Newsletters

September Newsletter

GENERAL MANAGER & HEAD GOLF PROFESSIONAL
The September newsletter is always the saddest one to write as that means our golf season is close to ending.  It is amazing how fast it goes, especially when you have a late start to summer as we did this year when we finally stopped seeing so much rain.  However, fall is my favorite time of year to play golf.  It is a beautiful time of year with the colors changing and the weather is usually very comfortable which makes enjoying the golf course that much better.   This is probably why September is one of our busiest months. 
 
Besides the golf course, Fortune Bay Resort has all you need to enjoy a nice trip away from home.  Whether enjoying the pool, maybe do a little gaming, or bringing up the boat to enjoy Lake Vermilion you are sure to find something to do around playing some golf of course! Please book early as they fill up quick.
 
Check out the following fun events before the end of the season!
October 1st – Ladies Golf Day, 11:00 am Shotgun, 4-person scramble
October 6th – Vermilion Club Open, 11:00 am Shotgun, 4-person scramble
October 14th – Grand Finale, 11:00 am Shotgun, Individual play with mulligan option

Call the golf shop at 218-753-8917 to sign up or for more information!
 
On a side note regarding course maintenance, we don’t aerify our greens until after we close for the season.  However, we will be aerifying fairways, tees and approach areas throughout the end of the season.
 
Hope to see you at The Wilderness one more time!
 
Happy Golfing!
 
Ryan Peterson
 
“Golf is the closest game to the game we call life.  You get bad breaks from good shots; you get good breaks from bad shots – but you have to play the ball where it lies.”  Bobby Jones

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GOLF ​COURSE SUPERINTENDENT
What a wonderful month August was for us on the golf course.  We received only an inch of rain throughout the entire month-most of it in the early part of the month.  Ask most superintendents what they prefer and they will say too little rain over too much.  It felt good to use the irrigation system to its full potential for the first time in about two years-and it is good to know that for the most part the system remains solid and dependable.

I have no fancy pictures for the article this month but I can say that the difference in conditions from last month to this month is really quite dramatic.  I know that it is a good sign when the complaints go from dead grass to slow greens.  Slow greens means that you have a putting surface with grass on it-something that we have been working hard to achieve.  We are now at the point, finally, where we can now switch our focus from recovery to optimal playability.  These two turfgrass maintenance objectives are really not conducive to one another.  When pushing recovery, the growt
h that results, while pretty, results in a playing surface that is softer and slower that a fine playing golf course should be.  Now that we are pretty much recovered from the damage, we can now focus more on trying to firm things up and try to achieve the “firm and fast” that everyone is always talking about.  Sad to say it is now September when we hit this point, but given the circumstances, I am not surprised.  As I have said before, these things take time-especially in a shortened season like this one has turned out to be.

As I reflect on how this whole process panned out, I can think of a few things that I may have liked to have done differently if we ever have to do this again:

  1. Keep course closed until June 1st.  This would have saved much wear on surfaces that simply were not growing yet (soil temperatures too cold) and made a recovery faster.  That being said, May's weather was fantastic and play was up.
  2. Temporary greens on 7 and 14.  This would have helped immensely to minimize traffic on these two most punished greens.  They would likely be fully recovered by now if we had done this.  However, I think that the complaints from being on temporary greens for a few months would have been just as bad, if not worse, than with keeping them open to play.  In addition, where exactly can you put a temporary green on 7?
  3. I think that we could have been more aggressive going after the 7th Green.  Looking back, I think that we could have been much more aggressive deep verticutting/aerifying that green.  The resulting mess would have led to more complaints early but I think that the recovery would have ultimately been faster.  Like most things on this list, there are pros and cons either way.
  4. Invest in a non-disruptive seeding attachment and overseed areas with more frequency with less labor.  While there were areas on fairways and greens that we seeded 3-4 times throughout the season, I think that we would have done this even more often if we had the proper equipment to do so.  I am going to make it my mission to have something like this on the shelf for these kinds of occasions.  Indeed, I already have something in mind.  We used the overseeding tines that I had purchased in March on many occasions this year and they worked well, but there are other techniques that we could add to increase the efficacy of this process.
As I talk to players about the golf course, most are extremely supportive of what we do and show interest in what is going on.  I enjoy these conversations and get valuable information from them.  For that, I thank you for the support.

See you on the golf course.

Vincent Dodge

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FOOD & BEVERAGE MANAGER & EXECUTIVE CHEF

Fall is in the air, crispy mornings, beautiful blue sky and staring to see some color in the trees.  This also means our season is winding down.  We have 2 more of our Night on the Patio;

September 12th – Low Country Shrimp Boil, with Sausage and Corn.  Our entertainment for the evening with be Bittersweet.  Jay Hoiland and Mary Jo Grizzard on guitar and vocals.  They perform original tunes and a wide variety of classic rock and blues. 

September 19th – Carne Asada, Spanish Rice, Pinto Beans and Tortilla.  Our music for the night is Bruce Bungum. Bruce plays Classic Rock and Country and originals. 

Please join us for our last two patio nights.  We have had a lot of fun this season, great food and great entertainment.   Thanks for joining us!!  Entertainment will be from 4:00 P.M. – 8:00 P.M. Days are getting shorter and a bit cooler.

On Saturday, September 29th our dining room will be closed at 3:00 P.M. for a private party, also the following morning until 11:00 A.M.

October 1st is our Ladies Golf Day.  This is a great day for the gals!  Be sure to join us for a round of golf, incredible food, fun and prizes.  Ladies, call the Pro Shop to get your team signed up! 218-753-8917.

Sunday, October 14th is our Grand Finale!  This is our last day of the season tournament.  The format is Individual Play with the Mulligan Option.  There is a Tee Gift, Prizes on the Course and a Dinner Buffet.  The entry for this is $70/person.  Sign up as an individual or as a group.  11:00 A.M. Shotgun start.  This is a great way to wrap up your golf season here at the Wilderness!  Call today to sign up!

Again we want to thank everyone for making this a great season.  


Darlene Simonson & Doug Sperry

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Director of Sales & Marketing

September already?!
Fall is a beautiful time at The Wilderness. If you have not had this experience with us it is a must! Join us for a round of golf along the fall foliage or dine in at The Wilderness Grill and take in the views. Below are a few photos I took from last fall. 
September is one of our busiest months with groups and golfers getting in their last rounds of our Minnesota season. If you cannot make it this fall and have a group of 16+ interested in booking for 2019 please give me a call and I will get you on the list.​
 
October 2, 2017

October 2, 2017​

October 2, 2017
 
Holiday Parties
After our season ends we host holiday parties at The Wilderness. We can host up to 75 guests and the space is all yours for the evening. To top it off there is no room charge and you may even receive a deal on rooms at Fortune Bay. ;) If you are interested please give me a call for any questions and availability at 218-753-7803.

Patriot Golf Day

Thank you to everyone who participated in Patriot Golf Day Weekend! We held this event last weekend in support for families of fallen and disabled service members. Folds of Honor is a great organization that helps these families receive scholarships. 

We helped raise just over $1,300 for Folds of Honor with your help! $1 of all green fees, 10% of pro shop sales and $5 entries to our Closest to the Pin Contest on hole #17 all contributed. By the way, congratulations to all our winners  who won the Closest to the Pin Contest on hole #17 and received a round of golf for 2! Golf courses across the nation participate in Folds of Honor in their own way. In 2017, a record $7.0 million was raised for Folds of Honor!

Activities at The Wilderness Click here or on any of the photos below

See you this fall! 

Rachel Indihar

Ready to Reserve your Tee Time?

Close