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Dear Members,

Happy New Year! I hope your holiday season was full of quality time spent with friends and family, and that your 2024 is off to a fantastic start. The team here at Encanterra is excited to embrace the events and delightful experiences awaiting you in the first month of this year. Let’s make 2024 a year filled with wonderful memories!

Friendly Reminders

As we head into the new year, we have a couple of friendly reminders for our Members:

• Golf Course Activities: To help maintain the beauty of our Golf Course, we ask that all Members and their guests please be respectful of all golf course rules. We’d like to remind everyone that recreational activities such as walking, jogging, biking, skateboarding, fishing, etc. are not permitted on the golf course at any time. Also, please do not enter the course outside of operating hours or for any purpose.
• Golf Carts on Sidewalks: Additionally, please do not drive your carts on the sidewalks at The Algarve and or La Casa sidewalks. This is for the safety of all Members.
• Outside Food & Drinks: Outside alcohol or drinks are NOT allowed on Club property, including at the pools, on the Golf Course, and at all events. Events will always have bar service. Thank you in advance for your cooperation!
• Guests: All guests must be registered on MTL in advance to access our Fitness Center and swimming pools. Once your guests are registered online by clicking here (the link is also accessible anytime under Helpful Links on MTL), you can pick up wristbands, and guest passes from the Business Center or the Concierge Desk during their regular hours of operation (click here to view). To streamline the registration process, we kindly request that you complete the necessary registration forms before visiting the Business Center or Concierge Desk. This will help to expedite the process and ensure a smooth experience for you and your guests.

We appreciate your support and are excited for 2024! Now, let’s get into the departmental updates:

Golf Operations
With Damian Lane Lehew, Director of Golf 

As we enter the New Year, and the chilly days ahead, we tee off January with an exciting list of upcoming events, including:

• January 12th | Presidents Cup Weekend
• January 13th | Solutions for Resolutions Clinics
• January 15th | Nine & Dine
• January 20th | Saturday Skins
• January 26th | Encanterra Cup
• February 4th | Mixed Club Championship

Contact the Sports Shop for additional details.

Golf Course Reminders

• All carts must follow the 90-degree rule when entering the fairway to their ball and exit the fairway at the two blue posts at the end of the fairway.
• When using a pushcart, maintain a safe distance from all greens, tees, and bunkers.
• Please repair at least one ball mark on each green and fill any divots.
• If you wish to listen to music while playing, please keep the volume at a level only you can enjoy unless others in the group approve of your music.
• Please return towels to the Member Services team at the end of your round.

Golf Course Conditions
With Alex Ward, Golf Course Superintendent

Just as any other department reflects on the previous year to plan for the coming one, so does our Golf Course Maintenance Team. Last year brought us the hottest summer on record with very little monsoon rain, but despite that, the summer transition was successful along with the fall overseed, giving Members a good playing surface through the first half of 2024.

In February, we will begin lowering heights on fairways, tees, and roughs, and will begin light vertical mowing. This will thin out the ryegrass (winter grass) canopy and allow the bermuda grass base to begin growing. We’ll continue these cultural practices over the next few months leading up to the removal of the ryegrass in the last week of May.

Why is it necessary for carts to stay on the paths at times? Most often, the cause is weather related or immediately after over-seeding when the grass is still juvenile and the course is soft from the grow in process. For example, cart restrictions may be imposed under wet conditions when the soil is extremely susceptible to compaction and damage, or on cold days when the turf is under frost conditions.

Another example happened after our overseed in 2023 when we kept cart restrictions in place longer on a few select holes. After seeing the results of those additional restrictions on those holes, we decided to have two holes (one on each nine) be cart path only each week, rotating as needed. This is a common practice on many golf courses and is used to help alleviate compaction and wear on the turf. Compacted soils make it difficult to grow healthy grass, leading to short term issues and long-lasting effects on conditions year round.

In the winter, when the growth of the turf has slowed thanks to the shorter days and cooler temperatures, it is important to remember turf recovery is also slowed. As you probably guessed, this is where having those cart path only holes is important. The maintenance team will be utilizing ropes, directional signs, and cart path only holes to help improve conditions. Taking a week’s worth of cart traffic off of a hole can have great effects that can help improve conditions year round. We appreciate all the Members’ efforts to care for the course.

