Submitted by Gary Ward, General Manager & C.O.O.

I would like to thank Michelle, Sandy, Trish, Carl, Chad and the entire Mad River team for all their efforts towards delivering another successful season.

Season in Review
With the golf course about to close for the season I thought I’d provide you with my review of 2023.

The highlight of the summer was successfully hosting our first National Championship and it couldn’t have gone much better. Susan Quigley did a terrific job Chairing our committee of members P.A. and David Allen, Susan Banting, Susan Tremblay, Jan Atkinson Hall, Heather Johnston, Dean Elliott, Richard Carl and the Mad River management team.

Members also stepped up quickly to sponsor the event, critical element in assisting us to deliver such a great tournament for the players. Diana Miotto, Kiki Delaney, Jeffrey Orr, Susan Quigley, Bill Butt, Cathy and Richard Carl, Katie and Walt Macnee and P.A. and David Allen all made significant contributions. We also had over 50 volunteers and in particular all the spotters were so helpful to the players. The help from all our members allowed us to add so many little details that the players loved and appreciated.

Huge thanks are also warranted for all our committee members, taskforce volunteers, the Board of Directors and President David Seville for all their contributions this summer. All their efforts are directed to improve the Club for everyone.
 

 
Submitted by Sean May, Assistant Golf Course Superintendent


The golf course has now been open for 169 days and as we approach the end of the season, we have begun to prepare the golf course for winter and next year.  The entire month of September and early October provided some great weather for golf.  Our preparations for this winter and next year began in August with our annual late summer aeration.  The grounds team has performed at a high level all year long to take care of your golf course and we are hopeful that many will continue to return in 2024 to build on this year’s success.

Submitted by Karen Franklin, Ladies Captain
 

As we come to the end of this remarkable season, I am filled with gratitude and pride to have had the privilege of being the ladies’ captain this year.  I would like to thank everyone for their support and encouragement throughout the season.  I have welcomed your input and suggestions and have learned a lot while in this role.  This has been a season of camaraderie, skill and the shared love of a wonderful sport that brings us together.

I would like to thank every member of our ladies’ group and especially the convenors who volunteered their time to make this season a truly memorable one.  This list includes: Jan Atkinson-Hall, Carolyn Smith, Catherine Sendell, Tony Bowland, Sheena Macaskill, Beth Malloy, Joan Macdonald, Lisa Houston, Bonnie MacDonald, Katie Macnee, Cate Woodward,  Nancy O’Donnell- Jeffery.  Thanks also to Sharon De Lorenzi for introducing the skins game to us and taking on the role every week.

Here’s to the spirit of golf, the friendships we’ve built and the journey ahead.
 

Submitted by Ang De Lorenzi, Men's Captain

Congratulations to our 2023 Mad River Champions!
On Thursday, October 12th - 28 Mad River Champions gathered to celebrate their respective wins.

Submitted by Michelle Larcher, Food & Beverage Manager

As our season comes to a close, the Food and Beverage team would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your ongoing support of Chef Malcolm, our team and myself. Whether it was capping off your round with a nice cold beer or enjoying the weekly features, it has been an absolute pleasure serving you throughout the entire season. Your feedback and comments have been invaluable to us.
 

Submitted by Gary Ward, General Manager & C.O.O.

We’ve had a terrific stretch of weather in September and look forward to above average temperatures this first week of October.

Our work on the 18^th tee is taking a little longer than projected, but they are into the final stages now. Doug Carrick was on sight last week to assess the work and was pleased with the outcome. He marked off the fairway, rough and fescue lines and you will notice seed and sod work this week. There will be additional tree removal on #18 and this work will begin after we close for the season.

Submitted by Carl Penfold, Head Professional

The fall is always a great time of year to play golf, especially at Mad River! Usually at this point in the season, the temperatures are very comfortable and of course the scenery is spectacular as the leaves start to change colour. This week we are going to be treated to “summer” like conditions with lots of sunshine and temperatures approaching 30 degrees. As a result, we anticipate that the golf course will remain busy through the Thanksgiving weekend.

 

Submitted by Karen Franklin, Ladies Captain
 

Today is Tuesday October 3, 2023
Tuesday October 3 – Our Last Official Day
12:30- Shotgun start
5:00 – Shootout
5:30-6:00 – Light Dinner and presentations to follow
 
 
Upcoming Events:
Tuesday October 10
Game:  Tombstone Golf
Warm up by trying to hit into the Hallowe’en pail and win chocolate!
 

The final in the Championship flight of the Ladies Singles Match play was epic. With three holes to go Hilarie Woods had to focus all her energy on the end game. She took 16. Took advantage of a stroke on 17 to win the hole and putted out on 18 to tie the hole.  But a tie wasn’t enough, as Lesley Brightling was dormie and she secured the win through excellent play on earlier holes. Clearly, handicaps level the playing field when it comes down to the last putt on the last hole to determine the Champion.

Submitted by Ang De Lorenzi, Men's Captain

 
Submitted by Chad Vibert, Golf Course Superintendent

As we ease into the fall season, and enjoy some wonderful fall golf, you will have surely noticed that some of our fall projects are well underway.  We have lowered and enlarged the gold tee at # 15, we were able to repurpose some bentgrass sod from 18 tee to use in this location prior to construction on 18 tee.  We have also installed some landscape stones on the side of this tee to showcase our Mad Mile signage, this has been a great improvement in this area.


18 green tee is taking shape nicely, we have been able to reduce the green tee yardage significantly.  As you have seen, it has taken a great amount of material in order to achieve the height required for the new green tee at 18.  The view of the hole from the back tees with the old white tee removed is terrific.  In the coming days, we will be shaping the slope at the front of the new green tee, fine grading, irrigation install as well as removing the red tee and final shaping the areas where the white and red tees were located. 

Submitted by Karen Franklin, Ladies Captain
 

Today is Tuesday September 19, 2023
 
Tuesday September 19
Game: Play with a Pro
Clinic: Trouble shots.  Please meet at the short game area if you wish to attend.
 
Upcoming Events:
 
September 26 – O.N.E.S.
Everyone plays their own ball.  The team will count 1 best net ball on each hole starting with the letters O.N.E.S.
 
September 28 – Cupp’s Cup
It’s our year to host this fun day with the ladies from Beacon Hall.  Teams of 8 from each club will play. The eight players from Mad River will we chosen by lottery.  Watch for the invite from the pro shop in your inbox. 
 
October 3 – Last Day (Play your Own Ball)
12:30 Shotgun –
This is our last official ladies’ golf date.  Play your own ball and after watch the season’s “closest to the pin” winners battle it out in a “shoot out”.   
A light dinner of a soup and salad buffet including dessert, will be followed by year end presentations and celebrations.
 
October 10 – Tombstone Golf
 

Submitted by Ang De Lorenzi, Men's Captain

Submitted by Michelle Larcher, Food & Beverage Manager

DO YOU LIKE THE WINE WE OFFER AT THE CLUBHOUSE? PERHAPS YOU ARE REALLY ENJOYING CHEF MALCOLM’S SAUCES, SOUPS AND TREATS?

Would you like to have them in your home? Maybe you absolutely love our spicy mayo or our protein balls or maybe you like a wine or another beverage we offer. Well, you are in luck.

As the season comes to an end, we have a surplus of wine, beer and non-alcoholic beverages like Gruvi. We would like to offer the opportunity to sell these products to you at cost. Many of our products are not available through the L.C.B.O. or by retail. Products are from our Wine by the Bottle list and others are left from these year’s events.

Submitted by Gary Ward, General Manager & C.O.O.

This week the Ladies Madheim Cup and Collingwood General and Marine Hospital events take place. This year these two events signal the completion of the final major events of the season on our calendar, and with the course in such beautiful condition, we expect an active fall of golf.

Thus far, 2023 has been a busy season, our member rounds are up about 3% from 2022. This is consistent with what we are seeing Provincially and Nationally this summer. Many had expected golf activity to decrease slightly from 2022, but this has not been the case.

We’ve posted record sales in both the golf shop and food and beverage operations this year, thank you for your ongoing support. Membership re-sales are tracking to annual norms (12-15 annually) and interested prospects continue to join the wait list.

I will provide a financial review of our season to date over the next couple of Mad Post articles.

Submitted by Carl Penfold, Head Professional

Last year, on June 7^th, an email was sent to the membership presenting an opportunity to travel to the south of Ireland. Even though the initial communication was sent 15 months ago, the trip was planned more than two years ago. In the fall of 2021, our Club President at the time, Bob Cook, met with me to initially propose the idea of organizing this trip. I was fully supportive and grateful that Bob offered to include me with the group. I have travelled with members in the past and cannot think of a better way to connect with each other by sharing this memorable experience together.
 

Submitted by Karen Franklin, Ladies Captain
 

Today is Tuesday September 12, 2023
 
Tuesday September 12
Day 2 – Madheim results will be posted next week.
  
Upcoming Events:
  
September 19 – Play with a Pro
 
September 26 – O.N.E.S.
Everyone plays their own ball.  The team will count 1 best net ball on each hole starting with the letters O.N.E.S.
 
September 28 – Cupp’s Cup
It’s our year to host this fun day with the ladies from Beacon Hall.  Teams of 8 from each club will play. The twelve players from here will we chosen by lottery.  Watch for the invite from the pro shop in your inbox. 
 
October 3 – Last Day (Play your Own Ball)
12:30 Shotgun – Appetizers/ light meal and Presentations to follow golf
 
October 10 – Tombstone Golf

To the generous members of Mad River,

We were lucky enough to be chosen as the charitable beneficiary of your Women’s Charity Tournament this year and we had such a fabulous day with you all on August 28!  My Friend’s House would like to extend our heartfelt thanks and gratitude to all who participated and donated.  Our shelter is responsible for raising half of our operating dollars each year, a total of about $750,000 this year, which is no small feat in these small communities.  Each of these fundraisers goes a long way to helping us reach our goal and being able to keep our shelter operating, our programs running and more women and children supported in South Georgian Bay.  In 2022, we received over 3900 calls to our 24/7 Crisis Line, so the need for our services is great.  The Women’s Charity golf day raised $20,711 for My Friend’s House and we are so incredibly appreciative.  Thank you again to all who joined in or donated.

If you missed participating but would like to donate, you can still do so here: Donate Now - My Friend's House (canadahelps.org)

With Gratitude,

The Team at My Friend’s House
Jodi Petitpas
Community Relations & Events Manager
647-218-5634
[email protected]

 

Submitted by Michelle Larcher, Food & Beverage Manager

We are winding down to the final 6 weeks of the golf season at Mad. Chef and I are happy to say that we have had an amazing season with our team and the feedback we have received from all of you has been great. Our weekly features have been successful and based on your feedback, we will be adding some of these items on next year’s menu. Thank you.
 

Submitted by Karen Franklin, Ladies Captain
 

Today is Tuesday September 5, 2023
 
Tuesday September 5
Game:  Best Ball/Worst Ball
Rule:  Advice and Help
Don’t forget your $5 for the Skins challenge.
 
