April 2015 newsletter

Oxbow Country Club Newsletter

Experience

April 2015

IN THIS ISSUE...

Message from General Manager Sedi Halvorson………..Page 2 Upcoming Events by Alison Molony……………….…………..Page 3 Recipe of the Month by Chef James…………………………...Page 4 News From the Fairway by David Wood………………….….Page 5 Pro Shop News by John Dahl…………………………………...Page 6-7 Easter Brunch Information………………………………………….Page 8 Date/Movie Night & Masters Information………………….Page 9 Denim & Diamonds (Ladies’ Night Out) Information...Page 10 Annual Meeting & Spring Fling Information………………Page 11

CLUB HOURS OF OPERATION Administrative Office Hours: Monday - Friday 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM Grill Hours: Sunday - Wednesday Thursday - Saturday

10:00 AM - 8:00 PM 10:00 AM- 10:00 PM

Clubhouse Phone Number: Pro Shop Phone Number:

701.588.4666 701.588.4669

*Keep your eyes peeled for extended hours as the days get longer and the weather gets warmer!

As we jump headfirst into the 2015 season, we would like to remind you that our greatest resource for gaining new members is YOU! We invite you to reach out to your friends, family, and co-workers and share about your experience at Oxbow. We are offering fantastic first-year member incentives. And there’s even something in it for you too! Refer a new member and receive a $250 food & beverage or golf

cart credit! ($50 credit for Social Member Referrals.)

FOLLOW YOUR CLUB ON:

www.oxbowcc.com

SEDI HALVORSON

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

GENERAL MANAGER Welcome to the 2015 golf season, everyone! For just the second time in our club’s history, we were able to enjoy some March golf. Although we appear to be headed toward more seasonal temperatures over the next couple of weeks, we will have much more favorable weather than this time last year, which is great for our members and our club.

CHRIS HOLLAND - PRESIDENT DAVE CAMPBELL - VICE PRESIDENT TAMI HENKE - SECRETARY JAY BARTLEY

DJ RIEGER

CHRIS CHAMP

BRITTON MATTSON

JEFF KRUGER

JOE TALLEY

MANAGEMENT STAFF SEDI HALVORSON GENERAL MANAGER SEDI@OXBOWCC.COM; EXT. 29

ALISON MOLONY MEMBER ENGAGEMENT & EVENTS ALISON@OXBOWCC.COM; EXT. 12

RYAN POISSANT DIRECTOR OF FOOD & BEVERAGE RYAN@OXBOWCC.COM; EXT. 11

JAMES KERR EXECUTIVE CHEF CHEF@OXBOWCC.COM; EXT. 22

TOM KEPPEL CONTROLLER ACCOUNTING@OXBOWCC.COM; EXT. 10

JOHN DAHL, PGA HEAD GOLF PRO JDGOLF@OXBOWCC.COM

DAVID WOOD SUPERINTENDENT DAVIDW@OXBOWCC.COM

Speaking of which, you will see on the front page of our newsletter that we are again offering our membership great incentives for referring members to the club. We do a lot of advertising every year, but no matter how much advertising and promotions we do, none of it is nearly as effective as you, the members, getting your colleagues and friends to come and experience Oxbow. I will discuss this more at the annual meeting, but the majority of our new members every year come to us from current member referrals. Referring someone can be as easy as emailing me a name and phone number or email address so that we can contact the prospective member and have them come out for a visit and a round of golf. We will also be continuing what we did last year--having a “relaxed” guest policy up until Memorial Day. You can bring a guest as many times as you would like until then. If they join the club, we will credit back their guest green fees.

Thank you in advance for your help in continuing to grow the Oxbow membership!

Also, I want to remind everyone again that our annual meeting is scheduled for April 16 th at 6:00 PM. At this meeting, we will be reviewing our financial and operational performance from 2014, and what we are forecasting for 2015. 2014 was an extremely successful year in many areas, and we look forward to continuing that momentum in 2015 and beyond. We will also be highlighting what changes we are making throughout the club as we continue to do our best to meet the needs of our ever-changing membership.