Food & Beverage
With Cornelius Cover, Director of Food & Beverage

The winter season is in full swing, and we are loving it! We will be launching a new menu in Palma Kitchen + Tap soon and are excited to announce more details as they are solidified. But in the meantime, as people start looking for healthier options in the new year, Chef Bryan wants to remind everyone that we still offer the Simply Grilled menu items, even if they’re not listed on the physical menu for Palma Kitchen + Tap.  The Simply Grilled option comes with a choice of grilled chicken, shrimp, or salmon served with cauliflower rice and seasonal veggies. Just ask your server for details if you’re interested! This is a great, healthy option to help you meet your goals for 2024.

However, if you’re just looking to enjoy good food no matter what, we still have Pasta Night going on every Monday evening in Palma this month. You can have all your pasta preferences met and watch as a pasta professional carefully crafts your dish to your exact specifications. This is a great way to spend your Monday night!

Your Food & Beverage team also helps host a number of events here at the Club each month. We’re especially excited about the Passport Wine Dinner on January 23rd and the Thursday Social Mixer on Saturday, January 25th. Sign up for both on MTL!

Have you stopped by Bodega yet? Bodega has fantastic bruschetta, flatbreads, and charcuterie available. These are perfect options for a sharing with friends, an afternoon snack, or as a pre-dinner bite before you head into Palma. Click here to view Bodega’s hours. Happy Hour will continue in January and features half off all wines in the wine dispenser from 3:00 – 6:00pm every day! Not a night owl? Bodega offers Cartel Coffee in the morning, tasty breakfast sandwiches, and so much more.

Thank you all for your support of the Food & Beverage operation in 2023. We look forward to serving you all for an awesome 2024. Cheers!

Lifestyle
With Gail Zigler, Lifestyle Director

I’d like to start by saying thank you to everyone who joined us for our Denim & Diamonds New Year’s Eve Party! It was an amazing evening and we enjoyed ringing in the new year with you.

Have you picked up your 2024 #MTL Calendar? If not, we’ve got them available in various areas throughout the Club! Come grab one and stay up to date on the many exciting events we will be bringing to the Club this year.

In the month of January, we have a ton of exciting events we can’t wait to see you at, including:

• January 12th | Swing Memories Band
• January 22nd | Suns vs. Bulls Basketball Game
• January 23rd | National Pie Day Contest
• January 24th | Combs High School Improv Show

Spa and Fitness
With Tabalyn Dosier, Wellness Director

Refresh your body and revive your spirit as we kick off the new year! We are excited to assist you in a month of self-care and vitality.

• Click here for the January Fitness Calendar.
• Click here to view the Spa Specials.

Featured Fitness Classes:

• Gentle Pilates: Improve posture and increase flexibility as you flow through a series of dynamic movements to restore balance to core muscles of the lower back and abdominals. Pilates lengthens and strengthens for a strong leaner physique.
• Barre Sculpt: Fusing the best of pilates, yoga, aerobics, and elements of strengthening exercises that dancers do, Barre delivers a result-driven workout. Not only is Barre a fun and dynamic, but it will also sculpt your body and get you into an amazing shape by incorporating other equipment like light weights, bands, and pilates ball for faster results.
• Dynamic Stretch & Core: Focus on performing pliability and stretching techniques in a dynamic setting with a core centric focus to prime our bodies for activities of daily living. Use the force production of a muscle and the body’s momentum to take a joint through the full available range of motion to strengthen the core.

Facilities Maintenance
With Mark Alexander, Facilities Director

The main focus of the facilities department has been on the spa and salon remodel. Additionally, we have replaced heaters in the outdoor lap pool. We are also working on the outdoor lighting at The Algarve.

Thank you for your continued support of Encanterra and our team. We look forward to a great 2024 with you!

Sincerely,

Trish Huff
General Manager, Encanterra Country Club
BlueStar Resort & Golf