Albany Chapter - American Singles Golf Association May 2008

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1 CELEBRATING 15 YEARS OF SINGLES GOLF IN AMERICA Albany Chapter - American Singles Golf Association May 2008 President s Message TIS THE SEASON Well spring has sprung and we are off to a great start with warm weather and mostly sunny days. We have had an informal at FREAR PARK in the Troy area after a lovely brunch at TOSCA S a couple of Sunday s ago. Then last weekend, May 3, was Kentucky derby day with an outing at FAIRWAYS OF HALFMOON and a great party at Rita s house. Both of these were preceded by our MEET AND GREET at APPLETINI S which, except for very limited parking, came off very well. Food was good and we had about a dozen new folks join us and one signed up that night, Gregg Anderson. I want to take a minute and say farewell to Bev Cammerata who has relocated to Florida. Bev has been a major contributor to the Albany chapter for many years as a frequent party hostess and numerous officer positions including president. Most recently, Bev was in charge of our informal golf outings for the last two years. We will miss her and we hope she has as many fond memories of our chapter as we do of her. Good luck, Bev! We d also like to ask some members to step up to help with informal golf for this season. There will be more promotion of this but we need some help here. It s not hard and it adds to our activities and opportunities to spend more time together. Our next formal is June 8 at Capitol Hills which Maddy is heading up and that is a great track! Speaking of tracks the early bird for our second annual SARATOGA Labor Day weekend event is coming up MAY 15. TIME TO SAVE SOME MONEY Don Diane AND lock your spot for what all your fellow members, and the Hartford and Central Mass. chapters think was one of the most fantastic events of all last year! have a merry, merry golf season! ~Tom Bourke Welcome to our Newest Members Don Willman, Diane Albano, Vicki Wright, Tony Duffy, and Gregg Anderson! We are very pleased to welcome the five of you to Albany ASGA. Vicki Gregg Next Big Event: Reunion at Pinehurst, May ASGA members attended last year! Registration form with this newsletter or go to the event website at National Website: ASGANational@aol.com Office Hours: 8:30-4:30, M-Th; 8:30-12:30 Fridays (Eastern) National Office: or GOLFMATE To join ASGA or renew your dues, contact the National Office at above number or go to Regular Meeting Date: Second Tuesday of each month Next Meeting: June 9th, 2008 Meeting Location: The Tuscan Grill Our Website: Our Hotline: (See next page for list of officers and board members.) To join, renew dues, make a change of address, phone, etc., call National Hotline at left.

2 Albany, NY Chapter of the American Singles Golf Association President Tom Bourke (508) Vice-President Gary O Brien gobrien3@nycap.rr.com Golf Chairperson Social Chairperson Karen Bishop karebsh1@yahoo.com and Diane Dodd Membership Chairperson Cathy Bennett cbennet5@nycap.rr.com and Kathi Vakiener Communications Chairperson Judy Axenson and Beth Disque reader16@earthlink.net (518) Secretary Beth Disque reader16@earthlink.net (518) TM Tony And, not to be forgotten are 2 former members who decided to rejoin. Welcome back to Ray Frederick and Jay Sullivan. Calendars For Sale We have only two 2008 Capital Region Golf Calendars remaining for purchase. We will use the calendar cards for reduced prices at many of our 2008 informal golf outings. They also make great gifts for golf friends. The cost is $25 each (no tax, checks payable to Albany ASGA). This is less than what you'd pay at most retail stores or golf shops and the nice thing is that we get $4.50 for each calendar we sell. The calendars will be available to purchase at our First Friday Gatherings and also at our social functions. Send an e- mail to AlbanyASGA2002@yahoo.com if you would like us to reserve one or more for you. Be an Informal Golf Captain We need YOUR help. We like to offer a golf opportunity every weekend of the golf season. However, we are lacking a golf chairman this year and need to ask all our members & friends to step up to the plate to run at least one informal golf event between now and the end of September. Right now, every weekend is open except for the weekends when we have formal events scheduled. Running an informal for ASGA is not much different that setting up a foursome for friends. The only major difference is that you will be getting two or three tee times instead of one. As Informal Golf Captain, you: (1) pick the course, the day & an after-golf place for drinks &/or dinner; (2) call the course to get the cost of 18 holes & 2-3 Tee Times (as far in advance as the course allows); Reserve the tee times in your name. (3) the details to ALBAN- YASGA2002@yahoo.com for broadcast to Albany ASGA list; (4)co-ordinate w/ the course, ASGA members & friends who respond, so all Tee Times are filled with foursomes; (5) get a tentative after-golf drinks &/or dinner reservation. Since everyone will golf her or his own ball & there are no formal prizes, the captain s only responsibility at the course is to get the foursomes to the 1st Tee on time. Any member is welcome to set up informal golf at anytime, but we like to plan ahead so there is some golf on most weekends. Since many members have Golf Calendar Cards purchased through Albany ASGA, we usually opt for courses that accept the Golf Calendar Card but that's not a requirement. If you can be an Informal Golf Captain for any weekend when there is no formal Treasurer Mike Congero mcongero48@aim.com Do you want to update your personal information on our chapter s roster? You can now do this yourself. Simply click on the MY ACCOUNT link at the national website (SinglesGolf.com). You can update your address, phone, add your cell phone, change handicap, etc. Doing it yourself takes the burden off of your chapter leaders so they can spend more time on the golf course and less time on the computer!

