The Hot Dogs at the Sugarbush Golf Course

**castlerock** · 05-29-2006, 01:33 PM

I just played 18 holes on Memorial Day. Lots of fun. Anyway, one of the foursome, got 4 hot dogs for us all. I can not believe what they served!. It was a luke warm "formed" hot dog. What happened to the natural casing hot dog? Let alone a gourmet "Pearl" or equivalent. The pinnacle of golf course cuisine! On top of that the mustard was lame as well. I thought that the restaurant was "new" this year. These are the kind of things that second rate organizations do. Come on, get it together folks......It isn't that hard!

**ski_resort_observer** · 05-29-2006, 03:21 PM

Nathan's and Hebrew National's are available at Shaw's so getting a good quality 100% beef dog should not be that hard. Here in Maine everyone eats these strange "red dogs".

**castlerock** · 05-30-2006, 07:59 AM

Especially in light of all the sturm and drang over the "quality" of the food offerings at the Bush, I find the hot dog troubling. Good food is not expensive food. Good food is where the quality of the ingredients and the details of preparation and presentation are paramount. Until the food and beverage management at the hill look at this like a chef would, we will be relegated to industrial food.

This is why Flatbread is so successful, and come to think of it, it is why the waffles are popular.

Make a point of the "type" of dogs used. Have a little sign, put out a jar of spicy mustard. You'll actually sell them.....

**win** · 05-30-2006, 10:05 AM

Good Point. We are getting very good marks on the new Hogan's, and I have personally eaten there around 7 times this spring and had very good meals. In fact, I had the chicken wrap after playing 18 holes yesterday, and it was excellent. That said, if the Hot Dogs are not up to speed, we need to fix that. Thanks for the comment.

**castlerock** · 05-30-2006, 11:38 AM

Win, as I was driving back to the village, I saw you on the 16th tee. I was actually tempted to stop and mention this, but I figured you'd catch it on this board. I actually mentioned it to whoever was working the desk in the proshop. But I got the sense that there wasn't a "suggestion box" or a vehicle to pass on ideas. Maybe he was a bit frustrated with that because he countered with the idea that "maybe some customers would prefer non natural casing hot dogs". That's a bit like saying some customers might prefer dixie to Riedel stemware with there 1990 Caymus Special Selection!

I hope to run into you over the 4th.

**Lostone** · 05-30-2006, 01:55 PM

But I got the sense that there wasn't a "suggestion box" or a vehicle to pass on ideas.

That sounds like an easy fix! I think that one of the most important functions of a customer service organization is to find out what they are doing right and wrong.

A suggestion box seems almost a necessity.

**Strat** · 05-30-2006, 02:21 PM

If my memory serves me well there was a machine that made dogs on the table by the parking lot-side entrance to the clubhouse last year...never tried one but they always looked nice and juicy... I wonder what happened to it...

**win** · 05-31-2006, 06:52 AM

I had a birdie on that hole, so it would have been a good time to stop! See you on the 4th.

The Hot Dog machine is still there, and its permanent place will be on the deck once the bar has been finished there. The weather has set back some of the outdoor projects but all will be finalized soon. The first priorities have been to deal with the issues on the course after the bad weather of two weekends ago.

**Tin Woodsman** · 05-31-2006, 12:08 PM

Win -

I understand that you guys invested a lot of money to install irrigation on the entire course after you bought it. Are there any plans to improve the sight lines on some of the holes with blind shots? IIRC, #2 comes to mind in that respect, assuming that's the one where the green is just north of West Hill Rd.

Maybe some people find that interesting and/or challenging. Personally, I find it annoying compared to the dozens of other courses I've played. Maybe I'm just a lone voice in the wilderness though.

**castlerock** · 05-31-2006, 12:25 PM

Sorry Tinny, Blind shots are part of the Trent Jones mountain course style......I can't see them ever touching that kind of thing.....

**win** · 05-31-2006, 04:27 PM

Castlerock is right. This really is a classic RTJ,Sr. Mountain Course and was once referred to by Golf Digest as the "Essence of a Mountain Course", so we do not want to change the course design at all. However, we are trying to restore some of the original design elements. You will notice that we have done extensive trimming of trees and brush around the course on such holes as #5, #6, # 9, # 10 and #11. This allows some of the great views of the Mountains to be seen, and it also allows more air and sun to hit the greens and tees which will allow them to stay in better shape. We did install a new irrigation system two summers ago and this has made a huge difference in the course. It has arguably made it more difficult since the fairways are not rock hard in August and the rough stays alive as well.

RBT, Sr. was asked about the Blue Tees on #2 which call for an accurate iron shot of 150-170 yards or an aggressive drive over the boulders and trees on the right side. When asked what it would take to improve this tee and make for an easier shot, he apparently commented (tongue in cheek I assume) that it would only take a ton of dynamite.

Tinkering with the course would be akin to widening Castlerock, adding snowmaking and grooming it.

Sorry!

**Bubba** · 06-01-2006, 08:07 AM

Originally Posted by win

Tinkering with the course would be akin to widening Castlerock, adding snowmaking and grooming it.

Sorry!

Exactly!
Just carry an extra sleeve of balls.

**Tin Woodsman** · 06-01-2006, 11:28 AM

Literally a case of different strokes for different folks, I suppose.

Mind you, I played it just once, and poorly at that. I think I lost upwards of 10 balls that day. Very few holes where a wood should be used. It seems like a course that rewards those who know how to play it.

**Fourwide** · 06-01-2006, 07:17 PM

I seem to recall that tall trees blocked the left side of the fairway--couldn't clear them and had to hit an iron off the tee. Does that sound right? Maybe the trees were cut back? Has anything been done about the large undefined area on the front--two fairways side by side (5 and 6??). I really don't mean to be overly critical, but I don't find it to be a great RTJ. There are some very nice holes. All the par 3s are very nice, and there are some nice par 4s. However, there are too many plain holes, and #18 is the definition of a very plain finishing hole. It's a nice course, but it's no Cascades. Now, as I said, I don't mean to be overly critical--it could be a really nice course with a little re-design. I'd suggest starting with replacing those undefined overgrown pasture areas with some sandy waste areas or some other definition. I'd get little Tommy Fazio up there to take a look.

**skiladi** · 06-07-2006, 12:03 PM

Originally Posted by castlerock

I just played 18 holes on Memorial Day. Lots of fun. Anyway, one of the foursome, got 4 hot dogs for us all. I can not believe what they served!. It was a luke warm "formed" hot dog. What happened to the natural casing hot dog? Let alone a gourmet "Pearl" or equivalent. The pinnacle of golf course cuisine! On top of that the mustard was lame as well. I thought that the restaurant was "new" this year. These are the kind of things that second rate organizations do. Come on, get it together folks......It isn't that hard!

HOT DOGS? Those things will clog your arteries but if you want to die happy buy Schonland's. http://www.kayem.com