January/February 2023 - La Vie

A Message from the President

Dear Members,

As we close out the year 2022, I want to thank all of our Members who have taken the time to enjoy their Club and participate in so many activities at the Club. We have seen record attendance for many of our events and our 2022 banquet business hit an all-time high and we look for similar results in 2023. As Members, it has been a great time to belong to Royal Oaks, our Membership levels continue to rise due to your referrals. Our staff has worked so hard to make sure they provide the best possible experience for us, and it shows by how much we want to keep coming back.

The Board is committed to continuing to reinvest in the Club and we have made great strides in improving our facilities with a lot more to come. We refreshed the landscaping all around the pools and tennis court areas and did much needed repairs in the Sports Club. We will soon have some design boards for you all to see as we finalize the new décor for our Main Clubhouse and of course we have broken ground on the MAC.

We just launched an exciting new website and App to improve your interaction with the Club. The new App for the Club is available so look for the email from Hannah Vines, Our Communications Manager, with the new ROCC App details. The App will provide the following features:

• No need to log in each time you use the App - once you log in once, you STAY logged in

• No need for various apps for Golf or Tennis everything can now be done and accessed directly in the ROCC App

• Added Reservations System for Tot Stop and Group X classes

• Improved communication to Members from the Club

This all makes me very excited about 2023 with all the great things the Club has to offer. We have completed the Capital Survey, so look for an email from the Club in the coming weeks with the results. The survey will help guide our Long-Range Planning Committee and the Board in determining what project(s) to consider next at the Club.

The Board and staff wish you Happy Holidays and look forward to seeing you around the Club!

Zuber Royal Oaks Country Club President

Allison

The Ladies Association had an incredible year with many activities well beyond our monthly International Themed Happy Hours where we celebrated the cultures and food around the world. Monthly Happy Hours have proven to be a wonderful way to keep up with your friends while meeting new friends. The food Chef and his staff prepare always fits in perfectly with the theme.

The fun field trips included Brookwood, the Museum of Fine Arts to the Impressionists Exhibit, Montrose & Main (another Preservation Houston Tour), the tour of Alief ISD Career Center included a lovely lunch made by the students and a tour of the learning facilities. HCC’s Fashionable Lunch provided the ladies with not only a gourmet lunch made by their culinary students but a fabulous tour of one of the largest fashion archives in the country with great insight from HCC’s Fashion Archive Ambassador, Alex Chapmen. Did we mention Alex is the talented brother of our own Susan Lee? This was all possible through the kindness of our own Suzette Brimmer Perkins, Dean of Consumer Arts & Sciences. We went to the movies both in the theater and here at Royal Oaks. We dressed for the off site movie and wore our comfy pj’s here while viewing Mama Mia and enjoying the most amazing salad bar and snacks. A field trip to Main Street Theater included husbands and guests to see “The Real Inspector Hound” and gave the guys an opportunity to ride on the County Bus. Sounds like a lot, doesn’t it? But there was more. We also had a somber, docent-led tour of the Holocaust Museum by our ROCC member, Diane Merrill and a docent-led Buffalo Bayou Boat Tour on a beautiful October day.

As well as the monthly meetings to discuss books, this year’s Book Club had two special events with the authors coming to talk about their books. Such a great opportunity to talk with the authors and hear of their research and writing process. Ellie Beeckman opened her home for a Holiday gathering where we discussed our favorite books of the year and enjoyed each other’s company.

The two Bridge groups remained active and enjoyed their annual Holiday luncheon at the club. Ten of the MahJongg ladies had their first annual ‘Tis the Season gathering at Alicia’s just outside our neighborhood.

Mexican Train is a fun group to join in and keep in mind they usually stay for lunch after playing. Speaking of eating lunch, the Lunch Bunch group was all over the city enjoying

different dining experiences each month. Does this group enjoy eating? Well, the Royal Recipe Ladies would give you a hearty yes to that as they gather to enjoy themed member prepared lunches.

Lets not forget those fun Bunko or Bingo nights. Oh yes, food was included at those, too.

Our Annual Luncheon on November 3rd, preceded by the Vendor Showcase, which was another great success. This year we were fortunate to have use of the entire club, allowing us to accommodate many more members.

