April 2021 Newsletter Final

APRILNE2021WS FROM THE RIDGE Celebrating 100 years

Old Clubhouse Photo

General Manager’s Letter

Oak Ridge Country Club
Established 1921

700 Oak Ridge Rd., Hopkins, MN Everett, WA sits at the mouth of the Snohomish River where it empties into
Possession Sound 45 minutes or so, north of Seattle. This time of year, it’s a
55305

Business Office: (952) 935-7721 special place. Gray Whales return to the area to feed after wintering and calving in
Golf Shop: (952) 939-5460
Starter: (952) 939-5461 and around Baja California. The confluence of the river and the sound produce the
brackish mixture of salt and freshwater necessary to produce sustainable feeding

Swimming Pool: (952) 939-5462 grounds for these whales and numerous other species.
Tennis Clubhouse: (952) 939-5463

Greens Department: (952) 938-6900 Recently, I had the pleasure to go on a day trip and watch and learn about the

Club Officers area and the whales and how special the symbiotic nature of the relationship truly
President Gary Singer is. Shortly after our ferry launched, we were introduced to the first whale that
Past President Carole Kaplan was merely meandering through the sound. Likely headed to depths where ghost
Vice President Andrew Todd

Secretary Kara Frank shrimp are plentiful. We watched and marveled as the whale periodically surfaced
Treasurer Jason Sondell to take in air. Our guide was able to identify the individual whale by markings and

Board of Directors scars on its back. After some time, we set off to another point of interest.

Blake Appelhof

Howard Chanen Here we encountered a pair of Grays, their ID numbers again provided by the
Kara Frank guide. Soon something remarkable took place. The guide was beside himself with
Joe Gleason

Carole Kaplan excitement, so we all took note. These two Grays began to “play”. He noted that
Molly Rutzick the behavior displayed is rare. These animals are traditionally solitary so the fact
Gary Singer

Jason Sondell we saw two together was special. They made deep dives, exhibited by their flukes
Andrew Todd breaking the surface, followed by them showing their “noses” for us to see. They
Ellyn Wolfenson did this repeatedly for 20 minutes or so. The explanation for the behavior was that
Drew Zamansky

food must be plentiful as these animals rarely expend this amount energy when

Committees searching for food is the task at hand.

Admissions / Member Relations

Joe Gleason It was truly a special moment to observe and understand whale “leisure”. After
Finance having some time to ponder the experience, the analogy of a new season here at
the Club came to mind. How great is the excitement everyone feels to return to
Jason Sondell
Golf

Kevin Ryan, Co-Chair a place where so much enjoyment takes place. In just mere days and weeks, Oak
Molly Rutzick, Co-Chair Ridge again will teem with activity as all of our activities return in full force. We
couldn’t be more excited for the year’s calendar of events and the unique nature
Greens
Blake Appelhof

House of our 100th year.
Kara Frank

Long Range Planning I’d like to recognize the work done by staff and member leadership to ready us for
Andrew Todd

Pool this upcoming season. Thank you to all that contribute to the tasks and processes
Raleigh Miller that are required to make this place GO! It is with the resolve and dedication of

Tennis these many folks that we accomplish everything.

Ellyn Wolfenson

I can’t wait to see you all very soon!

As always and sincerely,

News from the Ridge Jake Hawley
Editor: General Manager

Karey Kohout

President’s letter

Dear members: Oak Ridge Country Club

I would like to start by saying, welcome to the 100th anniversary of our Staff
country club. We have seen many changes over these 100 years including
growing from a nine hole golf course to an eighteen hole course, building Jake Hawley
a new clubhouse as well as many changes to enhance our members’ General Manager
experience while at our club. As I write this, we are looking forward to Wendy Robinson
our golf course opening on Friday, April 9th and seeing everyone out there Director of Business
enjoying it. We will be working on the building by the fourth tee box to Administration & Finance
allow us to serve food and drinks on the golf course. At tennis, we have
not forgotten about you. We are going to be working on improvements to Emily Sparks
the decking and surrounding landscaping Human Resources

