Golf Cart Usage on the Course & Handicap Flag Rules

To keep you familiar with the golf cart usage and rules on the course, I have written this blog to better understand the not only the proper etiquette on the course, but the golf cart rules as well.

Each golf cart operator must be at least 16 years of age and have a valid driver’s license.  Only two persons and two sets of golf clubs are permitted per golf cart.  Operators of golf carts are responsible for any damage to the cart or damages to the golf course arising through negligent operation of the cart.

The following rules are applied and should be adhered

  • Carts shall remain on the cart paths with all four wheels on all tee boxes and near the putting greens:



  • Carts may leave the path where the white stakes are located just off the tee and 90 degrees to go to your ball, then exit the fairway directly to the path to head to the green.

  • Please do not drive the cart parallel to a fairway in the rough:

  • Carts may never be driven on the tee, greens, approaches, or the slopes of bunkers:
Be sure to keep the following rules in mind as well:
  • Carts should remain on the path with all four wheels on the path from the first thirty yards from the tee box to the last thirty yards of each hole.
  • The Golf Course Superintendent will, from time-to-time, direct golf cart traffic with appropriate signage.
  • Carts are to remain on the cart path with all four wheels on all Par 3 holes.
  • 90-Degree Rule is always in effect unless otherwise noted by email or by the Starter.
  • Carts shall avoid soft spot area on the fairways and roughs, especially after rains.
  • Club roadways must be crossed at the safety crossings mark on the road.
  • At no time should any golfer remove any ropes or barricades that have been installed on the course for cart traffic control.

Players in need of a handicap flag for their golf cart shall obtain a written doctor’s statement or copy of a handicap parking permit, verifying that need and give it to the Golf Professional.  At that time a Golf Shop attendant will advise the cart rider of the rules of a Handicap Cart driver.  Under NO circumstances are carts to be any closer than thirty feet of any green, as shown here:

Making a conscious effort to drive the golf cart properly on the course will ensure better playing conditions not only for you but your fellow members.

Thank you,

Jeff Carter
Head Golf Professional

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Watering the Golf Course            

Dear Spring Run Member,

There have been concerns expressed about the watering practices on the golf course and its overall wetness. It was discussed in the previous greens committee meeting and agreed upon that we would keep the golf course under drier conditions, even if that meant having some browned out areas. While we are working toward drier conditions, we are still going to strive to keep things as green as possible. We have already put a lot of adjustable heads on the golf course which have made a major difference. We are going to continue to identify areas that need adjustable heads and install them where needed. Another tool we use consistently is our moisture meters.

These moisture meters are vital to helping us know when we need to water. We also use soil probes to physically measure the soil moisture as well as all the above ground physical symptoms of dryness. We are using all these tools in our arsenal when we are deciding what needs water. I can assure you that we are not running water wall to wall every night. We are making constant irrigation adjustments in the computer in order to run water only where the golf course needs the water. I have personally gone through the computer and fixed numerous issues that were causing some wet spots on the course. Monitoring course moisture and wetness has been an ongoing battle, but one that we have made many major positive strides in over the past months. My number one goal for our course is to provide a healthy and green golf course but to also have top notch playing conditions. While we will monitor course wetness and do our best to manage the conditions, it will not always be possible to catch everything. So, if any of our members happen to come across wet areas that they feel need addressed, please feel free to email me or let the pro shop know so we can look into it and get it fixed. Also, if you see water running it does not always mean that we are over-watering. My assistant and I are constantly making adjustments in the computer to only put water on the course where it is necessary and not adding to areas that are already wet.

Thank you for all your support and we will continue to strive toward making Spring Run Golf Club the best bundled community in Southwest Florida.

Sincerely,

Benjamin S. Hanshew

Spring Run Golf Club

Superintendent

Greens Aerification Damage

Dear Spring Run Members,

I know many of you have played since we opened last Thursday. There have been a lot of questions and concerns as to what happened to some of the greens. Back in June, during the first closure, we aerified and performed all the cultural practices that were recommended by the USGA during their visit back in April. When we performed their recommended cultural practices, it decimated the root zones of our greens. Because we are in rainy season it is very hard to grow roots this time of year and strengthen the root zone. Roots typically stay where there is water present. Because it is rainy season the roots of grass typically stay shallower than normal. Since the aerification caused a weaker root zone on the greens, we have been doing some extra chemical applications to try and help the root growth. As we approached the second closure, I decided that we were not going to do our typical aerifications because I was afraid that would be too detrimental to the health of the greens. We started by putting our top-dressing layer of sand on the greens, so when we aerified it would push the sand in to the greens and offer a little more stability to the green. Also, instead of pulling cores we used solid tines to poke holes in the greens. This allowed us to get our aerification holes and get sand into the profile without being too disruptive to the greens. When we aerified the greens however, it pulled some sections of greens up where the roots had not healed as well as other areas. These areas were also very hard to spot since we had our top-dressing layer of sand down already. After we aerify greens, we always roll them to try and firm them back up before we start dragging the sand into the holes. When we did this these areas acted like a wave cresting and crashing. It essentially folded the sod over and created indentions in the green. Once we caught the damage, we stopped the process immediately and regrouped. We made all the necessary adjustments as quick as possible so the damage would not continue and sodded the damaged areas immediately.

