There's still time to register for the annual Ladies Holiday Luncheon at Northland. The event will be held Tuesday, December 9 with the social hour beginning at 11:30am.
Have you taken a moment to reserve your child's opportunity to visit with Santa at Northland on December 13?
The culinary staff has made some changes in the feature menu and has added a fabulous new appetizer. And, to accompany your meals, Food & Beverage Manager Josh Stotts has some additional drink features.
As we've reported on previous occasions, members of the Donald Ross Society from across the United States will be coming to Northland Country Club in late August 2009, marking the first time the society has visited our Ross-designed course. Society members have chosen to spend most of their time in Minnesota at Northland, limiting their stay in the Twin Cities to just one day. The group has plans to play one round at White Bear Lake Country Club before moving on for a three-day stay in Duluth.
One of the more popular family events at Northland is just days away - the annual Breakfast with Santa. This event usually is sold out, so don't delay - make your reservation today.
This blog site passed a milestone yesterday....1000 posts since it began on September 11, 2006 with a brief story about the demolition of the former clubhouse scheduled for later that afternoon. Here's a link to that very first story.
The photo above is of the 15th green at Northland and was taken earlier this week prior to the removal of some additional trees under the management plan explained last week on this site by Green Chair Dr. Tim Smith. If you missed the article, you can read it here.
Chef Mike Schueller is presenting an exciting option tonight for both the Happy Hour appetizer and nightly dining feature - Seared Ahi Tuna.
Does it seem like it can already be Wednesday and time for another Happy Hour at Northland? Well?
Come be a part of NCC's popular, post-Christmas City of The North Parade event this Friday, November 21.
In the past few days, some members of Northland have received new test messages delivered through the Constant Contact service. This is part of the expanded effort to inform all members of events and news occuring at the club.
Here's another opportunity to sample some of the new wines now featured at Northland. Each Friday night, Food & Beverage Manager Josh Stotts selects some new reds & whites and offers them at half price. Chef Schueller also provides a nightly feature for a great pairing.
One of the changes made in my time at Northland is the fashion in which we mow fairways. Previously the fairways and tees were mowed using back and forth striping. Ten years ago you would have been hard pressed to find a golf course that did not mow in this manner. Over the past few years more and more courses have began mowing fairways in the half and half or light and dark pattern you have seen at Northland the past two seasons. There are many reasons for mowing in a light-dark pattern, with the most obvious being, a "classic appearance".
Has the recent weather darkened or dampened your spirits? Why not brighten up the week by attending tonight's Happy Hour at Northland?
The photo above was taken from the 4th tee box looking back to the #3 green. If you click here, you'll be able to read about some additional changes that have taken place in the past day. Superintendent Chris Tritabaugh has prepared this slide show with 28 images detailing ongoing tree management at Northland.
In the summer of 2007, golf courses were lush and green everywhere—except the Northland Country Club. The grass, once thick and rich, turned dry and thin. A dark green gave way to pale shades of yellow. Dry, brown patches spread over the course.
The management of trees on the golf course is a continual process which requires skill, care, and judgment to be done correctly. The issue of trees is one that each person has his own ideas about how they should be managed, and those reasons are all valid. The challenging part of that equation is the development of practices that all would agree with. 
Like politics, the discussion of trees on the golf course would not come to a 100% consensus if more than four to five people were discussing it. For this reason the Green Committee and Turf Staff are using definite criteria when addressing trees, especially concerning the removal of trees. Everyone who has played the golf course recently has noticed that a number of trees have been removed. Most members can see immediately that views and ground features that were obscured are now visible, and with the unveiling of them, the beauty and character of Northland are more apparent. The question for some is what are the criteria and why are we doing it?
This summer, the golf course was visited by four significant people to give us their expert advice concerning the golf course. 
