Remembering Bob Bidwell

by Josh Points

 Aug 24, 2017 at 6:36 PM

Bob Bidwell, first-tee starter at Wakefield Plantation since the Club’s inception in 2000, passed away on May 7, 2017 at the age of 89. Bob had spent his last month in and out of the hospital.

Bob was a man who had an uncanny ability to remember names and to make a lasting positive impact on each person he met. Bob, clad in knickers, was best known for his announcing skills on the first tee for the Rex Hospital Open, the Tuscarora interclub matches, and swim team events. His delivery lent importance to each event, and he made each participant feel special.

Working at a private club, Bob spent his days with a membership that enjoys
a certain level of financial freedom — and yet none were richer than Bob. He was blessed with all of the things that truly matter in life and shared those gifts with so many.

While we are sad to lose Bob, his extraordinary life should be celebrated. All of us at Wakefield are better for having known him.

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Straight from the Source

by Martha - Page Althaus

 Aug 24, 2017 at 6:32 PM

Part of “walking the walk” when it comes to building clubs of the future is seizing opportunities that benefit the planet, local economies, and member taste buds. We spoke with three McConnell chefs from Providence, Holston Hills, and Wakefield Plantation on how — and why — they source local.

Todd Jackson has been in the kitchen at Wakefield Plantation for 13 years, and you can bet he’s seen things change.

“Finding local ingredients becomes more of a focus every day,” says the Executive Chef. “The challenge before was those products weren’t readily available. But the purveyors are more focused on it now. It’s just a good way to plan the menu. What’s coming in? What’s going to be local? What’s going to be fresh?”

Jackson, who grew up in eastern North Carolina, maintains Southern culinary traditions but with a twist. His menu changes often but may include dishes such as braised pork belly with green apple kimchee and miso caramel.

The Ingredients 

Jackson sources ingredients from across the state — fresh seafood from the coast; cheese from Goat Lady Dairy; produce from Wise Farms, Scott Farms, and Sunny Creek Farms; tomatoes from Sunburst Tomatoes; and eggs from Parker & Reichman. But one of his strongest local connections is with Heritage Farms Cheshire Pork in Seven Springs, near his hometown.

“I went to school with the manager of Heritage Farms,” he says. “They send their pork to restaurants up and down the East Coast, even to the James Beard House. We’re so lucky we’re just right down the road. It’s better pork because it’s purebred, all natural, and has great marbling and intramuscular fat, which makes it very tender and flavorful.”

At The Table

Jackson uses all parts of the pig — ears, bellies, cheeks — for his ever-changing menu in dishes such as grilled pork chop with Carolina Gold hoppin’ John and green tomato chow chow; smoked spare ribs with apple cider mop; and local watermelon salad with jalapenos, crispy pigs ear, NC peanuts, and hon- ey-black pepper vinaigrette.

As to be expected, some diners weren’t sure what to think when they saw pork cheek on the menu.

“When we first started serving pork cheek and belly, we sent out sample plates for people to try,” says Jackson. “That helped a lot. Now we’ve taught members to enjoy it. People have become more adventurous and are trusting chefs.”

Last fall, the club hosted an outdoor five-course beer dinner.

“We had a makeshift kitchen outside off the putting green,” says Jackson. “One course was a Heritage Farm pork cheek, ragu-style with pasta.”

But you don’t have to wait for a special event to taste for yourself. Heritage Farms pork has a near-constant presence on Jackson’s banquet, Reserve, and daily dinner menus.

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Title Time

by Brad King

 Apr 25, 2017 at 4:55 PM

A pair of USTA tennis teams out of Wakefield Plantation gets over the hump and captures fall state championships.

McConnell Golf Director of Tennis Kyle Thortsen said several of his United States Tennis Association (USTA) teams playing out of Wakefield Plantation have been “knocking on the door” at the state tournament in recent years. This past fall, two of the Wakefield teams finally knocked down the proverbial door, bringing back fall NC State Combo Championships from Wilmington in November.

Captained by Eric Moritz, the Wakefield Men’s 6.5 18-and-over squad enjoyed a near-perfect regular season, winning nine out of 10 matches to advance to the local league playoff, where the top four teams play in a round robin. 

In the playoffs, Wakefield’s first match was against Seven Oaks Tennis Club. Wakefield captured the necessary two out of three courts. Next, they played North Hills Club, which had won the other local league bracket. In that battle of the titans, Wakefield won all three courts to win the Local League Championship.

 Then it was off to Wilmington for the NC State Combo Championships, where Wakefield played four other teams in a round robin, winning all four matches and the bracket winner. This put Wakefield into the final against Town of Cary Public Tennis Courts, where Wakefield won all three courts to become state champions.

