CELEBRATING 16 YEARS OF SINGLES GOLF IN AMERICA Albany Chapter - American Singles Golf Association August 2009 President s Message Summer seems to have finally arrived here in the Capital Region. And that means more golf! We had a record turnout for our July formal at Saratoga Lake -- 8 foursomes. The weather was perfect and the party after at Mike's was wonderful. Thanks Mike! Your backyard and pool make an ideal place for a fun gathering. Our next formal is scheduled on August 9th at Capital Hills with the after party at Rita's. If you haven't signed up, please email Beth or Helene and send a check to Mike. We also had a great turnout for our most recent nine and dine at the Town of Colonie. It didn't hurt that the gorgeous weather was a very welcomed sight! More than 4 foursomes and many others stopped by for dinner or a drink! A special welcome to our new members Karen Kolterman, Therese Shady and Ann Brodbeck. We are so happy that you joined and look forward to seeing you on the links. I began an interesting volunteer activity this past month. I became a coach to a blind golfer. In our area, there is a local group known as the Capital District Blind Golf Association. Each week, they play at one of the courses in the area. I coach Annie, who describes herself as "low vision to no vision." Coaching entails picking her up, guiding her throughout the nine holes of play, having lunch and driving her back home. As "coach" you get to play as well. Our first event was at Ballston Spa Country Club. But I am scheduled to join her at Albany County Club and Wolfert's Roost. Annie has about 6 coaches and we alternate. Annie lost her sight and was an avid golfer. But there are others in the group who have been blind from birth. It is inspiring to "see" that these fellow golfers do not let a disability get in their way. They love the game and love being on the course! It is a privilege to be play golf with them! I want to say a special word of thanks to Don Sislowski who edits our monthly newsletter. It is another one of the many thankless tasks that Don has assumed. But his effort does keep us all informed of our chapter's activities and he does an excellent job. Many thanks, Don! Stay well! Swing easy! And keep your head down! See you on the links! ~Gary Handicaps On some of the event sign ups and on all National event sign ups you may have noticed a line for you to write your handicap? If you haven t joined the GHIN handicapping program at a local golf course, you do not have an official handicap index. Now there is an easy way for you to obtain one by joining the eclub Capital District. EClub Capital District is a New York State Golf Association "Type 3" or Internet club designed to provide golfers living within a 50 mile radius of Albany, NY with the benefits of a NYSGA/GHIN licensed golf club. Centered in Albany, NY, eclub Capital District reaches north to Lake George, south to Saugerties and west to Cooperstown. With a membership fee of $35, you will receive an official USGA Handicap Index as well as a membership into the New York State Golf Association. You will be able to enter all your golf scores online, as well as numerous statistics from each National Website: www.singlesgolf.com E-Mail: ASGANational@aol.com Office Hours: 8:00am to 4:00pm, M-F (Eastern) National Office: 704-889-4600 or 1-888-GOLFMATE To join ASGA or renew your dues, contact the National Office at above number or go to www.singlesgolf.com/join Play golf with singles from other chapters - - for a complete list, go to www.singlesgolf.com/events Regular Meeting Date: First Tuesday of each month Next Meeting: Tuesday, August 4th, 2009 Meeting Location: The Tuscan Grill Our Website: http://www.albanyasga.com/ Our Hotline: 1-888-465-3628 (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.
