FOREST HILLS COUNTRY CLUB
May 2022
On Course www.foresthillscc.net
Club News & Reminders Hours of Operation Update Throughout the month of May, there are a few modifications to Club hours, most of which pertain to a la carte dining: ● ● ● ● ●
Sunday, May 9th: Friday, May 13th: Sunday, May 29th: Monday, May 30th: Tuesday, May 31st:
Mother’s Day Brunch (Reservations Required) - Closed for Dinner Service Closed Lunch and Dinner Due to Men’s Invitational Tournament Closed for Dinner Due to the Hampton’s Party (Open for Brunch) All Club Facilities Open / A la Carte Lunch Service Offered / Dinner Buffet Available on the Lower Patio Golf Shop, All Dining and Aquatic Center Closed
2022 Pool Documentation With the pool opening just a few short weeks away, Caretaker and Unaccompanied Pool Privilege Card forms are now available and should be turned in prior to the start of the pool season. Caretaker Applications should be filled out by members wishing to grant pool and café access to their children’s caretaker for the summer. Caretakers must be at least 16 years old and must be accompanied by the dependent child (ren). The member assumes all responsibilities for the caretaker’s actions as well as any charges incurred. The annual fee for the guest card is $75, which you’ll receive once your application is turned in and approved. Parents who drop children between the ages of eleven (11) and fourteen (14) at the pool area are required to complete an annual Unaccompanied Pool Privilege Card. This procedure has two main objectives. First, to ensure that in the case of emergencies, the Club staff is able to properly identify the child as well as contact the Member in a timely fashion. Secondly, when children are dropped at the pool area without direct parental supervision, the staff is called upon to serve in this function, which necessitates the need for additional resources. Both parent and child need to sign and complete the Unaccompanied Pool Privilege Card (UPPC) and turn into the Membership Office. All applicable forms must be completed each year. If you filled out a form last year, you must resubmit for the 2022 season. Forms are available on our website, www.foresthillscc.net, under the ‘Swimming’ tab and are also available in the Clubhouse lobby.
Have Exciting News To Share? We encourage our members to share with us the interesting and exciting things happening in your lives! Please send your details to Ali Kaplan at alik@foresthillscc.net. We will do our very best to include your information in our upcoming newsletter. The deadline is always the 20th of the month.
Newsletter Prize Hidden within the pages of this issue and future issues, we have included a member’s number chosen at random. If you come across this number and it happens to be yours, contact Ali at alik@foresthillscc.net to redeem a $100 Gift Certificate good toward your next food and beverage purchase.
Manager’s Report by Larry Marx, CCE
larrym@foresthillscc.net
Dear Forest Hills Members, Spring is here and the warm weather has finally become more consistent. The flowers are in full bloom and the trees have leaves. The Club is coming back to life again, ready for a busy summer season. We are busy at the Club; the golf course is in great condition and our opening events are all happening. This month, the popular Men’s Invitational Tournament will occur Thursday, May 12th through Saturday, May 14th. Member dining will not be available for lunch or dinner on Friday, May 13th. The tennis courts and pickleball courts are already very active. We have a great new program for pickleball. If you haven’t tried it, join us for one of the events- experience is not required. We are on schedule for the pool opening on Saturday, May 28 th. We have a great staff that has been assembled to have a fun exciting time with family and friends at the pool. We recently unveiled our new Clubhouse All Day Menu programming. The Weekly Features Menu is getting rave reviews. If you haven’t joined us lately, make your reservations. I know you will like the new menu concepts and the food and service improvements. We are making some good headway in hiring a strong staff to serve our members this summer, even though the job market remains competitive. Our goal is to have a well-trained staff that is eager to provide a great member experience for you this summer. I am confident we are on schedule to do that. I am collaborating with Assistant General Manager, Emma Gore, on a new organization for the clubhouse operations upon her return from maternity leave on Tuesday, May 10th. I look forward to sharing some of our exciting changes that will better serve our members and staff in the future. I look forward to seeing you all coming out to the Club in the coming weeks to enjoy your beautiful facilities and our fun lineup of events.
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Membership News by Ryan Schaben, CMP
ryans@foresthillscc.net
Photos From Around the Club Sean and Chelsea Muncy with their guests Carl and Josefin Gunnarsson. The Behrmann Family enjoying Easter Brunch at the Club.
Patrick Rhodes and Coach Kyle at the start of spring tennis clinics.
Terry Gooding, Mark Sprowls, Dan Miller, Pat Hopkins, David Ganz, Jeff Watson, Fred Salerno, John Robb and Charles Nance filling divots on holes 1 thru 9. The group meets on Monday mornings at 9:00 am and welcomes anyone to join! As a reminder, any and all efforts to fix your own plus one additional divot on every fairway is strongly encouraged.