‘’It was a great weekend with good friends, beautiful weather, and of course, fun tennis,” says Moritz. Wakefield’s 3.5 players are John C. Rabby, Harry Gill, Mickey Lee Plowden, Keith Wood, Brett Ashley Brackett, Mark E. Moore, and Scott Squires. The 3.0 players are Moritz, Graham Wright, Darian Spell, Shawn Lav, Jason Liner, and Christopher Allan Bricker.

A number of Wakefield’s 6.5 18-and-over players returned to Wilmington the following weekend for the 5.5 40-and- over NC State Combo Championships, led by Shawn Lav, who served as team captain, and Moritz, along with Bricker and Wright. The other 3.0 players on Wakefield’s 5.5 40-and-over team are Jamie Barwick, Scott Stutts, and Eric Wold. The 2.5 players are Mike Blalock, AJ Critelli, Rick Bowers, Tim Driscoll, Chris LaPlante, Patrick Mabunga, and Tuan Nguyen. 

Wakefield’s 5.5 40-and-over team finished the regular season undefeated. Due to the number of teams that competed in Wilmington, Wakefield only needed to defeat one team to capture the state title, another strong squad from Lake Norman. Wakefield Plantation had to beat them three times — and they did just that, winning 2-1 the first match, 3-0 in the second match, and 2-1 in the third and deciding match.

“Kyle Thortsen and his team have done a great job training us,” says Lav. “Their clinics have really been helpful.” Later this spring, both Wakefield Plantation teams will travel to Mobile, Alabama, for the USTA Southern Sectionals. “We wish them the best of luck at the Sectional tournament,” says Thortsen.

 

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Nature is Buzzing at Wakefield Plantation

by Chad Flowers

 Apr 21, 2017 at 7:44 PM

There’s an additional team of caretakers endlessly at work on the course.

An Occasional guilty  pleasure for me is swinging through the drive-through of a local restaurant and ordering a Spicy Chicken & Honey Biscuit (which may or may not be accompanied by hashbrowns and a sweet tea). When I first tried this combination, th appeal was “local honey” – the sandwich was great, but I was curious about the benefits of local honey, which was Winston-Salem in this scenario. And I wanted to know: What makes “local” so special?

For the answer to this, we can take a close look at TPC Wakefield Plantation in North Raleigh. In 2015, the club began an environmental campaign to help support the declining bee population by installing beehives. The goal was two-fold, with an added bonus: We could install and maintain healthy bee hives, and our efforts would facilitate the pollination of the flowers and plants at the golf course and surrounding communities. (Bees can pollinate up to three miles from their hive.) And for the added bonus: We could use their honey in our kitchen. It doesn’t get much more “local” than that!

Wakefield has been certified in the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program for Golf Courses since 2004, and Golf Course Superintendent Todd Lawrence took an interest in managing the beehive program with great optimism in conjunction with this certification.

“I took on managing a couple of hives on property to go hand in hand with our Audubon program,” says Lawrence. “Throughout the nation, honeybee populations are declining and pesticide companies are stepping up and labeling their products with information on how to use the product in a way that does not harm the bees. Using these safe chemicals in the proper fashion, we are able to support and sustain our honeybee population and be great stewards of the environment and the Audubon program.”

According to Lawrence, to start a new hive, there are packages available for purchase which contain from 3,000 to 5,000 bees to start. When mature, the hive grows to around 60,000 to 80,000 by the end of the summer. This mature hive produces 60 to 80 pounds of honey per hive per season.

One of the current hives being managed was a swarm of bees captured from a tree on the 17th hole. Being able to relocate the bees to a local hive was a true “feel good” moment for Lawrence and the staff.

“With the worldwide bee population dwindling, we were happy to move the bees from the golf course to our hives,” says Lawrence. “By catching the swarm, we were able to keep the bees local to the Wakefield area.”

While we may still be around a year away from having local honey at Wakefield Plantation, the ultimate goal, in addition to helping the environment and being good to Mother Nature, is to include our honey in future dishes and recipes at the club. So the next time you see a bee “working” on a flower either at your house or on one of our courses, I encourage you to take a moment to enjoy the complexity of their work. And don’t forget, you may enjoy a taste of honey from that very bee’s colony sometime soon.

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Off Course Play

by Jessie Ammons

 Dec 01, 2016 at 9:41 PM

With short days and cold weather, wintertime usually means retiring your clubs and hunkering down, at least for a few weeks. Yet it can be a time of opportunity. “When we’re in the spring and summer months, we focus on what the golf ball’s doing,” says Wakefield Plantation Director of Golf Josh Points. “In the winter months, you have an opportunity to focus on how your body shifts and rotates during a swing. What can you do to improve your personal mobility and physical fitness?”

As it turns out, you can do plenty - in much less time than a round on the course would take.

Points knows firsthand how beneficial the winter can be. At the Wakefield Plantation Learning Center, two indoor-outdoor bays and an indoor putting area are equipped with video technology to offer players instant feedback on their swing. “Carl Pettersson, David Mathis, Cameron Percy - in the winter months, we see a ton of our tour players use the indoor practice ranges,” Points says. “It takes them out of the elements and into a more controlled environment.” Points says that, once there, “they can focus on the things they’re trying to change in their golf swing.” Likewise, he says golfers of every level can treat the off season as a “time to change things physically in your game. Winter is a great time to focus on certain changes that you postpone all spring and summer.”

