Happy spring! We hope that everyone had a great winter, and we’re certain you are as ready as we are for a new season. There are many exciting changes and improvements for you to experience this year, including an updated members’ lounge, online tee time reservation/account management via ForeUp, new staff, new restaurant operator, as well as great course investments. We look forward to enjoying another great year with you at Champlain Country Club.
Course News
The golf course weathered well through the winter, and the maintenance crew has been busy clearing brush, trimming and cutting trees, grinding stumps, and starting clean-up. Clean-up day is Saturday, April 10th from 10-12pm. If you plan to join us and have tools/rakes that you can bring, it would be helpful. Remember that hamburgers and hotdogs will follow clean-up, as well as course play for clean-up volunteers. Throughout the season, please remember to care for the course, fix divots, repair ball marks, and rake bunkers.
Pro Shop
We are happy to welcome Karen Renaudette to the team as the new Pro Shop Manager. When you see her, please take a moment to say hello. Karen will bring much-needed support to the club and the membership this season. Between new staff and the ForeUp software, there will be a lot of learning, but we believe it won’t take long to get up to speed. The Pro Shop and Mike Swim will be available every day to answer questions about ForeUp, tee times, and memberships. (Pro Shop: 802-527-1187 / Mike Swim: 802-309-3690)
To avoid any confusion, we would like to clarify how starting times will be handled throughout the season. Chris Saylor, our Superintendent, decides the starting time. Early in the season, we will start play at 8am, and then the starting time will be earlier as we approach peak season. When we move closer to fall, the start time will revert back toward 8am.
Chris’ team works early in the morning through a systematic process to deliver the best outcome, as quickly as possible. This process also helps to ensure cost-efficiency. As such, please do not ask Pro Shop staff to tee off earlier than the first scheduled time. If you have a 7am tee time, then your tee time will begin at 7am. We are sorry that we cannot permit any deviations, not even five minutes—as the maintenance team works up to the last minute before play begins. As the start times change throughout the summer, you can expect a short email advising the new start times for weekdays and weekends. Upon notice, Pro Shop staff will open up the tee sheet online so you can access earlier times.
Golf Pro
Karen’s arrival in the Pro Shop means that Mike will have more availability to get on the course and spend time with members and guests. Please feel free to contact Mike if you have an opening, as he might have the opportunity to play with you. He’s also available for lessons and to help with club fittings when needed. (From Mike: Looking forward to seeing everyone on the course!)
Member Information
This year, we have put together a welcome packet for returning and new members that will be available in the Pro Shop. Please take a moment to review all of the important information on upcoming events and complete the new member profile or verify the information that we have on file for you is correct.
Over the winter, several people let us know that they did not receive their dues structure in the mail. We hope that this new system will help us update our records to ensure everyone receives news from the club going forward. Instructions for ForeUp, our new point of sale system that provides online tee time reservations, are also included in the welcome package. Please let the Pro Shop know if you have any issues or questions.
Restaurant & Clubhouse
A warm welcome to Fiddler’s on the Green, our new restaurant operator. The owner, Jennifer, and her team have been hard at work getting the clubhouse ready for opening day.
We look forward to everyone enjoying the newly remodeled members’ lounge. This project could not have been completed without the help of many people, such as Gary Choiniere, Pete Smith, Chris Lyon, Mike Swim, Jeremy Cutting, John Klinefelter, Burt Steen, Kevin Hulbert, and Cam Wood. They spent countless hours volunteering their time to make the room into a gorgeous new lounge. A special thanks to Sticks & Stuff for the donation of the new sliding glass door. Please thank all of them when you see them. This spring, we plan to share additional information regarding fundraising for the next phase of this project, which will be a covered deck overlooking the 18th green.
Ladies on the Links
Welcome back to the ladies who flew the coop for warmer weather down south and those who endured our Vermont winter. League will resume on Thursday nights at 5:30 pm, and all are welcome. Now is the time to remind your friends to join us—even if they are hesitant.
The new association leaders are:
Keri Lawson, President
Reeni Murphy, Vice President
Mary Brouillette, Treasurer
Danielle Roberts, Secretary
(From Keri Lawson: Cheers to the queens that lead the association before us and may we all have a successful season. See you all soon.)
Important Dates
- 4/10: Clean-up day from 10am-12pm, with hot dogs and hamburgers to follow, and play is limited to helpers only. Please bring your rakes and other tools if you have them.
- 4/11: Opening day!
- 5/8: Opening scramble (schedule change from 5/1). The event will be an ABCD blind draw with a Calcutta the night before. We hope this event will bring everyone together to help raise money for the covered deck project. We need all the support possible! Sign-ups will be out soon.
- Make sure to check the event schedule as we have lots of events for you to enjoy! We’re planning a Friday night scramble with dinner.
Let us all look forward to a nice long season, and thank you for being part of the Champlain Country Club family. Please let us know if you have any questions or comments: golf@champlaincountryclub.com.
A Message from Champlain Country Club Board of Directors & Staff