Upcoming Events:
 
September 11/12 – Madheim
See you next Monday and Tuesday for the much-anticipated two day event!
 
September 19 – Play with a Pro
 
September 26 – O.N.E.S.
 
October 3 – Last Day (Play your Own Ball)
12:30 Shotgun – Dinner and Presentations to follow golf
 
October 10 – Tombstone Golf
 
 

MY FRIEND'S HOUSE CHARITY EVENT - WINNING TEAM
Lorraine Croll, Liz Quanbury & Anne Stevenson
Thank you for your participation and support in raising $20,000!



Beth Malloy wins $387.50 in the 50/50
draw and graciously donated the
money back to My Friend's House. 

Amazing Mad River charitable spirit. 
Thank you Beth!

Submitted by Gary Ward, General Manager & C.O.O.

Roy Emerton and Tom Sandell Education Awards
We awarded seven of our summer employees with small bursaries to assist them offset education costs. The recipients all submitted essays based on the importance of good character and sportsmanship, the importance of community and how their educational goals where shaped by these values.
This year’s award winners were;

• Allison King (grounds)
• Bradley Dawson (grounds)
• Josie Fachnie (grounds)
• Felicity Durance (f&b)
• Rebecca Meadows (f&b)
• Kyle Still (f&b)
• Boden Dobbs (golf operations)

Submitted by Carl Penfold, Head Professional

It has been another active year in the pro shop, especially when it comes to golf equipment sales. Thank you to all members who continue to support the shop and trust our staff to assist them with all their golfing needs. For anyone interested in getting fir for Callaway product, they will be at the club, this Thursday, August 31^st from 2pm – 6pm. Callaway has just released the all-new Apex irons, Paradym STAR woods and irons, and Paradym Super Hybrid. These new releases will all be available on the fitting day next week. Please call the pro shop to book an appointment.

 
Submitted by Chad Vibert, Golf Course Superintendent

Now that we have recovered from our very successful late summer cultivation, we can look forward to some great September and October golf at the Mad.  Fall provides some of the best golf of the season and we look forward to providing great conditions.

During the next week we will be wishing the best of luck to all of our summer students as they make their way back to schools throughout the province.  We had a great group of young people again this season, we thank them for all their hard work, especially in the bunkers during this storm filled 2023 summer.

Submitted by Karen Franklin, Ladies Captain
 

Today is Tuesday August 29, 2023
 
Tuesday August 29- Charity Event day for “My Friend’s House”
7:30 - Registration
9:00 - Shotgun start
Lunch and prizing to follow play
*Don’t forget your cash to buy 50/50 tickets, Mulligans, donations, etc.
 
Upcoming Events:
 
Tuesday September 5
Game:  Best Ball/Worst Ball
Rule:  Advice and Help
 
September 7 – Mystery bus Tour 
The online sign-up is open.  Prepare to be taken to a mystery golf location by coach.  Green fees, prizes, beverages and food are included in the day.  This is a day not to be missed!
 
September 11/12 – Madheim
The online sign-up is closing soon for this traditional two day event.  There are a couple of spots left so sign up today!
 
September 19 – Play with a Pro
 

FOUR BALL MATCH PLAY UPDATE:
 

 

Submitted by Karen Franklin, Ladies Captain
 

Today is Tuesday August 22, 2023
 
Tuesday August 22
Game:  Red, White, Blue game (Red flag- 3 net scores; White flag- 2 net scores; Blue flag- 1 net score)
Clinic:  – Hybrids/fairway woods - meet on driving range
Don’t forget your $5 for the skins challenge.
 
Upcoming Events:
 
Thursday August 24 – Tips and Sips (4:30-6:30)
This will be the last Tips and Sips event of the season.  August 31 is cancelled.
 
Tuesday August 29 – Charity Event
The online sign-up is open! Come out and support “My Friend’s House”. There are only a few spots left.
Note: There will be no rule, clinic or skins on this day.
 
September 7 – Mystery bus Tour 
The online sign-up is open! Sign up for this fun golf day in a secret location.
 
September 11/12 – Madheim
The online sign-up is open for this two day event.  There are a couple of spots left. 
 

Submitted by Ang De Lorenzi, Men's Captain

My Friend's House Silent Auction starts on Wednesday! 

A silent auction in support of MFH will be set up in the dining room starting Wednesday and will run
until the Ladies Charity event on Tuesday, August 29th.  This auction is open to all members.

Don't miss out on your chance to bid on golf at Bigwin Island Golf Club, Muskoka Bay, Cobble Beach,
baseball tickets - Jay's vs Red Sox and more!  Silent auction items do not receive a tax receipt,
however, all monies raised go directly to the charity.

If you would like to donate and receive a tax receipt, please use the link below to donate direct.

Mad River Golf Club - My Friend's House Fundraiser - Tuesday, August 29th

Thank you for your support!

Submitted by Ang De Lorenzi, Men's Captain

Submitted by Michelle Larcher, Food & Beverage Manager

While creating our weekly features this season, we learned some interesting information about the foods we serve, what benefits they have and which menu items are popular amongst the Membership. Fries will always be at the top of the list and we thought we’d share about other popular choices.

• Chickpeas and Almonds contain almost as much Protein as Steak! While eating 100g of steak could contain up to 25g of protein, the same amount of chick peas contains 21g and almonds contain 28g! Our chocolate brownie is made from chickpeas and our super popular chicken salad sandwich contains almonds.

 

• Caesar Salad wasn’t invented in Italy. It was actually invented in Tijuana, Mexico back in 1927. Owner of the Caesar Hotel, Caesar Cardini, wanted to make dinner for friends, but didn't have much at hand. He tossed some lettuce into a bowl, made a dressing and salad history was made! The Members love Chef’s Caesar dressing and it shows by the many Chicken Caesar Wraps that get ordered daily.

 

• Avocados are fruit. In Spain and Mexico, avocados are called “alligator pears” due to their shape and bumpy, green skin, while in India and China, they are referred to as “butter pears”. This healthy food is good for you too as it is a great source of vitamin C, E, K, and B-6. Another Club favourite is our Quinoa Bowl which comes with Avocado.

 

• Dark chocolate can be more than just a sweet treat. The dark chocolate we know and love is made from the roasted beans of the cacao tree and has many health benefits including lowering blood pressure and reducing inflammation. Did you know that dark chocolate that contains 70% cocoa or more actually contains more caffeine per ounce than coffee! We use Bernard Callebaut Chocolate in our protein balls, cookies and other chocolate treats. Everyone loves chocolate!

 

• Shrimp is high in several vitamins and minerals, and it’s a rich source of protein (20g in 5-6 shrimp) Eating shrimp also promotes heart and brain health due to its omega-3 fatty acids and the antioxidant astaxanthin. Our Creemore Shrimp and Coconut Curry Shrimp are our top sellers and with good reason.

 
We hope you enjoyed this little snapshot about the food we serve. Be sure to try one or all of these Club favourites and let us know what you think.

Photo Credit:  Kevin McKenzie
 

Submitted by Gary Ward, General Manager & C.O.O.

#18 Green Tee Construction
Construction on the new green tee on #18 begins August 21^st. The new tee will play about 25 yards shorter than the current green tee. There is significant fill required and we expect this project to take about three weeks to complete. Once complete it’s our intention to have the tee open for play later this year so we’re able to gather feedback on results. During construction the gold, blue and green tees will move to the upper decks on #18.

Roy Emerton and Tom Sandell Scholarships
As we approach the end of August, we begin to lose some of summer staff as they return to school. We’ve had a terrific group this summer, thank them for all their efforts and we wish them all the best in their studies. The deadline for submissions for our annual Roy Emerton and Tom Sandell scholarships is approaching and I will update you on award recipients once finalized.


 

Submitted by Karen Franklin, Ladies Captain
 

Today is Tuesday August 15, 2023
 
Tuesday August 15
Game:  5 Clubs only
Rule:  Cart Path relief
Don’t forget your $5 for the Skins challenge.
 
Upcoming Events:
Tuesday August 22
Game:  Red, White, Blue game ( Red flag- 3 net scores; White flag- 2 net scores; Blue flag- 1 net score)
Clinic:  – Hybrids/fairway woods - meet on driving range
Don’t forget your $5 for the skins challenge.
 
Thursday August 24 – Tips and Sips (4:30-6:30)
This will be the last Tips and Sips event of the season.  August 31 is cancelled.
 
Tuesday August 29 – Charity Event
The online sign-up is open! Come out and support “My Friend’s House”.
There will be no rule, clinic or skins on this day.
 
Thursday September 7 – Mystery bus Tour 
Watch the notifications on when to sign up for this fun event at a mystery golf location. 
 

Submitted by Ang De Lorenzi, Men's Captain

Mad River Legacy Golf Program Update

The legacy program, a direct component of hosting the Women’s Mid-Am Championship, is now underway! This initiative demonstrates Mad River’s commitment to growing the game of golf by creating a coaching program for a select group of young women from local high schools who could potentially be future players for this important “midam” demographic.

This month’s pilot program, coached by Stephanie & Ahren, will introduce golf skills for further development. The girls will be encouraged to select a name for the program using Legacy as an acronym: (great idea PA & David Allen)

L-learning
E-enjoying
G-golf
A-and of course “Mad River” included in the name
C-camaraderie
Y-YAHOO! (The best part! We want them to have a great time!)
Feedback will be gathered from the group to assist in planning next year’s sessions. Please keep an eye open to welcome and encourage these young athletes, Monday evenings throughout August.

The Mad River board has offered their support with some residual funding from the tournament. Levelwear and Titleist have expressed an interest in providing shirts and equipment. A few other anonymous sponsors have already stepped up. If you are interested in being a part of this community initiative please reach out to Gary Ward.

Thank you, Susan Quigley, Mad River Tournament Chair for the Women’s Mid-Am Heather Johnston & Dean Elliott, Legacy Committee Co-Chairs.

LADIES CLUB CHAMPIONSHIPS


2023 Mad River Ladies Club Champion - Kristy Henry - This is Kristy's 5th win
Congratulations Kristy!

Competitive Golf can be fun! 


Ladies Championship results: 
Catherine Sendell - Champion Flight Low Net
Teri Yamada - Overall Stableford Low Net
Jan Atkinson-Hall - A Flight Low Gross Stableford
Nancy Gee - A Flight 1 at Low Net Stableford
Lesltey Brightling - A Flight 2nd Low Net Stableford
Cathy Hobart - A Flight 3rd Low Net Stableford
Charlene Wildridge - B flight Low Gross Stableford
Heather Johnston - B flight 1st Net Stableford
Donna Cummings - B Flight 2nd Low Net Stableford
Yvonne MacGowan - B Flight 3rd Low Net
 

---

MEN'S CLUB CHAMPIONSHIPS

2023 Mad River Champions!
Centre:  2023 Club Champion Dean Henry - 15x Champion
Tom Reeve, Champ Flight Low Gross
Jaime Hugessen Overall Stableford Champion
David Henry C Flight Low Gross
Paul Wildridge B Flight Low Gross
Missing from the photo:  Christopher Barnard - A Flight Low Gross Champion
Christopher Burrison - B Flight Net Champion

 
Submitted by Sean May, Senior Assistant Superintendent



After a busy golf schedule in July, we have officially made it to the halfway point of the golf season. Your grounds team has performed at a high level all season and has over come a lot of adversity repairing the bunkers and the golf course multiple times in July. So far, the start of August has alluded to some good grass growing weather with some cooler nights and ideal daytime temperatures. The precipitation levels for the month of July & early part of August are as follows:

2021	2022	2023
July – 140 mm	July – 53 mm	July – 185 mm
August – 33 mm	August – 153 mm	August 12 mm (as of August 6th)

 
Our team is looking forward to preparing your golf course for this weekends club championships. There is always an extra bit of excitement preparing for member events. Following the conclusion of club championship weekend, we will be executing the golf course aeration, which is in turn setting the golf course up for success this fall, winter and next year.

