To the Members and Staff  of Twin Oaks

It was my distinct pleasure to chair the 2010 Ladies Acorn Classic. Having been chairperson several times I have the opportunity to compare events. In my opinion, this was one of the best Acorn Classics ever. Also in my opinion, there several reasons for this: The diligence of the committee, the generosity of the membership and community, and most importantly the attitude of the membership and staff toward the tournament. There is a special camaraderie among the Twin Oaks “family” and it shows. People from other clubs in town, recognize that and are quick to tell us they don’t have that special quality in their clubs.

The entire staff of Twin Oaks Country Club is to be commended for their efforts on our behalf. Jim makes it his job during that week to see that everything goes smoothly for us. He answers every question and listens to our concerns, without complaint. If we ask for it, he tries to make it happen.

Darwin and his clubhouse staff took care of our every need from making certain that the tables were set to our exact specifications to having iced towels on the course for the hot weather. The clubhouse facilities were kept clean, neat and well stocked with necessities.  The wait staff served the food in a timely, efficient and professional manner.

Chef John is beyond comparison. The food is always delicious, beautifully presented, and there’s plenty of it. He comes up with many ideas for dishes to suit our menus and themes. He is willing to try anything and welcomes our input. He puts a wonderful creative twist on many ordinary dishes. He and his crew make sure that the food is served at the proper temperature, at the proper time, and appropriately garnished.

When the head golf professional has  your phone number in speed dial aend vice veersa, you know you have reached the pinnacle! Rich is a treasure we can’t afford to lose. He and his staff are well groomed, courteous, and efficient. They have the mechanism in place to make everything go smoothly for a tournament like ours, and they too will honor our every wish, if possible.                

The golf course was immaculate. The greens putted as well as they have for a long time. We love to show off the Twin Oaks golf course to our guests and friends. Tye is invisible most of the time but you know he’s always around because of the course condition. When we ask for things like multiple holes on a green, special tee boxes, boats in the lake, it’s done. He just wants to know when and where. It takes a special person to care about the golf course as if it were his own.

As you are probably aware, this year we were able to give $3000 to the Missouri Women’s Golf Association Education Fund. This is very good publicity for Twin Oaks Country Club. Perhaps we will inspire other country clubs to contribute as well. By contributing to this fund we are helping to perpetuate the sport we love, as well as provide young women the opportunity to continue playing golf during their college years.

Though we keep hearing that times are hard, I found the generosity of our members and community to be overwhelming. I believe our gift giving has made it easier to recruit sponsorship from a variety of sources. Sponsorship has enabled us to keep our entry fee the same while providing a high caliber tournament.

The only downside to this gift is that we have no input as to who receives the scholarships. I believe the committee would like to continue this sort of gift giving, but perhaps we could give the gift closer to home. We will investigate this possibility.

And finally, the thank yous: Huge thanks to the Board for the privilege of holding our tournament on this course, and for being so supportive of the Ladies Acorn Classic. We appreciate all you do to help us make this tournament happen year after year.  Thanks to the members who give their time to help during our tournament, and those who give up the course playing time for our tournament.  And most of all, heartfelt thanks to the members of the committee. We work together for seven months preparing for this tournament, and these women give up a lot of free time, family time, and time that could be spent doing other things to make this tournament “the most fun tournament in town”.  I appreciate their friendship and support.

Sincerely,

 Gayle Riggins,

Chairperson, Ladies Acorn Classic 2010

Dear Member,

The dates have been set for the 2010 Men’s Golf Classic. This year promises to be different in every sense of the word; it’s all about golf, with a whole new format, a lower entry fee and more prizes.

Highlighting the 2010 Classic will be:

• Multiple flights with higher payouts in 2010 (1st place $410 per team  per flight, 2nd place $250 per team per flight & 3rd place $175 per team per flight)
• Friday evening “It’s more than just a cocktail party” Cocktail Party with Heavy Hors d’oeuvres.
• Friday Para- mutual opportunities to bet on your favorite team.
• Over $40,000 available in prizes and awards
• Closest-to-the-Hole Competition both days on all Par 3’s
• Flighted Skins Competition
• Hole-In-One prizes on each par three
• Thursday Practice round to include optional 18 hole best ball
• Tournament with your guest (no guest greens fees that day)
• Men’s Breakfast or Lunch on Friday and Saturday
• Carts included in the tournament fee for Friday and Saturday
• Awards will be distributed on the patio after the tournament.
• And much more!!

