Dear Spring Run Member,
After a thorough review of the golf course conditions this morning, the Greens Chairman, Superintendent, GM and Board recommend that we change the target course reopening date to Saturday Nov 15, presuming the weather cooperates. This date will ensure that the back 9 has had a full 90 days to grow in. While much of the front 9 would be playable by Nov 1, and the greens look terrific right now, it became evident on the tour that our membership would not appreciate playing the course with so many bare spots and areas under repair, especially when they have been used to such lush conditions in the past.
It is important to keep in mind that even reopening on the 15th, the course will still not be 100%. Having consulted with other club managers and superintendents who have undergone renovations, we are told not to expect excellent conditions until you have gone through a full season. But once it is open, you can begin the process of learning how to play this beautiful and challenging new design.
Thankfully, League Opening Days had been moved back into November as a precaution. We will likewise move the main tour days back as well. Official tours will begin Thursday Nov 13 and Friday Nov 14, with Opening Day festivities beginning Saturday at 7 AM. We will be considering additional tours between now and then, and those will be announced. The Pro staff is also planning several complimentary clinics for our members leading up to the opening as well. These are soon to be announced. Currently, the practice range is open for use, and we plan to open the practice chipping green and practice putting green within the next week.
While this is only a recommendation, we feel the membership needs to know about this change ASAP, and therefore we are publicizing the new target date. However, the Board will need to formally address this issue at the Oct 23 meeting, and then make the final decision. If you have questions or comments, please feel free to stop me in the club, call, or email me at gm@springrun.com . Thank you.
Mike
Springing Forward 
Just wanted you to know I agree with recommendation. I was worried we would play the front nine, which would over stress it. Great decision.
Bob Robertson
Great decision. To play front nine only would over stress the course.
Thanks for the update. Sitting in my lanai looking at the 2nd Hole I can see the course is clearly shaping up. I was personally pleased to see we have an excellent chance of opening in mid-November.
With the recent heavy rains and damage caused our hats are off to Greg, his staffand Jim Rock and the Greens Committee for their constant efforts in staying on top of The situation
,
Mike,
You have our compliments for making a sound decision in what otherwise could be a difficult situation. As a former County Parks Commissioner, with two 18 hole golf courses and a couple beaches in our jurisdiction, we were often faced with similar situations where over or premature use of a facility could be harmful to its long term health. Unvaryingly we sided with the protection of the long term health of the facility and then explained ourselves to the citizenry. Most rational people agreed with us. Some of course came after us with lit torches screaming “give us Barabus” and “hang the rascals.” But they were few in number and not held in high esteem by their peers.
A lot of time, effort and money went in to the renovation of our new golf course here at Spring Run. Let’s work with nature in its own time frame. We will all be richly rewarded for years to come by the ability to play on a delightful facility in which we can use our foot wedges, two-foot gimmeys
and other helpful golf techniques for many years to come.
Mike,
I think it’s very prudent of the golf committee to delay the opening of the golf course until the middle of November. I think to open it prematurely would jeopardize all the work that went into it by Greg and his staff. I feel we should rely on Greg’s opinion as to when he thinks the course is ready for play. After all that’s what we are paying him for.
Vince Corso
Mike,
Unless the Greens Committee feels the course will truly be in great shape and ready to play on November 15th, I would think the recommendation should be to open on December 1st rather than November 15th. Everyone has waited this long why not give the course the extra time to grow in so that when it is open for play it is truly healthy and in great shape? I would rather not rush such an important project and have an opening where everyone is really happy and excited about the results versus owners being disappointed with certain things. We know from past experience, for example the club house renovations, that once everyone sees the finished product how excited and accepting owners are.
Don Kalmey
Mike: Even though we have not had a home course since last Spring I am in total accord with the decision to delay the reopening of the golf course. November 1st and now the 15th have been set as target dates and we should not loose site of the fact that they are just that. I can appreciate everyone wanting to reclaim their home course as well as creating lost income for Spring Run, however, you can wish the grass to grow, the roots to take hold and the bare spots to fill in but you can’t make it happen just because an arbitrary date is set. Mother Nature is now in control. It would be nice to have it open as soon as possible but let’s not do it until those with the expertise deem the course to be truly “playable”. To destroy all the hard work that has gone into this project only means closing it for repairs in the future and that comes with added expenses that we can avoid. The course is Spring Run’s biggest asset. Treat it as such.