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August 15, 2018
Where has the time gone?
The golfing season is flying by and by all accounts we are past the mid-point of a very successful year. Our Men’s and Woman’s 2018 Club Champions will be crowned this weekend (18 & 19 Aug) and the deadline for sign-up is today. Don’t miss out on this fun event. We are talking end of year events for the Men’s and Woman’s leagues, fall aeration schedule, 2019 budget planning, and the Annual Stockholders Meeting and Elections.
If you like hot and humid it has been a good stretch. The recent rain has ensured that the irrigation pond is back up to early spring levels. The golf course is in great shape and the compliments from our guests keep coming. It is amazing that the Superintendent and Staff can react to all the environmental challenges and provide you the great playing conditions you enjoy on a daily basis. When you see the staff out working hard give them a wave and a smile to acknowledge their hard work.
Annual Stockholders Meeting
The date of the Annual Stockholders Meeting has been established as October 12th, 2018 commencing at 7:00 PM in the clubhouse. Please mark your calendar and plan on attending.
The purpose of the Annual Meeting is to elect two (2) members for the Board of Directors who will be responsible to carry out the important work of operating your golf course. Term of office is for three years.
To be eligible to serve as a Director you must have at least three (3) consecutive years of membership and be a Member in good standing. 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.
If you are wondering what a position on the Board entails, please reach out to any of the current Board members. We will be glad to share our experiences, successes and maybe some frustrations. I promise there will be no violence and do not believe Tony Lupino when he says he was tackled and dragged to last year’s meeting!!
If you are interested in serving on your Board of Directors, please let Julia know and send a short essay (no more than 250 words) and a photo to her at office@ballstonspacc.com. Platforms and pictures will be published in the September 15th Fox Newsletter in the order they are received. Please forward not later than September 12.
VOLUNTEER RECOGNITION
I have always marveled, and written about, the generosity of our members in taking pride and ownership in their club and their volunteer spirit. From sharing their expertise and wisdom on one of the many committees to shoveling plugs on aeration day they have saved BSCC many dollars and allowed us to provide you the best playing conditions possible.
We have scheduled a Volunteer Recognition night for 14 September starting at 6:00 PM in the clubhouse. Please mark your calendars and plan on attending.
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.
18-19 Aug – Men’s and Woman’s Club Championship
26 Aug – Men’s Tuesday Night League End of Year Event
4-5 Sep – Greens Deep Tine Aerification (Weather permitting)
16 Sep – Woman’s Thursday Night League End of Year Event
14 Sep – Volunteer Recognition Event
27 Oct – 2018 Cross Country
See you on the course.
Paul
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August 15th, 2018
Our membership revenue continues to be estimated at $580,000 to $585,000 for the full year. That is $20k to $25k over our budget.
Our green fee and cart revenue for the first 14 weeks (mid April through July) is in line with previous years so I’m cautiously optimistic that we will achieve our budget for this year. We did very well in July as the weather cooperated and the golf course continued to be in outstanding condition. August has been pretty wet but I’m hoping we can have another good month. Having to close the day on a Saturday is never helpful. We need to continue to have all go well for us to reach our budget for green fee and cart revenue.
We do have some significant infrastructure issues that will have to be dealt with this winter that has the potential to cost significant dollars. The small room off the bar where the walk in freezer is, that floor is failing badly and will need a professional to come in and shore it up properly. Roger Laime has braced it up temporarily to prevent the problem from getting worse. Also, the floor in the bar area is very soft and very well may need to be replaced. This work does have the potential to use up any potential positive cash flow we might have been expecting for this year.
The Board is unanimous in their decision to enforce the no-pay, no-play policy.
Therefore the office provided the Golf Shop with a list of members who are way behind in paying their bills. They will not be allowed to play until they are paid. This is just a reminder that if you are not receiving a bill (we email them and also send them via USPS), please let us know. We do sometime get feedback that members did not get one. It appears to the office that everything has worked, so please let us know. Also, if you move, it is important to let the office know so we can update your mailing address and ensure you get your bill. You can also check your bill online and even pay it online.
The members on the above list were well over 45 days late (still owed for May). We will be continuing to provide the Golf Shop with additional names in the coming days and weeks for those who are late on paying June’s bill. The Board cannot encourage you all enough, please take care of your bill. The number of hours that the office spends on this issue is tremendous and it is not pleasant to have to provide the list to the Golf Shop and it is certainly not pleasant for the Golf Shop staff to be the ones informing the members that they cannot play golf because they are late paying their bills.
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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In June and July we were praying for rain now we are praying it stops. We had to close the course one Saturday because we got 2.5 inches of rain in two days. Considering all this, the course is in great shape. We are starting the second half of the season, the leagues are starting to whine down and the sun is setting sooner each day. Before you know it fall will be here.
