Augusta National Golf Club released a statement Sunday confirming that
the Eisenhower Tree on the 17th hole had been removed after a recent
winter storm "caused irreparable damage" to many of its branches
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
Save the Fred!!!
The city of Edina, looking to shave costs, has made some short sighted proposals. One of the first is to shut down the municipal Fred Richards golf executive course.
First, the bad news. Last night, City of Edina Staff led by City Manager Scott Neal, formally announced a 6 point plan to reduce costs and increase revenue for Edina golf operations. Sadly, the very first point in the plan is a recommendation to close Fred Richards Golf course. Enough of the bad news, now on to the good news!
THE GOOD NEWS!
• FRIENDS of the FRED TURNED OUT! Of over 300 people at the meeting, approximately 90% were there to support the Fred!
• Friends of the Fred handed out 150 neon yellow t-shirts with the phrase “Save the Fred” on the front. We ran out of T-Shirts 10 minutes before the meeting even started. City Staff were startled to look out and see a WALL OF YELLOW sitting in front of them.
• It was obvious to everyone in the room from the first slide on the screen that the plan being presented was flawed and not well thought out. The City's presentation provided little to no support for their numbers related to the economics of Fred Richards golf course.
• Several FOF brought up that repurposing of Fred land would cost money…both in initial capital and in ongoing maintenance costs. When asked about this, the City Manager confirmed that potential future costs of operating and maintaining a park were NOT included in the city’s financial analysis that led to the recommendation to close the FRED.
• Friends of the Fred spoke passionately for over one hour and fifteen minutes when the meeting was opened to comments. Highlights:
o City proposed timeline is for a vote on closing the Fred on March 4th….we let them know loud and clear this is unacceptable! They have been working on this with consultants and staff for MONTHS, AND MONTHS, AND MONTHS.
o Golfers of all ages have enjoyed Fred Richards for over 20 years and City Staff proposed public consideration of ONE MONTH. That timeline cannot and will not stand!
o FOF spoke eloquently about years of enjoying rounds on the Fred with children, grandchildren, friends and family.
o Fred Richards league members talked about how great the course is and how their leagues are growing (Patty Berg League, Happy Hackers League, Fairway Femmes League, Toro League, Seagate League, NWW League etc.).
o Many great questions were asked about the financial assumptions underlying the recommendation. Quite simply, the numbers don’t add up and Friends of the Fred in attendance let the City know it.
o FOF put forward great ideas about how to generate more revenue at the Fred and across golf operations. When asked whether any of these ideas were even considered by staff when putting together their recommendation the answer was almost always NO.
o FOF stressed how talented and resourceful Edina residents are and challenged City Staff to put together an ad hoc team to study other alternatives to increasing golf revenue WITHOUT closing the Fred.
• We applaud Mayor Hovland for attending the meeting and listening to our concerns. After the meeting he expressed significant concern over the timeline for making a decision to close the Fred and also remains open to other ideas and proposals.
• None of the other City Council Members attended the meeting. We sincerely hope they will get involved and take every opportunity to listen to the voice of the citizens that they represent in the near future.
WHAT'S NEXT...
• Friends of the Fred team will be meeting this weekend to discuss an action plan for next steps….stay tuned!
• Public hearing of the Edina Park Board at City Hall on Tuesday, February 11th at 7PM.
• City Council Meeting on Tuesday, March 4th.
THREE THINGS YOU CAN DO NOW TO HELP SAVE THE FRED!
1. THE SUPPORT WE HAD LAST NIGHT WAS TREMENDOUS, BUT IT’S ONLY THE BEGINNING! WE NEED YOU TO COME TO THE PARK BOARD MEETING ON FEBRUARY 11TH. WE ARE ORDERING MORE “SAVE THE FRED” YELLOW T- SHIRTS! EMAIL jtstang67@gmail.com to let us know you will be there to support the FRED.
2. FLOOD the Mayor and City Council Members with emails and letters to express your support for the Fred (See email addresses below). THE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL WILL MAKE THE FINAL DECISION. Tell them the timeline proposed is offensive and ask for the City to approve an ad hoc team of concerned residents to develop alternative proposals for consideration.
3. Watch your email for more updates from us and visit the FaceBook page for SAVE THE FRED every day!
CONTACT Info:
James Hovland
Mayor
612-874-8550
mail@EdinaMN.gov
Joni Bennett
City Council Member
952-927-0661...
jonibennett12@comcast.net
Mary Brindle
City Council Member
952-941-7746
mbrindle@comcast.net
Josh Sprague
City Council Member
612-501-0252
joshsprague@edinarealty.com
Ann Swenson
City Council Member
952-927-7524
swensonann1@gmail.com
First, the bad news. Last night, City of Edina Staff led by City Manager Scott Neal, formally announced a 6 point plan to reduce costs and increase revenue for Edina golf operations. Sadly, the very first point in the plan is a recommendation to close Fred Richards Golf course. Enough of the bad news, now on to the good news!
