2022 Letters from the President and Pro Shop
/NOTE: Please check your email Spam and/or Junk mailboxes in the case the GH Newsletters sent did not reach your inbox. No mailings will be delivered this year. Sign up online or at the Smoker on March 5th, 11am - 3pm at Greenhaven.
Dear Green Haven Men’s Club Member,
My name is Chris Olson, I am honored to serve as your Men’s Club President in 2022. Thankfully, golf is alive and well at Green Haven. We have much to look forward to in 2022. Congratulations to our Tournament and League Champions in 2021! Whether or not you win, place, or show, it’s you – our members - that make our Men’s Club special. Since 1937, our Men’s Club has been playing competitive golf at Green Haven and building friendships that span a lifetime. Here’s to many, many more years to come, and to an exciting year of golf and fun ahead in the Best Men’s Club in Minnesota. Now, some info from your President’s desk…
Golf Equipment Shop Update
Good news from the golf equipment shop! A new fairway mower order has been placed and mid-Summer 2022 delivery is expected. A new Toro Hybrid, 84” Fairway Mower will join the Green Haven equipment fleet. The huge diesel-powered mower carries a generator on board that runs the mowing reels on electricity separately. This prevents fluid leaks, distributes clippings better, and provides a “better cut”. This machine is like the other Toro Hybrid mowers in the Green Haven fleet. You can expect some nice fairway striping this season.
New Sand?
If all goes well, our bunkers will be refreshed. What type of sand you might ask? Though not finalized, Golf Course superintendent Mike Brual says the sand in the bunker on the right side of number one green best represents the type of and feel of the sand being considered for all bunkers at Green Haven. It proves to be a good and durable “unique blend” that has a long lifespan. Though not white sand- which requires regularly replacing, the special Green Haven blend is of good quality, is not cheap, and is aimed to provide more consistent bunker play.
Aeration in 2022?
Once Mike knows the direction the course is going, he has a plan. The greens that are not part of the re-designed will be core aerated and overseeded/inter seeded with new bent grass. This will make the greens more consistent once the new greens are completed. Mike’s goal is a consistent roll and green speed - green to green.
Member Workday 2022
Look for Member Workday 2022 to be in late March or early April give or take, usually right before the golf course opens to the public. Member Workday is a time for us to give back to Green Haven – volunteer for a good cause, and most importantly give a big lift to our golf course. Mike B. projects a two-to-three-week gain, in one afternoon. If you are able, please join us. We break out into teams and help get the course ready for play prior to seasonal help arriving. It proves to be fulfilling and fun work. The equipment we use is high end. Free golf for Member Workday Volunteers.
Thank you, Pro Shop
Thank you, to Larry, Ryan, and the pro shop team for all they do for us. We are lucky to have dedicated Golf Professional’s help run and score our golf tournaments and support our Men’s Club by allowing our schedule and closing the course to the public for our private Holiday tournaments. The golf simulators are a hit, the staff that runs the simulator league is helpful and friendly. The new simulator screens and graphics are amazing. I am eager to see the pro shop full of 2022 gear soon, I hear the new spread will delight.
NEW Green Haven Tournament Director
I am pleased to announce I have named James Poole Green Haven Men’s Club Tournament Director for 2022. Please help me in welcoming James to the new role. This will provide a single point of contact for our members and our Golf Professionals before, during and after tournament rounds if needed. James will collaborate with the Pro Shop for golf related decisions. Please be supportive and respect his decisions. James will have the final say on Men’s Club Tournament matters in 2022.
Dues Increase- MGA Handicap System Cost Increase
Our Men’s Club dues have increased by $5.00 to $100; directly offsetting the large increase in MGA Handicap systems fee’s increases.
Update your Contact Information
Please update and or double check your contact information- email and cell phone number - at the Smoker. It helps our Club communicate with you, results announcing etc.
Shout out to potential new Board Members
This year we will be voting for one Board Member and a Treasurer. Please let me know if you are interested, and we will place you on the ballet. Board Members meet throughout the Fall and Winter to plan the upcoming season, lay out the schedule, make financial decisions, meet with the Pro Staff, plan the Smoker, attend, and present at City Council meetings, and other special Men’s Club projects that surface. Please consider joining us, it’s a fun working group with rewarding work for a great Club.