I realize that this is the last thing that any of us wanted to happen. I can tell you though that, while the greens are a little unsightly right now, they have been making steady improvements every day and looking better each day. With the current progress we are making I think we will be back to normal in a few weeks’ time and looking great for season. My staff and I would like to thank you for your continued support and would like everyone to know that we are working as fast and hard as we can to heal these areas. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to ask.

Sincerely,

Benjamin S. Hanshew

Superintendent

Baby Luka

Dear Member,

On Wednesday, August 18 at 1:01 pm, our Director of Communications & Marketing, Iva, her husband Dragan and big sister Lea welcomed baby boy Luka Sebastian Trifunovic into the world.  Luka was 8.8 pounds and 21 inches long at birth. He is healthy and happy and both mom and baby are doing well.

End of Season Survey Questions and Answers: Activities

Dear Spring Run Members,

The Membership and Activities Department would like to thank everyone who participated in the End of Year Survey. We value your opinion and use your suggestions to continually improve the quality of our services. To provide a little more insight, we selected some of your questions to highlight. If you have any additional questions or comments, please do not hesitate to send an email to either membership@springrun.com or activities@springrun.com.

Mark Oroyan
Director of Membership & Activities

Q: We are only here for short visits at a time because I still work full-time. Our last visit here the main pool was closed or closed early 5 out of 8 days. We had our kids visit as well. We do not own a pool and can’t use any other pool. I was really disappointed in the main pool closings and I would ask you and the Board to possibly entertain other places these parties could be held to avoid closing the Main Pool.
A: We sincerely apologize for all the inconveniences this past season and thank you for taking the time to give us suggestions for improvement. Utilizing the pool as our outdoor, open-air space for social functions was in response to the COVID pandemic this past season. We did not have a suitable alternative on the clubhouse grounds with the current design, but after the clubhouse renovation and outdoor dining expansion project is completed next year that shouldn’t be an issue moving forward. In the near future, we anticipate holding most of our events indoors again but will adapt to any evolving circumstances as this dynamic pandemic continues to develop. Your safety and your convenience are of the utmost importance to us.

Q:There should be some charge for iLife participants, as there is for all other activities to cover costs.
A: Thank you for your suggestion and raising this issue. We do not charge participants because we do not pay any of our presenters. Aside from administrative and operational support from the club, iLife is a member-led, member-driven program of volunteers whose mission is to educate and bring members together in the spirit of fellowship and community building. For certain activities, such as cooking demos or art projects, there is a fee to cover the cost of the supplies and materials provided.

Q:Would love to have some cooking classes on a different day beside Tuesday. I think classes on ie Greek, Italian, and Sushi classes would be great.
A:Thank you for the class suggestions and the feedback on scheduling. Golf, Tennis, and Bocce tournaments and special events, along with Neighborhood Association meetings and functions, all Committee meetings, and all Social Calendar events get scheduled first each year. Only then is iLife permitted to schedule it’s nearly 200 events and activities. A main focus of scheduling iLife is not competing with large functions for parking. We do try to spread out the cooking demos on different days of the week so different member groups have opportunities to attend iLife cooking demos. However other functions outside of iLife, including private events, may influence how we are able to schedule iLife activities. Rest assured, we will do our best to schedule these popular demos equitably.

Q:Mark and Luke have the patience of Job and they always have a smile on their face. I don’t know how they do it at times. Probably it’s their sense of humor.
A:Thank you for the kind comment and for supporting all the activities at the club. It was a crazy season of adjusting and adapting but we made it through together! You have to have a good sense of humor to be in customer service. Luckily for us, though, our members are a delight to serve and make us feel like family. It’s that sense of helping out a family member that makes it second nature for us to serve you in the way that we do.

End of Season Survey Questions and Answers: Golf Operations

Dear Spring Run Members,

The Golf Operations would like to thank everyone that participated in this year’s survey.  Our goal is to answer your questions and provide feedback on various topics of the survey.  We also want you to know that we are striving daily to provide you with the best overall golfing experience at the Club. Thank you very much for your support of Golf Operations. We value your participation in the survey and please contact me anytime with your comments at golfpro@springrun.com  Looking forward to the upcoming season!!

Jeff Carter

Head Golf Professional

Q: Do not understand why there are special groups of men get to have weekly blocked times??

