Our Awbrey Glen - Awbrey Glen Golf Club

Our Awbrey Glen
Come for the Golf,
Stay for the Friendships
The Awbrey Glen Golf Club Newsletter · Summer 2015
reflections from the awbrey glen ambassador program
Having just moved to Bend from Cincinnati, OH several months
ago and into the Awbrey Glen neighborhood, we have been
delighted with the beauty of the area, the enjoyable lifestyle and
friendliness of the Bend community. But nothing could have
prepared us for the warm welcome we have received at Awbrey
Glen Golf Club. And we are convinced that the best kept secret
at AGGC is the Ambassador program!
Our Ambassador experience began for us in March, when
Membership Director Barb Malcom invited us to a new member
happy hour at the club. Admittedly, we went with a bit of trepidation, not knowing a soul other than Barb. To our surprise and
delight, we were surrounded the entire evening with the most
warm and welcoming folks we had ever met! Each one was genuinely interested in getting to know us and making sure we felt at
home. At the end of the happy hour we were grafted into a table
of about 20 for a fun dinner at the club. And the vast majority of
these wonderful club members were the Awbrey Glen Ambassadors! As Mark quipped at the end of the evening, “I don’t know
who that Ambassador family was, but they were the friendliest
folks I’ve ever met!”
Well, we made the decision to join the club instantaneously after
that experience. And we were immediately assigned an Ambassador couple (after having completed a form listing our various
interests, which helps coordinator Sue Thompson match up the
new members with their Ambassadors.)
Our ambassadors, Ron and GayRene Homer, have been key to
our being enfolded into the entire experience of AGGC. They
have introduced us to countless new friends, escorted us to various club functions, shared meals with us, golfed with us, and
more. And they have become dear friends in the process.
New Members Mark and Suzy Shunk
We can’t say enough about the Ambassador program at AGGC.
It is phenomenal! Seriously, it should be patented and licensed.
We have thought of many organizations that could benefit from
a program that does such a remarkable job of making new members feel warmly welcomed and genuinely cared about.
To anyone who is considering joining AGGC-whether as a golf
member, a sports member, or whatever level of membership
you choose-you are in for a treat! A first class club and facilities,
remarkable staff, and outstanding membership including the
Ambassadors who will make you feel like you are part of a very
special family. Enjoy! And we look forward to getting to know
you!
Mark & Suzy Shunk
hole in one report
History was made at Awbrey Glen Golf Club on June 21st. We had
our first hole in one on a par four; otherwise known as an albatross!
Cole Chrisman teed off on hole #5 with this his three wood and
knocked the ball into the hole. Cole turned to his dad James and
said I think that might have gone in, James responded saying he
thought it went over the green. After driving to the green and not
seeing a ball over the green Cole looked in the cup and there it was!
Congratulations Cole!
Hole-In-One’s since our last newsletter; Congratulations to all these
ACERS!
Jack Tibbetts #13
Carol Lee #8
Members Enjoying the Fourth of July Festivities
Dave Morton #16
explorers
Summer Explorers
What do Awbrey Glen members do when they aren’t playing
golf? They explore! The Explorers plan and organize events,
trips, and social/recreational activities for the benefit of all
members. We’ve had a busy 2015 so far, and we have more
adventures in the planning stages for fall and winter.
In addition to the weekly hiking, biking, kayaking and Mah
Jongg games, we scheduled several one-day Explorer events:
a trip to Harvest Moon Alpaca Ranch, the “Intern for a Day”
program at St. Charles, a fly-casting lesson and a private dinner just for us at Trattoria Sbandati.
We also introduced a new Speaker Series last fall and have
had a big turnout for each of our speakers. Most recently,
we hosted William Sullivan, author of the respected Oregon
hiking guides; Doug Stott, Master Gardner and high desert
gardening guru; and Jon Abernathy, Bend beer blogger and
author. With Explorer Martha Iverson in charge, the Speaker
Series will resume in the fall, when Loren Irving, local historian and expert on the life of John Fremont and his adventures
in Central Oregon will be our first speaker.
Did you go on any of the multi-day trips? If so, you know they
are fantastic! In 2015, we visited the history-rich Astoria and
Long Beach area; spent three days in Coeur d’Alene biking
and golfing; and shortly, many members will be packing for a
Explorer’s Visiting the Harvert Moon Alpaca Ranch
jet boat excursion in Grants Pass. Kudos to the Longs, Chandlers, and Starks for arranging such varied and fun excursions.
Closer to home, the Wine Education Group has been offering
tastings and extraordinarily delicious wine maker dinners
(with a little help from Chef Darrin). Explorer Bob Stark has
continued to arrange monthly Happy Hour entertainment for
our enjoyment.
