January-February 2013

A Publication for Balsam Mountain Preserve Members

6th Annual

NEW YEAR’S EVE 1-CLUB TOURNAMENT RESULTS

T wenty-eight players teed it up on holes 6, 7, and 8 for the increasingly popular 1-Club tournament. Plenty of interesting shots and laughs were had by all; yet the

tournament managed to be quite competitive. “It was another brave turnout considering deteriorating weather conditions,” stated Tournament Director Rod Hanlon. Dave Sparks ignited the crowd with an impressive chip-in on #7 with his 6 iron. After the final putt dropped in regulation there was a 3-way tie for the lead which included Brian Chapman, Frank Harrison, and Jim Thompson. After the fourth playoff chip-off, Brian Chapman emerged as the Champion for the second year in a row. Congratulations Brian, and thanks to all who participated in this fun event.

Drew Marshall, Head Golf Professional

“It was another brave turnout considering deteriorating

weather conditions.”

-Rod Hanlon

Pictured below, left to right, Head Golf Professional Drew Marshall, Bill Croswell, Doug Dale, and 2012 1-Club Champion Brian Chapman

A Year Full

Of Fond Memories

We have completed our first full season as owner of the Balsam Mountain Club and overall, we are very pleased with the quality of the staff, the programming, and the member experience. Based on the feedback we received from many of you, there were some great high points in each of these areas. We will always strive to make the Club experience better each and every year, and are already formulating plans for next season!

Real Estate After recording just 2 property sales in 2011, the real estate market roared back at Balsam in 2012, with 27 property transactions posted. All total, there were 8 developer homesite sales, 13 resale homesite sales, 1 home sale, and 5 Boarding House resales. Our onsite brokerage was involved in 21 of the 27 sales, which equates to 77% of the total business transacted. Outside brokers accounted for only 5 sales, and 1 sale was a directly originated by a bank.

If you’re serious about selling your property in 2013 we would welcome the opportunity to speak with any member about listing and representing your property. While we can’t guarantee a sale for you, the numbers above speak volumes as to which avenue provides you the best opportunity for a successful outcome.

Golf Operations

The course was open longer this season than ever before, as we opened for play on April 1st. We had hoped to extend the season into November, but the sudden change in temperature as we got into the first week forced us to change plans. The damage that could have been done by playing on “freeze and thaw” bentgrass would not have been worth the risk.

A promotion of note was the elevation of Drew Marshall to the position of full-time Head Golf Professional. Drew did an outstanding job and organized more Member tournaments than ever before at Balsam, such as the Masters Match Up Tournament, Summer Match Play, Ruby Valley Cup, and 1-Day Member-Member/Guests. In a move that will strengthen operations in the future by eliminating costly lease programs, we purchased all of Balsam’s golf course equipment this year. We also purchased a brand-new fleet of premium Ez-E-Go golf carts.

Food & Beverage Operations Many Members have commented that this past season was the best ever for food and beverage at Balsam. Chef Jay and the entire team at the Boarding House did a terrific job, exceeding expectations at every turn. Among the highlights this past season: Steak & Lobster Nights Fine Dining Nights Friday Night Themed Buffets Saturday Cookouts at the Pavilion Sunday Soup & Salad Nights Spring Discover Balsam Weekend 4th Of July Celebration Johnny’s Famous Fish Fry Tavern on the 14th Green Oktoberfest Weekend New Year’s Eve We are committed to achieving the same level of excellence next season, and welcome your comments and suggestions as to special events you would like to see at the Club.

Other Areas of Note In April, we purchased a brand new state-of-the-art pump and filtration system for the Ruby Valley amenities. This resulted in cleaner water at the pool, and healthier drinking water for everyone.

The gravel road by the Practice Range was paved in September, giving golfers and drivers a smooth and dust-free drive from the Pavilion all the way up to the cart path for the first tee. Paving this stretch of road has been a topic of conversation for many years, and we took action to accomplish it. Dark Ridge Camp was severely damaged by a storm in early 2011, leading the former owner to close this great amenity for the season. One of our first goals after acquiring Balsam was to restore Dark Ridge

so that all Members could enjoy it once again in 2012. We repaired the piping from the stream to the power generator so that the lighting and bathrooms would be operational, cleared a large portion of the tree damage, and added parking areas. Member feedback was very positive, and everyone appreciated the ability to enjoy Dark Ridge once again.