Albany, NY Chapter of the American Singles Golf Association TM President Gary O Brien gobrien3@nycap.rr.com 518-785-8165 Chairman of the Board Tom Bourke tbourke@imgdate.com (508) 208-5110 Vice-President & Newsletter Don Sislowski dsislowski@gmail.com (518) 608-5279 Local Golf & Secretary Beth Disque reader16@earthlink.net(518) 783-8191 Multi-Chapter & Away Golf Ellen Riley eriley@nycap.rr.com (518) 306-5410 Informal Golf John Holmes sandmanjohn@juno.com (518) 233-1799 and Marian Gogola mebg58@aol.com (518) 526-6681 Social Chairpersons Karen Bishop karebsh1@yahoo.com 518-569-5165 and Rita Roberti rroberti@nycap.rr.com (518) 869-0705 Membership Chairpersons Ann Graziano ahgolfer@gmail.com (518) 459-3407 and Kathi Vakiener Treasurer Mike Congero mcongero48@aim.com 518-587-4003 Communications (Website) Beth Disque reader16@earthlink.net(518) 783-8191 and Judy Axenson Jude10@nycap.rr.com (518) 355-8910 round so you can "track" your game. Best of all, your handicap is part of the GHIN network, meaning that your handicap will be accepted no matter where you travel to play golf. You are invited to join the eclub Capital District. Go to http://www.nysga.org/ capital.html to find out how to join. Upcoming Events Friday Night Social Gatherings Each Friday of the month, beginning about 7 p.m., you will find us gathered at The Blu Stone Bistro located at 661 Albany Shaker Road in Albany. Please come and join us for an informal social hour for everyone, members and friends. During the golf season we make plans for weekend golf (where, when, and how many tee times do we need). During the rest of the year, we socialize, talk about GOLF, and make plans for other events. Many of us often have a bite to eat, as well. Friday Evening Nine & Dine The second Friday of the month The Nine & Dine is at Town Of Colonie. The fourth Friday of the month The Nine & Dine is at Mill Road Acres. Check your emails for further information or go to our website http:// albanyasga.com/calendar.html and look at the Calendar of Events Monthly Meeting August 4th 7:00 p.m. We would love to have our members, guests, friends, and prospective members participate in the monthly meetings. Just stop by Tuscan's Grill, 1760 Route 9, Clifton Park, NY (PH 518-371-5672). We socialize and order dinner at 6:30. The meeting starts at 7. Please come to share your ideas for Albany ASGA in the coming season. This is your organization created to meet the Singles needs in the Capital District your input makes it great! Capital Hills Sunday August 9 th 650 O'Neil Road, Albany, NY (438-2208) Directions can be found on the website under the links tab WHEN: Sunday, August 9 with tee times beginning at 12:00. Plan to arrive at the course 1/2 hour before your tee time. COST: The cost for a round of golf and a cart is $53.00 for members & $63.00 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, Straightest Drive, and Closest to the pin for men and women, and team prizes
The final date to pay is Friday, July 31. 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 12866. As long as we have your payment by July 31, you are assured a place to play in this event. Anyone whose payment is received after July 31 will only play if we need to fill a spot to make even foursomes. JOIN US AFTER GOLF FOR DRINKS, DINNER, THE AWARDING OF PRIZES AND THE USUAL ASGA GOOD TIME AT RITA'S HOUSE. (Directions to Rita's 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. Please contact Helene and Beth at AlbanyASGA2002@yahoo.com if you would like to join us. All single golfers are welcome. Winding Brook Country Club September 13th 2839 Route 203, Valatie, NY (758-9117) Directions can be found on the website under the links tab WHEN: Sunday, September 13 with tee times beginning at 12:00.Plan to arrive at the course 1/2 hour before your tee time. COST: The cost for a round of golf and a cart is $45 for members & $55.00 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, Straightest Drive, & Closest to the pin for men & women, plus team prizes The final date to pay is Friday, September 4. 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 12866. As long as we have your payment by September 4th, you are assured a place to play in this event. Anyone whose payment is received after September 4th will only play if we need to fill a spot to make even foursomes. JOIN US AFTER GOLF FOR DRINKS, DINNER, THE AWARDING OF PRIZES AND THE USUAL ASGA GOOD TIME AT RUTH'S HOME. (Directions to Ruth's nearby home 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. Please contact Helene and Beth at AlbanyASGA2002@yahoo.com if you would like to join us. All single golfers are welcome. Lake Placid Weekend September 18 th 20 th See flyer included in newsletter Registered Members/Guests ALBANY Chapter BABIN, Karen BENNETT, Cathy BISHOP, Karen