|
President’s Letter
As I write this we have just experienced our first cool snap which reminds us of things to come. The Superintendent was able to accomplish all of his planned aeration tasks and then on schedule we received a beneficial rain. The course will recover quickly so get out and enjoy fall golf.
BSCC Annual Stockholders’ Meeting
Please attend this important meeting, or send us your proxies
The date of the Annual Stockholders Meeting has been established as October 12th 2018 commencing at 7:00 PM in the clubhouse. 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.
Within the next couple of days all stockholders should receive the official notice with a proxy enclosed. If you do not receive your notice please contact Julia in the office.
Volunteers
I have mentioned many times the generosity of our members in taking pride and ownership in their club and volunteering for the many projects. Back in the May Fox I indicated that I would try to quantify the number of volunteer hours and what this saves our club in labor costs. Well the figures are in. By my accounting during the period 1 Jan thru 31 Aug members provided 3219 hours. I believe this number might be low as we sometimes forget to do the paper work after the task is accomplished. The tougher part is what is an hour of labor worth?? Volunteering time as the club Comptroller, developing a successful recruiting and retention plan, or managing a million-dollar business might be per hour worth a little more than shoveling plugs on aeration days. However, all are important to our success. So, I took a SWAG and came up with a very conservative figure of $25 per hour.
If my math is correct this equates to a saving to our club (and all members) of $80,475 for this 8-month period.
THANK YOU VOLUNTEERS.
See you on the course
Paul
Election Board of directors
My name is Roger Laime and I would like your support in my reelection to the Board of Directors (BOD) at the Ballston Spa Country Club. My family and I have been members since 2008 and have served on the BOD since October of 2015. I have been on the Executive Board, serving the role of Secretary during my first year, and have been the Chairman of the House/Restaurant Committee for the last two years.
Over the last three years we have achieved numerous accomplishments, including the passing of the bunker renovation project, completed the renovation of the dining room and bar areas, painting of the pro shop/cart barn and course bathrooms, installing the outside walk in cooler and refurbishing the cooler shed, installing a new roof on the clubhouse, purchased and installed new pizza ovens and a refrigerated preparation table for the kitchen, replaced the aging hot water heaters in the club house and many other smaller projects on the grounds.
My goals as a BOD member really have not changed since I was last elected; promote new membership, reduce operating expenses, maintain the course and facilities and reduce the member’s annual contributions.
I ask for your support in seeking this position. The BOD faces many challenges throughout each year and I feel that it is through working together that we are able to solve the problems as they arise. I would be honored to continue to be your representative and represent the membership’s opinion.
Secretary's Report
Entrance Sign
I hope members are pleased with our new sign. I know I am. It was a united effort by many of our members.
We are grateful to member Todd Duval, owner of Constructive Copy, who made the actual signage for the Club - gratis.
Steve Solsky, as usual did his thing from digging the postholes with the precision of a surgeon to removing the old sign with a huge smile on his face.
The design for the sign structure came from Steve McCorkell a few years ago. According to Steve, Mark Yale, our super craftsman, built the basic structure “spot on” and he did it at his own shop. The structure is made of quality wood including cedar and fir. Mark was involved through installation of the actual signage.
Of course as usual Ziggy was there from start to finish doing what had to be done. Joan Johnson and Betty Rice painted the sign. Other committee members Sue Kahler, Joyce Bassett and Martin Morey assisted with fundraising, obtained outside proposals and offered valuable direction throughout the project up to the final choice. Todd Manderson offered his advice and assistance throughout.
We should all support our members who through their businesses contribute generously to our club. Todd Duval specializes in all forms of printing - use his company and take advantage of the craftsmanship of Mark Yale.
The committee will now focus on landscaping around the sign. We have asked our resident expert Max Tucker, who makes our course so beautiful, for landscaping suggestions.
Twenty-Five members plus the Women’s Association contributed $4800. Thank you. After all expenses are paid, there is $800 remaining for landscaping around the sign.
Dick Cody
|
|
|
September 15th, 2018
Membership revenue remains on track for $585,000 for the year that is $25,000 over our budget projection.
Green fee and cart revenue was strong again in August with annual revenue for these 2 cate-gories at $245,000 for the year. Our projected budget was $340,000, with $225,000 for green fees and $115,000 for carts. I believe that we will fall a little short of our projections. With so many new members, our cart revenue has been very good and I think we can achieve that and maybe exceed it. Our green fees will be more challenging to reach. All of those pur-chased guest passes have already been accounted for and many of those will be getting used as we approach the end of the season (with no increase to revenue). We have also been much more strict in not allowing outside play on our private days which has certainly had a posi-tive impact on the membership getting tee times to play. Of course, the downside is some impact to revenue.
