BSCC October Fox

President's Message

When it is time for the Annual Shareholder meeting, it means that the season is starting to wind down.  The weather has been holding up for us, warm days and cool nights, are exactly what we need for the course to bounce back from a busy season at BSCC.  Throw in some rain and the turf responds!  Everyone has been passing on kind words to me about this year, even though it will go down in the annals of history because of the COVID-19 Pandemic.  I want to thank the Board members for their input and quick actions throughout the year dealing with the changing rules and regulations.  I would also like to thank the Superintendent and the Pro for their hard work maintaining the course and increasing the amount of play on the golf course each day of the week.
 
There have been criticisms, though and I wanted to talk briefly about one in particular.  I have said it in FOX articles and in “Messages from the President”, but I want to reiterate it again here.  Please consider serving on a committee as a volunteer to get your opinion heard.  The committees develop the direction and plan for each category and are supposed to solicit input from the membership during the year.  This input doesn’t have to be formal, in the form of a survey, but usually involves word of mouth, texts and/or emails to committee members.  The committee then prepares a recommendation to the Board for action and the Board may or may not receive additional feedback from members before it acts.  It does heavily weight the recommendations of the committees when considering a specific action.  That was the case regarding the work on the 18th green and fairway.  One thing that most members might not know is that the Greens Committee has been developing a list of projects over the last decade or more.  The list is constantly evolving because the conditions of the course are always changing as is the funding.  I will be posting the most current Greens Committee project list in an upcoming FOX article so that members can become more aware.
 
BSCC Annual Stockholders’ Meeting
 
I want to thank all who turned out and attended the Annual Stockholders Meeting on October 9th and to those of you that forwarded your proxy.  The primary purpose of the meeting was to elect three stockholders for a 3-year term on the Board of Directors.  There were five candidates that volunteered for the positions and the voting was very close.  I would like to congratulate the winners, Tony Lupino (returning for another term), Sue Kahler and Heidi Harkins.  I would also like to thank our other two candidates, Mark Thornhill Jr. and Paul Dunkelbarger for throwing their names into the hat for consideration.  Volunteers are one of the best things about BSCC and I ask each member to consider serving on a committee or running for a Board position next year.  All Board members want to thank our departing Vice President, Cindy Walkanowski, and our Treasurer, Rick Funaro for their tireless dedication serving on the Board and serving the membership.
 
The Board met briefly after the meeting to elect officers for the upcoming year.  The results are as follows:
 
President:  Roger Laime – roger.laime@aecom.com                        Term expires 2021
Vice President:  Susan Kahler – slk8958@gmail.com                         Term Expires 2024
Treasurer:  Heidi Harkins – hharkins@michaelsgroup.com              Term Expires 2024
Secretary: Tony Lupino -  etlupion@aol.com                                       Term Expires 2024
 
Committee Chairs:
 
Membership – Sue Kahler
Finance – Heidi Harkins
Golf – Joe Olbrych – jmilkman1@gmail.com         
Greens – Ely Moskal – elias.moskal@arcadis.com             
House/Restaurant - Tim Preston – timothypreston2@gmail.com 
Strategic Planning – Roger Laime
 
 
Restaurant
 
I want to be sure you know that Mangino’s Fairway Grill will be open all winter long and you will be able to use your member number to charge your meals over this period.  I ask that you consider patronizing the restaurant over the next few months to help them succeed during these trying times, with COVID-19 and everything that goes along with that. 
 
As always, if you want to reach me to discuss anything, please send me an email at roger.laime@aecom.com or call me on my cell phone at 518-772-7754.  Please practice respect and tolerance, be safe and enjoy the fall.
 
Roger Laime

October 15th, 2020
 
There will be many more communications coming out, but I did want to get the word out that we will be looking for your support as we end this year and move into 2021.
 
We have collected to date, $611,140 in membership dues. We expect to collect an additional $49,500 from those who are paying monthly for a total of $660,000. This far exceeds our budget of $600,000.
 
We continue to lose revenue in greens fee and carts as compared to 2019. Here are some data points through the end of September.
YTD carts is $7,353 behind last year ($117,310 in 2019 vs $109957 in 2020).
YTD green fees are $40,859 behind last year ($202,662 in 2019 vs $161,803 in 2020).
September carts were up $1,255 compared to last year ($16,555 in 2019 vs $17,810 in 2020).
September green fees were down $7,134 from last year ($29,000 in 2019 vs. $21,866 in 2020).
 
Green fees are made up of tournament play, public play and guest play. Our YTD guest revenue is actually $4,866 higher in 2020 vs. 2019.
 
Our waiting list for 2021 membership continues to grow. We now have 54 people officially on the list.
 