A: The Golf Shop does not block weekly times for any special groups. All members have equal access to tee times via the Chelsea Tee Time Reservation system. The system is a points-based system meaning the more points you have relative to the other members, the less likely you are to receive your ideal time. The only tee times that “reserved” are for leagues or any club events.

Q: Have rangers understand better when play needs to speed up and when not to tell a group to speed up when they are stymied by a group right in front.

A: All rangers undergo training on how to properly deal with on-course pace issues. The Professional Staff are always working, training, and assisting with rangers to ensure proper pace of play is followed on the course.

Q: Maybe you should change your reservation System so we could reserve on line instead of having to call the golf shop when the tee times appear online. It would be more efficient and less time-consuming.

A: The Golf Shop continuously looks for ways to improve the member experience when reserving a tee time, and your feedback will be taken into consideration. This comment will be forwarded to Chelsea Tee Time System.

Q: Improve the invoice time between Golf Guys and Spring Run

A: We apologize for any delays; with the Golf Guys being a third party, it can be a challenge to control the invoice timing.   The Professional Staff will continue to work diligently at improving the member shopping experience between The Golf Guys and Spring Run which will include timeliness.

Q: As a single person, I did not feel safe sharing a cart with another random club member. I felt I had to choose between my health and safety and playing golf. I think the club should have allowed the option of single cart use for those without a spouse/partner. As a result of my reluctance to share a cart, I only played golf 3-4 times this season. Not enjoyable. I would have paid extra for the option of single cart use.

A: We understand your concern. The club has 80 carts in the fleet and member demand for tee times could not accommodate this season for single riders.

Q: In order to increase revenue, it may not be possible, I would consider a way to allow at least some play on Wednesdays since Spring Run is loved by Reciprocals. Possible Options:

– Only Close Every other Wednesday

– Have Tee Times Until 10 Only and Front 9 would then be available to work on sometime after Noon.

– Have an 8:00 AM Shotgun and, again, the course would be available for work sometime after Noon.

There are probably good reasons the Course has to be Closed every Wednesday, but being the Financial Person I am, I am always looking for ways to get a few more Dollars in Revenue.

A: Thank you for your feedback. The course is closed every Wednesday to allow for a full day of maintenance in the off season to prevent any negative on-course conditions.

Q: We think there is too many events that take away tee times.

A: The golf staff along with the board create a calendar of events that balances out regular member play and special events that take place. We will take your input into further consideration.

Q: Rangers need to be eliminated or given instructions as to what their duties are. I would hear comments from rangers saying, things will clear up after hole 4. The ranger would be on hole 3 going to 2. I am of the opinion he should be at 4 attempting to speed things up. Also, they will say its’s really slow today. Never saw a ranger attempting to speed things up all season.

A: We appreciate your feedback and these comments will motivate us to improve the experience with our rangers and how they manage pace of play. We are looking to improve ranger training so that all rangers have clear expectations of how to mitigate any pace of play issues.

Q: I have not played golf this year.

A: If you have not played for any specific reasons, please contact a member of the golf staff to share any thoughts or concerns.

Q: Our staff is very courteous, helpful and professional without being stuffy. My wife deals with Kelsey through the nine-hole Ladies and she is a pleasure to work with and a great addition to the staff. Nothing but good praise for our golf staff.

A: We enjoy hearing such kind words! Thank you and we will continue making your experience and exceptional one here at Spring Run. They’re the best!!!!!

Q: I think the tees that women use for the golf league should be based on handicap at the start of the season rather than randomly picking what is used. An unfair advantage is given to good golfers who choose the 6-tee box.

A: Thank you for your feedback. The SRWGA bylaws states that members get to choose their tees for league play.

Q: Front-9 should be the Back-9 and v-v

A: Thank you for the feedback and we will take this concern to the golf committee.

Q: Favorites get early tee times same people. Same winners often.

A: For open play, all members have the same access to request a tee time through the Chelsea Tee Time system 3-7 days in advance. Chelsea will place members in tee times based on their points relative to other members. For league play, tee times are based off of either handicap or randomized by Golf Genius. The Golf Professional staff along with the handicap committee work diligently to ensure the integrity of all leagues at Spring Run. 

Q: Having been at another golf course other than Spring Run for 19 years, you FAR Exceed the other club, events, friendliness, helpfulness, golf shop items. My husband & I have found out final place in SR.

A: We are so excited to hear this! We value our members and want them to have the best experience possible. Thank you for the kind words.

Q: For me the tee times were fine; however, I have an issue with allowing PGA Pass People to take blocks of prime tee times from our members. This is a private club. Yes, I realize these Passes bring in some revenue but those prices could be higher, to benefit us if our block of tee times are taken out of service. PGA Pass people love our course no matter what condition it is in. I do not think the Pass people should be allowed to bring in their own coolers. Some did.