I will also be presenting our progress on the new clubhouse, scheduled to open in July of 2016. We will have drawings and blueprints for everyone to view. I get many questions about the clubhouse and course, and I am excited to be able to show what has been accomplished over the winter months to get the project started in June. The annual meeting is a great time to connect with your fellow members, and get up-to-speed and find out what is happening at your club.

Due to our unusually early opening and the colder morning temperatures, I just want to update everyone on our hours of operation in the early spring. Oxbow will be opening for golf daily at 10:00 AM until the mornings are consistently warm enough for golf. The pro shop and grill will be staffed starting at that time. The kitchen will be opening at 11:00 AM for service throughout the day. As I have mentioned in previous emails, please call the pro shop if you plan on heading out right away in the morning, as there may be some days where we need to delay golf due to frost. Once we start having consistently warm mornings, we will extend our operating hours.

In closing, I want to personally thank everyone for a great first three months here at Oxbow. It has been great getting to know so many of you, and as we head into golf season, I can’t wait to meet even more of our members. It is truly an honor to be the general manager of your club, and I look forward to the opportunities, challenges, and most importantly, FUN, as we continue working to make your club the best it can be.

Sedi

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Director of Member Engagement & Events April is host to two of my favorite events at Oxbow--Easter Brunch and our Spring Ladies’ Night Out! Easter is always a bright and fun day at Oxbow. This year, we are adding to the festivities by welcoming the Easter Bunny, as well as offering two outdoor Easter Egg Hunts at 11:15 AM and at 12:45 PM. (Easter Egg Hunts will take place in the Grill if the weather does not cooperate.)

This year’s Spring Ladies’ Night Out is sure to be our biggest and best event so far this year. Ladies, if you have not attended this event in past, you’re missing out! The Oxbow Social Committee has worked hard to put this memorable evening together. Ladies’ Night Out will feature a special three-course meal prepared

by Chef James, a gift bag filled with goodies, exclusive vendors to stock up on all of your spring essentials, PLUS fabulous door prizes and raffle items (including a piece of diamond jewelry)! We still have vendor booth space available--if you would like an opportunity to showcase your business, please let me know.

Over half the spots for this event are already spoken for. Make sure to make your reservation right away!

Sunday, April 5th

Easter Brunch

Seatings at 10:00 AM, 11:30 AM & 1:00 PM

April 9th - 12th

Celebrate the Masters

More Details on Page 9

Friday, April 10th

Date/Movie Night

Wednesday, April 15th Spring Ladies’ Night Out

7:00 PM: Showtime This Month’s Movie: The Penguins of Madagascar

$40/Person More Details on Page 10

Thursday, April 16th

Annual Meeting

6:00 PM: Social 6:30 PM: Meeting

Friday, May 1st

Date/Movie Night

7:00 PM: Showtime

Thursday, May 7th

Demo Day

Contact the Pro Shop For More Information

Sunday, May 10th

Mother’s Day Brunch

Call the Club For Reservations

Tuesday, May 12th

League Kick-Off

$450/Men’s Team; $250/Women’s Team

Friday, May 15th

Spring Fling!

7:00 PM: Social 8:00 PM - Midnight: Music by October Road

Wednesday, May 27th

Ladies’ Night Kick-Off

More Information to Follow!

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Chef James’

Spring has come and I am currently working on a summer menu I think everyone will enjoy. The culinary staff and I are very excited about it! We are, of course, keeping a lot of staples, but there will also be some fun new items to look for.

This month, I have prepared a recipe for a fun dessert!