A Holiday Cookie Exchange December 5th at Jan Parker’s house, organized by the Royal Recipe Ladies, had more than 2 dozen ladies attending and swapping cookies and conversation.

Our December Happy Hour was combined with a Christmas Village Open House at ROCCLA member Diane Sperandio’s house on December 14th from 4-7. ROCCLA members arrived with their children/grandchildren, friends and neighbors to tour Diane and Rich’s Dept 56 Christmas Village display. Santa and several of his elves were there. Thank goodness for those elves as they happily provided beverages and food to 150 individuals strolling through the village allowing Diane and Rich to thoroughly enjoy their guests.

You can keep up with our many events on the Club Calendar, watch for Friday’s ROCCLA email, the ROCCLA tab on the Club app, and follow us on Facebook. The Executive Committee and Committee Chairs have planned many ROCCLA Happy Hours and events. Suggestions of activities are always welcomed to keep all our members assured of a great experience with our vibrant group. Sign up for events on the club calendar or by calling the Concierge (281)-899-3200.

Our sincere thanks to the Executive Board and all of our Committee Chairs. Special thanks to our outgoing, over achieving, hard working President, Jan Parker. This busy past year under her leadership will be tough shoes to fill. Yet we have no doubt that Roc’C Semmelbeck is up for the challenge. Our new slate of officers were voted on and approved at the November meeting/luncheon.

CLUB CONTACTS

General Questions/Club Reservations:

Concierge281-899-3200 | concierge@royaloakscc.com

Membership: Membership Director - Terri Kennedy 281-899-3207 | tkennedy@royaloakscc.com

Membership Assistant - Lizz Barber 281-272-6665 | lbarber@royaloakscc.com

Member Statement/Accounts Receivable281-899-3253 | ar@royaloakscc.com

Dining: Clubhouse Manager - Gregory Constantinou gconstantinou@royaloakscc.com

Pick-Up/To-Go OrdersThe Bistro: 281-899-3230 The Turn: 281-899-3227

Events: Catering & Events Director - Allyson Brown 281-899-3293 | abrown@royaloakscc.com

Sports Club: Front Desk281-899-3250 | sportsclub@royaloakscc.com

Fitness Director - Pam Owens 281-899-3236 | powens@royaloakscc.com

Tennis Director - Peter Farrell 281-899-3219 | pfarrell@royaloakscc.com

Golf: Golf Shop281-899-3270

Welcome New Members

November & December

Director of Instruction - Derek Hooper 281-899-3217 | dhooper@royaloakscc.com www.royaloakscc.com

Ross Wildy & Cyndi Blake

Yosuke Matsumoto

Jenny Xu & David Tran

Juan Carlos Moreno & Ximena Valenzuela

Kersi & Thrity Engineer

Matthew Mistica & Thao Nguyen

Juan Pablo Vallejo & Maria Manrique

George Goyal

Jeff & Debbie Gorski

A MESSAGE FROM MEMBERSHIP

Dear Members,

First, I hope this note finds you safe and well, and you and your family enjoyed a very Happy Holiday season filled with happiness, meaningful family time, rest and relaxation and new memories made! Royal Oaks was privileged to host members, families and guests at the Club during the busy month of December and we would like to thank you all for your support and patronage during the holiday season and throughout the past year.

January and February are traditionally quieter months of the year with folks back to work and school following the holiday season. The Club is here for you, and we hope you choose to visit often in 2023!

2023 is also offering a host of new membership opportunities. Many of our memberships are now offering staged payments if the prospective member should join the Club during the first 90 days during their preview. For more details on the memberships that we currently offer, please reach out to me directly. I am happy to help!

Finally, as we welcome another new year together, I would like to thank those of you who referred a new member in 2022; it was a record setting membership year! We enjoy adding qualified new members to the Club, and a vast majority of prospective member candidates came directly from you. Thank you for entertaining your guests and sharing with them the “Royal Oaks Experience”. We have many exciting things planned for 2023. The start up construction of the “MAC” being one of them! I look forward to serving you, your family and friends this year, and if you ever would like to introduce a great friend to the Club, please let me know. I would love to give them the ROYAL treatment!

