The Covey| November
2015
Director of Operations - Craig Palm
Greetings Alvamar Members –
Fall is in full swing and the weather has been great. To update everyone on the ongoing transition of ownership, we have a unanimous vote from the City Commission. The Commission voted on three sections of the proposed plan from Bliss Sports LLC. All three passed 5-0. Once management has a firm date of the close of the sale, we will pass that along. Great things are in store for Alvamar!
I wanted to send out a big thanks to everyone that came out for our annual Fall Festival. We had great weather and the kids loved the Fright Ride. Special thanks to the Family Committee for help putting on the great event.
Alvamar will once again be hosting Christmas on Crossgate this December, serving the needs of the community and reaching out to those less fortunate. We ask if you can make a donation to this event, please let the business department know and all proceeds will be used to buy gifts for local kids in need. Please help us make this a special holiday season for the families in need. Donation forms can be found in the AlvaBar or in the Business Department.
ALVAMAR AMBASSADORS - KEATH ALLEN
Greetings Alvamar Members,
December 2nd the Ambassadors will be hosting our 2nd Annual Legacy Celebration where we’ll honor those who have been members for 30 years or more as well as our volunteers. Please mark your calendar and join us for the evening.
Christmas on Crossgate will be taking place on December 13th. We’ll have information coming out soon about opportunities for sponsorship and how you can help families in need this holiday season.
Thanks for your continued support of our great club!
FOOD AND BEVERAGE NEWS -JEN NUESSEN
Welcome to the fall season at Alvamar. I’d like to thank everyone who participated in the Fall Festival. It was a gorgeous day at the club.
There are several upcoming events at Alvamar: Thanksgiving Day Buffet, Santa Brunch, and New Year’s Eve Celebration. Member events are extremely important to the Food and Beverage Department. The staff tries particularly hard to ensure that every member event runs smoothly and is a success. As members you can help in that process. It’s helpful for the Food & Beverage department know how many guests are attending each event. Our members assist us greatly by making reservations and include the name and number of other members or guests in your party. While I am always happy to see members join us for events, walk-ins do create a challenge with our larger dining events such as holiday brunches. The electronic newsletter and weekly club emails make booking reservations easier than ever. Located with each event advertisement is a link to an email address where your reservation can be sent. Your commitment and participation is greatly appreciated and together we can continue to enjoy many events in the future.
Lastly, don’t forget to come out to the Alvamar Member Appreciation Tailgate. Alvamar will host food and beverages at our tent on the KU hill for the KU vs. WV on Saturday, Nov. 21st. All members are welcome to attend.
Try this Pumpkin Martini at your Thanksgiving gatherings:
1½ fl oz vanilla vodka (jigger, such as Stoli®)
1½ fl oz irish cream liqueur (jigger, such as Bailey’s®)
1½ fl oz pumpkin liqueur (jigger, such as Hiram Walker®)
1 C ice cubes
1 pinch ground cinnamon
1 pinch ground nutmeg
Pour the vanilla flavored vodka, Irish cream liqueur, and pumpkin flavored liqueur into a cocktail shaker over ice. Cover, and shake until the outside of the shaker has frosted. Strain into a chilled martini glass, and garnish with a sprinkle of ground cinnamon and ground nutmeg to serve.
New AlvaBar Hours as of November 1:
Tues- Friday – 11am to 9pm
Saturday – 8am – 9pm
Sunday 8am – 7pm
From Chef Matthew's Kitchen
Hot soup and sandwiches on a cold day is just part of fall. Here is an old favorite:
Butternut squash soup:
2 tbsp butter
1 onion diced
2 cloves garlic chopped
½ cup diced celery
2 lbs butternut peeled and diced
2 carrots peeled diced
2 cup chicken stock
½ tsp fresh basil chopped
2 tbsp fresh parsley chopped
½ tsp fresh thyme chopped
2 oz whipping cream
Salt and pepper to taste
Sauté onion in butter till softened, add garlic and sweat it lightly. Add squash, chicken stock, carrot and herbs. Bring to simmer, cover, and cook 20 + minutes or until veg is tender. Add cream, salt and pepper and bring back to simmer then remove from heat. Puree in blender or food processor, run through a sieve if preferred, if not simply enjoy!
Until next month, good cooking.
Buffet Nights
Prime Rib: 3rd
Early bird specials: 10th and 17th
Birthday Buffet: 24th
Thanksgiving Buffet: 26th
Thanksgiving 2015
Entrées
Slow Roasted Turkey, Giblet Gravy and Cranberry Sauce
Carved Herbed Standing Prime Rib Roast
Cider and Brown Sugar Crusted Ham
Baked Salmon with Toasted Almonds and Lemon
Steamed Tilapia with Scallops and Shrimp
Spinach and Sundried Tomato Stuffed Chicken Breast
Accompaniments
Herbed Bread Dressing
Old Fashioned Corn Bread Dressing
Mashed Potatoes
Maple Glazed Sweet Potatoes with Butter and Pecans
Corn Casserole
Green Bean Almandine
Sautéed Squash
Broccoli with Cheese
Also Featuring
Extensive Salad Selections, Smoked Salmon, Domestic and Imported Cheese,
Fruit, Fresh Baked Breads and
A Variety of Desserts
Alvabar Lunch & Dinner Menu-NEW!http://www.alvamar.com/golf/emailer2020/img/alvamar/Alvabar_Menu_011215.pdf
May Calendar:
Click here to view our November Calendar.
