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October 15, 2017
Hope you have found time to get out and enjoy your golf course. The course has “healed” from the beneficial aeration and is in excellent shape. There are many members who believe that “Fall Golf” is the best time of the year. Below is a classic picture from Kevin Keelan that I keep rolling out because it captures the fall beauty of our golf course.
BSCC Annual Stockholders’ Meeting
Thanks to all who attended the Annual Stockholders Meeting on October 2 and to those that sent in their proxy.
The purpose of the Annual Meeting was to elect four (4) members for the Board of Directors who will be responsible to carry out the important work of operating your golf course. There were 3 vacancies for 3 years and 1 vacancy for 1 year. Three (3) candidates were nominated for three year terms, Cindy Walkanowski, Rick Funaro, and Tony Lupino, and they were elected by acclimation to 3 year terms.
The Board appointed Dick Cody to fill the remaining vacancy and he will serve until the next annual election.
A special thanks to Sue Kahler who stepped up last year to fill a vacancy. I know we can count on Sue to continue her advocacy for all things BSCC. I certainly respected her opinion and counsel this past year.
After the elections each Board member provided a quick insight in their respective areas followed by a Q & A. Slide presentation used may be viewed on the BSCC in the Members Section under Member Resources.
The Board lineup for this year is as follows:
President: Paul Steves - psteves1@nycap.rr.com Term expires 2019
Vice-President and Membership Committee: Cindy Walkanowski - cindyski@gmail.com Term expires 2020
Treasurer: Rick Funaro - tucats@nycap.rr.com Term expires 2020
Secretary: Dick Cody - jcody4@nycap.rr.com Term expires 2018
Golf and Deputy Treasurer: Tony Lupino – etlupino@aol.com Term expires 2020
House/Infrastructure: Roger Laime - Roger.Laime@aecom.com Term expires 2018
Ground and Greens: Mike Farina - mfarina@mvpheathcare.com Term expires 2019
CONTRACT UPDATES
I am pleased to announce that BSCC has entered into a new agreement with our Golf Professional, Todd Manderson. Term of the contract is 5 years and takes us through the 2022 season. A special thank you to Dick Cody and Sue Kahler for locking down this agreement which will ensure that we continue to provide a quality product and a great golf experience.
As I mentioned at the Annual Stockholders Meeting we are currently finalizing a new agreement with our Superintendent, Steve Solsky, and expect to be able to formally make that announcement shortly.
TECHNOLOGY
Have you ever tried to find another member’s contact information in the Member Directory on the BSCC website? Did you get frustrated having to scroll thru each page and think there must be an easier way? Club Prophet fixed the issue and added a search criterial. If you aren’t sure of the spelling of the last name you can enter the first few letters or just enter the first name to narrow your choice. Give it a try. If you need to update your information email Julia with the new info.
GO PAPERLESS
The second month of the test of our ability to send your monthly statement via email went very well. Feedback received has been very positive. It has been estimated by PayItGreen.org that “By going paperless for one year, your household could save 6 pounds of paper, 23 pounds of wood and prevent producing 29 pounds of greenhouse gases.” Closer to home Julia estimates that for every billing period we spend more than $250 in paper, envelopes, and stamps. All members account statements currently default to a statement via snail mail and a statement via email. We have been in contact with Club Prophet and they are attempting to find an automated solution.
In the interim you can let Julia know your preferences via email (office@ballstonspacc.com) or give her a call (518 885-1603 option 2).
See you on the course
Paul
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October 15th, 2017
As we prepare to close out the 2017 season, it is a busy time as we prepare a budget for 2018 and we work to determine our end of year finances for 2017. As we approach the end of the year, we are working to determine, as best as possible, all of our projected revenue and expenses for the last few months. This allows us to determine if we have monies to potentially spend on improvements (equipment, clubhouse, green covers etc). We do expect to improve on our end of year cash position from last year.
The 4 days I spent working in the Golf Shop were very interesting and provided me with some insight that I would not otherwise have gained. I have shared my observations with the Board and I think we have a few things to work on and some items that we need to share with and educate the membership on. One quick example is club storage. If you store your clubs and they are not outside when you show up, it might be because your name is not on the tee sheet. On Saturday I noticed a number of people getting their clubs out of the storage area and realized the reason they were not out is because their names were not on the tee sheet. Whoever made the reservation only used their name in all 4 slots and did not include the names of the others in their group. I’m sure there are times where the Golf Shop makes a mistake and forgets to get them out, but it also might be possible they are not out because the Golf Shop simply did not know you were playing.
