Summer 2004
Island #4
Creek #3
Bluff #6
LINKS
ADVISORY BOARD
R. Daniel Blanton
Appling, Georgia
Charles H. Coleman, Jr., MD
Augusta, Georgia
J. Ben Deal, DMD
Augusta, Georgia
Nick W. Evans
Augusta, Georgia
H. Ray Finney, MD
Augusta, Georgia
LeRoy R. Fullerton, Jr., MD
Augusta, Georgia
Jimmy Garren
Augusta, Georgia
Boone Knox
Thompson, Georgia
Frank J. Lawrence
Augusta, Georgia
E.G. Meybohm
Augusta, Georgia
Chairman of the Board
Wayne Millar
Augusta, Georgia
Travers W. Paine, III
Augusta, Georgia
Arthur Thomas Plant
Greenwich, Connecticut
Robert W. Pollard, Jr.
Appling, Georgia
Larry S. Prather
Martinez, Georgia
CONTACT US
(706) 869-9800
Message from the Chairman
I hope that each of you have been following our progress at Champions Retreat. As I write this, we have completed the sodding of the golf course and are well underway with several of our buildings, such as the Pro Shop, cart barn and golf cottages. Also, four homes are under construction in Founders Village; and we are paving in Bishops Court, our small lot development just inside the gate. It’s been a busy summer to say the least, and I think all of us feel a sense of pride because of the many compliments we’re receiving about our course.
Many people have worked extremely hard and have put in long hours to get us to this point. Special thanks to Wayne Millar for his leadership, to Mark, our superintendent, Wyman, his assistant, and to all their crew for a job well done. Also, Brian, our Pro, and Shae, his assistant, have done an excellent job of selling our Club and helping out in other areas where needed. There’s still a lot of work to do, but everyone associated with our project has gone beyond the call of duty. Many thanks to all involved.
As I’m sure most of you know by now, we will not be opening this Fall. I firmly believe our original time schedule was much too ambitious; and our project of 27 holes, a great practice facility, and all of our vertical construction was really a bigger job than any of us anticipated. Furthermore, we have a certain standard of excellence that we want to maintain, so opening soon was not the answer.
We plan to spend this winter working on our punch list of things to be done. There are still many drainage issues to correct. A bit more growing time is needed, so our opening time next Spring will depend largely on the weather. A special event is being planned during Masters, hopefully with the three golfers, and each of our members will be invited.
Thanks again for your confidence in Champions Retreat.
E.G. Meybohm
Chairman of the Board
Message from the Director of Golf
Greetings Everyone,
I hope all of you have had a wonderful summer. It has been three months since the last Champions Almanac was published, and I couldn’t be more excited about the future possibilities all of you will come to enjoy at Champions Retreat.
The golf courses are nearing completion, and for all of you who have not been out to visit the property in a while, I strongly encourage you to do so. I think that you will be more than surprised at what we have done in the last few months. Simply put, it is absolutely gorgeous.
For those of you who can’t find time to make it out to the course, visit our website at www.championsretreat.net . You will be able to find recently updated information regarding membership and pictures of all the golf holes and golf village construction.
I want to share with you my most sincere appreciation to all of those who have worked so hard and put so much of their time into making the dream of Champions Retreat a reality. For all those who have never been involved with building a golf course, not to mention a 27 hole facility, it can be exciting, it can be fun, it can be pressure packed, and it can be extremely exhausting both physically and mentally.
With the completion of the Golf Course just around the corner , Mark’s staff has worked very hard and has made many sacrifices on behalf of Champions Retreat, and I want to thank him and all his staff for all they have given towards constructing Champions Retreat. Thank You Mark!
Our membership composition is becoming more broad based and distinguished as it grows. Out of our 184 members 18 are National Members representing 6 different states ranging from Oregon to Connecticut and internationally we have two members from Canada. Welcome to all!