A: Thank you for your constructive feedback. By putting in requests through Chelsea 3-7 days in advance, the Spring Run membership will always have first access to tee times. PGA Pass players are allotted the leftover tee times that are not initially taken by the membership. With our course being in such good condition, Spring Run is a very desirable place to play in the summertime. We will continue to look at pricing and will make any adjustments deemed necessary. The policy of the club is that no outside players are permitted to bring coolers on to the golf course. We apologize if any coolers have been seen on the course and we will reinforce this rule with all of the staff members to ensure this does not happen moving forward.

Q: PGA players during Nov. & December make Spring RUN A SEMI-PUBLIC golf course. False advertising to prospective buyers to say we are a private club.

A: Spring Run is a private club that does allow limited access to a select population of non-members. The staff at Spring Run will always do our best to describe the golf course accurately. In the high-season, we only allow play from members and their guests. During the slower season, we do allow for reciprocal and PGA Pass play, along for hosting outing events.

Q: The golf staff has grown together very well under Jeff’s leadership! They are a well-trained team with many special and unique traits. It has been a pleasure to see Kelsey grow into her role at SR. Scott is so patient with questions and continues to make Golf Genius work for us. Patti and Susie do a great job with merchandising and ordering. Always lessons available from the team. Particularly enjoyed the Pop-up events. Should be more and better attended. A big plus for the club. Thanks, Jeff, for a great year despite adverse conditions. I am very happy with the condition of the golf course! I don’t remember a season in 21 years that the fairways have been any better. A little damage to the greens but so what. Enjoyable season all around!

A: We appreciate the kind words! The staff is always looking for new, innovative ways to create a memorable experience for our members at Spring Run. Your feedback is much appreciated.

Q: We need to train the younger bag boys to be more thorough. Several times our club covers were NOT put back on. Luckily, we found them in the lost and found. The older men are very good.

A: We apologize for any inconveniences you have experienced regarding outside services, and please know that we find this to be unacceptable. We will put our best foot forward to ensure that with proper training, this does not happen again. We look forward to giving you a pleasurable golf experience moving forward.

Q: Why can’t the 18-hole ladies’ league have 9:00 shotguns??

A: Due to daylight issues in the high season, the 8:00 am shotguns allow for a second shotgun at 1:00 pm, ensuring all players have adequate access to sunlight.

Q: How about a 9-hole couples event Sunday pm?

A: The Professional Staff is always looking for new, creative ideas. For all events, not only golf is involved but food & beverage is as well.  Thank you for the idea and we will take it into consideration moving forward.

Q: I feel the rangers are a waste of money.

A: We appreciate this honest response. We will do our very best to lead the rangers so they can exceed all expectations in the future. Not only are rangers responsible for preventing and handling any pace of play issues, but they also are player assistants when a club is lost or a player needs a ride in. Rangers are also responsible for stocking the on-course restrooms with cups, straws and lids, and are usually the first to notify the golf shop when a restroom needs assistance.

Q: Stay longer than 5 pm. Why do we have a “blackout” and are unable to look at golf things, scores etc. in the late afternoon? Why can’t this be done later in the evening?

A: The Chelsea Tee Time system turns “off” every day between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. for tee sheet placement. During this time, members can call the Golf Shop if they would like to put a request in or book a tee time. Our scoring program, GHIN, does not turn off and you are able to access it at all times of the day. Chelsea must be turned off during golf shop operating hours. This allows the professional staff to ensure a correct tee sheet and input any league play or general tournaments into the tee sheet.

Q: Slow play needs to be addressed!

A: The Golf Shop will continue to do our best at educating the membership on how to improve pace of play. We do our best to send out e-mail communications to members, and will continuously educate staff and golfers on the importance of keeping up with the pace of play.

Q: Golf staff – Name tags with bigger lettering, would be appreciated.

A: This valuable feedback will be taken into consideration. Thank you!

Q: Thank you, Kelsey, for trying to accommodate personal preferences when it came to scheduling either earlier or later times for league play. Greatly appreciated. Staff did an outstanding job.

A: We are always striving to make our membership happy, and we are glad that we were able to do that. We will continue to put our best foot forward in accommodating our members!

Q: With the Chelsea system for tee times it seems you get punished for playing often.

A: The Chelsea Tee Time system is a points-based system and is designed for equity purposes so that those who have not played golf, get an opportunity to play. We do offer the ability to play golf without receiving a Chelsea point. By booking a tee time on the day of or 1-2 days in advance, you will not receive a Chelsea point. Thank you

Q: All new members should have spent time with one of the pros and learn local rules, golf etiquette, golf operations (booking tee times, etc.), and meet the whole golf team including the head Professional.

A: Most new members are given an introduction to the golf operation and rules of Spring Run. The staff is always available to assist members, and if a golf professional is not available at that moment, we will happily schedule a time to meet. We will take your advice into further consideration as we move forward and strive to empower all Spring Run members with the information they need.

Q: The new personnel should wear name tags.