And while it’s hard to imagine, we will transition sooner than
you think from hiking to snowshoeing, from kayaking to skiing, so you won’t want to miss the Fall/Winter Sports dinner,
scheduled for November 17.
Do you have an idea for an outing for the Explorers? The best
way to get involved is to come to the next monthly Explorers meeting—after all, the Explorers events are organized by
members for members. The next meeting will be announced
in the weekly “This Week at Awbrey Glen” email.
fore | mark amberson
Fore,
ed the annual meeting in early June. As
mentioned at the meeting we are moving
Summer time and the living is easy! Well; forward with many of the improvements
I hope it is for all of you. Speaking of living identified with the Repair and Improveeasy, the next time you play golf move for- ment Fee. The golf course top-dressing
ward one set of tee boxes. If you normally program is ongoing, the cart path repairs
play the gold tees, try the white, yellows to have been completed, the new treadmill
red, red to somewhere in front of the red
is in at the Fitness Center, and the House
etc… Why? FUN! I don’t think many of
Committee is diligently working on the
us rely on our golf income to support our
plans for the grill enhancements schedfamilies or lifestyles so why not “Play it
uled to be done in January. Thank you
Forward” the next time you golf. It’s okay again for your support of Awbrey Glen!
to shoot a lower score and have more FUN
when you play!
Kid’s fishing derby, Bocce Ball, FootGolf,
GolfBoards, golf events (sweeps, guest
Mark your calendars for the Annual
day, visitation, team play, Deschutes Cup,
Member Barbecue; August 4th is the pro-junior, junior golf, swim lessons, golf
date for this year. We will have plenty of
clinics, hiking, biking, Explorer’s outings;
fun for all great food and beverage, and
wow just a sampling of activities from the
best of all your fellow members!
last few months. What a great time to get
involved at YOUR club; we look forward
Thank you to all the members who attend- to seeing you soon and often!
We continue to see many new faces at
Awbrey Glen with many new or returning
members joining Awbrey Glen since the
first of the year! Awbrey Glen is the place
to be with all of our fantastic members.
Keep the ball rolling as you continue to tell
more and more prospective members about
Awbrey Glen!
Have you seen the beautiful flower pots in
front of the clubhouse? A special thank you
goes out to the “the flower ladies” for donating their time to plant and tend to them this
summer. Thank you!
Take care and we look forward to seeing
you at the club soon!
Mark Amberson
General Manager/COO
may ace award winner
Kanani
We are happy to announce our May
Awbrey Glen Golf Club ACE (Awbrey’s
Circle of Excellence) award winner Kanani
Kitashima.
The persons who nominated Kanai wrote;
“We would like to nominate Kanani Kitashima for an ACE award. He is a valuable asset to Awbrey Glen Golf Club. On
numerous occasions he has helped the food
and beverage department in a pinch. From
small equipment repairs to his knowledge
of the operation. His can-do spirit and
willingness to drop anything that he is doing at a moment’s notice to help someone
else out is a model noteworthy employee.
His communication between departments
has also been beneficial. From golf course
maintenance, pool maintenance, pool
snack bar attendant, the list goes on and on
and Kanani comes through!”
Also receiving a nomination for the month
of May was Seth Pfister. Seth is a key MSA
(Member Service Attendant who is very
knowledgeable and helps out in many
ways. Thank you Seth!
Please help me in congratulating our May
ACE award winner!
Mark Amberson
General Manager/COO
summer 2015
From Your
Greens Committee
“Come for the golf stay for the friendships”.
This means something different to each and
every member at Awbrey Glen. On some
level, golf is part of every member’s experience, from the daily golfer who sees more
parts of the golf course than they would
prefer sometimes, to the social member who
just enjoys the views from the club house.
Next to our membership, the golf course
is our most important aspect of the club
and the first thing member’s think about.
This season has brought many new firsts to
the course. The mild winter allowed us to
open the course in February, a first! Input
into bunker playability has us now using
the “Aussie Method” of bunker care, allowing for more consistent lies for the golfer.
Review of the Master Plan and its vision
for Hole #5 now has more risk/reward by
moving the tee boxes forward. These are
examples of how the Green Committee and
Maintenance staff are working to improve
you experience on the golf course.
Next to the maintenance staff, the person(s)
who can most improve everyone’s enjoyment of the course is YOU. Simple things to
remember that take little time but can have
a huge impact include:
1. Greens:
a. Repair your ball mark plus one or
two on every green.
b. Do not leave anything foreign on the
green, including towels, clubs, nut and
seed shells, etc.
c. Leave the rake at the lowest
point to encourage the next player
to enter there.
d. Leave the rake in the bunker
with just the handle on the edge.
e. After exiting the bunker, tap
you shoes with your club to
remove any sand before walking
onto the green.