Samantha and Alex Politte at the Young Men’s Service League Banquet.
The All-New FHCC Clock Tower
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Caddie Corner by Nick Jones & Mike Flavin
nickj@foresthillscc.net
We are excited to announce that caddies will be available for the upcoming golf season! As we re-establish the program, training is currently taking place. Once training is complete, an email will be sent via ForeTees. At that time, we will communicate how to reserve a caddie. We ask for your support in the re-building of the FHCC Caddie Program and look forward to offering this throughout 2022. If you have any questions about the Caddie Program, please contact me at nickj@foresthillscc.net.
Nick Jones Please support Caddy Coordinator/Assistant Golf Professional Nick Jones and the 19 caddies he has recruited. You will start seeing them in early May after they complete their three training sessions with Nick. If you would like a caddy for the Men’s Invitational or any Club event, contact Nick by phone or email. After about 5 years of continuous improvement in Caddy rounds and Evans Scholar Candidates, COVID killed our program. A group of us are working with the Golf Committee to re-ignite the program. Anyone interested in joining us , please contact me. You’ll see something about the Caddy program in the Newsletter each month.
Mike Flavin Tips from the Tee by Ryan Martin, PGA
ryanm@foresthillscc.net
With the month of May I am encouraging our FHCC members to dedicate more practice time with their wedge game. Warm, sunny days and consistent rain produce difficult situations in the fescue rough. When up near the green, a poor lie in the rough happens very often in the spring. Missing the green is something we cannot avoid, especially when your swing may be a little rusty early in the season. Starting the golf season off with ample practice time around the green will be an effective way to save more pars. You should focus on building a solid set-up position, and then improve the efficiency of your wedge swing. The proper set-up includes a wider stance, and some added knee flex. Move the ball position a little forward in your stance, and slightly open the club face. Your backswing should be started with a tension free, hinging motion of your wrists as you turn back. This will move the club straight back and upwards into an efficient position. The wider stance you’ve created will keep you centered, and not allow you to sway. Properly using your wrists will slide the club along the turf and under the ball , popping it up and out of the grass. As you finish the swing, make sure to fully turn your chest through to the target. The golf club doesn’t need to go to a full, high finish like a normal swing. Think about finishing with the club face staying open and facing up at the sky, with arms close to the body and out in front of your chest. Much like shooting a basketball, your distance control will take time. Start by getting the ball out of the rough and up onto the green. As your technique gets more consistent, you will get closer and save more pars. Come schedule a short game session with me for a better understanding of this, and to learn more tricks that the pros use.
Ryan Martin
Senior Men’s Golf Association
by Jim Harf
jharf@maryville.edu
The weather was the clear winner in April, but we managed two great events nonetheless. The Opening Scramble was won by Doc Schneider, Stan Grossman and Pat Hopkins. In second place was the team of Terry Schad, Charles Nance and Jim Harf. In third place was the team of Mike Flavin, Dave Ganz and Gary Wimberly. The second event was the qualifier for the Senior Cup. The eight men who made it into match play were Larry Giglio, John de Greck, Bob O’Connell, Doc Schneider, Terry Schad, Mark Hawley, Mike Flavin and Dave Ganz. Four events are planned for May, including The Ryder Cup and The Member-Guest. Regarding the latter, all ages and genders are eligible. The format will be determined soon.
Junior Golf Update by Jeanne Flowers
scoringjrgolf@gmail.com
Junior Golf is Looking for Paid Scorers We are frequently looking for paid scorers to help with Junior Golf in June and July. If you or your dependent(s) are interested, we need to add you to our database. Please contact me directly at scoringjrgolf@gmail.com or Ali Kaplan at alik@foresthillscc.net and we can get you the link to the google form. This is a great opportunity for high schoolers who are familiar with golf, to earn a little extra money in the summer.
Save the Date for the Following Events:
Mandatory Scoring Meeting
Junior Golf Member Guest
Junior Golf Awards Banquet
Sunday, May 22nd • 4:00 pm
Wednesday, June 29th
Friday, July 22nd • 5:45 pm
This meeting and Rules of Golf training session is mandatory for all parents and scorers in the Junior Golf Program.
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Tee times will begin at 1:00 pm. Scramble Format: All players play in the same division. Tee sets will be determined by age of competitors. $60 / team
The Awards Banquet is an evening of trophy presentations by the Professional Staff followed by dinner. This is a special evening for the junior golfers where various awards, including Junior Club Champions, are presented.
