Breakfast Buffet

Saturday and Sunday

8:00 a.m.—11:00 a.m.

Come enjoy a delicious, hot breakfast buffet now being served Saturday and Sunday from 8:00 a.m. until 11:00. Items include scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage or country ham, Potatoes O’Brien, freshly baked biscuits, sausage gravy, and fresh fruit.  Cost: $4.95 with 18 holes of golf only $2.95.

• • •

Lunch Specials

Daily

Unique and delicious specials for $5.95++. Homemade soups are also available.  The kitchen is open from 11:00 a.m.—3:00 p.m. daily.

This year the Westlake Demo Day will be held on Thursday, March 25, 2010 from 2:00 p.m.—6:00 p.m.  All the major golf companies are planning to be here and I will have a full list of companies as the date approaches. 

If you are interested in new clubs, this is the best time to decide what is best for you. In addition to trying the clubs, I will be available for club fitting to make sure the clubs that you choose will fit your swing.

By: Mickey Martin, Club Manager

With the change in seasons, we will be revamping our lunch menu once again with some of your “old favorites” and many new items for you to enjoy. I hope that when you’re thinking of going out for lunch, you’ll include us in your plans. I would also like to remind you that we continue to offer our breakfast buffet on Saturday and Sunday mornings from 8:00 until 11:00 a.m.

The items on the buffet include scrambled eggs, French toast, bacon, sausage or country ham, biscuits, gravy, freshly cut fruit, and toast with butter and assorted jellies. When the weather warms up a little, we intend to go back to breakfast service 7 days a week but even if you’re not lucky enough to be playing golf, you can still stop by in the morning for a nice, hot breakfast in a great, friendly environment. Daylight Savings Time begins on March 14th so we will be keeping the Clubhouse open until 6 p.m. after that date when there are golfers on the course. On other days when there is either cold or inclement weather, we will be closing at 5:00 p.m. As always, I am looking forward to continually improve your club and I am receptive to any ideas or suggestions you may have.  I hope to see all of you at your Club soon.

 “If I had my life to live over, I would start barefoot earlier in the spring and stay that way later in the fall.”

~Nadine Stair

BANQUET FACILITIES AND PRIVATE PARTIES

Planning a party, wedding, reception, or meeting? The clubhouse is a wonderful facility for banquets. For details, please call Mickey at 721-3845.

WIRELESS INTERNET

Please note, the club has wireless internet access for members to use with their laptop computers.

SPECIAL NOTE

We would like to welcome the Monica J. Brady as the new Club Accounts Manager for all three country clubs owned and operated by The Willard Companies. Monica, a graduate of Virginia Tech, comes to us from The Waterfront County Club and has experience in accounting from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and VT.  Monica replaces Amy Tosh who recently relocated to Florida. We wish both ladies the best of luck and continued success. Call Monica with any questions related to your account at (540) 721-5288.

WELCOME NEW MEMBER!

Matthew Weeks

By: Billy McBride III, PGA Professional

This year has not started the way I would like to see it.  January and February were not very good for the golf business with all the snow and being cold.  But there is a light at the end of the “snow covered” dark tunnel in the form of SPRING.  The Westlake Pro Shop is always here to help you with your golfing needs.  Let’s hope the rest of the year will bring you out to the golf course more often.

DEMO DAY

This year the Westlake Demo Day will be held on Thursday, March 25, 2010 from 2:00—6:00 p.m.  All the major golf companies are planning to be here and I will have a full list of companies as the date approaches.  If you are interested in new clubs, this is the best time to decide what is best for you.  In addition to trying the clubs, I will be available for club fitting to make sure the clubs that you choose will fit your swing.

LESSONS

What a great time to get into the swing of things by taking a lesson.  Both Bill and I are available for lessons and we would be happy to get your swing on track.  Wouldn’t you like to spend the rest of the year enjoying your game instead of wondering “what could I have done to fix my swing?”  You have a variety of lessons available for what ever is ailing your golf game and we can adjust lessons to help you cure your golf game.  Just give one of us a call and you will be on the way to better golf.

THANK YOU

Tara and I would like to thank everyone for their kind words and gifts we received since the news of our new addition Liam came to our lives.  Liam is growing like a weed and smiles everyday.  I can’t wait to get him out on the golf course (even though that might be a few years away).

JUNIOR CAMPS

As of this writing, I am working on the dates for the 2010 The Westlake Junior Camps.  As in years before, I will have one in June and one in late July or early August.  The schedules will be out around the time you receive this Navigator.  If you have a young one that would like to start learning the game of golf, this is the perfect avenue to take.

