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We are off to a great start to the 2015 golf season and all is good. Hard work by Steve and staff has the course in excellent shape and the weather has been cooperating. The BOD will be attempting to publish a monthly Fox newsletter on or about the 15th of each month. I am a proponent of continuous improvement and hopefully you find this Fox better than the last!!! I will try to be less “wordy” this month!!!
Below are a couple of items that I would like to share with the membership:
If you have a good idea or see something around your club that needs attention let us know. Use the suggestion box located to the left of the office door or drop us an email at suggestionbox@ballstonspacc.com. Suggestions and ideas will be forwarded to the appropriate personnel for resolution and shared with the BOD.
Be sure to check out the “Meet New Members” section of our webpage. Thanks to Joyce Bassett (a relatively new member herself – Fall 2014) for taking on this task. Be sure to say hi to all of our new members and welcome them to the BSCC family. Listed below are the new members since the last Fox:
- Jimmy Greg
- Bryan Leggett
- Mike Markiewicz
- Ryan McDonnell
- Andrew Rettew
- Brian Meehan
- Samuel Morrissey
- Brad Krohl
- Luis Pabon
- Tom Bennett
Speaking of new members we still have room for a few more golfers who want to be a part of the “Capitol District’s Best Golf Club Value”. Be sure your referral identifies you so that you can take advantage of the Member Recruitment Program. This program will reward you in 2016 if your referral returns for the 2016 season.
Back by popular demand!!! Based on feedback from the membership the BOD has approved offering the popular guest passes to the membership once again. Passes are $30 and include cart and may be purchased from June 15 thru June 22 inclusive. Passes are good for the remainder of the 2015 season. Available in the Pro Shop.
Get your copy!!! Tucker has published a book with a collection of his favorite articles. Available in the Pro Shop and the profits will be donated to BSCC for course improvements.
See you on the course.
Paul |
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June 15, 2015
As we approach the end of our membership signup season, I thought it a good time for an update on our financial position and also included a membership treasurer’s report for your review.
Overall, we are off to a great start, with our overall revenue up $26K over last year and ahead of our 2015 projections. Greens fees are up approximately $20K which includes outside play, tournaments and corporate memberships. We are also up about $4K in our cart revenue. In speaking with Todd about the tournament schedule for the remainder of the year, we have a few more tournaments booked as compared to last year with more players expected so we expect that our greens fees and cart revenue will continue to exceed our annual projections.
The new league on Monday nights will result in close to $10,000 in new revenue. The Skidmore Invitational tournament held in April was a bonus for us. That generated approximately $5,000 in revenue (tournament fees plus green fees for practice rounds).
Our membership dues are still short of our budgeted number by $12.5K but we may continue to get closer to it as we get additional members this year. However, compared to 2014, our 2015 membership dues are slightly ahead of last year.
We have not had any significant unexpected expenses and while expenses for 2015 are more than 2014 at this time (by $34K), there are reasons for that. Steve has purchased nearly all of the fertilizers and pesticides that he needs for the year which we did not do in 2014 (that accounts for $20K of the $34K). House expenses are also ahead of last year (by $7K) but everything spent has been budgeted.
The Boards job for the rest of the season will be to spend according to our budget and make sure we do not overspend unless absolutely necessary.
Of course, weather will play a role in how we do since that can and has impacted our green fee and cart revenue in the past. Last year was a very successful year in this area and if we can achieve our projections for this year or exceed those projections, that would make for a very successful year.
I would like to thank the Finance Committee (Dorothy Nolie, Tony Lupino and Al Squire) for their help. We reviewed the financial reports together and agree with this overall assessment.
Sincerely,
Rick Funaro,
Treasurer
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Welcome Summer. Golf season is in full swing, and hopefully you have been enjoying the play, whether it is leagues, tournaments, or just an afternoon of a good walk spoiled. There have been lots of activities at the course to enjoy. We had the Open House, cocktail scramble, and the member/member tournament. Also, we have started to host several youth golf programs, as well as the Sip and Swing Ladies clinic. If you have not had a chance to get involved, just go to the Event Calendar and find an event to join. The golf genius app allows you to see the live action. Check it out.
If you have seen some new faces on the course, it is not your imagination. At the time of this writing, there are 42 new members. Some have returned from past years, but most are brand new to the club. Next time you see someone you don’t recognize, say hi and welcome him or her to the club. Also read the interviews about these new members on the website in the members’ only section. Thanks to member Joyce Basset for these fun and interesting interviews. If you not done so already, follow us on Twitter and Facebook, and share your golf tales.
