Welcome New Northland Members

Northland is pleased to welcome the following new members:

Kenneth & Vanessa Browall
John & Angel Koski

We'd also like to note that Dr. Michael & Jennifer Semotuk have recently upgraded from a social membership to pool & tennis status.
As of this morning, Northland Country Club has 574 members in various classes.

If you have friends or relatives who are interested in participating in club activities at Northland, there are still some considerable savings to be realized for new members. And, current members can also benefit with the signing of a new member. Contact Membership Director Ann Robertson for complete details.

Board Approves New Junior Golf Option

The Northland Board of Directors has approved a new junior golf option for members with grandchildren or children interested in participating in the program.
Grandchildren - those between the ages of 7 and 18 - of all golf members and the children of social or clubhouse members are now eligible to participate in the Wednesday events. The day begins with some brief instruction by the professional golf staff and then the golfers hit the course for either 3, 5, 9 or 18 hole play.
The cost for the six to seven week long program is $60. Please call the golf shop to register. All participants will be eligible to play in the club's junior golf championship and in the annual parent-child golf outing.

PGA "Wanamaker Trophy" At NCC Today

The PGA Championship Wanamaker Trophy will be available for members of Northland to see today when it makes a brief stopover at the club.
Members are invited to view the trophy from Noon until 2pm today. If you do stop in, please take a moment to register for a pair of tickets to this year's event held at Hazeltine in mid-August. A group of members will be marshaling the par 3 - 8th hole during this year's event.
You can read much more about the trophy here>

Celebrate Mother's Day May 10 At NCC

Reservations are now being accepted for the fabulous Mother's Day event at Northland. This popular event usually sells out early, so don't delay. Call the office today to reserve your table for the May 10 event. Please specify either the 11am or 1pm seating. Just click the image below to view the menu full screen.

Coyote? Not Wolf? Photo Evidence

Ray Peterson took the photo on the right earlier this month near the 15th tee box at Northland and suggests this is the "wolf" that members and grounds crew have seen on the course in recent days. Peterson says it's clearly a "coyote" that has taken up residence on or near the golf course. In either case, it might be advisable for members to be alert and avoid confusing the animal with a neighborhood dog out for a run.

Wolf Sighting At NCC

Opening day at Northland brought about a little more excitement than some members of the maintenance crew had expected. Crew members watched - from a safe distance - as a wolf ran down a small group of deer that populates the environs. The crew followed the wolf as it ran down 6 fairway, across 5 and disappeared into the woods behind the 13th green.
They did not see whether the hunt was successful - which, of course, is all relative depending on whether you are the hunter or the hunted.

New Menus At Northland

With the opening of the golf course today, it was also the day for the culinary staff to unveil the new Spring menus. You'll note many new additions to the appetizer, small plate, sandwich and main entree menus. Just click the images below to view them full screen. They're also suitable for printing on those occasions when you'd like to order something to go.

Northland Opens At Noon Wednesday

Northland will officially open the golf season tomorrow at Noon.
The forecast high for Wednesday is in the middle 50's with mainly clear skies and winds from the northwest at about 10 miles per hour. It will be even warmer on Thursday when highs will climb into the 70's.
No carts will be allowed for the first two days - carts are expected to make their first appearance on Friday.
The greens were rolled today and will be again before tomorrow's official opening. Superintendent Chris Tritabaugh says the ball washers, benches and rakes will be in place for the weekend.
Remember, you can make tee times at Northland by using ForeTees. Just click the logo at the top right hand side of the page.

Please Sign Your Bill Before Leaving

It's become all too common for many members to leave Northland without signing their bill after enjoying a meal or a few beverages. With the arrival of a new golf season and busier times, Club Manager Gary Schneider is asking all members to sign their bill before leaving the facility to avoid any later confusion.
New staff members are being hired for the season and it will take some time for them to become familiar with all members. You can assist them by making certain you sign your bill before you depart. Taking this initial step will help prevent monthly billing problems.

Twin Cities Business Writers Label Northland Favorite Golf Course In Minnesota

Dee Forsberg and Gerald McCullach operate the "Tee Up" blog for Twin Cities Business magazine. In the April issue, the magazine presents a special focus on golf. The writers chose Northland as their favorite golf course in Minnesota. The Northland article also featured a photo taken during last season's Northland Invitational (shown below). Here's the text of the article about Northland:

Northland Country Club in Duluth is our favorite course in the state. It is a Donald Ross masterpiece set into the hillside overlooking Lake Superior - an intoxicating destination for the golf enthusiast that offers world-class design on incredible terrain. The views of Lake Superior from the 15th tee will rival anything in the state.
Like the legends that surround Lake Superior, the greens at Northland also are legendary! Everyone who plays this course is mystified by the break. The lake causes the ball to break towards the water, yet convincing yourself of this is another matter; the movement seems to defy gravity. Members have even invented a clock system to help their guests read the greens...but Lake Superior continues to confound - and inspire - golfers.

The entire golf section will be published shortly here>

Follow Northland Course Updates On Twitter

Superintendent Chris Tritabaugh is giving Northland members a new way to keep up to date on golf course conditions - Chris has created an account on Twitter, the fastest growing social networking site.
You can click here to sign up for the "Tweets"
Chris advises that these frequent updates are limited by size (Twitter posts cannot exceed 140 characters) and will not replace his posts on his blogsite. Chris has a new update on recent seeding of areas that were damaged during the winter.
Read the full story here>

Course Could Open By Mid-Week

According to Superintendent Chris Tritabaugh...

Over all the course came through the winter in great shape. The tees and greens are excellent and other than some scattered snow mold damage the fairways are in great shape too.