As our season begins, I look forward to seeing so many familiar faces as Jeff Wissman
well as the oppurtunity to meet new ones! Assistant Contoller

I would like to close by saying thank you to each and everyone of you for Karey Kohout
supporting our club and I look forward to seeing you all there soon. Marketing &
Membership Director
Do not forget to checkout our Centennial Wall downstairs across from the Sue Johnson
locker rooms! Service Manager
Kim Trzpuc
Sincerely, Catering Director
Tim Jones
Gary Singer Executive Chef
Club President
Josh Hildebrand
Sous Chef

Lauren Paradise
Beverage Manager

Eric Speck
Head Golf Professional

Jeff Crouch
Assistant Golf Professional

Katie Clark
Director of Merchandising

Todd Kranz
Golf Course Superintendent

Justin Ellison
Assistant Golf Course

Superintendent
Barb Meyer

Head Tennis Professional
Erik Mitchell

Building Engineer
Steve Miller
Pool Director

April is the time join Oak Ridge!



Oak Ridge has a history of a welcoming and fun community. Invite your friends,
colleagues and family to become apart of that fun!

HURRY! The initiation fee for golf memberships is increasing from $6,000 to $15,000
May 1, 2021.

Referral Benefits

First Golf referral receives 4 golf guest passes
First Sports Activity referral receives 2 golf guest passes

2 referrals or more receive a $100 food and beverage
credit or 1 golf guest pass - your choice!

Club Events! Pizza

Patioon the

Saturday, April 17th
3:00pm-6:00pm

#TBT

Enjoy Happy Hour in the 1921 Every last Thursday of the
month, enjoy specials on
Pub from 4:00pm-6:00pm some of Oak Ridge’s classic
every Friday! dishes!

$10
Ages 5-12

Enjoy Earth Day with Paula from Paula’s Planet!
Thursday, April 22nd
4:00pm-5:00pm
SNACK: Cup-of-Dirt & Veggies N’ Dip

$20 Kid’s Cooking Class
Ages 5-12 Sunday, April 25th
2:00pm-3:30pm

Golf Notes

Greetings Oak Ridge Members,

Spring is here, which means there is a wonderful golf season ahead of us! We have plenty of fun new games and activities planned for
everyone this season. This will be a transition year where we said goodbye to our PGA Master Professional Ed Bialek, to retirement.
We as a staff are excited to welcome everyone back and cannot wait to get our Centennial Season underway.

The Women’s and Men’s foresome events are posted on the Oak Ridge website and Foretees. Check out the events and sign up
soon, as some are already on waiting lists. We are excited to announce a couple new tournaments this year. On June 5th we will be
having our Centennial Event 10:00 Shotgun. August 7th coincided with the Men’s Club Championship; we will be having our Junior
Club Championship. We cannot wait to see what the future junior club champion has in store for us. One of the last tournaments
of the year will be the Super Tuck Tournament. This will be a fun challenge to all who participate. You must come experience some
unimaginable pins and tee locations. Share your experiences and laugh about some improbable shots you had at The Ridge.

The last 2 years have been tremendous with Men’s League. We went from 10 teams to 20 teams. We hope to double that number this
year. Men’s League will start Tuesday June 8th and run through Tuesday, September 28th. League will start with a 5:45 shotgun but
by September due to the sun going down early we will be at a 5:00 start time. Season will be split into two halves and end with an
overall champion also known as Kings of the Ridge. League format is a 2-man net best ball. You can have a team of 3 players but
know that only 2 may play as the match each week. We also hold a weekly shop game for everyone. If you are a 3-man team and
everyone can make it, don’t worry there is still a game for you.

The Women’s committee has two warm up events scheduled for Tuesday, May 4th and Thursday, May 13th. Opening day will be a
9:00am shotgun on Tuesday, May 18th at 9:00am. This is a great way to meet new members and make some new friends. Please sign
up and register for the beginning of a great season.

