May 2021 - Final - 1

News from the Ridge

May 2021

Celebrating 100 years

PRESIDENT’S LETTER
Members,

Oak Ridge Country Club Wow! Here we are at the end of April and all I can say is what I am seeing at our Club is
terrific. That is everything but the weather. I would like to welcome our new members and
Established 1921 I hope you are out there enjoying the golf, tennis and the food. If you have not signed up
700 Oak Ridge Rd., Hopkins, MN for any events, I encourage you to do it now as they are filling up fast. I would also like to
say welcome to our new Golf Shop staff. If you have not met them yet, please go introduce
55305 yourself and say hello to them. I would like to say thank you to our Board for all their hard
work in making our country club the place that people want to go to have fun with their
Business Office: (952) 935-7721 families. Last but not least, I want to say thank you to our staff for helping make Oak Ridge
Golf Shop: (952) 939-5460 the place that people want to go to.
Starter: (952) 939-5461

Swimming Pool: (952) 939-5462
Tennis Clubhouse: (952) 939-5463
Greens Department: (952) 938-6900

Club Officers Please Welcome our new members
President Gary Singer
Past President Carole Kaplan Connor Allen Golf
Vice President Andrew Todd Will Manske & Mackensie Epping
Secretary Kara Frank
Treasurer Jason Sondell Danny and Liz Belkin Robert and Whitney McChane

Board of Directors Reggie and Lindsey Borges Thomas and Pamela Meyers
Blake Appelhof
Howard Chanen Matt and Emily Bucka Jake Meyers
Kara Frank
Joe Gleason Sean Byom Benjamin and Hayley Monnens
Carole Kaplan
Molly Rutzick Casey and Michelle Campbell Tj Moore
Gary Singer
Jason Sondell Kris Carlson and Lisa Carlson Jeffrey and Tiffanea Mulder
Andrew Todd
Ellyn Wolfenson Sean Cavanaugh & Isabel Carter Dan Nelson and Carlee Nasifoglu
Drew Zamansky
Jordan and Rachel Dietrich Jeff and Laura Nielsen
Committees
Admissions / Member Relations Nick and Christi Engbloom Jon and Pam Passman

Joe Gleason Karl Farasyn and Stephanie Grogan Robert and Jacqueline Peichel
Finance
Timothy Foley Joshua Rissman and Amy Cohen
Jason Sondell
Golf Peter and Natalie Gianforte Steve Robins and Julie Silver

Kevin Ryan, Co-Chair Eric and Aimee Goldberg Dale and Keely Ross
Molly Rutzick, Co-Chair
Annette Hawkins David and Danielle Rubin
Greens
Blake Appelhof Jacob Herges Bryan Sandvig

House Christopher Hickok Joel and Darcy Silver
Kara Frank
Long Range Planning Mike Higgins and Jenny Hegman- Higgins Charles & Brenna Simacek
Andrew Todd
Jeff and Jenny Holloway Thomas Sjorberg
Pool
Raleigh Miller Bill and Mary Hollway Daniel and Sarah Smith

Tennis Bob Hollway Michael and Deb Stein
Ellyn Wolfenson
Aaron Lamoreaux Jennifer Huffman Ryan Stinson and Elizabeth Stinson

John and Sara Kanive Jeffrey and Laura Sutton

Jonathan Krinsky and Brooke Diamond Patrick and Stephanie Toutant

Harlan Lehman & Dee Burton Eric and Christie Utoft

Craig Levinsohn Sam and Brittany Verchaetse

Max and Caitlyn Loff Rob Winnick and Vanessa Dembo

Joseph and Jessica Loftus Stephen & Arlene Winnick

Sports Activity

News from the Ridge Robb and Marissa Bader Michael Lehan
Editor: Benjamin Berkowitz Michel and Shana Melendez

Karey Kohout Andrew and Betsy Butwin Adam & Brooke Moss
Erik and Elen Gilder Opher Shallom
Patti Goldberg
Ron and Jori Sherer
Howard and Carly Hoffman Erik and Samantha Unger