Membership Director - Terri Kennedy tkennedy@royaloakscc.com

WINTERIZE YOUR SWING

Winter in Texas may mean you play less rounds. With less rounds, less tournaments, holidays and end of year deadlines you end up moving your body less. Then when spring comes and you ramp golf rounds back up, you may discover you lost any progress gained or may experience an injury set-back. Some golfers say they even lose their swing.

Keep the cobwebs from growing this off-season and focus on maintaining your movement capacity to keep a sharp swing. More specifically, I encourage you to decide on what you need to do in order to stay on track with your performance goals and keep your golf swing sharp.

Daily movement is non-negotiable if you are going to maintain muscle and athleticism for your swing. And it’s way easier to maintain a certain minimum amount of movement than stop and start over again after a long time passes. So commit to maintaining your body-swing capacity with a minimal effective dose.

Here’s how to use the minimal effective dose. Decide what you will do on days/weeks you can’t play and practice or workout fully. Notice the key word, “decide.” It’s a commitment to yourself that you will keep no matter what. Adopt a routine you can do anywhere so there will be no limitations or excuses to fulfilling your plan. Finally, I recommend your dose be done daily for 5 minutes or more. I’ve created a simple routine here that moves your body through key golf positions.

Golfer’s Minimal Effective Dose

Today’s lesson is a series of standing bodyweight movements to keep your swing on track called the Golfer’s Minimal Effective Dose. Here’s how to perform: do each movement for 5 repetitions then move to the next movement. Focus on your technique and move with intensity even exaggerating the motion for the sake of using more muscle and deeper joint range.

4 Spine Movements - Maintain a stable lower body as you move your upper spine through lateral flexion standing

tall then trunk rotation from golf posture. Maintain a stable upper body while moving your pelvis through pelvic rotation and pelvic tilting.

Hula Hoop - With straight legs and neutral spine, move your hips laterally as far as your mobility allows. Then move your hips forward and backwards. Connect those four positions when you move your pelvis in a large circle going clockwise and counter-clockwise.

Saturday Night Fever - Maintain stable trunk and shoulder blades in golf posture while you rotate your shoulders and elbows externally and back to starting position with hands on the pockets.

Squat to Hip Turn - Start in your driver stance foot position ensuring that your feet are not turned outward. Maintain that foot position as you coil into your squat then turn your body completely to the finish position with belt buckle facing the target. Reach arms high during the squat then chop down to hips for the finish. Repeat on both sides as if you are swinging to your non-dominant side. Repeat the circuit as many times as you like. You will find the second and third circuit will be better and feel more athletic.

Just imagine how well your body will feel when you practice these swing movements throughout the winter! And the Golfer’s Minimal Effective Dose can be done anywhere at any time. Incorporate this routine now and anytime you travel or can’t get to the course or gym.

Fitness Director - Pam Owens powens@royaloakscc.com

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

“My training with Pam really helps me stay on the course. Just recently, I turned 72 and was able to shoot my age I believe due to the training we do in the gym to keep my golf movements dialed in. Since I have a history of back pain, I must train to make sure I don’t go back to the movements that cause the back pain. Pam and I work a lot on my core and hips to increase my power on the course to mitigate against injuries.”

“I started training with Pam because Derek recommended I improve my strength and flexibility for my swing. Pam recommended we do the Titleist Performance Institute assessment and training based on what we find. Within weeks of training I noticed positive results on the golf course. Specifically, my feet didn’t hurt anymore. I could feel my feet better and connect to the ground to then be able to have a more balanced, consistent swing. My program consists of a daily mobility routine from Kinstretch Club/Golf Mobility Club classes plus exercises to build strength.”

“It’s All For Golf!”

-Craig Llewellyn

“I shot my age for the first time!”

- Rick Butler

KITCHEN HAPPENINGS

Dear Members, Happy New Year!

It is hard to believe that it’s been a year since you welcomed me at Royal Oaks Country Club.

In 2022, the culinary program took a new direction. My team and I committed ourselves to elevate your dining experience and to bring more consistency to our offerings.