Golf Course Maintenance Many members told us the condition of the golf course this season was top-notch, and better than it’s been in several years. This was due in large part to the efforts of Brooks Kittrell, Brad Morgan, and the entire golf maintenance team. Brooks was promoted to Head Superintendent earlier this year, and did a great job with the course. From 2009-2011, key fertilizer and chemical treatments were not applied to the course and over time this lack of attention started to catch up to the bent grass turf. In 2012, we spent the necessary dollars to help bring the turf back to its intended glory, and next season the playing conditions should be ever better. Also neglected over the past several years have been the bunkers. According to Brooks, there has not been any new significant sand added to the bunkers since 2009. It’s not reasonable to expect that three years of neglect can be overcome in one season, but we certainly got the process started by adding 140 tons of sand this year, greatly enhancing playability on many holes. Our goal is to complete this work next year.

Valentines Dinner

2013

Sweetheart's Dinner

Saturday, February 16th 6:30 - 9:30pm

at the Boarding House

Bring your sweetheart and join us as we celebrate

Valentine’s Day!

Special Prix Fixe Valentine's menu and cocktails.

BALSAM MOUNTAIN PRESERVE 2013 CLUB MEMBERSHIP CATEGORIES

N ew membership packages for 2013 have been sent. Please remember to choose your level of membership and remit a check for 50% of your selected annual

dues level by January 31st, 2013. We appreciate your support of the Balsam Mountain Club, and are committed to providing you and your family with a first-class private club experience in 2013 and beyond. GOLF MEMBERSHIP Golf Members will be entitled to use all of the golf, tennis, dining, swimming, equestrian, fitness and social facilities of the Balsam Mountain Club. Golf Members will not be required to pay green fees or court fees for use of the golf and tennis facilities, but will be required to pay golf cart fees or trail fees. Golf Members will be entitled to reserve golf starting and tennis court times seven days in advance. ANNUAL DUES $9,800 SPORTS MEMBERSHIP Sports Members will be entitled to use all of the golf, tennis, din-ing, swimming, equestrian, fitness and social facilities of the Bal-sam Mountain Club. Sports Members will not be required to pay court fees for use of the tennis facilities but will be required to pay golf cart fees and 80% of accompanied guest green fees for use of the golf course. Sports Members will be entitled to reserve golf starting times three days in advance and tennis court times seven days in advance. ANNUAL DUES $7,500 SOCIAL MEMBERSHIP A new category of membership for 2012, Social Members will be entitled to use all of the tennis, dining, swimming, equestrian, fit-ness and social facilities of Balsam Mountain Club. Social Mem-bers will have golf privileges for themselves or their guests in the amount of 4 rounds per calendar year and will be required to pay golf cart fees and 80% of accompanied guest green fees for use of the golf course. After 4 rounds, Social Members may play golf by paying the golf cart fee and 100% of the unaccompanied guest fee. Social Members will not be required to pay court fees for use of the tennis facilities. ANNUAL DUES $5,500

Boarding House

Winter Season Schedule

November 5th, 2012 – April 30th, 2013

Breakfast

Monday - Thursday, 8:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.

Continental breakfast for cabin guests

Friday - Sunday, 8:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. Full breakfast

Lunch

Daily except Tuesdays, 11:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Dinner

Friday - Sunday, 6:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. Reservations Requested

Other nights with the exception of Tuesday open by reservation: minimum 10 people, reservations must be made

the day before by 2:00 p.m.

When Dinner is not being served, a Cabin Menu will be available every day except Tuesday. Cabin Menu selections must be made

same day before 2:00 p.m.

The Nature of Things – Are You ‘Down’ with It? Firstly here, I will begin with a slight digression – and that is to offer my hearty congratulations to everyone who survived the end of the world…again. Let’s face it, this is the time of year when we’re looking for supplements to our attire. More specifically, accoutrements which will provide us with a level of comfort which approximates the temperature range to which we, as naked endotherms, prefer to reside. Our own thermo-regulation is preferential to an ambient temperature range of between 65 – 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Some of us, who reside in the more northerly latitudes during one of the two declinations of our life-sustaining star, perform an annual migration, which, by the way, is not too dissimilar to other species of warm-blooded brethren, which allows us to reside in ambient temperature ‘heaven’.

