Triad Chapter - American Singles Golf Association August 2006

Transcription

1 CELEBRATING 13 YEARS OF SINGLES GOLF IN AMERICA Triad Chapter - American Singles Golf Association August 2006 July Chapter Meeting by Karen Vaughn Tonight we had a lively group of people attending the social before our chapter meeting. Two guests, Penny Gettings and Allen Kearns, were welcomed. Chapter President Joyce Rolando started the meeting early to give guest speaker, Ross Sanderlin, enough time for his presentation. Joyce reminded us to sign up for the Bermuda Run outing on July 29. Tee times remain but we need to sign up because the spots fill quickly. Next Joyce introduced guests, Allen Kearns from Winston-Salem and her friend, Penny Gettings also from Winston- Salem. Penny is getting back into playing golf after being away from the game for several years. A third guest, Steve Helper from Greensboro, arrived later in the evening. We hope they had fun and will decide to join ASGA. There were twenty-two members present. Joyce introduced our guest speaker, Ross Sanderlin who is a teaching professional at Union Cross Teaching Center. Several members including Carole Olson, Helen Godwin, Norma Hall, and Ted Yarbrough have taken lessons from him. Ross is originally from the Outer Banks has lived in High Point for 15 years, was the head pro at Willow Creek Country Club then Pinebrook Country Club. After he decided he wanted to teach full time, he moved to the Union Cross Teaching Center. Ross began with a plug for Union Cross Teaching Center which is off Union Cross Road on Wallburg Road on the left before Olde Homeplace Golf Club. The Center has a full service driving range, chipping and short game practice area, artificial putting green, golf lessons and clinics, a well equipped pro shop, custom club fitting and repair. There is no cost for club fitting if clubs are purchased. Mizuno and Ping clubs are sold there. They have a wide range of shafts with different lengths, lie angle and flex. Instead of trying out the club by hitting into a net like at some retail stores, you can take the club to the range to see the actual ball flight which is preferable. Clubs can be loaned for play on the golf course. When giving lessons Ross tries to make it simple, work on fundamentals, and keep it fun. Each person has his own style of hitting. A lesson fine tunes that style. You learn something new, practice, get use to it, and play. "One step back and two steps forward." Individual half-hour lessons are $40. A package of three lessons is $100. Randy Jarvis asked about group lessons. For a one hour group lesson of 2 to 4 people, the charge is $25/person and for 5 to 6 people it's $20/person. A private tee area is provided for group instruction. Several members praised Ross for his teaching. Norma Hall said he taught a sand lesson for the ladies at her club. "Now every time she's in the sand, she thinks of Ross." That comment made everyone laugh. Norma clarified it by saying she's a good sand player and knows how to hit the ball out of the sand. Helen Godwin had just gone to Ross that afternoon for a lesson today because she was having a problem hitting her driver. Ross determined she was standing too close to the ball, hitting down on it, popping it up and standing too upright. She made the changes and began hitting the driver well again. Carole Olson attested to his patience in teaching a beginner like her. Steve Hughlett took the three lesson package which he thought was the most constructive, beneficial lessons he ever had. So simple. Each lesson built upon the last one. He highly recommended it. The remainder of the time Ross answered questions. Steve Motsinger asked what would be Ross' best tip for us from tee to green. Course management was the answer. Generally, you know what direction your ball most often goes. If you Upcoming Event: New Years in Florida Dec 29 - Jan 1 (location - TBD) National Website: National ASGANational@aol.com Office Hous: 8:00-5:00 Monday - Friday National Hotline: GOLFMATE ( ) To Join or renew, visit website and join online, or call our hotline. Regular Meeting Date: SECOND MONDAY of each month Next Meeting: August 14th, 2006 Meeting Location: OutWest Steakhouse, 1185 Highway 66 South in Kernersville Our Website: (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 Triad Chapter of the American Singles Golf Association Acting President Carole Olson Treasurer Kevin Chrestman Golf Director Carroll Jennings Social Committee Chair TBD Membership Committee Chair Carol Christine Communications Committee Chair Carol Brooks MEMBERSHIP DUES Dues for the Triad Chapter of the American Singles Golf Association are as follows: $70.00 National Dues TM Payment can be made by check or major credit card. Mail with application to: ASGA National Headquarters, P. O. Box 848, Pineville, NC JOIN OR RENEW BY PHONE, FAX OR WEB You can join the Triad chapter over the phone by calling toll-free GOLFMATE ( ), faxing the application with credit card information to our toll-free fax at , or go on-line at and submit your application with credit card information. Our office hours are 9-5 (M-F). Your membership