The Women’s Nine and Dine is a fantastic way to enjoy some golf and great company. The first Nine and Dine is Wednesday, May
19th and closes September 22nd. Golf may be secondary, where the time with your friends is the priority. This is for golfers of all
abilities to enjoy each other and share some laughs.

There are four twilight couples’ events on the calendar. Whether you are new to Oak Ridge or not, these events are the most fun! The
drinks are flowing and the food is plentiful. If you have not experienced a twilight event, I strongly suggest you sign up now as these
events fill up quickly. The last twilight couples’ event is August 27th. This premiere event will be 9 holes at 5:30. The fun continues
when the sun goes down. That’s when the glow ball event will take place.

We will be having three family fun nights this season. These events will be held the last Sunday of the month in June, July and Au-
gust. There will be events for everyone of all ages and abilities. Come bring the family out and enjoy some golf together.

PGA Junior League is back and will be in full force. Last year we had two teams represent Oak Ridge and this year we hope for more.
This is a great way to play other courses and meet kids at Oak Ridge. Contact Eric Speck or Jeff Crouch for more information on the
PGA Junior League.

The golf shop staff is looking forward to an exciting Centennial season at Oak Ridge. You will find all the upcoming events on
Foretees and the Oak Ridge web page. It has been a long-awaited winter for our new course. Oak Ridge is better than ever and cannot
wait to see you all soon.

Eric Speck, PGA

Head Golf Professional

Fashion on the fairway

Spring is on its way and the new apparel and accessories are starting to arrive!

For men this season we are teeing off with: For the ladies we are hitting a hole in one with:

~FootJoy Bottoms/Layering ~Daily Sports Collection/Bottoms

~Greyson Lifestyle Collection/Shorts/Pants ~Level Wear Lifestyle Collection
~~STuranvi ciseMOautthe erwwesaCr o llection /Shorts /Pants ~~SLuu nckicyeiLnaLyoevriengC/oOluletcetriwonea/Br ottoms
~Tail Collection/Bottoms
~Vine yard Vi nes Col lection

In addition to the apparel we will have a wide assortment of casual loafers to golf shoes and sandals
which are sure to make your feet happy on or off the course! With brands like Adidas, ECCO, Foot Joy,
GFore, Hari Mari and TRUE Links... there are no bogeys with the selection here. With new technology,
colors, and fashionable styling, you are sure to find the right fit!

NEW IN THE SHOP this season Men’s & Ladies GFore Golf

Men’s Anderson Ord, Matte Grey Oak Ridge Logo Belts Shoes

& Sunice Ladies Jewelry & Handbags Men’s Swim Suits & Ladies

Ladies Belyn Key, Sunice & Tail Stitch Golf Bags & Headcovers Cover Up’s

Men’s & Ladies Hari Mari Sandals Logo Glassware Hill House Soaps, Lotions &

Blue Tees GPS Kids Apparel & Accessories Candles

Corkcicle Tumblers Men’s TRUE links golf shoes Golf Towels

Don’t forget! Make the Oak Ridge Golf Shop your first stop when buying gifts this year. Our above par
staff will help you find exactly what you are looking for, and we will gift wrap it for you!

We are looking forward to giving you a tour around the newly renovated Golf Shop…make sure to stop
in when you are at the club! We are excited to show you all the Spring merchandise featuring the NEW
Oak Ridge Centennial Logo!

At Your Service
with TEximecuJtoivneeCs hef
Food for Thought

Happy spring everyone! As we get back into the swing of things, I would like
to share with you all a few new items coming out of the Culinary Department.
Some or most of you may have heard about our woodfire pizza oven. In March,
we introduced Happy Hour on Fridays from 4:00pm-6:00pm. We will be
continuing Happy Hour every Friday making changes monthly. The constant
item will always be pizza. We have spent the last month dialing in our dough
and sauce and starting in April we will transition from Happy Hour pizza by the
slice to 6-inch individual pies. Looking forward to more pizza offerings as we
keep building this program.