3 event or any weekday, please contact Fred Schonenberg at yahoo.com or Beth at to let us know your choice of dates. Include the following details a. Course name, Tel #, & directions, if it's NOT on ASGA website b. Day & Date c. Tee Times (or estimates, if Tee Times are NOT confirmed; usually between noon & 1pm. d. Captain's name, address & cellphone (if any) e. Cost for 18 holes WALKING, for 18holes w/ shared cart - both without & with Golf Calendar Card If you have any questions, don t hesitate to send an to AlbanyASGA2002@ yahoo.com. We ll be happy to help you out. Party Etiquette Reminder We are very fortunate to have many of our members volunteer to have after golf parties in their homes. All of us need to remember that these parties are not like the typical party where a host invites you and then takes full responsibility for all the planning, preparation, and clean up. We should all do everything we can to help out so that our hosts can enjoy the parties too and are not stuck with a massive clean-up job after everyone leaves. Upcoming Events See the Website Calendar and watch your for more details. Friday, May 16 Third Friday at the Desmond. Come at 8. Band starts at 9. Friday, May 23 Fourth Friday Nine and Dine at Colonie Town Golf Course Friday, June 6 First Friday at Vapor s in Saratoga Sunday, June 8 Golf at Capital Hills Party at Bob s Monday, June 9 Monthly meeting at the Tuscan Grill in Clifton Park 7 p.m. Friday, June 13 Second Friday Nine and Dine at Mill Road Acres Golf Course Friday, June 20 Third Friday at the Desmond. Come at 8. Band starts at 9. Friday, June 27 Fourth Friday Nine and Dine at Colonie Town Golf Course Friday, July 4 Watch your for our plans Saturday, July 5 Golf at Saratoga Lake Party at Mike s ASGA JUNE OUTING CAPITAL HILLS AT ALBANY 650 O'Neil Road, Albany, NY ( ) Directions can be found on the website ( asga/) under the links tab WHEN: Sunday, June 8 with tee times beginning at 12:00. Plan to arrive at the course no later than 11:30. COST: The cost for a round of golf and a cart is $50.00 for members and $60.00 for nonmembers. FORMAT: Scramble Mulligans will be sold at the course. You may purchase two mulligans for $2.00. You may use your mulligans to improve any shot off the tee, on the fairway, or on the green. PRIZES: Longest Drive and Closest to the pin for men and women, and team prizes The final date to pay is Friday, May 30. Give the cash or a check (payable to Albany ASGA) to any board member at the Friday night gathering or mail to Mike Congero, 43 Sherwood Trail, Saratoga Springs, NY JOIN US AFTER GOLF FOR DRINKS, DINNER, THE AWARDING OF PRIZES AND THE USUAL ASGA GOOD TIME AT BOB'S HOUSE. Bring a dish to share and a beverage of choice. Hot dogs and hamburgers plus condiments will be provided. Cost for the party is $10.00 for members and $15.00 for nonmembers. The money will be collected at the party. ASGA JULY OUTING SARATOGA LAKE Saratoga Lake Golf Club, Grace Moore Road, Saratoga Springs, NY ( ) Directions can be found on the website ( communities/asga/) under the links tab WHEN: Saturday, July 5 with tee times beginning at 12:00. Plan to arrive at the course no later than 11:30. COST: The cost for a round of golf and a cart is $50.00 for members and $61.00 for nonmembers. FORMAT: Scramble Mulligans will be sold at the course. You may purchase two mulligans for $2.00. You may use your mulligans to improve any shot off the tee, on the fairway, or on the green. PRIZES: Longest Drive and Closest to the pin for men and women, and team prizes The final date to pay is Friday, June 27. Give the cash or a check (payable to Albany ASGA) to any board member at the Friday night gathering or mail to Mike Congero, 43 Sherwood Trail, Saratoga Springs, NY JOIN US AFTER GOLF FOR DRINKS, DINNER, THE AWARDING OF PRIZES AND THE USUAL ASGA GOOD TIME AT MIKE'S HOUSE. Bring a dish to share and a beverage of choice. Hot dogs and hamburgers plus condiments will be provided. Cost for the party is $10.00 for members and $15.00 for nonmembers. The money will be collected at the party. Directions to Mike's house in Saratoga will be provided. Past Events Saturday, May 3 - Kentucky Derby Day The day of our first formal outing