package will be mailed within 10 days. Website: Telephone: GOLFMATE ( ) have a problem when teeing off, keeping the ball in play, you could be hitting from the wrong side of the tee box. This can decrease your chances of putting the ball in the proper hitting area by 50%. Move to the side of the tee box and hit away from trouble. Approach shots are also important. When hitting to the green, most people come up short. To correct this, take one club longer than you think you need. Penny Gettings wanted to know how long it would take for her to get her game back after 15 years of not playing. She used to hit the ball well. Now she "could hit it and hit it and hit it." By the end of the year with lessons, Ross thought she could be playing again. Kerry Russell asked what stretching, warm -up routines he thought was good. Ross likes to use a club on the shoulders to stretch the back. Flex the knees and turn from side to side. A weighted club is also good for stretching, strengthening and keeping the club in the correct swing plane. After warming up, go hit a bucket of balls. Begin with the shorter clubs like a wedge or 7 iron and work up to the longer ones. A couple of people asked his opinion on golf ball selection. Ross said the balls are so good now that it makes little difference what ball you use. A softer ball will not go as far as a harder ball. Some balls feel different which might help with putting. It's all personal preference. In closing Ross, spoke of getting kids involved in golf. They are the future of the game. The Union Cross Teaching Center is on a waiting list for the PGA First Tee program. Each year their Center and local golf course superintendents sponsor a "Give a Kid a Club Night." This year it is on August 10 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. They give away clubs to all the kids who participate in the event. Donations of clubs, new and used are accepted. They can cut down adult sized clubs to fit the kids. There's a long drive competition and a hot dog cookout. If you would like to help out or need additional information, give Ross a call. Joyce thanked Ross and we gave him a big round of applause. Since Ross couldn't stay for dinner, Joyce gave him a gift certificate for use at another time. Ross took a supply of our ASGA pamphlets for display at the Center. Del Louder asked Joyce to draw a ticket for the 50/50 raffle. Tonight's lucky winner was Frank Dorn. (Ross Sanderlin is a Class "A" PGA Member. He can be reached at Union Cross Golf Center, located at 4015 Wallburg Road on the way to Old Homeplace Golf Course or rossunioncross@triadbiz.rr.com. Union Cross Golf Center provides custom club fitting, individual or group lessons, video analysis, club repair and regripping, and it is lighted for nighttime range ball practice.) Report on Olde Mill: A Triad ASGA Summer Tradition by Curtis Jones It's hard to believe, but this year's July 1 & 2 weekend outing to Olde Mill Golf Club marked the fifth occurrence of this annual outing. This year, we had 16 members make the trek up into the mountains for the fun weekend. Several people were playing the course for the first time. The course was in great shape - no aerated greens this time! As always, the views were gorgeous. The weather was great too - mostly sunny days and no rain. We enjoyed the "cooler" mountain temperatures, though "cooler" is a relative term. It was mid-80s in the mountains compared to mid-90s back home in the flatlands. On Saturday, everyone arrived at the course midmorning in preparation for a 11:18 tee time. Besides our group, there were not many other players in sight; it was almost like having the course to ourselves. Since everyone arrived early, the starter allowed us to go off about 20 minutes earlier than our scheduled tee time. The game for the first day was a team Shambles event. That's where everyone tees off, you pick the best drive, and then everyone plays their own ball from that point. The team score consisted of the two best individual net scores on each hole. Prizes were awarded to the first and second place teams. We also kept track of the number of putts everyone made and awarded a prize for fewest number taken. In the Shambles team competition, second place went to the team of Paul Gamsby, Norma Hall, Steve Motsinger, and Helen Godwin who had a team score

3 of 123. The first place team, with a score of 119, was made up of Curtis Jones, Carroll Jennings, Steve Hughlett, and Judy Seekins. In the putts contest, the winner was Frank Dorn who had only 29 putts for the day. After golf, we retired for to cabins for a shower and a little rest before dinner. Some of us attempted to watch the Women's US Open on TV, but since we could only pick up one station clearly, we had to watch through a layer of static and distortion. There was a little poker played between Randy Jarvis, Paul Gamsby, Del Louder, and Ted Yarbrough, with Ted being the winner. We all met for dinner at the course's Nibblick's restaurant that evening. We had a great time discussing everything from the day's golf to tattoos. If you had been there, you would know know which of our members has a Dalmatian