INGREDIENTS 8

Oz

Cream Cheese, Softened

1

Cup

Canned Pumpkin

1/2

Cup

Sugar

1/2

Tsp

Pumpkin Pie Spice

2 1/2

Cups

Whipped Cream

18

Flour Tortillas

6

Tbsp

Melted Butter

2

Tsp

Sugar

2

Tsp

Cinnamon

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, pumpkin, sugar and pumpkin pie spice with an electric mixer on medium speed until well-blended. Gently stir in the whipped topping. Divide the cream cheese mixture evenly between the tortillas. Roll each tortilla up and put on serving plates. In a small bowl, combine the butter, sugar, and cinnamon.

Brush the mixture over the rolled tortillas. Top with caramel sauce.

Caramel Sauce

Ryan Poissant recently started as Oxbow’s new Director of Food and Beverage.

Ryan joins the Oxbow Country Club team with a diverse food and beverage background. He earned a Culinary Arts degree from MSCTC Moorhead. Ryan has held nearly every food and beverage position between various restaurants and hotels. He most recently spent the last seven years at Fargo Country Club, where he was the Food and Beverage Services Manager. Ryan resides in Moorhead with his wife Laura, and their three children.

Opening the golf course March 28th is one of the earliest openings that we have on record.

The average course opening is April 7th-12th. The early mild weather and lack of snow are indicating an extended golf season. We are hoping for a mild April to continue into the season.

The mild winter and lack of snow fall helped accelerate our early golf, but those same conditions are factors in winter turf loss. In December and January, the combination of rain and freezing night temperatures contribute to some ice buildup on the greens; this leads to a condition called crown hydration. Temperatures in the forties, combined with rain, will cause the grass plant to absorb water. Then, with the night-time temperatures dropping into the twenty degree range, the plants begin to freeze internally and damage occurs to the grass plant. Reseeding, aeration and additional fertilizer applications will begin to accelerate recovery on damaged areas.

As the ground begins to thaw, golf course construction season begins! Our golf contractor, Landscapes Unlimited, will be here the first week of April to begin working on phase one of the new golf course. Last year’s work involved pond excavation and general shaping. In April, the contractor will begin shaping the sub-grade and installing drainage lines to take water out of the drainage basins. Irrigation main line pipes will be buried and the pumping station will be set in place. Topsoil that was stockpiled onsite will then be spread out for a growing medium for the turf.

Golf features, which include greens, tees, and bunkers, will be shaped and contoured. After all this work is completed and irrigation sprinkler heads installed and tested, grassing begins.

I want to thank all those that participated in last year’s Stag Night. This annual fundraiser helped generate over twenty thousand dollars in capital equipment dollars for the Grounds Department. This year we were able to replace three 1993 golf carts with new utility carts to assist our department with day-to-day activities.

See you on the course.

David Wood

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We are extremely happy to welcome back spring here at Oxbow Country Club! We hope everyone had a great winter and are ready to get out and play some golf! We have loads of great events to look forward to this season and we are excited to provide you with exceptional service and all of the gear you will need for a successful season.

“Don’t get good at doing the wrong thing.” Call the Pro Shop today to book a lesson or package of lessons with John Dahl before heading out on the course or the driving range this spring.

Men’s and women’s golf leagues begin on Tuesday, May 12th and will run through September. Get your team together today and register with the Pro Shop for the most fun you will have all year! Men’s teams will consist of four players for $450/team and ladies’ teams will consist of two players for $250/team. Shop credit will be awarded each week for match winners as well as a payout for the top three teams at the end of the season.

Remember to start thinking about getting your two-person teams together for the annual Summer Long Best Ball competition. It’s always a great competition and a great way to earn bragging rights as the best two-person tandem at your club. Call or email the Pro Shop to register today!

Masters week begins next week, so get in on the action with our annual Masters draft. For fifty dollars, you will pick four golfers in the field. The lowest combined total score of those four players wins cash! In the event of a score tie, the winners will be determined based on total money won by the four players selected. Payout will be 50% of the pot for first place, 30% for second, and 20% for third. If a player misses the cut, his score is locked in for the final. Example: if a player you picked misses the cut at +8, and the other three players picked shoot a combined -8, your final score is even par.

