Mountain View
John Forgan, President: jforgan@firsthorizon.com | 704-616-3843
Brandy Mercer, Vice President, Marketing &
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
M A R C H 2 0 2 4 N E W S L E T T E R CMC Board of Directors
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board@cramermountainclub.org
Membership:
A Message From The Board of Directors
Cramer Mountain Members,
As promised here is our quarterly newsletter in print and online format. The board continues to give as much transparency as possible on financial and board matters in a timely manner It was just a short time ago; we did not have newsletters or monthly communications We will continue to bring you these forms of media and as always, we are eager to tell the great transformational story. Just ask a board member. We want to be able to share all that is happening.
We think it is important that you understand the direction the club is going in and why. Nearly a decade ago, Cramer Mountain operated as a golf club first, with minimal investment in infrastructure and sorely needed improvements for the course and other amenities. This put the club in a transitional period with a lack of direction that led to a defunct status, with 3-foot-high grass in in the fairways
A Private investor rescued the club and helped purchase and personally invest in the restoration, an investment north of $5 Million dollars. Partnered with a core of equity investors in the club that helped bring the club out of foreclosure at the county courthouse steps.
The exciting journey of growth began, with a lens on a Family club atmosphere including amenities such as the pool, tennis, pickleball courts, and the restaurant The club industry is evolving and continues to make a move to create an experience for all members that builds multiple revenue streams and inclusion and gives us a sustainable growth model Yes, the golf course generates the most revenue by far but also has the most expense and upkeep as well. Social Members, Corporate members and Limited golf members asked for more. Many full golf members have families that want to use all amenities as well. The previous boards worked to continue to build the momentum and help make a difference, but the lens continued to be on golf and nothing else. Two years ago, this board recognized this and made dramatic changes to position the organization for sustainability and long-term growth detailed in a new strategy plan. This had to happen. Membership was hovering in the middle 450-470 range, nobody wanted to go to the restaurant, or have events at the club & pool We were not generating enough income to prosper or frankly survive as a private club or maybe even stay in existence
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Continued Message From The Board of Directors
Along with this dilemma, the board was faced with a patient investor in the club that wants us to purchase the golf course in June of 2025. Members do not own the golf course. Members own the parking lot, cart barns, pro shop, locker rooms, tennis courts, Pickle ball courts, restaurant, and the swimming pool
A detailed strategy plan was put in place to transform the club, to be able to purchase our life blood, the golf course, grow membership, upgrade talent, and offer an experience we can all be proud of. Is it perfect you may ask, No. We are striving every day to meet the needs and suggestions of members. Where are we on our Strategy plan? We have accomplished nearly 30 tasks on the plan, in an agile manner that members may or may not have seen. There is one major task at hand, that is continuing to build our balance sheet and create cash flow to purchase our golf course in 2025. With dues increases already in place and membership levels at all-time highs, we will get there together The club is profitable, has a stout balance sheet for the purchase of the club, payables are net 15 days, our staff is 95% set, below you will see all the Capital expenditures that will be made this year to continue to ensure everyone feels proud to be a member As of the end of February, we have 543 members, and are on track to hit full capacity this year of roughly 600 members total.
We need to change and evolve into current business models to be relevant. There are failed golf clubs in the region because of a rigid lack of change in attitude and/or the unwillingness to invest in their club.
It is important to know that golf is not being left behind We have spent over $150,000 in the past 45 days on upgrades to the golf course Two years ago, average rounds were under 1400 a month, now the average is 1900 rounds per month, with goal of getting an average of 2200 rounds a month. We want to operate as a private club, not a public golf course with a fight for tee times. The course as designed today cannot handle much more than that from consultants and PGA professionals that have advised us within the region.
As a final note on golf, we have brought in a dynamic staff to elevate your experience. This is not free. We will continue to enhance the staff as appropriate, but we are gearing up for the season
Please see below for some of the golf course enhancements:
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Continued Message From The Board of Directors
$50,000.00245 trees cut down to clear the tee boxes and sight lines on 15 & 16. More to come but the course canopy needed attention for many years.