Submitted by Karen Franklin, Ladies Captain
 

Today is Tuesday August 8, 2023
 
Tuesday August 8
Game: Play your own ball (NGL: front nine Stableford points)
Clinic:  Tips for going through a pre-shot routine
Don’t forget your $5 for the Skins challenge.
 
Upcoming Events:
Tuesday August 15
Game:  5 clubs only
Rule:  Cart path relief
Don’t forget you $5 for the skins challenge.
  
Thursday, Friday, Saturday August 10, 11, 12:  CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP
Thursday evening: Horse Race ( shoot out) - Come out and enjoy a fun evening of a friendly shoot-out, complete with drinks and snacks.
Friday –Afternoon start.  Choose to play stroke play from the purple tees or Stableford from the red tees.
Saturday – Morning start.  Enjoy a drink and snacks after the event.
The cost for the three days is $40.
 
Thursday August 24 – Tips and Sips (4:30-6:30)
This will be the last Tips and Sips event of the season.  August 3 and August 31 are cancelled.
 
Tuesday August 29 – Charity Event
The online sign-up is open! Come out and support “My Friend’s House”.

Monday September 11 & Tuesday September 12th - MADheim
Registration opens Wednesday Aug 9 at 9 am for MADheim.  More details will follow.



 

FOUR BALL MATCH PLAY UPDATE:

Congratulations to all in Groups C, D and E who have completed their round robin matches well in advance of the August 22nd deadline.  We will soon be able to launch the playoffs.  Stay tuned for further details.  Thanks to all who have participated and good luck going forward in the post season.

Your Commissioners, Carolyn Smith and Jan Atkinson Hall
 

Thank you Mad River Golf Club.

I wanted to say a huge thank you to you and your entire team for hosting the Mid-Am last week. I have said to many that it was one of the best player experiences I have ever had, and that was all thanks to the club, the course, the food, the hospitality and the volunteers. You really made it something different and special.  

The course was incredible, and while I still didn't figure out the greens by the third round, I feel very lucky to have played a course that was such a fabulous and fair test of golf.  Your grounds crew did an outstanding job of having the course in absolutely perfect shape for us. 

 All the little things you did really added to the experience, the player reception, the headcover gift, the greeters as we entered the property really make us feel like elite level competitors. 

I had heard nothing but positive things about Mad River before last week, and it lived up to everything and beyond! Thank you for taking on hosting the first ever stand alone Mid-Am event. As someone in this demographic, it was so nice to have a special event in the Canadian Competitive golf landscape that was just for us, you set a high standard for any future hosts 🙂

 I hope you have a great rest of your summer!

Jessie Mercer
 

Submitted by Ang De Lorenzi, Men's Captain

Submitted by Ryan Rinneard, Director of Instruction

The Opportunity of a Lifetime
 
 J o i n a n U p c o m i n g S h o r t G a m e C l i n i c


As a golf coach, I am particular about choosing mentors, and for the past three years, I have been working tirelessly to get one of golf ’s top Tour Coaches to Mad River for an opportunity of a lifetime for not only the select few that could attend but also for myself so that I may continue to learn from the best of the best.

James Sieckmann has been a Tour Caddy, an aspiring Tour Pro, and a Tour Coach for the better part of 35 years. He is an advisor to the Titleist Performance Institute as their Short Game Guru and Golf Digest’s #1 Short Game Coach in America which is why I chose him to visit.

For the attendees, the opportunity to learn from the game’s best left everyone on a high, inspired to work on their games, and grateful to have the opportunity to spend two hours with two coaches at their home club.

Susan Quigley
Host Club Tournament Chair for the Canadian Women’s Mid Am Championship.

Canadian Women’s Mid-Am Followup Congratulations to three time winner - Judith Kyrinis and her Mad River caddie Rick Hoffman! There were some amazing golf shots witnessed out there. We very proud to have had two of our very own- Kristy Henry & Sharon Delorenzi , playing in this inaugural stand alone event for the Canadian Women’s Mid-Am Championship.



Our objective was “to create a great overall player experience” and that we did! Lots of very positive feed back from players as well as from our volunteers and spectators. As a proud member of Mad River, I think our reputation has always been pretty great…. we’ve just made it even better! These women, the finest women mid-amateur golfers across the country and various states in the U.S., guaranteed most certainly have gone home raving about Mad River and the hospitality and friendship they received.

Submitted by Karen Franklin, Ladies Captain
 

Today is Tuesday August 1, 2023
Game:  Scramble
Rule:  GUR
No skins this week.

Upcoming Events:
 
Tuesday August 8
Game: Play your own ball (NGL: front nine Stableford points)
Clinic:  Tips for going through a pre-shot routine
Don’t forget your $5 for the Skins challenge.
 
Thursday, Friday, Saturday August 10, 11, 12:  CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP
Thursday evening: Horse Race ( shoot out)  Come out and enjoy a fun evening of a friendly shoot-out, complete with drinks and snacks.
Friday –Afternoon start.  Choose to play stroke play from the purple tees or Stableford from the red tees.
Saturday – Morning start.  Enjoy a drink and snacks after the event.
The cost for the three days is $40.
 
Thursday August 24 – Tips and Sips (4:30-6:30)
This will be the last Tips and Sips event of the season.
 
Tuesday August 29 – Charity Event
The online sign up is open!
 

2023 SENIOR LADIES CLUB CHAMPION
SHARON DELORENZI



2023 SENIOR LADIES CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP WINNERS!
CATHERINE SENDELL, JUDY ADAMS, HEATHER JOHNSTON,
SHARON DE LORENZI, TERI YAMADA, KAREN FRANKLIN &
LAUREE PATRICK

Submitted by Ang De Lorenzi, Men's Captain

2023 Men's Member Guest Day
Congratulations to father and son team 
Colin & Stewart Tyler - Low Net Winners - 69


Congratulations Dean Henry & Guest Mike Kerr
Men's Member Guest Day Low Gross Winner - 72

Submitted by Michelle Larcher, Food & Beverage Manager

FUN FOOD & BEVERAGE FACTS discovered at THE CANADIAN WOMEN’S MID-AM CHAMPIONSHIP
While hosting these amazing women, the Food &Beverage Team and Volunteers learned some things about these athletes.

1. They LOVE Turkey and Swiss Sandwiches on white bread…we made more of these sandwiches in 2 days then we make in 1 month!
2. They LOVE bananas and apples. We provided these yummy fruits at Holes #1 and #10 and went through 50 bunches of bananas (about. 270 bananas!) and 8 bags of apples (about 100 apples)
3. They LOVE the ‘Drink of Summer’…Aperol Spritz! This refreshing beverage was the most popular post round drink. The ingredients include: Prosecco, Aperol, Soda Water and garnished with an orange slice. Super Tasty! Come in and try one! We have created a non-alcoholic version for those who prefer that as well.

Submitted by Carl Penfold, Head Professional

The Women’s Mid-Am is less than one week away and I am still looking for a few caddies to cover all the requests I have received from the field. The commitment is for all three tournament rounds, and if possible, the practice round as well. I was asked by some members about the expectations for the caddies, for example, do they need to carry the clubs? Do they need to read the greens? Assist with club selection? etc. The answer to most of these is, not necessarily.

Essentially, most of the players are simply looking for someone to carry/push their clubs for them. We all know how challenging Mad River can be to walk. Now imagine doing that over 3 days of tournament golf! If they have a caddie, this will help them conserve some energy, which will be needed for the back nine. Depending on the player, and the experience of the caddie, they may ask for assistance with club selection or reading a putt. If you do not feel comfortable giving advice, there is nothing wrong with letting them know. Finally, the caddies will assist with raking bunkers, filling divots, and tending the flagstick.

Once again, I only need a few more members to come forward to volunteer for this role. I have caddied at events in the past and I can say that it was a great experience! What better way to take in the action than to be inside the ropes. If you are interested, please reach out to me directly via email [email protected].
 

Susan Quigley
Host Club Tournament Chair for the Canadian Women’s Mid Am Championship.

Canadian Women’s Mid Amateur Championship Down to the wire -the Mid Am is less than a week away!

Player registration for the event is now complete with 67 ladies on the list. Golf Canada will be onsite this week to set the course and help us attend to last minute details.

Volunteer training is set for Saturday afternoon, July 22, from 230-4pm. PA & Dave Allen have been feverishly sorting out all the volunteer logistics. Not an easy task!

Sunday afternoon, July 23, there is a very special exclusive “Sponsor Appreciation Clinic” organized to promote women’s golf. “Iron Lady” Lindsay Knowlton will lead the event. Our event sponsors and a few of our Ladies members will have the opportunity to participate in a 1-1/2 hour clinic, followed by a 9 hole scramble and apres Q&A reception.

Practice rounds Monday July 24, and matches beginning Tuesday -Thursday. Lots of excitement! Lots of great golf to be seen!

The legacy component of the Championship, led by Heather Johnston, Dean Elliott and Carl Penfold, is our initiative to leave a lasting impact on the community. The program entails creating a junior women’s golf development program involving selected participants from some local high schools (Stayner Collegiate, Our Lady of the Bay, Collingwood Collegiate). Carl and Stephanie will conduct a shortened pilot program later this season. This will be a great opportunity to promote and introduce the game of golf to prospective junior players. The Mad River board has embraced the idea with full support by offering some financial support taken from the tournament’s profit. Please watch for and encourage these new junior players.

 

LINK TO ARTICLE

Submitted by Karen Franklin, Ladies Captain
 

Today is Tuesday July 18 – Sr. Club Championship
Play your own ball today.  If you’re over 50 years old, you would have chosen, in advance, to hole out and compete for Gross or Net winnings, or play Stableford. This format is the same as last year which was a fun, relaxed event.
NGL Stableford scores on the back nine will count towards the NGL competition as well. 
 
Upcoming Events:
 
Mid-Am – July 24 – 28
Note: There will be no Tuesday Ladies’ Golf on Tuesday on July 25. Most of us will be volunteering at the event while are rooting for our ladies, Kristy and Sharon!
 