A: It is protocol at Spring Run that each staff member wears a name tag, and we apologize if that has not been the case. We will make sure to enforce this standard moving forward. 

Q: Kudos to all in this year of the pandemic. All went above and beyond to make golf a safe and fun way to live thru this time, we were thankful to be here and live in a beautiful area to walk, walk and play golf, ride and play golf with cart dividers and then without. None of this would have happened without the wonderful staff. We were far better off than any of our other friends no matter what community they lived in in Bonita Bay, Bentley @VI, Pelican Sound

A: We value your kind words, that is what keeps us motivated to give our best every day to the Spring Run community! The staff wants all members to feel proud to be at Spring Run, and we will continue to strive for excellence.

Q: Kelsey had done a great job in her new position. We took lessons from her – excellent instructor. She is customer service oriented and was very helpful with the Ladie-9 events. Outside Services guys are super – Trevor, Brian, Pete and Al are so helpful. They work so hard. I hope they all return next year.

A: We thank you for your kind words, they mean so much to all of us. Each one of us hopes to continue providing you with an excellent experience here at Spring Run!

Q: Why do we need rangers? You have GPs in house and can see and correct any problems. With 5 of 6 people in the pro shop, why should the phone usually go to voice mail?

A: Rangers have a multitude of responsibilities. Not only do they act to prevent and mitigate any pace of play issues, they also assist golfers with lost clubs and bringing players to and from the course when needed. Rangers also drive the course to spot any potential hazards/issues, and also are responsible for stocking the on-course restrooms with cups, towels and lids. The Golf Shop does have access to GPS; however, many on-course issues that arise are able to tended to in a timelier manner with the use of rangers.

The phone should only automatically go to voicemail during non-operating hours, from 5 pm to 7 am the next day. The golf staff always does our best to make sure every phone call is answered. There are only two phones at the golf shop counter, and in the rare case that they are both are in-use, we ask that you please stay on hold or hang up and call again.

Q: PGA play has really torn up our course, they don’t take care of our course the same way as members do. I would appreciate their play ending prior to our season beginning end of October. I would rather pay more in fees and not have them at our club at all particularly now with course in the condition that it is in presently.

A: All outside players, including PGA Pass play, are given a speech from the starter regarding “care for the course” and pace of play information.  If proper care of the course is not being done by non-members, they will no longer have golfing privileges at Spring Run.   We understand your concern and value your feedback.

Vents for Greens Drainage

Dear Spring Run Members,

Everyone is aware we have had issues with some of our greens this past year. We have been working diligently to ascertain the reasons as to why theses areas are not performing as well as the rest of the greens. Through our investigation and discovery, we found several issues. One was nematodes and disease which we remedied very quickly with some chemical applications. While we saw some improvement in the areas these areas continued to struggle. Through our continued investigation we discovered that the topography around some of the greens was causing collection areas on the greens. These collection areas are not allowing water to properly drain off the greens. These thin and struggling areas are right where water seems to be collecting and are drowning the turf. With this new knowledge we have implemented several remedies to help correct the problem. One remedy we have implemented is constant aerifications to these areas. The aerifications will not be big holes not will they impede playability. By aerifying these areas, it will allow these areas to dry out and remain drier more consistently. When these remain wet for so long it not only drowns the roots but it can also cause excessive harmful gas build ups in the soil. When we try to fix the areas by plugging and re-sodding, the gasses in the soil prevent the new plugs and sod from rooting and the turf eventually stresses out again and dies. Along with the aerifications we will be correcting the topography issues so that water drains properly around the greens. We will also be installing these vents in the drains on the fall out on some of the greens.

These vents are designed to give the gasses in the soils another route to escape from the ground so they do not build up in the soil. This will also help us when we plug the back pack blowers into the flush outs on the greens as we will be installing a slide valve in front of the vent that we can close when the back pack blowers are pushing air through the drain lines.

This will allow us to push more oxygen up and through the soil and hopefully aid in the gas exchange and get the gasses out of the soil. With all of these remedies we are confident that we will see a much healthier and improved putting surface for next season and many seasons to come. Thank you for your continued support and we look forward to seeing everyone next season.

Sincerely,

Benjamin S. Hanshew

Superintendent

End of Season Survey Questions and Answers: F&B Part 3

The F&B Department would like to sincerely thank all those that took part in the End of Year Survey.  We actually do look forward to seeing the comments and results each year, as we use them as a baseline for improvements.  Constructive criticism is important. If you don’t have a positive experience, we need to know about it. Please feel free to reach out and let us know how we are doing from time to time. I am always available at fb@springrun.com

As a team we each took five comments and formulated responses.  We want you to know that we do hear you, and are taking measures that will help us to become a better Club going forward.  We want you to be proud of what we do, especially with your guests. We pride ourselves on being a big family in this department, and want you to be a part of that as well.