GENERAL MANAGER’S MESSAGE
May is here!
Oak Ridge Country Club Daffodils, tulips, and crabapple blossoms. These new season harbingers signify the timely arrival of vehicle
transports to our parking lot, early morning tee times, new tennis clay and pre-season pool maintenance.
Staff This year, we also venture into the Centennial season with a new crop of Oak Ridge members emerging to
experience their first full season at Oak Ridge! I look forward to hearing about all the newly created
Jake Hawley relationships and friendships. The excitement is quite palpable in conversation with all of you new members as
General Manager well as with you experienced incumbents.
Wendy Robinson I would like to make sure all of you are aware of the new pizza program Chef Tim is getting together. Many
Director of Business of you have partaken in this offering at Happy Hour on Fridays and during the Pizza on the Patio special event
Administration & Finance last month and we thank you for your participation and feedback. It has been a treat to watch the pizza process
unfold. Some of you were lucky enough to have your kids participate in the Kids Cooking Class on April 25th.
Emily Sparks What a great way to introduce the process to our youngest pizza connoisseurs.
Human Resources
By the time this message gets to you, the new clay for the tennis courts should be on its way! We have a new
Jeff Wissman addition to our tennis court maintenance program. Over the years, we have struggled with getting our courts
Assistant Contoller back in playing shape after a rain. Standing water presents a safety concern and to help shorten the amount of
time the court is offline; this tool helps remove surface water that might puddle in lower areas making the court
Karey Kohout ready for play much more quickly. I know that Barb is excited for a fabulous season of tennis!
Marketing & We are less than a month from pool opening and from all the chatter I’ve heard from all the kids, there is
Membership Director great excitement to come to the club and SWIM! We are getting closer and closer to finalizing details for your
Sue Johnson summer of swimming. Based on current state guidance I can comfortably tell you that capacity at the pool will
Service Manager increase, as will the frequency with which you can reserve space. Swimming lessons will be available, and
Kim Trzpuc details are being finalized for that as well. A lot of maintenance and organizing takes place in the last 30 days
Catering Director before we open, and I would like to recognize Erik Mitchell (Building Engineer) and Steve Miller
Tim Jones (Pool Director) for all the pressure they endure in these final few weeks.
Executive Chef Out on the golf course you have likely noticed the construction taking place at the restroom building. Our
Grounds team led by Todd Kranz has taken the proverbial “doodle on a napkin” and turned it into the project
Margaret Diffley you are seeing take shape. The goal is to have a station where you can get quick grab and go food, beverages,
Sous Chef and cigars and take shelter if the need arises.

Josh Hildebrand Keep an eye on the social calendar, too as we have some great events and specials coming your way!
Sous Chef Thank you and I’ll see you at the club!
Jake Hawley
Steve Palodichuk General Manager
Sous Chef

Lauren Paradise
Beverage Manager

Kellie Hoiness
Director of Golf

Eric Speck
Head Golf Professional

Jeff Crouch
Assistant Golf Professional

Marshall Hoiness
Director of Instruction

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

ecvleunbts

Mother's Day
Sunday, May 9th

Brunch Buffet: Adults: $45
10:00am - 11:15am Children: $25
11:15am-12:30pm 4 & Under: $8
12:30pm-1:45pm

Specials! Please Note:

click here for the Menu You must choose a timeslot when registering for
Mother’s Day. If your party is more than 6, please let us
Wednesday, May 5th
Call the front desk to make your know how you would like to split up your party.

reservations Book Club

Thursday, May 20th

12:30pm Lunch
with discussion following

“The Night Watchman”
by Louise Erdrich

MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND

Friday, May 28th Pool Opening
See you at the POOL!

Monday, May 31st

coguorlfse Golf Notes

Dear Oak Ridge Members,

Thank you for the warm welcome and thank you for your patience as I am trying to meet everyone and remember names!
The masks make it a challenge! I could not be more excited to be here and be a part of the Oak Ridge team.

In May, I look forward to Ladies Day, 9 & Dines, and Couples Twilight starting. If you haven’t participated in a 4-ball
event before, I would recommend signing up for the Men’s Doubles. Below I have some updates regarding golf carts

If you are hosting guests on the golf course, please make sure you put their name on the tee sheet so that the Staff can
properly greet your guests and be prepared for their arrival.