The fact that we are on schedule to be over 200 members, well before we open, is a tremendous compliment to our Members and to the undeniable beauty of the golf courses. I believe there is a secret to building a high end private club membership, and it’s not by taking out an ad in a paper. When your focus is on quality of members rather than quantity, the best marketing strategy is personal referral and word of mouth.
If you know someone who has a genuine love for the game, and you would like to refer them for membership, contact me. I will be happy to give them a call on your behalf.
There are many exciting times ahead for Champions Retreat and we are delighted that you will be a part of our growing golf club. If there is ever anything that my staff or I can do for you, please don’t hesitate to give me a call or stop by the Riverwood Sales office. My door is always open and you are always welcome.
Brian Stock
Director of Golf
Champion Retreat Names Associate Professional
Shae Stancil has been named Associate Professional / Tournament Director as of April 1st, 2004.
Shae’s hometown is Jasper, GA — a small town located 70 miles north of Atlanta. He is a graduate of the University of Georgia, where he majored in Business Administration. He also holds a class A membership with the PGA of America, as well as a Rules of Golf certification with the U.S.G.A for the Georgia Section.
Most recently, Shae was the associate professional with Brian Stock at Currahee Club, a private club on Lake Hartwell in Toccoa, GA. As Brian’s Assistant, Shae was responsible for assisting in the aspects of opening the 18 hole championship golf course. He was responsible for programming the POS Systems, assisting with the construction of the facilities, preparing the golf course for opening day, and the organization of the tournaments at the course.
“The best thing about Currahee Club was the opportunity to meet and work with Brian. We make a great team, and can accomplish and offer more that most other professionals. It is rare to find such a great partnership in the golf business.”
Shae brings a wealth of knowledge and versatility to Champions Retreat. Before he became a part of Brian’s team, Shae was the 1st assistant professional at The Standard Club in Duluth, GA.
His impressive resume also includes Tournament Director at Reynolds Plantation on Lake Oconee. During his 5-year tenure there, Shae was responsible for all aspects of the 35 event membership tournament schedule, as well as the organization of all Ritz Carlton events and outside guest tournaments. Shae was successful in the development of a membership program which grew the participation in all Club events dramatically. “We developed many excellent tournaments at Reynolds, but two events that stand out for me personally include a fund-raiser for President Bush, and a fund-raiser for the 9-11 disaster relief fund, in which we raised over $20,000 to help the cause.”
In addition to tournaments, Shae was involved with many departments at Reynolds, including membership, web page development and management, training of other professionals, budgeting, financial tracking, teaching, committees, and assisting in marketing, development, and management of the club-fitting center. Also, he holds a course record at the plantation course at Reynolds Plantation — 63.
“I was fortunate to have the opportunity to be involved in many aspects of operations and learned many things. One of my greatest accomplishments personally was the development of a program to get more of our members playing golf.”
At Champions Retreat, Shae has been assisting Brian with membership sales, marketing and recruitment. Also, Shae has maintained the website, and has worked alongside Mark Patterson and his staff with the construction of the golf course.
Shae is excited about Champions Retreat, and the opportunity to live in Augusta. “Augusta is a great town, and the people I have met have made me feel welcome.” Shae also sees the potential of Champions Retreat. “I’m not convinced that people have really grasped how amazing this facility is going to be. Working at the course everyday, you can see and feel the excitement and prestige building around the project as it nears completion. I can’t think of many courses in the Southeast that will be able to offer the golf experience that members and their guests will enjoy at Champions Retreat. There will be no comparison.”
“Shae will be a great asset t o our team.” says Brian Stock, Director of Golf. “His dedication to the game and to the golf profession will serve our membership well.”
We welcome Shae to the Champions Retreat Family.
Membership Referral Program
As of today, we have approximately 200 members who are local, national, and we just approved our first international members! By the time you read this there is good chance that we will be over 200 members.
As you can tell, it is vitally important to our success that our current members continue to recruit our new members. This ensures that the Club’s membership is one of close-knit friends, who love and hold close the traditions of the game.