We will be sending out a survey asking you what you would like to see on future menus.  Please be candid and let us know what you are looking for, whether it is a specific dish or specific style of dining.  We are looking for everything from the décor, service, drinks, all the way up to the food.  We take what we do very seriously, and want to make sure that you all are receiving nothing short of an exceptional experience.

I know everyone is ready to get back to normal, and we look forward to doing so with you.  Thank you for your support and for helping us to strive to become the best dining establishment around!

Josh Petrosky
Clubhouse Manager

Part 3

Q: Drinks are too high priced. Have happy hour everyday like other places

A: This is something that we have been doing during the summer months May-Oct the last couple of years to try and encourage more people to come up during the afternoons.  We definitely anticipate having an “everyday” happy hour once we open up from the renovation.  This upcoming season we are actually thinking of adding Saturday’s & Sunday’s as extra Happy Hour days, in addition to Wednesday’s and Friday’s.  As for our pricing, we are in line with a lot of similar clubs to us. Unfortunately, with being as small as we are, we lack the purchasing capacity that other larger chains do, so we are not always able to lock in a lower price on beer, wine and spirits that are reflected in their pricing.

Q: Maybe it was Covid related but felt the menu was very limited this year. There was not a lot of change or fluctuation and the choices became old quickly

A: This is definitely something that we will be making a conscious effort to change for this upcoming season.  With being as slow as we were for lunch service, we elected to go with a smaller menu than normal with hopes of keeping our waste as limited as possible.  We also tried to cross-utilize as much product in house between menus for this same reason, along with how erratic our business was between October-February.  We were also open for ala carte service 7 days a week, which in the past 11 plus years that I have been here, has never happened.  This led to more usage of our menus than we had been accustomed too.  It was definitely a learning experience, but something that we promise to never repeat.

Q: Need more waitstaff, also bartender needs to be more consistent. Too many seafood specials! Need more chicken, pork and vegetarian options. More comfort food options, menu items that are geared more towards home cooking, fewer fancy ingredients.

A: Agreed!  We do need more waitstaff and culinary staff, which is why we have begun the hiring process right now.  We will be solidifying the Bar Manager Position for this upcoming season as well.  Seafood specials will continue, as they tend to do really well here especially during lent, but we will also make it a point to have more offerings of other proteins on our menus along with the specials.  We have a very talented culinary team that does like to show off every once in a while, but they know when to turn it up as well as when to dial it back pertaining to preparation and wording of menu items.  We focused a lot more this past year on comfort foods, and will continue to do so going forward.  Please keep an eye out for a questionnaire that will be sent out to everyone asking them what they would prefer to see on our menus in season.  This should also help out with the planning and preparation going forward.  

Q: I understand that you needed to make changes in the Brunch menu due to COVID, however it seemed like the attendance was also lower. Was it the menu or were just less people coming?

The Easter brunch was very disappointing. We have attended almost every Easter brunch for the last 10 years with our guests, usually family. We expected the normal brunch with some additional menu items, like you usually have except saw more of a dinner menu. Our reservation was for noon. Our waitress pleasantly accommodated those that did not want to have dinner at noon with salads. Expensive price for what they had to eat. Maybe I should have paid more attention to the menu.

A: As with everything this past season, Sunday Brunch was one of those areas where we saw a significant decline in attendance.  We did not have the big buffet that we normally have starting in January due to health and safety protocols that we were trying to abide by, and a general hesitancy to use the clubhouse.  We did start doing a limited egg buffet beginning in March when we started to see an increase in attendance, but the numbers were still not on par with what we would normally do that time of year.  With the way things were going, as well as the optics of buffets at that point in time during the season, we felt that it was best to keep things simple and provide the membership with what we could at the time.  This also goes for the Easter Brunch Buffet, which was dialed back from what we normally offer…I assure you that this past year will not affect what we put out in the future for this Holiday.  We have already begun getting back to normal with our buffets and events, and look forward to putting out the famous spreads that we do both in November and April.  We will also have more of a balanced “Brunch” style buffet this upcoming year, as well as more offerings for children.

Q: I think the food and beverage department went out of the way to accommodate events (9 and 18 hole golf lunches) that they set up outside. (a lot of work to set up, serve and take down after the event) but they did it very effectively.

A: This past year was definitely a challenge and made a lot of people come out of their comfort zones.  I looked at it as an opportunity for us as a team to come together, and accomplish something that we have never had to worry about, or given second thought too…Outside Dining.  Almost all events, luncheons, and dinners were held outdoors this past season, of which we only had one rain out, which is pretty amazing.  It was definitely a challenge battling the heat towards the end, as well as running food from the kitchen out to the parking lot and pool areas, where we aren’t really designed to give efficient service too.  However, my staff rose to the occasion and did the best they could with what we had.  There were some nights where we were stretched from The Turn all the way out to the Pool, but we handled it.  By February we had our setups and breakdowns down to a science.  We setup lighting down by the pool, which helped with ala carte dining for 6 months at night, and utilized our portable bar more than we have ever in the past decade.  It was truly a great team effort, and thank you for recognizing it.

