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May15, 2018
I hope you have been able to get out and enjoy your golf course. The weather has been much better than last year, although that bar was set very low.
Volunteers
How did the Superintendent and his small crew get the everything accomplished for the opening of the course, the normal day to day maintenance, spring aeration, etc? He could not have accomplished all of this without the many volunteers who donate a few hours of their time to assist with the projects at hand. I have always marveled, and written about, the generosity of our members in taking pride and ownership in their club and volunteering for the many projects.
I write about this often and then someone will ask how many hours and what does this save the club in labor costs. I am thinking an answer of, “Well, a lot” is not sufficient. We are going to try quantifying the number of volunteer as best we can and will have a final accounting at the Volunteer Recognition Event on 14 Sep.
Thanks to the members who volunteered for project day. The following members provided over 90 hours of labor.
MIKE FARINA EVAN CODY ROXANNE ANDREWS
MAX TUCKER LOU WALSH BETH BASSETT
TAYLOR DWYER KATE OPEDISANO KAREN FLYNN
HEIDI HARKINS PAUL DUNKLEBERGER DAN DESJARDINES
CINDY WALKANOWSKI BETTY RICE RICK FUNARO
TOM HUGHES MARY SYMANSKI PAUL STEVES
MATT GORMLEY BILL TUCKER SUE KAHLER
DONNA NEVILUS RON SYMANSKI JOAN JOHNSON
DISCOUNTED GUEST PASSES
We are again offering the popular discounted guest passes. Passes are $35 and include a cart and may be purchased from June 10 thru June 17 inclusive. You must be in the group using your passes. The Board approved changing the expiration date of the passes purchased this year. Passes purchased in December 2017 will expire at the end of the 2018 golfing season. Passes purchased in June 2018 will expire at the end of the 2019 golfing season. Plan accordingly and see the pro shop to get yours.
Run for the Board
On October 12th, we will have our annual meeting of the stockholders to elect two (2) members to your Board of Directors. New Board members will be elected to carry out the important work of operating the golf course. It is not too early to consider running for election. Anyone who has served on the BOD can tell you that it is hard, but rewarding work. I have listened to many opinions on how things should be done these past few years. It is now time for those with the time, ideas and dedication to step forward and lead, not just observe from the sidelines.
No Director shall hold office for more than two (2) consecutive terms. A Director shall be elected and serve for three (3) years. He/She must have at least three (3) consecutive years of membership and be a Member in good standing to be eligible to serve as a Director. He/She must also own at least one share of stock in the club to be eligible to serve as a member of the Board.
CALENDAR
The club calendar on our website has been updated with all known activities. Things change quickly so be sure to check back often. Below are a couple of important upcoming dates. Please mark your calendars.
25 May – 5:30 PM Cocktail Tasting Event
2-3 Jun - 2018 BMW of South Albany Member Member
13 Jun – Men’s Guest Day
16-17 Jun – Presidents Cup
12 Oct – 7:00 PM 2018 Annual Shareholders/Membership Meeting
See you on the course.
Paul
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May 15th, 2018
We have continued to sign up new members, 51 as I write this update. The number of members that have resigned is 32 (plus another 2 that changed to social member) for a grand total of 34 members who paid dues last year that are not this year. So we do have a small net gain in membership and we still expect a few more new members to sign up.
We will meet our membership dues budget of $560,000 and likely exceed it. We currently have collected $473,000 in dues. This number does not include any of the dues we will collect by those paying by month. That number is approximately $86,000 so if nothing changes, we will reach our budget. However, we still have a handful of members who have told us they are coming back and have not paid any dues at all. If all of those members return, that will add an additional $14,000 to our total. And of course, any new members will add to the total.
This is great news since membership dues is the largest source of revenue. We are very close to our Corporate Pass holder program budget. We currently have 12 pass holders and our budget was for 13.