Tuesday August 1
Game: Scramble
Rule: GUR
 
 

Submitted by Ang De Lorenzi, Men's Captain

This information is provided for your safety.  
In the event of unstable weather while golfing, err on the side of caution and stay safe!
The Club uses a lightning detection system to enhance member safety. One long horn blast indicates that the system has detected the potential for lightning strikes in the area of the course. When the horn sounds, members and their guests are required to immediately cease play or practice and find shelter. There are shelters between #5 tee and #17 fairway and on the north side of #16. The washrooms at #6 and #15 tees may also be used. The Clubhouse and backshop should only be utilized by members and their guests who are in the immediate vicinity of the Clubhouse when the horn sounds. If these options aren’t available, shelter should be sought in dense woods or low-lying areas rather than in open areas, elevated ground, or under tall trees. All cell phones should also immediately be turned off when the horn sounds. Power carts do NOT protect against lightning strikes and members and their guests MUST NOT attempt to drive back to the clubhouse after the horn has sounded. Please be aware that once the horn has sounded, staff are not permitted to pick up members and drive them back to the Clubhouse. Members who continue to play or practice after the horn has sounded or who otherwise act contrary to this policy will be subject to discipline. Three short horn blasts indicate that play may be resumed. Risk of exposure to lightning strikes is an inherent risk of golf and the Club assumes no liability for injury or harm to members or their guests due to lightning. Lightning detection systems, including Mad River’s system, are not perfect and cannot guarantee the safety of members and their guests. Even where the horn has not sounded, members should be aware of the risk of lightning on the course and take appropriate action where, in their judgement, the risk of lightning strikes exist
 

Submitted by Ryan Rinneard, Director of Instruction

WEEKLY CLINICS!
 
Have you tried our weekly golf clinics yet?  These weekly clinics are a great learning environment and a great way to get to know your fellow members in a relaxed, social setting.  Here is what your fellow members are saying:
 
“I just want to thank you for the helpful golf clinics this season. My game has definitely improved because of them.  It has also helped me stay engaged at the club and I have met some wonderful members I might not have met otherwise.”
 
“I found your clinic transformational. I’ve been struggling with all the different positions for where my hands & the ball should be for the varying lies around Mad River which are more challenging than at our previous club. Your demeanor, caring attitude, even your repartee joking😁 made us all feel relaxed and able to execute your instructions well.”

Submitted by Trish Carman, Club Accountant

Members:

For those members that had children in the July 3-6 Fundamentals Camp, there has been an error in the billing. This will be corrected and appear on your account in July. Please feel free to give me a call if you have any questions.

Thank you

Trish Carman
Accountant/Office Manager
The Mad River Golf Club

Submitted by Gary Ward, General Manager & C.O.O.

Doug Carrick Plan for upper tees on #18
Thank you for providing your feedback on how #18 is playing from the new tees. We will continue to gather your feedback throughout the summer.
In developing solutions to our safety concerns on #18, Doug Carrick recommended a 2-phase plan. Phase one kicked off with the upper tee construction for the white, purple, red tee decks and is to be followed by the construction of a new green tee in front of the current blue/green deck.
Then, phase two, if necessary, is to relocate the #18 green site. The final decision for this phase has not yet been approved. Doug was of the view we should review the results of the tee relocation on our safety concerns first.

Phase One - Objectives
His plan for beginning with the tee construction was to enable us to assess how the hole plays from each of the new tees. Then over time, determine where the tees shots under various weather conditions end up so we have accurate data to help inform our next decisions. We have completed this phase of construction and are in the information gathering stage.
Later this summer or fall (based on contractor availability), we will build the new green in front of the current blue/green tee deck. This will shorten the hole for the green player by about 25 yards, thus reducing the length of the second shot into the green by an equivalent yardage.
Initial feedback from white tee players is that the hole plays much longer from the new tee deck. Periodically over the summer, we will move the green, white, purple and red tees onto different decks to further our knowledge of how the hole plays from each of these distances. In support of this objective, beginning this week the green tee will move to the upper back deck, the white will move up to join the purple tee and the red will remain in the current location.

Phase Two - Objectives
Phase two of Doug’s plan involves two tactics, move the green site and reduce the length of the hole for the gold, blue and green tee players.
The green site will be relocated in the following manner;

• Further north away from the parking lot.
• Further west which will shorten the hole by about 25 yards.
• Re-grade the actual green site down in order to introduce views of #18 green from the clubhouse.

Once completed, he feels the overall length of the hole will be similar to our current yardages for white, purple and red tee players, but with the green moved further north it will reduce the probability of errant shots landing in the parking lot.
By moving the green site further west, his plan will reduce the overall the length of the hole for gold, blue and green tee players. This coupled with relocating the green tee deck will reduce the length of the second shot into the green for the green tee players by about 45 yards which should also reduce the number errant shots reaching the parking lot.
An additional benefit in relocating the 18^th green will be to introduce a view of the green from the clubhouse and patios, similar to our 9^th green.

Doug Carrick will be at the Club on July 29^th to discuss these plans and other ideas. Please be sure to attend as there will also be a question-and-answer period afterwards. More details will be forthcoming shortly.
 

Susan Quigley
Host Club Tournament Chair for the Canadian Women’s Mid Am Championship.

Now 14 days away!
P.A. & David Allen have been very busy organizing and scheduling our volunteers. URGENT: CADDIES NEEDED. If you know of anyone interested in being a caddie for our mid-am players July 25-27, please contact Carl in the pro shop.
 
Player registration closes this week and volunteer schedules will then be finalized. So far we have player representation from 7 provinces across Canada, along with some from the United States. Shelly Stouffer -2022 Mid Am Champion & multiple time winner, from British Colombia, will be in attendance. We are also very excited to see Mary Ann Hayward from St. Thomas, Ontario on the list. For those of you who don’t know - Mary Ann is in the Ontario Golf Hall of Fame, as well as the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame. Rumour confirmed that one of our very own - Stewart Hamilton, from Collingwood and also in the Ontario Golf Hall of Fame, is going to caddie for her! Mad River’s 2022 Club Championship winner Kristy Henry and past Club Championship winner Sharon Delorenzi are also amongst the many talented players registered.
 
Some of you have asked me about coming out to watch and arrangements for parking. Spectators are most welcome however, we encourage you to car pool as much as possible. Our regular parking lot will be reserved for the players. The staff parking is limited for our volunteers. Spectator parking for members and guests will be along the driveway. Greeters will be at the gate to direct you. Come out and enjoy watching some great golf!
 
Reminder, the course will be closed Monday July 24 for player practice rounds. Tee times will be available for members later afternoon Tuesday-Thursday.
 

Submitted by Karen Franklin, Ladies Captain
 

Today is Tuesday July 11
Game: Blind Partner Game – Everyone in the group plays their own ball and records their gross score.  Pairs of golfers are then drawn randomly by the pro shop and the best net score duo wins.
Clinic: Short Irons – Meet on the driving range
Nine Hole Group: Please call the pro shop for your tee time.  We look forward to seeing you after your 11:00 game for lunch!
 
Upcoming Events:
 
Next Tuesday is July 18: Senior Club Championship
This is a regular Tuesday shot gun at 9:00 and you play your own ball.  This is also a NGL day for the back nine holes. Your day’s score will be flighted and everyone over the age of 50 will be included.  This format is the same as last year, which was a really fun, relaxed event. You can choose to hole out (Gross and Net winners) or play Stableford for both nines.
 
Divot Day (July 12)
8:00 am - Meet at the clubhouse and you will be given a cart and will be directed to the holes that need filling.  It’s a fun way to give back to the club and it is greatly appreciated.
 
Mid-Am – July 24 – 28
Note: There will be no Tuesday Ladies’ Tuesday on July 25. We will be rooting for our ladies! Good luck to Kristy and Sharon! 
 
 
Tuesday August 1
Game: Scramble
Rule: GUR
 

 LINK to Video 

 

Submitted by Gary Ward, General Manager & C.O.O.
 

Clubhouse Information Session – July 8^th – 11:00 am – 2:00 pm
This information session will be an informal opportunity for you to see the information presented at the Town Hall and ask any questions you may have or to provide your feedback.
For your convenience we have scheduled the clubhouse session over a 3-hour window so you may stop in before or after your round or drop in if you don’t plan to golf that day.
A handout will also be available for you.
You may RSVP with Sandy Higgins at [email protected] if you plan to attend the session, or just drop in.

Storm Damage
Chad and his team will have a significant amount work to rehabilitate the bunkers and various wash-out areas this week. At the time of this writing, we are still assessing the contamination to our sand and whether or not we’ll need to bring more sand in from our source in the U.S..
Thankfully the damage to the rest of the course wasn’t worse.

 
Submitted by Chad Vibert, Golf Course Superintendent

Storm Update
This weekends storm not only brought with it torrential rains but also high winds, leaving trees and debris scattered throughout the property.  We were fortunate that no significant trees fell during this event.  We delayed opening the golf course by 2 hours on Saturday morning while the crew pumped water from 5 fairway, 14 fairway and cleaned up the brush from our playing surfaces.  Rainfall totals were 55mm, over 2 inches in just over an hour, the course was literally under water.




 

Susan Quigley
Host Club Tournament Chair for the Canadian Women’s Mid Am Championship.

Opening rounds for the Women’s Mid Amateur Championship are now within 20 days!

A lot of planning goes into organizing an event of this calibre.  Were it not for volunteers generously donating their time  we would not be able to deliver.  Our volunteer schedule is dictated by the number of players who have until two weeks prior to the event to sign up.  Specifics on volunteer timing and tasks will soon be released.  Thank you to all that have raised their hands to assist.

Behind the scenes there are various committees  delivering on the details:

Sponsorship- Richard Carl, now retired, a job well done! Thank you Richard.
Finance/Budget- Gary Ward & myself
Volunteers- P.A. & David Allen
Scoring- Jan Atkinson Hall
Hospitality Internal/Food & Beverage- Susan Banting & Michelle Larcher
Hospitality External/Activities- Susan Tremblay
Community Liaison/Legacy- Heather Johnston & Dean Elliott
Communications- Sandy Higgins
Golf Operations- Carl Penfold, Chad Vibert

This event is a great opportunity for Mad River members to showcase their championship course which Chad and his team work tirelessly to maintain.  Thanks to those who joined Chad and his team this past week for “Divot Repair Day”.  Everyone,  please continue to be extra diligent in filling divots and repairing ball marks.  

More information will be available in the next issue of the Mad Post.

 

 
Jim Deeks

Thank you to Mad River's Jim Deeks, who wrote an article focused on the Canadian Women's Mid-Amateur Championship to be held at the Club later this month.    Jim is a veteran Canadian television producer and host, as well as a communications consultant and a writer/contributor for FairwaysGolf.ca magazine where the article is currently featured.   
Golf Canada Canadian Women’s Mid Amateur Championship
LINK to Fairways Magazine Article written by Jim Deeks

Submitted by Karen Franklin, Ladies Captain
 

Today is Tuesday July 4
Game: Yellow Tees
Clinic: Marking your ball on the green
Nine Hole Group: See you after your 11:00 game for lunch!
 