I will providing the Golf Shop with an updated list of members who are late with their res-taurant and golf shop charges (and therefore not able to play golf). This continues to be a very time consuming task and I have engaged the membership committee and the Board of Directors to discuss what options may exist to increase on time payments and therefore re-duce the effort in this area. I expect there to be more communication on this as we move through the end of the golf season.
Last month I mentioned the infrastructure issue we have in the clubhouse. We did receive our first estimate to fix the problem, which was over $25,000. We are working on additional estimates and we will ultimately have to make a decision on how to best remedy the prob-lem. Even if the first estimate if 50% high, $12,500 is still a lot to spend and can easily use up much or all of any positive cash flow from this year.
Sincerely,
Rick Funaro,
Treasurer |
|
|
|
|
We are going into the fall golf season my favorite time to play golf. The trees will be turning, there is a coolness to the air and the golf course is so lush this time of the year. With the abundance of trees and flowers we have, the course is beautiful. We have had a good year so far and anticipate it to continue. We continue to get inquiries from potential new members.
We have several events coming up in September and October so I thought I would give you a heads up. On Friday September 14 6-8 PM Volunteer Recognition event, on Sunday September 16 11am-12pm, Women’s League Outing, on Monday September 17 11-3:30 Pennell’s Restaurant Event, 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, on October12 7pm the annual Shareholders/Membership Meeting, on October 27 at noon the cross country 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.
In addition to being the board member in charge of golf I’m also the assistant Treasurer. As a reminder, the bill you receive each month is due the month following the charges, i.e.; August’s bill is due in September etc.. We have to pay the restaurant the month following your charges so please pay your bill 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
|
August 2018
Membership
Membership remains steady this fall at 358 members. The committee continues to meet monthly to discuss how to promote new membership while retaining and supporting our current membership. We are aware that there are only so many tee times per day and a limited number during prime weekend spots. While we have not set a steadfast cap to membership, the discussion continues to arise. It is one of the challenges we plan to address in the coming months. For now, we have reduced new member incentives, as we realize our current membership is quite valuable. We prorated the fall rates, but we did not add a fall incentive. We still have few months left of beautiful fall golf, so get out there and enjoy it.
High School Golf at Ballston Spa County Club
Thank you to our membership for your support of the Ballston Spa HS Golf program. We currently have 32 players in the Varsity and JV programs. While only the Varsity play at BSCC, the JV players will soon be working their way up the ranks. The Varsity team has played 6 matches so far, and are 2-6. During the men’s league outing, we raised a little over $400. We will be seeing the ladies at their outing as well. You can follow the team on Twitter at #Bspavarsitygolf.
|
|
|
We are now into September. The days are definitely getting shorter. We have moved our stating time for maintenance from 5:30 to 6:00. Even at 6:00 it is hard to see what we are doing. Some of our equipment has lights and some do not. Even with lights, it is difficult to do a good job mowing in the dark. The aeration on the greens, tees, and approaches is complete. We worked on this massive project last week after Labor Day. We had lots of volunteers and the process went very well. I would have preferred to have some cooler temperatures. I think we were around 90 each day that week. The greens looked great before we did anything but with the stress of aeration we did ding up a couple greens. They will recover and with the cooler weather we are experiencing now and the rain that is coming, the course should shape up nicely. We were also able to seed our sod nursery last week as well. Our volunteers weeded the entire area and we spread fresh aeration plugs. After spreading the plugs we seeded the area and rolled the surface. Finally we put some starter fertilizer down. We should see some grass popping in a couple weeks. Thank you to the volunteers that help last week. The aeration of the course could not have gotten done this well and as quickly without you. Getting the sod nursey seeded back down was also very important. This large sod area is vital to any project that we wish to do and gives me good sod for fixing areas around the course. Thank you. We will work on fairways next week. The pro shop will keep you updated on times when we will be working on them. Thank you for your patience during this aeration process.
|
Golf Shop Credits
The credits that all have accumulated over the season are now on your accounts. Please stop in while the selections are still good to spend it down. The Special Orders for products using Merchandise Credits will be sold at Retail Cost. We will special order Golf Shoes and such using the credits. I do carry the credits over to the following seasons but would like to see it spent down by the end of the season. Thanks in advance for all of your support and your understanding.
Rules of Golf
There will be a few Rule Changes for the 2019 Season and I will be brushing up the changes and just looked at a few and all can find the changes on the USGA website. One rule change is that you will be able to hole out with the flagstick in the hole starting in 2019. This is a good one I feel.
BMW Golf Cup
We will be heading down to Pinehurst Resort in the beginning of October with the BMW Golf Cup winners of Paula Laime and Ruth Brady. They both are looking forward to the event and participating on Pinehurst #2. They will be playing #2 for 2 of the rounds. This golf course is a very challenging golf course and very fun to play. We will check back and give you all the GGID numbers so the membership can follow along while the players are participating in the event. I will send an email out to the membership.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
.
