Food & Beverage News!

The Waterside Restaurant will now be open on Sundays and Mondays! Join us on Sundays for a casual menu featuring handmade pizzas, fish-n-chips and more from 5:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. On Mondays, we're offering a Continental Breakfast from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. and then our casual menu from 11:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. For more information, please call 706-484-2044.

The Golf House Grill has new hours! The Golf House Grill is open Tuesday through Saturday from 7:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., offering breakfast, lunch and dinner. On Sundays, the Golf House Grill is open from 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., offering breakfast and lunch. The Golf House Grill is closed on Mondays. For more information on the Golf House Grill, please call 706-923-0115.

We hope to see you soon at The Waterside Restaurant and the Golf House Grill!

Scout Remembers: "To Kill a Mockingbird"

Saturday, October 9, 7:30 p.m.

at The Plaza Arts Center

Scout brings "Mockingbird" to life as she narrates the Georgia premiere of the award-winning musical score

Reserved seat tickets are $36, $27 and $15 and are on sale now at www.theplazaartcenter.com

The 50th anniversary of the publication of Harper Lee's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel To Kill A Mockingbird has the entire USA celebrating its impact on generations of readers and moviegoers. I am thrilled to tell you that that this national celebration will be coming to The Plaza Arts Center in October!

On Saturday, October 9, The Plaza Arts Center will host a live performance of Scout Remembers: “To Kill a Mockingbird”. Memorable scenes from the Oscar-winning filmTo Kill A Mockingbird will be projected on the big screen, interspersed with commentary by Mary Badham who played the beloved character Scout. As the scenes are shown, an orchestra, conducted by music director Gary Gackstatter, will perform Elmer Bernstein's original award-winning musical score. Following this Georgia premiere performance, the audience is invited to a reception to meet Scout.

Cuscowilla on Lake Oconee is also offering packages for the event. For more information on the packages, please call 706-484-0050.

Golf Tip of the Week

Impact Position

One key thought in the golf swing is to maintain a flat left wrist at impact. This is the most important element of impact. A flat left wrist means a proper release of the club, as a bent left wrist means the club is released to early. To help you do this, learn to swing the hands, not the clubhead.

Golf Tips provided by Head Golf Professional and Assistant Golf Professionals

Getting to Know...

Andy Craine Landscape Manager

What is your position here? I am the Landscape Manager.

How long have you been at Cuscowilla? I have been at Cuscowilla for 6 years.

What is your favorite thing about Cuscowilla? I love the golf course!

What do you enjoy most about your job? I enjoy improving all of the grounds and houses that surround this wonderful golf course.

What is your favorite thing to do outside of work? When I'm not at work, I love to hang out with my family.

What kind of new things are going on in your department? We are currently working on a couple of small improvement projects for homeowners.

Where are you from? I am from Norcross, Georgia.

Do you play golf? Yes!

Lynn Blake at Cuscowilla

Check out the video below. It's Lynn Blake's entry into The Golf Channel's Instructor Search contest! (Check out the background as well - it's Cuscowilla!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcprJbJx8JQ&feature=player_embedded



Lynn hosts his golf academy here at Cuscowilla. For more information on Lynn, check out our website at www.cuscowilla.com. Good luck, Lynn!

Golf Tip of the Week

Chip to a Spot

To be a good chipper you have to be able to hit your landing spot. The good news is that the superintendent is helping you: The mower creates an inner cut line a few feet onto the putting surface that you can practice hitting, both on the chipping green and on the course. If you hit your chip shots solid and land them on that cut line, then what would be the variable? How much the ball rolls out. That comes from picking the right club. Use this system to develop chip shots with different clubs.


Golf Tips provided by Head Golf Professional and Assistant Golf Professionals

News about the greens

Cuscowilla friends

It’s time for another quick update on the progress of our new bentgrass 007 and Tyee greens here at Cuscowilla.

We have reduced the watering of our greens now to twice a day, one five minute watering, and one 12 minute. The optimum growing temperatures have not arrived yet, as we experienced 97 degree + temperatures this week already. Grass does not want to grow very well in that kind of oppressive heat!

The diurnal temperature variation (range of high and low) is starting to get closer to the optimum range, which is a great help, but the day time 90+ plus temperatures need to drop before we see the significant lateral spreading of the bentgrass we are all waiting for to full in the thin areas, although the greens are continuing to improve.

We are continuing to top-dress, spike and apply high phosphorous levels of fertilizer, which will help sustain growth.

Ask anyone that drives past, or walks up to the greens and they look ready to play, but upon closer inspection we do not have the thickness of grass we need to be thinking of that yet – we intend to get this right and wait until it is safe to play of the greens without moving backwards. We will update you on progress in the weeks ahead, which hopefully, sooner rather than later will bring some cooler days.

Thank you for your continued support and interest of our exciting new greens

Fall Harvest

Join us this Friday, September 24 at The Waterside Restaurant for a Fall Harvest!

Enjoy our Fall inspired menu items and celebrate the new, cooler season! Start off with our Roasted Corn and Chicken Chowder and then try the new fall flavors with our Grilled Filet Mignon with Herbed Mushrooms or the Smoked Paprika Crusted Scallops. Dinner is $35.00 per person. For more information and reservations, please call 706-484-2044.

Upcoming Events

La Mia Pasta
Create your own pasta every Thursday with us at the Golf House Grill! From 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., choose your noodle, sauce, vegetables and more to create your own dish. A half order is $8 and a full order is $12. For more information, please call 706-923-0115.


