Welcome to the 2025 golf season! On behalf of the Board of Directors and our staff, we look forward to seeing our membership and friends return for another great year at Champlain Country Club.
It looks as though the course has come through the winter very well. With warmer temperatures on the way soon, the grass will start turning green and the course will come to life. This year, we decided not to do a green up day. The addition of a sweeper to our maintenance fleet allowed Chris Saylor and his staff to do a terrific job with fall cleanup, which positioned us well for the spring.
Upon your return, you may notice that some trees on the course have their bark removed. Unfortunately, like other areas of the state, we have an infestation of the emerald ash borer. Hopefully, the affected trees will live through the season, but we will most likely need to remove them after the course closes in the fall. We will discuss replacing trees where they are needed later.
Chris Saylor has contracted a company from New Hampshire to complete the drainage project on the number 2 fairway as well as the number 15 approach. The project is scheduled to be completed this spring, and the impact to play should be minimal. Additionally, the 7th tee box was seeded last year and will be ready for use. We will be leveling the lower tee box, and we are discussing the expansion of the lower tee this fall. Having two large tee boxes will help to preserve the turf since it provides additional tee locations.
Irons & Ale has just completed its first winter being open, and we want to thank everyone who supported us during these months. The restaurant started to see a strong increase in business with every passing week, and it was amazing to see the clubhouse completely full on a Saturday night in the dead of winter. It has taken the full first year, but we are confident that we have the right staff in place and look forward to the course being open. We are fortunate that a member has graciously let us use his wood fired pizza oven, and we will be offering pizza on the weekends, along with an expanded deck menu. Betsy Hickey is our restaurant manager, and Amanda Liese is our kitchen manager. Please offer any ideas and or feedback to them.
Cheers to a great season with lots of sun and birdies!! As always, please feel to reach out to us at golf@champlaincountryclub.com.
Chris Caster
President, Champlain Country Club