puppy tattoo, which member acquired the nickname of "Spanky" during the day's round, and the endearing term Steffany Gamsby used to refer to the various aspects of the course design through out the day as she played it for the first time. After a great dinner, we all got to put our math skills to work. The restaurant had a quirky rule that for parties of six or more, they only do one bill. So, all sixteen of us were faced with trying to calculate the cost of our meal, along with our share of the tax and gratuity. We all did our calculating and then tossed what we thought our share was into the pot. Then, we had the dramatic counting of the total - would we have too much or may be way too little? Believe it or not, the bill, including taxes and gratuity came to $ and we collected a total of $365! How's that for group math - I guess all that practice adding up our high golf scores over the years paid off. After dinner, we met in one for the cabins for dessert. Once again, Emily Williams brought a patriotic themed cake along with other holiday inspired decorations for all to enjoy. Two of players - Randy Jarvis (7/4) and Helen Godwin (7/7) were having birthdays that week, so everyone sang happy birthday to them and then we ate the delicious cake. Sunday morning, we met for the buffet breakfast around 8:30, checked out, and headed to the driving range to warm up for the day's round. We had the starter take group photos of all us in front of the Olde Mill sign. The poor guy didn't know that when he agreed to snap the photo that he would be handed 5 cameras and have to take a photo with all of them. Unlike Saturday, we weren't the only golfers on the course that day. We had players in front of us and following us, but the pace of play was good and there was little waiting. In keeping with the patriotic theme, the game for the day was a Flag Tournament. Every player was given a flag (once again supplied by Emily Williams) with their name on it along with a stroke quota based off of their handicap. You play your game and when you've taken your allotted number of strokes, you plant your flag on the course. The person who makes it the farthest around the course before using up their strokes is the winner. We also had Men's and Women's closest-to-thepin prizes. Oh, what a difference a day makes! Scores skyrocketed Sunday as players found themselves having to play all their errant drives. Strokes were accumulating quickly. By the par 3 14th green, 3 flags were already stuck in the ground. The 15th green had five little flags lined up in a row. Someone remarked it looked like a little cemetery. All the remaining flags got planted somewhere along the 16th hole. Prizes were awarded to the five players that made it the farthest. Fifth place was a tied between Paul and Steffany Gamsby who dropped out in the 16th fairway, fourth place went to Helen Godwin, third place to Steve Motsinger, second to Judy Seekins, and first place to Carroll Jennings. The closest-to-thepin winners were Judy Seekins and Steve Hughlett. Special mention must be made of JoAnn Masselink who took a dollar from her male playing partners when they had a "greenies" bet on the last par 3. Not only was JoAnn the only one to hit the green, she did it in style by knocking it to within three feet and then making the birdie putt. After the round, everyone gathered for a cold drink and the awarding of the prizes. We all thanked Louis Marusik for arranging a great outing. Then, we got in our cars and all headed back home as the fun weekend came to an end. Report on Meadowlands by Carroll Jennings Luckily there were no heat related casualties after the temps at Meadowlands rose to a very steamy 95 plus degrees. Twenty three golfers forged ahead and completed the entire round just as Mother Nature unleashed a much needed line of thunderstorms. The format was based on the best two person net score. There was a tie for first place with a play off hole on number eighteen. Congratulations to the first place winners Louis Marusik, Joyce Rolando, Tom Loughlin,and Sue Fullam with a team score of 122. Second place winners included Kady Carruthers, Del Louder, Kerry Russell, and Linda Swain. Closest to the pin winners were Louis Marusik and Susan Fullam. We welcomed two new guests, Pam Copeland and Linda Swain. Following the outing fourteen players met for cooling refreshments, delicious Italian cuisine and great conversation at Amalfi's in Kernersville. Membership Committee by Carol Christine Remember. If your renewal dues are not paid, according to our bylaws, you are not allowed to participate in ASGA activities after your membership ends. This happened recently before it was caught and the renewal came quickly. We know sometime the renewal notice gets pushed aside, but please try to keep it in the front of your mind. We want you in our group, but only if you've paid your share like everyone else. Golf Committee by Carroll Jennings On August 12 we have tee times beginning at 12:00 at Holly Ridge Golf Links. Contact Helen Godwin by mail or phone to sign up. Make checks payable to Triad ASGA for $34 and mail to Helen by August 4. Please note that Helen has volunteered her hosting services in place of Don Hartman. On August 26, Curtis Jones will be hosting our golf outing at Oak Valley with tee times beginning at 1 p.m. Cost is $39. Send your check. made out to Triad