TOURNAMENTS

The Roanoke Valley Golf Hall of Fame will be having their annual Hall of Fame Pro-Am on April 19th.  This year the Pro-Am will be held at Ballyhack in Roanoke.  This Pro-Am is open to anyone and you can form your own three person team.  You will then be paired with one of the area PGA Golf Professionals to fill out the four person team.  The cost of the Pro-Am will be $175 per player and will include golf on the 19th, cocktail and pairing party on the 18th, refreshments during the tournament, and prizes.  If anyone is interested in forming a three person team, please call me at the Pro Shop.

By: The Social Committee:Tara McBride, Cathy Powers, and Melaine Wheeler

Hopefully this weather will soon pass and Spring will be upon us and the golfers will be able to play one of the best golf courses around. 

We would like to take this opportunity to introduce the new Westlake Social Committee.  We formed the social committee to get our membership base more active.  So if there is anyone that would like to participate in this committee or anyone that would like to share ideas with us, please feel free to contact any one of us. 

Our vision is to have full membership participation in social events throughout the year.  We know everyone is busy but we all need time to just relax.  We would like to have three to four social gatherings a year just so all members can reconnect.  Our first gathering is a Cinco de Mayo celebration on May 1st, 2010.  The celebration will begin at 2:00 and last until 5:00 with a taco bar, music, etc.  The cost is $10.95 per adult and $5.95 for children ages 5-12.  Please call the clubhouse to make your reservations by April 21st, 2010.  Please considering making this event to reconnect with fellow golfers and take time to relax.  We also welcome any suggestions anyone might have.

By: H T Page, Maintenance Director

I write this in February. Everything is white.   Everything!  At least the roads are relatively clear and we should all have electricity throughout the night, maybe.   The maintenance staff is just itching to get out onto the course and do some work that doesn’t involve a snow shovel or chain saw to clean up ice damaged trees.    I’m sure you are anxious to play a round of golf or two.  We have started several projects this winter but the weather has not cooperated to allow us to complete them.  According to meteorologist Robin Reed, November, December, and January were the wettest three months on record, but we could have told him that.

Several course projects were begun but Mother Nature has other plans and project completion will carry over into March.  The staff has completed drainage improvements in several bunkers but we hope to complete several more this year.  The heavy soil in this area migrates to the bottom of the bunkers and slows drainage especially after heavy rains.  All bunkers should drain completely within a few hours but some hold water after a day or two. We remove the sand and gravel over the drain lines, replace it and add drain pipe if needed. Several dead trees have been removed.  We were lucky and only lost a couple due to ice and snow.

The winter freeze thaw cycle naturally loosens the soil and relieves compaction but also causes the turf to be more susceptible to damage from play.  The greens are affected by this cycle more so than other areas.  They are constructed of sand and therefore freeze more quickly.  The surface also thaws more quickly and becomes soft and spongy.  This condition improves as the surface becomes more compacted over time.  Each time the green freezes, the cycle starts all over again.  The greens will be back to normal as the weather warms and grass growth begins.

The golf course is a wonderful place to walk especially after a snowfall.  I enjoy walking it myself.  This year we have noticed discolored turf on the greens caused by foot prints in the snow.  These brown spots should grow out this spring but will be visible for the remainder of the winter.  Please avoid walking on the greens during the winter whether they are snow covered or not.  We definitely do not want to damage the delicate turf.

By: Carol Guy, The Westlake Ladies Golf Association

Calling all lady golfers!

It’s time to shake off those winter blues and think spring. Better yet, think golf.  The start of the Westlake Ladies Golf Association’s 2010 season is just around the corner.  The upcoming season promises to be full of wonderful opportunities to catch up with old friends and make new ones; all while enjoying the course and working on your game.

Everyone is welcomed to join us at the Westlake Golf and Country Club for our Thursday, March 25th, at 9:00 am “Coffee Kick-off” meeting.  We are always looking for new players and fresh ideas.  We will discuss the upcoming schedule and provide information on Westlake sponsored events.  The Roanoke Region Association invitational dates will also be provided.

Please mark your calendars and plan on attending.  The first official day of play will be Thursday, April 1st at 9:00 am.  For more information or to RSVP, contact Carol Guy at (540) 721-3670.

We look forward to and hope you will join us for another exciting season of golf.

By: Tim Wheeler, The Westlake Men’s Golf Association

I guess I jinxed us last month by touting the warm weather we had for golf during the Thanksgiving and the weeks thereafter. We have not been that fortunate as of late. I mean what can I say, it is cold outside! Bitter cold!! The course has been covered with snow since the week before Christmas and as I write this article the weather forecast is finally showing some signs of warmer days on the way. I can’t ever remember the course being covered with snow and unplayable for such a long period of time. And even if there were no snow, it has been absolutely frigid with temperatures in the teens at night and barely into the thirty’s during the day. There is good news on the horizon however as it looks like the upcoming weekend may bring some warmer temps and a chance to get out on the course.  If the weather does break, get out and golf. I know I plan too.