As always, if you have questions on anything that I have mentioned or you have been wondering about, please email me (tucats@nycap.rr.com) or talk to me when you see me at the course. I would be happy to provide you any info you need.
Sincerely,
Rick Funaro,
Treasurer |
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Below are the slides that were presented at the recent Shareholder meeting on October 2nd. Again, I would like to thank the membership for attending the meeting and voting for the new BOD. Ballston Spa Country Club is a member-owned club and the success of this golf club relies on the involvement of our membership. I would also like to thank the membership committee for their time and energy to keep focus on the goals of the membership. If you are interested in joining the committee, please let me know. We meet monthly throughout the year, and are always looking for input from our members. Thank you to the following, Kate Oppedisano, Joyce Bassett, Don Cramer, Lauren Petraske, Phil Klein, Bill Tucker, and Joan Johnson. I would like to thank Todd Manderson and Rick Funaro for their time and insight to the day to day running of the club’s business and finances.
Membership Revised Incentives
The membership drive over the past three years has been very successful. Memberships are 288, and the number of members are over 300. The cap of membership for BSCC is 375.
Due to the success of the program, the approach of the cap of members, and the financial statements concerning stock reissuance, the committee made recommendations which the BOD approved for 2018 and 2019.
Revised Membership Incentive for Friends and Family
Revised Stock Payment
Money paid towards stock purchase from new members will be reduced from $300 per year to $200 per year.
Membership Revised Guest Passes
Members may purchase Guest Passes at a reduced rate in December and in the spring of each year.
Guest passes purchased in December will expire at the end of the following year. Guest passes purchased in the spring will expire at the end of the following year.
2017 Membership Numbers By Month
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We are now into fall. The leaves are beginning to change and the temperatures are cooling a bit. We have had several small frost delays. Not cold enough to kill Mary’s beautiful flowers in the beds around the clubhouse, but enough of a frost to slow up the early morning golfers. The golf course has really shaped up nicely after all the aerification that was done last month. After completion of all the aerifying we applied all of our fall fertilizer. Due to a lack of rainfall, we had to water the products in heavily. I must say that the course has been very green indicating those fertilizers have kicked in. As I am writing this article we are getting some beneficial rain that will make the golf course look even better. It is important to get the turfgrass as healthy as possible now before getting into winter. The healthier you can get the grass now the better your chance to get through winter and start the 2018 season with great turf.
We started renovating the seventh green surround this past week. This is the fourth green surround and year two of a 5 year renovation project targeting your green surrounds that have bunkers. We started with the moving of any sod worth saving. We saved good bentgrass sod that was part of the approach next to the green and moved it out to the sides of the beginning of the approach next to the fairway. From a distance you will see that now the approach continues in a straight line on both sides as opposed to narrowing up and turning in toward the center of the green. Next we prepared the area in front of the green for fill. The topsoil in front of the green and to the right was moved off to the side and fill was brought in to raise those areas up. The topsoil was then added back on top and then leveled. The goal is to extend the green forward and right some and then add short grass in front of the green and to the right. The slope will be less severe which will make it easier to play out of and be easier to mow. We have made great progress this past week but there is still a lot of work to go. This rain makes the area impossible to work right now because it turns everything to mud. We will work around Mother Nature as best we can. There is more grading to do before we can sod. Irrigation has to be moved. The trees are coming out behind the green and and new plants need to be put back in. The bunker will get replaced with a new one. It will take some time but we will get it done.
Thank you to all the volunteers who have helped so far on the project. I could not have done it without you. I will be calling on more help as the project progresses. Thank you membership for your patience. I know no one wants to play a temporary green but this is the only way we can get this project done as quickly as possible
Thank you.
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Merchandise Credit
All credit on the books is to be used on in stock merchandise only. I can special order shoes for the credit to be used on but all other credit needs to spent on the product that is in the golf shop. I appreciate your support throughout the season and hope that you all enjoyed this season.