In order to achieve that goal, we invested time in retraining our cooks and chefs, we surveyed our suppliers and eliminated processed food. We reviewed our food safety procedures and introduced fresher ingredients.

Working in tandem with all members of our Food & Beverage team, we added new dining experiences, such as the Degustation dinner or “Tour de France” wine dinner. We also reimagined elements of some of our traditional events such as the “Dinner en Blanc”, the “Member-Guest Golf Tournament” and the “Member Holiday Party”.

But there is still much to do.

In 2023, we will keep on improving, through training, research of new ideas, recipes and methods of cooking. Our new menu should be available late January. Alongside all the above we are introducing hands-on cooking classes to this year’s schedule and a new monthly themed buffet dinner.

We will prepare some pop-up events such as a full truffle menu dinner this winter to celebrate the season of the “king of fungus.”

On a personal note, I would like to acknowledge few people, who at the Club are instrumental in the present and future success of culinary program: First and foremost, the whole kitchen team who has to work with me, my ideas, my demands and all the craziness that comes with it. In particular, Chef Morgan Heneghan, my Executive Sous-Chef, who is by far one of the hardest working Chefs I know. He

is the pillar of the kitchen. Secondly, all the service team to whom I keep on asking more from, every day. Allyson Brown our fabulous Director of Catering & Events, who is always up to follow my ideas of change and sharing hers with me; but also, Laura Rexilius, our Assistant General Manager, who helps me keep my sanity at work. This is a full-time job!

Additionally, to every single staff member of the Club, from Dave our General Manager to Mohamed our beloved valet and our front and back line teams for their constant support. Lastly, to all of you, the Members, who are dining with us, challenging us and making us better. Let’s make the new year our greatest one yet.

Executive Chef - Olivier Burgos oburgos@royaloakscc.com

THE WINE TIMES...

Things are changing this time of year; leaves are turning orange and brown, the weather is getting “cooler”, and your wine palette may be craving something a bit redder and bolder. Our ‘By The Glass’ wine menu was recently updated, and there is one wine in particular that I would like to highlight for those looking to satiate that Fall/Winter wine craving. This wine is the Luca Old Vine Malbec.

Like a large majority of Malbec wines, Luca hails from the Mendoza Region of Argentina, specifically Uco Valley. The high-altitude climate and soils produce an inky medium-bodied dry red wine with notes of dark ripe fruit, and smooth tannins accompanied by a higher acidity that allows for an extended cellaring period. This Malbec drinks with plenty of character, body, and complexity, even at this young. It pairs well with your favorite beef and lamb dish, or on its own. The next time you find yourself feeling adventurous and want to try a nice, well-crafted glass of Malbec wine, give the Luca Old Vine Malbec a try.

The team and I have also been working behind the scenes to bring you a new Cocktail Menu featuring worldly classics as well as hand crafted originals. I hope you will enjoy one of the new cocktails on your next visit to the Club and let us know what you think. We will continue to update this menu based on your feedback and look forward to offering some seasonal options as well.

Food & Beverage Manager - Marek Lubecki mlubecki@royaloakscc.com

SCENE AROUND THE CLUB

Mr. & Mrs. Wechsler at our Member Holiday Party!

ROCC SOCIAL SCENE

Hello Members,

What a comeback we had in 2022! It was a remarkable year for events, and it makes me excited for the future! Many of our annual events had record attendance this past year, and some we’ve had to rethink the way we host it in order to accommodate as many members as possible. This speaks to the incredible culture of our Club, and how active our membership has become. Having these events full make them much more exciting not only for us, but for the members attending as well. It creates a wonderful sense of community and keeps our Club special!

As we start the new year, our goal is to have more Club events overall, while still being intentional with the number and type of events we have. With a growing and more active membership we want to be sure we are offering events for every age and type of member, in effort to continue engaging all members. We also want to improve the current events in any way we can, and keep them fresh and exciting. We send out a survey for most events, to those that attended, and we truly appreciate your feedback. Not only does this help us improve the event, but it let’s us know what parts of the event are cherished and to keep. We appreciate your time in filling out these short surveys, and would love to see the number of responses increased!