THE GOOD NEWS!
• FRIENDS of the FRED TURNED OUT! Of over 300 people at the meeting, approximately 90% were there to support the Fred!
• Friends of the Fred handed out 150 neon yellow t-shirts with the phrase “Save the Fred” on the front. We ran out of T-Shirts 10 minutes before the meeting even started. City Staff were startled to look out and see a WALL OF YELLOW sitting in front of them.
• It was obvious to everyone in the room from the first slide on the screen that the plan being presented was flawed and not well thought out. The City's presentation provided little to no support for their numbers related to the economics of Fred Richards golf course.
• Several FOF brought up that repurposing of Fred land would cost money…both in initial capital and in ongoing maintenance costs. When asked about this, the City Manager confirmed that potential future costs of operating and maintaining a park were NOT included in the city’s financial analysis that led to the recommendation to close the FRED.
• Friends of the Fred spoke passionately for over one hour and fifteen minutes when the meeting was opened to comments. Highlights:
o City proposed timeline is for a vote on closing the Fred on March 4th….we let them know loud and clear this is unacceptable! They have been working on this with consultants and staff for MONTHS, AND MONTHS, AND MONTHS.
o Golfers of all ages have enjoyed Fred Richards for over 20 years and City Staff proposed public consideration of ONE MONTH. That timeline cannot and will not stand!
o FOF spoke eloquently about years of enjoying rounds on the Fred with children, grandchildren, friends and family.
o Fred Richards league members talked about how great the course is and how their leagues are growing (Patty Berg League, Happy Hackers League, Fairway Femmes League, Toro League, Seagate League, NWW League etc.).
o Many great questions were asked about the financial assumptions underlying the recommendation. Quite simply, the numbers don’t add up and Friends of the Fred in attendance let the City know it.
o FOF put forward great ideas about how to generate more revenue at the Fred and across golf operations. When asked whether any of these ideas were even considered by staff when putting together their recommendation the answer was almost always NO.
o FOF stressed how talented and resourceful Edina residents are and challenged City Staff to put together an ad hoc team to study other alternatives to increasing golf revenue WITHOUT closing the Fred.
• We applaud Mayor Hovland for attending the meeting and listening to our concerns. After the meeting he expressed significant concern over the timeline for making a decision to close the Fred and also remains open to other ideas and proposals.
• None of the other City Council Members attended the meeting. We sincerely hope they will get involved and take every opportunity to listen to the voice of the citizens that they represent in the near future.
WHAT'S NEXT...
• Friends of the Fred team will be meeting this weekend to discuss an action plan for next steps….stay tuned!
• Public hearing of the Edina Park Board at City Hall on Tuesday, February 11th at 7PM.
• City Council Meeting on Tuesday, March 4th.
THREE THINGS YOU CAN DO NOW TO HELP SAVE THE FRED!
1. THE SUPPORT WE HAD LAST NIGHT WAS TREMENDOUS, BUT IT’S ONLY THE BEGINNING! WE NEED YOU TO COME TO THE PARK BOARD MEETING ON FEBRUARY 11TH. WE ARE ORDERING MORE “SAVE THE FRED” YELLOW T- SHIRTS! EMAIL jtstang67@gmail.com to let us know you will be there to support the FRED.
2. FLOOD the Mayor and City Council Members with emails and letters to express your support for the Fred (See email addresses below). THE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL WILL MAKE THE FINAL DECISION. Tell them the timeline proposed is offensive and ask for the City to approve an ad hoc team of concerned residents to develop alternative proposals for consideration.
3. Watch your email for more updates from us and visit the FaceBook page for SAVE THE FRED every day!
CONTACT Info:
James Hovland
Mayor
612-874-8550
mail@EdinaMN.gov
Joni Bennett
City Council Member
952-927-0661...
jonibennett12@comcast.net
Mary Brindle
City Council Member
952-941-7746
mbrindle@comcast.net
Josh Sprague
City Council Member
612-501-0252
joshsprague@edinarealty.com
Ann Swenson
City Council Member
952-927-7524
swensonann1@gmail.com
Tuesday, December 24, 2013
Merry Christmas
For us Minnesota golfers, we are in the midst of Winter's icy cold grip. I have been a terrible blogger- my last post was in October!! My new years resolution is to catch up on my blog.
On this Christmas Eve, I want to reach out and say Merry Christmas to you all. May you have a safe and happy holiday season and may 2014 be your best year yet!
Here is a poem that Totally Driven shared with me:
In My Hand I Hold A Ball,
White And Dimpled...Rather Small.
Oh, How Bland It Does Appear,
This Harmless Looking Little Sphere.
