TPC JASNA POLANA SPRING NEWSLETTER
Chad Fleming General Manager
Tim Connolly Director of Golf Course Maintenance Operations
Marcie Bono Executive Assistant
Christopher Moffat Assistant Superintendent
Peter Angerame Director of Sales & Marketing
Jason Miller Director of Hospitality
Kira Provenzano Sales & Marketing Assistant
Jeffrey Harris Executive Chef
Brian Parcel Head Golf Professional
Fay Wernik Director of Catering
Steven DePiano Assistant Golf Professional
Michelle Caponi Lodging Operations Manager
Jason Field Assistant Golf Professional
Cathy Newman Accounting Director
Rita Keegan Golf Shop Coordinator
Janice Cai Accounting Assistant
RECEPTION DESK Mon - Fri: 8:00 am - 5:00 pm GOLF SHOP 4/25 - September: 7:00 am - 7:00 pm FIRST STARTING TIME 4/25 - September: weekends: 7:30 am weekdays: 8:00 am PRACTICE FACILITY Tues- Fri: 7:30 am - sundown Sat/Sun: 7:00 am - sundown
OAK ROOM Tues- Sun: 11:00 am - 11:00 pm *Food served until 9:00 pm
DINING ROOM Breakfast Tues - Sun: 7:30 am - 10:30 am Lunch Tues - Fri & Sun: 11:00 am - 2:30 pm Dinner Thurs- Sat: 5:00 pm - 9:00 pm Dinner served in the Oak Room on Tues, Wed & Sun
CLUBHOUSE
609.688.0500
ADMIN
609.688.2001
CLUBHOUSE FAX
609.924.0547
MARKETING
609.688.2003
GOLF SHOP
609.688.2000
MEMBERSHIP
609.688.2012
Dear Members, Spring flowers and warmer temperatures are on the horizon. Please enjoy reading Jasna Polana’s Spring Newsletter which highlights happenings in each department. The golf course came through a very harsh winter with little damage and the golf course maintenance team is working hard to get the course “show ready”. Beginning on March 23rd the golf course went through a process call “drill and fill” which is in addition to our standard aeration practices. This process is a little more disruptive to the surface but is crucial to perform for the long term health of the greens. With hopes of weather turning in our favor the course should be back to 100% for our opening day Par 3 Challenge.
During the off-season TPC Jasna Polana received several acknowledgememts through the PGA TOUR/TPC Network Tim Connolly for being selected as the Golf Course Maintenance Operation of the Year Jason Miller for receiving a Platinum Award for Food & Beverage Operations Jasna Polana received a Platinum Award for Overall Club Operations Jasna Polana was recognized ranking #1 in the Member Survey {Comparing PGA TOUR owned and operated properties}
2015 Capital Improvements Many capital purchases are items that you don’t see but do impact member service experience and day-to-day operations. These include the following: pump for the arrival courtyard fountain, computer upgrades and a new irrigation program. Items that are more noticeable include Sun Mountain V1 Speed carts, practice facility yardage markers, benches for the practice facility and golf course, golf club washers and divot bottle stands. In addition to many capital purchases, we received a new golf cart fleet, as well as a new golf course maintenance equipment fleet. Also on the research list is an engineering study on the irrigation lake on hole #17 and a walk bridge on hole #10. In the following pages we highlight these items in greater detail.
We listened to your feedback throughout the year and are happy to introduce the following improvements for 2015 which are in addition to our capital improvements.
Shortened tee time intervals between 7:30 - 8:00 am on weekend mornings to accommodate more golfers Enhanced tournament program Bottled water which will be supplied in the coolers located on the golf carts Full time employee dedicated to filling divots in the fairways Healthier food options to include expanded vegetarian and gluten free offerings Expanded beverage cart options Continuation of our members only logo
The staff at TPC Jasna Polana are excited to start the 2015 season with the noted changes and we look forward to seeing you, your family and friends at the Club soon! Chad J. Fleming, PGA General Manager/Director of Golf
PGA TOUR National Charities Giving Back The First Tee of Greater Trenton provides area youth with alternative and accessible forums for positive character development. Our annual First Tee of Greater Trenton golf outing will be on April 27th, 2015
2015 Birdies for the Brave is Monday, October 19th! Birdies for the Brave is the PGA TOUR's primary vehicle for supporting the brave men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces and their families. Since 2005, the TOUR has joined with PGA TOUR players and corporate partners to raise millions of dollars for military homefront groups that directly serve military men and women lost or seriously injured in performance of their duty through fundraising events at TPC clubs nationwide.