The Ballston Spa Ladies’ Member Guest sold out and from what I heard they had quite the party - even costumes. Those ladies sure know how to have fun.
We have several events coming up in August, September and October so I thought I would give you a heads up. On Sunday 8/18-19 Men’s/Women’s Club Championship, on Saturday 8/26 Tuesday League Year End Outing 8:30-1:30, Friday September 14 6-8 PM Volunteer Recognition event, on Saturday September 16, Women’s League Outing, on Saturday September 22, 1-6 PM NYSCOSS Golf Event, Monday September 24 Unlimited Potential Event 12-5 PM, Monday October 1, 9-1:30 Adirondack Adv. Chiropractic Golf Event. These events are all listed on our calendar which can be reached through the Ballston Spa CC app. If you have any questions about any of these events please contact the pro shop.
I played golf last Saturday and fixed at least 3 ball marks on each green. If this was during the week I might be able to understand that this could happen but on Friday-Sunday it’s just members and guests. If you fix a ball mark as soon as it happens it will repair itself but if you don’t it leaves a brown spot. Please fix your ball marks and any other ones you see. If you’re not sure how to fix a ball mark ask Todd or one of his crew. Also all the carts have two sand bottles on them. These are to be used to fix fairway divots. Please fix your divots and any others that are near yours. The members own the golf course so anything we can do to keep it in the great shape it’s in will only make playing that much better. Thanks.
The Saratoga Track season runs until the beginning of September. This brings in a lot of nonmembers that want to play golf before the races start. If you want to play mornings during track season, I suggest you sign up for a tee time instead of just showing up to play.
In addition to being the board member in charge of golf I’m also the assistant Treasurer. As a reminder, your bill you receive each month is due the month following the charges, ie; June’s bill is due in July etc. We have to pay the restaurant the month following your charges so please pay your bills on time.
Todd and his crew are always there to answer any questions you might have and they will try to accommodate you if at all possible.
Hit them long and straight but most of all have fun.
Tony Lupino
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August 2018
The dog days of summer are upon us, and the golf is perfect. At least the course, my game can use some work. Membership numbers have plateaued. There were no changes since last month. However, we are only a little over 50% into the season, so there is a still a lot of time to join and play. Some people have asked about late season specials and/or prorated rates. The new member specials and Junior Executive rates are in effect all year, but we are prorating those rates for the remainder of the season. The chart below gives a sample of those rates. Players who join now would qualify for the 2018 membership special. Which means anyone who joins now would be eligible for the 2018 rate and the published discount in 2019 and 2020. However, there will be no money going towards a share of stock from the dues collected this year. Current member would be eligible for the 2018 incentive in 2019 and 2020 if your friend/family rejoins in the following year(s).
Please call the business office and speak to Julia to discuss the details. She can answer any of your questions.
Women’s Member Guest 2018
The Women’s Member-Guest tournament was an event made memorable this year by the fantastic weather and the abundance of fun. The theme was 50s Rock N Roll. Many participants showed up for play in costumes befitting of the era—poodle skirts, greasers and beauticians were in abundance. Before play the 92 participants were serenaded with 50s music which the neighbors were not as enthusiastic about. We lowered the volume of music but did not lower the volume of laughter and enjoyment heard throughout the course during play. The format this year was nine holes of a Shamble and nine holes of a Scramble which made for a lot of fun. A spectacular luncheon followed in the dining room adorned with 45s, LPs, Elvis and cruise-in cars. The root beer float made for a good ending to a great event.
The 1st flight gross winning team with a score of 59 was the foursome of Catherine Hennessy, Mary Shomo, Kristen Mahoney, and Stacie Eaton. The 1st flight net winning team with a score of -23 was comprised of Beth Bassett, Jess Chapin, Maureen DeLuke and Liz Santabarbara.
The 2nd flight team winners were Linda Hughes, Megan Squires, Sarah Nagle and Kristy Apholtz with a score of 76. The 2nd flight net winners were Linda Lake, Nancy Ingersoll, Kevy Smith and Jill Paltrowitz with a net score of -19.
Thank you for the participation of all the women who played in the tournament, the effort of the Committee to make it special, the many raffle prize donations, the wonderful food provided by Henry’s, the work of the ProShop and the exceptional volunteers that combined to make for a very successful event. Looking forward to next year! Remember: If you are having fun you have already won!