Golf Academy
As the season winds down, a few things to look forward to for the following season is a bit toward developing a plan for you to become a better player for the future, and more on the fitness side. We will have new Programs to be on the lookout to benefit the Membership and others in the Golf Academy this winter. We now have a year round facility to learn the golf swing to benefit you as a player and we will also be offering various yoga classes and Titleist TPI classes to all to get the most out of your flexibility and mobility.
We will send out an email shortly to all for our Open House in the John Souza Golf Academy. John has been extremely busy this season and we believe that this will only increase during the winter months.
Pinehurst BMW Golf Cup Finals
We just returned from the Pinehurst Resort and the Winners of our Member-Member Event faired quite well in the event. Scott Ferris finished 22nd and Greg Vukelic finished 29th out of 96 Players. This was a 3 round event where they competed in a Stableford Format 54 Hole Event. They played 2 rounds on Pinehurst #2 and 1 round on Pinehurst #8. The facility was very fun and the golf courses were in fabulous condition. I would like to thank Luis Pabon and BMW of South Albany once again for their very generous support of this event. We look forward to their support in the coming years.
Outside Golf Events for 2018
Anyone who may have any leads on any size group for the 2018 season can please send the contact information my way as we will be promoting this throughout the winter months. Our goal is to maximize the revenue and we will be putting together the wonderful benefits that we have to offer to these events from our real time scoring to running a seamless event for an individuals or groups fundraiser.
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Emergency Escape Routes
When the fire alarm goes off in the Clubhouse, all members, guests and staff should leave the building immediately. The fire alarm will automatically alert the alarm company who contacts the fire department first, and then will notify the people who are on the emergency contact list. The fire department will arrive on site and assess the situation and then turn off the fire alarm.
There are several exit doors on the first floor of the clubhouse and any one of them can be used to exit the building. The men’s locker room also has a door near the ice machine that can be used if it is unsafe to go back up the stairs.
Exiting the women’s locker room can be done via the stairs or by going out the window to the flat roof facing the pro shop. The window has a handle on it just like a door and the whole window opens outward. There is an emergency escape ladder placed at the bottom of the window that can be deployed. Simply hook the anchor onto the windowsill, undo the Velcro strap and extend the steps across the roof and onto the ground. The steps work like a ship’s ladder and the system is strong enough to support over 500 lbs.
Remember, the fire alarm will sound at any time it detects smoke, whether the burglar alarm is set or not, so if you hear it go off, exit the Clubhouse immediately.
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Tee to Green
May 1996: BSCC bans metal spikes.
June 1996: Men's Member Guest flight winners included Ralph Mangino 1st flight, Mark Rider 5th, Paul Steves 7th and Dick Cody 8th and the Gross Medal Men's Club Champion was Jim Oppedisano, while Suzie Mansfield was the Women's Club Champion.
September 1996: Jim Orkins gets his first ace on #9 using a Top Flight Magna he found in the 7th hole creek and Fran Wayand aces #6 while playing in the Mini Member Guest Tournament
October 1996: George Gould is president and his article urges Members not to sell their shares to an unfriendly takeover bid while he and Pete McNamara work on a plan that will render the club Member-owned.
The tournament Committee recommended 2 Mixed Tournaments a year and a wraparound deck on the northwest corner so play on both the 9th and the 18th could be monitored by restaurant patrons.
March 1997:
The President's Letter announces we have sold more than 300 shares and are in a solid financial condition.
Cost of this year's Men's Member/Guest was announced as $250/team and the format was changed so that the wives would attend a Friday night dinner rather than Saturday to "relieve them from the lengthy prize and award marathon."
An article asked "Do You recall?" 1. When the golf shop was located in the current kitchen area? 2. When Claire Walbridge served as the first woman on the Board of Directors? 3. There were no advance tee times, just a ball rack? 4. When Dick Osborne used to get up at 3AM to water the greens and tees? 5. When the Rodriguez family ran the restaurant out of the caddie shack? 6. When Betty Eldridge staged a protest and eventually women were granted the right to make tee times whenever they wanted? and 7. When Sam Baker was the sole man assigned to mow grass?
April 1997: Neil Hodsell advises the club he won't be returning as a Member after 68 years of continuous membership. He and his wife Muriel lived in the house to the right of #7 fairway.
The black flags used to denote a back position were too difficult to see and were replaced with yellow.
Monthly restaurant minimums remained at $40/membership.
The Thursday morning league was still called the Senile Seniors.