Typically, we do not require members to let us know if they are returning or not. We understand some wait until they receive their tax returns to pay their dues.
Unfortunately now, you can not expect to show up in April or May next year and simply pay your dues in full, we may not have a membership available. We will need to know who is returning and who is not in the January / February time frame so we can start to accept those potential members on the waiting list. Everyone is expected to make dues payments with the various methods we offer. Pay by month, 3 equal payments or pay in full (this one is my favorite). Anyone who is making payments by month, we will charge you in January and you are in. Those making their first payments by Feb 15th, we know you are coming back as a result of making that first payment. It is those who do not call and do not pay that we end up wondering about and who may potentially miss out.
 
If you are a social member, you go to the top of the list if you decide to rejoin as a golfing member. Those out on a medical deferment also get priority. It is still very important to inform the Business Office as soon as possible if you are returning.

Sincerely,

Rick Funaro,
Treasurer

Well we are into October now and the cooler temperature are here and the leaves are falling.  This is one of my favorite times of year.  The turf seems to look a lot better after the weather turns cooler this time of year.  We were able to get all of our short grass aerified after Labor Day.  All our fall fertilizer is now out and we finally got some rain at the end of September.  The course has healed up nicely and we are now set up for a great fall season for golf.  Thank you to the membership for your patience during aeration.  I know no one likes all the holes on the greens and the plugs laying around fairways.  Aeration is VERY important to keep our course in top shape.  With the increased play this year it is even more important.
 
            Now that the course is aerated, we turn to projects.  As you know we just completed a 5 years green surround bunker renovation.  This was a large-scale project completed in house with a goal of having new bunkers and turf installed around 8 of our greens.  Everything from new sand, bunker liners, drainage, fixing irrigation, and lots of new sod was used to complete this project.  From the budget of $100,000 we bought these materials as well as a good used sand trap machine we use to rake the bunkers.  No outside crew or architect was used during this project.  During the beginning stages of planning we contacted an architect that has done work here at BSCC before on #8 and #9 green surround.  He came and looked at the course again and after words gave us his quote for his services. The cost of designing one hole would have been as much as half of 1 year’s budget of $20,000 for materials.  So, the board decided to work closely with myself and work on the designs ourselves and break up the project over 5 years to give us enough time to do the work ourselves to save the club A LOT of money.  So that all we really have to pay for is the materials (sand, sod, etc.).  With an architect and outside crew doing everything the project would have cost 4 times the amount we paid for just the materials.  It was a lot of work doing it in house but I think it was the right call.  I am glad we went ahead with the project.  It has completely transformed those 8 greens surrounds.  It is much easier to maintain those areas now and I know you guys like playing them.  I believe that this 5- year project has helped you reach full membership.  Everyone wants to be a part of this club and see improvements being made.  As we made our way into the fourth year of this project the greens committee started putting a few projects together as like a wish list to plan for after the bunkers are done.  The board has asked the greens committee as of this year to recommend projects to move forward with.  The greens committee picked #18 green for the next years project.  The plan will be to bring in fill to soften the slope in the front of the green and to the right.  This slope is very step and is difficult to maintain and play off of.  The green will be enlarged a little in the front and the right.  This will give us a bigger putting surface and more pin placements.  One of the most important improvements that we will do is adding drainage to the back hill behind the green.  That green suffers from excessive water pushing out of that hill and keeps the back of the green wetter than it should.  The front of the green always dries out and the back is always too wet.  It is very difficult to maintain a green with problems like that.  So, we will add drainage and it should really help with that green.  The entire area will be sodded and will look like the 7th green surround minus the bunker with short bent grass in front of the green and to the right of the green.  We will also add some hardwood trees to the right of the green.  The fill in front of the green will be hauled in this fall so that it can settle over the winter.  In the spring we will get going on this green surround and should have it finished up before Memorial Day as long as we get good weather.  For the following year we will continue with work on the 18th hole.  The white pines that are between the 10th and 18 holes are nearing the end of their lifespan.  Over the years we have selected trees for removal because of their condition for safety.  Last year a storm blew over a large pine onto the 18th fairway while people were walking up the fairway.  The center of that tree was full of rot and was the reason it blew over during that storm.  This has usually the case on most of all the white pine trees we have cut down here over the years.  So, the plan for 18 part one will be removing just the white pines going up the right of 18 and adding a fairway bunker to the right of the fairway and planting hardwood tree to replace the white pines.  Part 2 will be adding a small tee forward of the pond so that the red and gold tees don’t have to clear the pond when playing the 18th hole.  The tee will be built right to the right of the pond next to the fairway extension that we add last year.  Both the tee and fairway bunker will be completed during the 2022 season.  Some work might be done next fall or winter for help out with completion of those projects.
 