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We have been quite a weather roller coaster this past month. Hot and humid conditions have made things a challenge to keep the course looking good. The frequent down pours also add to our workload. After those heavy rains we have to pump low areas that are flooded and regrade cart paths. Keeping up with the grass has been challenging as well. Warm temperatures and moisture really makes the grass grow. Our new bunkers have been weathering these storms quite well. They don’t wash and haven’t filled with water yet. I’m very happy with the way they are performing. Overall I think we are in good shape. We have done a lot of rounds this past month and there have been a lot of nice compliments. It’s hard to believe that we are into August already. The season seems to be flying right buy. After Labor Day we will be aerifying the golf course. This annual maintenance is very important. Our current conditions are attributed to our hard work with the aerification of greens, tees, and fairways. Please check with the pro shop during this time after Labor Day. The entire course will never be closed but a 9 that we are working on could be. Thank you for your patience during this important cultural practice.
Steve Solsky |
Senior Men’s Member Guest Event
The Senior Men’s Member Guest Event had 40 players and all had a good time. The Gross Winner of the event was Kevin Krogh and his guest Bill Welch. The Net Winners were Tony Lupino and Larry Ulrich from the Cedar Lake Club. Congratulations to the winners and thanks to all for the support.
Men’s Guest Day
The Men’s Guest Day was a success on August 10th. Alan Helson and his guest came down to the wire in the shootout with John Lockwood and Pat Murphy . John and Pat came out on top with the Shootout Victory. We had 57 Players in the event and all really enjoyed the event. We haven’t had one of these events in a few years and all seemed to happy with the results of it. We will do another for next season.
Hole in Ones
We had a successful week filled with 4 Hole in Ones from August 9, 10, and 11. Kevin Keelan made his 1st Hole in One on Thursday with a 1 on the 2nd Hole. The next winner was Nick Gramuglia on the 15th Hole during the Men’s Guest Day, The 3rd was on the same day. It was Paul Monast. He had his 1st Hole in One on 9th Hole during the Men’s Guest Day also. And the 4th Hole in One during the 3 day stint was Dan Loewenstein. He made his on Hole #2 also. This was Dan’s 2nd Hole in One on the season. He made another earlier in the season at Van Schaik island during a fundraising event. Congratulations to all who made their very 1st Hole in One ever. It is quite an accomplishment and adds great joy to the game of golf.
Folds Of Honor Golf Event
We will be hosting a Folds of Honor Golf event at Ballston Spa Country Club on Monday August 27th. The event will kick off at 1 pm. We plan on having a speaker coming up to tell their story and the meaning of the foundation and how it affects so many peoples lives with the support of these local events that are hosted. The Entry Fee for the event will be $100/Per Player and the format will be a 4 Person Scramble. So with that being said, we are looking for teams to help support this great cause. You can sign up in the Golf Shop with your team. Thanks in Advance for the support.
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Hamish MacDougall dropped the clubs he was carrying under his arm at the side of the green, retaining only his putter. As he walked towards his ball, he tried to gauge the contours of the land under his feet, although he was thinking the generous shot of Macallans he took with his morning porridge probably wasn't helping in this endeavor. Squatting briefly behind his ball, he thought, Och, ye'll be needin' tae gie it a wee bit more, Hamish lad. It's uphill on dewy grass and workin' toward the Firth o' Forth bridge. Two seconds later he struck his putt to the center of the cup.
One hundred and twenty-two years later, Dustin Jordan removed his glove, folded it and placed it in his back pocket so that the fingers flapped out. He and his caddie Jason Justin walked to his ball on the green. Dustin marked it, picked it up and threw the ball to Jason to be cleaned, then they both surveyed the putt. Dustin knelt behind the ball and plumb bobbed with his putter, while Jason stood behind him and extended first one, then two fingers toward the hole, using the aim-point method of reading the putt. Dustin rose and conferred with Jason.
"Stimp is 12.3, correct, Jase?"
"Yeah, but they stimped a freshly cut green, whereas, this green was one of the first cut this morning." He consulted the Green Cutting Log provided by the USGA. "Yeah, the cut was about 90 minutes before the stimp cut."
"So..."
"I'm thinkin' 12.1."
"Moisture?" This had been a sticking point between them since Dustin had interviewed Jason for the caddie job. While Jason's credentials had been excellent during the 3 day process of vetting him for the job, he had always gone with the moisture tension method, whereas Dustin preferred the moisture content technique. Dustin watched as his caddie inserted a probe into the green's surface.
"It looks like we've got a 150 kPa."
"So, about 10%?"
"Yeah, pretty dry. Breaks should be about 15% more than an average kPa. Grain is helping by 33 degrees from the left but the wind speed is 11.6 mph, hurting from the right, so on a putt of this length it's going to pretty much offset that boost we're gettin' from the grain."
Dustin took his yardage book out of his other back pocket and they looked at it.
"Four percent left, for the first 8 feet, flat for the next 3 ½ , then 2% right for the rest of the putt, about 6 and ¾ feet. Total altitude differential of +2.5 inches."