This year’s event will be held on June 17-19. Your fee must accompany the entry card and be returned by May 16, 2010. It is important to return your entry as early as possible, as we feel the new format and schedule will enable the tournament to fill quickly. Many agree that the Men’s Golf Classic is the most exciting event of the year at Twin Oaks Country Club and we plan for the tradition to continue. On behalf of the Classic Committee, we hope to see you at the 2010 Twin Oaks Classic.

Sincerely,
Men’s Classic Committee

Please watch for the entry forms coming soon to a mailbox near you!

Ladies 18- Hole Member Guest Day
Wednesday, May 26
8:30 a.m. shotgun
Luncheon to follow

$15.00 Please pay Sandra Harvell or Martha Johnson

Sign-up in the Ladies Locker Room

Tye Heidbreder – Superintendent

Greens Aerification – This work was completed in full last week. The greens are recovering very well and should be back to “near normal” in another week.
Crabgrass – We don’t like it so, we are chemically treating all tees and the roughs, as conditions allow.
Holes #10 & #18 – We have revised the fairway lines in front of our new red tees on these holes. The old fairway will be seeded over the top with cool-season grasses. Our preference is a mixture of bluegrass and fescue. This will turn these areas that were previously fairway into rough.
Hole #14 Gold Tee – We will be installing irrigation for this tee soon. As that work is completed we will complete finish grading in preparation for sod.

The Missouri State Men’s Amateur – The club has the honor of hosting this event in June. In preparation for this we have been instructed by the Missouri Golf Association to have the following work completed by the date of the tournament.

1. Fairways – will be narrowed a minimum of 12 feet each side (total of 24’ narrower) excluding par threes. Fairways will be mowed in an alternating “zig-zag” pattern – as players begin to focus on their tee shots, the thought is they will become periodically disoriented and confused from these random patterns.
2. Rough – 2nd cut will be set at 3” and primary rough will be set at 5”. (they will lose golf balls – we don’t care)
3. Bunkers – New sand will be placed in all bunkers, fairway and greenside, to ensure tough fluffy lies and to create a nice play area on each hole for players that bring their children.
4. Hole two – Although this hole was the second most difficult hole during the last State Amateur, installation of miniature beads of silicon on the entire putting surface will ensure that putting will assimilate “downhill on glass.”
5. Hole three – a new fairway bunker will be placed on the left side of the fairway running the entire length of the landing area (around 75’ in length and 20’ in width). This bunker will be un-tended and random weeds will hopefully grow to varying heights. Any player unable to play a fade will most likely stray into this wonderful wasteland (we don’t care).
6. Holes ten and one – A new tee will be placed on the extreme southwest corner of the practice green (elevated to the height of one tee), this allowing added distance for both holes. Hole one will become a dog-leg left from this tee playing approximately 30 yards longer but remaining a par four. Hole ten will play approximately 80 yards longer giving the club its first 600 yard hole. As participants tee off on hole ten, those players practicing putting will simply be asked to lay flat on the putting surface to avoid injury. The MGA originally asked that this new tee be placed on top the roof of Mulligans. The Grounds Committee declined this request.
7. Hole fifteen – The MGA has asked that a swimsuit contest be held in the middle of the lake during each day of competition. Any player that has a good round going through fourteen holes (or not) will be thankful for this mental rejuvenation (or not).
8. Hole eighteen – Although this hole played the hardest during the prior State Amateur, the MGA feels that a new fifteen foot mound running down the right middle of the fairway will facilitate many contestants’ golf balls careening hard left into the new water feature. Contouring of the fairway from the end of the mound towards the water feature will ensure that this occurs. To keep players from playing down the right side of the mounding this entire area will be converted to prairie grass. The MGA has confidently told club officials that the Audubon Society will look favorably on this.

NOTE: Regarding the MGA course changes listed above APRIL FOOLS from the grounds staff!

