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November Fox Newsletter
From Ballston Spa Country Club
As you read this newsletter we are optimistically 150 days from opening day 2016. The fall weather has provided us some additional “bonus” days and it looks like we may eke out a few more. Below is the upcoming forecast:
Todd in the Pro Shop and Kate in the Restaurant plan on staying open as long as the weather allows. The course is in excellent shape so make plans to get in that last round of the year.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR
Based on recommendations from some members the Board discussed our full membership meeting schedule(s). The Board agrees that there is a large gap now in the calendar and will work during the winter to come up with a better schedule and topics to be discussed at each meeting. With that said we felt it was still important to have the December informational meeting to close out 2015 and to brief the membership on the plans for 2016. An informational membership meeting has been scheduled for Dec 6, 2015 commencing at 12:00 PM in the clubhouse. Discounted guest passes at $35 will be available at the meeting. The discounted passes will also be available during US Open week in June.
COMMITTEES
Our bylaws delineate how we should operate our club and list some very specific requirements as it pertains to standing committees. The purpose is to involve more members in the business we own to deal with the various aspects of running our Club. The committees to be established are Executive Committee, Finance Committee, Golf Committee, Grounds and Greens Committee, House Committee, Membership Committee and Social Committee. Detailed descriptions of each required committee can be found in the members section of the web site. On an annual basis the President will solicit from the membership volunteers to serve on the Standing Committees. If you are interested in sharing you expertise on a committee please email Laura in the business office or contact the Board member assigned to that committee.
THINK SPRING!
Paul |
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It has been a very busy month as we come to a close on our 2015 golf season and have been working on a budget for our 2016 season. The current year continues to go very well and our recent great weather has certainly provided us some revenue we were not counting on.
We continue to project a significant increase ($25K) in our cash position for this year.
Even with some recent expenses we are still projecting cash on hand at the end of this to be approximately $73,500.
The Board recently approved the purchase of a new John Deere tractor to replace the Kubota front end loader. With all of the discounts we received and with the proceeds from the sale of the Kubota, the net cost of the new tractor was $41,000. The club put down $11,000 and financed the remaining $30,000 through John Deere. They were offering zero percent interest for 60 months so we decided to take advantage of that.
The Board also approved the purchase of 3 additional green covers. The total cost of these will be approximately $3800.
These two purchases has reduced our previous months stated cash on hand position but we felt were necessary.
The Board has also completed the task of putting together the budget for next year. Included in the new budget is an approximate 3.5% increase in dues in all membership categories.
We also approved increases in our public play rates for both racing and non racing seasons. We will increase our tournament fees where applicable. Some of the tournaments have multi year agreements but those that do not, we will increase our fees for those tournaments. Also approved were increases to our guest passes from $30 to $35. These will be available for purchase at our December 6th informational membership meeting.
The Board is planning on keeping additional cash on hand as we move into next year. We want to have the cash to be able to finish the 8th hole project.
Sincerely,
Rick Funaro,
Treasurer
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The clubhouse committee met on Monday, November 2nd.
The committee has determined a new clubhouse in the short term is not realistic given our current financial position and without a new revenue to increase BSCC’s profitability.
However, the committee has agreed to take on the task of working on a long term plan for the club. The committee recognizes the need to have a long term plan understanding there is an inherent risk of our current clubhouse’s deterioration each year and the potential significant cost of maintaining it.
We will start with an outline of what makes up a valuable long term plan and will work to add the necessary details as we move forward. We would expect it to contain the long term plans for all facets of the club and carefully lays out costs, pros and cons with the support of the membership. This will be a very significant effort and will take some significant time and effort from those on the committee.
If anyone feels like they have the skills that would be valuable for the committee, please reach out, we would like to have your help and support.
If you do have questions and or concerns, please don’t hesitate to ask anyone on the committee.
Sincerely,
Rick Funaro on behalf of the Clubhouse Committee
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It has been a great golf season, and I know some of you are still enjoying the remnants of fall golf. Who knows, maybe we’ll be golfing Thanksgiving morning, too. In the meantime, the membership committee will be working on plans for 2016. We are already planning a “Friday Fun” golf league. This will be a casual league for both singles and couples . Members can sign up to play each week and random pairings will be made. More details will follow in the spring.
One important part of membership is communication. While the snow is on the ground this winter and you are working on your indoor putting, why not update your membership profile. Just login , www.ballstonspacc.com , and go to the Edit Profile link. Once there you can edit your details including updating your email and phone number. You can and even add a photo.
Have a great winter, and see you in the spring.
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With the warm temperatures these past few weeks, it’s hard to believe I am writing my November fox article. Last week we were in the 60’s and the forecast for the beginning of the following week is the 50’s. Last year around this time the weather turned quickly and we had to put the greens covers on quickly. Volunteers came in and helped me put all the covers on in one day. As for the plan for when we will put the greens covers on this year it is up to the Mother Nature. It is too warm to put covers on now. I need to wait as long as possible to cover the greens. The grass needs to be completely dormant and the temperatures need to stay cold. We are still mowing grass a few days a week right now. We will send out an email when we anticipate when the covers will be put on so everyone will know. The weather can change quickly so there could be just a few days’ notice.
We were able to purchase 3 more greens covers this year so we will have 17 greens covered this winter. The greens covers have proven themselves effective over the past few winters and have helped us keep our greens in good shape to start out the season. Hopefully we can purchase 3 more next year to cover the remaining greens: #17 green and the two practice greens. It is a huge job installing these covers in a short time and I will ask for volunteers to help. I will send out an email letting you know when this work needs to be done.