See you on the greens,
Cindy Walkanowski
Membership Chair
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As we make our way into June, the golf course is shaping up very nicely. The dry month of May is behind us and we have been getting some rain that has helped the grass green up. Seeded areas like #8 fairway and damaged areas on greens, tees, and fairways from last winter have started to fill in. We used the irrigation system a lot in May to keep things alive but rain water is what is needed to get these areas to look perfect. All in all I am happy with the golf course conditions. It is great to be in such good condition considering the winter we just went through. I hope the weather pattern of good moisture and moderate temperatures continues so that we are able to give you great playing conditions through the rest of the season.
My crew and I are busy everyday keeping up with the daily mowing and setting up of the golf course. Staffing has been an issue since we opened. Having one or two people short each day for whatever reason is a real problem. When we are short staffed all of the little things {bunkers, trim, string trim around creeks, etc.} are pushed to the wayside in order to make sure the playing surfaces are maintained. Hopefully we can find the staff we need to help us keep this course in the condition it should be. The golf course is in great shape but it will not stay that way if it is not maintained.
The two new mowers that we got last winter have been working great. We now have two new fairway mowers. Both machines cut beautifully and are much more reliable than what we were using before. We also have a new rough mower that we use behind our John Deere tractor. Our old gang mower was worn out and needed to be replaced.
I hope you have the opportunity to get out as much as possible and enjoy our golf course. |
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Golf Tip
During the month of July, we are in the midst of the season. With that being said, a major component of the golf swing is the grip. This is a very important fundamental of the game of golf. For the right handed player, the left hand is a major player in the handling of the golf club. While addressing the golf ball and looking down at your grip to ensure that the hands are on the club the correct way, the player should look down and be able to see 2 knuckles on the left hand. The player needs to do this without turning his or her head to the left to look for these 2 knuckles. This is a good way to ensure that you will be able to hinge the golf club at the top of the backswing and allow you to make a complete backswing before starting the downswing. The right hand will turn underneath while resting on the grip of the club. All of these are based on a right handed player. The grip is very important and somewhat under rated to many players but in my opinion the most significant fundamental of the game of golf as it is the only thing that ties you to the golf club. I have molded grips as trainers in the golf shop if anyone is interested in exactly how your hands go on the golf club.
Tee Times
Since the beginning of the season, we have been extremely busy at the Ballston Spa CC this year. This makes it even more important for all the members to make sure that you make a tee time before just showing up to play. Our new website allows all members to make a tee time right from their smartphone or you can still call the golf shop. Our membership drive has worked well this year and we have much more play than in previous years. Its makes it easier for both the golfshop staff and you the player.
Results
We have a tournament results page on our website now so you can view all of the results and payouts for all of the member tournaments that we host here. You can find the results on Golf Genius or on our Website also.
Clinics
Maite and I have started some clinics this season already and we plan on doing more of these throughout the season. We have junior clinics and Women’s clinics and are designed to help all level of players from beginners to the highly skilled. If you are looking for a fun laid back learning atmosphere without the intimidating one on one lesson experience. This could be for you. |
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The tournament season is now in full swing.
June started with a great weekend of golf for all who participated in the Men's and Women's Member/Member held on the 6th and 7th. The 2 day event had 80 Men and 28 Women participants. Partial results are as follows:
Women’s Ringer Event Net
1st Place – Cindy Walkanowski and Kathryn Oppedisano
2nd Place – Jerri Carr and Mary Symanski
Men’s Gross and Net Winners by Flight
Ben Hogan Flight
1st Place Gross: Brian Bagdasarian and Eric Wright
1st Place Net: Bill Scholl and Eric Zeh
BYRON NELSON Flight
1st Place Gross: Mark Thornhill Jr and Scott Knapp
2nd Place Gross: Brad Krohl and Joe Macaluso
CALVIN PEETE FLIGHT
1st Place Gross – Carl Jahn and Judd Sabey
1st Place Net – Chris Kieper and Joe Olbrych
GENE SARAZEN FLIGHT
1st Place Gross – Nark Belanger and Kyle Sabotta
1st Place Net – Kevin Krogh and Dave Ziobrowski
Complete full field results can be found on our website under Tournaments and Outings, Results.
Congratulations to all who participated!!!
A special note regarding the 1st Annual Brenda Adams Scholarship Tournament held on June 13th. It was a great Saturday Event with many Members participating along with friends and family of Brenda's. I expect it to be an annual event as it appeared a great time was had by all in memory of Brenda.