Follow all the action in the world of TPC Jasna Polana Agronomy on Twitter @JasnaPolanaAGR
Golf Course Update The winter of 2015 turned out to be quite memorable with multiple snow storms and record cold temperatures. The course remained under snowcover for 50 straight days. That’s a long time for a living plant to be deprived of sunlight and adequate oxygen, but the species of grass we have on greens, tees and fairways – creeping bentgrass – is very cold-tolerant. Area clubs that have poa annua instead of creeping bentgrass run the risk of large-scale winterkill since poa has a much lower cold-tolerance. Nevertheless, we did go ahead and plow snow off our shaded greens to speed up the melting process.
A snow storm on the Spring Equinox dumped 6” fresh snow on the course which delayed the start of spring aerification and Drill & Fill service on our greens. The Drill & Fill process is an important part of ensuring the long-term health of our greens. These machines have a set of drills that create a ¾” x 12” hole and inject sand into the hole. The process improves the overall drainage of the green by creating vertical sand-filled channels that allow rain water to filter quickly through the green’s profile.
After the Drill & Fill, the greens are broomed, aerified, brushed, cleaned up and rolled. Aerifying the green after a Drill & Fill helps close up the ¾” holes and speeds up the healing process.
This process will be disruptive to putting surfaces but we will do everything we can to ensure a speedy recovery. Once soil temperatures rise above 55°F, our bentgrass greens will heal quickly and you will see a great improvement in ball roll and firmness. In the meantime, I thank you so much for your understanding and patience as we strive to make the greens at TPC Jasna Polana the absolute best they can be for many years to come.
Starting this spring, we have a brand new John Deere equipment fleet to help us maintain the course! We maintain $1 million in John Deere equipment, including new greens mowers and fairway mowers. We also added a third large-area rough mower to increase the rough-mowing frequency during times of high growth rates. Having new equipment ensures that conditioning will be at the highest level possible during 2015 and beyond!
A word from Brian Parcel... Dear Jasna Polana Members, I hope this finds you all well as the cold winter is finally behind us and we are getting ready to play some golf. We are excited to get the 2015 season underway and have several new Tournaments and lots of new merchandise in the golf shop.
2015 Tournaments The Professional Staff has put a lot of time and effort into the 2015 Tournament program and is excited to have the Jasna Polana members out to participate. Some new additions and highlights include:
April 25th - All Vendor Demo Day - Need new equipment? Come out to test new product from Titleist, Callaway, TaylorMade, Nike, Cobra, Ping and Bridgestone.
April 26th - Par 3 Challenge - Every hole on the golf course will be played as a Par 3. Holes will range from 60 yards to 200 yards. Closest to the pin prizes will be awarded for each hole as well as First and Second Place (gross and net).
June 18th, 19th & 20th - Men’s Member Guest - Competition will take place over three days and include a resort casual spouse gala. Please refer to hard card mailing for more details. Hard card must be turned in to enter!
July 11th & 12th - Member Member - The 2015 Member Member event will be played over two days. Each 9 will have a different format. Formats to include Best ball of partners, Scramble, Alternate shot and Aggregate Score.
October 20th - Superintendent’s Revenge “Irish Open” - Superintendent Tim Connolly has listened to your feedback all year and now it will be his turn to prepare the golf course however he wants! Event will be played as a four person scramble and have many tricks and twists throughout the course.
For more event details or to sign up, please log onto ForeTees and click the event sign up tab or call the Golf Shop at 609.688.2000
A word from Brian Parcel (Cont’d.) Recently, I attended the Head Golf Professional Summit in Carlsbad, California. During this summit the TPC Network Professionals met with each vendor and walked through production and previewed all products for 2015. After this hands on experience with the vendors, I am confident it is going to be a great year for hard goods. Listed below I have several programs to help you start off the year.
Brand New Footjoy, Adidas and Nike golf shoes in stock!
Buy 1 pair of golf shoes, get 50 % off any in-stock footwear!
