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President’s Letter
Hello and Welcome to the 2019 Golfing Season. I trust everyone survived the winter. The Superintendent and staff had the course ready to go. The snow had melted, the green covers were off, equipment had been serviced, leaves, pine cones and twigs were removed. Everything was set for our opening on April 6th. Then mother nature turned fickle. The high winds while helping to dry the course caused the leaves and twigs to make a comeback. And then this was the view on the morning of opening day.
The temp rebounded quickly, and the first group of the year went off at 1:30. We had 65 golfers on Saturday and 117 on Sunday.
Believe we are off to a good start with the Men’s Tuesday Night League organizational meeting, Woman’s Association meeting and the Opening Kick Off Party. Good seeing old friends and meeting new members. See Cindy’s membership article for an ever growing by name listing of new members and when you see a new face be sure to welcome them to the BSCC family.
Tuesday League Meeting
Opening Kick Off Party
The club calendar on our website has been updated with all known activities. Of note is our hosting of an American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) Event July 29 to August 1. I believe this is a great opportunity for BSCC to showcase our golf course and to continue to do our part in growing the game of golf. I had the opportunity to attend and observe the first AJGA event of the year at Timacuen Golf & Country Club in Lake Mary, Florida and was impressed by the level of competition. Check out the AJGA website at https://ajga.org/index-normal.asp and see the following article for more information.
I look forward to seeing you on the course and having a fun filled golfing year.
Paul |
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As you have heard from several sources, we are very excited to be hosting The American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) Albany Tournament July 28 – August 1, 2019. The week’s events include a Sunday qualifying round, Monday Junior-Am Fundraising Tournament, and Tuesday -Thursday tournament rounds. All golf will be played in the morning, except for Monday, so the course will be open for member, guest and outside play in the afternoons.
AJGA alumni include Phil Mickelson, Jordan Spieth, Paula Creamer, Lexi Thompson, Justin Thomas, Rickie Fowler, Tiger Woods, Morgan Pressel, Inbee Park, Sergio Garcia, Stacey Lewis and Alison Lee. Some of Ballston Spa members have also participated in the AJGA tournaments during their junior years. Evan Cody, Taylor Dwyer, Jimmy Gregg, and Louis Walsh were members of the AJGA when they were junior players. Now Ballston Spa Country Club has the opportunity to be the host club of the next rising star. By hosting, local AJGA members will have an opportunity to play in this event in their own backyard. Our members can watch these outstanding players, and have an opportunity to participate in the Junior-Am Tournament and play with them. Additionally, the proceeds from the tournament will go to one or more local charities. We are currently looking to identify those charities, as well as sponsors from our area.
In a recent BSCC notification, it was stated that hosting this event requires many hands, so we are looking for individuals to volunteer. Kate Oppedisano is serving as the volunteer chairperson and will be coordinating the volunteer effort. If you are interested in volunteering in any capacity, please contact Kate. Some duties may include, scoring, helping with pace of play and hospitality. Additionally, we are looking for help in sponsoring this event. There are many ways to help in this area. Bill Tucker is serving as the marketing chairperson and helping to coordinate sponsorship opportunities. Some possibilities include sponsoring players, a Junior-Am team, or even a tee. If you are interested in more information, please contact Bill. Rick Funaro is the main liaison between BSCC and the AJGA. If you have any questions, or would like to serve on one of the committees, please contact Rick.
Thank you for your support for this event,
BSCC BOD
Rick Funaro
tucats@nycap.rr.com – preferred contact for volunteering
518-428-1354 – preferred contact for questions
Kate Oppedisano
kho12866@yahoo.com – preferred contact for volunteering
518-469-3306 – preferred contact for questions
Bill Tucker
wtucker2@nycap.rr.com
518-893-7646 |
April 15th, 2019
With the first Treasurer’s report for 2019, we are fully expecting to reach our membership dues budget of $585,000. We are encouraged by the continued addition of new members joining BSCC. While we always have our share of resignations, for the past few years, new memberships have continued to outpace the resignations.
The Office (Julia) is very busy this time of the year, signing up new members, sending out membership packets, collecting dues and working with myself and Tony Lupino as we continue to work to collect monies we are owed from last year. We also are working the list of members who we have not heard anything from regarding their membership. If you are one of them, please call the office and let us know of your intentions. If you are not coming back, it is important for us to know so we can accurately project our dues revenue for the year.