3. Fairways:
a. Sand is on the carts for a reason. Fill your divot plus one or
two on every fairway.
4. Carts:
a. Park your cart with all four
wheels on the cart path at greens
and tees.
b. Water and carts on fairways is
a dangerous combination. When
you notice the fairway is wet, use
a slow acceleration and deceleration on the cart to avoid damage.
c. Enter and exit fairways noting
rope lines when installed.
d. Keep in mind pace of play when
dropping off cart riders for shots.
e. Golfboards allow riders to go
many places carts cannot, but do
not drive golf boards over tees or
within 10 yards of greens.
These are all very simple measures that
when ignored cause problems for the
a. Enter a sand trap at the lowest point. golfer behind you. Play it forward!
2. Sand Traps:
b. Rake the bunker to a level condition
you would be happy to hit your next
shot out of.
Joe Oberto
Green Committee Chair
player development
Golfboards & Player
Development
Golfboarding is here!
Since May 8th, AGGC has been utilizing 4 Golfboards and has
entered a lease for 3 years as of June 16th. These new amenities have been a lot of FUN and virtually have a 100% satisfaction rate from every user that has tried them. Many members
have purchased punch-cards, annual passes and brought out
guests to experience this new sensation. We thank you for the
early support while adding an entirely new experience on our
contoured terrain.
Don’t be afraid, Golfboarders come in all ages and we are
seeing quite an interest in our 58-68 crowd! The boards allow
freedom all over the course and are wonderful for quick morning rounds. While zipping around the fairways you can still
talk to other Golfboarders or walkers and you get a little leg
and core workout. AGGC is the first private club in Central
Oregon to join the many courses across the country enjoying
this new product. If you would like to try out a Golfboard go
to www.golfboard.com to see what the FUN is all about! To
get certified to ride the boards click on https://lw.golfboard.
com/liability_waiver/new_rider/77/AwbreyGlenGolfClub and
you are good to ride after a quick tutorial from your AGGC
staff!
Get out and Surf the Earth!
Member enjoying our new golfboards!
Programs for Women, Men and Juniors!
Since April 1st we have seen many smiling faces working on
their games and having fun in the programs on the learning
center. As of now we are finishing up a 10 yard challenge class
for men and women, the Junior Golf instruction is in it’s 3rd
week and coaching clubs are going strong! We added a new
Tuesday evening “Women’s Golf Night” that runs weekly at
5:00pm through September 29th. The social, fun and learning
atmosphere will pair nicely with Taco Tuesdays and $5 margs!
Come Join us!
Sign up for all Programs on ForeTees under golf instruction
Get Golfing!
Tim Fraley, Golf Professional
Director of Player Development
restaurant |
We are in the full swing of summer and things are hopping here at Come in soon and experience Summer Dining at your
your Restaurant at Awbrey Glen. We are now open 6 nights a week Awbrey Glen Restaurant!
for your dining pleasure and our patio, with its awesome views, is
the place to be!! Sundays we’re cookin’ up some fabulous smoker
items and Tuesdays are rockin’ with $2 tacos and $5 margaritas. If
you haven’t yet experienced these newest dining additions come on
in! We also have a Corn Hole game set up every day at the end of
the patio – if you haven’t played give it a try – it is a LOT of fun!
Too hot to cook? Come and hang out at the pool and enjoy JC’s
Summer Pool Barbeques. Every Sunday from 4 – 7 p.m. JC will be
grilling up pizza (definitely a favorite!), chicken and burgers along
with different salad choices. Sure beats cooking at home!
We’ll be having our very fun Music and Libations each month, and
weather permitting they are outside on the patio! Our not to be
missed All Member Summer BBQ will be on August 4th starting at
6:00pm. We’ll have fun activities for kids and adults alike including bocce ball, corn hole and putting games plus a fabulous buffet
Gail and Chef Darrin preparing food in the smoker
prepared by Chef Darrin and his culinary team.
april ace award winner
Move the Flag --- 72
Over the last couple of months,
you’ve heard a lot about “72”
around the club. So what IS 72???
We are happy to announce our April
Awbrey Glen Golf Club ACE (Awbrey’s
Circle of Excellence) award winner Zak
Root. Zak is one of our wonderful Sous
Chefs!
The person who nominated Zak wrote;
“Over the last seven years Zak has
proven over and over that he is an
integral part of Awbrey Glen. From
trouble shooting computers, to updating
the point of sales system to being a true
leader in the kitchen, he is worthy of our
April ACE Award. As an example, back
in December, just moments after the
chef left for the evening, what seemed
like a jet propelled gush of water was
coming from the roof on the turnaround
repeatedly setting off the fire alarm.