Upcoming Events:
 
Next Tuesday is July 11:
Game: Blind Partner Game – Play your own ball with an assigned blind partner
Clinic:  Short Irons – Meet on the driving range
 
Ladies’ Member/Guest – July 6 & 7 “The Classic”
Thursday tee times (between 10:00 and 2:00) are included in the entry.  Enjoy a day of golf on Friday July 7 with some classic touches! 
 
Senior Club Championship – July 18
This is a Tuesday and you play your own ball.  This is also a NGL day for the back nine holes. Your day’s score will be flighted and everyone over the age of 50 will be included.  This format is the same as last year, which was a really fun, relaxed event. You can choose to hole out (Gross and Net winners) or play Stableford for both nines.
 
Mid-Am – July 24 – 28
Note: There will be no Tuesday Ladies’ league on July 25.
 

Submitted by Ang De Lorenzi, Men's Captain

Submitted by Gary Ward, General Manager & C.O.O.
 

Golf Course and Clubhouse Information Sessions
As promised at the Town Hall meeting in April, we plan to host additional golf course and clubhouse information sessions this summer. 
 
If you are unable to attend the Town Hall session or if you would like to see the slides again, they can be found on the website, under the Leadership Banner – Town Hall and open the PDF.
 
Clubhouse Information Session – July 8^th – 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
 
Grounds Information Session – July 29^th – Time to be determined.  Our consulting architect,
Doug Carrick will be onsite.

Golf Canada Canadian Women’s Mid Amateur Championship
We are less than 30 days away from hosting the 2023 Golf Canada Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship.  Tournament Chair Susan Quigley will provide regular communications over the coming weeks to keep you updated.
Fundraising is a critical component to the success of events like this and the organizing committee and board would like to acknowledge sponsorship chair Richard Carl for his extraordinary efforts and also to recognize the support of our event sponsors;

• Diana Miotto – The Miotto Group
• Scotia Wealth – Diana Miotto
• IG Wealth Management – Jeff Orr
• Angus Glen Foundation
• Kiki and Ian Delaney
• Cathy and Richard Carl
• Suzanne Legge and Jeff Orr
• Susan Quigley and Bill Butt
• Two other couples at the club that would like to remain anonymous.
• Simcoe County

Thanks to the generous support of our sponsors, we expect to deliver an exceptional experience for the event participants.
During the week of the event the following is a summary of the daily schedule of events.

Submitted by Karen Franklin, Ladies Captain
 

Today is Tuesday June 27
Game: Play Your Own Ball (NGA Day) -Don’t forget your $5 for the Skins challenge
Clinic:  Bunker Play – meet at the short game area
Nine Hole Group: See you after your 11:00 game for lunch!
 
Upcoming Events:
 
Next Tuesday July 4:
Game: Yellow Tees
Clinic: Unplayable lies on the green
 
Tips and Sips – June 29, 4:30 – 6:30
Don’t miss this event with your fellow ladies!  Entry includes an hour of instruction from Mad’s awesome Pros, followed by wine tasting with a Sommelier.
 
Ladies’ Member/Guest – July 6 & 7 “The Classic”
This event sold out in no time and will prove to be a great day.  Enjoy a day of golf with some classic touches!
 
Senior Club Championship – July 18
This is a Tuesday and your day’s score with be flighted. Everyone over the age of 50 will be included.  This format is the same as last year, which was a really fun, relaxed event. You choose to hole out (Gross and Net winners) or play Stableford.
 
Mid-Am – July 24 – 28
This is an exciting event, in which we have entrants from our club.  It’s hard to believe it is a mere month away!  Look for the promotional ad on pages 46/47 in June’s ScoreGolf magazine. Our course looks stunning!
 

Submitted by Ang De Lorenzi, Men's Captain

 

Errant shots into the parking lot
If at any time you or a player in your group hits an errant shot into the parking lot, please report this immediately to the golf shop. These shots primarily occur from #18, but on occasion an extraordinarily wild shot can also reach the parking lot from #12.

It is almost unfathomable that anyone can hit a shot from #12 fairway towards the parking lot and not recognize that damage may have resulted from it. One #12 this shot is literally 60 yards off-line, and anyone hitting a shot this far right must report this to the golf shop.

Our Golf Canada membership does cover shattered windows up to $1,000.

Submitted by Ryan Rinneard, Director of Instruction

In last week’s weekly clinic, we discussed how to hit Low and Normal Trajectory shots around the green by adjusting your ball position (see image below).  This week we will be discussing how to hit high and soft shots around the green, as well as how to set up in the bunker.  Clinics this week will take place at the short range on Wednesday June 28^th and 9am and Friday June 30^th at 1pm.  If you are interested in signing up, please click here. 
 

Submitted by Karen Franklin, Ladies Captain
 

Today is Tuesday June 20

Game: Mulligans (3/3)
Each player is allowed 3 Mulligans on the front nine and 3 Mulligans on the back nine. Please record your gross scores on the score card and/or on the Golf Genius app.
Rule:  Local rules to Mad River Golf Club
(Don’t forget your $5 for the Skins challenge!)
Nine Hole Group: Please call the pro shop in advance of your 11:00 tee time and meet us all for lunch after!
 
Next Tuesday June 27:

Game: Play your own ball (NGL day)
Clinic: Marking your ball on the green
(Don’t forget your $5 for the Skins challenge!)
 
Thursday mornings – Something new!

Our Thursday morning tee times have been underutilized for many reasons.  We want to encourage the use of our tee times, so Stephanie will be sending out weekly invitations through Golf Genius to join Thursday morning ‘casual’ golf.  There is no cost, there are no games, you just play golf and have fun. You can sign up with friends, or on your own.  If you miss the Golf genius deadline (Wednesday at 5:00), you can call the pro shop Wednesday night or Thursday morning to be added to a tee time. 

Benefits of this change in booking tee times can include: knowing that there are others planning to play; knowing what tee times are open; having golf genius book your time for you; getting a notification if there’s a delay; having your clubs out of the back shop and ready to go on time; deciding at the last minute to play; etc.

Look for the Golf Genius invitation in your emails to sign up.

Submitted by Ang De Lorenzi, Men's Captain

 
Submitted by Chad Vibert, Golf Course Superintendent

Golf Course Update
Our spring Poa patrol is now almost complete, the poa over the past few weeks has been in seed and we must take advantage when its easy to identify and physically remove from our putting surfaces.  It has been a great spring season for poa, very cool to start the season for the most part, Poa starts to grow at much lower temperatures than does creeping bent grass. You may have noticed large groups of staff crawling across greens at times, this is an extremely tedious and time-consuming task, our staff do a fantastic job keeping our bent grass surfaces as clean as possible.  Areas where poa has been removed are filling in nicely with existing bentgrass.  We plan to sod some collar areas again this fall, to keep the poa as far away from the surfaces as possible.

Submitted by Ryan Rinneard, Director of Instruction

Submitted by Michelle Larcher, Food & Beverage Manager

Filtered Water Dispensers and Water Bottles

Did you know that we have 2 filtered water dispensers for you to fill up your water bottle? Most Members are aware of the one outside the front doors that also dispenses ice but do not know of the one located at our coffee station just inside the dining room. This dispenser supplies cold water, room temperature water and sparkling. If you would like ice, the servers are happy to get some for you.

If you happen to forget your refillable bottle, you can use the paper cups we provide at the dispenser or if you need a new bottle, the Pro Shop has Mad River branded ones in different colours and sizes.  In order to minimize our waste, we do encourage filling your own bottles and if you happen to run out before being back at the clubhouse, you can get bottled water at holes #6, #15.

Submitted by Gary Ward, General Manager & C.O.O.
 

We will open the upper white, purple and red tees on #18 this week and plan rotate between the current tees and the upper tees over the coming months. Occasionally the green tees will also move to the back of the new upper white deck.

As we’ve done on #6 there will be a shuttle cart located near the current 18^th tee to use to get up to the top deck. For those riding there will be a temporary cart path that you will follow from the back of the 17^th green up to a turnaround at the upper decks.

We hope you enjoy the spectacular views from the new/returning tee location.

Submitted by Gary Ward, General Manager & C.O.O.
 

Despite the below average weather for most of the month of May, we did have a strong finish and our round count for the month was slightly higher than in May of 2022, although we did open a couple days earlier this year. Sales in all areas exceeded our monthly targets in May, which is always nice to see, thank you for your continued support.

Golf and Clubhouse Communication Sessions

As indicated at the Town Hall meeting this spring, we plan to host additional member information sessions this summer to review the safety proposals for #12 and #18 and clubhouse options under consideration.

Details on dates and formats will be forthcoming over the coming weeks. In the meantime, the posters displayed at the Town Hall meeting have been hung in the lower-level hallway for your review. Please forward any questions or comments you might have to me and be sure to attend the information sessions.
 

Submitted by Carl Penfold, Head Professional

Next Saturday, June 10th from 11:00am - 2:00pm, the pro shop will be hosting a Trade in Day. This is a great opportunity to clear out all the old clubs in your garage collecting dust and trade in for credit in the pro shop. If you are curious about what your clubs might be worth, you can visit www.sweetspotgolf.ca. 

In advance of the Trade in Day, the pro shop is running an auction to try and sell off any of the previous year's demos. The demo auction is live and will close on Friday, June 9th at 6:00pm. This is the same auction site that the club used to sell off the old patio furniture. To visit the auction site and bid on clubs, please click on the link below. Please note, these are still demo clubs, so you are welcome to try them out before placing a bid. If you are the winning bidder on a club, you will be notified by the pro shop. Happy bidding!  
 

Submitted by Karen Franklin, Ladies Captain
 

Today is Tuesday June 13, Member/Member Day!
7:30 – Registration opens.  “Grab and Go” Breakfast

9:00 – Shotgun start

Game: Best drive, Alternate Shots and Scramble once on the Green

**Don’t forget your money for the Pari-Mutuel betting!
  
Next Tuesday June 20:
Game: Mulligans (3/3).  Each player is allowed 3 Mulligans on the front nine and 3 Mulligans on the back nine.

Enjoy a buffet lunch to follow or order off the menu.

Rule:  Local rules

Nine Hole Group: Please call the pro shop in advance of your 11:00 tee time and meet us all for lunch after!

Single Match Play Update:
Thank you to Catherine Sendell for the following update:
“They’re at the Post… they’re off.

The Ladies Single Match Play grid was posted last week.  Sixteen women signed up for the competition which is a two game minimum champion and consolation flights. 

One match has already been completed. Congrats to Sharon D and Susan Quigley for their quick start. They might be on to something ladies, in that the course is not going to get any easier from here through to Club Championship weekend. You might keep that in mind in getting your matches completed early before the rough requires a machete and the greens are lightening fast.

The grid is posted next to the Ladies locker room downstairs.  Please record the outcome of your matches on the board.

Good luck to you all. Play well and more importantly, have fun.

Catherine S.

