May 2023
Savor
MEMBER NEWSLETTER
Hello Members and Happy May! We have so much happening at the Club and am excited to have our golf season finally underway! We opened up the golf course on Wednesday, April 26th, and tip my hat to those that braved the brisk weather to enjoy Dellwood's great outdoors. Our average high temperature is 65 degrees for the first week of May, and seems like its been weeks since we've even touched that number. Upcoming forecasts call for sun and some warmth - bring on the heat! As some of our team discusses in this Newsletter, we've had all hands on deck preparing for the return of all of our Golfing members. The golf course came out of winter in great shape and with the amount of precipitation we've seen over the past few weeks, has greened up quickly! Between our Multi-Vendor Demo Day (5/5), Men's & Women's Openers (5/9-5/11), and first Friday Night Couples Event "Purple Rain" (5/19), we hope to see you all back on the links very soon.
By Pete LaCoursiere, General Manager
From Your GM...
Just this past week, our Club's team of Directors, Managers, and Department Leads met for a Workshop event at the Club this past week. Our Directors took the stage to share with the team their areas of passion and strengths, to then be discussed within small groups, with focus placed on how we can apply their teachings to all of our departments. It was an exercise that brought team members together to be both a student and a teacher, and it connected some of our leaders that have decades of work experience at Dellwood that hadn't met each other until that night. It was made obvious to me that we have a very passionate group of leaders at our Club. Regardless of the department, we are all in the business of providing exceptional service to our Members and Guests, and take pride in our Club, which to many of us is our second home. From the Grounds department to the Pool, our team is geared up and ready for a fantastic season. Please let myself or any of our Managers know if there is something you'd like to see added to our offerings. Our Advisory Committee is also a great resource if you have feedback to share, and/or are interested in dropping some suggestions for what you'd like to see at the Club. For a convenient refresher on our Committee Members as well as an easy way to communicate with them, click HERE! See you all on the links!
From Michelle's Desk
Hello Dellwood Members! Plans for outside spring and summer events have been in the works and it’s time to have fun, catch up with old friends, and meet some new ones! Our new Banquets and Events manager, Sarah Drayna, joined the DCC management team this past fall.If you have not had the opportunity to meet her quite yet, you will see her smiling face at the member events this season. She would love to meet you all! The member events on the calendar for May & June are: 5/14/2023 – Mother’s Day Brunch – Grab your favorite lady and bring her to DCC on 5/14/23 if you truly want to see Mom smile! The culinary team will have one of their famous buffets, as well as desserts. Ther will be drink specials, and a take-away gift for all mom’s that day. 6/11/2023 – New Member Pool Party – New members this year and last, please join us for some fun at the pool! Family friendly!!We will have complimentary food items, dessert, fun pool toys, and of course great conversation with the opportunity to meet new Dellwood Members! 6/16/2023 – New Member Open House – An adult friendly cocktail party with complimentary appetizers and the chance to try some of our famous signature drinks. This will be held in the Fireside room and deck. If you haven’t been up to the fireside deck yet, it has the best view of the course! 6/24/2023 – The Dellwood Luau – If you haven’t heard, it’s a good time with good food and drink. Chefs have an above ground Imu and banana leaves to prepare the best Kalua pork the Midwest has tasted. Of course, the DCC F&B squad has a Mai Tai that will make you want to hula. Please remember: all event details and sign-ups are on Foretees. Before you know it, holiday party planning time will be upon us! Please give the Events Department a call at (651) 426-4155 or email katie@dellwoodcountryclub.com to book your holiday fun! See you around the Club! Katie Boyd
From Catering & Events:
by Michelle Murray Office / HR Manager Manager
by Katie Boyd Director of Banquets & Events
April showers bring May flowers! I really hope that is the case for this month. We all deserve some sunshine after the long winter. This season we have hired quite a few new employees. We always seem to have pretty good turnover every few years as staff graduate from college and move into their "adult jobs". We are extremely lucky to have these employees come back year after year to be part of the Dellwood Team. One of my goals for this year is to personally sit down with each new employee to do a little orientation and get to know them better, which has been fun so far! Some exciting things on the horizon... As always we help to support our well deserving college students with our Employee Scholarship Awards at the end of the summer. Our goal this year is to highlight our hard working employees in newsletters to come, so you as members can get to know them better! We will be holding our annual employee pool party and awards presentation on Sunday, August 13th. More to come on how you can donate towards this fund! On a side note, I took over doing the DCC Newsletter a few months ago, and am always looking for new content. I know I've mentioned this before, but if you have a fun story to tell about being a member at DCC, please feel free to share. Pictures are always great too! It can be something as simple as a picture of a trip that you took with other DCC members, or wildlife you saw out on the course. Shoot me an email! Thank you, Michelle michelle@dellwoodcountryclub.com
By Eric Peterson, Superintendent
You may have noticed we are at about 75% staffed, which is our goal for the beginning of the season. Our crew is glad to be back providing a great golf course.We have been able to get the course cleaned up and pick off several projects as we head into the growing season. If there are projects you have around your home that you are having trouble tackling, please feel free to contact me and we can see if we can help you with those items. We look forward to seeing you all again out playing!
