HIT N GIGGLE Thursday, October 11 - 5pm shotgun Format: Play with the Pro. Four-person captain’s choice with one of our professional staff playing a hole or two with each group! Sign up as a twosome or foursome. Golf shop will help to make pairings. Sign-up by 3pm day of the event
Members in Action Congratulations to our Major Event Winners this year! Men’s Member-Guest Drew Foxx & Joe Grant IV Men’s Member-Member Joe Scartelli & Al Wotjera Club Championship Men - Andrew Crowder Senior Men - Mike Krulich Women - Margaret Mullins
Joe Grant IV & Drew Foxx
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Margaret Mullins & Gabriele Patterson
Women’s Member-Guest Margaret Mullins & Gabriele Patterson
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TURF TALK
Fall is here finally! Between football, cooler weather, experiencing the outdoors and happy turf, it’s my favorite time of the year. I would encourage all of you to play a round on a crystal clear, 60-degree afternoon in October. Golf doesn’t get much better. In the coming months I hope to continue improving the golf course with a few projects. The first project coming up will be cleaning up the black tee rock outcropping on hole six. Our plan is to remove all the weeds in the rocks, mulch in between the rocks, and repair the steps leading to the tee. The tree limbs hanging over the tee will be pruned to hopefully allow more light on the tee. We want to make this area a focal point. Now, I’d like to give you some advice for your own lawn! September and October are the best months of the year to aerify, seed and fertilize lawns. Fertilizing in the spring could cause excessive growth and mowing twice a week; which we know nobody wants to do! Seeding success in the spring can be reduced by preventative weed control measures. Aerifying should be done before seeding and fertilizing. Thank you for your support as we strive to improve every day. Regards, Greg Caldwell Superintendent greg.caldwell@petedyerivercourse.com
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WHAT’S COOKIN’?
Anastasia Kramer Executive Chef CHEF ANASTASIA Anastasia Kramer grew up in Stafford, Virginia and moved down to attend Radford University on a Track and Field scholarship. When she was there, she studied nursing, psychology, and American Sign Language. After exploring all of those fields she found her passion in cooking and baking. Prior to starting here, she worked at The Palisades as the General Manager and Pastry Chef, the Farmhouse, Our Daily Bread, and Avellinos.
ABIGAIL JOHNSTON How is it the final three months of the year already? This year has flown by and the last three will surely do the same! We have a lot of upcoming events that we are really excited for. At the end of this newsletter you can check the calendar for upcoming events, but here’s a quick rundown of some future events: Saturday, Oct 21 - Oysterfest Wednesday, Nov 1 - Start of Thanksgiving Pre-Order Friday, Dec 1 - Murder Mystery Dinner We’re also excited to say that we have installed new Audio and Video equipment in our banquet room. With the updated technology we’ll be able to watch TV on the projector and screen (great for watching football and basketball) as well as handle conferences, banquets and other events that require A/V usage. Remember, as a member, you receive a discount on room rental fees and use of the A/V equipment! One final thought. In 2024 we are going to start a Wine Club! There will be an annual fee to join which will give you perks on wine throughout the year. Reduced pricing on glasses of wine, discounts on bottle purchases, no corkage fees if you bring your own wine in for lunch/dinner, no fee to attend bi-monthly wine tastings and special pricing on bi-monthly wine dinners! We’ll also have an optional bi-monthly subscription where you can purchase two of our ‘wines of the month’ at great pricing. I hope to see you around the Club soon! Abigail Johnston Food & Beverage Manager ajohnston@petedyerivercourse.com
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CLUB EVENTS
OYSTERFEST Saturday, October 21 3pm-10pm Oysterfest is back! Join us for our annual Oysterfest featuring craft beer and live music! For more information, please call 540-6332667.
TAILGATE-TO-GO
MURDER MYSTERY DINNER Friday, December 1 6-9pm Price: $60
Make every game worth tailgating for! Our Tailgate-To-Go menu is great for in-house entertaining or taking food to the game! Call by 5pm the day before your game and let us know when you want to pick it up. This is great for Thursday night football, Saturday football and NFL games! Save the stress and hassle of doing it yourself. Make the call and enjoy the food!
