By: Mark McKee, PGA Professional

What a long, long, long winter. I cannot remember when snow stayed on the ground any longer than it has this year. I don’t know about you, but I am ready to play some golf. The 2010 Golf Calendar is ready. Please save this calendar, so you do not miss any of the events.

NEW ASSISTANT GOLF PROFESSIONAL

I would like to introduce Owen Alford as my new Assistant Professional. Owen’s first day was February 9th. He comes to us from St. Simons Island, GA. He recently graduated from the Professional Golfer’s Career College in Winter Garden, FL. He will be entering the PGA PGM program to start his journey to become a PGA Professional. I feel Owen will be a great asset to The Waterfront. Please stop by and welcome Owen to the club. As for Josh, he decided to make a career move into the medical field. I am sure this was a difficult decision for him, but he will still be here as the pro shop assistant.

SPRING FLING

What a great way to break the ice. The Spring Fling will be played on Sunday, March 21st with a 12:30 shotgun. The format will be computer picked ABCD teams playing a new and fun format called Replay. Instead of using handicap strokes, you get to replay shots. If you have a handicap of 10, you get to replay 10 shots anywhere on the course. Now, you must play the replayed shot, but everyone knows “Joe Mulligan” is always the better player. The entry fee will be $20 + cart fees per player. That will include food and prizes. Don’t miss this fun event.

WMGA OPENING DAY MEETING
AND TOURNAMENT

The WMGA will be holding the annual meeting on Friday, March 26th @ 6:00. Your golf committee will also be hosting a dinner for all WMGA members. Also at the meeting, you will be informed of tournament dates, new rules, course improvements, and anything else you need to know about the upcoming season.

The WMGA Opening Day Tournament will be held Saturday, March 27th with a 10:00 shotgun. The teams will be drawn at the Opening Meeting playing a 3-2-1 format. The entry fee for the tournament will be $25 + cart fees per person. This will include food and prizes at the conclusion of the tournament. I encourage everyone to play and get reacquainted with your old pals.

MASTERS TOURNAMET

The Masters Tournament will kick off on Saturday, April 10th with the Pros Drawing Party @ 6:00 pm. The two – man or two – lady tournament will begin Sunday, April 11th with a 12:30 shotgun. if you missed this event last year or forgot the format, here you go. Players will form their own two – man or two – lady teams (different divisions) and play best ball + their PGA Pro’s Sunday score to create a team score. There will be gross and net divisions. After you play your round, we will all be glued to the bar’s TV to see how your pro is doing. The entry fee is $50 + cart fees per player. This will include all food and prizes.

FRIDAY MIXERS

We will again hold this fun filled, for everyone, social, and a little golf event every Friday evening starting @ 5:30. The entry fee is only $5 + cart fees per person.  If you have a guest, the green fee will be half the regular rate. This will include food and prizes.

SUNDAY SUPERBALL

On April 25th, we will be having the first superball of the year. This event is just like the Friday Mixers, but 18 holes. If you are looking for a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon, then this is it. The entry fee is $20 + cart fees per player. If you have a guest, the green fee will be half the regular rate. This will include food and prizes.

SENIOR INTERCLUB MATCHES

The Senior interclub matches are back. I have organized, with the other PGA Professionals, the dates, time, food, and prizes for these events. The signup sheets for each event will be on the Men’s board. We will be only taking 12 men from each club, so to be fair to everyone, the 1st match (Water’s Edge) will be on a first come first serve basis. The remaining matches, I will take the ones who have signed up and haven’t played first, then use a standby list (men who have already played in a match) to fill out the team. The entry for my members, playing at The Waterfront only, will only be $30. I hope everyone will enjoy the competition and the fellowship.

Here are the dates and the tournament information.