Pro Shop News Eric Magnuson
The holiday season has arrived. Halloween has just passed and Thanksgiving is just around the corner. During this time we all are shopping for gifts to give loved ones, and if they happen to be a golfer, we have some wonderful deals for you. Clubs, balls, gloves, bags, hats, shoes, and clothing will all be at reduced prices in both golf shops. How much of a discount you ask? Anywhere from 15% to 60% off. Not needing new equipment or clothing? Inquire about lessons from Paul, Eric, or Ryan for the 2016 season. Let us help you find that special gift for everyone you are shopping for.
During the late fall and winter, Mother Nature can give us wonderful days to get out on the golf course and enjoy a round with our friends. Starting in November, guest rates will be $30 with a cart and $20 walking every day. Carts, as is done every winter, will be restricted to the paths starting in November. Please adhere to this policy to keep the condition of the fairways and roughs in the best possible position when spring arrives. If you are a range rat, the hitting bays are available during regular business hours.
Save the Dates!!!!!!!!
Quail Hunt – June 9th through the 12th, 2016
Mel Anderson – August 20th and 21st, 2016
The ardent golfer would play Mount Everest if somebody put a flagstick on top. ~Pete Dye
DIRECTOR OF INSTRUCTION - PAUL HOOSER
Golfers,
It is exciting to report that Alvamar golfers had great years with the support they got through our instruction programs and offerings. The goal of instruction is that the golfer gets “better”. Better is solely an individual call, but it can be anywhere from getting the ball in the air to playing in the high school state championship. This past year we had boys, girls and teams competing in the Kansas State High School Golf Championships that are plugged into golf coaching here at Alvamar.
Faith and Will Hedges continue to improve and compete in the US Kids tournament series held here in our region and fair well in other events as well. Faith and Will are two of our golfing juniors that work on their games year round. This season held personal best scoring drops for both of them. Well done!
2015 also was the first season for an adult golfer program I named “Biggest Loser”. The three golfers that took advantage of this competed against one another to determine which of them lost more strokes from their handicap and golf scores. This program provided a number of private coaching sessions and the ability to participate in the practice groups offered on Tuesday and Thursday evenings through the summer. At this writing the winner has not been decided, but on the average these three golfers reduced their handicap by more than 20%. In this case losing is a very nice deal.
It feels like the golf season is about to end but really we are just in pre-next year mode as golfers. The Alvamar website will soon have all of the Pre-Season instruction programs. As a teaser, if you look to keep your game sharp or make a move on losing your own extra strokes, the Pre-Season pack of lessons will get you through the winter as follows. These sessions are half hour private opportunities. Adults: 4 for $175 or 8 for $299 and Juniors 4 for $125 or 8 for $249.
Are you ready to shed some extra strokes? Decide what your Better looks like and contact Paul Hooser at phooser@alvamar.com or 785-842-1907.
FROM THE LADIES TEE - PAT PAUL
The Alvamar Country Club Women's Golf Association closed its 2015 Golf Season with closing day play, dinner and business meeting on October 6. The new ACCWGA officers for the 2016-2017 seasons are:
President: Kathy Stuntz
Vice President: Carolyn Harden
Secretary-Treasurer: Vicki Jewett
18-Hole Sports Chairwoman: Janet Magnuson
18-Hole Alternate Chairwoman: Jaime Keating
9-Hole Sports Chairwoman: Beverly Dengler
9-Hole Sports Chairwoman: Judy Shunk.
Ladies Bridge Corner
Ladies November Bridge is on Friday the 13th at 11:30. Please make your reservations by noon Wednesday November 11th by contacting one of the following hostesses: Carolyn Harden 766-1656 or Sally Davis 842-3726.
TEE TO GREEN - RICHARD HERRIES
Happy fall to everyone,
Football is starting and baseball is ending and we are not far away from basketball season, thank goodness. Even though I have only been here a short time I was beginning to wonder if I was going to make it to fall, let alone get to attend to the grass. The cool season grasses (Bentgrass which we have on our greens and Fescue which we have in our roughs) all begin to heal themselves from the harsh summer weather. We start talking about keeping carts on the paths for the winter months. The Zoysia, which is on the fairways and tees, goes dormant. The dreaded aerification word starts being kicked around, then it finally happens. I feel our aerification went well. After about 2 weeks you could hardly see a hole left. The greens showed measurable improvement in just a few days. Aerifying helps vent the gases and helps send oxygen through the soil complex for the roots to breath. The greens are back to their smooth selves by now and loving life. It is a lot of fun growing grass this time of year. We have gotten all of the cool season greenbanks seeded with Fescue and are starting to fertilize the roughs where the cool season grasses are. New grass is popping up everywhere on the greenbanks. Please be careful where you park your carts around the greens and tees and keep your carts out of the roughs.When seed starts to germinate it will kill the plant if it is run over by a cart.
We have lots of plans for the upcoming months preparing the courses for next year. We look forward to seeing what this winter will bring. Thank you everyone for your understanding of the aerification. The greens and the maintenance staff appreciate it.
Welcome to the club's newest members!
Mehdi and Dawn Honarvar
Alan and Carol Arner
Club Staff
Craig Palm|Director of Operations
Paul Hooser | Director of Instruction
Eric Magnuson | Director of Golf
emagnuson@alvamar.com
Ryan Davis | Assistant Golf Professional
rdavis@alvamar.com
Jen Neussen | Director of Food & Beverage
jnuessen@alvamar.com
Kursten Minnis | Event Sales and Marketing Director
kminnis@alvamar.com
Chef Matthew Michel-Cox | Executive Chef
mmichel-cox@alvamar.com
Richard Herries | Course Superintendent
Rob Etken and Tom North |Assistant Superintendents
retken@alvamar.com
tnorth@alvamar.com
Valerie Woodhead |Director Of Accounting
vwoodhead@alvamar.com
Janice Loux | Member Services