December 2021 Newsletter

December 2021

It's been a good year. Golf, friends and the lake. Enough said!

Welcome to Thousand Acres Golf Club

Dear Members, Happy December! As this year comes to a close, we reflect on a remarkable year with all of you and a memorable 2022 ahead. Our golf days may be limited during these winter months, but we have many exciting updates to share with you about Thousand Acres Golf Club.

Our team is working diligently to finalize our Member Documents for 2022 and beyond. These documents will include specific membership details, club rules, and more.
We have ordered brand-new electric golf carts that will make for speedier and more comfortable golf rounds in the new year. We will let you know as soon as the carts arrive so that you can all be the first to take them for a spin.
We are thrilled to announce the beautiful back nine will be ready to play this coming summer. Members will be first to have access to all eighteen holes. Be sure to look at our hole #16 preview further in the newsletter for a sneak peek. For more detailed updates regarding the golf shop, course maintenance, and course construction, check out the rest of the newsletter below.

The off-season is officially among us. To those who plan to play a few more rounds before winter sets in, we will be happy to see you. We do ask that you please call the Golf Shop before making the trip to ensure that we are open. To those who will be putting away their clubs for the remainder of the year, we hope you have a great winter, and we cannot wait to see you back at Thousand Acres.

As always, please do not hesitate to reach out if there is anything we can do for you here at the Club. Happy holidays from all of us here at Thousand Acres!

With best wishes,

Bob Raley
General Manager

SCOTT GONDER , GOLF PRO

The season of giving is officially upon us. What better gift to give than merchandise from your favorite Golf Shop? We will have open hours to fulfill all your holiday shopping needs. Our winter merchandise is sharper than ever. From golf balls, gloves, and hats, to jackets, shirts, and sweatshirts, our selection of Thousand Acres gear will certainly bring your loved ones joy this holiday season. Give us a call and stop by during our open hours to buy some gifts, or maybe even something for yourself!

The current weather conditions may not be the best for playing on the course, but that does not mean we have to put our clubs away for good. There are still plenty of ways to improve our golf game that can be done without even leaving home. We will be posting easy-to-do golf tips on the “Thousand Acres Golf Club” Facebook page and our @thousandacresgolf Instagram. These drills will be certain to bring more success come the start of the 2022 golf season. Give us a follow and be on the lookout for “Scott’s Winter Tips”.

As mentioned in the highlights, brand-new golf carts have been ordered and are on their way. Rather than keeping them outside as we have been with our current carts, we are planning to build a cart storage building. This building will not only help preserve the condition of our new carts, but also help enhance our outdoor space at the Club. Planning is ongoing for the building, and we will keep you all updated as soon as we have more information.

TOM HARSHBERGER , GOLF COURSE SUPERINTENDENT

While golf at Thousand Acres may not be a year-round activity, the process of maintaining our treasured course never ends. This month, we have taken steps to prepare for the harsh Deep Creek winters. Irrigation has been winterized, protecting our pipes from freezing and the course has been sprayed to protect the grass from the cold. These actions will help our course achieve a speedy springtime recovery, and hopefully allow for play to resume as soon as the weather begins to improve.

Since our course will be doubling in size from nine holes to eighteen this upcoming year, we also need to increase the amount of maintenance equipment that we have. Recently, we purchased a great deal of new equipment to help us maintain our full-size course, including tractors, carts and of course lots of mowers. Thousand Acres requires at least a dozen types of mowers to mow all the different grasses and surfaces, and to keep the high level of conditioning expected.

Lastly, we recently mentioned the completed construction of our turfgrass care facility. This building is now in use as the central storage center for much of our important equipment. We have seen a drastic improvement in efficiency and overall quality regarding course maintenance with this great new facility. As winter rolls in, our focus will be on continuing our winter maintenance processes to prepare for a beautiful spring season. We are so excited to have a facility that we will be scheduling a tour next summer!

BOB RALEY , GENERAL MANAGER

Tremendous progress has been made on the back nine construction. Greens, fairways, and roughs are fully seeded, and beginning to take shape. The greens are growing well and continue to be mowed on a regular basis. Now that construction is in its final stages and the holes are being finalized, we have recently begun removing the construction erosion control measures. Each day, we are coming closer to the opening date of the back nine. Adding to the excitement, gravel cart paths for the back nine have been completed. In the spring, we will be using the new cart paths to give member-exclusive tours of the new holes prior to their opening in the summer.

We will continue to keep you all updated on the back nine’s progress. In the meantime, enjoy this picture of stunning sixteenth hole. This dogleg left Par 4 is one of the most picturesque holes at Thousand Acres. A slight uphill tee shot followed by an extremely narrow green, means this hole just might be the hardest hole on the course. Birdie or bogey, the views on number sixteen will make you smile.

BOB RALEY , GENERAL MANAGER

Our team at Thousand Acres Golf Club wants to wish you, our beloved members, a Happy Holidays, and a prosperous New Year. Thank you for making this year at Thousand Acres so spectacular. We hope that you have a special time with your friends, family, and loved ones this holiday season. If you have time, come by our Golf Shop during our open hours for some holiday shopping. We always look forward to seeing you.