Jason had been entering all the information into his cell phone, using the OmniPutt HoleMaster app. He held the phone so that Dustin could see an animated preview of the successful putt from three different perspectives, with stats about break and stroke strength. Dustin nodded, then knelt to place his ball behind his lucky marker, aligning the line on the ball with the point described by the app. He then walked to the other side of the hole, squatted, rose, looked at the slope from the side view, then returned to his ball, took three practice swings, removed his marker, took two more practice swings, placed the putter head carefully behind the ball, got comfortable with his grip and stance then stroked the putt, watching as it horseshoed out, leaving him a tricky three footer.
"He looked up at his caddie. "Freakin' coffee!"
Jason frowned, "I keep tellin' ya, two cups max, and give up the high test for crying out loud."
This week the USGA will be discussing their new Green Slope Book restrictions with the players. Some PGA Tour players have been using books published by StrackaLine and sold to the pros for about $150. The proposed rules state the books will be restricted to breaks of a minimum of 4% (2.29 degrees) and must be printed in a maximum scale of 3/8 of an inch to five yards (1:480). The rationale for the second restriction is to minimize the size of the book to a pocket sized publication as well as restricting the space for hand written notes. These are still allowed, although they can't be "used to create either a direct copy or a facsimile (replica) of a detailed green map." Well, how in the hell are we going to police this? And add another half hour to your viewing pleasure.
Aside from perpetuating the game's reputation for massively detailed, enervating rules, there are other issues this announcement raises. Pace of play is the obvious problem that will be exacerbated by the use of these books, but let's look at the big picture. Where do you draw the line when it comes to allowing some aids that help a golfer while restricting or proscribing others?
What does a green slope book do that a caddie doesn't do a version of on every green? Yardage books are allowed on tour, but rangefinders and GPS aren't, because...? There's no logical means of splitting these hairs, as far as I can determine and that's why I say let's find out who's the best golfer at every professional tournament by allowing a player to use his senses, his memory and his intelligence as his only advisory input; his own muscles the only means of transporting the tools of his trade.
I realize I'm putting hundreds of caddies on the soup line and indeed that realistically a return to the origins of the game are never going to happen. But wouldn't it be great to see, just once, these athletes play the game alone, free from physical, technological, or any other form of outside help?
Someone once said golf epitomized Man's three classic forms of struggle: Man against Man, Man against Nature and Man against Himself (I apologize for not making this gender neutral. Sigh). It's true that golf can be regarded in all these forms, but "Man and his Caddie and Green Slope Book against Nature" just loses its punch, don't ya think? We need to think more Hamish MacDougall and less Dustin Justin Jason Jordan.
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February/March 2000
In the President's Letter, Todd Manderson is introduced to the Membership. He comes to us from Sadaquada in Utica. Among his credentials, it's noted that he's won PGA Sectional awards for Teaching and Merchandising, has three course records and has played in the B.C. Open three years.
We have finally retired the Member Takeover debt, a substantial achievement.
Our 2000 budget is $757,777
A dues increase of 9% was passed back in November, 1999.
Membership exceeds 380.
In a "Did You Know?" article, Barbara Cardinali mentions, among other things:
In September, 1925, the John G. Gilman Farm, consisting of 116 acres, was purchased for $6,500 by 12 gentlemen of Ballston for the sole purpose of creating a golf course"
Dues for the 1925 season were $25.00
Stock was valued at $50/share.
First Project Day was 10/10/1925
Gene Sarazen played the course in 1934 and was quoted as saying "BSCC is the best-groomed course in the Albany vicinity."
April 2000
The President's Letter revisits the concept of going completely private, noting it would cost about $100/Member extra each year to make up for the walk-on green fees loss.
The mixed Friday evening Bucks and Does League starts its 35th year.
Barbara Cardinali wrote an article celebrating Doug Welch's 67 years as a Member and mentions his course record of 64 (playing the 9 hole version of our course twice) and his 5 years as Men's Club Champion.
Fran Wayand is congratulated for winning both the Women's 1999 Match Play Championship and the Women's Medal Play Championship at the Port Malabar Golf Course in Melbourne, Florida over the winter.
Another Barbara Cardinali article deals with the Great Depression and war years of BSCC.
10/7/1932: Club Pro Dan DePalma was laid off. Dues and Green Fees were down 40% from 1931, to $6,300.
1/3/1934: Tim O'Connell was hired for $750/year but this was reduced to $700 in 1941.
Membership dropped to 20 during the war years and 10 members contributed $100 each to keep the club solvent.
1947 dues were raised to $35.00, women and students paid $15.00.
1953: 10,000 score cards were printed for $72.15.
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