Our final source for revenue is public play, carts and tournaments. This has been a significant source of revenue for us in the past and has sustained us in times when our membership numbers were declining. We will be monitoring these numbers as we move through the year, comparing how we are doing from previous years and trying to determine if we will achieve our budget. Of course, weather plays a role in how well we do and certainly April was not a great start.
We continue to work on collecting the monies we are owed from 2017. The number is getting smaller and we will keep at it until we have collected it all. If we have to, we will use a collection agency to help us but we have not had to go that far in the past.
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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The golf season has finally arrived and the weather is improving each week. The Tuesday night men’s golf league has started. They have over 100 golfers this year. The seniors have returned from the south and are raring to start the Thursday morning senior’s league and the Thursday Ladies league is a go. The Saturday lottery tee times have started as well as the special events. I had my knee replaced at the end of March so I haven’t played yet but from what I’m hearing the course is in great shape.
The tournaments are about to start so if you like playing in them check the club calendar on line and sign up. Todd has fully stocked the Pro Shop with the newest styles in clothes and golf gear so stop in and see him.
As I mentioned before, our membership has been growing each year and this year is no exception. That means the course will be busy especially on weekends and holidays. Please be considerate of the other golfers on the course. If everybody keeps play moving the game is more fun.
If you have any concerns or questions, please feel free to let Todd or me know.
Hit them long and straight but most of all have fun.
Tony Lupino
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Fox- Membership report 5-2018.
Welcome, finally, to the spring golf season. Many members attended the Kick-off Party in April. It was nice to meet new members and see old friends. Congratulations to the winners of the raffle. Each winner received a round of golf for four including a cart. The first winner was Patricia Steves. We’ll see if she lets Paul play in her group. The second winner was Matt Bradt. He is brand new member, and has already benefited from his experience.
Many of you have been taking advantage of the beautiful weather. There are several new faces on the greens, so let’s welcome the new members of 2018.
2018 New Members
As you can see the new member list is growing, therefore the entire membership has also increased. Here are the numbers.
As I mentioned in the last Fox, the membership committee was very busy this winter. Besides the new application form, and updated website, the other big project was the Member Handbook. Thank you to Bill Tucker for heading up this project. I encourage all members to go online and read the handbook. Many members have questions about the club and procedures. Most of your questions can be answered in the Handbook. There is a link to the Handbook under the “Resources” Tab of the” Members Only” section of the website.
https://www.ballstonspacc.com/images/member_resources/BSCC-Members-Handbook.pdf
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Well we finally get some nicer weather as we make our way into May. April was ranked one of the coldest Aprils in average temperature. It seemed like every morning we had frost and the daily high would only get into the low 40s. With some warmer temps and some moisture this past week the course has really greened up and the grass has begun to grow. We aerified greens the week before last and the greens are healing up nicely with this change in temperature. I’m sure everyone loves to get the season underway with some warmer temps.
We have been working on some small projects over the past few weeks. We resodded some tees that were damaged from overplay last season. Number 1 and 3 blue tees were resodded with bentgrass sod from our nursery. Once they root in we will open them up for play. Next is some drainage on the right of the 7th green. This area has always been wet and I want the new approach to be as dry as we can have it. We have mowed all the new short grass on this new green surround and is coming in well. It will take some time but the green and the approach will get smoother and smoother just by being mowed and rolled. Another project is some scalping of some turfgrass areas. We started with the small fairways on 3 and 18. These areas have shrunk over time just by mowing. If you skip a little here and a little there then over time an edge can change and size can change. We scalped out these two areas to enlarge the fairway. There is no irrigation in these two areas so we will need some help from Mother Nature. Next will be some tees that have changed shapes over time.
Hopefully next week we will get back to our next green surround, 3. I’m sure you have noticed that we started this project last fall. We got a good start on the front bunker with removing sod and removing old sand. The topsoil around the bunker was removed and pilled to the side. Now the shaping can begin. I am hoping to have this project completed before Memorial Day. I will need help from volunteers and from Mother Nature. There will be a lot of sod to lay, a lot of liner to install and a lot of sand to put into these bunkers. Hopefully we also don’t get too much rain. Rain turns the area to a muddy mess and it makes it hard to work.