Date         Club                                          Day                           Shotgun

4/20         The Water’s Edge                 Tuesday                   12:30

 5/26         The Waterfront                     Wednesday            9:30

 6/10         Hunting Hills CC                 Thursday                9:30

 7/22         Roanoke CC                          Thursday                9:30

 8/26 Hidden Valley CC Thursday 9:30

 Format: 12 players from each club. Players will be seeded 1 – 12 by HCP. Index. Points will be awarded to the low net score in each seed. 1st – 5pts., 2nd -4pts., and so on. Ties will split points. The club that accumulates the most points at the end of the year, will get to keep the Senior Interclub Trophy. Name of the trophy has yet to be named.

 Tees: All players play from the club’s designated Senior Tee.

 Cost: $40 per player. Includes continental breakfast, all golf fees, and lunch.

 Age: 55 years and older.

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2010 Golf Schedule

March

21                     Spring Fling Mixer

25                     WLGA Opening Day, Dinner,
                        & Meeting

26                     WMGA Opening Day Meeting

27                     WMGA Opening Day

29                     Green Aerification

April               

2                      Friday Mixer Opener

6                      Stableford Challenge Begins

10                     The Masters Drawing Party

11                     The Masters Tournament
                        (Men & Ladies)

20                     WMGA Single’s Match Play Begins

25                     Sunday Superball           

May

15                     WMGA Tri – Member

16                     Callaway Demo Day

20                     WLGA 9 Hole Invitational

21 – 22             WLGA Member – Guest

31                     Memorial Day Flag Tournament (Regular Tee Times)

June

11 – 13             Men’s Hall of Fame (ML, HR, RCC)

12 – 13             Ladies Hall of Fame (HR, RCC)

13                     Sunday Superball

24                     WMGA Member – Guest Practice Round & Stag Night

25 – 26             WMGA Member – Guest Tournament

July

4                      4^th of July Flag Tournament
                        (Regular Tee Times)

6                      WMGA Two – Man Match Play Begins

11                     Guys vs Dolls

12 – 13             SML Lions / Haley Junior Tournament (ML, WF)

16                     WMGA Member – Member Stag Night

17 – 18             WMGA Member – Member

25                     Sunday Superball

27 – 30             Junior Golf Camp                                              

August

2 – 3                 Senior Hall Of Fame (HV, WF)   

7 – 8                 Club Championships

15                     Couples Club Championship

20                     WMGA One Day Member – Guest

21                     Couples One Day Member – Guest

September

6                      Labor Day Gross & Net Tournament (Regular Tee Times)

7                      Green Aerification

19                     Sunday Superball

October

5                      Rally For a Cure

14                     WLGA Guest Day

21                     WLGA Closing Tournament & Meeting

November

5 – 6                 WMGA Closing Dinner & Tournament

Special Note

Sunday Superball will start at 1:00. All sign up sheets will be on the Men’s and Ladies boards.

By: Fred Deichmann, Club Manager 

Thanks to all for making the events of the past two months enjoyable.  We look forward to another great year here at The Waterfront Country Club.  Mark your calendars because we have some great events scheduled this spring.  Our Easter Brunch will be on April 4th and our popular MYN/King of Diamonds Show will take place on May 14th this year. We are also looking forward to scheduling an Argentinean Wine Dinner in the month of April.

DINING NOTES—Please be sure to call us for your dinner reservations as early as possible.  This will really help schedule our staff to ensure that we have adequate amounts of service and kitchen staff to properly serve you.

SOCIAL COMMITTEE—If you are interested in joining this group please call Fred at (540) 721-2397 or contact fred@thewillardcompanies.com.  I would really appreciate member input. Thanks in advance for your participation.

Special Note

We would like to welcome the Monica J. Brady as the new Club Accounts Manager for all three country clubs owned and operated by The Willard Companies. Monica, a graduate of Virginia Tech, comes to us from The Waterfront County Club and has experience in accounting from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and VT.  Monica replaces Amy Tosh who recently relocated to Florida. We wish both ladies the best of luck and continued success. Call Monica with any questions related to your account at (540) 721-5288 or monica@thewillardcompanies.com.

Our monthly event calendar for club related event information is available online.