Warm Regards,
Kellie Hoiness, PGA
Director of Golf

Golf Cart Divider UPDATE

We were just made aware that the Outdoor Guidelines, updated on April 21, remove the divider restriction language for
golf carts and instead state:

“Some outdoor recreational equipment rentals, such as a fishing boat, golf cart, or kayak, have seating or space for multi-
ple people. If these outdoor recreation equipment rentals do not allow for social distancing between households, strongly
recommend that patrons only share these rentals with their household, and strongly recommend that patrons wear a face
covering if they choose to share these rentals with members of other households”.

The link to the full guidelines document is below.
https://files.dnr.state.mn.us/aboutdnr/covid19/outdoor-rec-guidelines.pdf?v=2021.01.11-16.53

coguorlfse Golf Notes

Greetings Members!

The season is under way and it has been a treat facilitating the early season golf for all of you.
Before you know it, our events and leagues will be upon us. On behalf of the entire golf team,
we look forward to delivering great golf to you, your friends and your family. With nearly 100
years of combined experience in our golf department, we aim to facilitate all aspects of your
golf experience from teaching to club fittings, merchandising to club repair and all points in
between. Your Oak Ridge golf team is here for you.

Make sure to check out all of our upcoming events and leagues. We encourage golfers of all lev-
els to participate in the fun and camaraderie. Please reach out to us with any questions and we
look forward to seeing you on the course!

Sincerely,
Eric Speck, PGA
Head Golf Professional

Saturday, May 15 Wednesday, May 19
10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. 12:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Wednesday, May 19 Friday, May 21
2:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. 2:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Upcoming Demo Day/Fitting Events
To schedule your appointment please email [email protected] or by
calling the Golf Shop at 952-939-5460.

gsohlofp on the fairway

fashion

Mother’s Day is May 9th…show the mother, wife, grandmother, sister, aunt or friend how much you
appreciate them with a gift from the Golf Shop!

Stop in and we will help you pick out just the right gift and we will even gift wrap it for you! There
is a great assortment of apparel and accessories to select from.

Apparel Accessories Golf Shoes

Vineyard Vines Hillhouse lotions Adidas
Daily Sports Hat Clip ECCO
Lucky in Love GFore
Tail Golf Towels Foot Joy
Sunice GPS Hari Mari Sandals

Level Wear Lifestyle Handbags
TZU TZU Head Covers

Jewelry
Maui Jim Sunglasses

Lucky in Love Tennis Trunk Show Haus of Grey Trunk Show

May 28th 10:30am-11:30am June 8th 2:00pm-6:00pm

ORCC Tennis is beyond thrilled to announce Haus of Grey will be here with all the latest
we will be hosting a Lucky in Love Apparrel and greatest in apparel, and accessories! Make
sure to check out this new line in the Golf Shop
trunk show at the Tennis Shop!
and everything they have to offer!

All orders placed at the trunk shows will receive free shipping!

Lessons from Marshall coguorlfse

New for 2021
Ladies Spring Tune-Ups
Instructor: Marshall Hoiness
Director of Instruction

You may sign up for as many Tune-Ups as you’d like. The maximum number of participants for
each session will be limited to 5 ladies. I will cover basic fundamentals in all areas listed
below to include: set up, ball position, recommendation on which club to use and why, etc..
These small group sessions will allow me to work one on one with you to help elevate your
game and lower your scores.

• Cost: $40 per session
• Sign up on Foretees (Event Sign Up tab)

Full Swing (Focus on Irons)
• Friday, May 7th 10:00-10:50am
• Thursday, May 13th 5:00-5:50pm
• Saturday, May 15th 10:00-10:50am
• Saturday, May 22nd 10:00-10:50am

Chipping & Pitching
• Saturday, May 8th 10:00-10:50am
• Friday, May 14th 10:00-10:50am
• Thursday, May 27th 10:00-10:50am

Full Swing (Focus on Driver, Fairway Woods, Hybrids)
• Wednesday, May 12th 5:00-5:50pm
• Friday, May 21st 10:00-10:50am
• Saturday, May 29th10:00-10:50am

Watch your inbox for more Ladies and Junior lesson opportunities to be added.

Kranz’ Corner coguorlfse

The mud piles you see on our fairways mostly in
spring and fall are called castings and they are left
behind by earthworms. Excessive earthworm casts
are a worldwide problem on golf courses and sport
fields when they disrupt the playability, aesthetics, and
maintenance of playing surfaces. Casting occurs when
worms deposit their soil-rich fecal matter as small
mounds, called casts, on the surface. They adversely
affect ball roll, and muddy and smother the grass when
smeared or compacted by tires or foot traffic. In 2009
the Sports Turf Research Institute rated earthworms the
#1 problem about which they receive queries.