 
Four Ball Match Play Update:
Thank you to Jan Atkinson-Hall for the following update:


  
“LET THE GAMES BEGIN"

The 2023 Four Ball Match Play is officially under way.  The first match out of the gate was between Teri Yamada and Liz Quanbury against Delia Dobson and Anne Stevenson.  Results can be found on the bulletin board outside the pro shop.  Good luck to all 20 teams as you play your three matches in your grid with the overall winners in all five grids advancing to the post season playoffs.”

Jan Atkinson Hall
 
 

Submitted by Karen Franklin, Ladies Captain
 

Today is Tuesday June 6:
Game: Fairways and Greens: Team members will share the job of recording the team’s Gross scores on the paper score card and in the Golf Genius app.

The paper score card will have a special section to record  your “Fairway and Greens” score separately.  If you hit the fairway you get 5 points but you must subtract one point per putt for that hole.  If you don’t hit the fairway, you get a zero for that hole.

Please note: If you wish to play from any other tees other than the red tees, including a hybrid combination, please let the pro shop know in advance.
Clinic: Chipping (Bump and Run) – meet at the practice green.

 
Golf at Oslerbrook on June 19!
There is still time to register to enjoy a day golfing and lunching at Oslerbrook on June 19, 2023.

The last day to register is June 9 and participants will be chosen by flights. No prizes, just fun! Cost is $29.95 plus tax and gratuities.
 
Next Tuesday June 13 is Ladies’ Member/Member Event (rain date June 20)
Registration for this event closes on Thursday June 8 at 9:00 pm.  You and your partner can dress like a team and have fun playing with other teams! The format is Select Drive Alternate Shot and Scramble.

Submitted by Ang De Lorenzi, Men's Captain

Submitted by Ang De Lorenzi, Men's Captain

Submitted by Ryan Rinneard, Director of Instruction

Path, Plane and Ball Contact are all affected by Head Position

Press READ MORE

 

Submitted by Michelle Larcher, Food & Beverage Manager

Nine & Dine was a Huge Success!
36 members and guests came out to enjoy some great weather and golf and finished their evening with an amazing buffet dinner prepared by Chef Malcolm and his team. We offered a selection of wines for an additional $25 as an added bonus. Great reviews all around. Our next Nine & Dine is on Friday July 14 but if you would like to enjoy an evening out before then, we do have the Father’s Day Friday Night Buffet just 2 weeks away on June 16^th. Please sign up on line.

Submitted by Michelle Larcher, Food & Beverage Manager

Our Instagram Handle is mad_river_golf_club
Have you been on Instagram, lately? We are having fun posting pictures of our beautiful course, golf tips, events and food & beverage offerings. Be sure to add us and keep up to date with what is going on around the Club. This week we posted our grounds team hard at work, club fitting days and our weekly feature menu. Log on to see all that is happening around the Club this season.

Submitted by Carl Penfold, Head Professional

Our match play brackets will be posted later this week. If you have signed up for any of these competitions, now is the time to remind you of all the new stroke allocations on our scorecard. This is important to know, especially when playing a match and determining where the strokes will fall on the card. Before I explain why and how the allocations were determined, participants can still request that a scorecard be prepared by the pro shop at the time of booking. Our staff can “dot” the cards for you, however it is still the player’s responsibility to ensure that they are playing to the correct handicap and that the “dots” on the card are in the right spot. Once a match/hole has been played, unlike other formats, you are not able to go backward and alter the result.
 

Submitted by Karen Franklin, Ladies Captain
 

Today is Tuesday May 30:
Game: Play with a Pro.  Record Gross scores only.
Rule: Yellow/Red Stakes – meet out by the flag.

***Special Note – Today is the second day of the National Golf League’s (NGL) challenge for our ladies’ league.  If you play on Tuesdays, you are automatically included in this challenge.  Today, your Stableford score on the back nine may count towards your overall score for the tournament, but remember that two nines (out of six) could potentially be eliminated at the end of the season.
The dates for the NGL are indicated by an *asterisk on the Tuesday Schedule.

Singles Match Play
Welcome ladies to this year’s single match play!  This season long event pits golfer against golfer in a hole by hole competition from the red tees, having regard for each player’s handicap which levels the playing field for all involved.  The tournament format is expected to be an elimination tournament where winners of the first round continue towards the Championship while second place competitors in round one move to the Consolation round.  From there on, the successful competitors continue in the competition until the Champion and Consolation winners are determined. Sign up is open now and will remain open until Thursday June 1.

Thank you to Catherine Sendell and Sheila Kaarlela for organizing this event!  Please click “read more” below for more information.

Submitted by Ang De Lorenzi, Men's Captain

Submitted by Ryan Rinneard, Director of Instruction


CLICK ON 'READ MORE' BELOW TO LEARN ABOUT THE 5 WEEK BEGINNER WOMEN'S SERIES - SPACE IS AVAILABLE!

 
Submitted by Chad Vibert, Golf Course Superintendent

Our spring Poa patrol is now in full effect, the poa is now in seed and is easy to identify and physically remove from our putting surfaces.  It has been a great spring season for poa, very cool to start the season for the most part, Poa starts to grow at much lower temperatures than does creeping bent grass.  We will be on patrol for about 2-3 weeks, you may notice large groups of staff crawling across greens at times, this is an extremely tedious and time-consuming task, our staff do a fantastic job keeping our bent grass surfaces clean.  We try to have these areas rolled quickly after removal, sometimes though we have some small mounds of sand, gently tap these areas down with your putter if you have one in your line.

In the spring of the year we keep our greens at a little higher height of cut in order to grow roots so they can withstand the heat and stresses of the summer season ahead. Right now, all grasses are trying to produce seed, even our bent grass plants on our greens, this usually produces a little coarser textured leaf blade.  In the coming days, we will be lowering our heights of cut and green speeds will increase, this is no different than years past, we must be patient as it is still early in the golf season.

Submitted by Karen Franklin, Ladies Captain
 

Hello Ladies!

Today is Tuesday May 23:
Game: Play your own Ball

Tip: Green reading (meet at the practice green)

***Special Note – Today is the first day of the National Golf League’s (NGL) challenge for our ladies’ league.  If you play on Tuesdays, you are automatically included in this challenge.  Today, your Stableford score on the front nine may count towards your overall score for the tournament, but remember that two nines (out of six) could potentially be eliminated at the end of the season.

The dates for the NGL are indicated by an *asterisk on the Tuesday Schedule.

Tips and Sips
May 25, 2023 .  Don’t forget to sign up!  Registration is limited to 15 ladies.
4:30-5:30 Golf Instruction
5:30-6:30 Wine and appetizers
 
Interclub challenge at Oslerbrook
Twelve members could enjoy a day golfing and lunching at Oslerbrook on June 19, 2023.
Registration for this event has opened!
The last day to register is June 9 and participants will be chosen by lottery. No prizes, just fun! Cost is $29.95 plus tax and gratuities.
 
Next Tuesday May 30
Game: Play with a Pro (your back nine Stableford score will be entered into the NGL challenge)
Rule: Red/Yellow stakes – meet out front by the flag

Submitted by Ang De Lorenzi, Men's Captain

Submitted by Michelle Larcher, Food & Beverage Manager

Thank You Members

Thank you to the Members who have come out to the first events of the season.  We started with the Spring Thaw, the Men’s and Ladies Breakfasts and their respective Official Opening Day as well as the Mother’s Day Brunch. All events were successes based on the Members feedback about the food, the beverages and the serving team. Thank you for taking time to share your comments directly to the management team or via email. Chef Malcolm, the F & B team and I look forward to continuing to create great events for you this season.

Submitted by Gary Ward, General Manager & C.O.O.
 

Recently Adam Cinel from Golf Canada and I were interviewed by the local Collingwood Today online news.  It was a terrific opportunity to discuss the Canadian Women's Mid-Amateur event, and Mad River as the tournament host.  Local radio and other news are reporting on the upcoming event as a result.   
For those of you who do not subscribe, click on the link to read the article.

LINK TO ARTICLE

Submitted by Carl Penfold, Head Professional

Our Ladies Opening Breakfast and Golf was held this past Saturday. This event also featured the same “Guess your Carry” distance game on the 1^st tee. In my post last week, I talked about the correlation of lower handicap players and making more accurate predictions on their distance. I also found this to be the case for the ladies that played. Rather than elaborate on that this week, I think there is a more interesting finding from the data. If you look at the image below, this shows the shot tracer of all 49 tee shots. The average carry from all the tee shots was 96.7 and the total estimated distance, including roll was 126.6. I should point out that there was a strong wind that came up later in the morning which impacted most of the players. One of the features that Trackman has is the ability to normalize shots in windy conditions. When I normalized this data, it has the total distance up to 132.2. Shoutout to new member Laura Neves for hitting the long drive of the day measuring 183.5 in the wind!

Submitted by Karen Franklin, Ladies Captain
 

Hello Ladies!

What a wonderful day we had on Saturday! 56 of us showed up for our breakfast meeting and 49 of us played golf in glorious spring weather!
 
Congratulations to all of our winners!
 

In first place, the following team won $50 each: Catherine Sendell, Liz Quanbury,
Lorraine Strain, Judy Adams.

In second place, the following team won $35 each: Sharon Delorenzi, Jodi Cooper,
Alexa Usher-Jones, Joan MacDonald

In third place, the following team won $25 each: Barbara Palk, Hilarie Woods,
Sally McLachlan, Karen Franklin

Closest to the Pin on #3: Hilarie Woods
Closest to the Pin on #14:  Lesley Brightling
Trackman Carry Challenge: Gwen Harvey
Door prize winners: Delia Dobson, Barbara Lemaire, Terri McDougall
 
See you Tuesday for “Criers” game and “Pace of Play” guide. 

Submitted by Ang De Lorenzi, Men's Captain

Submitted by Ryan Rinneard, Director of Instruction

Since Putting equates to roughly 40% of shots taken in any given round, let’s keep the conversation alive from last weeks post.

How to Improve Your Green Reading
Tell me if this sounds familiar.  Prior to your round, you head to the driving range to warm up and hit a few wedges, some longer irons, and some drivers before heading to the practice green by the 1^st hole.  There, you throw down 3 or so balls and start putting them into a hole.  Do you take the time to line them up or just roll them to the hole?  Rarely do you see golfers looking at the line prior to hitting the putt on the practice green, yet when they get out on the golf course, they suddenly proceed to serious green reading behaviour including crouching down behind the ball, looking at the line from both sides of the putt, pacing the distance, and applying AimPoint!  Green reading is an art in and of itself, so my question to you is, “How much time do you spend practicing your green reading?” 

Let’s look at what reading a putt involves, what to look for on the green, and find out what kind of putting boss you are meant to be!

LINK TO BETTER READING OF GREENS

Submitted by Michelle Larcher, Food & Beverage Manager

Something New for the Ladies and Men’s Days this Year

Ladies Day Official Start to the Season
Looking forward to seeing all the ladies come in to socialize after their round on our expanded patio or on the newly furnished veranda. This week we will have a soup, salad and sandwich buffet for $15 where ladies can choose to take a pre-made sandwich or have one customized for them. Choose from a variety of COBS bread, sundried tomato wraps or salad in a cup along with soup or tossed salad. Don’t have time to stay but are hungry? Take the combo to go or order off the regular menu. Have a great game and see you on the patio!