$75,000 00 in inventory for the pro shop which will come in by the second week of March
$14,000 practice tee mats now in place
$7100.00 new water valve on the back nine, so we can water the course.
$1800.00 Chain saws and Chippers for tree work and upkeep .
$30,000.00 New Tarps for the greens, that were the originals from at least 10 years ago.
$6,000 00 in Golf sand to replace and topcoat as many bunkers on the course from the floods in January That is two 12-ton dump trucks of sand if you are wondering
$70,000.00 order for fertilizer for the course.
$4,300.00 to fix the dam with bentonite and concrete on #8, which is working and saved the club $225,000 in cost estimates.
$4,700.00 newly painted and refreshed bag drop area and shoe cleaning service, which we have not had for 14 years Look for more information in the coming weeks
$3,600 00 painted locker rooms, with more upgrades coming
We are getting final numbers and waiting for warmer weather for truckloads of Sod to be delivered to repair and bring our tee boxes up to par. This will be approximately $6,000.00 per load. There is a much bigger plan to repair the boxes but will require additional capital and begins with tree work.
$1,400 00 Pro shop broken bay window repair
Numerous other plans for the course for the year but this has happened or will happen in the first quarter of the year
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Continued Message From The Board of Directors
Other important information a member should know:
Pickle ball courts rebuilt in April, with 5 courts and a half-court basketball court redesigned.
Concrete steps being poured for a safe walkway to the courts in March
Playground rebuilt and now safe for our children. No more splinters or nails sticking up.
Golf cart parking for 10 golf carts near the playground will be completed in March.
The Cabana will be upgraded and fixed at the pool for Bar seating for 10 at the bar and a full drink station with water & Electricity to be completed by March 31st.
The board approved a full slate of events for 2024
Come try out our theme nights at the restaurant, whether a buffet or special night Rumor has it that an ice cream bar may be in our future for kids’ night.
We will open the pool the middle of May this year, weather permitting.
The LGA and MGA have a full slate of activities, please get involved.
There will be an Easter Brunch this year, stay tuned for the announcement
We are looking to bring back a Fish Fry on select Fridays as well
Formal search committee in place for New GM and we are already gathering applicants. We will take as long as it takes, to get the right person in place.
As you can see, there is lots of work being done by the board and staff. Thank you for being on this journey as we strive to be the best family club in the region.
Regards,
John A Forgan President Cramer Mountain Board of Directors
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The Clubhouse Restaurant
Members,
What a February we had at the Clubhouse Restaurant and as always it was a pleasure seeing all of your smiling faces. I'm so excited to have Shatera at the helm of our Front of House operations and events. We are already brainstorming ideas to bring fun and exciting restaurant events for all of you!
Beginning in February we ran a weekly Kid's Night on Tuesdays, rotating themed buffet on Wednesdays, and Prime Rib and Live music alternating each Friday. These events will run through March, so if you haven't had the chance to come out to The Mountain, please be sure to. We are expecting to transition to our High Season schedule beginning around the first week of April, which means we will be open on Sundays. More to come here.
My team and I have spent the last month working on our new menu, which we hope to be released by the time you are reading this. Some of your favorites from past and present are included, along with new and fresher options One way that we work to keep our menu fresh and new, is with our weekly specials We work hard to bring you exciting items, but please feel free to contact me directly should there be anything you would like to see
For upcoming events, please check your calendar on your APP or online For March, our key event will be a wine tasting and food pairing on the 14th featuring "The Calling" wines, where head winemaker Peter Deutch will show off his California Chardonnays, Pinot Noirs, and Cabernets. It will be a fun filled evening so be sure to register, space is limited.
Thank you all for your continued support. Everyday I'm reminded of what a special place this is. If you haven't stopped by in a while, come by for Lunch and check out our salad and soup bar, or try one of our weekly events or weekend specials. You can stay up to date on all Clubhouse Restaurant related news on Facebook and Instagram.
