April Newsletter

Welcome to the 2024 golf season and Masters week! We will be open for play Wednesday, April 11, with the first available time at 7 am. As you know, the quickest way to make a tee time is online. The tee time policy at Pokegama is 10 days in advance when you book online, and 7 days by phone or in person. Our first available 9-hole reservations are available after noon on weekends and holidays. We do not allow groups playing in more than 5. 

Thoughts from the Director of Golf

I appreciate all the positive feedback I have received about my last newsletter and look forward to getting the staff trained in to support our goals for this year. If you hear of someone mentioning they are not getting the newsletter please have them contact me directly so I can ensure their information is correct in the system.

It has been an honor to have had the last two months to get to know Bob Cahill before he retired. I have known Bob since 1994 when I was an assistant golf professional at Wendigo Golf Course. I have enjoyed this time to get to know him better and wish him well in retirement!

Things are coming together on the website, so if it’s been awhile, stop by Pokegama Golf Course in Grand Rapids, Minnesota to check out our updates. The schedule of events can be found online here to help you plan your summer! Junior Golf is shaping up and you can check out the junior golf schedule here. Signing up will go live May 1st.

As I mentioned in my last newsletter, we will be rolling out a survey program to get feedback from you on how we are doing. Click here to take our first survey and let us know what you would like to see this year.

It has been very busy at the clubhouse recently with the new paint job and carpet installation. Here are a few pictures of the progress!

To see the most up to date information about the golf course and when we are opening check out our Facebook page or our website.

Junior golf registration will be done online this year and will go live May 1st. Information about the program will be up on the website soon! 

We are taking applications for summer employment for both the course and grill and these can be downloaded here.

March Newsletter

Thoughts from the Director of Golf

I am honored to have been selected as the next Director of Golf at Pokegama Golf Course. Taking over for anyone that has worked in a job for 35 years would be difficult, let alone someone as loved as Bob Cahill; I appreciate the chance to earn your business and respect.  My wife Stephanie (Johnson) and I are both originally from Grand Rapids and graduated from GRHS. We have two daughters, Kate (25) & Claire (23). Kate is attending graduate school in Germany and Claire works for a law firm in Minneapolis. Here is a picture of the love of my life and our two daughters:

Stephanie and I are excited to be back in such a great community and to be close to Stephanie’s parents, Dave & Judy.

I think Barry Farber says, “with change comes new opportunities”, and I like that. The great thing for me is I am taking over a well-run facility; I don’t have to spend a great deal of time reinventing the wheel. I will, however, set goals to help drive revenue and keep focus on a positive guest experience while maintaining a fun and safe work environment for my team. At each of the golf courses I have managed during my 30 + years in the industry, I have been pretty consistent in keeping a positive guest experience at the center of what I do. Your feedback in this process is critical and I will be implementing a survey system that ties into our point of sale. Each time you visit, if you check-in inside the golf shop and we have your email, you will be sent a short questionnaire after your round asking how we did. Your positive customer feedback helps me coach my team in areas customers tell us we can improve. It also helps me let my staff know when they create a “wow” moment. Positive feedback to the team is even more important and I incentivize them when they get their name mentioned in the surveys. Our team will be wearing name tags to help you identify who stands out.

I am going to need some help from you in certain areas for us to achieve our goals in 2024.

1.      There will not be any play before 6 AM and all play will be off the first hole. This allows our maintenance team to get out and do what they need to in a safe and timely manner.

2.      We are also asking that folks ride 2 to a cart. This helps minimize wear and tear both on the cart and on the course.

3.       Keeping carts on the paths near the tees and greens will also lend itself to less soil compaction and overall improved course conditions.

4.      Pace of play. The Minnesota Golf Association rates our course every 5 years and part of this process is to establish USGA pace of play. The expected pace of play from the white tees is 3 hours and 57 minutes and from the red tees is 3 hours and 26 minutes. Keep in mind that there are certain times of the day that you will be able to play faster than that and most often you will. Just understand that when the course is full, the team will be managing to the USGA pace of play. If we don’t have a baseline to manage from, it becomes too subjective to enforce.

5.      Check into the golf shop before your round. Recording every round is for your safety and helps us ensure the accuracy of our tee sheet. The starters will be asking to see your receipt, as will the rangers on occasion. We are tasked to verify that all rounds are paid for and recorded; this is our system to make that happen.

6.      We will be working to pair twosomes together. We understand that folks have a desire to play just as two and there will be times when the tee sheet allows for this; we will help identify when that is for you. During busy times we will not be able to offer this as it creates pace of play issues. I have seen where people will try and get around this by booking a foursome and only showing up with two. We will be tracking no-shows; if we identify a trend of booking for four and only showing up with two, we will stop it.

I appreciate your help with all of these items; I have seen the positive experiences that come from working together to achieve goals. Thank you for your business. I look forward to seeing you here soon!