Earthworm tunnels lessen soil compaction and
provide passageways through which air and water
can percolate, enhancing penetration and growth of
plant contents. In addition, earthworm feeding activity
stimulates microbial decomposition of grass clippings
and thatch and accelerates nutrient recycling, so a
moderate level of earthworm activity is beneficial even
on golf fairways.

During the past 20 years, however, the problem of excessive earthworm castings
interfering with play on golf courses has become more serious and widespread. Why?
Residues of old, highly persistent chemicals like chlordane, banned many years, are finally
dissipating from soils and no longer suppressing earthworms. Earthworm-toxic soil
insecticides, like diazinon, bendiocarb, and carbaryl, have been replaced by chemistries
that are more selective.

At this time there is no silver bullet remedy for this issue but as summer rolls around the
amount should be reduced as we dry out a bit. We will continue using what little
chemistry we have left to combat this problem but wanted to give you a bit of history on
why this problem is continuing to get worse.

&Food Beverage
happenings

Greetings,

This month I wish to share a couple updates and additions to the Oak Ridge Culinary
program: Long time Banquet Sous Chef Josh Hildebrand has recently accepted the
position of Banquet Sous Chef. Josh is looking forward to his new chapter here at Oak
Ridge.

We have recently welcomed to our team as Sous Chef, Steve Palodichuk. Steve will be
working in tandem with Margaret Diffley, our Dining Sous Chef. Steve has spent his ca-
reer working with Chefs around the Twin Cities from Bar Abilene to Bulls Horn Tavern.
Along the way, Steve gained experience learning member service at Interlachen Country
Club. Steve is excited to bring his experience to Oak Ridge and we are happy to have
him on board.

Looking forward to a great summer,

Chef Tim

Behind the Baseline

Summer tennis is almost here!! I can’t wait to for the return of our tennis players to the courts, to welcome home our
snow birds, to watch the cardio tennis players sweat, the Live Ballers heckle each other, the beginners fall in love with
our great sport, to hear the laughter of our kids and to watch our USTA teams COMPETE after a year off!! It’s going
to be a great summer I hope you will join us!

THE SUMMER PROGRAM BOOK
At Oak Ridge tennis we strive to provide programming for all ages and abilities. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to
us with any questions or suggestions we will always do our best to accommodate.

Link to our summer tennis book:
https://www.flipsnack.com/ORCCtennis/2021-orcc-tennis-book.html

KICK OFF THE SEASON
We would love for you to “Be Our Guest” for our opening weekend of complimentary tennis program offerings.

Friday, May 28th
FriYay All Comers Drill 9-10:30am
Lucky in Love Trunk Show 10:30-11:30am

Saturday, May 29th

Cardio Tennis 8-9:00am
Men’s All Comers Drill 9-10:30am
Ladies All Comers Drill 10:30-12pm
Kids Tennis Games 10:30-12pm

Sunday, May 30th

Live Ball 9-10:30am
Triples Mixer 10:30-12pm
Kids Tennis Games 10:30-12pm

Monday, May 31st

Men’s Tennis Mixer 7:30-9:00am
Ladies Tennis Mixer 9-10:30am
Beginners Clinic 10:30-12pm
*registration is required using the Kourts app
Fee: Free

GET YOUR EQUIPMENT READY
There is one question I get asked dozens of times each summer.
“When do I know if it’s time to get my racquet restrung?”
The general rule of thumb has always been restring your racquet as many times a year as you play in a week. For
most players we recommend you restring your racquet every three months. The tension in your strings will change
dramatically in that time. Your strings begin losing tension the moment your racquet is taken off the stringing machine.
Restringing every three months will keep your string tension as consistent as possible.

We will offer a 50% discount on stringing racquets May 1st through May 31st, 2021. We have a brand new stringing
machine and some expert stringers on staff!

Email [email protected] to schedule a time to drop off your racquet

Kentucky
Derby

Cinco de
Mayo Grill

Theme

Mother’s Day
Brunch Buffet

Ladies Golf Ladies Book Club
Opening Lunch 9&Dine
Opening

s
Pool
Opens

Twilight
Couples