of 2008 started out under less than auspicious conditions as most of us awoke to grey skies and pouring rain. But, by the time we got to Fairways of Halfmoon, the rains had ceased for the day. We didn t see much sun, but we didn t get soaked either. Twenty-three of us had a grand time working our way around the challenges of Fairways. The three winning teams were separated in score by only one point. First place honors went to the 3-person team of Ruth, Gary, and Ray with a score of 67. The word from team #4 captain, Gary, was that Ruth came through with her drive on most of the holes and was instrumental in securing the team s victory. A similar comment was heard from Team #2. Dottie was a star and helped her teammates, Mike, Ralph, and Don secure 2 nd place honors. We were all stars and winners though as we made new friends and had fun on the golf course. Individual honors went to Dottie who won Closest to the pin. Liz Santa Barbara

4 took the award for Longest Drive, although Dottie would have had it if we allowed an individual to capture both prizes. For the men, Gary came through with a crushing drive to take the longest drive. Many of the guys were very close to the green on the closest to the pin hole and many others landed on the green only to continue rapidly past it and into the grass beyond. Alas, no one managed to stick a ball so that prize therefore remained unclaimed. Some comments were heard from the guys that the distance was incorrectly marked??? Hmmm, does that belong in the category of whining? We all thank Rita for offering her lovely new home for our annual Derby party after golf. Ray and Mike won some more as they were the lucky holders of Big Brown tickets for our Derby pool. Diane Albano won the raffle and immediately proceeded to parlay her winnings into an ASGA membership. Ray also used his winnings to rejoin the group after a membership hiatus of several years. Way to go, Diane and Ray! That was a very wise investment. All the pictures from the day can be seen in the website Photo Album. A Toast to Rita! Thanks for everything you did. Albany ASGA Meeting Minutes 5/6/08 The meeting was called to order by Gary at 7:15 p.m. at Salty s. Present - Mike Congero, Tom Bourke, Beth Disque, Karen Bishop, John Holmes, Gary O Brien, Fred Schonenberg, Joe Candee, Ann Graziano Secretary s Report Beth Disque Minutes from 4/8 were approved. Treasurer s Report Mike Congero Register Balance as of 5/6/08 is +$3, Available balance after outstanding bills/commitments are paid is - $ Figures supported by bank statement and excel spreadsheet recap of deposits and expenditures. We discussed the need to build the treasury balance so that we are comfortably able to meet our annual spring time costs (ie deposits to golf courses for outings, required prepayments, etc.) Mike shared the Kentucky Derby Day finances. Golf Report Fairways 23 golfers, no known complaints - party at Rita s was terrific - may need to start earlier next year if we continue to get 6 teams team 6 did not get there till the race was on Capital Hills June 8 - $50 - Party at Bob s Saratoga Lake Will charge $50 pp, only a $4 surcharge instead of the standard $5. ASGA will subsidize the other dollar for prizes in order to keep the cost at $50 and comparable to our other two outings. Golf Guidelines The complete Golf Guidelines can be read on the website under the 2008 Golf Schedule tab. Changes to the policy for Formal Golf Events were made as follows. Refunds for cancellations after the payment deadline will be given only if a replacement player is located or if the course does not charge us for the open spot(s). Payment is no longer required at the time of sign up. However, receipt of payment by the cut-off deadline or before the event is filled is the only guarantee for a spot in the outing. There will be a blind draw for team placement on the morning of the outing. Captains will be pre-selected for each team to ensure an ASGA experienced player is on each team. When the prize pool is less than $120, mulligan money may be used to subsidize the prizes. When the prize pool is $120 or greater, the additional mulligan money will be returned to the treasury. We tabled a discussion on mulligan s for next month. How many? How much? We tabled a discussion on starting a hole-in-one insurance fund. Informal Golf We need to get other people to run informal golf on the off weekends when