Men’s Day Official Start to the Season
This year when the Men’s League has a shotgun start, we will be offering a dinner buffet starting at 5:30 for $26 which includes soup/salad, a protein, a starch, vegetables and a dessert. For those men who are playing outside of the shot gun, we will be offering a lunch special for $19 as well as our regular menu and weekly feature sheet. Black Bellows Beer will be on promotion for this week:  Big Buck IPA on draft, and EL 9 WYE Helles Lager or White Witbier with Elderflower in cans. Cheers to a fantastic season!

Submitted by Gary Ward, General Manager & C.O.O.

We enjoyed a hosting our first social and golf event over the weekend and had terrific attendance for both. Our Spring Thaw cocktail reception had about 80 members in attendance and was a wonderful kick off for the season. We were able to showcase a variety of new hors d’oeuvres and beverages and fortunately experienced a beautiful evening as a bonus.

The men’s opening breakfast and golf had 56 players, which is about double our usual enrollment and the shotgun start allowed for a great socializing experience on the veranda afterwards.

The ladies breakfast and golf is scheduled for next weekend and we’re hopeful for a similar day, please sign-up if you haven’t already, Wednesday is the deadline.

Submitted by Carl Penfold, Head Professional

This past Saturday was our Men’s Opening Breakfast and Golf. As part of their event, our participants were given the opportunity to “predict” the carry distance of their tee shot on hole #1. Below is an image pulled from Trackman which includes all 56 tee balls (see image for shot tracer of every shot). The results and the predictions were quite interesting. There was a strong correlation between handicap and being able to closely predict your distance. Players with lower handicaps were more accurate when predicting their distance. This is a major reason why low handicap player’s shoot lower scores, they KNOW how far they hit the ball. A prefect example of this was Doug Painter. He guessed a carry distance of 220 yards before he hit his shot. Within a second after impact and launching a ball a little higher than normal, he changed his prediction to 190 yards as the ball reached its plateau. When the ball landed, the Trackman confirmed his carry at 190.0 yards, AMAZING! He was also able to closely predict his partners driving distance as well. Unfortunately for Doug, there were no mulligans provided on the predictions. Therefore, the winner of this fun challenge was Men’s Captain Angelo Delorenzi. Angelo was our first contestant and predicted 187 yards. I was blown away when the Trackman registered 187.3. Clearly all that time down in AZ has paid off!

 

Submitted by Karen Franklin, Ladies Captain
 

Patti-Ann and I look forward to seeing you at the Ladies’ Opening Breakfast on Saturday May 13, 2023.  We plan to start receiving you at 8:00 then we’ll enjoy a delicious, hot buffet breakfast, which will be available at 8:30. We will be sharing some information with you between 8:45 and 9:30.  Then we’ll play shot gun “Best Ball” golf starting at 10:00.

Please remember to wear your Mad River name badges.  If you don’t have one, we will provide deposable name tags.

The following information will be covered at our Breakfast on May 13:

Golf Genius – A quick tutorial will be presented by Carl, Stephanie and Marshall.  Please come with the app on your phones.

National Golf League – Information about an exciting, new challenge will be presented by Carl.

Club Championships – Information presented by Patti-Ann Irwin-Allen.

Match Play Information – Jan Atkinson/Hall and Carolyn Smith will explain the “Four Ball Match Play”, and Catherine Sendell and Sheila Kaarlela will explain the “Singles Match Play”.

Skins – A new challenge available on Tuesday mornings will be explained by Sharon Delorenzi.
 
Please click read more for Best Ball rules.
 

Submitted by Ang De Lorenzi, Men's Captain

Submitted by Ryan Rinneard, Director of Instruction

In a recent podcast, I heard a stat that was eye-opening:

“From 15 feet, a 12-handicap player is more likely to three-putt than to hole out.”
– Lou Stagner

That stat is based on millions of shots collected within the Arccos database which shows that from 15 feet, the 2-putt average crept just under 50% for the 12 cap.  The chart below is one I reference quite often with students to help manage their expectations and not get too upset if they burn an edge from a particular distance.  What you’ll notice here though is that a Tour Player will only 3-putt from 15 feet 1% of the time and two-putt 76% of the time.

Submitted by Michelle Larcher, Food & Beverage Manager

BREAKFAST MON-FRI 8am-11am and SAT-SUN 8am-1pm
Who doesn’t love breakfast? Whether it is a quick grab ‘n’ go granola bar or a sit down and enjoy a cup of coffee with some bacon and eggs, we have something for everyone. This season we invite you to start the day right with a healthy breakfast by having oatmeal or enjoying a bowl of ‘Grandma Emily’s’ granola with some yogurt. Grandma Emily is a Canadian company based out of Montreal that specializes in natural and organic granola. Cupp’s Corner has a variety of bars to choose from including blueberry ginger and quinoa. Grab one for a snack to take with you on the course.

Submitted by Gary Ward, General Manager & C.O.O.

Despite the less than ideal forecast early in the week, the course will open for the season Tuesday morning. Conditions look to improve as the week goes on and we should have a reasonable weekend for golf.
 

Submitted by Trish Carman, Club Accountant

Email Notifications from Mad River

Hello members!

I hope this note finds you all well, and ready to enjoy this season to the fullest!

We regret that some members have been having issues receiving emails from the club. We have been working diligently with our service provider to rectify this situation.

Submitted by Carl Penfold, Head Professional

The golf course officially opens for the 2023 season today. For our members that do not travel south, this will be their first opportunity to tee it up since we closed last October. I often hear members say that their first round(s) of the season are some of their best. The biggest reason I tell them is because they do not have any expectations. In the early part of the season, most players are happy just to feel some solid contact. When they remove the pressure of shooting a great score, the result is often better than expected! If you can stay in this mindset all season long, that will certainly help lower scores and handicap.

Our 2023 Match Play competitions are now open for registration. The cost to participate in any match play event is $15 per player. The deadline to sign up is Monday, May 22^nd and brackets will be posted by June 1^st. Registrations links and a description of the event is below: Please click on 'read more' sign up for the different Match Plays.
 

 
Submitted by Chad Vibert, Golf Course Superintendent

Golf Course Update

The golf course maintenance staff are looking forward to the golf season, we are hopeful to get off to a great start with respect to weather and course conditioning for the 2023 golf season.

We were able to aerify our greens and collars prior to opening the golf course.  We have had very cool soil temperatures this spring season, prior to aerification we need to ensure that bentgrass is actively growing or it will not recover from the aeration and poa will surely invade.  Hopefully some good weather is on the way to both heal our greens surfaces and to get all of our grasses actively growing for the up coming season. 

The greens have recently been aerified, expect them to be slower than normal for the first part of the season.  They will slowly get faster as the springs rolls along, we will be topdressing and brushing throughout the spring to try to encourage a finer leaf blade and leaving them a touch longer in height to encourage strong root growth to help us through the more stressful summer season.

Submitted by Karen Franklin, Ladies Captain
 

Something New!

In the past, to add some extra fun to our Tuesday morning golf, we could opt to pay $2 towards a Bounty Ball.  That meant that if you were able to birdie (or better) the random hole selected by the pro shop, you won the pot of money!  If you were tied (someone else also birdied the hole), the pot was forwarded to the next week.  Please click on 'read more' to find out about the new SKINS game!

Submitted by Ang De Lorenzi, Men's Captain

Submitted by Ryan Rinneard, Director of Instruction

HALF-DAY SHORT GAME SCHOOLS
LIMIT OF 4 PARTICIPANTS
 
Did you know an 18-handicap player will tend to miss 17 of 18 greens in regulation in a round of golf?  This is what makes the short game so important.  Learning to get the ball up and down a few more times a round is part of the secret to lower scores.  Golf is a game of managing your misses.
 
During this 2.5-hour short game school, you will:
 

• Improve your putting from short, mid, and long range.
• Improve your finesse game from inside of 25 yards.
• Improve your distance control from 25 to 100 yards.
• Learn how you hit your great shots and what you do when you hit your poor shots
• Learn to have an intention over every shot.
• Learn to think better on the golf course.

  
CLICK THE LINKS BELOW TO REGISTER FOR ONE OF THE DATES
Saturday, May 20^th, 10:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Saturday, June 3rd, 10:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
 
Cost $250/session.

Submitted by Michelle Larcher, Food & Beverage Manager

Spring Thaw Cocktail Party
Our first event of the season happens this Friday from 5-7pm.  Come and try one of our new wines or explore the new world of non-alcoholic mocktails and beer. This year’s event will showcase a variety of hors d'oeuvres as well as some of the menu items that will be offered this season. We are so excited to welcome you back and to get the season underway. We look forward to seeing you Opening Day and at the Spring Thaw. Please register on the website through the calendar.

Water Dispensers and Water Bottles

Did you know that we have 2 filtered water dispensers for you to fill up your water bottle? Most Members are aware of the one outside the front doors that also dispenses ice but do not know of the one located at our coffee station just inside the dining room. This dispenser supplies cold water, room temperature water and sparkling. If you would like ice, the servers are happy to get some for you.

If you happen to forget your refillable bottle, you can use the paper cups we provide at the dispenser or if you need a new bottle, the Pro Shop has Mad River branded ones in different colours and sizes.  We do encourage filling your own bottles and we recognize that you may run out before being back at the clubhouse so there will be bottled water at holes #6, #15 and Cupp’s Corner.

Submitted by Gary Ward, General Manager & C.O.O.

Weather permitting, we will open the golf course for the summer on Tuesday May 2^nd. Regular booking procedures will apply.

I hope you can join us this Saturday April 29^th for the Town Hall information meeting. This meeting will be our first opportunity to share with you the work our various committees have been developing over the past couple years.

We were purposeful in making this an information only meeting and plan to host other golf course and clubhouse specific Q&A sessions this summer for those unable to attend this weekend or for those that have other questions or comments about the projects.
 

Submitted by Carl Penfold, Head Professional

As I pointed out in my Post article last week, mother nature spoiled us with some unseasonably warm temperatures to allow our range to open. We are back to reality ever since the cold air arrived last Monday. The range has seen a lot less traffic, so much so, that some members are asking for the indoor net to go back up! Unfortunately, the net is back in storage until November, but on the bright side, we have some great new pieces in the shop on sale to keep you warm.

 

Submitted by Sean May, Assistant Golf Course Superintendent


The 2023 golf season is almost here! The grounds team is working hard to prepare your golf course to its usual pristine conditions. We had some terrific weather in the middle part of April, but we returned to more seasonal weather last week and it seems to be below seasonal if the forecast holds for this week.
 

Submitted by Karen Franklin, Ladies Captain
 

Hello Ladies!
 
It’s so exciting that the time to golf together is getting closer!  
I am attaching a schedule for our Tuesday morning games, outlining our game plans for each day.  Our shotgun start is at 9:00.  Please note that every Tuesday morning at 8:30 we will be offered either a rule or a golf tip from our pros.  This information is included on our schedule so that you can preplan to attend. 