Q: I do not participate in several of these meals so went with middle choice. The lunch menu and service are very good. I do find that the dinners are not always consistent. Some are excellent and some are so-so. The same entree changes from time to time. The servers should always bring napkins with a drink. When eating outside all seated diners should be asked if they need a drink or food. When ordering wine we should be asked if we want 6 or 9 ounce not just serve a 9 ounce glass. Just trying to make this a better dining experience.

A: Consistency is what we are always striving for.  We also want to establish a set of standards with our serving and culinary teams to where they ask the right questions.  Where they are regimented in their crafts so that you always get that napkin when greeted at your table or are asked what size glass of wine you would like, as well as if you order a steak medium rare, it comes out that way.  We are also making it a point that all culinary staff is properly trained on plate up presentation, so that each menu item is executed and put together the same way every time.  Chef’s Kris and Mich have been working on weekly training sessions with the current staff on preparation of sauces, sides, and plate ups to help with this consistency.  We pride ourselves on knowing what your preferences are, as well as making sure that you are happy with what you order.  So please, if anything doesn’t come out right the first time, or your experience is sub-par let either Breanna or I know so that we can rectify the issue.

Q: Dinners at Trivia nights we attended were disappointing- the food was not tasteful. Although I love salmon, the sauce on the salmon was not good. Entrees at dinner were not always pleasing. Portions were large, but for example, chicken in the “bowl” items was not very tender. Entrée salads looked like they came out of a bag, and the protein along with a few veggies/fruits was added. I did not always feel we were getting the best value for the charge.

A: Trivia Night meals will be addressed going into season, we want to make sure that we are able to serve in a timely fashion so that the game can be finished at a decent hour.  Instead of making it a three-course meal, we will most likely dial back to a two-course meal with an entrée and dessert, while offering a better-quality protein.  This summer we have been focusing more on a schedule of events with our menu preparation with everything that we have planned on our master calendar, this should help to alleviate the issues that we have had with Trivia Night.  I always encourage our membership to let management know if your meal or experience is less than exceptional.  I can assure you that our salads and entrees are prepared fresh when ordered, and not out of a bag.  We “cook to order” and do not “cook ahead of time”.  This is why sometimes there is a time crunch with dinner entrees ordered between 6 & 6:30pm.  We will do a better job of staggering reservations in the future to help with this time crunch, but rest assured your food is always prepared fresh.

Q: Recently I ate at another bundled club in the area and the food was very good. The members I visited said how happy people were with their food service. Some events at SR the food is fine but other times not so good. If there was more consistency, there might not be so much complaining from members.

A: I always like to hear what other Clubs are doing as well as what they are offering.  If you ever go to dine at another Club, please let the management team know of your experience, as well as bring us back a menu.  We try to get out and see what comparable clubs are doing, as well as participate in multiple surveys…but your first-hand experiences are much more valuable than surveys.  Let us know what made your experience with that Club either exceptional, or not so much…this helps us to better understand your needs as well as what you are looking for.  Please feel free to stop by the F&B Office anytime to let us know about any experience that you have had at Spring Run or abroad.

Q: I appreciate the excellent service from staff & want to thank you all for your kindness especially with delivery service.  I would like to see continue comfort foods on menu (ex. Pot roast, Turkey dinner, chicken dinner, roast pork dinner)

A: Our Delivery Service took off this past year, at the peak of season for us (mid-March-April) we were average 20-30 deliveries on a slow night and upwards of 50 plus on a Friday night.  This definitely helped us out, as well as gave us more inspiration to advertise our specials each and every day.  If you did not feel comfortable coming up to the Clubhouse, we definitely made an attempt to give you value, and the ability to order from us 7 days a week for pick up or delivery.  We will definitely continue having comfort foods on our menus, as they do pretty well here.  We appreciate your kind words and thank you for your support!

By: Josh Petrosky

Missing Spray Rig Nozzle

Dear Spring Run Members,

As you are playing golf you may notice the streak of brown grass on #14 green. This was a result of a nozzle that fell off the spray rig as we were applying our weekly foliar fertilizers. When a nozzle falls off like this, the hose where the chemical comes out has a much larger hole. This allows for a lot more spray to flow out than desired, and in a much more concentrated stream. Because the amount of chemical applied is at a much higher and more concentrated amount it can cause a burn to the grass like you see in the picture. This was caught and fixed immediately, and the affected area was flooded with water several times to try and minimize the damage.

 While the grass did turn brown, the chemical should not kill the grass and this brown streak should heal up quickly over the next week or so. Thank you for all your continued support and we hope everyone is having a great summer.

