As we approach the start of the 2022 golf season, we have a LOT to look forward to. Before we delve into that, we first want to congratulate Superintendent Mike Wing on his many years of service to the Sugarbush Resort Golf Club and the resort as a whole. Under Mike’s leadership, the golf course has seen tremendous improvement in both the condition of the course and its playability. Mike has led the club through countless drainage projects, bunker renovations, tee box additions, and many other items that aren’t as discernible to the naked eye but have greatly improved the product that we all enjoy. Please join us in thanking Mike when you see him at the resort or around town, as he prepares to leave the Valley with his family and head to Maine.
Mike’s longtime assistant and “right-hand man”, Gerry Weber, will be taking over as Superintendent at the golf course. Gerry has been at the Golf Club for over 10 years and has experience managing turf more than twice that time. We are more than confident in his expertise and experience. Gerry will be at the course all year round, allowing him to handle additional cleanup and projects when the weather allows, as well as assisting our mechanic Steve with maintenance of our fleet of equipment.
While we’re talking about equipment, we’ve got some exciting items arriving. A new Kubota tractor will serve the course well, along with a large dump trailer to help move debris and aggregate around the course more efficiently. A new Toro Greenspro roller will also be arriving in early May, allowing the crew to roll the greens more consistently and efficiently. A Toro Greensmaster Triflex is also on order, with a delivery date still to be determined. We will also be introducing new driving range mats for your enjoyment on the driving range.
Our big project this summer is a full renovation of our sand bunkers. We will be excavating, adding/reclaiming drainage where necessary, lining, and replacing sand in all our course’s bunkers. This is a large undertaking and made even more challenging by the tricky Vermont mountain weather we often must deal with. Our goal is to complete the front nine bunkers this Spring and back nine this Fall. This project is a long time coming, and we are very excited for it to finally come to fruition.
One of the improvements that I am most looking forward to is expanded hours and dinner offerings at Hogan’s Pub. Sugarbush’s new VP of Food & Beverage, Keith Paxman, is excited to bring these offerings to our club. Many of you know Keith from his days owning the Common Man restaurant in Warren. He’s also an avid golfer. The kitchen will be open until 8pm Thurs-Sat every week, with ½ price burgers on Thursday night. All other nights, the kitchen will have food available until 6pm. Music on the deck at Hogan’s will be back on Saturday nights this summer as well.
We’d like to invite you to come meet Keith and Gerry on Sunday, May 1st from noon until 3pm for a Member Cleanup Day. Walk around the course, take a look at conditions, and help us pick up some sticks and debris. The Food & Beverage team will have complimentary burgers and dogs on the grill and a keg of Lawson’s Finest for you to enjoy. Sunday is also the final scheduled day of Lift Operations at Lincoln Peak, so take some turns in the morning and come join us at the Golf Club in the afternoon. We’d love for you to join us and look forward to another fabulous season at the Sugarbush Resort Golf Club.