By Jack Elliott
Wednesday, April 30, 2008

The weekend’s heavy snow may have delayed Monday’s planned season-opener at Kitchen Creek Golf and Country Club, but it did little to dampen the enthusiasm of the club’s incoming president, Jim Strachan.
He hopes the course will be playable later this week.

“The greens came through the winter in excellent shape,” said Strachan, attributing an early winter snowfall that blanketed the greens and stayed in place throughout the winter providing just the right conditions.
“We’ve also upgraded our irrigation pond,” added Strachan, explaining the increased water level in the muskeg adjoining the pond would provide a “sponge” for added capacity.
This is Strachan’s first term as president at Kitchen Creek, although he has several years of experience on the board and was, in fact, the contractor who built the original clubhouse in 1977.
Real Cure, in his second year with Kitchen Creek, remains as the club’s general manager.
“We are currently up about 30 new members from 200 in ’07,” said Strachan, with the goal being 250 members for 2008.
This was accomplished with an early sale to strengthen the club’s financial position, some special pricing for new members aged 24-54, as well as introductory memberships for juniors and intermediates.
Standard rate for members for the season is $695.
Taggs Source for Sports once again will operate the pro shop at Kitchen Creek. There will be no course pro, but a pro may be available on occasion by request.
Some “seasoned” local amateurs also have volunteered to help out beginners and provide lessons, said Strachan.
Special occasion tournaments, including the Kitchen Creek Memorial, are to be featured again this year, as well as ladies’, men’s, couples’, and seniors’ days.
A complete schedule and tee times, as well as a newsletter, will be available at the clubhouse. On some tournament and special events days, “shotgun” starts will be used to more evenly distribute course load—and help ensure non-event golfers also have access to the course on those days.
Students also are expected to make use of the course through their schools.
The clubhouse dining facilities this season will be operated by Kitchen Creek itself under the direction of Cure.
Other major changes at Kitchen Creek were the restructuring last year of the club into a not-for-profit corporation.
This was done to make the club eligible for government-sponsored funding, the same as other community-run recreational facilities, noted Strachan.