18 green project -                    $5,000 for fill
$5,000 for root zone mix for green expansion
                                                $10,000 for sod
                                                $1,500 for trees
                                                $1,000 for dump truck rental
Total for first year is               $22,500
18 fairway bunker and tee -    $5,000 for fill
                                                $10,000 for sand and bunker liner
                                                $7,500 for sod around bunker and tee
                                                $2,500 for trees
                                                $1,000 for dump truck rental
Total for second year is          $26,000
 
I am excited for this project to move forward.  The 18th green has been a real challenge for me since I started hear over 15 years ago.  I am looking forward to improving the green and the surrounds.  The following year I am also excited to improve the 18th fairway.  The old white pines hurt the condition of the fairway and surrounding rough areas with their roots and needles.  We will select a better species of tree to replace them with and pull out all the old root between the 10th and 18th holes.  The roots are tough on golf carts and mowing equipment.  We saw a huge improvement when we took all the pine trees down on the 8th hole and the fairway turf look amazing.  We will have better turf on the 18 fairway as well.  I was told the original forward tee for 18 was much closer to the fairway before the pond was built.  We will bring it forward to where it was before which I am sure much of you will appreciate the new location.
 
            I want to thank the membership for your support during these projects.  I know it always seems like I am in your way.  These are not easy projects for us to do in house. My crew and I are trying to maintain a golf course and doing extra projects just adds to our already heavy workload.   And it’s a small crew.  7 to 9 of us during different times of the year.  I don’t know of any club around here that takes on the projects we do.  The board tries to keep costs as low as we can and do as much as we can ourselves.  Just materials alone are enough to pay for.  My goal every day I come to work for you is simple.  To be the best golf course we can be.  No exceptions.  Not just for tournaments or holidays.  Every day you tee off I want to be the best.  Every time we take on another project, I want to build it right so that it helps us be the best we can be.        

Here’s a blast from the past.
 
There are many factors that can facilitate or strengthen a relationship but I'm sure you won't be surprised to learn that golf played a huge role in two of my strongest personal relationships.
 
Twenty eight years ago I was living in South Carolina but doing consulting work for a company in Fort Edward NY. One weekend a colleague set up a threesome at Bend in the River in Corinth. At the last minute, the third guy opted out and as we drove by the course, my colleague decided to go further down the road to Greenfield Center because Bend in the River looked crowded.
 
In Brookhaven's Golf Shop, an extremely attractive woman had just learned her third partner wasn't going to make their tee time and the attendant put both twosomes together. I was divorced and couldn't tell if this beauty was married because of the golf glove she was wearing, but we were hitting it off really well and on the sixteenth tee I asked her if she'd like to join me at the cookout we were returning to at my colleague's home. She agreed, we went for a post dinner drink in Saratoga at the Old Firehouse and I asked her out on another golf date the next day.
 
That date lasted 14 hours.
 
During the next year, I finished my consulting job and returned to South Carolina. I had decided to take a year off work and travel the world, write a book - the whole midlife crisis bit. I also decided to move back to Saratoga Springs to be near my new girlfriend. Exactly one year later, to the day, on the same sixteenth tee at Brookhaven I asked her to marry me and that was that. The Amazing Max and I have been walking down life's fairway together ever since. I can't believe I just wrote that.
 
The other relationship has been in place most of my life, but golf has been the glue that has solidified it. When I was about eight years old, my aunt, uncle and my cousin Jim emigrated to Canada from Scotland and stayed with my family for several days while they looked for a house. Jim was four years old and I remember him pulling back the drapes the first day he arrived. He was looking for the cowboys and Indians, he said.
 
A few years later, I was getting into golf and Jim caddied for me in a junior tournament at the local muni. I was 14, Jim was about 10. I came in second and won a case of Pepsi-Cola. That was all Jim needed - he's been hooked on The Game ever since. In the ensuing years I have played with Jim in Scotland, Ireland, Canada and Australia, but the most important place we've played, the tournament that has become a huge tradition with us, is at Ballston Spa Country Club.
 
About 14 years ago (it’s now been 20), I invited Jim to be my partner in the annual Men's Member Guest. I was surprised to learn that this would be the first tournament he had ever played in. Somehow, we ended up in the Championship Flight. Despite Jim's nervousness, we won our flight and that sealed it. He has been coming down to play ever since and it has become basically Golf Orgy Week.
 
Jim drives down from Ottawa, plays two rounds on the way to Saratoga on Monday and Tuesday, plays at least two more rounds on Wednesday and Thursday morning, then plays the Member/Guest practice round Thursday afternoon, then 27 holes of match play on Friday and a final 18 holes on Saturday. In between, he spends a few hours on the practice tee at BSCC.  He plays more golf that week than he's played all year in Ottawa at that point. He considers Ballston Spa Country Club to be his home course, even if it is a five hour drive from his home.
 
We've just finished our 14th Golf Orgy Week and I'm exhausted but happy. We both anticipate this week every year with a degree of excitement that belies our age and we have a blast. It's an experience that only golf could give us.
 

On Fame's triumphant wings his name shall soar Till Time shall end or Golfing be no more.
 
Thomas Mathison The Goff (1763)