A BIG thank you to Annette Hall, Bobbi Sell and Randi Barlows for our Tee-Off “Par-Tee.” If you missed the “Par-Tee” it’s still not to late to join our flock. Dues are only $20 for the season. Please send your checks to Kathy Munsey. It would suit us to a “Tee” to have you join us in our quest for “Par.”

We will have league play on April 6 and 12. Our first monthly scramble will be April 20 (and every third Tuesday for the season). We plan to tee-off at 8:30 a.m. Please meet in the Ladies Locker Room by 8:00 a.m. for sing-up.

If you have questions, comment or ideas, please contact Patsy summers (881-4339).

Together we can make this the best 9-Hole League Season yet!

Patsy Summers
9-Hole Chair

P.S. May 4 and 5 will be the 9 and 18 hole Tournament. Please remember that it is a two day 18-Hole Scramble.

Tye Heidbreder – Superintendent

• Lines on the Greens – Last week you may have noticed very light lines appearing on the greens. This is a result of a process called “verti-cutting.” As the grass begins growing on the greens many of the blades remain flat on the surface. This is a normal occurrence resulting from winter’s freeze/thaw as well as foot traffic. The process of mowing greens and cutting individual blades creates (facilitates) growth. “Verti-cutting” also helps develop overall growth by cutting those blades that are laying flat. An additional benefit is that the process makes the greens surface smoother and of course benefits putting.
• Tees & Fairway Bunker on Five – We will continue to prepare the new tees and the fairway bunker on hole five for sod in the next week or so.
• Just When the Greens are Perfect – We intend to seriously mess them up next Monday and Tuesday. To maintain a consistent putting surface through-out the golfing season we utilize a maintenance procedure each spring called greens aeration and topdressing. Aeration is achieved with a machine that pulls soil cores out of the greens. The cores are one-half inch in diameter and approximately three-four inches in depth. After these plugs are pulled and removed from the greens, a very heavy top-dressing of sand is applied. The overall process is important to the health of each green. Without the introduction of more oxygen through regular aeration and topdressing the root systems would eventually suffocate. Because our existing root systems are healthy and deeper than the cores taken, the greens will return to a suitable putting surface within two or three weeks.

Tye Heidbreder – Superintendent

• The Native Area east of the Creek (Ward Branch) – A prescribed burn has been completed in this area. Fire has shown to be an important tool for maintaining vigor in native wild flowers. Fire can also control many undesirable woody plants and other weeds. This should provide a significant boost to the wild flowers planted three years ago. During the last two years we have been directed to mow this area to control undesirable growth. Unfortunately the mowing process has eliminated wild flowers that had blossomed. With this burn it is hoped that we will not have mow and the wildflowers will blossom all summer. The club is responsible for maintaining this area under the supervision of the Missouri Department of Conservation. They will be consulted as to future burns.
• Fairways and Tees – We are in the process of applying granulized crabgrass/weed pre-emergent chemicals on these areas. This is a “pre-emergence” control that must be applied and then activated by rain or irrigation prior to the emergence of weeds. This maintenance is best done between March 15th and April 15th.
• Tee Projects – As of tomorrow, dirt-work on the forward tees on ten and fourteen should be completed with the tees ready for sod. Typically sod is first available towards the end of March or early April. The grow-in period after sod work is very quick and members will soon be able to enjoy these course improvements. Dirt work should begin on the new red tee on hole eighteen within the next couple of days.
• Employees – The next time you are on the course and see one of our grounds crew, stop and say thanks. During this winter in the many cold periods we experienced, they have still been outside completing the many winter maintenance tasks. FACT: We have a combined 129 years of service vested in our top five senior employees.

Stag Day 8 Results

Championship Flight
1st-Smith/Finke/Woods/Haik
2nd-Gelner/Nemmers/Brown/Dixon
3rd-McGuire/Edwards/Shaddy/Neuenschwander
4th-Tice/Kiser/Harrison/White
5th-Schaad/Flemming/Monroe/Peabody

A-Flight
1st-Haik/Kuzma/Hank/Vincel
2nd-Springston/Southworth/McGovern/Wroblewski
3rd-Graham/Crosby/Harding/Wiggs
4th-Padgett/VanHooser/Ansley/Page
5th-Meacheam/Joyce/Kiely/Sommers

Congratulations to all the winners and thank you to everyone who played.