Good weather (for at least this one day in January—the 13th) brought lots of ladies out to catch up with each other on holiday happenings and to get some very good tips on photography.  Ed Winterstorm told us how to use some of those confusing knobs on digital cameras to create very special effects. We learned about shutter speeds, fill-in flash, blurring the background, macros, and picture composition. Ed shared lots of tips on how to photograph wildlife and even how to use a “spritzer” to put that special gleam in a photograph. Ed used his own photographs to explain how slightly different camera settings or picture alignments can make or break a photograph.  Ladies, we have no excuses now! Go out and try your hand at capturing some special memories on film (or at least onto a memory stick!)

Tom Hofelich and Steve Smith of SMLA provided the computer equipment for the PowerPoint Demonstration, and reminded everyone how important it is for lake residents to join SMLA.  Many thanks for their time and efforts!

February’s meeting, held on Feb.10, was a game day.   This meeting was well-attended (>45 members), many of whom were happy to get out after so many days of being trapped at home by winter storms. Lots of different games were played, and prizes were given to the winning contestants. One of the favorites, but also one of the most difficult, was a “Match Game”, where the ladies tried to match baby pictures to their corresponding WWC member. This proved to be a great way to share stories from long ago (well….not all that long ago, because we’re all just 29 with a few years of experience), but it took a few hints to make some of the correct matches. Lunch featured soup, salad, and chocolate pecan pie, and the table decorations included red roses in honor of Valentines Day.

The next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, March 10, and will feature a lecture topic presented by Pende Ford and Ginger Sienkowski on “Things to Do and Place to See In and Around Smith Mountain Lake – including local Virginia wineries”.

By: Bruce Clapper

I’ve decided to let everyone know what a great time we have playing duplicate Bridge every third Wednesday of the month at the Club.  We usually have 4 or 5 tables and would really like to have more participation from some of the many other bridge players in the club.  It’s really a fun afternoon and very unserious. You don’t have to have a partner (but you can certainly bring one).  Just call me, if you’d like to be included, at 297-9231 or e-mail bruceclapper@yahoo.com.  We start at 2:30 and many of us stay on for dinner and continue the fun.  This is just like “party bridge” except that everyone plays the exact same hands so it can be determined who plays the hands the best.  It’s not at all intimidating.  Just ask Judy Barnes, or Jerry Clapper.

Below are the results of our Feb. 10 session (we held it a week early because Jerry and I were planning on being out of town on the 17th):

Team Points

Joe & Jody Brown 38

Mike Nee & Tony Keffer 36

Walt Barnes & Steve Smith 35

Dick Henty & Dessie Keller 34

Bruce Clapper & Jay Sims 31.5

Dan Weeks & Walt Klaas 31

Judy Barnes & Jerry Clapper 23.5

Steve Campbell & Andrew Fiel 23

Also, Tom Sanders & I would like to invite you to play real party bridge at the Club on every Thursday morning at 9:00.  We have lots of fun there, too.  If you’re interested, please call Tom at 721-2167.

Saturday, March 12 at 6:00 p.m.

Look around your home, scour your storage and bring your tax-deductible donation and join the fun at the March 12 “MEET YOUR NEIGHBOR” at both The Waterfront and The Waters Edge Country Clubs. All contributions will benefit the SML DISCOVERY SHOP, located in The Plaza on Scruggs Road in Moneta.

The shop is one of over 80 shops across the country and the only one to exclusively feature furniture, housewares, art and collectibles, accessories, sporting equipment and tools, appliances, books and jewelry. The shop, now in its 6th year, provides gently used donated merchandise from individuals and businesses and items from the Market in Highpoint.

The SML DISCOVERY SHOP is the only Discovery Shop managed and staffed six days a week entirely by volunteers. Opportunities are available in various areas with flexible schedules. For volunteer information, please call the shop at 721-0050 or stop in M-F 10-5 or Sat 10-4. Because it is run solely by volunteers, the shop has over a 75% profit margin, which benefits the American Cancer Society in its search for a cure and facilitates education and support programs in our local communities.

PLEASE “clean house” and bring your DISCOVERY SHOP donation to the club gathering on March 12. If you have larger items and need pick-up services, please call the SML DISCOVERY SHOP at 721-0050.