Join Jump into Mystery on Friday 12/1/23 at 6pm for a Tacky Sweater Murder Mystery you will never forget. This will be an interactive murder mystery event where you will play a character, solve clues, and interrogate all of the suspects. You will laugh, talk, eat, and drink. In the end you will decide who committed the crime using your detective skills. This is an adults only event and character roles will be given upon entry to the event. Wear your favorite tacky holiday sweater and join us!
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OF THE MONTH... MEMBER OF THE MONTH Brian Juanarena
EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH Wally Heinzlemann
How long have you been a member? 5 Years What‘s your favorite hole at The River? #4 Best round you‘ve ever played? Best score at The River is a 79 shot earlier this spring. Who‘s in your dream foursome? Playing with his dad, his brother and John Rahm. What’s in the bag? Ping driver, Srixon fairway woods, Srixon zx7s irons and Cleveland and Callaway wedges.
How long have you worked at PDRC? Since 1999 What department do you work in? Maintenance. Mainly mow fairways and roughs. What do you like to do for fun away from PDRC? Fish Favorite memory from PDRC? Stocking the ponds with fish on the golf course Are you a golfer? What’s your best score out here? Haven’t golfed in a long time, used to though when I first started working here.
COOKIES OF THE MONTH OCTOBER
NOVEMBER
DECEMBER
Pumpkin Orange Cookie
Russian Tea Cookie
Italian Ricotta Cookie
by Sean O’Neill, Executive Chef at Treyburn Country Club
by Sam Tessman, Line Cook at Holston Hills Country Club
by Emily Montimurro, Pastry Chef at Porters Neck Country Club
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INSTRUCTION It has been a great Year 2 for our Operation 36 Golf Academy at the River Course! Our students have lost 861 strokes on their golf game so far in our time at the course, and we’re looking forward to a great fall ahead. For those who have not seen me or the various “36”-logo’d items around the course, my name is Nick Boyea, River Course Academy Director. Our Operation 36 program focuses on golf development from the green back to the tee, learning how to build proper fundamentals and how to score, with the goal of Shooting Par or Better for 9 Holes! Our Academy offers a plethora of options to best suit a golfer’s needs, whether that may be private lessons, playing lessons, group instruction, or any combination of the three. If you’re looking to improve your golf game, the fall and winter are the best times to make things happen, and we would be happy to help. I invite all of you to send me an email at nick@op36golf.com and we can get to work! With the help of our Assistant Coach Wyatt Payne, my goal is to play more golf with the membership and get to know everyone personally, so hopefully I can see all of you around more often and play a little bit! END OF SEASON GOLF TIPS The golf season is winding down. That doesn’t mean you have to put your clubs away for the winter! Earlier in this newsletter DJ mentioned our indoor simulator league we’ll be starting in December. That’s a great way to keep the game in shape during the offseason. Another great way is to stay flexible! Stretch, do yoga, pilates, whatever! Just stay active. The more we sit around and don’t use our ‘golf’ muscles the tighter and tighter we’ll get. If you’re not into the simulator league you can still rent out the simulator. Members have preferred access to hit balls or play a round of golf. We can also use the simulator for lessons. Now, do we prefer to see the ball flight, sure. With using V1 golf and it’s technology we can record your swing, compare that to what the simulator tells us the golf ball did, and see what’s going on with your swing. Case in point, don’t let old man winter put the freeze on your golf game. There are plenty of ways to get out and enjoy the game, even if it’s cold!
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CALENDARS
October
Hit N Giggle
Course Closed
Oysterfest Swayne Soiree
Swayne Soiree
Happy Halloween
November Thanksgiving Pre-orders Begin
No Dinner Service Private Golf Event
Private Golf Event Happy Thanksgiving Course Closed
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December Murder Mystery Dinner Santa Brunch
Merry Christmas Course Closed New Year’s Eve
THE RIVER RIVER REPORT REPORT THE
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