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