“When you have that time in the winter, you can focus on practicing and changing small movements,” Points agrees. He recommends investing in (or borrowing from a fellow member!) a weighted club. “Practicing your swing with it throughout the winter is a nice way to keep your game in shape and prepare for your schedule in the spring.” Even more specifically, Tallant says cooler months are the best time to start working on your short game. “Putting and chipping tend to be the two things that get rusty the fastest,” she says. “Stick to practicing in the mirror and you’ll stay tee-time ready come spring.”

Watch below as Points and Assistant Golf Professional Erica Britt demonstrate indoor practice tips to keep your golf swing in fine form. 

 

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Sports Club Enhancements

by Matt McConnell

 Dec 07, 2015 at 7:59 PM

The Wakefield Plantation Sports Club has always been very valuable to its membership since it first opened in 2002. Already complete with eight tennis courts, a fitness room, 9-hole golf course and three swimming pools, what else could you ask for? Clearly a lot more!

Kids Game & Media Room

Originally a gym for more than 10 years, this room has been transformed into the ultimate “playroom.” Complete with a foosball table, an air hockey table, board games, Wii U, Xbox One, Xbox Kinect, the latest video games and gaming chairs, kids won’t ever want to leave this room. Children, 13 and up, are allowed to check in unaccompanied, and love showing off this awesome atmosphere to their guests while receiving proper staff supervision.

Fitness for Everyone

Our new 3,000-square-foot Fitness Center opened on October 27th and has been hopping ever since. Packed with the latest equipment from US Fitness and TVs on every wall, members can accomplish their goals individually or with the help of our highly credentialed personal trainers. The Fitness Center also features a studio offering a variety of classes six days a week by certified instructors. Inclusive packages are available for our Personal Trainers and Fitness Classes to fit your needs. With kids’ care offered during these workouts and key fob access from 5 a.m. – 10 p.m. seven days a week, members have no excuse not to get in shape for 2015!

New Tennis Shop

Possibly the most important improvement of all, this custom-built tennis shop is now located directly in front of the tennis courts – with convenience in mind. Filled with new apparel, equipment, refreshments and 24-hour bathroom access, this NEW Tennis Shop is certainly considered a luxury for all of our tennis players.

Kids Corner

Once a tennis shop, our Kids Corner is the perfect room for child care, birthday parties and kids’ camps. During the summer months, we offer full-week kids’ camps that are each themed differently. From Super Heroes Camp, to the Magical World of Disney, your kids are sure to have fun in this playful setting.

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Honoring ‘Our’ One and Only Bob Bidwell

by Matt McConnell

 Dec 01, 2015 at 7:45 PM

As you approach the first tee, with the morning sun rising above the first green at Wakefield Plantation, it already seems like a good day for golf. But with 87-year-old veteran starter Robert “Bob” Bidwell waiting to welcome you at his designated cart area, your day just got even better.

Sitting up straight with his clipboard in one hand and maybe a cigar in the other, the former paratrooper always relaxes you before your upcoming round with a quick joke or funny story. From a life lesson to a recurring line of how he still shoots his own age in a round of golf, Bob always knows the right thing to say to make you feel comfortable no matter who you are.

If you are a lady, he may give you a soft hug with a compliment. If you are a junior golfer, he will make sure you shake the starter’s hand with a firm grip. If you are a senior, he will make you think, “When I grow up, I want to be like Bob Bidwell.”

Honoring Bob

With a membership that loves him dearly, it would be hard to imagine Wakefield without him. So on July 24th this past year, more than 100 Wakefield Plantation members came together to throw a party and present a plaque for their friend Bob. Reading, “In Honor of Robert (Bob) C. Bidwell, Head Starter at Wakefield Plantation since June 27th, 2000, Veteran, Teacher, Coach, Father, Grandfather, Mentor and Friend,” everyone would agree, that says it all about him. In addition to the large crowd of members attending, there were more than twice that number of current and former members who contributed to the plaque and special honorarium given to Bob.

After seeing it in person and hearing how the plaque would be set on No. 1 at the party, Bob quickly announced, “That’s where my ashes are going.” With laughter already in the air, Bob humbly thanked everyone for everything and mentioned how “this is unbelievable.” He even explained, “As I have told my daughter before, I do want my ashes out on No. 1 … but for goodness sakes don’t put them in the bunker!” The celebration would continue with jokes throughout the evening, setting the tone of how special this man’s presence is to their club.

Now as you approach the first tee, you will not only see Bob himself but also his special plaque permanently mounted in stone, recognizing his unique contributions to making Wakefield Plantation such a wonderful place to enjoy golf.

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