March Newsletter

From the President

I would like to welcome Dick Archer, Rick Dabney, and Roger Senter to the Board of Directors. I look forward to serving with them and I look forward to making Canyon Country Club the best course in the panhandle.

At the annual stockholders meeting, it seemed the common theme for our success is increasing membership. The board has implemented a “Membership Drive” for a limited time to get new members. The plan for new joining associate members is they pay their first month’s dues and a $50 initiation fee (no longer first and last months dues). The initiation fee can also be waived if the new member signs up for automatic draft. We are still working on an incentive for stock members. We need every member of Canyon Country Club to recruit just one new member.

One thing that came up at our board meeting was the issue of our golf carts. While there is no perfect answer to the problems we have encountered, we can be thankful that our damage has been minimal. The only damage our carts have suffered in the course of nearly one full year of use is we had one U-frame bent. The board would like to remind all members to be cautious when using the carts. If you see someone whom you think is abusing a cart, be polite and say something to him or her, don’t yell across the course. If you do not feel comfortable with doing that, call the Pro Shop and hopefully they will have someone available to go out and talk to them.

The club is on the lookout for a brush/tree chipper. Mikel and the guys are constantly trimming and cutting down trees and chipping them would be more beneficial than hauling the limbs off to a brush cutting site or even disposing them on the 42 acres we have for sale. If you know where we can get one for a decent price let one of the board members know.

By now you also received a detailed letter and survey about what you would like to see at our club. Please take the time to fill out the survey and mail it back as soon as possible. We will compile the data and inform the members of our findings.

Jerry Neufeld

President - Board of Directors

From the Golf Shop

I would like to thank everyone for playing in the Polar Bear and in Mikel’s Revenge/ Beat the Pro. Both events went well and the weather was warm, unfortunately the wind blew. For those of you who played in Mikel's Revenge, I bet you can agree on how lucky we are that the pins aren't in those positions every day. Here is a list of winners from Mikel's Revenge.

Mikel’s Revenge / Beat the Pro

1^st Place – Holly & Lynn Johnston

2^nd Place – Charlie McClure and Fernando Villalobos

3^rd Place – Johnnie Guelker & Phil Mancuso

4^th Place – Janice & Stan Price

5^th Place – Garry Erdman & Cleve Gustin

Thanks again for playing.

The Adios to Winter 3 – Person Scramble will be held on March 14^th and 15^th. There will be a morning and afternoon shotgun on both days. If you would like to play please call the golf shop for more information or to sign up.

Ladies Auxiliary

The Ladies Auxiliary will be meeting on Thursday, March 12^th at 7:00 p.m. All ladies are invited to come and be a part of the Ladies Auxiliary

The first official Wednesday Ladies Night is April 8^th. Starting this year, we are asking that you contact the golf shop (499-3397) by 4 p.m. This will allow Casey to set up the teams in advance. Also, we are asking that you let Casey know if you would like to eat dinner afterwards, so Theresa can have an accurate head count for supper.

The Ladies will start selling raffle tickets soon for our September drawing. Money from the raffle goes to improvements for the club. One of the improvements made recently was the new ceiling fans in the bar and foyer area. They look great.

Thank You

First, a big thanks goes to Roger and Cindy Senter and Red Higginbotham for putting in the new ceiling fans. They all work and no one got injured in the process. Also, thanks to Kay Reynolds and Rhonda Stephenson for all the work that they are doing. They have recently started to repaint the foyer and hall areas inside the clubhouse. A big THANK YOU to all of you for volunteering your time and efforts.

Polar Bear Results

We had 22 teams enter the Polar Bear this year. Saturday was cold but the wind did not blow. The weathermen missed the forecast on Sunday. They said it was going to get 60 degrees but I don't thing it ever got above 40. Thanks to everyone who participated. Here are the results and some pictures.


Championship Flight
1st - Phil Mancuso & Johnnie Guelker 65-66-131
2nd - Mark Wyatt & Randy Mahaney 66-68-134
3rd - Detrick Sherwood & Brad Schlagel 66-70-136

First Flight
1st - Harold Jennings & Bryan Goucher 70-68-138
2nd - Chris Watson & Johnny Watson 70-69-139
3rd - John Lauferswiler & Landon Josephson 72-69-141

Second Flight
1st - Red Higginbotham & Roger Senter 69-73-142
2nd - Bob Lang & Garry Erdman 72-74-146
3rd - Rick Weitner & Rudy Gonzales 75-72-147

Third Flight
1st - Kyle Farmer & Javier Solis 76-73-149
t2nd - Thom Clark & Ken Shufeldt 78-76-154
t2nd - Beverly Johnson & Wayne Johnson 79-75-154

Congrats to everyone.