Thank you all for a fabulous 2022, and I hope you and your friends and families created some amazing memories!!

www.royaloakscc.com

Catering & Events Director - Allyson Brown abrown@royaloakscc.com

Tuesday,

ALL PICKLEBALL PLAYERS!

WHAT IS YOUR PICKLEBALL RATING?

We want to be proactive with our pickleball players, so we are joining with DUPR to help our players obtain an accurate rating level. DUPR is Pickleball’s most accurate rating system, trusted by the world’s premier Pickleball clubs, professional tours, and recreational players alike. This is a system that is already being used by other partners which include clubs, associations, tournament organizers, federations, and our individual users.

Click on the link to get more detailed information on how the ratings work and some of the rules on how you go about to obtain your rating. https://www.support.mydupr.com/. You can download the app and get started with your matches.

We will be planning a “Get Started Pickleball Rating Day” at the club in January to get everyone interested involved in getting an official DUPR rating.

We started a Pickleball Drop In Clinic on Tuesdays from 7:00 – 8:30 pm for anyone interested in learning how to play Pickleball. We hope to see you out on the courts!

Director of Tennis - Peter Farrell pfarrell@royaloakscc.com

GREENS UPDATE...

The earlier days of December didn’t disappoint and granted us some unseasonably warm temperatures for most of the time. Now as I write this preparing for the upcoming holidays it seems that the remainder of the month will be much more of what we expect leading into winter. The warmer weather during the early part of the month and late November allowed for a late surge in growth on many of the short grass areas. This late growth allowed the regular maintenance mowing to resume for a brief period of time.

November was a good month for our winter projects, and we were able to knock a number of items off the list. December brought on the brunt of our leaf fall and has slowed progress on this winter list but will pickup again as we enter our true winter. The list will again include addressing collar dams and overly wet drain basins with emphasis on drainage areas in landing areas. Both of these projects will improve overall course conditions but in the short term will require large areas of sod work to be completed in fairways and near greens. Please be patient with our staff as we work to improve the course this winter.

We have a busy few months planned ahead and are really enjoying the current weather conditions. The reduced regular maintenance routine allows us to adjust our focus into these areas that will ultimately improve the course condition in the long term. On behalf of the Royal Oaks Maintenance Team, we hope that you had a terrific holiday, and we look forward to seeing you out on the course in 2023.

www.royaloakscc.com

Golf Course Superintendent - Cody Alexander calexander@royaloakscc.com

PLAY YOUR BEST GOLF IN 2023!

Every golfer I meet enjoys the game more when they play well. If you would like to play better golf in 2023, the process is not that difficult. Simply follow this 5 step process for guaranteed lower scores.

1. Track your rounds – There ae many free or inexpensive apps and websites that will allow you to track your on course play. I always encourage players to use one that measures Strokes Gained, as this the best way to determine the areas of strength and opportunities within in your game. The one I use with my students is called Shot by Shot. It is very inexpensive, easy to use and offers the first round free so you can see how valuable this platform can be for your game.

2. Identify what to practice – Use the statistics you have gathered over at least 5 rounds and identify the areas of your game that are holding you back the most. It can’t just be putting. You need to dig deeper. Is it short putts, long putts or mid-range putts? Do you have trouble with start line, green reading or distance control? The answers to these questions are critical as you want to objectively focus on the areas of your game, that if improved, will yield the biggest change in scoring.

3. Get some input on any technical changes that may be required – The reason you are struggling with a particular skill could be a technical on conceptual issue. This would be a good time to seek some expert advice and gain clarity over any changes that may need to be made so you can gain the maximum benefit from Step 4.

4. Practice in ways that look like the course – Beating balls from artificial grass onto a driving range, over and over again, is not the answer to building skills that will transfer to the golf course. Your practice must look like what you are required to do on the course. Change clubs and targets often, have a specific target for every shot, measure the outcomes and have consequences for those outcomes.

5. On the course, use strategies that match your current skill level – Play with the skills you have, NOT the ones you wish you had. Play a shot you can pull off successfully, NOT the shot you think you are supposed to play. Keep the ball in play and stress levels low, as much as possible.

As we start this new year, consider what you envision for your golf game this year. Will you settle for another year of mediocrity and frustration, or will you do something about your golf game and commit to what is required to play your best golf ever in 2023?