Submitted by Ryan Rinneard, Director of Instruction

OUR PHILOSOPHY
 
Golf is a game that requires hard work, dedication, and practice.  Our team is trained to provide you with all the necessary tools to achieve your true potential and we will provide you with the roadmap needed to achieve your goals.

Over the past few years, we have acquired some of the top game enhancement technologies to help you improve your scores and have more fun on the golf course.  While technology can help diagnose specific swing characteristics, we abide by the following philosophy – every player is an individual and no two swings are the same. 
 
Our team of professionals, whether seasoned veterans, or those just getting their feet wet in the world of golf instruction, can guide you and create an environment of accelerated learning and long-term skill development.  By incorporating advanced technologies such as Trackman, we can easily diagnose club and ball patterns that stem from your particular movement patterns.  From here, we will design programs catered to your needs to help you reach your goals.
 
If Coaching is more your speed, we will guide you to shoot lower scores with more on-course-oriented learning and teach you how to play golf.  Not how to hit a ball, but how to manage your way around the golf course and avoid the big numbers that lurk if you let your attention stray and play outside your abilities.
 
If you are new to the club and have any questions regarding any of our lesson programs, please don’t hesitate to ask Ryan, our Director of Instruction.  He is happy to help!  Questions could be as simple as asking for a recommended group/foursome to join that play to your skill level, what lesson package, program, or clinics might be best for you, or “What’s all this talk about Ground Reaction Force and will it help me?”
 
Email Ryan at [email protected]

Submitted by Gary Ward, General Manager & C.O.O.

The temperatures last week were a pleasant surprise, and many members were on the range getting a head start on the season with a little extra practice time.

Finding ways to improve your member experience is always one of our goals. A couple of interesting ways we’ll deliver on this objective in 2023 will be in the form of enhanced views around the club. Our property is so spectacular that capitalizing on current views or introducing new views must always be a priority, I’m confident each of the changes we’ve made this summer will add to your enjoyment of Mad River.

Submitted by Carl Penfold, Head Professional

What a difference a year makes. Last year, due to weather we opened the golf course and range on May 4^th. I am sure many of our members were pleasantly surprised to get the notice last Monday that the range would open on April 12^th! The weather was certainly a big reason for the early opening; however, it would not have been possible without the new addition of our Turfhound mats. These mats were installed last summer with two major benefits. Last fall, we were able to move from grass to mats on October 1^st which allowed time for the grass to recover before dormancy set in. The 2^nd benefit, which we are experiencing this week, is that the range could open in advance of the golf course. Looking at the weather forecast, it appears that more seasonal conditions will be returning this week. Regardless, what a great opportunity to swing the clubs and start prepping for the 2023 season!

Submitted by Michelle Larcher, Food & Beverage Manager

Clubhouse Open for Lunch April 26^th from 10-6

It is with great pleasure to invite you back to the clubhouse to enjoy a pint of beer and an appetizer or two. Come in and be greeted by some familiar faces and meet the new ones.  I am so excited to be working alongside returning team members, Abby, Felicity, Olivia, Shasta and Susan in the dining room as well as Chef Malcolm and Dan in the kitchen. We have five new team members who include, Rachel and Natasha in the kitchen who have chosen the culinary field as a career and Alicia, Amanda and Rebecca who bring years of experience in the service and healthcare sectors.
 

Submitted by Karen Franklin, Ladies Captain

Hello Ladies!

As your Ladies’ Club Captain, my responsibility is to be a positive ambassador of the game and to work collaboratively with the management of the Club to ensure that our lady golfers are provided with fun and challenging activities in accordance to our Club values.  My ongoing responsibility is to communicate with the ladies about golf activities and events, which is done primarily through the weekly Mad Post, but also in person or through email.  The Vice Captain and I are the conduit for feedback between female members and staff.  We both work closely with management, staff, and Carl to coordinate events, so please feel free to contact either PA or myself if you have any questions or concerns.
 

Submitted by Trish Carman, Club Accountant

Welcome to the 2023 golf season! 

I would like to take this opportunity to remind you that the final installment of dues is payable the end of April.

Those that have PAD’s or credit card authorization with the club will still receive a statement saying they are due, until the payment is processed at the end of this month.

Associate members, that are not sure if they will be joining us this year or not, are not obligated to pay their dues until joining. 

Your statements are available for viewing on the website, at any time.

If you require any assistance navigating your statement on the website, please call or contact me [email protected] or call 705-428-3673 ext. 4.

See you around the club soon.

Trish
 

Submitted by Ryan Rinneard, Director of Instruction

We are so pleased to announce that the #1 Short Game Coach in the US will be at Mad River on Saturday, July 29^th. 

Golf Digest has recognized James Seickmann as the #1 Short-Game Coach in America for the past 6 years straight. In 2018, he was named the National PGA Teacher of the Year and has coached 100+ Tour Players on how to improve and master their short game.

This opportunity is for 8 members only.  The format is a 2:1 student-to-coach ratio for 2 hours.  He will be conducting 4 separate sessions on July 29^th.  The price of the sessions is $500 per hour, per person.  Ryan will be taking part in each session, detailing your progress, and following up with you in the weeks to follow to ensure you are on your road to mastery of the short game.

"Nobody has dedicated as much time to the short game as James Sieckmann. He will conclusively show you what the greatest short game players have in common and how you can improve your technique, both physically and mentally." – Brad Faxon

 "James Sieckmann is the number one short-game teacher in the world. If you're serious about improving your short-game, you need to be in this program. The information is revolutionary and the antidotes for every problem are presented in a way that every level of player can understand.”  Mike Adams (Golf Digest Top 5 Instructor for past 26 years)

 "James is trusted by the best players in the world because he makes a complex subject simple and he knows how to evaluate what is really affecting your short game. This program will help lower your scores, period." – Dave Phillips (TPI Founder, John Rahm’s Coach)

 If you are interested in being a part of this exclusive opportunity, email Ryan directly at [email protected]

Submitted by Gary Ward, General Manager & C.O.O.

It’s wonderful to be able to get the driving range open earlier this season. Hopefully, it’ll give you an opportunity to come out and enjoy the beautiful forecast this week and get in a few more practice sessions before the course opens.

As I mentioned in the opening announcement for the driving range, unfortunately we are behind in our preparations for opening the course. Until this week, it’s been a cool, wet spring and Chad just hasn’t been able to get his staff started on clean-up due to concerns he has about damaging the course in these soft conditions.

Consistent with our usual practice, Chad has a pre-opening aeration of the greens scheduled for the end of April. We will continue to keep you informed regarding the opening date for the golf course.

Please take a moment to review the other articles in the Post to update you on the various spring activities this year.

Submitted by Michelle Larcher, Food & Beverage Manager

Trending in Clubs and Restaurants Across Canada…

Non-Alcoholic Beer, Wine and Spirits had an increase in sales last year by 27% in Canada and it looks like this trend is here to stay. I had the opportunity to go to a Trade show where they showcased about 25 different non-alcoholic brands where I got to sample some unique beverages. Some were quite palatable and some not so much. While some have perfected this, the others are still a work in progress. However, I am confident that they are moving in the right direction, especially when it comes to the wine.

Beers like Heineken, Clausthaler and Corona have done a great job with their products without sacrificing the taste. We will continue to sell the German beers as well as introduce some new breweries like Athletic Brewing Co. and the Sober Carpenter.
 

Submitted by Carl Penfold, Head Professional

Masters week is something that we all look forward to. It is the first major of the season, played at an iconic venue, and typically provides lots of drama on the back nine on Sunday. It is also a sign to all of us that our season is right around the corner. Augusta National officials and golf fans worldwide had to be excited with the showdown between Rahm, representing the PGA Tour, and Koepka, from LIV Golf. This was the BIG story line heading into the week. In the end, Rahm was able to pull away from Koepka and the field to cruise to a 4-shot victory. There will be many that will blame LIV’s 54-hole, no cut, limited field formats as a reason why their players were not as prepared. LIV players were scattered across the first page of the leaderboard, including Phil Mickelson which was a surprise to me considering he has been struggling ever since joining the rival tour. Clearly this rivalry will continue to be a big story leading up to the next major and likely for the remainder of the season.

 
Submitted by Chad Vibert, Golf Course Superintendent

Spring has been very slow to arrive for 2023, most days have been below seasonal from a temperature standpoint and we have not seen much sunlight during this time.  Our snowpack really didn’t arrive until late February through the month of March and has taken a long time to melt.  Snow remains in our most tree lined areas of the property including 13,14,15,17 and of course #7, all of these areas have significant shade and during a cool late spring like this, snow cover lingers.  During the early parts of December and into January we went through a few freeze thaw cycles but were able to get the green surfaces clear to prevent any ice formation early in the winter season.  The months of December, January and the first half of February saw mild temperatures with very little snow, this along with snow cover through March and early April, was the perfect recipe for turf disease, any untreated areas in our rough were hit hard with snow mould, and we did have some very minor breakthrough on fairways.  The Bluegrass generally recovers quite quickly and the small areas on fairways will take a little longer but will also recover with very little extra input.

We are very pleased to report that all fine turf areas including greens, tees and fairways have wintered well with no ice damage and minimal turfgrass disease.  We have wintered well, but given our high bentgrass populations, proper cultural practices, we put ourselves in the best possible situation to be successful over the stressful winter season.

Submitted by Karen Franklin, Ladies Captain

Hello Ladies!

I am very pleased to introduce myself as your new Ladies’ Captain. 

Rob and I joined the Mad River Golf Club in 2016 and have never looked back.  I tell people that joining the club changed our lives.  Once we joined, we found that cottage living wasn’t active enough for us so, with our new commitment to golf at Mad River, we sold our cottage and now we spend a lot of our summer leisure time playing golf.  We are also skiers and have been skiing at Devil’s Glen since 1979 and at Blue Mountain since 2013, so joining the Mad seemed to be a no-brainer!

Submitted by Ang De Lorenzi, Men's Captain

Submitted by Michelle Larcher, Food & Beverage Manager

Happy Spring, Members! We are busy getting the clubhouse, sunroom and patio ready for you. Some exciting new enhancements for the 2023 golf season include the purchase of new patio furniture, a revamped Cupp’s Corner and additional fun menus.

Enjoy an after round cocktail, like the “Golfer’s Tee” or a pint of Peroni on the new comfort seating located under the covered patio and behind the Pro shop. Cupp’s Corner also got a bit of a refresh with a new display fridge to showcase salads and sandwiches to go and we have installed chalk boards outside so you can see all the offerings for the turn.
 

Submitted by Chef Malcolm

Did you know we order our salmon in fresh, rub it with salt and herbs and then smoke it in house to make the best salmon salad sandwich? Likewise, the turkey breast comes in raw, we season it then slowly roast it. This season, try something different and order a smoked salmon sandwich on multigrain or ask for it in a wrap or simply in a cup to go.

Chef Malcolm