I continue to highlight the need for some of our member’s to pay their bills in a timely manner. It is a significant effort every month to put together the list of members who are late with their bills. It is a lot of work because it must be perfect, it is not a list we can make a mistake with. With that being said, I will be trying my best this year to put that list together to ensure we do not have a repeat of this past year. BSCC ended up taking 5 members to collections. If a member is on that list, that means they will not be able to play golf until their bill is paid in full. So please, pay your bills on time. You can pay them online, you can leave a credit card on file in the office, mail us a check or leave a check with the Golf Shop. If you do not receive an invoice and you know you charged in the Golf Shop or restaurant, please let us know. When you move, you do need to let us know so that we can update our records and mail the bills to the proper address.
As we prepared the 2019 budget, we included $17,500 for repairs to the clubhouse. The room off the bar area had floor supports that were failing and in the bar area and behind the bar, the floor was rotting. We had 2 estimates, both over $20K to repair both problems. Thanks to Roger Laime and with the help of Steve and a few others, we were able to make those repairs for significantly less money. We used some of those savings to redo the floor in the dining room and also repair the entrance way in the basement. We also paid off the remaining balance for a loan we had on a piece of equipment. We then took out a new loan for 2 new John Deere utility carts that Steve needed. He retired 2 carry all utility carts, one 21 years old and the other 19 years old.
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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Well winter has finally ended or so we hope. The golf course is open, and I’m told the course is in good shape. We have a busy season coming up, our membership is up, the leagues will be starting soon, and so will the tournaments. Check our app and web site for the dates and start times. For all you new members there are several leagues for men and women. The Tuesday night men’s league had its startup meeting on April 9th. The league will be starting on April 30th. If you have not signed up and want to play, let Todd know and he will let the officers know. There’s a Thursday morning senior league. It has strict requirements (you have to be breathing, walking and talking) (talking is optional) so if you qualify and want to play check with the Pro.
The ladies also have a league on Thursday evening starting at 4:30. You can check with the Pro for more information. Weekend mornings are by a lottery system for those members that want to set up a tee time for a foursome. If you don’t have a group to play with there are three groups called the Herd, the Pile and the Slugs (great names). Let the Pro know you want to play and he will match you up in a foursome in one of the groups.
We are looking forward to the upcoming golf season. Take advantage of the events that are scheduled.
Hit them long and hit them straight but most of all have fun.
Tony Lupino
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Happy Spring!! That’s what the calendar says, even though this opening weekend we had a slight snow delay. However, as a friend of mine was told by her father, it just makes for good fertilizer. Once you arrive to the club this year, you will see some changes in and around the golf course. Photos have been on Facebook and Twitter, but you can see firsthand the work that has been done. The restaurant, bar, Men’s locker room, and golf shop all have had some repairs and /or refreshing.
I would like to thank the membership committee who met throughout the winter to help get ready for the new season. The committee members include Joyce Bassett, Don Cramer, Joan Johnson, Phil Klein, Kate Oppedisano, Bill Tucker and Todd Manderson. We will continue to meet once a month, and if you would like to join us, please let me know.
We have several new members who joined so far this year. Please welcome the following: You may recognize some names, as some players are coming back after a couple of year’s hiatus.
1. Gavin Tribley - Student
2. Gary Brenstuhl - Sr. Single
3. Robert Jianpetti - Single Sp.
4. Todd Smith - Single Sp.
5. Robe Tole - Single Sp.
6. LeRoy Penn - Single Sp.
7. Jeffrey Osborne - Single Sp.
8. Peter Faith - Single Sp.
9. Mark Minehan - Single Sp.
10. Thomas Preece - young ad.
11. Connor Preece - JE(25-26)
12. Andrew Bishop - JE(25-26)
13. Edwin Elfeldt - Single Sp.
14. Eric Chapin - Single Sp.
15. Jim Mayer - Single Sp.
16. Yvonne Manso - Single Sp.
17. Kevin Devine - Single Sp.
18. Donald Evans - Single Sp.
20. Eric Magnano - JE(25-26)
21. Kenneth Gold - Single Sp.
22. Pete Eichner - JE(25-26)
23. David Alston - JE(25-26)
24. Patrick Desmond - Single Sp.
25. Michael Desmond - Student
26. Tim Bush - JE (30-31)
We are still accepting new members. Below are the 2019 special rates. Additional membership information is posted on line and is available in the Business office.