Custom Club Fittings Did you know the Professional Staff at TPC Jasna Polana is versed in Flightscope technology and certified to fit for Titleist, TaylorMade, Callaway and Nike. As a member at TPC Jasna Polana, we want to make sure we are your one stop shop for all your merchandise needs, including corporate gifts. Our pricing strategy is set to match, if not beat, the big box stores such as Golf Galaxy or Dicks Sporting Goods.
The Professional Staff at TPC Jasna Polana continues to grow their knowledge of the game and learn of new ways to help develop and grow our golfing membership. In 2015, the team will consist of five PGA Professionals and a 7 - month PGM Intern. Every staff member is well qualified to assist with any skill level from juniors to the collegiate level.
Golf Instruction
Please click here to learn more about our golf instruction programs that are available. I look forward to a great 2015 season. Should you have any questions or need assistance please feel free to stop by the Golf Shop, contact me by phone at 609.688.2008 or email me here. Fairways & Greens, Brian Parcel Head Golf Professional
A word from Jason Miller... As we look forward to Spring, Chef Jeffrey and Interior Plant Specialist Kristine are planning what we will grow in our garden for the members this season. It’s very exciting to be talking Spring! We will be making some A la’ Carte menu changes to show off some spring flavors which will also have Influence on changes and additions to the banquet menu. As the season approaches we have made some exiciting new changes to our Culinary Team. I am happy to announce the promotion of long time kitchen employee Rick Brabson to Sous Chef! New faces in the kitchen you may see in the coming months include Randy Forrester, Jack Si and Shakirah Sanders. On Easter Weekend we welcomed Sous Chef Seth Wheeler. Seth comes to us with a great deal of New York City experience from restaurants such as Spice Market, The Modern and most recently the New York Palace Hotel. Please join us in welcoming Seth to the Jasna Polana Team! A friendly reminder of our upcoming 2nd annual Charity Member Cookoff. The Cookoff will take place on April 24th, this Friday as we kick off Opening Weekend. Tickets are $100 with all of the proceeds going to benefit T.A.S.K (Trenton Area Soup Kitchen). Please come out and support your fellow members and help us raise Seth Wheeler, Sous Chef money for this wonderful cause! If you would like to show off your culinary talent we still have space available for Chefs. Please contact me by email here to volunteer! Jason Miller Director of Hospitality
From L to R; Jasna Polana Member Mr. Ridall, Ms. Nola Bencze, Director of Hospitality Jason Miller, General Manager Chad Fleming, Executive Chef Ryan Daniels, and Jasna Polana Member Dr. Cortese presenting TASK Manager of Programs Jaime Parker with their donation at the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen on Friday, June 13th, 2014
Pomegranate Balsamic Vinaigrette Which was used on our Farro and Edamame Salad during Easter Brunch
1 1/2 cups pomegranate juice 1/3 cup olive oil 5 teaspoons honey 1 tablespoon Balsamic vinegar 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard 1/4 teaspoon pepper 1/8 teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon dried oregano
Jeffrey Harris, Executive Chef
Method: Bring pomegranate juice to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat; reduce heat to medium, and cook, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes or until reduced to 1/4 cup. Transfer to a small bowl. Cool completely (about 30 minutes). Whisk in olive oil, oregano, honey, vinegar, mustard, pepper and salt.
Upcoming Food & Beverage Events
CHARITY MEMBER COOK OFF
APRIL 24
BACCHUS WINE CLUB
MAY 5
LADIES’ LUNCHEON
MAY
6
MOTHER’S DAY BRUNCH
MAY
10
SERIOUS STEAK NIGHT
EVERY THURS
Charity Member Cook-Off Friday, April 24 Cocktails: 6:30 pm Dinner: 7:00 pm For details CLICK HERE
Par 3 Challenge Sunday, April 26 Breakfast: 7:30 am Shotgun: 9:00 am For details CLICK HERE
Mother’s Day Brunch Sunday, May 10 For details CLICK HERE
Ladies’ Golf Clinic & Trunk Show Saturday, June 6 For details CLICK HERE
Men’s Member-Guest Invitational June 18, 19 & 20 For details CLICK HERE
Member-Member July 11 & July 12 Breakfast: 7:30 am Shotgun: 8:30 am For details CLICK HERE
Live the PGA TOUR experience