By: H T Page, Maintenance Director

I write this in February. Everything is white.   Everything!  At least the roads are relatively clear and we should all have electricity throughout the night, maybe.   The maintenance staff is just itching to get out onto the course and do some work that doesn’t involve a snow shovel or chain saw to clean up ice damaged trees.    I’m sure you are anxious to play a round of golf or two.  We have started several projects this winter but the weather has not cooperated to allow us to complete them.  According to meteorologist Robin Reed, November, December, and January were the wettest three months on record, but we could have told him that.

So far:

75 trees have been removed to improve the course playability and turf conditions.   Several more are on the list.

34 dead trees were removed.

18 trees on the course were lost to snow and ice and over 50 along The Waterfront roadsides.

We did extensive under-brushing on holes 11, 12, 13, and 15 in the dogleg.

The winter freeze thaw cycle naturally loosens the soil and relieves compaction but also causes the turf to be more susceptible to damage from play.  The greens are affected by this cycle more so than other areas.  They are constructed of sand and therefore freeze more quickly.  The surface also thaws more quickly and becomes soft and spongy.  This condition improves as the surface becomes more compacted over time.  Each time the green freezes, the cycle starts all over again.  The greens will be back to normal as the weather warms and grass growth begins.

By: Cathie Daniel, Principal Broker

It’s a Buyers’ Market for Real Estate Investors, too.

Turn on any financial news program and at some point you’ll hear the experts extolling the virtues of diversification. Real estate, even through the market downturn, has long been considered a conservative, long-term strategy to growing wealth.

In fact, that very downturn has created a historic buying opportunity for potential homebuyers and investors alike. The combination of lower home prices across American and historically low mortgage rates, two essential factors that usually don’t trend in the same direction, have triggered a buyer’s market in many areas of the country. For real estate investors who want to rent their properties, this can make the difference in achieving positive cash flow sooner or right off the bat.

While some seasoned real estate investors make it look easy, to be successful, beginners should follow some basic principles.

• Learn all you can. Before committing your cash, you should have a fundamental understanding of real estate. For example, be aware that, in general, investment properties are not liquid investments. Barring exceptional circumstances, real estate does not sell at a moment’s notice. It could take days or months to sell a property, depending on the strength of the market in a particular region.
• Consider cash flow. You’ll need to have enough capital on hand to cover any short-term losses due to vacancies between tenants.
• Start small. Look into buying a condominium, single-family home or a duplex. Leave large apartment buildings and commercial properties to the pros.
• Inquire at the local Chamber of Commerce about companies relocating into or out of the area. Company movement is one indicator of demand for rental and/or office space.
• Find a property that will be in demand. Look for a moderately priced home with three or four bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a garage that sits on a quiet street.
• Research the property. The most common way first-time investors lose is by failing to investigate a property thoroughly. Look beyond the front door. Investigate the reputation of the school district, the crime rate, and plans for expanding a nearby highway or developing vacant land. Ask your Prudential Waterfront Properties real estate professional about the area, its history, and how fast (or slow) properties are moving.
• Inspect the home you’re considering for signs of water damage, such as stains on the ceiling and crinkling or gathering wallpaper; open and close every door and window; and check all electrical sockets by plugging in an appliance. Get an independent home inspection, roof inspection and termite inspection. Unexpected repair costs can eat away your cash flow.

Because even the best inspection can’t always predict problems, try to set aside some of the rental income for unexpected repairs.

• Spend time driving the streets of the neighborhood noting the condition of other properties. Are lawns maintained? Are roofs in good shape? Are homes kept up?
• Be ready to make fixes quickly and respond to the renter’s needs. If you’re not prepared to be a hands-on landlord, consider hiring a property management firm.
• See your tax advisor for related planning and laws that can affect your investment decisions.

Remember, investing in a property is much different than living in one, and while emotion and attachment can be prime motivators when it comes to homes, it is return on investment that counts when investing in real estate.