Here's a familiar scene this weekend. I think everyone had a cart cover. This is Derek getting his cover on for him and his brother, Robert.




Nathan Seemann and his partner Tim Brown.



Here is Debra Hetzler braving the cold.

Once again, thanks to everyone who played. Also, thanks to Dick Archer for the pictures.

From the President
As I finished my first year serving you as President, I look back at some of the accomplishments we have made. When I say we, I mean the board of directors, the employees and every member of Canyon Country Club. Even though the board of directors tackles the everyday obstacles of the club, it takes everyone to make this club what it is. Many people have gone above and beyond their responsibilities to help out, by trimming trees and picking up limbs, painting the swimming pool, working on electrical problems in the clubhouse and many other countless things. This past year we have developed & maintained a web site, irrigated & planted grass in many areas of the golf course, opened up 8 home sites (4 of which have been sold), and purchased & paid for in full 32 brand new golf carts (something that has never been done before).

As we start this new year, I can only imagine what changes are in store for our club. At the annual stockholders meeting there were a few suggestions of what our members would like to see happen. My question to all stockholders; what are your goals or ideas for improving our club? How can we increase our membership? What changes would you like to see take place? I encourage you to get involved, voice your opinions and offer suggestions. You are welcome to attend the board meetings, which are the second Monday of each month, ask questions or just sit back and listen. Feel free to call any of the board members to offer your comments or suggestions.

We discussed at the annual stockholders meeting, that financially times are tough and who knows if there is an end insight. The best way for our club to become more financially stable is either to increase our membership pool or increase our dues. As we found out Monday evening, increasing our dues was something no one wanted to discuss. So please talk up our club to friends and invite them to play golf with you. We have room for several more memberships.

In closing, play golf as much as you can, enjoy the beauty of our course, encourage new memberships, and take pride in your course.

Jerry Neufeld, President



Super Bowl Party
The Super Bowl Party at the club will begin at 4:30 on Sunday, February 1st. We will have plenty of food and there will be a chance for you to win some money with our annual Squares Pot. We would love to see everyone there, so don’t forget the party starts at 4:30.



Mikel’s Revenge / Beat the Pro
Our wonderful superintendent gets to play the role of the Evil Greenskeeper on Sunday, February 22nd. Mikel will be setting the pins in the most difficult positions that he can find and the tees will be set way back. Find yourself a partner and see if you can stomach the six-putts that are inevitable. The format will be a two person scramble. There will be a 10 stroke handicap limit on your team. Also, there will be an optional Beat-the-Pro tournament. I will play in the scramble, with a partner(and yes we will be zero handicaps – although many could argue that we probably need a few strokes!). The costs of the tournament will $20 for the scramble per player and an extra $10 per player for the Beat-the-Pro portion of the tournament. If you play in the Beat-the-Pro portion, you will automatically receive a $10 credit in the golf shop. If you beat my team, then you double your wager! You can’t lose! Teresa in the grill will do a Brunch Buffet on that morning (this is part of the entry fee) starting at 10:00 and the tournament will tee-off at 11:00 (tee times). To sign-up just call the shop and enter you and your partner.

Ladies Auxiliary
The Ladies Auxiliary will be meeting on Thursday, February 12th at 7:00 p.m. in the grill. All ladies are invited to come and be a part of the Ladies Auxiliary.

Thank You
I would like to extend a special thank you to our board members who served their term on the board the last couple of years. This is a thankless job and they deserve a big pat on the back. Thank You to Charlie McClure and Joe Randal. There efforts this last year and beyond have made Canyon Country Club one of the best places to play golf and be a part of.

Welcome New Board Members
Dick Archer, Rick Dabney and Roger Senter were elected to serve three year terms at the last Stockholders Meeting in January. I look forward to working with all of them and I feel confident that they will help lead Canyon Country Club in the right direction.


Cart Paths Only
Due to the extremely dry conditions, we will be cart path only until further notice. We appreciate everyones effort to stay on the path.

Just a Few Reminders

Stockholders Meeting

The annual Stockholders Meeting will be on Monday, January 19th, at 7:00 p.m. We would encourage all stockholding members to attend.