The next big June event is the Men's Member/Guest, which will be held June 25th, 26th and 27th.
The second cocktail tasting of the season to be held on the 3rd, promises to be exciting. We'll kick off the July 4th weekend with Island themed cocktails and appropriate pairings, followed by more food and fun in the Clubhouse! If you haven't attended one of these, you're missing a great time!!
The Mixed Member/Guest will be held on July 11th with a 1PM shotgun and dinner to follow.
July will end with the Senior Club Championship on July 25th and 26th.
As always we have a very busy outside tournament schedule, so please coordinate your golf plans with the pro-shop. Have a great Summer of Golf!!!
Beth
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This is my first Fox Newsletter for the house. We have made some positive improvements to clubhouse and more to come in the near future. We had to replace the dishwasher, fix the pizza oven, and repair a number of issues with the water system. We have received donations from several members who wish to remain anonymous to replace the carpet. The carpet has been ordered and we are working on getting it installed by the end of June. The installation will be done in the evening and will not interfere with clubhouse operations.
You should be enjoying the services of our snack shack at the 9th green and the services of the new beverage cart. There are a variety of food and beverage items at the shack and the sandwiches on the cart are very good and reasonably priced. Please make sure that you take advantage of the services
After your round relax on the new patio furniture on the deck over looking the 9th green. I’m planning on painting the deck soon as time permits.
Additional work will be undertaken with painting the outside bathrooms and replacing the fixtures.
What’s On in the Clubhouse?
July 3 – Cocktail Event
Keep an eye on the notice boards at the club for future events and check your in boxes as we e-mail details to you.
If you have suggestions for future improvements or functions you would like to see please have a chat with me.
Don
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Shank. There, I said it right out loud. Shank, shank, shank!
For some reason, which escaped my understanding until just recently, there exists a kind of taboo regarding the utterance of this golfing obscenity. The inference seems to be that the mere mouthing of the disease's name will cause contagion by association.
The abhorrence of the malady is unique in golf. People cringe upon hearing that so-and-so has "the shanks" in much the same way as they would react to news that Marie Osmond is planning a comeback.
Shanking seems to hold a special place in the litany of golfing deviance. Unlike the slice, hook or chili-dip, shanking is regarded as an enigma from hell that no video or Golf Digest article can correct. Shanking can only be resolved by means of Papal Dispensation or lobotomy.
What's the big deal here?
Last week, one of our members at BSCC confessed to having The Affliction. This man is generally regarded as one who enjoys The Game for what it is. Though an avid player, he has never been accused of taking it too seriously. Despite this, he admitted to me recently that he now dreads having to pitch the ball to the hole, because he shanks it almost every time.
That was the sad part, he explained; if he shanked it every time, he could actually play the shank by aiming off at a sixty degree angle to the left of his target. But he had the Stealth Shank - the shank that could not be detected pre-stroke, only lamented post-stroke. He has gone from the happy-go-lucky man we once knew, to a golfer who will purposely lay up a full wedge away from the green rather than suffer both the ignominy of having to perform the forty yard pitch, and suffering the potential numbers that may result.
In one more instance that proves the practice range bears no resemblance whatsoever to reality, he has no problem hitting one hundred perfectly executed pitches in his pre-game warm-up. Once he hits the wake-up call of the actual track, however, he reverts to doing his impersonation of a famous Indian sitar player, that being, of course, Ravi Shanker.
Sorry about that.
There is in fact, no great secret about what causes the shank. A shank results from the club striking the ball with the hosel rather than the face of the club, or with a clubface that is extraordinarily open at contact. Or some other thing.
So, one has only to stand further from the ball at address, or keep the back of the leading hand moving towards the target. Or some other thing.
The biggest problem we have with the shank is its mystique. There is no such aura of mystery associated with anything else in golf, with the possible exception of Jack Nicklaus's sense of humor. This habit of ascribing a spirit of the unknown to solving the shank is tantamount to what is commonly referred to as a self-fulfilling prophecy, like predicting a missed putt, or a failed relationship.
If we would just stop obsessing about it, the shank would surely be relegated to the same status as the double cross or the duck hook.
And we can all solve those problems in a heartbeat.
You betcha.
Drive for show, shank for comic relief.
Anonymous
This and over 120 other essays are included in a book now available in the Golf Shop. All profits from the sale of How to Par the 19th Hole will go toward course improvement at BSCC
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