Sunday, June 5th 2:00 pm Shotgun $75 plus cart fee Format: Modified Alternate Shot Price includes golf and dinner Dinner To Follow Play $75 Per Couple
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Includes golf and dinner. Cart fee additional. Sign Up on ForeTees
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This Summer at the Aquatic Center
Friday, June 3rd Friday, July 2nd DJ Entertainment 5:00 - 8:00 pm
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Enjoy family fun at the pool, food and music while soaking up the summer sun. Food will be available by member signature. No sign up required.
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Evening Book Club by Connie Hawley
hawleyc1@hotmail.com
Next Meeting: Wednesday, May 11th ● 6:00 pm The April Evening Book Club meeting had one of the highest attendances ever and more new members. The meeting was moved to different room in order to accommodate the group! All good stuff. Everyone enjoyed discussing The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles. While at the last minute, I had to leave a day early to attend a conference in Kansas City and did not even attend the meeting. I have my information from the most reliable source. The Forest Hills Country Club members “news sharing circulation by phone, text, mouth or email group”….only good stuff of course. In May, we will be discussing The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict Sign up on ForeTees or call the Club and RSVP. Join us at 6:00 pm as we start our evening together with “social “time. We enjoy a drink or two paired with dinner of your choice. If you have any questions, please feel free to call me at (636) 536-2622.
Morning Book Club by Bettina Esser
bettinaesser@gmail.com
Next Meeting: Wednesday, April 13th ● 10:30 am
Finally, spring! The Morning Book Group has selected books for the summer months that reflect a variety of topics, all of which should inspire great conversation.
Future selections include: ● ● ●
Wednesday, May 11th: The Stranger in the Lifeboat by Mitch Albom Wednesday, June 8th: The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz Wednesday, July 13th: Mouth to Mouth by Antoine Wilson
We meet on the second Wednesday of each month at 10:30 and follow our discussion with lunch. We look forward to seeing you there. In the meantime, happy reading! If you have any questions, please contact Bettina Esser at (314) 517-5003.
Saturday, June 18th 5:30 pm Shotgun Dinner to Follow •
Enjoy 9 Holes of Golf on our Championship Course
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Beverage Cart Available
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Couples and Guests are Invited
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Guest Fees are Complimentary
$96 Per Couple Tag us in yourIncludes entry fees, cart and dinner.
Sign Up on ForeTees
Meet Our New Personal Trainer!
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Racquets News by Kyle O’Leary
kyleo@foresthillscc.net
Things to Look Forward to: • • • • •
Private/Group Pickleball and Tennis Lessons with our new Head Racquets Professional, Kirk Schaaf Sunday Ball Machine Rental (Tennis) Sunday bookings with our newest pro, Frank Amanor Spring Racquet Tune Up - Restring and Regrip before Summer Upcoming Events, which can be found below Reach out to me directly for more information– we want to hear from you! kyleo@foresthillscc.net or (314) 369-1153
Pickleball Palooza
Pickleball Palooza
Saturday, April 9th
Ladies Tennis Opening Day Wednesday, May 25th 8:30 am - 11:30 am $40 per player • Sign up on ForeTees
Summer Racquet Sports Kickoff Friday, May 27th 5:30 - 6:30 pm Tennis Games 6:30 - 8:00 pm Pickleball $30 per person • Sign up on ForeTees
Mens and Ladies Singles Club Championship Sign Up by Wednesday, June 1st Early Round Matches will be Scheduled Between Opponents
Junior Boys and Girls Singles Championships Sign Up by Tuesday, June 7th Tournament will be played over the Course of the First Summer Session
Spring Junior Doubles Tournament
Adult Child Tennis Tournament
Saturday, May 28th 3:00 pm
Saturday, June 18th 1:00 pm
$40 per team • Sign up on ForeTees
$40 per Team • Sign up on ForeTees
Ladies Tennis Guest Day
Beer Pong Tennis Tournament
Wednesday, June 8th 8:30 am - 11:00 am
Saturday, June 18th 6:00 pm
$40 per player • Sign up on ForeTees
$40 per player • Sign up on ForeTees
Upcoming Events
Kentucky Derby Party Saturday, May 7th • Adults Only 4:30 pm - 7:30 pm at the Pool Cabana 13
Derby attire encouraged! There will be prizes for “Best Hat” and “Best Dressed Couple.” Derby themed cocktails will also be available by signature.
Mothers Day Brunch
Sign up on ForeTees
Sunday, May 8th Reservations from 10:00 am - 1:30 pm Bring the family to the Club for an exquisite brunch. Mother’s in attendance can also create their own floral bouquet as a take home gift. Additional details available on ForeTees.