4 ASGA, by August 18. Sign up for both events are available now Alumni Outing - September 9 Sign up for the Triad ASGA Alumni Outing is also available now. Contact or mail a check to Curtis Jones if you would like to reserve your tee time at Olde Homeplace Golf Course by August 25. Please RSVP Curtis if you plan to play golf and/or have dinner at the course which is provided free to all members and alumni at 6 p.m. following the outing. Cost for the outing is $34, payable to Triad ASGA. Guest are welcome for an additional charge. Add $7.50 to the outing fee if they would like to be included in both golf and dinner. Send just $7.50 for attending dinner only. Curtis will need to give our caterer a head count for dinner so please let him know definitely by Aug. 25. Come and enjoy an afternoon of golf and an evening of fun, food and fellowship with your Triad ASGA friends. Prizes will be awarded at dinner U.S. Women's Open Tickets for the 2007 U.S. Women's Open Championship went on sale to the general public June 19. Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club near Pinehurst N.C. will be hosting the tournament and was the previous site for the U.S. Women's Open Championship in 1996 and Tickets for the Open are available via the internet at or by calling toll free (877) Dates are June 25 -July 1,2007. Here's the Maple Leaf schedule for August: August 5, 11:00 a.m.,12 slots August 19,11:00 a.m., 12 slots Please contact the course to confirm the time and reserve your space by each Thursday. Call The Party's at Ted's! Ted Yarbrough is hosting a gathering on Friday August 18, from 6:00 p.m. until... Here's what he says about it: Bring your favorite hors d'ouvres and drink. I don't plan on firing up the grill, just "finger food" this time. We can shoot pool, play poker, hang out on the back deck, or even take a dip. If you think you might want to jump in the pool, be sure to bring your swimsuit! So where do I live? Take Hwy. 52 north from Winston-Salem, take the Bethania/Rural Hall exit (that's exit #118), take a left at the top of the exit, turn right onto Vestal Road (it's the 2nd road on your right), house is on the right (about the 5th house down). Its got yellow siding with 2 bay windows on the front. If my driveway is full, you can park in the neighbors driveway - nobody lives there Vestal Road home, cell Communications Committee by Carol Brooks Membership Chair Carol Christine reports that she's getting a lot of calls our listing the Relish section of the Winston- Salem Journal. Any time you see an opportunity to promote ASGA, do it! Post the yellow flyer that comes in your newsletter. If you want a more localized flyer to post, let me know and I can send you a PDF. If you would like me to contact a newspaper, just let me know. We have notices in all the area dailies and weeklies. When results of an outing get to me in a timely manner, I'll forward them on to the newspaper(s) in the area we played. We really want to get the word out! Remember the web site Randy Jarvis has set up where he's uploading photos of our outings. Check out It's a slide show with lots of photos posted on it. Double click on the pic to start the slide show. Sympathy is extended to Judy Seekins, whose mother passed away July 12. August Birthdays Jim McGuire - August 16 Steffany Gamsby- August 22 Joyce Rolando - August 24 Kevin Chrestman -August 30 Steve Motsinger - August Professional Events within Driving Distance Greater Hickory Classic at Rock Barn (Champions Tour), Sept Oct. 1, Rock Barn Golf, Conover Chrysler Classic (PGA), Oct. 2-8, Forest Oaks Country Club, Greensboro SAS Championship (Champions Tour), Oct. 6-8, Prestonwood Country Club, Cary Palmetto Pride Classic (Nationwide Tour), Oct , Daniel Island Club, Charleston The Tour Championship (PGA), Oct Nov. 5, Atlanta Address Change? Change? To help us communicate with you, let us know if you move or if you change your address or phone number. Just notify the Membership Chair, Carol Christine, of the changes. September Newsletter Articles Please get any articles or information you have to for the September newsletter to Carol Brooks by August 20th. Anyone can submit articles to the newsletter.

5 TRIAD SINGLES SCHEDULE OF EVENTS Date/Time Activities Contact Cost Notes August 5 11:00 (call to verify) Maple Leaf-Informal Call Course or before 5 p.m. Thurs. $33 12 slots available August 12 Noon Holly Ridge Helen Godwin $34 - pay by August 4 28 slots available August 19 11:00 (call to verify) Maple Leaf-Informal Call Course or before 5 p.m. Thurs. $33 12 slots available August 26 1:00 Oak Valley Curtis Jones $39 - pay by August slots available September 9 1:00 Olde Homeplace Alumni Outing Curtis Jones $34 - pay by Sept slots available September 23 12:40 Oak Hollow Carol Brooks $31 - pay by Sept slots available Don t Let Your Membership Lapse... Be sure to renew so you won t miss receiving a newsletter. Call GOLFMATE ( )