Starting the first week in April, we will be returning some missed favorites to
the menu. Throughout April, we will be building momentum to deliver a
summer menu May 1.

Coming soon, the last Thursday of every month we will be doing a throwback
special from past menus. Look out for the Frank T. Hamburger as well as Mrs.
Reardon’s Strawberry Pie!

Pool News

Hi Oak Ridge Members,

Can you believe it is time to start talking about the pool opening again!? Who would have thought a year later
we would still be looking to Covid to help direct how the summer will unfold? With that being said, the pool
committee has met, and we wanted to update you on where we are. While some of this will continue to evolve
based on restrictions, we wanted to give members an update and measure member interest in a couple of things.
Please read our message carefully.

This summer we have confirmed we will be holding reservation blocks again. While we expect the capacity to
increase from where we were last year due to vaccines, people’s behavior, summer camps being open, etc. we don’t
have firm numbers yet. The concept of reservations was helpful for both staff and members alike to plan their days.
More to come on the number allowed, how many blocks, etc. but this is something we will be doing.

We will be adding many of the items back that unfortunately last year took away from us which is exciting but also
means continued diligence and support from the membership. The playground, basketball court, and locker rooms
will be available. We are asking that if you plan to use the basketball court, you bring your own ball. Also, we
would like to remind you that if you use the indoor locker rooms you are required to bring a mask. One major add
is that we will be allowing guests again this season. It will be in a limited capacity and we are still finalizing details
based on capacity, timing structure and how many guests each family can bring. Once these details are finalized, we
will provide that update. Please note, guests are truly for guests, if you have people that are coming often and enjoy
the club, we recommend you encourage them to look into joining Oak Ridge. The more joiners we have the more
we can guarantee the future of our club and community.

We are evaluating our participation in the Western Swim League. Traditionally, only about 10 kids participate. In
order to reserve pool time for practices, we would need to decrease access to open swim. We want to understand
the level of interest from the membership. If you are interested and would sign up, please email Raleigh at
[email protected]. Based on responses, we will evaluate from there. Please keep in mind, this commitment
means 3 practices a week and a meet during the week which we would ask all participants to fully attend.

Lastly, we need referrals! Due to Covid, the Red Cross has limited their CPR training. This means fewer certified
lifeguards to keep our pool safe. If you know someone who would be great, we would love the referral. Please
email Raleigh at [email protected] with referrals. We are looking into having a class for all Oak Ridge
lifeguards so depending on how many we have that need the training, that might be a possibility.

There will be additional information about numbers, capacity, the “how-to’s” (sign up, guests, etc.) as the summer
evolves. We want to get you thinking about what summer might look like at the pool this summer and to get you
excited to be a part of such an amazing place that has always worked so hard for us to enjoy.

Thanks so much for your time! Can’t wait for summer!

Raleigh

Pool Chair

Behind the Baseline

juniorTennis Program

Junior Tennis Academy

The ORCC Junior Academy has been created and designed for our juniors who are
dedicated to becoming high level, competitive tennis players. The early morning training
sessions will challenge our juniors physically and mentally creating champions both on

and off the court.
Training sessions will be Monday - Thursday 7-9:00am
Academy participants will be assigned a mandatory match to play each week.

Session 1 June 14th - July 1
Session 2 July 12 - July 29
Session 3 August 2 - August 19
*session sign up is required*
(Email [email protected])

Fee: $150 per week

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1 2 Happy 3
Hour

4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Easter Brunch Club Closed 14 Happy
21 Hour
28
Course
OPENS!

11 12 13 15 16 17 Pizza on the
Club Closed Happy
Patio
Hour

18 19 20 22 23 Happy 24
Club Closed Hour
Earth Day with
Paula

25 26 27 29 30
Kids Cooking #TBT Happy
Hour
Class Club Closed