By Its Size I Could Not Guess
The Awesome Strength It Does Possess.
But Since I Fell Beneath Its Spell,
I've Wandered Through The Fires Of Hell.
My Life Has Not Been Quite The Same
Since I Chose To Play This Stupid Game.
It Rules My Mind For Hours On End;
A Fortune It Has Made Me Spend.
It Has Made Me Curse And Made Me Cry,
And Hate Myself And Want To Die.
It Promises Me A Thing Called Par,
If I Hit It Straight And Far.
To Master Such A Tiny Ball,
Should Not Be Very Hard At All.
But My Desires The Ball Refuses,
And Does Exactly As It Chooses.
It Hooks And Slices, Dribbles And Dies,
And Disappears Before My Eyes.
Often It Will Have A Whim,
To Hit A Tree Or Take A Swim.
With Miles Of Grass On Which To Land,
It Finds A Tiny Patch Of Sand.
Then Has Me Offering Up My Soul,
If Only It Would Find The Hole.
It's Made Me Whimper Like A Pup,
And Swear That I Will Give It Up.
And Take To Drink To Ease My Sorrow,
But The Ball Knows ... I'll Be Back Tomorrow.
On this Christmas Eve, I want to reach out and say Merry Christmas to you all. May you have a safe and happy holiday season and may 2014 be your best year yet!
Here is a poem that Totally Driven shared with me:
In My Hand I Hold A Ball,
White And Dimpled...Rather Small.
Oh, How Bland It Does Appear,
This Harmless Looking Little Sphere.
By Its Size I Could Not Guess
The Awesome Strength It Does Possess.
But Since I Fell Beneath Its Spell,
I've Wandered Through The Fires Of Hell.
My Life Has Not Been Quite The Same
Since I Chose To Play This Stupid Game.
It Rules My Mind For Hours On End;
A Fortune It Has Made Me Spend.
It Has Made Me Curse And Made Me Cry,
And Hate Myself And Want To Die.
It Promises Me A Thing Called Par,
If I Hit It Straight And Far.
To Master Such A Tiny Ball,
Should Not Be Very Hard At All.
But My Desires The Ball Refuses,
And Does Exactly As It Chooses.
It Hooks And Slices, Dribbles And Dies,
And Disappears Before My Eyes.
Often It Will Have A Whim,
To Hit A Tree Or Take A Swim.
With Miles Of Grass On Which To Land,
It Finds A Tiny Patch Of Sand.
Then Has Me Offering Up My Soul,
If Only It Would Find The Hole.
It's Made Me Whimper Like A Pup,
And Swear That I Will Give It Up.
And Take To Drink To Ease My Sorrow,
But The Ball Knows ... I'll Be Back Tomorrow.
Friday, October 4, 2013
Fore! Gone Minnesota's Lost Golf Courses
With the October 1st announcement of the Sawmill Golf Course closing in Stillwater, I thought I would recommend a link about a book that is attempting to get published about the lost golf courses in Minnesota's history.
Joe Bissen has been researching the history of courses in Minnesota lost to time. He is trying to raise money with a kickstarter campaign to get his book published.
He has been working in collaborations with Peter Wong, one of the most amazing photographers. Peter has done a lot of great golf photography, along with just being generally awesome in his other work too.
I love the history of golf. Fields to Fairways, is an especially great read about the more storied courses in Minnesota. I find it fascinating. If you do too, check out his Kickstarter page:
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1578228330/fore-gone-minnesotas-lost-golf-courses-1897-1999
While your browsing, check out Peter's site too:
http://peterwongphotography.com/
Joe Bissen has been researching the history of courses in Minnesota lost to time. He is trying to raise money with a kickstarter campaign to get his book published.
He has been working in collaborations with Peter Wong, one of the most amazing photographers. Peter has done a lot of great golf photography, along with just being generally awesome in his other work too.
I love the history of golf. Fields to Fairways, is an especially great read about the more storied courses in Minnesota. I find it fascinating. If you do too, check out his Kickstarter page:
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1578228330/fore-gone-minnesotas-lost-golf-courses-1897-1999
While your browsing, check out Peter's site too:
http://peterwongphotography.com/
Tuesday, October 1, 2013
The future of Sawmill Golf Course in Stillwater?
The owners of the Sawmill and Loggers Trail golf courses in Stillwater, MN announced today that the 30 year lease on the Sawmill Golf Course will not be renewed. They are stating that this means they can focus more on developing the Loggers Trail course.
It looks like Sawmill will be closing on October 31st. I assume this is a permanent closure?
Here is the full announcement:
Sawmill Golf Club, Inc. to Focus on Developing Loggers Trail Golf Club
Sawmill Golf Club, Inc. announced today that the thirty year lease on the 18-hole Sawmill Golf Course property will not be renewed. This will allow the staff and management team to focus 100% of their time on Loggers Trail Golf Course. Loggers Trail Golf Course is located in the City of Grant just off of Manning Avenue at 11950 80th st.