May 1997: Single range cost was $85, club storage $58, Super Skins $20, Ace Club $15.
Women's Member/Guest fees were $45.
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I recently posted a piece on my Times Union blog praising the dramatic and entertaining website hole descriptions at Crumpin Fox, a beautiful track in Massachusetts that I've played a few times. I urged other clubs to up the ante on their efforts to describe their product. Potential customers read this stuff and it could make a difference as to whether they decide to sample the course. With this in mind, I am proposing the following changes in our website hole descriptions.
#1 At first glance, BSCC's opening hole may emote visions of Eden, with its wide verdant fairway rolling down towards a green bordered by a large rock garden and a babbling brook, but those who have entered this paradise before know that in truth, the beautiful but evil demons Succubus and Incubus await them with their deadly allure. White stakes right and trees left are the least of our worries; the large bunker long and a beguiling green will take their toll but Gordon Creek, fronting the putting surface would be more aptly named the River Styx as many approaches will find their miserable fate in this waterway.
#2 A short to medium length par three with one of our larger greens, this hole appears to offer some refuge from the storm when viewed on the scorecard. But look again and remember appearances can deceive - Bruce Lee, the dangerous martial arts expert, was only an apparently harmless 5' 7". The roiling creek in front awaits the tentative stroke while the pond wrapping around the left and partially beyond the green begs to be fed by any ball not struck with confidence and skill.
#3 The player seeking to reach this short dogleg left par 5 in two strokes will have to consider the punitive uphill fairway and the preemptive cross fairway bunker several yards short of the green as well as shoulder bunkers left and right. The prudent layup artist must guard against going long on the approach, as a chip back to a green enthusiastically sloped away from the golfer, onto a fast putting surface offering many and diverse reads, is not a pleasant prospect, especially with a back pin.
#4 While precision is important on all our par four approach shots, the tee shot on this two-shotter forces one to make a risk/reward decision as well: whether to cut the corner of the dogleg left and risk the long fescue short and the wide ditch long or to stay to the right of the towering pine trees and be faced with a long uphill approach to a deep, narrow green guarded by two bunkers on the left and a punishing drop off on the right. Shots landing beyond this severely sloped green invoke prayers and dark, gloomy thoughts.
#5 A dogleg left par 4, this hole has the distinction of being the hardest front nine challenge from the middle and back tees and is the second of three par 5's for women playing from the forward tees. A fairway that will not abide a slightly errant drive is bordered left by gargantuan wooden plants and rough abutting some dense underbrush, while the right-handed slice will bound down a gentle slope, away from the green, into light rough and force a layup or a long, blind approach to a green fronted by a ball-hungry creek. There is also a significant drop off to the back of the green. Long is wrong.
#6 This medium length par 3, looks like a welcome tropical island in what has been a sea of imposing challenges. But that happy illusion is soon dispelled on closer inspection. The creek (no, not again!), parallels the hole's left side and the tee shot finding a well wooded and fescued, serious slope to the right suggests a possible provisional ball might be in your future. The smallish green is crowned and sports subtly punishing breaks, meaning a tee shot ending close to the putting surface doesn't mean you'll automatically be carding a par.
#7 A wide fairway affords a respite for the golfer's tee shot but this hole won the Oscar for Most Important Second Shot at BSCC. Your approach will probably be a short to mid-iron but this shot must find the surface of our smaller greens, which is also elevated, double-tiered and with white stakes only a few yards from the back fringe. An elevated bunker on the left and some sobering rough on the right discourage any sort of bailout other than short. Number 7 is a prime example of why courses should be limited to 17 holes.
#8 Yet another wide fairway promises a welcome resting spot for your drive, unless the prevailing tail wind propels the soaring sphere into a yawning bunker/fescue complex on the right or the trees and fescue on the left of a fairway sloped in that direction. The landing area for the layup shot narrows slightly and the green is defended left and right by four bunkers. The good news: this green is one of our flattest, offering a possible one-putt opportunity and infusing the player with an ill founded sense of security before venturing out on the back nine.
#9 Like Oliver Cromwell's Roundheads arriving at Scotland's Dunnottar Castle in 1651, the golfer looks out on our 9th hole and sees a diminutive but seemingly impregnable fortress. The three bunker faces appear to be the gaping mouths of devastatingly destructive cannons, ready to neutralize any attack on the green. At 120 yards, a precise tee shot will find a gentle front-to-back canted surface that requires an aerial approach if the walls are to be successfully breached. Long shots will significantly reduce any hope of par.