There are a lot of last minute jobs that need to get done before winter hits. As usual we will spray our entire course (greens, tees, and fairways) with snow mold fungicide which will protect our turf grass during the winter. This spray is extremely important and will give us beautiful green turf right from the start next season. We also will deep tine the greens before the covers go on. These holes help get the water down through the soil. Anytime you have water freezing and thawing on the surface of a green it can lead to turf to dying. We also top dress the greens to give us a smooth firm surface in the spring. Hopefully the weather will cooperate when we need to close the course. We cannot have wind when we spray the snow mold fungicide and we cannot have wind when we put on the covers. The covers turn into a giant kite and you cannot control them if the wind is blowing.
I want to thank everyone who helped me this year. It seemed like another year of volunteers stepping up whenever I asked for help. Whether it was aerification of the course or divot work or joining a committee or completing a water report, volunteers were ready to help. Thank you everyone that has helped make this season a great one. |
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The last tournament of the season, the ever popular Cross Country, provided an opportunity for many members and guests, to enjoy the course one more time before things gear towards closing for the season. In the Men’s Division the team of Tom Shannon, Dan Markiewicz, Mike Markiewicz and Dave Fizer took 1st place with a score of -9. The team of Rich Sniffen, Daryl Monast, Tom Hudy and John Noname took 2nd, with a score of -8. Leading the Mixed Division were:Maite Cupp, Jake Devito, Graem Delong, and Dalton Krogh. Woman’s Division winners were the team of Sue Kahler, Suzie Mansfield, Betsy Drambour, and Pat Joseph. Additional results are available on the Ballston Web site or on Golf Genius.
Next year I will be working as the restaurant liaison, and will be trying to form a social committee to develop more social events at our club. Anyone interested in working with me to create some new and exciting events for next season, please contact me by email at betht1275@yahoo.com
Have a great Winter!
Beth Todd |
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The other day a golfer walked onto our practice range at Ballston Spa Country Club with a bag of balls and as he passed unnoticed behind a friend,loudly announced his presence at the peak of his buddy's backswing, "Boogah! Boogah!", causing his friend to top his shot badly. The friend laughed and complimented the trickster, "I see you've elevated the sophistication of your golf humor."
The practice range incident occurred a few days after I'd read an article in Golf Digest that discussed the do's and don'ts of golf course pranks, which in turn had caused me to ponder the whole issue of golf humor. The article thought it was okay to lie down and put some ketchup on your forehead after being hit into by the group behind you and goes on to say, "At least one person in the group behind you will see their life flash before their eyes, conjuring visions of Orange is the New Black. Doubt their pants make it through unscathed, either." On the other hand, it condemned carting ahead of a walking partner on an uphill blind par three and celebrating the partner's ace when in fact the ball is over the green in the rough, because "You can't put a person on Cloud 9, only to take away that sunshine and rain on their parade. The human spirit can only take so much." In Golf Digest's opinion It's much better to scare a guy silly and watch him soil himself.
Golf has always displayed a broad spectrum of taste in its humor and literature. Who can dispute that more poems have been written and published about golf than any other sport. Conversely, a lot of golf jokes are sexist, crude and display the male gender in an unflattering light: a golfer takes off his cap while a funeral goes by, explaining they'd been married for 22 years, a golfer explains his long round by recounting how a friend had died on the course and it was "hit the ball, drag Harry, hit the ball, drag Harry", a golfer tries a difficult shot and the ball ends up fatally striking his wife. Two weeks later he's in the same situation and explains to his playing companion that he wouldn't try that shot again because the last time he'd attempted it he'd taken a double bogey.
I began wondering how we got here. How has golf humor changed over the years? In the 19th and early 20th centuries, humor was much tamer than today's brand. A lot of jokes were puns - What's the difference between Joan of Arc and a canoe? One is Maid of Orleans and one is made of wood. Har Har. How do we know Hamlet hated chickens? Because he did "murder most foul." Yuk Yuk.
 Victorian golf humor was no different. A golf joke from the 19th century, published in Harper's had an old man on a hill looking at a golf course for the first time and seeing only grazing sheep, saying '"Wal, them golfs, ef they be golfs is the most like sheep uv anything ever I saw." LMAO.
Another one recounts how a cow tries to swallow a ball that lands beside her. The angry golfer starts whacking the cow with his club to get her to give up the ball, causing the cow to run to the green where she disgorges the ball into the hole. The delighted golfer claims an ace because he only took one stroke on the hole but his opponent insists on him carding a 17 because he whacked the cow 16 times.
My favorite is one that turns the tide on male dominated golf jokes; it's a cartoon titled "Golf Widows" that shows two ladies having tea in the garden, with the following caption:
"Did you notice who those two men were who passed up the path and bowed just now? They were going toward the Iinks."
"I couldn't tell exactly. I saw them go by, and it seemed to me they were your husband and mine, but I'm not sure."
"'That's what I thought; the man on the right looked like George, as I remember him."
"And the other had James's walk, anyhow."
"Yes, he did. I wonder if they've changed much?"
I believe I've heard every golf joke ever told in modern times and many of them are excellent, but of course I can never praise golf without comparing it with bowling, the sport I love to hate. Thus, in an effort to give bowling its due, I did some research on bowling jokes and the best PG13 rated I could come up with that didn't use the word "balls" in its punch line were the following: "Studies show that 4 out of 10 professional bowlers end up in the gutter." and, “I've cancelled the over 70s bowling tournament this year. Last time we had more strokes than strikes.”
In bowling's defense, I can only say it's a sport that has managed to uphold the degree of sophistication and hilarity we find in Victorian golf jokes.
Got a favorite publishable golf joke you think I've never heard? Try me, I'd love to hear it. |
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