Taste of the South Sundays
Join us every Sunday at the Golf House Grill for your favorite traditional Southern fare foods, ranging from Fried Chicken to Mac-N-Cheese. The price is $12 per person for one meat and two vegetables, and includes a glass of ice tea. Dessert specials are offered weekly, along with house Bloody Marys and Mimosas! Call 706-923-0115 for more information.


Fall Harvest
Join us Friday, September 24 for a Fall Harvest at The Waterside Restaurant. Try our Fall inspired items such as Roasted Corn and Chicken Chowder or the Buttermilk Pie with Berries. Dinner is $35.00 per person. Reservations are available from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Please call 706-484-2044 for more information.


Cheeseburger in Paradise:
Join us on Saturday, September 25 for a Cheeseburger in Paradise! Cheeseburgers, French fried potatoes and more will be offered for dinner, serving from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. at The Waterside Patio. Frozen drinks and full bar will also be available. For more information, call
706-484-2044.

Golf Tip of the Week

The Perfect Punch

When you have to hit a low punch shot, think, two-two-two. Grip down two inches: this will stiffen the shaft, which promotes lower ball flight. Play the ball back two inches from the center of your stance; this will promote less loft of the clubface at impact. Then open your stance two inches; this will restrict the backswing and put your weight forward, which also lowers the trajectory. Make a normal swing and the set up will produce the desired shot.


Golf tip provided by Head Golf Professional and Assistant Golf Professionals

Getting To Know...

Wayne Watts 1st Assistant Golf Professional

What is your position here? I am the 1st Assistant Golf Professional.

How long have you been at Cuscowilla? I have been at Cuscowilla for 15 months.

What is your favorite thing about Cuscowilla? The membership is my favorite thing about Cuscowilla.

What do you enjoy most about your job? I really enjoy interacting with the customers and the membership. I enjoy trying to make their experience here as great as it possibly can be.


What is your favorite thing to do outside of work? I love to golf and fish when I’m not working.

What kind of new things are going on in your department? We are reseeding our greens currently.


Where are you from? I am originally from South Carolina.


How long have you lived in Georgia? I have lived in Georgia for 15 months.


Do you play golf? As much as I can!

Update on the greens

Cuscowilla friends

I would just like to take a moment of your time to give you an update on the progress of our new bentgrass 007 and Tyee greens here at Cuscowilla.

We have had a tremendous growth week last week. Optimum growing temperatures for this kind of grass are for temperatures to stay between 62 degrees and 86 degrees. While we only experienced that for two days over the last 2 weeks the grass is able to react very positively in this range. Another upside to growth of this grass is when the diurnal temperature variation (range of high and low) reaches 30 to 35 degrees of separation. We experienced this on a few days too over the last week.

We are continuing to top-dress and in the near future will be spiking the greens too. We will be applying fertilizer again this week, but this time it will be one that has the higher levels of phosphorous added, which will provide energy for growth. I will not include pictures this time in mu update to you, as the greens are green!! The bentgrass has started to spread laterally now, which is what we needed to see happen, so the thinner parts of the greens that were washed away in the early August thunderstorms can start to fill out. We are all very excited at the early success rate to date, and will keep you updated as we keeping moving along.

For those of you around the World, and the Nation that get this email from me, and so are not living here locally full time – the weather pattern for this week in Eatonton is Highs of 93 and lows ranging from 60 tonight (very nice change!) to 68 towards the weekend. Looks like we will not be in our optimal ranges this week, but the cooler nights are going to help.

“Did you know?”…. did you know that we had over 30 cup holes to fill on the greens before we could start the upgrade. Normally, cup holes for the flag and cup are taken from one area on the green and used to move around to another area on the same green. With 18 holes of greens, plus practice areas and chipping greens, this left us with 30+ holes to fill! The materials we removed from the surface and first few complex layers of the greens were used to fill these holes!

Thank you for your continued support of Cuscowilla, please keep following us on our blog and face book for further updates.

Getting to Know...

Jaime Murray Events Manager

What is your position here? Events Manager

How long have you been at Cuscowilla? 3 years

What is your favorite thing about Cuscowilla? I love driving into Cuscowilla and seeing the gorgeous surroundings, as well as working with our great team and our members and guests.

What do you enjoy most about your job? I enjoy working with such a wide variety of people-ranging from brides to corporate meeting planners to our members. I get to do something different every day! I love also working with our Food and Beverage Team and learning as much as possible about different foods and wines.

What is your favorite thing do to outside of work? I enjoy spending time with my family and dogs and watching all college sports!

What kind of new things are going on in your department? We are working on some exciting events for this fall, including Cheeseburger in Paradise, which is going to be on Saturday, September 25 at The Waterside. It should be a fun and exciting night!

Where are you from? I am from Buckhead, GA (the real Buckhead!) and grew up on Lake Oconee.

How long have you lived in Georgia? My entire life!

Do you play golf? I don't play golf but I'm an expert cart driver!

Golf Tip of the Week

Short Stroke

The Putter should be increasing with speed when it contacts the ball. To hone an accelerating stroke , address a flat putt about 10 feet from a cup, then place a tee in the ground about 3 inches behind the putterhead. Take the putter back to the tee then pause for a second then stroke through. Practice this way before you play and you will hit solid putts during your round.


Tips provided by Head Golf Professional and Assistant Golf Professionals

Golf Tip of the Week

How the Pros Pitch

When many amateurs pitch the ball, they try to increase loft by uncocking the wrists on the downswing. They want to hit it high, but this moves leads to poor contact. The pros do the opposite. The open the face of the wedge then grip it. Then on the downswing the decrease loft by maintaining the wrist hinge through impact. This insures crisp contact.


Golf tips provided by Head Golf Professional and Assistant Golf Professionals