Sincerely,

Benjamin S. Hanshew

Superintendent

End of Season Survey Questions and Answers: F&B Part 2

The F&B Department would like to sincerely thank all those that took part in the End of Year Survey. We actually do look forward to seeing the comments and results each year, as we use them as a baseline for improvements. Constructive criticism is important. If you don’t have a positive experience, we need to know about it. Please feel free to reach out and let us know how we are doing from time to time. I am always available at fb@springrun.com

As a team we each took five comments and formulated responses. We want you to know that we do hear you, and are taking measures that will help us to become a better Club going forward. We want you to be proud of what we do, especially with your guests. We pride ourselves on being a big family in this department, and want you to be a part of that as well.

We will be sending out a survey asking you what you would like to see on future menus. Please be candid and let us know what you are looking for, whether it is a specific dish or specific style of dining. We are looking for everything from the décor, service, drinks, all the way up to the food. We take what we do very seriously, and want to make sure that you all are receiving nothing short of an exceptional experience.

I know everyone is ready to get back to normal, and we look forward to doing so with you. Thank you for your support and for helping us to strive to become the best dining establishment around!

Josh Petrosky
Clubhouse Manager

Part 2

Q: From talking to numerous Owners, I would say the consensus is that Food Quality has gone down since hiring Kris. Personally, we like Kris, but think he tries to be a little too creative with the end result not be what many Owners expect.


A: As a chef, I have always prided myself on being able to bring innovative, compelling offerings to your table. As with any new position, it takes a while to acclimate oneself to the needs and preferences of their new clientele. To that end, I have tried bringing in some new product and worked at presenting it in an attractive way. Clearly, it has not been received as I had hoped. I will do my best to dial it back and present this membership with the food presentations it is comfortable with at the quality level it deserves.

Q: We really enjoyed receiving the weekly dinner menus and we hope you will continue to offer the take-out service.


A: When the pandemic hit, we were scrambling to make sure we were still able to cater to our members in the most efficient way possible while still providing the dishes you loved. We already had an established delivery service and take-out offerings, we just needed to ramp them up a bit. We increased the marketing visibility of our offerings and dovetailed the delivery and takeout options with them, enabling you as members to still enjoy your club’s food & Beverage offerings while quarantined. These dining options will continue to be available for the foreseeable future.

Q: Not sure why a second kitchen and more kitchen staff is necessary for outdoor dining planned in the rehab. When we dine outside now the food is merely carried out from the existing kitchen. And aside from relatively few busy periods, our observation has been that the dining facilities are usually under-utilized with few tables used on many dinner nights.


A: We will be adding over 100 new seats to the outdoor dining areas, including full pool service. With our current facilities, there is no way we would be able to service those seats and turn them over more than once without additional kitchen space and staff. We have also noticed that, during the last year, outdoor seating was at a premium. Understanding that we were experiencing a pandemic that discouraged people from gathering indoors, there is a strong trend towards this style of dining, even after we come out of COVID restrictions.

However, the main reason for adding this kitchen addition is that it is not possible from a logistical standpoint to efficiently run food from the current kitchen to the outdoors, given the configuration of the back of the clubhouse. While we have serviced the temporary pool/outside dining going through the dining room, that is not a long-term solution when all the different rooms are being utilized at once, and food running traffic will create disruption and potential accidents.

Q: I think some of the special event dinners are too expensive.


A: Me too! That’s why we’re always working with our vendors and distributors to source new products that are properly priced and of outstanding quality, so we can pass that savings on to you while still giving you the dining experiences you crave as a membership. We have been using a purchasing program that allows us to compare similar products and shop for the best values available. We also have started buying local Florida produce to offset the rising freight costs the food supply chain is currently experiencing. We have experienced great success using these tools to mitigate our event costs to the membership and will continue to look for ways to return additional value to your membership.

Q: The club did the best they could during this pandemic they should be applauded. I would like to see a bit more variety of things , It is a bit repetitive and by the end of the season I find we are really sick of the choices. Nothing new. This might because of Covid but in years prior this was our feeling as well.


A: We have been open for dinner more this past year than in previous years. For this reason, we have offered many of the same dishes on menus. It would be easy to blame this on COVID, but that’s only part of it. The other part is the staffing issues in the kitchen. Customarily, we have 12-15 staff members in the kitchen. This past year, we had 8. With the current manpower shortage, a great volume of production this past year was dependent upon the culinary management team’s involvement. This allowed us less opportunity to be proactive about implementing new menus. Going forward, we will be proactive in writing and planning new menus for the membership, while working hard to get staffing levels to required levels. As of this writing, we are planning our menus for the next year and devising a timeline for their implementation as well as recruiting new team members. We do this with your preferences and requests in mind, while still maintaining the contemporary and innovative offerings you look for and the menu item quality you expect.

By Chef Kris