Cheers!
Daniel Caudill, Executive Chef
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Dear Members,
Pro’s Corner
Spring is upon us with Daylight Savings just a couple weeks away This is an exciting time for our golfers as the weather will begin to help us get better! With the warmer weather, we will be discounting all outerwear in the Pro Shop.
We have our Easter Eighteen tournament on March 30. This will be a great event that gives everyone the opportunity to celebrate the holiday weekend with their friends and family. Find your partner to win pro shop credit in the Texas Scramble format event. The following months with warmer weather are paving the way for many more great events like this one.
The golf course will be alternating starting holes between 1 and 10 every other week This is a way to even play on each side and give members a fun way to change their round Our Pro Shop hours will extend to 6:00pm at Daylight Savings on March 10.
Group training times through March will stay the same on Saturdays. With warmer weather in coming months, we will expand those sessions. Call the Pro Shop or sign up on the Club Calendar for weekly training!
The LGA and MGA are gearing up for their exciting seasons. Call the Pro Shop to register for the league and be on the lookout for updates on upcoming events March 7 holds the MGA Kickoff Party This is a great opportunity to start the golfing season The LGA has their Hang Time Hangout on March 9 and Season Opener on March 16 We hope to see you all there!
We have two Demo Days this month to test out clubs and figure out the best thing for your game. Srixon fitters will be here on March 22 and Callaway fitters on March 29. Sign up on the Club Calendar to find the best gear for you.
We are hosting the HV3 Junior Golf Tournament on March 23 and 24. It is a great honor to host Harold Varner III’s golf tournament and help grow the game of golf
This is an exciting time for golf and we are ready to get the season underway Looking forward to seeing you at all of our events and on the tee sheet!
Regards,
Cramer Mountain Golf Staff
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Employee Spotlight
Hilda Perez – Golf Maintenance Operator
Hilda is the longest vested employee on the property starting in April of 2014. Raising two children on her own, she is tasked with school pickup and dropoff, physical therapy appointments weekly with her son, doctor appointments, etc She works as much as possible to provide for her family She is one of the best on staff from noticing the smallest detail to being the main operator of our biggest and most expensive cutting unit In her spare time; if any, she enjoys cooking and relaxing with her family We are very thankful to have Hilda on our crew and she knows she has a home working at Cramer Mountain Club for many years to come
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Course Updates
April Course Updates
Love and Core grasses have been cleaned out and trimmed
With warmer temperatures weed treatment has started We will begin wall to wall pre emerge on Bermuda soon
New greens tarps have arrived
Large drainage project completed around multi use court in preparation for resurfacing and sidewalk with steps to access court.
Tree removal around 16 blue/white tees and right of 15 green has started. Please remember to fill your divots and repair ball marks, thank you!
By: John Baker, Superintendent
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Tennis News
It’s starting to feel springy once again, time to get back on the courts and work on being the best tennis and pickleball player that you can be! The Australian Open is behind us with a great start to the pro season, French Open is the next slam Several groups have filled the weekday afterschool calendar for the spring lesson book, appreciate the interest there and if there’s any with flexible schedules that can do a morning time or weekend, we can definitely find a time slot then. Several have signed up for our USTA Junior Team Tennis League, registration is about to close on that, so if your junior player is looking for a little competition please reach out soon.
The summer camp schedule is ready so you can start making plans for the children once school is out, there will be several offerings for your children so please take a look at that flyer and feel free to reach out with any questions.
Lastly, the ball machine has been serviced and the balls in it refreshed, please reach out to myself or Austin to get signed up for the ball machine club if you’re not on it already, it’s a great resource for player development! See you on the courts!