I’m happy the way the course came through the winter. It seems to be greening up very nicely. Greens are coming along from aerification. They will get smoother and smoother every day. We will give them another sugar coating of sand soon to smooth up any bumps or imperfections. The leagues have started and we will have our first member tournament soon which really makes it feel like we are underway with the 2018 season. Thank you to the volunteers for aerification and for project day. I couldn’t have done all that work with just my small crew. Thank you.
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2018 Member/Member Event Supported by BMW of South Albany
We are taking reservations for the Men’s and Women’s Member/Member event. You can sign up on the Golf Genius site or via the Golf Shop. The event fee is $150 per Team. We will be having a morning and an afternoon Shotgun Start for both days of the event. The plan as of today is to have the BMW Golf Cup Qualifier on day 2 of the event. There may be a possibility of an adjustment based on the weather. The event winner will qualify for the BMW Golf Cup Finals in Pinehurst, NC in October.
Membership Check in
We are asking that ALL Members to please check into the Golf Shop before playing. We have a tremendous amount of new members this season and as we get to know each and everyone of them, we need to learn everyones name so it helps to know who is on the golf course when they are here. We thank all for the help on this.
Tournament Results
The 4 Person Scramble just finished its event and the results can be found on Golf Genius but we would like to let all know who the winners of the event were.
1st Gross
Nick Fox , Jack Fox, Daryll Monast, MattRiggins with a score of 59.
1st Net Winners
Dave Ziobrowski, Wayne McCormick, Kevin Krogh, and Tom Grimes with a score of 54
Ladies winners were Kate Oppedisano, Kevy Smith, Deb DiMaggio, and Jeri Carr.
Congratulations to all of the winners.
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Tee to Green
All Tournament Results Reported Here Include Only Current Members for the Sake of Space
August 1998
Club Treasurer Peter McNamara published a report that states there will be a $32,000 increase in course expenses over last year, resulting in a total of $257,000, which, next year, represents 40% of our total expenditure for the year. Labor is $140,000turf and fertilizer $45,000, equipment and supplies $45,000 and capital expenses about $14,000.
House expenses were budgeted at $25,500 for gas and electricity, $45,000 in county and school taxes, $37,000 in liability and health insurance, $16,000 in mortgage principle payments, $40,000 in mortgage interest and an $80,000 debt reduction.
Tournaments
Men's scramble: Jimmy Bryant's team earned 4th place.
Women's scramble: Paula Provost's team came in 2nd.
Holiday Mixer: M. Tucker and B. Tucker were 1st gross with a 70, K. Oppedisano and T. Gregory, 2nd with 73, F. Wayand and J. Wayand were 3rd.
Men's Member Guest: B. Tucker and J. Fisher won the Championship flight, P. McNamara and J. Ryan were 2nd in the 4th flight.
Women's Member/Member: S. Kahler and C. Mahoney were 1st gross with a 70. Net: P. Stack and C. Delarm 1st, Sue Pollard and Diane Ashley were 2nd with a 57, G. Wayand and S. Mansfield posted a 58. Best individual gross scores were S. Kahler, 70 M. Tucker, 82 and G. Wayand, 87.
BSCC's 49th Pro Junior Tournament was held, with our Pro, Jim Hefti and his team of Ben Eldridge, Mark Thornhill and Jim Ohlson came 4th , the lowest individual Pro score was 70.
September 1998
Work to replace/repair the bridges on #10 and #12 will begin.
Tournaments
Women's Member/Guest: S. Mansfield and S. Kahler 2nd gross in the Lavender Flight.
Women's Club Championship: S. Kahler def. S. Mansfield in the Championship Flight, P. Provost def. MJ McChesny in the 2nd flight.
