FROM THE GM'S DESK

BY TOM SCHUNN GENERAL MANAGER

Let’s eat!

Some of Woodbridge’s premier family-oriented holiday events are coming up at the Club in the next few weeks. The Easter Egg Hunt is a huge tradition happening on Apr 2, the Sunday before the Easter. The buffet showcases food for the young egg hunters, but also for the adults. The Easter Brunch on Apr 9 is the most highly-attended event for the Club. Before you know it, Mother’s Day Brunch is on the top of families’ agendas in May. It is a special, memorable day to recognize all those moms. We are also hosting a Spring Fling Wine event. These sip and shop gatherings are extremely popular with the membership. We markup wine only slightly over cost to fulfill your wine lifestyle needs. Because of how popular all these events are, reservations are absolutely required. In the month of April, we are restarting the Wednesday Night Dinners. It will be a laidback, value priced buffet featuring family friendly comfort fare. Look for more details and give it a try. Reservations are greatly appreciated for dinner nights, and they are absolutely required for parties of six or more at all dining times. We want to accommodate as many members as possible during daily dining and events. It is no easy task to provide high-quality food and service. This is in part due to the ups and downs in volume, but also because of the staffing challenges. We are in recruiting mode for a new Food & Beverage Manager and Executive Chef. There has been double digit turnover in these roles over the last decade. Some of the longtime front of the house staff are transitioning away or to part time due to pursuing other careers, finishing college, or relocating.

Let’s improve!

Everyone knows that it has been an historic start to 2023. It has influenced Club operations dramatically. It more so has impacted the state population with water, wind & storm’s and snow. The storms caused lengthy closures of the golf course. Golf course superintendant’s Kurtis Wolford’s team did a remarkable job cleaning up the mess. The weather has delayed some of our other planned improvements. And these delays have been hard to swallow after experiencing delays last year, not related to weather, but other dynamics such as supply chain and permitting. The resurfacing of the north parking lot with the new solar system has been pushed out repeatedly due to weather. It should absolutely be completed in April, we also have an improvement with the addition of another irrigation well. The project will not impact members experiences in any way. As you probably know, we are also in the midst of a comprehensive sprinkler replacement project. This hugely beneficial project for improved golf course maintenance is being done in phases in part, this is so as to not impact members access to the golf course. Additionally, we are wanting to dive in at the tennis operation

to resurface and re-stripe. At this point, we are looking at an option of phasing that work. This to lessen the impact to daily enjoyment for the tennis players. If you use the fitness complex, you will notice we are doing some re-organizing and additions of equipment. We are looking at adding some more instructors for the fitness classes as well. We promise to keep the membership well-informed on all these improvements.

Let’s play!

I am taking this opportunity to promote the various golf activities at your Club and encourage you to sign up to expand how you engage with your fellow members. The ladies have two golf groups that play weekly. The 18-Hole Ladies play on Tuesday mornings and have a great number of fun, competitive events. The 49ers play on Thursday mornings. This women’s golf group is very social and has a great number of fun, casual events. There is a senior men’s group. This golf group hosts other clubs for social golf during the tournament season. They also visit other area clubs to engage and experience some of the other facilities. It is a great opportunity to check out other golf courses in the area. And there is also a men’s golf club group. They have a great number of competitive events. There is also during the golf season, starting in March the men’s Twilight League on Wednesday nights. There is always room for more on the various teams. You hopefully know about all the junior golf opportunities. These are mostly focused on instruction. The Club does host some competitive junior events as well. If you have an interest in participating in any of these golf groups, please, by all means check in with the Golf Shop and they can guide you on how to move forward.

Let’s invite!

It is extremely beneficial to host guests at your Club. There is obviously the financial benefit and that we charge guest fees for accessing the various amenities. We cannot diminish the benefit of introducing families to the Club from a membership development perspective. There are limits not on how many guests you bring, but on how many times an individual can come as a guest. It is six times in any of the operating areas and the notion is that if an individual is coming to the Club in higher frequency, they should be considering membership. There is also the opportunity to visit other private clubs in and out of the area through the reciprocity amenity. Some members use this benefit regularly, while others rarely use it. There is a formalized program through the Private Club Network, where members who are traveling, can access other private golf and country clubs. We are also looking at other formalized software-based programs where the reach is expanded. For the time being, the best way to access other private clubs across the area and country is to either contact Head Golf Professional, John Hughes, or me, and we will in turn contact the club you are wishing to play or dine. It is a really cool member benefit. Of course, our preference would be for you to remain here for all your leisurely fun.

See you around the Club, and help us celebrate spring time!