Club News - August 2008

Canebrake Connections, August 2008

Dear Canebrake Members,

At the outset, I want to thank each of you for your cooperation going through recent changes in management and ownership. Your kind comments and encouraging remarks are greatly appreciated. Our goal is to make Canebrake a better club and a better place to live.

Chef Ron appears to be back one hundred percent and fully recovered from his heart bypass surgery in April. Kudos to the rest of the staff for picking up the slack during Ron’s absence. In our accounting department, Gina is back after a six week leave for surgery. The doctors have given her good reports and she is recovering well. Also, in accounting, Leeandra has returned following the birth of her son, Alex. I apologize for any problems you may have experienced in that department during their leave. I am confident you will find they are a very efficient team as they work together.

Josh and Chad conducted a very successful Club Championship. Participation was the best ever, as over 80 players were in the competition. You will find complete results below.

Shawn and his staff have the golf course in excellent condition. Many of the bunkers have been refilled with sand, and the greens are rolling smoothly. He is excited about the one half million dollars worth of new maintenance equipment our new owners have purchased for him. His brief report below will give you an idea of his plans for the coming Fall.

Craig is wrapping up another good summer on the courts. Some of his students have excelled in recent tournaments. For more news on activities at the tennis courts, CLICK HERE.

Alice had a good summer at the pool. Her lifeguards will be scaled back to weekends for the remainder of the season. She is also doing a great job in member recruiting. You will note the list of new members continues to grow. Please join us in welcoming our new members during a reception August 21st from 5:30 to 6:30 pm at the Lodge. CLICK HERE for more information.

As Fall approaches, we look forward to cooler days and a lot of fun activities at the club. Look for details and an invitation coming soon for a party introducing our new owners. Good things are happening at Canebrake! See you at the Club.

See you at the club,
Jack Sauers

New Members Reception Held Thursday, August 21st

Both new and old members gathered at the Golf Lodge on Thursday night to enjoy an evening of getting to know our newest neighbors. The reception, held from 5:30 to 6:30, was great fun, and most of the guests stayed for what is always a wonderful dining event, Chef Ron's Seafood Bash.

New E-Z-Go Golf Cars Arrive

Our new fleet of E-Z-Go golf cars rolling into Canebrake. These E-Z=Gos are the top of line with many improved features, including the automatic parking brake. The new fleet represents another upgrade to the quality of Canebrake. We are also in receipt of one half million dollars worth of new golf course maintenance equipment. Look for Shawn and staff to provide us with an even better conditioned course. Our new aerator will allow us to keep the greens in even better condition by more frequent aerafication with less interruption of play.

Club Championship News and More

The month of July has been extremely busy and has had no shortage of exciting times.  So much has happened, I'm not sure where to begin but I will start with a pair of spectacular hole-in-ones.  Two of our members, Mike Davis and Marv Price, had hole-in-ones recently while playing at Canebrake.  Mike Davis had a hole in one on June 5th from 155 yards on the 17th hole using an 8 iron.  This was Mike's first hole in one!  Marv Price's came just a little more than a month later on number 13 and this hole in one was Marv's first as well.  I congratulate both gentlemen on what is, for many, a once in a lifetime achievement. 

As an additional note for those of you who did not receive my e-mail regarding the hole-in-one plaques, please let me know if you've had a hole in one that is not recognized on the plaques in the stairwell.  I have received a tremendous number of responses and have quite a list compiled, but would like to be sure I have everyone before updating the plaques.

Another exciting note at the club was our course record was broken on July 11.  Playing from the green tees, Patton Kizzire, from Tuscaloosa, shot an astounding 11 under par, 61.  Witnesses to the score were members Andrew Medley, Greg Anderson, Mark Hightower, and Assistant Golf Professional, Chad Anderson.  I will let it be known that myself and 4 other players had both the pleasure and pain of playing in the group in front of these gentlemen and lost our match quite handily.

Finally, the club championship concluded the month with Mr. Stewart Whitt emerging as the champion for an outstanding 4th year in a row.  Stewart began round one with a one over par 73, 4 shots behind the leader, Mr. David McKenzie who shot a three under par 69.  David only expanded on his lead after day two, firing a wonderful five under 67 to Stewart's four under 68.  Stewart managed to emerge as the victor however, as on the final day he posted a five under 67 to David's three over 75.  It was certainly a wonderful tournament and I hope everyone who did not participate will strongly consider joining us next year.

Josh Gardner

Club Championship Results

From the Superintendent

Recent rains over the past month have been both a blessing and a curse. Our turf has benefited greatly from the “Lord's Irrigation”, but our sand traps have not fared so well thru the downpours.

After the first three and a half inch rainfall, we spent a week putting the sand back in place and cleaning out the silt. The bunkers stayed this way for about ten days and then got washed out again by a second four inch rain. We made the decision to bring in some more sand to add to the worst of our traps. Over the coming weeks we will be packing this sand to provide the best playing conditions possible.

On the radar for this winter, we have a number of projects planned. We will be targeting some of our traps that do not drain well, and completely rebuilding them. We also plan to continue with our tree program this winter.

I hope you all had a great summer on the golf course, and I look forward to seeing you out on the fairways.

Shawn Hollis