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Fourth of July Celebration and Carnival Monday, July 4th
-SAVE THE DATEThis all day event will feature a Carnival, DJ Utopia, lunch and dinner buffets and fireworks at dusk. Additional details forthcoming.
Wine Dinner Featuring Paul Hobbs Winery Thursday, October 27th 6:00 pm Reception Wine 6:30 pm Dinner 13
18 Hole Ladies Golf News by Christy Ehrenreich
christyehren@gmail.com
Warning before you read this article to get out your planner, calendar, or electronic device. The Ladies 18 Hole Group is underway with events! First, there is a call out to our members. Please, please help us have our Member-Guest Tournament on June 21st. We need at least two people to agree to chair this event. Contact Leatta Phillips at 314-973-3067 or onmiwa16@yahoo.com. Thanks to all who braved the sprinkles to participate in the Spring Opener. The day turned out nice as we managed to get in 9 holes.
Upcoming Events Tuesday, May 10th at 9:20am Tee Time - Ladies Play with a Pro - Nick Jones - First 3 sign ups will play. Reminder: There will be 2 alternates. Wednesday, May 18th at 5:00 pm - Girls' Night Out with the 9 Hole Ladies. This will be 9 holes of golf followed by cocktails, appetizers and dinner. Persimmon Challenge Tues. May 24th at Forest Hills and Thurs. May 26th at Persimmon Woods Sign up on ForeTees. The Chicks and Sticks event still has a couple of openings on May 4th at 10:00 am and May 18th at 10:00 am. The Match Play deadline for Single and Doubles is May 17th at 5:00 pm. Sign up on ForeTees. This is a season long event. 9 and 18 hole Ladies Scramble June 2nd 9:00 am Shotgun. Sign up on ForeTees beginning May 2nd. 18 Hole Member-Guest on Tuesday, June 21st. We also have a Lake Forest Interclub event on Thursday, June 23rd. Well, there is no stopping our Ladies 18 hole from planning events for this season. Looking forward to seeing everyone!
9 Hole Ladies Golf News by Angie Walsh and Kathy Muschick Welcome to the ladies 9 Hole League! Writing the column this season will be Angie Walsh and Kathy Muschick. We don’t claim to be experts in the game of golf by any means, but after playing more golf during COVID, we continue to learn about the game, have met so many nice ladies and absolutely love being a part of the golf community at Forest Hills. We are excited for the season to start, even on the days we find ourselves in the bunker, out of bounds or in the water. We want to share a couple of upcoming events to look forward to this month… Bring a Friend is scheduled for May 12th. Grab a fun friend and enjoy the complimentary guest fee offered. On May 18th , enjoy 9 and 18 Hole Girls’ Night Out at 5:00 pm. This casual night includes playing nine on the Championship Course and will be followed by dinner. There is also a 9 & 18 Hole Ladies Scramble scheduled for June 2nd with a 9:00 am shotgun. Sign up is available for each of these events on ForeTees. Some tips to remember for making the ladies 9 Hole League run smoothly each Thursday morning: ● ● ●
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Pick up your score cards from the pro shop and turn them in after your round Keep pace of play to 10 minutes a hole Ready golf is encouraged Have a ball marker, extra balls, and tees ready to go Have fun, laugh and enjoy our beautiful golf course
If you’d like to join us on Thursday mornings, please call the Pro Shop and request to join the 9 Hole Ladies League then put your name on the tee sheet. Tee times begin early and go until mid morning. We’d like to give a shout out to Jan Smith! Jan has been a member at Forest Hills for several years and just recently joined the ladies 9 hole league. She joined a group of nice outgoing women she didn’t know last Thursday morning (ok, it was us) and played for the first time. Way to go Jan! We encourage all ladies who have been thinking about playing more golf, to join us this season! Etiquette Quiz Question #1 When someone is putting, you should? A. Walk in their line B. Make sure your shadow provides some nice shade for their line C. Keep quiet and watch to see if it goes in D. Talk about the latest gossip in their backstroke
Spring Opener Photos
Course Update by Scott Reynolds, GCS
scottr@foresthillscc.net
Dear Forest Hills Members, The golf season is upon us, and the weather is not matching our enthusiasm. Because of the weather, you may or may not have questions about what is happening on the course as well as what is behind some of my decision making. This is to be expected. I would like to address some noteworthy items with hope that we all have a clearer picture. A little about me as a person for those who do not know me well. My self-evaluation would sound like this. I am not a gunslinger, impulsive, gambler, shoot from the hip kind of guy. I am rather boring because I’m calculated, over analytical, conservative, sometimes slow to make a decision due to being over analytical and over protecting to name a few qualities. What does all this mean? I view my responsibility to you is making sure we have all the grass living by the time we reach the end of September. If I do that then every golf group will have a wonderful experience to highlight their club during special events.
