Boundaries , consideration and respect
August 2023 THE CHARBONNEAU VILLAGER 19
Charbonneau Golf Club
By BILL BRAY
Boundaries , consideration and respect
The Charbonneau Golf Club is a rather unique golf club in the Portland area . While we are a public golf course like Langdon Farms , OGA , or any of the Portland city courses , it is easy for our
BRAY annual members , club golfers
and community residents to think of the course as semi-private . There are a significant number of golfers who play three or more times per week ( myself included ) so we become very familiar with the staff and other regular golfers . I think many of the golfers who live in Charbonneau think of our course as “ my course .” Our pride in the Charbonneau Golf Course has helped the course survive very difficult financial conditions in the past and is now contributing to its success . In the first three months of our fiscal year , April , May , and June , we have seen our revenue grow 50 % over the same period last year . The courses will experience over 22,000 paid rounds of golf in just three months . The good weather is certainly a factor , but Charbonneau is attracting more golfers outside the community and the fabulous condition of the three courses is keeping them coming back . Our annual memberships in all varieties have risen to a record 473 , with 183 of them being the highest category of unlimited play seven days per week . Comparing ourselves to other golf courses in the Portland area , we are recognized as the best value .
All this success does not come easily and the real credit goes to our Charbonneau Golf Club employees . Our course maintenance staff , led by course superintendent Matt Collier , start each morning at 5:30 a . m . working on a myriad of projects and weekly maintenance jobs to keep our 27 holes in top playing condition . Even that early start time does not always leave the crews adequate time to perform their on-course work before the first golfers begin teeing off , as early as 6:30 a . m . This has led to some recent incidents where our superintendent and other personnel have been grazed or nearly hit with golf balls . A golf ball hit by a club can be a deadly projectile when it meets up with a person . While certainly accidental , many of these incidents could have been avoided by our golfers simply not hitting while maintenance personnel are in the line of sight . Yes , we do stress pace of play , but not at the cost of potential injury to someone else . As a golf club , we will now begin blocking out some
tee times so that personnel can complete larger jobs like fairway sanding and fertilization without golfers on the course . We may also delay the first tee time for some of our club play by a half hour to one hour in the morning to give grounds crew more time on the course alone . Common sense and consideration will prove to be the best guidelines .
The Charbonneau Golf Course maintenance facility on French Prairie Road will now only be accessible to CGC employees and authorized personnel . Annual members and the public must make an appointment . We recognize that our maintenance foreman , Richie DeBelloy , performs work on golf carts but we need that work to be scheduled in advance and will no longer allow non-authorized personnel to just drop in at the maintenance facility . This is for safety reasons and out of respect for the daily work our employees are expected to perform .
Life around the Charbonneau “ campus ” that includes the pro shop , The Market Café , our new Activity Center , the Event Center and the patio pavilion is hopping and vibrant like no time I remember in my 10-plus years living here . Our pro shop and Market Café personnel have significant interaction throughout their day . Our annual members and club members who frequent the pro shop and Market Café are not shy with opinions on what they like , don ’ t like , or would like changed at the golf course and the restaurant . These opinions and suggestions matter a great deal to us as they come from our most loyal customers . The suggestions and opinions , however , made to our personnel are not always timely or in consideration of that employee ’ s other duties . Sometimes these employees are too busy or in no position to deal with a complaint or suggestion . This has resulted in some stressed-out employees who feel caught between doing their job and trying to please a specific customer . Going forward , we ask that , when you have a complaint or a suggestion for any of our operations . you email it to General Manager Chris Bensel at : chris @ charbonneaugolfclub . com . Feel free to attach a “ Read Receipt ” to the email if you are concerned it will “ get lost in the shuffle .” We want and value your compliments , complaints and suggestions . We just need to set some boundaries on how they are delivered so personnel can concentrate on the job at hand .
Both the CGC Board of Directors and personnel know we still have issues to work on and improvements to make . That awareness is why I am so excited about the future of the Charbonneau Golf Club . We have turned the operation into a profitable and self-sustaining enterprise , while significantly growing our revenue and customer base . With 27 holes available , we still have plenty of open tee times on most days . Our courses are playing to the best condition in their history and we still see lots of areas for improvement . It remains our goal to give you , our customers , a great golf experience .
Community Information Day & Newcomers Welcome
Tennis
Wine
Wednesday , September 6 , at 5 pm
Dancing
Art Classes
Pickleball
Big Raffle
Fitness
Nibbles Golf Fun !
Crafting
Safety
At 5 pm on Wednesday , September 6 , the Charbonneau Clubhouse will be transformed into a fair with vendors representing local businesses , community service providers , volunteer organizations , and a host of CCC social groups all under one roof .
Charbonneau has many opportunities for you to enjoy an active lifestyle . Don ’ t miss out on one of Charbonneau ’ s biggest events of the year !
Find out more by calling 503-694-2300 or email Jeanette @ CharbonneauCountryClub . com
Charbonneau is a cruise ship on land . - Lindy Anderson