BRADLEY,Lynn CHAPADOS, Helene CONGERO, Mike DICKINSON, Julie DISQUE, Beth FREDERICK, Ray GOGOLA, MArian HINDEN, Debra HORTON, Ruth LaBARGE, Bob McGOWAN, Jim PATTERSON, Kathleen RILEY, Ellen ROBERTI, Rita SISLOWSKI, Don VAKIENER, KATHI HARTFORD Chapter BIERNAT, Judy HACKETT, Sandra KENNEDY, Carolanne LEBEL, Mary MOKRZEICKI, Steve STERE, Brian WASHINGTON, Elizabeth CENTRAL MA. Chapter ANDERSON, Paul CARTER, Donald CULLINA, Tina FOLTA, Peter McGOLPIN, Kellee PARSTOW, Mary Formal Golf Saratoga Lake 07/05/2009 With all the bad weather lately, it's hard to believe that we had such a perfect day at Saratoga Lake for the largest scramble we've ever had Thirty-two golfers enjoyed the ups and downs of a fun course under mostly sunny skies. The results of the golf are as follows: Longest Drive Men - Gary O'Brien Women - Ruth Horton Straightest Drive Men - Ray Frederick - 11'8" Women - Lynn Bradley 1'9" Closest to the Pin Men - Mike Congero - 22'7" Women - Beth Disque - 28'10" Gary O'Brien was 12'11" from the pin, but already won the longest drive so the prize went to the next closest person. 1st place teams tie - 67 (Both captained by women) Team 7 Team 3 Ann Graziano Kathi Vakiener Rich Shostak Ray Frederick Kathleen Patterson Beth Disque Tom Roberts Gary O Brien 2nd Place Team 69 Team 4 Jay Sullivan Team 5 Julie Dickinson Wayne Coulter Ruth Horton 3rd Place Team - 70 Team 5 Bob Mattox Therese Shady Don Firstenberg Dianne Dodd Special thanks again to Rich Turkey Hill Shostak for donating 6 Turkey Hill half gallon ice cream gift certificates to the
winners of the individual events. Also, many, many thanks to Mike Congero for hosting the wonderful after golf party. The food was terrific, John and Therese enjoyed the pool, and all of us had a great time. Albany ASGA Meeting Minutes - 07/07/09 The meeting was called to order by Gary at the stroke of 7:00 at Tuscan s Grill Present: Gary O Brien, Mike Congero, Ellen Riley, Beth Disque, Helene Chapados, Don Sislowski,, Kathi Vakiener, Marian Gogola, Karen Babin, John Holmes SECRETARY S REPORT: Beth Disque Minutes 6/2/09 were approved Website over 200 hits a month since inception Mike sent payment of $112.35 for renewal to HostMonster TREASURER S REPORT: Mike Congero Available Balance = $13,047.41 ($9565.00 of this is payments for the Lake Placid event) ASGA bucks create a problem for the treasurer with keeping track of our actual available balance We will not use ASGA bucks for golf payments unless absolutely necessary. Will need approval from the treasurer. Party hosts & formal/informal golf organizers can deduct their discounts from their next pay in advance event or party. They need to submit a list of dates to Mike. MEMBERSHIP - Kathy Vakiener Welcome to new members, Therese Shady & Karen Kolterman Membership chair or Don will send reminders to active members whose membership lapsed. SOCIAL COMMITTEE: Sagamore was great. GOLF: Beth Disque, Helene Chapados, Marian Gogola, John Holmes, and Ellen Riley Saratoga Lake July 5 - party at Mikes 32 people everyone enjoyed Plus $166.11 (Saratoga Lake only charged us for 30 players Upcoming - Capital Hills on Aug. 9, party at Rita s, food will be catered Winding Brook on Sep. 13, party at Ruth s Informals Nine and Dines will continue 2 nd Fri. at Colonie - Rita 4 th Fri. at Mill Road - Marian Away Golf Lake Placid Sept 18 20 41 payments have been received, 20 from Albany, 7 from Hartford, 8 Central Mass, Fairfield - 5, Milwaukee -1 Ellen will send out a list of everyone who is attending. That might encourage others. We have 24 rooms reserved. Final payment is due by Aug. 15 Ellen did a site visit to check everything out. All is working out well. Other: Next meeting date Tuesday, August 4 at the Tuscan Grill. The time is 6:30 to order and 7:00 to begin the meeting. Newsletter from Don Don says to look at the cartoons Send items for July s newsletter asap so he can send it in next week. Meeting Adjourned at 8:30 Respectfully submitted, ~Beth Disque ABOUT OUR MEMBERS Happy Birthday to these members: David Ellers - 09/07 Donald Firstenberg - 09/13 Raymond Frederick - 09/12 Marian Gogola - 08/05 Joanne Malecki - 08/25 Jay Sullivan - 08/14 Walter Tool - 08/11 These members are up for renewal: (date shown is last day of membership) Marian Gogola - 08/31/2009 Jeffrey Jordan - 08/31/2009 Jim McGowan - 08/31/2009 Welcome newest members: Ann Brodbeck - Joined 07/10/2009 Julianne Dickinson - Joined 06/11/2009 Therese Shady - Joined 07/07/2009 These members did not renew their dues: (date shown is date membership expired) Dorothy Daly - 06/30/2009 Wally Gordon-Tennant - 06/30/2009 Duane Parker - 06/30/2009 Peter Piazza - 06/30/2009 Our chapter currently has 52 members.
Saratoga Lake More photos came be seen on our website http://www.albanyasga.com and click on photos link.