Welcome back and I wish all of you a season full of long drives and short putts.
Cindy Walkanowski
Membership Specials 2019
*34 years of age and over
Special Applies to Single and Couple Rates Only. Not valid with other specials or discounts
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We have started this season out a little early compared to past years. Our opening date was this past Saturday. A little snow in the morning delayed our morning tee times but the afternoon was quite nice after the snow melted off. After having quit a roller coaster of a winter, I would not have bet on an early opening. The deep snow and thick ice made it seem like winter would never end. The course handled the winter quite well. There is some damage on #2 and #10 green in some low areas. Once we get some warm weather these areas will fill back in. The rest of the greens look beautiful and the snow mold spray kept everything else from tee to green looking great and disease free. It won’t take long and we will have our green lush course back. Just need some April showers and some warm sun to get everything growing.
This past off season we kept ourselves busy snow plowing and getting equipment ready for the season. Joe is great at going through every piece of equipment. I always know that the machine is cutting perfectly in the spring and preventative maintenance is done right. Ed and I keep busy with cleaning the course. All the way though December and half of January we blew leaves, cleaned ditches and creeks, and cleared brush. After we started getting some snow cover, we turned our attention to some tree work. The majority of tree work was on the right of the #14 fairway this year. The right side of the fairway and rough has struggled over the years due to the trees being so close. Having the trees pushed back will give the grass a chance to fill in and thrive. My goal every year is to give you a perfectly groomed golf course with full healthy turf on ALL areas of the course. This is just one more area that needed attention.
In case some of you that haven’t noticed, we started the next green surround last fall. This year’s surround is #4. We have already cleared the old sod and sand out. We have also started moving the dirt around to give us the new shape. Once we dry the area out, we can start again to complete this green surround. I am hoping with good weather and no breakdowns from equipment that we will have this project completed by Memorial Day.
The new tee on #7 looks great. It handled the winter well. We will keep this tee closed until the roots are down in the ground well. It will probably be open around Memorial Day. It is important that we don’t play on the new sod until it is fully rooted. Thank you for your patience.
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Each year around February, I begin to consider what I can possibly do to stanch the deterioration of what is left of my game in the coming season. One year it might be a swing change, another year it could be a different ball, or a new hybrid. This year I came to the conclusion that I should entertain the possibility that the Mizuno irons I’ve been using for the past two decades may no longer be suitable for what passes as my golf skill sets. They’re forged irons and suited my game when it was seven points less than my recent plunge into a double digit handicap index. I reasoned that being 72 years old meant I should probably look at what is often referred to as a “game improvement” iron, with perimeter weighting and supposedly a larger sweet spot that guarantees more forgiveness. A few years ago I began acquiring hybrids which were grand successors to my long irons, and I wanted to believe this switch would bring the same benevolence those clubs gave my game.
I have a history of mocking my peers, who every year it seems, try to buy a game, purchasing at least one new club in an effort to find the perfect set for their swing and which seldom make any difference whatsoever. So I decided to get some used Pings as a trial to determine whether cast irons could really offer any help but without totally blowing a major part of my children’s inheritance.
It was with great anticipation that I carried the new 6-9 irons to the practice range an hour before my first round of the year. My initial thought was to test the newbies against the oldies and I was pleased that the newbies seemed to be a bit straighter and a tad longer than the Mizuno Musclebacks. I decided to ostracize the Mizunos to my car trunk and test the New Sticks on the Block in the coming round.
I’ve always held the theory that if something begins badly, it often ends well and vice versa. Scoring a birdie on the first hole for example, usually means my round will slowly and inexorably dissolve over the next 17 holes, like a sugar cube in the bottom of a glass of warm water. So when I reached into my bag to retrieve some balls for the putting green and found only two, I smiled in the knowledge that this would probably make me focus on my game, sorta like going into a $5 Nassau with $2 in your pocket.
My prospects looked even better when I popped up my drive off the first tee. “Anyone see what direction that went?” I inquired. The best answer I could get was “It went up.” Losing 50% of your golf balls on the first stroke of the year would depress most golfers but I continued in the gloriously inane belief that this round would be spectacular. This totally irrational confidence was not blunted in any way by the double bogey I took on my second ball after being awarded a “breakfast ball” by my fellow combatants. In retrospect, I think their generosity was motivated by the hope that I would lose my second ball on my second swing of the year, making some sort of record they could one day recount to their grandchildren with great hilarity.