By: Will Borders, Director of Tennis
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MGA News
The Men’s Winter League will be winding down with a Calcutta at the restaurant on Friday March 1st at 6:30pm on the patio of the restaurant All are welcome even if you are not interested in participating in the action The Winter League finale will tee off at 9:00am on Saturday March 2nd
The MGA will be hosting a kickoff party at the restaurant on Thursday night March 7th Food and drinks will be provided and the board members will be available to answer questions about the upcoming season
Highlights for the upcoming 2024 season at the MGA include:
Dog fights most Thursday nights (9 holes) and Saturday mornings (18 holes)
A charity tournament on the calendar for Thursday May 23rd. Proceeds from the tournament will go to Webb Street School in Gastonia. This school serves students from Gaston County that have cognitive impairments and you can find more info on them at the link below.
https://www.gaston.k12.nc.us/domain/1074
Your annual dues for the MGA will now also include entry into the season-long derby which will conclude the weekend of September 14th
To address some of the limitations of the GHIN handicap system, the MGA will move to a rolling quota handicap in 2024 which will be maintained by the pro shop
The MGA is also looking to allocate a portion of its budget to making improvements to the golf experience throughout the year.
MGA Board
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Priebe
Jarvi
Sigmon Scott Ellis
Shannon
Gruin Travis Cromlish
Members Steve
Chris
Greg
Scott
Chris
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Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 25 26 27 28 29 1 2 RestaurantClosed LGAMorning Play Kid'sNight ThemedBuffet Night HalfPriced WinebytheGlass WinterLeague Calcutta WinterLeague Finale GolfClinics 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 RestaurantClosed MondayNight Dinks&Drinks LGAMorning Play Kid'sNight StuartCramerHigh SchoolMatch ThemedBuffet Night MGASeason OpenParty(No Golf) HalfPriced WinebytheGlass LadiesMix Around PrimeRibNight MGA Dogfight GolfClinics LGAHangTimeGolf MeetUp 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 RestaurantClosed MondayNight Dinks&Drinks LGAMorning Play Kid'sNight Men'sQuads ThemedBuffet Night MGA Dogfight WineTasting LadiesMix Around LiveMusic-Jonathan Brackett LGASeason Opener MGA Dogfight GolfClinics 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 RestaurantClosed St Patrick's Day MondayNight Dinks&Drinks LGAMorning Play Kid'sNight Men'sQuads LGA9& Dine ThemedBuffet Night Ladies'Quads MGA Dogfight HalfPricedWineby theGlass LadiesMix Around PrimeRib Night SrixonFittingDay HV3 Invitational 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 RestaurantClosed HV3Inviational EasterEggHunt Johnson& Wales MondayNightDinks& Drinks Johnson& Wales (Member TeeTimesbeginat 2pm) Kid'sNight Men'sQuads ThemedBuffet Night Ladies'Quads Ladies'Swign' Swing MGA Dogfight HalfPricedWineby theGlass LadiesMix Around CallawayFitting Day LiveMusic-Ian Benjamin Easter Eighteen MGA Dogfight GolfClinics 31 1 Easter SundayBuffet MondayNight Dinks&Drinks
March Calendar
CMC Contact Directory
Golf Professional, Chuck Johnson & First Assistant, Devin Saunders: proshop@cramermountainclub.org | 704-879-4888 ext. 1 cjohnson@cramermountainclub.org | dsaunders@cramermountainclub.org
Golf Course Superintendent, John Baker: jbaker.cramermountainclub@gmail.org
Tennis Director, Will Borders: tennis@cramermountainclub.org | 704-472-3436
Director of Marketing and Membership, Austin Holland: (Billing and membership questions can be directed here) aholland@cramermountainclub.org, membership@cramermountainclub.org, cmcevents@cramermountainclub.org | 704-879-4888 ext. 4
Account Manager, Tabatha Friday: tfriday@cramermountainclub.org | 704-879-4888 ext. 6
Pool Manager, Shannon Irish: sirish@cramermountainclub.org
Front of House and Event Manager, Shatera McIntosh: smcintosh@cramermountainclub.org
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