Start the new golf year with on course assessment.

Shooting lower scores on the golf course is about more than a repeatable swing and predictable ball flight. You must be able to chip, pitch, putt, play from bunkers, play shots from various stances and lies, choose appropriate targets and manage your emotions, just to touch on a few.

If you need to do all these things well to shoot a lower score, then is a full swing lesson on the range really going to help you accomplish that goal?

Why not start your year with an on course assessment? Play 9 holes with a Coach who can observe all the areas of your game and then work with you on designing a plan that matches your goals and the time you have available. This is the only real way to discover the one or two key skills, that if improved, will yield the biggest results for your game.

Reach out to one of our Professional Staff to book your on course assessment and give yourself the best opportunity to make 2023 the year you play your best golf.

Director of Instruction - Derek Hooper dhooper@royaloakscc.com

NEW YEAR, MORE GOLF!

It’s hard to believe that another year has come and gone…and, we are so glad to see that the golf activity around the Club remains very active. A very warm and sincere Thank You, goes out to you, the Members, for supporting all of the events that we have been able to conduct in 2022.

I hope you and your families have remained safe and enjoyed a Joyous and Blessed Holiday Season. The WGA has their Annual Meeting scheduled for Wednesday, January 11th following the 9-hole Scramble and, the MGA will kick off its Season on Saturday, January 28th with the One-Man Scramble. Both the WGA and MGA have a full schedule of events planned for 2023, so be on the lookout for plenty of tournaments and socials throughout the year.

We are glad to see so many Members utilizing the Golf Genius app for information and live scoring throughout WGA & MGA events. We plan to continue to utilize the Live Scoring feature in 2023 for those participating in the event as well as providing information to those not playing, so they can follow the action.

It will not be long until Spring is here, and we will all be ready to take advantage of warmer weather on-course. Be on the lookout for information regarding more fitting events from all of our vendors as they prepare to launch new equipment in the early months of 2023.

Derek and Robert have scheduled another instructional semester Operation 36 that is sure to prepare those golfers wanting to take up the game of golf from the ground up, all the way to those golfers wanting to take your game to the next level.

Also, do not let your golf game go into hibernation during the cooler months, keep your game in top shape. Contact the Instructional Staff to help you improve your golf games, find more fairways, hit more greens and make more putts…book your lesson today.

Please remember to visit the website for the upcoming events around the Club and upcoming MGA and WGA tournaments. We look forward to seeing everyone around the club in 2023!

Assistant Golf Professional - Tyler Bulterman tbulterman@royaloakscc.com

CALENDAR AT A GLANCE

Check the online calendar for the most up to date events!

COMMUNICATIONS CORNER

I hope you all had a wonderful Holiday season and are looking forward to the New Year ahead of us!

By now I hope all of our Members have had a chance to view the new website and also download our brand new app! We’ve recieved great feedback about the new rollout and everyone is loving the user-friendly experience it provides! If you haven’t had a chance to download the app, please be sure to reach out to me and I’m happy to give you the proper login information and credentials to get you set up!

As we move forward with the new app, I will be working on putting together a weekly email series called ‘Tech Tuesdays’ were I highlight various items that can be accomplished within the app and also just basic guides on how to best use the app.

As we kick off the New Year, please be sure to share your thoughts and feedback with myself and our team so we can ensure to always keep our Members experience at the forefront!

Communications Manager - Hannah Vines hvines@royaloakscc.com

Mission Statement

Royal Oaks Country Club provides an environment of enjoyment to all members and their families by offering exceptional golf, fitness, recreational sports, social and dining experiences.

Vision Statement

To be recognized as the private club of choice for Houston families by offering a convenient and relaxed lifestyle with superior amenities and facilities.

Values

Members

Members are our most important asset Membership is a privilege through a thoughtful selection process

Amenities

First class golf and recreational sports experience Remarkable social experiences promoted by members

Employees

Attract staff who are high performers and outstanding in their field Uphold fiscal responsibility through effective Club governance

Community

Promote fellowship in a welcoming social environment Adhere to the Golden Rule...treat others as you want to be treated