DECEMBER 2023 NEWSLETTER
CMC Board of Directors board@cramermountainclub.com John Forgan, President: jforgan@firsthorizon.com | 704-616-3843 Brandy Mercer, Vice President, Marketing & Membership: brandymercer@me.com | 704-718-9858 Brad Drury, Secretary: bdrury@pinnix.com | 980-522-1373 Alex Bryant, Treasurer, Food & Beverage: alexbryant49@gmail.com | 704-315-8797 Andy Crotts, Golf: cacrotts@gmail.com | 704-914-7626 Alan Hyman, Golf: ahyman@imperialsports.com | 843-260-7526 Roy Helms, Social & Tennis: rhelms04@gmail.com | 704-737-4389
MOUNTAIN VIEW | CRAMER MOUNTAIN CLUB
DECEMBER 2023 NEWSLETTER
A Message from the Board of Directors There has been much happening on the mountain since the last update. The board wanted to bring you up to speed on the good work being done and some of the great events. November and December were busy months for events, including a successful Thanksgiving side and dessert ordering event and many new specials in the restaurant. We brought back Kid’s Night, and we brought back entertainment to the mountain, with such acts as Caleb Davis. December has brought us many events in the restaurant, with the start of the season, the Holiday Tree Lighting and an unexpected visit from the Grinch! The staff quickly pivoted to Breakfast with Santa, which had over 600 meals served. Thank you to Shannon Irish for taking the pictures again this year and thank you to Maria for all the extra work making sure these events went well. The marquee event of the season was the Holiday party, where over 200 people attended and danced the night away under the big tent. The month has continued to be busy at the restaurant with 9 separate events including the LGA Christmas Party and CMIC event. We will finish off the year strong with our New Years Dinner. If you have not booked the event yet, there is limited seating still available. Thank you to Eric and Chef Danny for all the hard work. The Golf course has looked in excellent condition thanks to John and his team. Chuck and his team have done a great job with events and one of the marquee events this month was the Junior Nationals. We had golfers all the way from Atlanta and Augusta come to play in the tournament.
MOUNTAIN VIEW | CRAMER MOUNTAIN CLUB
DECEMBER 2023 NEWSLETTER
If you have not been to the Golf Shop, please check it out. There are all new lines of merchandise for women, juniors, and men. There are big discounts on apparel until the end of the year. If you have not been on #8 lately, please check out the fixed dam and flowing water over the dam. It is functioning the correct way again. There has been a great deal of work behind the scenes with the board and staff. We have formally approved a budget, which will have some needed Capital Expenditures. Below is a brief list of some of the allocated expenditures in 2024. We sent out member surveys and we took direction from those surveys. Over 278 members responded to the survey. We will begin doing a survey at least annually. Budget Approved Expenditures: Pickleball Courts (We are in the final meetings to start this project in the spring) Golf Mats on the range (Highest quality)/ Fencing on the range as well New poolside umbrellas and updates to the Cabana Bar/running water and drain. Tree work to help improve tee boxes on many of the holes and removing overgrown trees on several holes as well. Locker rooms in the pool area will be updated with paint and new counters after a long-term water leak is fixed. Tennis court roller. Pool vacuum to replace the residential vacuum previously being used. Bag drop area will be painted and shoe cleaning will begin again in April. As you can see, these are just some of the big needs at the club. There is more and we have a list, and as funds will allow, we will bring additional improvement. MOUNTAIN VIEW | CRAMER MOUNTAIN CLUB
DECEMBER 2023 NEWSLETTER
The Board felt it was critical to help the members understand where we are going, as we strive to be the best family club in the region. In front of the club is a purchase of the golf course in June of 2025. The club needs to continue to save for this purchase from the seller and we also need to make sure to generate the revenue needed to manage the debt service of a loan approximately $3.3 million, with a down payment of $1.3 million dollars. The seller has given the club 10 years to purchase the club and we must have a disciplined plan in place to make this event happen. The Board of Directors believes we can accomplish this without large assessments. If you remember, the members previously approved a $5,000.00 assessment. We do not feel we need to do this based upon our membership growth. Steps that will take place moving forward are nominal increases to dues in 2024 and initiation fees will go up for new members. Two years ago, when this board took over, we had 474 members, today we have nearly 560 members, and we are well on our way to 600. You may ask, why are we spending money on other items, such as the pickleball courts or the golf course, and the answer is simple, members want to be proud of their club and enjoy the courts and golf course. They want to come for a family meal or enjoy a themed party. Course play is up, pool attendance was a record high last year, and the golf course is averaging over 1,800 rounds a month. We will be removing restaurant minimums in 2024. We want you to come to the restaurant and enjoy the atmosphere and the pool. If we put out the product, the minimums are not necessary. The club will need to handle an additional $30,000 per month in debt service for the new loan and we will also need to allocate additional funds to our capital account to purchase the club. The new membership has helped but as we look across the region, we have not kept up with the costs and dues increases. We did not have some of the amenities before, and we have many of them now that cost money and require resources to keep CMC in pristine shape. MOUNTAIN VIEW | CRAMER MOUNTAIN CLUB
DECEMBER 2023 NEWSLETTER
On average, we are $300-$400 dollars lower on dues than any other club in the region, and if you add in Charlotte clubs, that number goes to $600-$800 a month in dues difference. The board realizes nobody wants to pay more dues and we do not either, but in order to be independent, protect home values, and provide a comfortable environment to live and play, it is a must. The board will sit down with anybody and go over the budgets, costs, or financials at any time with a scheduled appointment. Below is the outline of approved pricing changes, effective January 1, 2024: Dues Increase: Full Golf: $445.00 per month Limited Golf: $255.00 per month Golf Only: $335.00 per month Golf Only Plus: $380.00 per month Sports Social: $165.00 per month Out of Towners: $150.00 per month Membership Initiation Increase: Full Golf Equity Membership: $7500.00 Limited Golf Membership: $5000.00 Sports Social Membership: $3000.00 Corporate Membership: $3000.00 The board of directors wants to thank you for being a member and helping us strive to be the best family club in the region. We are well on our way in 2024. We will have many fun events and entertainment in store for all our members. Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas!
MOUNTAIN VIEW | CRAMER MOUNTAIN CLUB
DECEMBER 2023 NEWSLETTER
Holiday Hours
MOUNTAIN VIEW | CRAMER MOUNTAIN CLUB
CMC Contact Directory Golf Professional, Chuck Johnson & First Assistant, Devin Saunders: proshop@cramermountainclub.com | 704-879-4888 ext. 1 cjohnson@cramermountainclub.com | d.saunders@cramermountainclub.com Golf Course Superintendent, John Baker: jbaker.cramermountainclub@gmail.com Tennis Director, Will Borders: tennis@cramermountainclub.com | 704-472-3436 Office Coordinator, Maria Karampourniotis: (Billing and membership questions can be directed here) membership@cramermountainclub.com, cmcevents@cramermountainclub.com | 704-879-4888 ext. 4 General Manager of The Clubhouse Restaurant, Eric Buchanan: ebuchanan@cramermountainclub.com | 704-879-4416 Pool Manager, Shannon Irish: sirish@cramermountainclub.com
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