My second drive felt pretty good, though somewhat errant, but I soon realized my optimism was laughably unfounded and was forced to lay up with a 150 yard shot to the 80 yard marker. My normal average drive would have required about a 150 yard shot to the green, so I was only 80 yards short on my “pretty good” drive.
Things got regressively worse and I almost hit my tee shot into a raging Gordon Creek on #2 but was humiliatingly saved by the fact I was 15 yards short of it. The rest of the slog was a blur, but inevitably I borrowed a ball from one of my fellow strikers to finish the round. Having witnessed the bloody scourge that was my game and knowing he’d probably never see it again, he rummaged around in his bag to find the least valuable ball in his bag, finally deciding on a Flying Lady over a 1968 Spalding Double Dot and a badly scarred Ultra.
The end result of my pathetic efforts meant there was no way I could properly evaluate my new “game improvement” clubs on this first round. To do so on the horrendous day I had would be akin to passing judgement on a sun screen at the bottom of a coal mine, a new pair of sneakers the day after major surgery… I could go on.
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The Fox June 2003
Men's Member/Guest date will be July 10-12. Cost will be lowered to $275/team. $100 less than 2002.
Repairs will be made to three bridges.
The Fox September 2003
The course received 12 inches of rain in August.
The Board is informed that since 1977 expenses have risen 53% while dues income has increases 50%.
Long term debt service is equivalent to 50 single membership dues income.
Use of American flags on pins for the July 4th tournament does not comply with the US Flag Code (flag should never touch the ground), and this practice will not continue.
Membership revenue shortfall will be $40,000. We are $24,000 ahead of last year's income from carts and green fees.
Tournament Results
Woman's League
A Flight: 1st - Sue Kahler 2nd - Suzie Mansfield 4th - Roxanne Andrews
B Flight: 1st - Fran Wayand
C Flight: 2nd - Tina Koehler
D Flight: 2nd - Sharon Nevins 4th - Sue Pollard
Men's Member/Guest
3rd Flight: 2nd - Pete McNamara, Jack Ryan
4th Flight: 1st - Roy Williams, Steve Williams 2nd - Bob Hartman, Mike Sivik
5th Flight: 1st - Doug Young, Pat Shannon
6th Flight: Dick Cody, Gus Cody
7th Flight: Bob Miskanin, John Hickey
Overall Winners: Dick Cody, Gus Cody
Women's Club Championship
Championship Flight: 1st Sue Kahler 2nd Roxanne Andrews
2nd Flight: 1st Mary Assey
3rd Flight: 1st Tina Koehler
4th Flight: 2nd Sue Pollard
July 4th Mixed Tournament
Low Gross: Mary Assey, Mark Thornhill, John Andrews, Joan Taylor
Low Net: 2nd - Don Gallagher, Jeri Carr, Jim Furphy, Pat Furphy
Relative 2-Person Scramble
Mixed and Female: 1st - Joan Taylor, Wade Holmes 2nd - Jim Oppedisano, Angella Fedulo 3rd - Debbie Cottrell, Josh Cottrell
Male: 2nd - Jack Cottrell, Jim Cottrell 5th - Pete McNamara, Jeremy McNamara 7th - Jim Oppedisano, John Fedullo 9th - John Andrews, Johnathan Andrews
Women's Member/Guest
1st Flight: Sue Kahler, Sue Mansfield, Teddy Engel, Betty Chiffolo
2nd Flight: Max Tucker, Roxanne Andrews, Carol Giachetta, Peg Morris
1st Net: Fran Wayand's Team 2nd - Joan Taylor's Team 3rd Paulette Martin's Team
Men's Club Championship
2nd Flight: 2nd Rick Funaro
3rd Flight: 1st: Bruce Kay
Saratoga Shootout
3rd - Debbie & Jack Cottrell's Team
Women's & Men's Senior Club Championship
Women: 2nd Flight: Joan Taylor, 3rd Flight: Kate Oppedisano 4th Flight: Claudia Mahoney
Men: 4th Flight: Jimmy Bryant 5th Flight: Paul Steves
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