The Driving Range Tee First, we need to acknowledge we are not getting near the growing conditions for Zoysia grass as we should. We had two frost mornings this week. Yes, the Zoysia is greening up but its way behind where it should be. We are not seeing the aggressive growth in divots as we should. This is a key factor in decision making. If I had opened the driving range tee in these conditions a few weeks ago we would be looking at a tee full of bare spots by now. We still have last September, and October divots not healed in yet. I know many are frustrated not being able to use the grass tee by now. I am frustrated as well. What we can do is go to soft opening on the tee for weekend play. Then go back to the mats during the week. Once the temperature comes up, we can expand the grass tee usage during the week. Standing water and saturated turf will result in mat usage, regardless of the day.
Excavated Holes at #9 Fairway As many have witnessed the basins in 9 fairway have been failing the past few years. We have opened them up to find the issues. Repair parts are on order, and we are suffering through supply delays. Once the parts come in, we will restore these areas immediately.
#5 Gold/Blue Tee This is progressing very well. Rain is an issue however, if we can get two dry days next week, we will have this finished.
Brown Spots in Fairways The weather has been a perfect scenario for disaster in poorly drained areas of Zoysia fairways and tees. The Zoysia broke dormancy (started greening up) then was hit with multiple rainstorms compounded by freezing temperatures. Again, the current weather pattern does nothing to help these areas recover. With higher temperatures, fertilizer, and patience many of these areas will re15 cover. I hope this helps in some way better understand what is happening on the golf course both weather wise and decision making. As always, please reach out if you have anything I need to explain better.
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Forest Hills Country Club 36 Forest Club Drive Chesterfield, MO 63005 If the electronic copy of On Course fails to meet your family’s needs and you would like to opt-in to receiving a physical mailing, please notify Ali Kaplan at or alik@foresthillscc.net. Copies are also available in the Clubhouse lobby.
We would love to hear your ideas, suggestions, feedback, or positive comments in regards to any and all things related to our Club. To submit, email hospitality@foresthillscc.net
Club Contacts BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Larry Marx, CCM CCE
Clubhouse (636) 227-5030
Peter J. Arman
Interim General Manager 636.207.3515 ● larrym@foresthillscc.net
Office Fax (636) 227-2540
Board Chair
Lawrence R. Giglio Membership Chair
Matthew J. Ott Grounds Chair
David A. Linenbroker Secretary
Zachary G. Smith
Emma Gore Assistant General Manager 636.230.2507 ● emmag@foresthillscc.net
Craig Peterson Executive Chef 636.207.3518 ● craigp@foresthillscc.net
Scott Reynolds, GCS
Treasurer/ Finance Chair
Grounds Superintendent 636.227.5044 ● scottr@foresthillscc.net
Lawrence A. Thayer
Jennifer Schoen
Governance Chair
Mark F. Forst
Controller 636.207.3513 ● jenns@foresthillscc.net
Tennis/ Swim Chair
Ryan Schaben, CMP
Laurie A. Lambert-Hopkins Director
Membership Director 636.207.3545 ● ryans@foresthillscc.net
Charles H. Nance
Jimmy Bals, PGA
Vice Board Chair Long Range Planning Chair
Director of Golf 636.227.1528 ● jimmyb@foresthillscc.net
Edward A. Dorch
JT Tierney, PGA
Golf Chair
Head Golf Professional 636.227.1528 ● jtt@foresthillscc.net
Michael A. Flavin Director
Chris Ballard
Stephen A. Sigman
Food and Beverage Manager 636.207.3532 ● chrisb@foresthillscc.net
House Chair
Golf Shop (636) 227-1528 www.foresthillscc.net Adam Goad Assistant Food and Beverage Manager 636.207.3535 ● adamg@foresthillscc.net
Matt Knopf Locker Room Manager 636.207.3527 ● mattk@foresthillscc.net
Monica Knudtson Office Manager 636.207.3514 ● monicak@foresthillscc.net
Ali Kaplan Member Communications / Marketing 636.207.3512 ● alik@foresthillscc.net
Alexandra Dorton Director of Events 636.207.3528 ● alexd@foresthillscc.net
Jon Cameron Events Manager 636.207.3535 ● jonc@foresthillscc.net
Kyle O’Leary Director of Racquet Sports 314.369.1153 ● kyleo@foresthillscc.net
Dale Davis Facilities Manager 636.207.3533 ● daled@foresthillscc.net