As humans we are able to work our way through figuring out how to make things which keep us warm, e.g., fur-bearing mammal pelts, Polartec, bubble-wrap, etc., the hard part is done – now it’s just being mindful of how long we can remain exposed to what Old Man Winter can throw at us. The Old Man, by the way, is slowly, and seemingly, in the twilight of his years. Now that climate scientists mostly agree that the Earth is warming, the down, of which I write about in this article, may not be so problematic. What is interesting though is that we all reach, at least in these latitudes, for the down coat as temperatures drop to a level which necessitates supplemental forms of warmth. Down comes in two common options – duck and goose. (All birds have down in their feather repertoire but can you imagine how much hummingbird down it would take to make a coat. J) It’s the type of down that is the key to keeping warm. Most of have seen too what happens when there is

more than just down in a coat, comforter or pillow. The quill end of non-down feathers easily finds escape hatches between the threads of what’s keeping them imprisoned. Aside from being a little annoying, this is what tells you that you’ve not purchased the best quality down product. The down worn by geese and swans is a much larger feather type than the down of ducks. For this reason it provides much better insulation because of the amount of air it can trap in spaces between the feathers. Keep in mind ‘fill-rating’. The higher the rating the warmer you will be kept. And if you can find it, eider down is the finest duck down available. Eider way, stay warm and thank your waterfowl friends for your personal level of comfort in the cold, dark days of winter.

by Michael Skinner, Trust Executive Director www.bmtrust.org

The ubiquitous Canada goose has not only choice meat for the table but equally choice down – a feather with highly effective insulative properties.

...my hearty congratulations to

everyone who survived the end of

the world…again.

Mickey Clark

Occupation at Balsam Mountain Preserve

Community Maintenance

Hometown

Denton, North Carolina, a small town centrally located between Greensboro and Charlotte

Education

Western Carolina graduate with a major in Chemistry

Family Man

I have three sons so I keep pretty busy when I’m not at work, they are 6 and 4 years old and the youngest is 3 months.

Background

I spent 6 years in the Navy, on the USS Enterprise with operations out of Charleston. Those are special memories for me. This is my second year at Balsam. I enjoy working at Balsam. I like the people I work with and not being stuck inside. It’s such a pretty area and the view, along with the work, varies every day.

MICKEY’S FAVORITE...

...Hobby

I enjoy reading and fishing— when I get the chance.

...Sport

I love ALL sports! If I had to pick favorites I guess it would be basketball and football.

...Southern City

Charleston

...Guilty Pleasure TV Show

Big Bang Theory

Employee Spotlight

Club Hours of Operation

Pro Shop: Closed for Season.

Practice Park: Closed for Season.

Trail Rides Closed for Season.

Pavilion: Closed for Season.

Fitness Center: Open 24 hours.

Pool: Closed for Season.

Tennis Courts: Closed for Season.

Turnhouse: Closed for Season.

The Boarding House Restaurant:

Light Continental Breakfast:

Mon – Thurs, 8am – 10am

Breakfast:

Fri – Sun, 8am – 10am

Lunch:

Wed – Mon, 11:30am – 2pm

Dinner:

Fri – Sun, 6:30pm – 9pm

*Reservations Requested

The Nature Center: 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily

Club Staff and Contact Information

Administration: 828.631.1040

Jimmy McDonnell: President

Bruce Fine: Vice President

Tina Jones: Business Manager

Member Services: 828.631.1000

Amy Coggins: Manager

Balsam Care

(Maintenance & Cabins): 828.631.1000

Pro Shop: 828.631.1009

Drew Marshall: Head Golf Pro

Activities: 828.631.1063

Stables: 828.631.1066

Security / Main Gate: 828.631.1011

Main Gate Emergency: 828.508.0116

Sales: 828.631.1001

Joe Dellinger: Sales Executive

Bill Minus: Sales Executive

Jamie Aquino: Marketing Assistant

RIDGE Lines Editor

Nature Center / Balsam Mountain Trust:

828.631.1060

Michael Skinner: Executive Director

Blair Ogburn: Sr. Naturalist

www.bmtrust.org

The Reserve at Lake Keowee

Contact Balsam Member Services at

828.631.1000 for all Activities and Reservations.

www.reserveatlakekeowee.com

Grand Harbor Golf & Yacht Club

Contact Balsam Member Services at

828.631.1000 for all Activities and Reservations.

www.grandharbor.net

Balsam Mountain Preserve | 81 Preserve Road | Sylva, NC 28779

866.452.3456

www.balsammountainpreserve.com