The first to visit was Brad Klein,who is nationally known for his expertise on classic Donald Ross courses. Mr. Klein walked the golf course for two days to completely evaluate how Northland has evolved since 1927 when it opened. The many members who attended his presentation were educated about how great this golf course truly is. The next expert to visit us was Mr. Bob Vavrick who an agronomist expert for the USGA. He visits NCC every two years to advise us on the health and maintenance of the golf course. We then had two prominent architects tour Northland to give us an opinion about how a master plan would benefit the integrity and history of Northland. Ron Pritchard and John Fought were here in late September on separate dates to evaluate where we stand and how we should proceed in the future. In short, they said that NCC would benefit to develop a long-term master plan to restore it to the status which it deserves. The Green committee agrees with this, which is the reason we asked them to evaluate the property.
There was consensus among all four of the experts who visited our club during the season of 2008 concerning tree management. The primary attribute and asset of Northland is its location with the view of
The next important issue that the experts gave their opinion was the ground features built in to the course as it was constructed in the 1920’s. 
A typical ground feature would be the mounds between holes # 2-16 and #3-15. These where spots that where form by the piling of rocks that where lying where in the fairway . The piles were then covered with soil, and fescue grass was planted atop it. Fescue was planted because of the poor, dry conditions that those mounds provided for growing grass. The long and tall fescue thrives in those poor growing conditions, which is why you see that those areas are now allowed to grow long and whispy. You can see many areas on the golf course which have the mounds, and it is the intention to un-cover those areas and expose the classic features which makes NCC unique.
There are many things that make Northland a gem. The Green Committee and Turf staff are carefully considering these criteria when evaluating tree management. We have sought out the opinion of experts in field of golf course design and history. The decisions we make are based on their recommendations and not on the whim of a few. The end result will be a rediscovery of the beauty and challenge of Northland Country Club as designed by the master architect Donald Ross.
Superintendent Chris Tritabaugh has posted a new story on his blog about some additional work that was done recently in advance of the covers being put on the greens this week. The post begins:
Additional details about each event will be announced as the date draws near.
It's Friday - end of the work week for many, and a time to rewind from the past week's election news. What better way than to enjoy one of Chef Mike Schueller's special features and a bottle of wine selected by Food & Beverage Manager Josh Stotts? Our new Friday Night special.....great bottles of wine at half price. In just two weeks, this has become a popular addition to the Northland schedule.
Northland's Entertainment Committee is planning a New Year's Eve celebration. While the details are still being finalized, we'd like to know whether you're inclined to attend the celebration. We've posted an Instant Poll on the right hand side of the screen for you to take - it's located just beneath the contact information. It only takes a few seconds to let us know what you think. The event would include dinner and dancing. Pricing has not yet been determined. Take a moment and let us know whether you're interested in a New Year's Eve event at Northland.
Want to get together to talk over yesterday's election results. How about a replay of yesterday's golf round? Maybe something that happened today at work?
It's Tuesday, November 4 -- Election Day in the United States. Polls in Duluth open at 7am and close at 8pm.
Due to the the warm and wet weather forecasted for this week, and a desire to not have the covers on the greens in this type of weather, we will be postponing the covering of the greens until next Monday. This decision was just made this morning. I cannot speak to the availability of carts and/or outside services at the golf shop. I can tell you the flagsticks will remain in the greens; but, due to snow mold chemical on the fairways, any rain will result in no carts being allowed on the course. Enjoy the extended season!
A few years ago, an attempt was made to control the spread of Buckthorn on the Northland property, by cutting much of it back. Now, another attempt is being made and this one may have more success. A few years ago, while the plant was cut back, its roots were not chemically treated to prevent regrowth. In this new effort, the chemical application should begin to destroy the root system.
Today's weather forecast couldn't be much better for a November 1. The highs today are expected to top out in the 50's with ample sunshine and only modest winds, and the golf course is in great shape. Is this the day you play one more round before putting the clubs away for the season? The course has been fairly busy the last few days, so if you are planning on coming out to play, please check on ForeTees for available tee times or call the pro shop to get your name on the tee sheet.
If you haven't yet made plans for New Year's Eve....keep the date open until you hear about the party being planned for Northland.
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