April Newsletter

GENERAL MANAGER & HEAD GOLF PROFESSIONAL

Well, things are moving along nicely out of the course. Would like to see the snow move out a little faster but things are looking good. At least the above freezing temperatures and rain are helping us out. Of course, the big question is when we will open. Gaging where we are at with snow cover and some time for maintenance to get some work done, looks like May 10th could be our opener. All we can do is wait and see!

I am excited for the start of the season and talking with many of the returning staff, they are as well. Looking back on last year with the poor weather and rough conditions we had, this year is bound to be great! We are all looking forward to seeing you in 2019.

With the golf season just about here, it is important to start getting your body into golf shape. Now is a great time to start some stretching exercises and light club swinging to get those golf muscles stronger and more flexible. It would be terrible to play that first round of the season and pull a muscle or get your back out of whack and then have to sit back and watch everyone else get out for a round. You can find some great golf specific exercises just by searching the internet or from one many of the golf magazines.

Don’t forget! The Buy 3 dozen get 1 dozen free Titleist promotion ends April 18th!  Give me a shout or send me an email if would like to place an order.

Some early season events:
City Auto Glass – Friday, May 17th
Ladies Golf Day – Monday, June 3rd

Happy Golfing!

Ryan Peterson

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GOLF ​COURSE SUPERINTENDENT

April is the month in which seasonal staff sometimes visit the shop in order to see what the plan is for the coming year and/or simply to say hi.  Like robins migrating back in the spring.  This past week was especially interesting in that one of our most valued crew members-Greg Federly-brought a drone for us to use to have a look at the golf course.  I had been looking into this technology for a while-there are indeed drones that are built for specific golf course maintenance activities through the use of both conventional cameras and multispectral sensors.  The drone we used combined with a cell phone to give us the ability to shoot video and take pictures.  Flying this drone was so easy a caveman could do it.  I think that the following pictures we took make interesting topics of discussion:

Hole 10
April 1, 2019

This picture of the green side of hole 10 shows that we still have substantial snow cover on many parts of the golf course.  The greens cover is partially exposed.  Snow pack of two feet or so is still prevalent here.  Goes to show just how much snow we had this past winter and how, sadly, it is hanging in there well into the spring.

Back of Driving Range
April 1, 2019

Some parts of the golf course have a nice southern exposure with full sun.  In these areas the snow melts at a much faster rate.  This picture in particular is very interesting in that it shows just how effective our snow mold fungicide applications are for winter diseases.  Green means treated.  Brown means non-treated.  Very easy to tell where our sprayer did its work last fall on the range targets and fairway.  For these areas of the range, we used our older spray rig that does not have GPS technology to assist in the application.  For that reason, we have the triangle shaped areas of the rough adjacent to fairways that are treated.  The limited, manual controls on the older unit, even with my outstanding skills, make it unavoidable to treat small areas of the rough that might otherwise be left alone.  This is in contrast with the next picture.

 5 Green
April 1, 2019

Note the 6th fairway on the left side of this picture and how clean the edge of the fairway is compared to the previous driving range picture.  This fairway was done with our GPS sprayer with more modern controls.  No waste on the edges and honestly, a more professional job done.  We have had this unit for over three years now and I can say that using this unit has saved us, on average, about $4000-$6000 per year in chemical costs-not to mention an increase in application uniformity and efficacy.  We really try to take advantage of the latest technologies on our golf course. 

Also note the 5th fairway in the middle of the picture and how the snow is melted on the side of the fairway.  Never underestimate the value of having full sun on a golf course.  The part of the fairway that is exposed is not shaded by the wood line adjacent to the golf hole.  Looks fantastic.  Remember this picture next time you see your golf course crew removing a tree.  There is a reason for it.

Moving on to what my thoughts are regarding the condition of the golf course for the coming season, I am cautiously optimistic that we will emerge from this winter in much better condition than the previous year.  We do not have the glacial ice layers on the golf course that we had last year for over 150 days.  Everything I have seen so far looks great-including areas under greens covers that we have looked at.  The entire staff looks forward to presenting to you the product to which you are accustomed.

See you on the golf course, 

Vincent Dodge

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FOOD & BEVERAGE MANAGER and EXECUTIVE CHEF

It is another brisk cold morning!!  But the rumor is that golf season is just around the corner!  We are busy getting ready for another great season here at The Wilderness.

Fore!! Happy Hour is something new this year.  Nightly from 3pm-6pm we will be featuring $4 appetizers and drink specials.  Some new appetizers include Golf Balls – a blend of potatoes, cheese and bacon dipped in beer batter and deep fried to a golden brown and served with ranch dressing, Zucchini Sticks – fresh cut, hand breaded and deep fried, served with zesty marina sauce, Potato Skins – golden fried potato skins filled will Applewood smoked bacon, shredded cheddar and jack cheeses, diced tomato and fresh chives, served with salsa and sour cream.  Yummy!! But there is more…check out the Happy Hour menu on our website.

We are continuing our Wednesday Night on the Patio.  Our menu for Wednesday include some tasty entrees such as Steak and Shrimp Kabobs with music by the Diva’s, Maple Glazed Salmon with Pat Surface as the entertainment, or enjoy Smoked Duck Breast while listening to Bittersweet.  Again you can check our website for a complete list of our Night on the Patio menu with entertainment.

On Friday and Saturday night we are going to feature our House Smoke Prime Rib!  We will be serving both a King cut and a Queen cut.  This will have limited availability so make your dinner reservations early.

We look forward to see you again this season!

Food & Beverage Manager, Darlene Simonson & Executive Chef, Doug Sperry

Have you, or someone you know, ever considered working in the food service industry? We are currently assembling our culinary and service teams and would love to hear from you. Experience is appreciated but not required, we are always happy to train those with a desire to learn and a positive attitude. We are flexible with scheduling and are looking for both full and part time employees. Positions at the Wilderness include some great perks such as golf privileges, employee meals and discounts on merchandise. If you are interested, you can contact Darlene at (218) 753-7808 or Chef Doug at (218) 753-7896 for more information.  

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DIRECTOR OF SALES & MARKETING