With this goal in mind, the Membership Referral Program was created and announced at the Founder/Member reception on July 15th. This program, which provides incentive for our current members to recruit new members, has already shown success.
The program is simple — if a current member refers a new member, they will receive a custom fit Titliest Driver of their choice. Once the course opens, you will be custom fit for your driver using a launch monitor, swing speed test, and other measurements to find the best driver for you. If you already know the specifications of the driver that you want, we can reward you now.
Our current offerings are always on our website at www.championsretreat.net, or by calling the Membership office at 706.869.9800. Please note that our Individual and Corporate Membership deposits have increased to $17,500 and $20,000 respectfully.
It is also important to remember that the deposit amount is payable in 3 installments — $5,000 with the application, $5,000 6 months after application approval, and the balance due 30 days before the club opens. We encourage all of our members to take part in the referral program, and continue to add to the success of the Club.
Congratulations to the following members for their referrals:
Dennis Trotter
Craig Calvert
Golf Village Update
Champions Retreat is approaching the club house facilities much differently than you would expect in a typical Country Club setting, where you have one huge monstrosity of a club
house. Nowadays it seems like every new county club or golf club has only one design concept when it comes to building their club house - bigger and more expensive than the club next door. This can lead to an unwelcoming atmosphere. This is exactly why the design concepts behind the Golf Village are so refreshing. One of the most distinguishing aspects of the Golf Village is that all of our buildings are designed to be welcoming, understated but elegant, and built to accentuate the simplicity of an era that has long since disappeared. We are building a small golf village with five detached buildings. Each building will provide the membership with a specific function: the golf shop will be the main point of operations, the golf house will cater to your dining facilities, the locker building will house the locker rooms, the cart barn will store golf cars, and the pavilion will cater to special events and tournament receptions. Combined, these building make up the Golf Village.
In the past two months the Golf Village has started to take shape. There are currently four buildings under construction. The Golf Shop has been under construction since the beginning of May, and should be completed around the first of November. Currently 
we are putting the finishing touches on the roof and should start with the interior soon. The Cart barn, which will resemble two horse stables, is beginning to take shape. The foundation is in and the roof is being assembled. The Golf House is going to start construction the first of September. Two of the five Golf Cottages, which will be available for lease through the club for our members and their guests, are under construction as well. All the cottages will be four bedrooms with private baths that overlook the ninth fairway of the Player course.
Message from the Superintendent
We have completed the sodding portion of the golf course construction. Also, the driving range has been shaped and irrigation has been installed. The grassing of the driving range should be completed by September 1st.
Once the grassing is complete, my staff will concentrate on maintaining the twenty-three holes that are already grown in, while I tend to the grow-in stage on the remaining four holes and the practice facility.
Looking a step farther, Brian Stock and I have created a “punch list” of post construction work that must be completed in order to prepare our facility for opening day. Our major focus will be repairing washouts, installing supplemental drainage, patching sod, and hydro-seeding our native areas to support natural grass growth.
Also, this fall I will be implementing a pre-emergent herbicide program for the entire golf course. Since we're not overseeding the golf course, we have the luxury of applying a heavy pre-emergent that will help the spring turf be very “clean”. It will also help manage the weeds that can become uncontrollable.
As you can see, we are closer than ever to completing this exceptionally beautiful golf facility. The excitement and anticipation surrounding the completion of the course is shared by my entire staff. I would like to thank each of them for their efforts, dedication, and long hours that have gotten us to this point.
Please know that your comments and questions are always welcomed. You can reach me by calling the office or e-mailing me at markp@championsretreat.net .
Mark Patterson
Golf Course Superintendent
Founders Village Update
Construction has begun on the first 4 houses in Founders Village. Those building include Mr. Perry, Mr. Rhodes, Mr. Johnson, and Mr. Garren.
There have been 6 lot resales averaging $275k each. There are currently 2 lots available that are listed at $310k.