I hope everyone had a good holiday season and a great start to the New Year. As I mentioned last month, the Men’s Golf Association is going to be looking at new ways to spice up our tournament schedule for 2010. We hope to make this our most exciting year ever and remember that we need players of all skill levels to come out and help us make our outings the best they can be. So be on the lookout for upcoming news and make this the year that you take that leap of faith and join the WMGA. You won’t regret it!

There are still some great buys in the club house so stop in if you have not already. Be on the lookout for the year’s newest equipment and remember to speak with Billy before making any purchases. Not only can he and Bill help you make the best informed decision on what you plan to purchase, they can help you with anything golf related that you are in the market for.

There will be lots more news to share with you in the months to come as plans are made and dates are set. Until next time, take care and see you on the course.

By: Cathie Daniel, Principal Broker

It’s a Buyers’ Market for Real Estate Investors, too.

Turn on any financial news program and at some point you’ll hear the experts extolling the virtues of diversification. Real estate, even through the market downturn, has long been considered a conservative, long-term strategy to growing wealth.

In fact, that very downturn has created a historic buying opportunity for potential homebuyers and investors alike. The combination of lower home prices across American and historically low mortgage rates, two essential factors that usually don’t trend in the same direction, have triggered a buyer’s market in many areas of the country. For real estate investors who want to rent their properties, this can make the difference in achieving positive cash flow sooner or right off the bat.

While some seasoned real estate investors make it look easy, to be successful, beginners should follow some basic principles.

• Learn all you can. Before committing your cash, you should have a fundamental understanding of real estate. For example, be aware that, in general, investment properties are not liquid investments. Barring exceptional circumstances, real estate does not sell at a moment’s notice. It could take days or months to sell a property, depending on the strength of the market in a particular region.
• Consider cash flow. You’ll need to have enough capital on hand to cover any short-term losses due to vacancies between tenants.
• Start small. Look into buying a condominium, single-family home or a duplex. Leave large apartment buildings and commercial properties to the pros.
• Inquire at the local Chamber of Commerce about companies relocating into or out of the area. Company movement is one indicator of demand for rental and/or office space.
• Find a property that will be in demand. Look for a moderately priced home with three or four bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a garage that sits on a quiet street.
• Research the property. The most common way first-time investors lose is by failing to investigate a property thoroughly. Look beyond the front door. Investigate the reputation of the school district, the crime rate, and plans for expanding a nearby highway or developing vacant land. Ask your Prudential Waterfront Properties real estate professional about the area, its history, and how fast (or slow) properties are moving.
• Inspect the home you’re considering for signs of water damage, such as stains on the ceiling and crinkling or gathering wallpaper; open and close every door and window; and check all electrical sockets by plugging in an appliance. Get an independent home inspection, roof inspection and termite inspection. Unexpected repair costs can eat away your cash flow. Because even the best inspection can’t always predict problems, try to set aside some of the rental income for unexpected repairs.
• Spend time driving the streets of the neighborhood noting the condition of other properties. Are lawns maintained? Are roofs in good shape? Are homes kept up?
• Be ready to make fixes quickly and respond to the renter’s needs. If you’re not prepared to be a hands-on landlord, consider hiring a property management firm.
• See your tax advisor for related planning and laws that can affect your investment decisions.

Remember, investing in a property is much different than living in one, and while emotion and attachment can be prime motivators when it comes to homes, it is return on investment that counts when investing in real estate.

Office Hours

Monday-Friday 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Saturday, Sunday and Holidays

10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Other hours by appointment

Phone numbers

Main Office: (540) 721-8659

Toll Free: (800)-858-4653

The Water’s Edge: (540) 576-1333

Melanie Hosch, Horticulturist

There should be plenty of moisture in the ground to start out the Spring season. I expected to loose some flowering bulbs to rot, but that doesn’t seem to be the case, they are popping up everywhere. All plants will benefit from a shot of 5-10-10 to replace the leached nutrients. The extended cold did hurt the pansies, and probably those tender perennials that had survived the past mild Winters.

There will be some dieback on deciduous ornamentals. Pest populations should be down, due to the cold and moisture, and that’s always a good thing.

It is time to apply weed pre-emergent herbicide to ground covers like juniper and ivy. I also sprinkle pre-emergent after I clean-up flower beds and mulch around trees.

Speaking of ivy, the deer could not ignore the “green” on seventeen. The wall will again look sparse after this unauthorized “pruning”. Maybe next year, nets? I don’t know they apparently have taken a liking to Texas Pete.

It was a stressful winter for wildlife. The robins arrived back to snow covered grass. Meals were few and far between, so animals were friendlier than normal. How many turkey did you see?