Smoker – Save the Date 3/5/22
The 2022 Smoker will be Saturday, March 5th, 2022, 11-3 at Green Haven. There will be specials in the restaurant, with the first keg tapping at 11am. Come sign up for 2022, see your pals, have a bite to eat and perhaps a cold one. We will have a visit from Golf Course Superintendent Mike Brual at high noon - to talk grasses, sand traps, mowers, green speeds, and the what’s what of the potential redevelopment planning from his desk. We will have an opportunity to ask Mike questions, if we’d like. Please be respectful, Mike is an asset.
Join a League
Special shout out to the 9-Hole and 18-hole leagues, leaders, and players. If you have not played in a league, please consider it. It’s a great chance to meet new people and play fun and competitive rounds. In the same way, consider being a 9-hole league sub. The groups tee off in the evening, you will be a sub for a regular league players match - it’s a blast.
When will Green Haven Open in 2022?
Do you wonder when the golf course will open this year? Put your best guess in the box at the Smoker - correct answer receives a cold one and a sleeve of Pro V 1’s, on me.
Have fun this year,
Ole
From the Pro Shop:
Dear Men’s Club Member:
Say goodbye to 2021 and hello to 2022! Maybe this New Year’s Eve was even more anticipated and will hopefully signal a change from a crappy year to a new one with so much hope for a better one. 2021 was definitely easier than 2020, but let’s hope for returning to a perfectly normal year of golf and life in 2022.
A couple of notes for the upcoming season:
The Wednesday morning Senior League has just exploded with over 110 players registered and approx. 80 players playing each week. Make sure that if you are 50 or over, get signed up and join the fun. Ryan does a fantastic job of varying the games and making sure this league is incredibly successful.
Please look at the calendar and make your plans. We really want to make it easy for you to participate in as many events as possible by trying to avoid conflicts. It is your participation that makes this men’s club a great success. A great stat that shows the strength of our men’s club, is in 2021 the course paid out over $80,000 in credits to men’s club members for winning or finishing high in events that you are able to use for golf, season passes, carts, clothing, clubs, and shoes. Make your schedule to get your piece of the action! Also, this is a great stat to throw out to any prospective member, there are professional mini-tours that play for less money than the Green Haven Men’s Club!
The simulators have been a tremendous success. They are a great way to get a jump start on your golf season. Start the year with your swing grooved instead of taking the first month to re-learn the game. It’s amazing what a little head start can do to lowering those scores.
We also again, will have the newest Callaway drivers and irons in our fitting center as well as some Titleist drivers. Last year we saw many of our golfers gain as much as 15 to 20 yards of distance by upgrading their technology and getting fit to the perfect shaft and driver set up.
Remember to update your information that the men’s club has for you, ESPECIALLY YOUR CELL PHONE NUMBER. We had several members that have old information, and it will prevent them from getting some updates throughout the season. We again will heavily use our texting program to send results and tournament reminders as well as updates from our new tee sheet. We will never give out your information to anyone that is not another men’s club member and we promise to only text your information pertinent to you and the men’s club. You can always at any time have us remove you from our texting program. Please make sure we have your correct cell phone number if you want to receive tournament results and updates.
Due to the new Point of Sale System, we will have some changes. First of all, you will be able to make tee times 7 days in advance, not the 10 days for members in the past. The online booking system will be much easier and user friendly and will allow you to book those times whenever and wherever you like. It will also allow you to check your account and credit balances online after you set up your individual online account. Ask us how to set up your online account!
Spring will be here sooner than you think. I am writing this letter after watching the forecast for March and April and they are predicting much above normal temps and lower than normal precipitation. That sounds like a recipe for another early start to what I’m sure is going to be a great 2022 season! Make this your year to play more golf and break that elusive benchmark score for your game!
See you on the course and see you at the smoker on March 5th, 2022!
Sincerely, Larry Norland, Ryan Wagner & the Golf Shop Staff!!!!