#10 This seemingly benign downhill par 5 has one of our widest fairways which, while accommodating modestly mishit drives, narrows for the second shot and becomes rough, 65 yards from the green, which once again is guarded closely by Gordon Creek. Our firmest green offers little chance of birdie if the flag's up front and trouble in the form of red stakes if your overly aggressive approach doesn't hold sufficiently.
#11 There's nothing cuter than a bunny but this short, adorable cottontail of a par 4 can morph into Monty Python's Killer Rabbit with one off-center shot. A narrow fairway is guarded by trees on the left and a huge conifer and fescue on the right. The short iron approach must avoid the front right pond and front left creek if it is to find the tortuous green. Approach shots ending up on the slope left of the green will make even the best short game players tremble. Bring your rabbit's foot key chain.
#12 This hole represents the beginning of BSCC's Amen Corner (12, 13, 14, 15), four holes that can cause strong men and women to degenerate into blubbering puddles of chuckleheaded imbecility. "Mercy" is not in this hole's dictionary, as the golfer is asked to hit a demanding tee shot. With dense jungle and OB stakes, right is wrong and left is right, even though there are some prodigious trees down the left side as well. After negotiating a successful drive, one is faced with an approach over a creek to a very elevated putting surface protected on both sides short by single, Brobdingnagian trees. The green slopes zealously from front to back, right to left. Other than that, it's walk in the park.
#13 A dogleg left with an elevated fairway that begins 150 yards from the tee, this hole has a tree at the top left of the slope that taunts the golfer, daring them to go over, through or around it in order to keep a good drive in the wide fairway. If the tee shot is successful, the second stroke on this hole is relatively easy and long hitters will be able to reach this green in two. Which is where the fun begins. Bunkers left and right are part of what awaits your approach and if you are above the cup on this green you'll find yourself wishing you hadn't cancelled this morning's root canal surgery to play golf at BSCC with your buddies.
#14 It's a long hole. The last of three holes played as a par 5 by women from the forward tees. Voted "The Capital Region's Toughest Par 4", this dogleg right hole will test every aspect of your game and a par will bring elation and engender hubris in even the humblest of golfers. The tee shot to a generous left-to-right sloping fairway must avoid the right rough, which seems to gobble up more than its rightful share of drives. The only level lie is found on the left third of the fairway, which descends abruptly at about 260 yards to the 150 yard marker, then begins a relentless climb to the deep but narrow green with a significant bunker left and a sobering drop off to the right into the dense, uncharted Forest of Woe. Good luck.
#15 The last of our Amen Corner holes, this long par 3 (200+ yards), beckons to the golfer across a pastoral valley. Most tee shots that miss the green (and a lot will), miss short and most second shots from the valley or steep hill fronting the green will remain short as well. Short-siding yourself on this hole will demand sharp chipping from challenging rough to a green that has more breaks than a government employee. The green slopes from front to back, although the uninitiated will often fail to discern this characteristic.
#16 A fairly straight forward hole, featuring an extensive dale of rough along the left side culminating in a quite elevated green with a nasty false front and a precipitous bluff a few yards beyond the back of the green, which is mounded. Chipping from the left or right of the green will test your short game.
#17 The view from this short par 3's tee is paradisiacal. The golfer looks down at a green many yards below him with a pond in front and to the right of the putting surface, rendering it a demi-island green. Front and middle-left pin positions will produce many three putt results if you are above the cup. Once again long is wrong, forcing a pitch to a green that slopes away from you towards the watery grave awaiting overly ambitious efforts.
#18 A long uphill par 4 bending slightly to the right around majestic pines to a fairly small kidney shaped green. A pond in front of the tee shouldn't be a factor on this hole but the grass bunker on the front right of the green is like a cosmic black hole, sucking many passing, dimpled orbs into its punishing rough. Once you've decided on the club for your approach, add at least one more to compensate for the slope and the prevailing west wind and once you're on the apparently flat green, be aware that the green actually slopes imperceptibly but menacingly from back to front. Long approaches threaten the integrity of the clubhouse and guarantee an impossible chip back down to the green. A tough finisher but with comforting libations only yards away.
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