Polar Bear Tournament

The Polar Bear (2 person scramble) will be on January 24th and 25th. There will be an 11:00 a.m. shotgun start on both days. Please call the golf shop to sign up.

Thanks!

January Newsletter

From the Golf Shop

Happy New Year to everyone. Hope your holidays went well and were spent with the ones you love. The Christmas Party was a lot of fun and we hope to see everyone here for the New Year's Eve Party.

The New Year is a good time to start thinking about your golf for the next season. If your New Year’s resolution is to become a better golfer, I would be glad to help you in any way. I am usually always available for a series of lessons or just a quick tune-up for your game. I also will have the latest equipment for sale and I can help you decide what would be best for you.

New Year’s Eve Party

The Club will be hosting their annual New Year’s Eve Party. The party will start on December 31^st at 7:00 p.m. The club will furnish snacks and finger foods. This is always a fun time so we hope to see everyone there. Don’t forget to bring your dancing shoes, because we will have music for you all to cut a rug.

Polar Bear Golf Tournament

Our annual Polar Bear Golf Tournament will be held on January 24^th and 25^th. We will shotgun start at 11:00 a.m. both days. The format is a two person scramble. Hopefully the weather will be good, so grab a partner and get the year started off right.

Stockholder’s Meeting

The annual Stockholder’s meeting will be held on Monday, January 19^th at 7:00 p.m. I encourage all stockholders to come down for the meeting. A letter will be out around the first of January explaining the agenda of the meeting. Please come down and show your support of the club.

2009 Tournament Schedule

The 2009 Tournament Schedule will be available at the Stockholder's Meeting. It will also be available online at www.canyontxcountryclub.com. If you would like a copy of the tournament schedule please give me a call and we will mail you one after the stockholder's meeting.

Thanks from Dick Archer

I would like to thank the club for the potted plant on behalf of the death of my father, Howard Archer. You all are a very special family and its so wonderful to have friends who care about one another. Thank you again.

Dick Archer and Family

A Great Start to the Holidays

The Christmas party was a big success. Theresa made a wonderful pork loin (that I had many pieces of) and the covered dishes that everyone brought added to the great meal. I also enjoyed the cheesecake that someone brought, it was delicious. A big thanks to Wilma for the game that she brought. It consisted of a Christmas story, lotto tickets, and a lot of laughs. The story was about the Right family and what they were doing on Christmas. Every time I read right or left from the story, we would pass the lottery tickets in that direction. There was confusion by some, but overall it was fun. We did learn a valuable lesson, the lottery is a sham. Out of 35 lottery tickets the group took home a whopping $19. Mr. Bill Doyle was our big winner with a five dollar ticket, and the rumor is that he mailed it to Austin to cash it in. Thanks to everyone who came and we hope to see more of you at the New Years Eve Party.



Karolyn Farmer led us in prayer before we enjoyed our wonderful meal.



Thanks to Wilma and Red for all the things they did for the Christmas Party.
I wonder what Debbie has Sue laughing about?



The big winner for the night - Bill Doyle. Don't spend all that $5 at once.



Our 2008 Club Champions, Trish and Jim Giacomazzi, enjoyed the great food and fun.



Bob Lang's brother, Karaoke Bob, was in full force for the party. Thanks Bob for providing the music for the party.



I wanted everyone to make sure that they see Lynn's sweater, or Jazz, as he calls it. It's nice to see someone bring a little color to the group. Merry Christmas Lynn!



Jere Ellison has worked for us for about six months. Jere will be leaving us soon to study abroad in England. Thanks Jere for all your hard work and Good Luck!

Once again, thanks to everyone who came to the party and we hope everyone has a Merry Christmas!

Welcome

Welcome to the new members area of our website. In this portion you will gain access to news around the club that is strictly limited to the members of Canyon Country Club. Check back often for blogs, written by Casey and hopefully some help from other people as well, pictures of club events and activities, and other good news and happenings that will be fit to print. Also, look for tournament dates and results in this area.

There is a comment section on the bottom of each blog. Feel free to send a comment or you can email me at crenner@pga.com to post anything that you would like for the other members to see on this website.

I hope that all the members take advantage of this technological tool to better serve the membership in general. We know that this will help the club members to develop a strong community and keep the line of communication of the members open and strong.

Thanks and don't forget to check this site out often, because this is for you.

Casey Renner
Head Golf Professional