Welcome to The Up and Down

 The Up and Down is a monthly update and recap of happenings at OGA Golf Course to help keep you in the know. Keep an eye out for a new issue in your inbox at the beginning of each month in 2019. We look forward to seeing you again very soon and we thank you for your patronage!

The Pros Perspective

By: PGA Head Golf Professional Mark Keating

Sad, but true, we know that many of you will soon disappear for the off season.  We are grateful to have had you on the course during the season and are already looking forward to your return. However, the course is playing very close to tour speeds right now (including fairways) and there are certainly several weeks of terrific conditions left.  Kudos to the agronomy team here for yet another season of delightful conditioning.

Wonderful deals are to be had in the golf shop this season, Nike, Columbia, Footjoy and more!  Take a peek next time through the golf shop, maybe some early Christmas (did I just say that?) ideas are at your fingertips.

As we are planning to do our fall aerification starting on the 29th of September and will conclude at end of day October 1st. Be advised that other courses may start the aerification process a bit earlier.. what this means to you is that we will be quite busy in the 8 or 9 days leading up to our shutdown.  Be advised and try to stay on top of your bookings so you don’t get stuck.

What a wonderful season the PGA and LPGA tours gave us all to watch.  Such excitement.  Do you know what all the top professionals are doing right now?  They are checking out potential equipment changes and working with their coaches on their weaknesses.  Maybe this sort of program could help your game as we inch into the winter months.  Develop some plans to re-grip, buy new wedges, take a few lessons, etc. Use the fall and off season to propel your efforts in 2020, I think you will be glad you did!

Thank you to all players who joined us for Patriot Golf Day over Labor Day Weekend. Your support is greatly appreciated and we thank you for your ongoing patronage. We were able to raise a total of $1,407 for the Folds of Honor Foundation which works to provide educational scholarships to families of those wounded or killed in combat.

The Golf Course Dirt

By: Golf Course Superintendent Dan Imes

Greetings,

Believe it or not, September is here.  The kids are back in school, Russell Wilson picked out a place for the Lombardi, and soon the boys will be hugging it out on the ice.

Meanwhile, at OGA, our maintenance department is readying the course for a collegiate event we’ll host during the second week of September. Unfortunately, this is also the month we begin aerification, starting on the 16th.  We’ll begin with fairways, which typically take 30 days but have been known to take a bit longer.  On the 23rd, we’ll attack tees and approaches until the end of the week.  The final and most important component:  the greens.  We’ll get underway Sunday the 29th around 1:00pm and plan to have them finished by end of day Tuesday, October 1st.

There will be a lot of sand and open holes in the coming weeks.  I know this can (and does) disrupt the playing conditions but we appreciate your patience and understanding as this process is necessary for the overall health of the turf plant.  It also improves playability throughout the year:  the more sand we work into the soil profile, the firmer the golf course will become.

On a final note, our mechanic resigned during the second week of August.  Since that time, my assistant, Cole, has stepped up and is keeping the mowers cutting nicely.  We are in the final process of interviews and hoping to have a mechanic by the middle of September, if not sooner.

Here’s to a wonderful end of summer, and the beginning of fall!

On Tap at Orchards Grill

By: Food & Beverage Manager Alex Jeli

First off I would like to thank all of our guests!  First and foremost, our goal is to provide the friendliest, most courteous service to our customers.  I really appreciate everyone who enjoys coming to Orchards Grill and everyone who has stopped in for even just one time.  All are welcome here!

In September we plan to keep doing specials on Friday and Saturday nights.   We will continue to be open every night until 7:00 PM and Friday and Saturday until 8:00 PM through the end of the month.

Every day has happy hour!  Every day from 4 to 6 pm we have draft beer and well drinks for a dollar off.  With football season approaching, now is a great time to come on in for some food and drink to enjoy the big games!

The patio is still open for the season and with the weather continuing to show sunshine in the forecast, it is a great time to come out and enjoy the finest views Woodburn has to offer.  There aren’t any other restaurants with a view like we have.

I hope to see you all this month!

The Chefs Table

By: Head Chef Jordan Young

The smell of fresh baked cookies is something of beauty, and everyone has a memory affiliated with baking cookies with someone special. That being said, I may have a trick or two your grandma didn’t teach you. For example: using melted butter in your cookie recipe will yield you a flatter, chewier cookie. By using room temperature softened butter, you yield a much softer, cake like cookie. If anyone at all has any questions, feel free to make a batch of cookies, and bring them by for a taste test… I will be brutally honest! I’ll wrap this entry up with my recipe for chocolate chip cookies, I only make them in big batches, and freeze any excess for a rainy day.

Chocolate Chip Cookies 

Makes approximately 100

3 cups European style butter

3 cups White sugar

3 cups Brown Sugar

6 whole eggs

2 Tbsp Vanilla

1 Tbsp Baking Soda

2 Tbsp Hot water

1 ½ tsp Salt

9 Cups flour

6 cups Chocolate chips

Method: 

Cream together in a mixer with paddle attachment the white sugar, Brown sugar, and butter. Slowly add the eggs one at a time, followed by the dry ingredients little by little until it comes together. Finally add the vanilla, hot water, and chocolate chips. Scoop and portion cook at 350 for ten minutes, and enjoy!

Calendar of Events – September

Friday, September 6th – Outside Golf Event
9-Hole Shotgun at 3:00 PM (Back 9 open for play)

Monday, September 9th – NAIA Collegiate Event
Tee Times begin at 7:00 AM

Tuesday, September 10th – NAIA Collegiate Event
Shotgun start at 8:30 AM

Sunday, September 15th – NW Golf Guys Players Club
Shotgun start at 8:30 AM & 2:00 PM

Tuesday, September 24th – Outside Event
Shotgun start at 8:30 AM

Friday, September 27th – Outside Event
Shotgun start at 8:30 AM

Saturday, September 28th – Oregon Junior Golf
Tournament of Major Champions – Tee Times begin at 1:00 PM

Sunday, September 29th – Fall Maintenance
Last Tee time: 12:54 PM – Greens Aeration begins at 1:00 PM

Monday, September 30th – Fall Maintenance
Course Closed

Tuesday, October 1st – Fall Maintenance
Course Closed

Wednesday, October 2nd – Course reopens