Men's Club Championship: D. Runyon def. R. Funaro in the 4th flight.
Men's Senior Match Play: J. Oppedisano def. B. Tucker in Playoff.
Women's Senior Stroke Play: K. Oppedisano 1st low gross, 84.
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Last week I was sharing a cup of Earl Grey English Breakfast Blend, or maybe it was something else, with the ever-young, indefatigable Jimmy Bryant and we were reminiscing about some members we partnered with 'way back in the previous century. The discussion reminded me of a piece I wrote 20 years ago and I decided to reproduce it here, because I don't have time to get original right now. In this version, I'm using full names.
The Game never fails to amaze me with its synchronicity with life. It sheds light on the mysteries of the human race, taking man's Unplayable Lies and placing them on the shiny, white Tee of Understanding, providing lots of swing space and a clear shot to an inviting green.
Take the issue of monogamy, for instance. Over the centuries, scholars in many fields have argued the relative tendency of the sexes towards monogamous relationships in the animal/human species, with the weight of the evidence pointing towards females preferring monogamy and males being more pro choice, shall we say.
My vast experience in the golf (read, "real") world however, shows that this assumption is a load of top dressing.
Four of my male golfing friends had a regular Sunday game last year. They played a simple two man hi-lo $2 Nassau with a progressive red white and blue individual scramble and obligatory 3-down press with optional even-hole air press privilege, team skins with carry-overs and net bingo-bango-bongo. And garbage. They played off handicap, so there was no reason not to mix up the teams every week. But they didn't. They refused to abandon their regular partner and participate in what they considered an adulterous affiliation.
This year, I took it upon myself to organize an eightsome that would tee off in adjacent foursomes every Sunday morning. I tried to get seven other guys who were of comparable handicap and temperament, and planned to mix up the foursomes and teams each week. A menage á huit, so to speak. A virtual golf partner orgy of non-commitment. After many phone calls I managed to get a total of seven souls. But we needed an eighth.
I phoned Tommy Peters. He needed to think about it, he said. Later, he called back, apologizing, explaining he could only join us if we accepted his long-time partner Pete Kanches. I explained we only had room for one. Tommy really wanted to be part of this group; you could tell by the way he whined that he was tempted by the Devil, but knew dissolving his relationship with his mate would not be worth the temporary thrill of a promiscuous Sunday morning group of golf swingers. Sandy would be proud of you for your display of loyalty, I told him. Sandy?, he asked. Your wife, I explained.
Steve Ludwin was my last hope. Like Tommy, he begged for time to consider. I didn't hear from him until the following week. I was sitting at the clubhouse bar, waiting for the Tuesday Night League organizational meeting to get underway, when Steve spotted me and surreptitiously made his way through the crowd to stand beside me. He couldn't look me in the eye and at that moment I knew what his answer would be. I bought him a beer.
He just couldn't do it, he said. He'd been playing with Jimmy Bryant for four years now, and it would be throwing everything that they had built together down the drain. I diverted my eyes, down and away, shamed by his rejection. I thought I could count on you Steve, I said. It's not like there are any children involved and it'll be a clean, quick divorce with no alimony obligations. He tried to placate me by saying we would be playing in the same flight every Tuesday, so we could still play a match now and then. I sneered at him, loathing him for wanting the uninhibited thrills of playing the field without giving up his cozy little relationship. It's us or Jimmy, I said. But he stood by his man.
If Margaret Meade, Masters and Johnson, Kinsey, Freud and the rest of those socio-anthropologic elitists had put down the books more often and hit the links for a few rounds, they would have seen the truth about monogamy and man.
In future essays, I will examine how golf has enabled me to solve the mysterious disappearance of the Mayan race, predict the Gross Domestic Product of the USA for the next century and understand women, subjects that had defied Man's comprehension for millennia, until golf came along.
Golf. It's the Game of Life.
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