“Thirty years ago a small group of golfers signed a lease on a nine hole cow pasture and turned it into an eighteen hole golf destination that focused on providing a great golf experience at a great price.” stated Dan Pohl, President of Sawmill Golf Club, Inc. “We are very proud of what we accomplished and we want to thank all the people who played and contributed to the great golf experience at Sawmill.”
Now it is time to focus on taking Loggers Trail to the next level,” continued Pohl. “Plans are under way to build a new club house to support a pro shop and golf grill but also to provide space for wedding receptions and special community events. We hope to be breaking ground on the new facility next year.”
It looks like Sawmill will be closing on October 31st. I assume this is a permanent closure?
Here is the full announcement:
Sawmill Golf Club, Inc. to Focus on Developing Loggers Trail Golf Club
Sawmill Golf Club, Inc. announced today that the thirty year lease on the 18-hole Sawmill Golf Course property will not be renewed. This will allow the staff and management team to focus 100% of their time on Loggers Trail Golf Course. Loggers Trail Golf Course is located in the City of Grant just off of Manning Avenue at 11950 80th st.
“Thirty years ago a small group of golfers signed a lease on a nine hole cow pasture and turned it into an eighteen hole golf destination that focused on providing a great golf experience at a great price.” stated Dan Pohl, President of Sawmill Golf Club, Inc. “We are very proud of what we accomplished and we want to thank all the people who played and contributed to the great golf experience at Sawmill.”
Now it is time to focus on taking Loggers Trail to the next level,” continued Pohl. “Plans are under way to build a new club house to support a pro shop and golf grill but also to provide space for wedding receptions and special community events. We hope to be breaking ground on the new facility next year.”
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Giants Ridge - The Legend's 17th hole
I really am working on trying to catch up on my blog. I worked last night on getting some of the pictures ready of the Giants Ridge trip. With the NFL starting up and now the NHL preseason underway I find less time to get to my blogging. Tonight is another Wild game but hopefully I can start to crank some content out soon. Here is one more teaser pic before I actually post some stuff about the courses.
This is me on the par 3 17th hole at The Legend course at Giants Ridge. Of the Wilderness at Fortune Bay, The Quarry, and the Legend, this is arguably the most recognizable and photographed hole.
A true test of your tee game, it plays 226 from the tips. There is not much room to miss. With the green being elevated anything short of the green will find the rugged hill sloping down to the lake. Any shots long will likely either find the large bunker behind the green, or come to rest on the hill- making for a knee rattling chip back towards the lake. Left is all but dead. To the right there is a small amount of room to work with, but not much. It is to the right where you will find the drop zone should you miss the green.
The green is somewhat bowl shaped and is bisected with a ridge making the back half of the green slope away from you off the tee. Simply hitting the green off the tee does not offer a gimmie par, as the green is very large and a wayward first shot can leave a long couple of putts.
But it is not all doom and gloom. This is definitely one of the prettiest holes in the state. Stop and enjoy the numerous flowers around the tee boxes and stairs and spend a moment looking out over Sabin Lake.
This is me on the par 3 17th hole at The Legend course at Giants Ridge. Of the Wilderness at Fortune Bay, The Quarry, and the Legend, this is arguably the most recognizable and photographed hole.
A true test of your tee game, it plays 226 from the tips. There is not much room to miss. With the green being elevated anything short of the green will find the rugged hill sloping down to the lake. Any shots long will likely either find the large bunker behind the green, or come to rest on the hill- making for a knee rattling chip back towards the lake. Left is all but dead. To the right there is a small amount of room to work with, but not much. It is to the right where you will find the drop zone should you miss the green.
The green is somewhat bowl shaped and is bisected with a ridge making the back half of the green slope away from you off the tee. Simply hitting the green off the tee does not offer a gimmie par, as the green is very large and a wayward first shot can leave a long couple of putts.
But it is not all doom and gloom. This is definitely one of the prettiest holes in the state. Stop and enjoy the numerous flowers around the tee boxes and stairs and spend a moment looking out over Sabin Lake.
Friday, September 13, 2013
The Wilderness' Par 3 third hole
Named "The Walleye", this is one of their signature holes. It plays around 220 yards from the tips.
This is a really beautiful hole from the tees and a treacherous one from the green. A massive two tiers makes 4 putts a possibility if on the wrong tier.
Off the tee you must clear the water short and avoid the bunker and false front. If you go long the rough behind the hole is pretty thick and a missed chip from here can send your ball to the very front of the green.
This is a really beautiful hole from the tees and a treacherous one from the green. A massive two tiers makes 4 putts a possibility if on the wrong tier.
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