Keep in mind that there was a holiday
party going on this very moment, but
he and others re-assured the clients that
everything was under control. He then
proceeded to find the location of the
shut off and saved the day and the party.
Thanks Zak for all that you do.
Also receiving nominations for the
month of April was Meghan Dobbins
our Retail Manager and Kanani Kitashima Golf Maintenance staff and
Pool chemist/mechanic extraordinaire.
Meghan was recognized for her tireless
work at Awbrey Glen and the special
hand written notes she gave to 40+ of the
ladies at their orientation. Kanani was
recognized for all the extra efforts he
gives the Club on a regular basis. Thank
you Meghan and Kanani!
Please help me in congratulating our
April ACE award winner!
Mark Amberson
General Manager/COO
Well… 72 is PAR at Awbrey
Glen… and 72 is our goal for
new members for this year… The
NEW 72!!!
Let’s have some fun together
with Awbrey Glen’s MOVE THE
FLAG-72 membership campaign
that was launched in May. Here’s
how it works: Using PAR 72 as
a metaphor, each new member
enrollment counts as a stroke.
Look for the ten foot tall 72 Flag
that began on Hole #1. The 72
Flag started low on the flagpole
and after the first five members
enrolled (Par on Hole #1), it
moved up the flagpole five notches and moved to Hole #2. After four more members (Hole #2 is a Par 4), the flag moved up
another four notches and onto Hole #3.
Once we enroll 72 new members (The NEW 72!), the 72 Flag will be on Hole #18 at the top
of the flagpole! And then it will be time to PAR-TEE!
Since the Move The Flag – 72 campaign was launched, over 36 new members have joined
the club. The 72 Flag is now almost halfway up the flagpole and at the time of this writing, it
is sitting on Hole #10!
If you aren’t out on the course, you can still watch the progress. Check out the very cool
72 Board in the lobby. It shows the location of the 72 Flag on the course and highlights the
names of the “New 72” along with the names of their referring members.
Join the fun and refer your friends. If one of your referrals joins the club, you will be eligible
for up to $300 credit. If TWO of your referrals join as Journey Golf Members during this
fiscal year (May ’15-May ’16) you will receive $720 in credit! Wow!
Watch for other fun 72 promotions throughout the summer including pro shop deals and
grill offerings. And in case you missed it, Awbrey Glen resident JASON POTRIN won our
first Move The Flag-72 contest. Congratulations, Jason! The next contest will be announced
later this summer.
Grab a few 72 Referral cards from Barbara Malcom and SPREAD THE WORD about the
fun at Awbrey Glen!
SHOOTING FOR PAR – LET’S MOVE THE FLAG – TOGETHER!
calendar at a glance
Check the website for details!
JULY
Men’s Member Guest Tournament
July 16-18
Happy Hour Music & Libations with Mango Stew
July 25
Central Oregon Junior Golf Association Golf Tournament
July 27
Explorer’s Jet Boat/Grants Pass Excursion
July 27 - 29
Women’s Member Guest Tournament
July 30-31
AUGUST
Member Outdoor BBQ
August 4
Junior Member/Guest Tournament
August 10
Special Olympics Golf Play Day
August 15
Women’s Club Championship
August 20-21
Men’s Club championship
August 22-23
Bocce Golf & Horseshoe Tournament
August 25
Happy Hour Music & Libations with Stronghold
August 28
SEPTEMBER
Labor Day couple’s Tournament
September 7
Women’s Guest Day
September 10
Men’s Member/Member Tournament
September 11-12
Junior Club Championship
September 13
Glen Give’s Annual Dinner & Auction
September 13
Golf Course Closed for Greens Aerification
September 14-15
Happy Hour Music & Libations
September 19
Junior Fall Cup Matches
September 23 & 30
Women’s Solheim Matches
September 24-25
Men’s Awbrey Cup Match
September 30 - October 2
Fishing Derby Fun!!!
awbrey glen golf club
2500 NW Awbrey Glen Drive Bend, Oregon 97701
www.awbreyglen.com 541.385.6011
Mission Statement
AGGC is a member-owned, full service golf club dedicated to
providing its diverse membership and guests with exceptional
services and value within a friendly and welcoming community
environment.
Board of Directors
Management Team
Bob Browning
Mark Amberson
General Manager/COO
Gary Chandler
Ron Lemp
Dave Maul
Joe Oberto
Pauline Rhoads
Bob Scott
Julie Smith
Ken Waskom
Gail Moulton
Restaurant Manager
Doug Feher
GC Superintendent
Tim Fraley
Head Golf Professional/Director
of Player Development
Kristi Fuller
Accounting Manager
Darrin Hauser
Executive Chef
Barbara Malcom
Membership Director