5 there is not a formal event. Fred will compose an looking volunteers to run an informal for each weekend between now and June 8. Karen will make a sign-up sheet to cover the rest of the summer. Social Committee Meet and Greet recap -Appletini s was great, the price was right, but the parking was terrible. We will probably not use Appletini s again. We had 10 first time guests; One joined on the spot. Many of the others signed up for upcoming events. Friday Gatherings Schedule for the next few months 1 st Friday Vapors 2 nd Friday Mill Road Nine and Dine Karen will co-ordinate with Mill Road Last league Tees off at 4:40 on front, no one is on the back. Can call on Weds. For Fri. tee times Cost - $13.50 or for age 62+ Cart - $15 3rd Friday The Desmond 4 th Friday - Town of Colonie Nine and Dine Rita will coordinate the golf There are leagues some there. Would need to call at 6:30 am. On Weds. To get tee times. Cost after 4 for 9 holes - $15 resident, $20 nonres. Cart - $13 5 th Friday TBD Only in May Memorial Weekend Other Social News John will investigate brunch and 9 holes at Saratoga National. Mike will be happy to host a 4 th of July party at his house on 7/4 Karen will send out an to everyone about the Capital District Skins Game on June 16 at the Mohawk Country Club. Since 6/16 is a weekday, we will not sponsor this as an ASGA event Saratoga Labor Day Event We have received 17 early bird reservations as of May 7. We are ahead of where we were last year at this time. Bus has been reserved Dinner after golf on Sunday will be at Delmonico s John confirmed the optional golf on Monday 6 tee times reserved at Orchard Creek starting at 10:30. Cost is $62.50 pp. Gary is still trying to pin the cost down for the Meet & Greet at Garcia s on Friday night Other Items We will not have a sunshine fund. Gary will take charge of sending a recognition plaque to Bev for her many contributions to Albany ASGA Meeting place, time, and date Salty s food was great but we lacked privacy. Great thanks to Mary B. for all the leg work on finding us a place. Next month we will try The Tuscan Grill, formerly The Parkwood Diner, in Clifton Park just off of exit 9. For the summer months we will change our meeting dates to Mondays at 7 pm Monthly Meeting Schedule 7:00 June 9 (Monday) Tuscan Grill July 8 (Monday) Aug. 4 - Monday Sep 9 - Tuesday Oct 7- Tuesday Nov. 4- Tuesday Meeting Adjourned 10:00 p.m. Respectfully Submitted ~Beth Disque, Secretary Formal Golf Events Schedule for 2008 (pending course availability) Sunday, June 8 - Capital Hills party at Bob s Maddy - CONFIRMED June Lake Morey (Central Mass. chapter event) Saturday, July 5 - Saratoga Lake - Ellen and Beth - CONFIRMED - Party at Mike Congero s Saturday, August 2 - French s Hollow Bob Mattox - Party at Mike s Coscia s or Rita Roberti s September - Labor Day Weekend - Combine with track event and ask Central Mass. & Hartford Track Sat. August 30 - CONFIRMED John will run - Golf Sunday, at Van Patten August 31 - CONFIRMED Saturday, October 4 Shaker Ridge Country Club Ann Dinner at the club ABOUT OUR MEMBERS Happy Birthday to these members: Dorothy Daly - 05/17 Anthony Duffy - 06/12 Charles Eble - 05/30 Robert Gilbert - 05/16 Margaret McGowan - 06/15 Rita Roberti - 05/14 Helen Ryan - 05/17 Fred Schonenberg - 05/29 These members are up for renewal: (date shown is last day of membership) Wayne Coulter - 05/31/2008 Beth Disque - 05/31/2008 Bob Mattox - 05/31/2008 Florence McConnville - 05/31/2008 Helen Ryan - 05/31/2008 Welcome newest members: Mary Burmaster - Joined 03/27/2008 Joan DiCioccio - Joined 03/27/2008 Libbi Guigli - Joined 03/06/2008 Joanne Malecki - Joined 04/15/2008 Lynn Momrow - Joined 03/27/2008 Don Willman - Joined 03/12/2008 These members recently renewed: Judith Axenson Karen Bishop Joe Candee Michael Congero Madlyn Reid Rita Roberti Jay Sullivan These members did not renew their dues: (date shown is date membership expired) Beverly Cammerata - 04/30/2008 Our chapter currently has 45 members.