In our preparation of the golf course for the season we spend a few days getting our bunkers back into shape. Our sand tends to blow around and off the banks of the bunker during the winter months, often exposing the liner. The liner in our bunkers is a porous concrete called Capillary Concrete. It creates a barrier between the soil below and the white sand stopping any mixing of the two. It also allows for rainfall and irrigation to travel through the sand and the liner and find its way to a drainage system where it exits the bunker. In a bunker void of this type of liner the water would enter through the sand and as it hit the sub soil it would create turbulence (or a rolling) that pulls the sand down off any slope.With the liner the water enters and travels inside the porous concrete minimizing the turbulence and giving the water a channel to travel not effecting the sand. With major downpours we do see occasional sand movement, but this tends to be when we have large rainfall in a very short period of time. These liners not only save us huge amounts of maintenance time after rainfalls, they also protect our white sand from contamination. With our bunker preparation we are throwing sand back up on these steep faces.When we do this the sand tends to stay loose until rain and irrigation start to pack it down and it sets up into a firm surface. The goal for our bunkers is that the steep faces would be firm so when a ball hits it the ball would roll down to the bottom of the bunker to the flat area. The bottom of the bunker would have a firm base, but the top would have a couple inches of more fluffy sand. Obviously other factors like weather play a big part in the playing conditions. When playing your ball out of a bunker we ask that you walk into the bunker on the low side (even if it’s a longer distance) and hit your ball, raking your way out as you exit. When you enter from the high side of the bunker you pull the sand down with your footprints. This disturbance reintroduces the fluffy conditions that leads to balls plugging in the faces. Other ways in which you as a member can help us keep consistent playing conditions are to repair ball marks and to fill your divots with the provided sand and seed mix. These two practices ensure that not only your fellow members can have a quality playing surface but that it would come back full circle and you would have those same conditions. Thank you for doing your part in keeping the playing conditions at Dellwood Country Club as consistent and high quality as possible. !
From the Course
by Brita Van Guilder Food & Beverage Director
w/ Gunnar Van Guilder Head Bartender
Happy May Members! I know you all are just as excited as we are to get back out on the course, the patio, and in some sunshine! April was a busy month with two different Easter festivities (an egg hunt in the snow is always fun, right?), preparing new menus for the spring, and gathering materials for course opening. I particularly loved the Egg Hunt brunch we hosted on Sunday, April 2nd.We had 200+ join us to hung eggs in the locker room (a core memory for sure), eat delicious brunch options from our Chefs, and enjoy time with family and friends. The holiday brunches we put on are super special to me because I remember coming to them when I was a child, growing up here at DCC. Some of you may not know this, but my parents joined the Club in 2006 when I was in middle school and my brother, Gunnar (our lead Bartender-bet you didn’t know that) and I were able to enjoy many holidays here. Having been a part of them when I was younger makes it extra special for me to be able to plan them and put extra touches on aspects of the event now as F&B Director. I especially enjoy watching families change and grow over the years from event to event.Whether that means welcoming a new baby, moving through school age years and graduating, or bringing new people to the Club with you to enjoy all of our incredible amenities. Katie, our Catering & Events Director, and I especially enjoy decorating our ballroom and fireside spaces for holidays, as well as creating memorable experiences for all of our members and guests. Sometimes that means a beautiful candy display (sorry parents!), a photo booth with silly props, or grab bags with a craft to keep the littles busy so mom and dad can enjoy their meals at the table. How ever it looks to you, we appreciate you letting us use our expertise to create memorable events for your family.
Food & Wine
Mixing it Up
Our next member event will be our Mother’s Day Brunch on Sunday, May 14th! Grab your mom, your grandma, your sister, your cousin, whoever, and let us do the cooking. We will also have a special take away for all the mothers. As always, cheers, and I hope to see you all at the club this month! Oh, and let’s welcome back our snowbirds with a warm, MN welcome too! Cheers! Brita
The golf course is open and our new spring and summer drinks are ready to be enjoyed! You know what that means? You are able to hit cool flop shots out on the course, then relax with a “Spicy Flop Shot” after your round! This refreshing tequila cocktail blends flavors of fresh strawberry, basil, and hints of Serrano pepper. Topped off with a house-made sugar/Diablo rim to cut the heat and a strawberry and pepper garnish! I would recommend this drink to those who enjoy the Muchacho, but also to those who don’t like ALL the heat that the Muchacho punches! The “Spicy Flop Shot” is slightly more tame, and can easily be made less with less heat upon request! *DISCLAIMER* - This cocktail does not guarantee hitting spicy flop shots on course! Cheers, Gunnar
Dialing It In
From the Pro
w/ Cory Moran First Asst. Golf Professional
By Clayton Johnson, Head Golf Professional
With the golf season finally upon us, I am excited to announce two upcoming events that you won't want to miss! First up, on May 13th and 14th from 11am to 3pm, I will be hosting Callaway wedge fittings. Fittings will be 30 minutes, cost $200 and will include one Callaway wedge. This is a great opportunity to get fitted for a new Callaway wedge and any additional wedges you may need, at a discounted price of $150 each. Sign up by e-mailing me at cory@dellwoodcountryclub.com. Ladies, if you're looking to improve your golf game, I have just the thing for you. I will be hosting a series of Sip and Swing Clinics throughout the summer. These clinics are designed to help you improve all aspects of your golf game and include on-course tips and etiquette. Each clinic costs $20 per person and includes a drink. These clinics are a great way to meet and socialize with other golfers while improving your skills. Sign up under the events tab on Foretees today! Here is the schedule for the Sip and Swing Clinics. Each clinic will run from 3pm to 4pm: May 25th – Putting June 8th – Chipping/Short Game June 22nd – Irons July 6th – Driver July 27th – On Course Tips and Etiquette Finally, I will have my lesson book available on Foretees beginning May 10th. To sign up, Click the lesson tab in the Foretees app, choose my name and pick any available time that works for you. If you don’t see a time that works for you online feel free to send me an e-mail and hopefully, we can coordinate a time that works for you.