Before you head out on the golf course this spring, stop in and check out our great new lineup of Nike Shoes and grab a new Nike golf bag to match. We also have a stylish new lineup of PING and FootJoy apparel to have you looking and playing your best to start the year. The new merchandise includes lightweight, yet warm, pullovers that come in handy this time of the season.

Short on golf balls? Place your order of three dozen personalized ProV1 or ProV1x balls to receive one dozen free before April 12th. This will keep you stocked up for the year! Come in and get fit with a new Titleist 915 driver, fairway, and hybrid or the new PING G30 lineup of metal woods to help you start playing your best golf!

Keep in mind that registration for the Battle at the Bow opens on April 1 st. It fills up fast--get a team together today!

Happy golfing everyone and we look forward to seeing everyone at your club this spring and summer!

Contact John Dahl for more information: jdgolf@oxbowcc.com 6

TITLEIST GOLF BALL PROMOTION

  

Now through April 12th

 

ONLY $100 TO JOIN. FEE INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING:  $25 Credit in the Pro Shop  One Guest Green Fee & Cart  25% off Hard Goods  30% off Clothing Items 7

Easter Brunch Experience Limited space available.

Call to make your reservation today: 701.588.4666.

*In the case of poor weather, Easter Egg Hunts will take place inside in The Grill

Slow Roasted Prime Rib

Maple Cinnamon Ham Fresh Fruit Tray Broccoli and Ham Salad Assorted Quiches Garden Salad with Assorted Dressings Eggs Benedict Scrambled Eggs Cheesy Hash Brown Casserole Sausage & Applewood Smoked Bacon Homemade Caramel Rolls Muffins & Pastries Chinese Green Beans Garlic-Whipped Potatoes Rolls & Butter Assorted Cakes & Pies

Chicken Nuggets Popcorn Shrimp French Toast Sticks Tater Tots

ADULTS: $19.95 CHILDREN 6 - 12: $8.95 CHILDREN 5 & UNDER: $4.95 Price does not include tax or gratuity

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N

G! N I Y A L OW P

PENGUINS OF MADAGASCAR Friday, April 10th Show Time: 7:00 pm

½ Price Select Appetizers $3 16oz Beer

Viewing Party

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JOIN US FOR OXBOW’S SPRING LADIES’ NIGHT OUT:

Diamonds

denim Wednesday, April 15th, 2015 5:30 - 7:00: Social & Shopping 7:00: Dinner

$40/ Person Price does not include tax or gratuity

TICKET PRICE INCLUDES  Complimentary welcome cocktail  Three-course meal (food selections found below)  Raffle drawings for wonderful prizes--including a piece of diamond jewelry!  Access to exclusive vendors to stock up on all of your spring essentials  Gift bag filled with goodies  A fun evening out with your favorite Oxbow ladies!

RSVP TO ALISON: 701.588.4666 or alison@oxbowcc.com

For dinner, please choose between: Rosemary Chicken and Provolone Ravioli with White Wine Butter Sauce Mushroom Asiago Chicken with Parmesan Risotto and Sautéed Asparagus Firecracker Grilled Salmon with Curried Brown Rice Pilaf and Sautéed Broccolini

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Board of Directors Nominations: 3 Seats are Available  Three or more voting members can nominate other members for the open positions.  Nominations can be submitted in writing at the club or via email.  To be nominated for a director position, nominee must own a membership certificate.  To vote for board members at the meeting, attendee must own a membership certificate.  Nominations will be posted prior to the meeting.

Agenda Items  State of the Club – Sedi Halvorson, General Manager  Department Reports – Greens & Grounds, Food & Beverage, and Golf  New Clubhouse update

Save the Date!

Friday, May 15th

More details to follow!

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