6 CELEBRATING 15YEARS OF SINGLESGOLF IN AMERICA AMERICAN SINGLES GOLF ASSOCIATION MAY 2008 Event Dates: Thursday, May 22 Sunday, May 25, 2008 Want to Meet 400 Singles from Around the U. S.? If you re going to register, go online and do it now. Only about 80 slots left! Our reunion is almost here... now, just a matter of days golf in Pinehurst, North Carolina... becoming a reality. Just the thought of telling your friends you ve played in Pinehurst... the location of the 1951 Ryder Cup, the 1999 and 2005 U. S. Opens. It s a chance of a lifetime. The package we re offering, if you paid for it on your own, has been priced at $ The ASGA special rate is slightly above five hundred dollars, a true savings and great benefit of membership. We ve publicized this event since February and we re headed towards another great event. Now, it s up to you and your fellow members to make that call, to visit the website, to do whatever you have to do to get to Pinehurst. Three days of fun, fellowship and fairways. For complete details and the registration form, simply go to (lower case). After Pinehurst, Look Forward to These Trips ASGA, through its member chapters, offer other events which allow you to meet singles from other chapters. All members are invited and encouraged to attend these Multi-Chapter Events. There s nothing like meeting up with a bunch of other singles for a weekend of golf. Each package is basically the same but there are differences, so we suggest you visit the website for the event. And, if you re chapter s interested in hosting one of these events, prepared to put a lot of work into it. But the reward of having singles play in your city and play your favorite courses is a life experience, well, hopefully! Contact ASGA to clear the date and then get your Board of Directors to give local approval. Then, start putting it together! The website for all events is really, really simple: (make sure events is in lower case!) Here are our multi-chapter events for the rest of the year: Sea Palms Weekend / St. Simon's Island - August 15-17, Hosted by the Jacksonville chapter. Contact Dorothy Nicholson at darn@bellsouth.net for more info. Labor Day Weekend Event at Santee - August 29-31, Hosted by the Upstate (Greenville/Spartanburg, SC) chapter. Tunica Getaway, Tunica, Mississippi - Sept. 8-10, Tunica is also known as "Little Las Vegas." Hosted by the Hot Springs, AR chapter. For information contact Peggy Jordan at pjjhsv@suddenlink.net Mountain Fall Weekend at Lake Lure, NC October 17-19, Hosted by the Asheville chapter. Details can be found at or contact Hank Parish (hyparish@msn.com) for more information. Fall Fling at Mission Inn (Florida) - October 24-26, Hosted by the Tampa Bay chapter. Contact Betsy Schwartz (Elizabethbetsz@hotmail.com) for info. Myrtle Beach Shootout, Myrtle Beach, SC - November 21-23, Hosted by the Myrtle Beach and Nashville chapters. Contact Bob Blaylock (Eagle42@comcast.net) for more info. Add Your Cell Phone Number to Your Roster! And add / correct anything else on your personal record in the ASGA database. Go to the MY ACCOUNT button at our website, SinglesGolf.com and log-in. Forgot your log-in? It s real easy; just follow the simple instructions and we ll send it to you. Do We Sell Our Mailing List? Absolutely not. We get asked this question from time to time because people get unsolicited mail and s from others thinking it might have come from us. Since Day One, we ve made it a policy not to sell, trade, barter, give-away or any in way pass along your information to others. Likewise, we ask that members refrain from using their chapter s roster for non-asga related solicitations, mailings, jokes, etc. We all get enough . Please don t assume everyone wants to read your anecdotes or any other type of dote. - - Tom Alsop, President/Founder, ASGA Phone or GOLFMATE GolfASGA@aol.com

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