Read more of Chris' comments here>

Northland's Email System

We understand there has been some confusion over recent changes in Northland's email system. To correct any problems that might be occurring, we suggest you contact Membership Director Ann Robertson to clear up any confusion. Ann will make certain your current email address has been added to the new Constant Contact system which has replaced an earlier email service. You can reach Ann by email by clicking her name on the right hand side of this page - or contact her at the office. With our new system, all Northland members receive an alert each time there's an event notice.

Driving Range Is Open - Sign Up For Email Alerts

The driving range at Northland is open.

Are you getting email updates about events at Northland? There are two ways for you to receive information about club activities.

First, you can click here to add your email address to our directory. Then, whenever anyone from the club sends out an alert, you'll automatically receive the notice.

Secondly, if you scroll down the right hand side of this blog site, you'll find a location to subscribe to blog posts. Whenever we update the blog, you'll automatically receive that update.

Follow all club activities with one simple click.

And, So It Begins

This cropped photo was taken from the 15th tee at about Noon today and clearly shows that maintenance crews have begun the process of removing the green covers in preparation for the opening of the golf course. Work has begun on the lower holes and will proceed to upper holes later this afternoon.
Superintendent Chris Tritabaugh will provide updates about the course opening on his blog site and we'll highlight any new posts here as well. As Chris noted last week, Northland historically opens near the third week of April. Warmer and drying conditions could allow for an opening sometime next week.
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Have you tried the new menu at Northland? There are new featured entrees, and several new small plate options that have been added this week are drawing rave reviews from members.
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The Women's Opening Luncheon is just one month away. The May 12 event is open to all women regardless of club status - this means golf, pool & tennis and social members are all welcome.
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The first women's Back to Basics clinic will be held on May 13. Women of all levels are encouraged to attend this very popular event. Advance registration is urged.
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The official opening golf event will be held May 16.
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Men's League kicks off on May 21.
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Don't forget - we'd like you to save your photos of Northland this season and enter them in the annual photo contest at the end of the year. Tim Moriarty was the past year's winner.

1:00PM Easter Seating Is Full - Open Seating Remains For 11:00AM Service

Have you made plans to attend the fabulous Easter Buffet at Northland? If you intend to participate, it's important you call today to reserve your table. All seating for the 1:00pm service is filled, but there is available seating at 11:00am.
Please contact Event Coordinator Jennifer Kolenda to make your reservations today.

Northland Board Member Honored For Magazine

Northland board member Marti Buscaglia has been honored by Folio Magazine, Here's the beginning of a story that appeared in the current issue.

The launch of Duluth~Superior Magazine, a regional Minnesota niche, may never have happened if it weren’t for its founder’s rocky start.

When former Duluth News Tribune publisher Marti Buscaglia decided to leave the newspaper to take a position at the Orange County Register in California, she suffered a devastating career blow......

Here's the entire article

Congratulations to Marti for the recognition she and the magazine have received.

When Will The Golf Course Open?

Superintendent Chris Tritabaugh has been looking in the files and has historical information to share about the traditional opening date for the golf course. On his blog, Chris begins the story:

This time of year the question comes from just about everywhere. Phone calls and emails from members, vendors, friends and employees usually start with, "when's the course going to open?" In this business it is something everyone looks forward to with great excitement.

Read the rest of the story here>

Praise For Ron Prichard

Noted golf course architect Ron Prichard will make the first of many visits to Northland within the next month as he begins the process of crafting a master plan for the golf course.
Here's what Golf Digest's Ron Whitten recently wrote about Prichard:

Donald Ross suggested that Philadelphia-area Aronimink Golf Club was possibly his finest design. If it still is, it's thanks to the efforts of Ross restoration expert Ron Prichard, who earlier this decade erased heavy-handed contributions of architects Dick Wilson, Tom Fazio and Robert Trent Jones. Prichard removed hundreds of trees, rebuilt Ross bunkers as craters with hints of sand and re-established greens to original sizes, reclaiming crucial ridges and plateaus in the process. So expertly did Prichard channel Ross, he can be forgiven the liberty of freelancing a few chipping areas not on Ross' blueprints. Aronimink had been among Golf Digest's exclusive rankings for 36 years, dropped out in 1999, returned in 2001, dropped off again in 2007 and is now back at No. 76. Maybe, just maybe, it's back for good this time."

We should also note that Tiger Woods is moving the AT&T Championship to Aronimink in 2010. Prichard recently remarked following a visit to Duluth that Northland might very well be the finest piece of golf property he has had the opportunity to work with. To read more about the Master Plan process, just click the plan image on the far right hand column of this site.

Golf Digest Elevates Northland Ranking

Northland Country Club is now ranked the 8th best golf course in Minnesota, according to Golf Digest magazine's latest state rankings for 2009-2010. In the previous state listings, Northland had been ranked 12th in Minnesota. Golf Digest bases its rankings of the recommendations of 900 course ranking panelists.
The Top 10 in Minnesota include:

Interlachen CC
Hazeltine National GC
Spring Hill GC
The Quarry at Giant's Ridge
Windsong Farm GC
Somberby GC
The Classic at Madden's Resort
Northland CC
White Bear Yacht Club
The Legend at Giant's Ridge

New Member Discount Continued

The promotional offer for new members has been extended to the end of April. During this campaign, new resident golf members will save $1400 of their initiation fee; resident single members will receive $1000 off the initiation and non-residents will be able to join Northland at half price. Membership Director Ann Robertson is also prepared to discuss new membership offers for tennis and pool memberships.
This is a great time to join Northland - let your friends know they can now join the area's premier country club at a great savings.
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Northland is pleased to welcome new members John & Suzanne McKinney and Chuck & Susan Wollack.