——————–

Available Properties at The Waterfront:

• Water access lots starting at $69,500
• Waterfront lots starting at $299,000
• Water access homes starting at $249,950
• Waterfront homes starting at $449,000
• Fairway Bay Townhome offered at $399,900
• Fairway Bay Condo offered at $198,500
• Section V Townhome offered at $339,000
• Gangplank Townhomes starting at $710,000
• Golf Villa offered at $199,900
• Gangplank Pointe Condos starting at $315,000
• South Pointe Condos starting at $339,000
• Windlass Pointe Townhomes starting at $365,000
• Developer lots with water access Starting at $69,500. Initiation fee paid by seller.

Available Properties at The Boardwalk:

• Waterfront Homes starting at $775,000
• Cottage offered at $899,000
• Water access lot offered at $287,000
• Waterfront lots starting at $299,000
• Water access homes starting at $499,000
• NEW water access Estate Lots starting at $199,500. Initiation fee paid by seller.

Available Properties at The Farm:

• Water access lots starting at $104,500
• Estate lots starting at $189,500. Initiation fee paid by seller.

  —————————

Office Hours

Monday-Friday 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Saturday, Sunday and Holidays

10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Phone numbers

Main Office: (540) 721-8659

Toll Free: (800) 858-4653

The Water’s Edge: (540) 576-1333

By: Mike Nee, Committee Chairman

Opening Day is just a few weeks away so re-grip your clubs, buy some new balls, clean-up your golf shoes and get ready another season of great golf at the Waterfront!  Here’s the plan for our Opening Day Tournament.

We’ll kick-off festivities in the late afternoon of Friday, March 26th with a putting contest and social hour on the club patio, weather permitting, followed by a fish fry to be served-up by Fred and his staff at no cost to WMGA members.  That’s right – free fish!  Following dinner, we will have a brief kick-off meeting to discuss upcoming events and answer any questions you may have about activities planned for the year. 

The next day, Saturday, March 27th we will kick-off the golf season officially with a “3/2/1 Best Net Ball Tournament” – that is, each foursome will count three balls on par 3 holes, two balls on par 4 holes and one ball on par 5 holes.  Of course, prizes in the form of pro shop credits will be awarded at the end of play to the winning teams and to those players who are “closest to the hole” on the par 3 holes.  The cost will be just $25 plus cart fee per player.   So, sign-up early and join the fun.

The Board and Committee Chairpersons are working hard on this year’s Ladies Golf Association’s schedule. The Invitational and Member/Guest dates from surrounding country clubs have been provided by Anne Richardson and Martha Clarke.   The 2010 Member/Guest formLadies Day registration form is available online for download. Thursday play, formats designed by Susan Shortridge and Susie Parrish look to be creative and exciting.

The new yearbook, published and edited by Mary Kuhn, will be available for all members at the opening meeting on March 25th.  Call or email Mary if you have any changes to your currently listed information.  Review the new calendar and make plans to participate in the many fun filled opportunities here at Waterfront Country Club.

Important March Dates:

March 23rd and 24th

Free Clinics by the Pros:  Check the bulletin board or call the Pro shop to sign-up and for additional information at (540) 721-2653.

March 25th

Opening Day:  The format will be a modified Captain’s Choice.  Everyone is encouraged to play and then join the group for a delicious dinner/business meeting at the club. This will be the time to learn about the coming year and ask any questions that you may have. Sign up at the Pro Shop.

Other Future Activities:

May 12th and 13th Spring Handicap

May 20th 9-Hole Invitational

May 21st and 22nd Member/Guest

~ Muriel Smith, President, WLGA

The Nifty Niner’s encourage all ladies who would like to play golf but have limited experience or time to come join our group on Thursday mornings and play nine holes.  We are a fun group that enjoys the game of golf and usually finish around noon.  The schedule works well with a part-time or full-time job. 

Beginning in April, we will also be playing 9 holes on Wednesday evenings.  This time slot is open to all women not just WLGA members.  You will have the option of walking or renting a cart. More information to come in the next newsletter.

~ Kathy Meckley