One is the Loneliest Number
Many golfers consider the ace to be the perfect golf stroke. Most of us labor our entire life without experiencing the thrill. I flailed at the little white bugger for 32 years before getting the first one, and then had three more in the next four years.
However, as a famous Italian poet put it, man's reach should exceed his grasp, else what's a heaven for? Specifically, the unforgettable what's-his-name was referring to that odd phenomenon that afflicts golfers who have achieved their first hole-in-one: the search for the perfect hole-in-one instantly becomes their primary objective in life. You see, acedom is not enough, once you get there. Unless that uni-stroke entails all of the elements that mark it as perfect, it will never be enough.
I humbly believe I may have reached, or at least knocked on the door of this highest level of aceism with my last hole-in-one. More about this later.
Certain elements that remove a hole-in-one from contention are obvious. For example, it's a lucky ace. You knock it in off a tree, or rock or, like my friend, a bunker rake. You're playing alone (this seems to happen a lot, but I can't prove it), or with strangers in a strange land who will never be able to give it that third party credibility over a beer with all your buddies and buddettes.
For instance, my first one-shot happened on the ninth hole, where the bottom of the pin was not visible from the tee. Not good, because the biggest thrill of an ace is watching it disappear underground, like a frightened prairie dog. The second factor that removed it from the quintessential category was that, although friends on the green had waved us up (remember when we used to do that?), they were looking for a lost ball, so no one actually saw the deed happen.
My second was much better. Not only did I see my shot land 200 yards away onn the 15th, but my playing partner and I also saw it bounce twice and roll into the hole. This may sound perfect, but it's not even close, even though it occurred during a major tournament at our club, and was responsible for my wife The Amazing Max and I winning the thing. The flaws in this effort were that my spouse couldn't see the ace from her position on the red tees (very important if you're into conjugal one-upmanship), and I had forgotten to sign up for ace insurance that year, meaning the humongous bar bill took the edge off the thrill. Also, the ball was really motoring when it hit the pin and dropped, so the luck element was present.
Number three certainly had a major qualification for the perfect ace, in that I called it. I was playing Tobacco Road in NC with my son and as we looked at the 120 yard hole, I said "My strategy here is pretty simple: just land it ten feet long and left of the pin and let it feed back into the hole." Which is exactly what happened, although it once again loses points because we didn't see it go in because of the pin location. It does gain a slight improvement in points though, because my son said he heard it hit the pin.
The reason number four was close to the perfect ace was that, once again it occurred during a major mixed tournament while playing with Max. Once again it was responsible for getting a win, a deposit in our Golf Shop credit account, and this time I had insurance.
This time also, the entire foursome saw the little bugger go in the hole. What brings super-eminence to this one is the form and the circumstance. Not only was the pin three paces from the back, not only was there a stiff breeze in our face, but I was between clubs and finally decided on the eight iron, though I teed it up two club lengths back of the tee markers. Normally when I go through this ritual, the ball ends up two club lengths short (at minimum) of where it should be.
But not this one. When I hit it, it was that once-every-fifty-shots feeling of getting it bang on the sweet spot. It soared right at the flag. People mouthed the usual phrases about being the right stick, etc. It flew the pin and landed on the last possible inch of green.
And then, the final seconds that would bring this ace close to perfection happened, as it sucked back those few feet into the hole. Form is everything in an ace.
But I know I can do better.
Man blames fate for other accidents but feels personally responsible for a hole in one.
Martha Beckman
|
September, 2000
Only 11 couples have signed up for the 75th Anniversary function. The Board made no decision as to whether to continue to plan the function.
Trophies that were removed from the Trophy Room will be replaced.
The Board will mount an aggressive campaign to market and sell the 75th Anniversary glasses that were ordered.
The traps on #8 and #9 are being reshaped, the driveway/parking lot specs have been finalized and bids asked for.
Tournament Results (Current Members only, are reported here).
King and Queen: Suzie Mansfield and Jimmy Bryant were 3rd, Pat and Dick Stack were 8th.
Ladies Mini Member Guest: 1st Gross: Suzie Mansfield and Sue Kahler and their guests won 1st Gross. Claudia Mahoney and her guests won 2nd Gross. Debby Cottrell and guests won 2nd Net.
Ryder Cup: Women 22, Men 8.
Two Women Scramble: Max Tucker and Paulette Martin won 1st Gross.
Two Man Scramble: Bill Glindmyer and partner were 2nd Gross winners. Tom Hudy and Chris Brady were 2nd Net winners. Jack Cottrell and J. Cottrell were 4th Net winners.
The Rody Classic: 2nd: Pat Stack & partner. 4th: Kate Oppedisano & partner. T6th: Sue Kahler and Tucker; Max Tucker & partner; Pete Kanches and Suzie Mansfield. T9th: Jack Cotttrell & partner, Dick Stack & Paulette Martin.
|
|
|
|
|