ASGA - Albany Chapter 2009 Fall Foliage Lake Placid Weekend Crowne Plaza Resort & Golf Club Friday, September 18th - Sunday, September 20th NOTE: There is still time to sign up Over 40 ASGA members from our chapter, Central Mass, Fairfield, and Hartford have registered already for this fabulous weekend at one of Lake Placid s premier golf resort clubs, located adjacent to the Olympic Center in the heart of the world-famous Olympic village. The golf course was rated as one of the eight icons of American resort golf by LINKS magazine. It's not to late for you to join us. LAKE PLACID WEEKEND PACKAGE INCLUDES: Two night s lodging at the award winning Crowne Plaza Resort & Golf Club, Lake Placid Friday September 18 - Day of Arrival Golf with cart on the Links Course with tee times beginning at 1:00 - Friday Evening is on your own. Try one of Lake Placid s awesome restaurants, shop in the unique stores or take in some nightlife. Saturday September 19 - Full breakfast in MacKenzie s Restaurant at hotel - Golf with cart on the Mountain Course with the tee times beginning at 10:36 -Team & individual prizes - Full course dinner at hotel Sunday September 20 - Full breakfast in MacKenzie s Restaurant at hotel - Day of Departure Golf with cart on the Links Course with tee times beginning at 10:04 - Lunch after golf - optional - not included All taxes and service charges All of above for... $375 double occupancy - $125 deposit due immediately $485 single occupancy- $125 deposit due immediately Questions? Contact Ellen Riley at AlbanyASGA2002@yahoo.com
CELEBRATING 16 YEARS OF SINGLESGOLF IN AMERICA AMERICAN SINGLES GOLF ASSOCIATION AUGUST 2009 The national office of the American Singles Golf Association (ASGA) has announced another great opportunity for singles to meet, greet, then battle it out on great golf courses. Venue: Myrtle Beach, USA. With somewhere between 80 and 100 golf courses in the area (depending on who you speak with), Myrtle Beach is simply the natural place to be when it comes to playing golf in the Fall. The weather is cool but not cold and the sandy soil is ideal for grass-growing conditions. All-in-all, mix the beautiful weather with the great golf and many friends from across the country, and you ve got the making for a great golf weekend. This year, the national office has signed an agreement with the Marriott Grande Dunes, located right on the beach in Myrtle Beach. It s a AAA Four-Diamond hotel and is ranked as one of the Top 500 resorts in the world by Travel+Leisure magazine. We ve lined-up s o m e g r e a t courses nearby and have arranged for 10am shotgun starts each morning, so you ll have plenty of time to complete your round before the sun goes down. Date: November 12-15. Cost: Only $399 if you have a roommate, play two rounds of golf (including cart with GPS & range balls), enjoy six food functions, one of which is the Saturday night dinner... filet mignon and salmon and Friday night s themed Cheeseburgers in Paradise, where the best dressed parrothead will get $100. So to get all the details on this fun-filled event, visit the website at SinglesGolf.com/BattleAtTheBeach or complete the registration form enclosed with your monthly newsletter. If you d like to register over the phone, call us at 704-889-4600. Scotland a Definite Since we did our survey last month, we ve spent a lot of time researching the kinds of things that will make our visit to Scotland a memorable one. We were all a little surprised to see the players at the Open Championship wearing long sleeves. This wasn t a fashion statement. It can get a little bit nippy in Scotland, even in the Summer. So if you play Scotland you ve got to understand Scotland. Expect the unexpected and the trip will be even more enjoyable! Please stay-tuned. We don t want to announce anything until it s on paper. For updates, continue to visit the Scotland website, SinglesGolf.com/Scotland New Year s Location To Be Announced Later this month, we ll announce the location for our New Year s event. We will post 2-3 options on a website and will send out a national survey for your input. Chicago Celebrates Tenth Anniversary Congratulations to our fine folks up in ChicagoLand for celebrating their tenth year as a chapter of the American Singles Golf Association! The leadership has done a great job over the years keeping the troops happy and we thank them for that. New Chapters / West Coast + East Coast It s been a busy spring and summer with the implementation of a new start-up section on the website. Persons interested in setting-up new ASGA chapters can find the process simplified by going to SinglesGolf.com/start. We d like to thank Connie Vickroy who has started the Bay Area (San Francisco) Chapter of ASGA and Hallie Currigan, for starting the Savannah Chapter. If you have friends, colleagues, relatives, etc. in a distant city and think they d be an ideal candidate for getting a new ASGA chapter started, please have them contact us. - - Tom Alsop, President / Founder, ASGA Phone 704-889-4600 or 1-888-GOLFMATE GolfASGA@aol.com