Tournament Handicaps for 2023 New for 2023 we will be using 12-month low handicaps for all major Club events. The events we will be using these handicaps are as followed: Men’s and Women’s Opener, Men’s and Women’s Memorial Event, Men’s and Women’s Boxcar, Men’s and Women’s Club Championships, Men’s Guest Day, Men’s and Women’s Labor Day Event, and Men’s and Women’s Closing Stag. The reason for this change is to protect the integrity of all Club events. Golf Genius We are asking everyone that will be playing in men’s and women’s events this year to download the Golf Genius App. We will be doing all live scoring for events and shop games during the year. Multi-Vendor Demo Day We will be having our Multi-Vendor Demo Day on May 5thfrom 3-7. This is a great opportunity to come out and get fit for the new product from Callaway, Titleist, PXG, Ping, and Mizuno. We will be offering a complimentary sampling of Stilly Seltzers and Hog Dogs with assorted kettle chips. Dellwood Tee Time Policies Dellwood CC Golf Members may book tee times up to fourteen days in advance and may use an “X” for any TBD players. However, seven days prior to your reservation, all X’s will be removed from a tee time. Five days prior to a reservation, the Golf Professional Staff will have the ability to add to existing reservations to fill out a group and will pair groups holding consecutive tee times to form one group when possible. After introducing this policy in 2022, an average of 6-12 additional tee times were made available per day. Why? This policy is in place to optimize access to the golf course and utilize players’ slots on each daily tee sheet. We have also seen it increase many Members’ circles of playing partners at the Club. Thank you! Clayon
by Michael Lopata Chef de Cuisine
From the Kitchen
As we (finally) move into something resembling spring, I wanted to touch on a couple of really exciting things that happened at the Club over the last month.April is the month that we all make a mental note of as the unofficial start to the season.While the course and the pool aren’t open yet, you can feel the energy in the Club as it starts to wake up from winter. Easter Brunch was a big hit as always, and with Mother’s Day Brunch right around the corner and our current count at just under 400, we are very much looking forward to seeing a lot of familiar faces for what is always a fun day at the Club.Unlike Easter Brunch, the Club will be open for dinner service Mother’s Day night, so if you are unable to make it to brunch, we’ve got you covered for dinner! We are excited to launch our new grill menus the week after Mother’s Day.This will include a complete revamp to our breakfast menu, as well as ample additions to our grill menu and entrees for dinner service.You will notice some monthly features on the menu.As the grill gets busier and you all find yourself at the Club more with the warmer weather, these features allow us to showcase new items and allow you to try some new things without having to sacrifice a complete overhaul to the existing menu full of the classics and staples. Next week we will have all of the opening day events for the golf season as well as Demo Day, which I will be very sad to miss out on.My parents have sold their house in Seattle and we are loading up the caravan and moving them into their home in La Quinta.I will be cruising down I5 next week while the Women’s 9 hole, 18 hole and the Men’s Opening day officially kick off.Hit ‘em straight everyone! We are all looking forward to an exciting and eventful spring and summer this year.While last year was my first year here and we were learning a lot about these events on the fly, we have all started to settle in for the long haul here at the Dellwood. Our goal is to take everything we learned from last year’s Boxcar, Black and Gold, Couple’s Luau, etc. and use those events as the catalyst as we continue our mission to provide the premier culinary experience that you all deserve and should come to expect from us.We all appreciate the opportunity to cook for you and share our passion with you. Whether it be out on the patio, in the grill, or wherever our culinary team is posted up for the day, we are here for you!
reservation Window Opens April 10!
DELLWOOD COUNTRY CLUB 29 EAST HWY 96 DELLWOOD, MN 55110 651.426.3218 CLUBHOUSE 651.426.4733 GOLF SHOP