Tom Beaudry                                                                                                                      

Director of Golf, PGA

Thoughts from Steve Ross

The mild winter has lent itself to outstanding course conditions once we open. The lack of frost in the ground in December allowed for the rain to percolate through the soil so we don’t have any damage from ice; in year’s past, we have seen substantial ice formation which happens when it sits on top of the soil for a long duration. The turf is very brown/yellowish this time of year but should start to green up as soil temperatures warm into the 50s. Right now, the ground is still frozen, so it will be a while.

I am looking forward to a great season of golf at Pokegama!

Steve Ross

Golf Course Superintendent, GSAA

What is new?

You should notice a few new things happening at Pokegama Golf Course the next time you visit. The new fleet of golf cars arrived last month; we are keeping 10 of the previous fleet to decrease the times we run out on busy days. John Bauer and his team have been busy getting the inside of the clubhouse painted and it looks great! There is also new carpet being installed the last week of March which will further enhance the look of the clubhouse. New merchandise for the golf shop should be on display the first part of April. Be sure to stop in and see all the new lines we are carrying!

We are giving away a season pass to the driving range! To win you just need to have created an online account and you can do so by visiting https://pokegama.cps.golf/onlineresweb/auth/verify-email . If you are a new user then just fill in your information and hit submit. If you are a returning user please just verify your email by logging in. We will draw for a winner on March 29th.

There is still time to get signed up for the Ping Demo Day this Thursday March 14th!

To see the most up to date information about the golf course and when we are opening check out our Facebook page or our website.

Junior golf registration will be done online this year and will go live May 1st. Information about the program will be up on the website soon! 

We are taking applications for summer employment for both the course and grill and these can be downloaded here.

Pokegama eNews (May 27, 2016)

Pokegama Rain Policy
                 
Greetings Pokegama Golfers,
                         
This article below was plagiarized from fellow golf professional Tom Abts, General Manager at Deer Run Golf Course in Victoria, Minnesota.
               
Pokegama Golf Course rain policy replicates Deer Run Golf Course's rain policy. 

Please read:
"You know that saying "April showers bring May flowers"? Well, I think for Minnesota it
should be "May showers bring June flowers". We're about a month north of most of the
country. But, a little rain shouldn't stop your golf plans. Last Sunday the report was for rain
- it rained for 15 minutes at 4pm - big deal. Because of this rain phobia inspired by an over
active media to heighten the threat of storms, people waste valuable beautiful Minnesota
days.
               
So, every year I send the following:
            
Did you ever see the episode of CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM when Larry accused the
weatherman of manipulating the weather reports so he can have the golf course all to
himself?
           
Did you also know that episode was based on fact and that all weathermen manipulate their
weather reports to keep people off the golf courses?
           
Well, maybe I'm exaggerating a little bit... but not much.
           
Bad weather makes news. Bad weather keeps everyone tuned in. Gee, how did we survive
before Doppler Weather reports?

Make your tee times dependent on your schedule - not the dubious reports of the
weatherman.  And, if it's too nasty of weather - just cancel. Or, try it out and if it's not fun,  come inside for a raincheck, refund, etc. We're not trying to take advantage of you trying to play golf in bad weather. I've heard of golf courses that won't give rain checks if you play one hole - that's real fair. We're not like that. We'll do whatever is fair. And, we'll error on the side of getting you on the golf course. That's what we do. We want people to play. We don't do all of this work just so people can drive by and say "What a beautiful golf course."
                    
You're under no risk making a reservation to play golf. And you're under no risk trying to
play if it looks like rain.
                 
Try it - you'll like it.
              
Cheers,
                  
Tom Abts, GM and Head Golf Professional"
---------------------------              
Thank you Tom.
                
____________________________________________________
                     
Bauer BetterBall Two Man Teams at Pokegama Golf Course
Date: June 4 and 5, Saturday and Sunday. Tee times from 7:30-9:30
Betterball - 18 holes each day
Entry Fee: $70.00 per player; Pokegama passholders are $50.00 / player
  - Two Man Teams
  - White Tees
  - Optional Skins games for both gross and net
  - Automatically in Gross and Net
  - Handicaps a must for net division
To register: call 218-326-3444
              
____________________________________________________

Two Gal Scramble at Pokegama Golf Course
Date: Monday, June 13; 9:00 Shotgun Start
18 Holes
Cost: $60.00 Entry Fee includes: Golf, cart, prizes, horsdourves
Net skins game: $10.00/player option.  Gross and net division payout.  Need GHIN handicap or equivalent for net division. 
To register: Call 218-326-3444 or email: golf@pokegamagolf.com.  Send entry fee to:
Pokegama Golf Course; 3910 Golf Course Road; Grand Rapids, MN 55744
                 
____________________________________________________
                      
Pokegama Golf Shop One Day ReGrip Service
We'll regrip your clubs: $9.00 and up per club. All sizes and textures available including Superstroke oversize putter grips.
                      
                                    
We hope to see you soon at beautiful Pokegama Golf Course.
                      
Bob Cahill, PGA, Director of Golf