I hope that everyone is finding time to enjoy the course! It’s nice to see so many new and friendly faces at the club this spring. On behalf of the board, we are grateful that our staff has done an incredible job keeping the course in great condition despite some challenging wet weather this spring. It is not an easy decision to close the course or to temporarily prohibit carts on certain days, but we trust our staff’s judgement to do what is best for the course and its continual playability.
The Annual Meeting will be held this Sunday, June 11th at 4:00 PM. There are three board positions open and three existing incumbent board members. John Cronin, Jesse LeClair, and I (Chris Caster) have all decided to rerun for another term. We did not receive any other bios for members wishing to run for the board; however, there is a spot on the proxy to write in a candidate and we will also open the floor to nominations at the Annual Meeting. The Pro Shop has been distributing the proxies. If you cannot pick one up at the Pro Shop or do not plan to attend the meeting, please contact the Pro Shop and they will send one to you.
At the meeting, we will:
- Provide an overview of the year-end financials for 2021 and info about the Club’s performance in 2022.
- Give an update and answer questions regarding this month’s bunker construction project and the upcoming irrigation pump replacement.
The annual meeting is a great opportunity to voice your opinions and share ideas, so we encourage everyone to attend.
Let’s all hope that the weather is a little more cooperative as we approach the summer months; enjoy the many tournaments and events that are ahead this season. Once again, thank you all for being part of Champlain Country Club!!
Pro Shop News
- New carts: We have a fleet of blue 2018 used carts. These 24 blue carts are secured via a yearly lease to use as rentals for our big events. You will see them used alongside our fleet to limit the wear and tear on Champlain-owned carts.
- Pond #2: With the enlarging of the pond, the newly seeded areas are considered free relief. Use point of entry for free drop. Please stay off the areas during wet days.
- Bunkers: As we all know, the bunkers need attention which is coming soon. Currently, bunkers will be played as lift, clean and place or total relief if desired. We will also be using a temporary green for the holes that are under construction for that day only. We will post at the Pro Shop current conditions.
- Inventory: As the majority of product comes in, there are some items tougher to find. You will see more clothing in the next few weeks, and please look out for weekly sale items and specials. As always, feel free to see Karen for special order items.
- Father’s Day Special: Buy 2 greens fees and carts for $99.00 and get a $15 gift card. Golf balls and pull carts are 10% off; clothing and gloves are 15% off. Sales run through 6/19/22.
Ladies Play
We welcome this year’s 60 lady members to CCC and the many non-members joining together for our Tuesday Swing-Swim-Sip lessons/social, as well as Thursday’s Ladies Play at 9:00 am and 5:30 pm. Each week, text Dani @802-578-5705 by Wednesday to sign up for the 5:30 pm Thursday Ladies Play or contact the Pro Shop to sign up.
- Please sign up by Thursday, June 9th for our Blanche Vail Member-Member, Member-Guest, Guest-Guest Tournament being held on Sunday, June 12th at 9:00 am. Use this registration form or register via the Pro Shop.
- Check out new Ladies Play apparel for purchase: Ladies Play Catalog.
For updated information on all Ladies events, please check out our Ladies Play link on the website and on Facebook.
Superintendent’s News
Spring at Champlain this year has been a wet one. The grounds crew has been trying their best to provide a good playing surface in between the bouts of rain. This is not very easy. With the spring rain comes a shoot in turf growth, so we have been working hard to keep the grass mowed, clear, and playable. Please be patient with us as we are doing our best.
Our #2 pond expansion is coming along well. For those of you who are not aware of this project, we hired Todd Derry Construction to make the #2/#15 pond bigger, to hold more water to use for irrigation. The excess material was used to shape some contours along the left side of #2 in the rough. To add to the character of the hole, we have also added some autumn blaze maple trees. We seeded this large area, and the grass is starting to grow. Please try to stay out of this area while the grass is filling in.
Coming up later this month, Eric Lajeunesse Construction will start renovating all of our bunkers. As you may have noticed, our current bunkers are in rough shape. The bunkers have old fabric coming out of the sand, not much sand, drainage poking out and not draining, and edges that need grass. We will address all of these issues and more. We will start by cleaning out the bunkers of all old sand, fabric, and drainage. After cleaning them out, we will be reshaping most, making them a bit bigger, and doing a full redesign in some cases. Next, will be new drainage, all new sand and fresh sod around the edge of the bunkers. The bunkers will make Champlain shine even more after completion and when its playable.
I understand that there have been many days of cart path only conditions this spring. This is not a decision that I like to make; however, the excess rain calls for tough choices while I look out for what’s best for the course. This prevents it from being destroyed. You might see our equipment in use during these days, but please understand that our machines are all wheel drive, but the golf carts are one wheel drive. Also, most of the grounds crew knows where they can drive and where it’s too wet, whereas golfers may get stuck or accidentally tear up the course.
Thank you for your patience this spring. We are doing the best we can with the conditions and the staff available. I’m sure the weather will change to the polar opposite soon and it’ll be hot and dry. At least, we will be able to have carts off the path and the grounds crew will be able to achieve better playing conditions.
Hope you are all enjoying the course.