2023 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 4th, 11am - 3pm at Greenhaven.
Greetings Gentlemen!
Golf at Green Haven is in full swing. We have many things to look forward to, some of which are fast approaching. Congratulations to our Tournament and League Champions in 2022! If you won, lipped out, or rinsed it at a bad time, it’s all good. Golfing with the boys at our club is what it is all about. It is an absolute pleasure to serve as your Green Haven Men’s Club President, and with this being my final year as President, I can assure you we are positioned for many years of good golf and fun times in 2023 and beyond. I have full confidence in our Board of Directors, and our President Elect, Shawn Walsh. We are very lucky to play golf at Green Haven with the people we do.
Golf Equipment Shop Update
More good news from the golf equipment shop. Three new GT410 Vibe Spike Seeders have arrived. This will mean better, more durable greens. Specifically, planted at a precise depth, the newly planted seed will be protected against outside influences and quickly germinate. We want a green turf that is resistant against disease, is healthy and equally covers the greens without bad spots. Regular overseeding is very important. Until now, the overseeding could only be done with heavy equipment and an inefficient seed drop, broom, and sand spread. This new seeder will make overseeding easier, will not impact our play, and yield better putting surfaces this year, and years to come.
New Sidewinder Mower
In the fall of 2023, a new sidewinder mower will arrive. This will speed up the mowing of the slopes around the greens, the tee boxes, and areas around the bunker sloped areas.
New Fairway Mower – still on back order
Ordered in 2021, the Toro Fairway mower is still on back order. Hopefully, that will hit the shop mid-summer, 2023.
New Ball Washers
All the ball washers have been removed from the carts. They proved unreliable and often leaked. As a result, more club washers will be added to the course. Specifically, regular ball washers on the par 4’s and 5’s, small club washers on par 3’s, and two large new club washers will enhance holes numbers 1 and 10.
New Tee Markers
New tee markers have been handmade and are being painted. These will freshen the tee boxes in 2023.
Member Workday 2023
Look for Member Workday 2023 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!
Two New Tournaments in 2023
Two new tournaments have been added to the 2023 Golf Schedule. The Green Haven Scramble, and The Green Haven Gramble. The scramble is a scramble, the Gramble is a tee shot scramble, then play your own ball in. Thanks to Brian Brinker for the Gramble concept. We are also working to bring back the Father-Son & Father-Daughter tournament concept in 2023. Special note: the pin locations for the new Scramble tournament will be selected by Men’s Club Member at the Smoker.
Golf Trip to Palm Springs California - February 2024
I am planning a Men’s Club Golf Trip to Palm Springs California in February of 2024. The vision is to room at the Casino and play 5-6 courses in the Coachella Valley. I will be reaching out to form a travel committee for this fun and exciting trip very soon. Let me know if you’d like to serve with me in planning and making this event a reality. Also, let me know if you are interested in going, so we can rough plan numbers etc. If you have never played golf in Palm Springs, I’ll just say it is must in your lifetime.
New Tournament Software
The Men’s Club has secured new tournament software. Highlights include real time leaderboards on your phone, tracking your winnings per event, and easier planning and registering for 2023 tournaments. If you have ever played in or attended a MN PGA Event, this is the same platform. Look for more information at the Smoker.
Smoker 2023
The 2023 Smoker will be Saturday, March 4th, 2023, 11-3 at Greenhaven. There will be specials in the restaurant, with the first keg courtesy of the Tavern, tapping at 11am. Come sign up for 2023, 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 about the new green seeder and the what’s what from his desk. We will have an opportunity to ask Mike questions, if we’d like. Please be respectful, Mike is an asset.
**Also, if your name is drawn as the Smoker, you will be awarded the chance to place one of the pin locations for the new Scramble Tournament in 2023.
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 2023?
Do you wonder when the golf course will open this year? How many tees are in the cup? Put your best guess in the box with your name on it at the Smoker - correct answer receives a cold one of your choice and a sleeve of Pro V 1’s, on me.
All my best,
Ole
From the Pro Shop:
Dear Men’s Club Member:
Say goodbye to 2022 and hello to 2023! Let’s hope for an early start to the golf season and great golf weather all season long!!
A couple of notes for the upcoming season:
1. 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.
2. New this year, online tournament calendar and the ability to sign up online. This will also allow real time live scoring for many of the events and a great resource for all men’s club members to know when the events are and when the deadlines come into play! 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 2022 the course paid out over $90,000 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! We will be providing help and instruction on how to use the new system at the smoker and in emails over the next few months.
3. 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.
4. Our simulator tournament is back, call the golf shop for details at 763-576-2972!
5. 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 and the new tournament webpage 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 you 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 and sign up for your account on the new tournament page.
6. Due to the new Point of Sale System we will have some changes. First of all, you will be able to make tee times 21 days in advance, but more than 7 days in advance will have to pay a booking fee.
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 2023 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 4th, 2023!
Sincerely, Larry Norland, Ryan Wagner & the Golf Shop Staff!!!!
