CELEBRATING 23 YEARS OF SINGLES GOLF IN AMERICA Southeast Michigan Chapter - American Singles Golf Association - November 2014 FROM THE PREZ Greetings All! With the cooler nights and dropping leaves, the golf season is getting close to the end for most of us. There might be a few nice days left, but with the leaves comes lost golf balls. For those heading south for the winter, enjoy your extended golf season. Monthly Meetings At our October meeting we had 20+ people in attendance. Please join us on the third Thursday of every month; I m usually there. On the golf course, I m pretty much invisible. Dec 5 th Christmas Meeting/Dinner - for Members and Alumni My biggest outing of the season is our Christmas Dinner and election results. This festive event will be held on Friday, December 5 th ; flyer to come shortly. We re having something different this year: a doo-wop, oldies, and rock singing group. When the group is not singing, one of them will D.J. This will be a very entertaining and exciting time for all. The cost is $25 for ASGA current members and $35 for former ASGA members; guests are $40. Come join us for your Christmas Party at Idyl Wyld Golf Course, 5786 Five Mile Road, Livonia, MI 48154. Make-a-Wish Don t miss our November Meeting. Feel free to bring a friend, single or married, to participate in our Make-a-Wish fund raiser. Meet & Greet at Cork Wine Pub Sounds like fun. See you Friday, November 14 at 7:00 p.m. I Always Wondered Why I Played Golf Reverse every natural instinct and do the opposite of what you are inclined to do, and you will probably come vary close to having a perfect golf swing. (Ben Hogan) ~Reggie Czach, president 734.420.4161 reggie_czach47@yahoo.com Thursday, November 20 Monthly Meeting and Meet & Greet with MAKE-A-WISH AUCTION Cocktails in the Bar: 6:00 p.m. Dinner & Meeting: 7:00 p.m. G. Subu s Leather Bottle 20300 Farmington Road, Livonia, MI (just south of 8 Mile) Bring your friends to meet us! FROM THE CHAIR Elections 2015 AN URGENT CALL! The board structure for 2015 is forming up. Any position can have more than one candidate to run for office. We need you to dig down deep and offer your services for a position. Each of the primary chairs also needs a deputy to assist them at times of travel or emergency. Put your name on the list to be a deputy. We need you! During November we need each of you, the current membership, to place your name on the candidate list for the upcoming elections. You can contact me in the remaining few days of November before the election to conduct a Pro Forma Nomination process for the positions of president, vice president, secretary, treasurer, membership chair, social chair, golf chair, web master, pr chair & newsletter, and chairman of the board (Denny). Although we have the following current board members wishing to continue on the 2015 board, no position is locked into a particular individual. If you wish to perform a leadership role in our chapter, you just need to contact Denny O Neill and also place your name on the ballot for any of these: Reggie Czach - President, Kim McIntyre - Vice President, Gail Wilson - Upcoming Events Include (see SinglesGolf.com/events) ASGA's Western Caribbean Cruise - November 16-23, 2014. Sail out of Ft. Lauderdale for seven nights. Details at SinglesGolf.com/cruise ASGA National's (Belated) New Year's Event - Orlando Area - January 4-7, 2015. Details at www.singlesgolf.com/newyears Orlando's Sunshine Fling - March 12-15, 2015. Details released in the coming months. For more information, contact Barney Coomes at bcoomes@cfl.rr.com Office Hours: 9:00am to 2:00pm, M-F (Eastern) National Office: 704-889-4600 or 1-888-GOLFMATE Regular Meeting Date: THIRD THURSDAY of each month Next Meeting: November 20th, 2014 Meeting Location: G. Subu s Leather Bottle Our Website: www.southeastmighigan.singlesgolf.com Our Hotline: (734) 420-4161 (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.
Southeast Michigan Chapter of the American Singles Golf Association TM President Reggie Czach 734-420-4161 reggie_czach47@yahoo.com Chairman of the Board Denny O Neill DennisONeill@comcast.net 248-933-5841 Communication Chair Patricia McKenna 248-476-6242 patricia.mckenna@thomsonreuters.com Golf Chair 248.830.7075 dziewickid@yahoo.com Membership Chair Fran Firek 248-444-9966 fran@firek.net Secretary Gail Wilson 248-310-3119 gailmarie43@hotmail.com Social Chair Marilyn Abray 248.685.7039 mabray2a@aol.com Treasurer Nancy Clark 586-344-7610 nancycc112@hotmail.com VP Kim McIntyre 810-772-9989 kmcintyre@jrthompson.com Webmaster Mary Ann Wenger 248-249-2249 mrstangman@wowway.com Legal Counsel Tim Murphy 313-318-0310 timothymurphy1@me.com MAKE A WISH AUCTION 6:00 p.m. Thursday, November 20 You and Your Friends are Invited! Please attend this fanatically fun event and bring along a few friends to enjoy the night and get to know us. To Make this a Success, We Need Each and Every Member to Make a Donation Some ideas include: handyman services, snow shoveling, gutter cleaning, baking, cooking a dinner for 4, golf lessons, bowling lessons, car detailing, or offering to bake a pie a month. How about handmade items like hats or jewelry? Or a hot air balloon ride? The only limits are your imagination. And every donation is tax deductible. Donate Now! Let us know your donation by the October 16 meeting. Contact Carmen Meranda at 248-444-1250 or Marilyn Abray at 248.685.7039 Let s pull together as a team and support this good cause! Secretary, Nancy Clark - Treasurer, Fran Firek - Membership, Marilyn Abray - Social, - Golf, Mary Ann Wenger - WEB Master, Patsy McKenna - PR Chair & Newsletter, Tim Murphy - Legal Counsel. Elections will be held during the November 20, 2014 monthly meeting. You must be present to vote. Election results will be announced at the December 5, 2014, Christmas Party. Thanks to 2014 Board of Directors Again, let s give a BIG THANK YOU to the 2014 Board of Directors! The board is comprised of: Reggie Czach - President, Kim McIntyre - Vice President, Marilyn Abray - Social Chair, - Golf Chair, Fran Firek - Membership Chair, Gail Wilson - Secretary, Nancy Clark - Treasurer, Mary Ann Wenger - Webmaster, Patsy McKenna - PR Chair & Newsletter, Tim Murphy - Legal Counsel, and Denny O Neill - Chairman of the Board. Why We re in ASGA I was sitting and watching, at the last Meet and Greet, while twenty+ members and guests sat around the banquet table. They were all laughing and interacting with all of the other folks. Just looking around and seeing the smiles, the laughter, and the engaging discussion, allowed me just sit back and enjoy those few moments. What a great feeling! Thanks to all of you for making this happen! ~Denny O Neill, chairman of the board 248.933.5841 dennisoneill@comcast.net FROM THE VP It s Not Over Till We Say It s Over Well maybe golf season is over. I hope you all had a great season and played all the courses you wanted. Just a reminder, it s not too early to start your planning for next year. Did You Host an Outing? We always need people to host and take us to places we may not have been before or just your favorite course. Remember, when you host, you get to make the rules for the outing and the types of prizes. I just played in the Kensington Nightmare 2-person scramble. The course was indeed setup as a nightmare with pins on the extreme edges of greens, on steep slopes so if you miss the ball rolls back to your feet, even a pin in a greenside bunker and one not even on the green. I plan to put it on our schedule for next year with dinner at a restaurant nearby. Even if you have never hosted an outing, make it a
goal in the new year, or at least let us know some courses you would like to play, and we can consider them in our early planning meeting for 2015. Hope to see you at a monthly meeting or the next Meet & Greet. ~Kim McIntyre, vice president 810.772.9989 kmcintyre@jrthompson.com FROM THE GOLF CHAIR Well with the end of October knocking at our door, a tear comes to my eye thinking about the end of golf season. There were many fun, challenging rounds, even some with low scores for the handicap tracker. Most important were the conversations, laughs, and memories with fellow members. I think it s just a ball doing something you have such a passion for with others who have the same enthusiasm for the game of golf. For those lucky enough to be able to hit the links during the winter months, enjoy! There s still time to plan an impromptu outing before the snow flies, so please feel free to pick your favorite venue and host an outing. With Michigan golf winding down, we always have the National events and, of course, we have our Social Chair planning lots of events for the group. A final note An interesting thing about golf is that no matter how badly you play, it is always possible to get worse. ~, golf chair 248.830.7075 dziewickid@yahoo.com FROM THE MEMBERSHIP CHAIR It s November, and now is a great time to introduce some of your friends to ASGA, so they can enjoy our winter events. Our meetings on the 3 rd Thursday of each month are a great way to introduce them to the group. ~Fran Firek, membership chair 248.444.9966 fran@firek.net FROM THE SOCIAL CHAIR Let's get social! Plan an event and join your fellow ASGA members for some fun activities. To host a social event, contact Marilyn Abray at 248.685.7039 or Carmen Meranda at 248-444-1250. ~Marilyn Abray, social chair 248.685.7039 mabray2a@aol.com THE WOODLANDS OF VAN BUREN On Saturday, Sept 27 th, 11 golfers enjoyed the beautiful fall afternoon at The Woodlands of Van Buren Golf Course in Wayne. There was plenty of sunshine, including a beautiful splash of fall colors on the course and, as usual, plenty of laughs. CTP winners were Kathleen Camire, Nancy Strong, and Alan Snider. Longest putt went to. And a new contest, "farthest from the pin but on the green," went to Carole Arcy. A little more thought needs to be put into this one, but I think it will be a keeper! Bill Pflugrad won a random drawing. Thanks to for planning this great day for us! GULL LAKE We had a wonderful weekend in spite of the not so hot weather. Here s some thoughts from several of the October 3-5 attendees. I like the idea of posting these individual thoughts, as opposed to my creating my own. Mary Ann Wenger Denny O Neill We got to meet two great folks from Chicago; Bonnie and Ed. Hope to see them again! Some off us played a lot of golf, like 36 holes on Saturday! Cynthia and Bonnie (Chicago) arrived early on Thursday evening. It rained Friday! It was cold and damp Saturday. It was cool but nice on Sunday. We used our rain suits, cart covers, and heaters. Some did not play and went to the movies. Some did not play and went to the casino. Some did not play and just hung out. One of us got hurt and went home early. The Friday course was closed, and we had to move to another course. We had cart path only, great exercise. One of us walked the course with a pull cart. A pot of soup to keep us warm! Question: when is cold and damp weather a lot of fun? Answer: when you spend it with your ASGA friends at Gull Lake golfing. It s not so wet when you plan ahead, and it s not so cold when you dress warmly. Fall color was starting to bloom, and we actually played in sunshine part of the time. The beech trees were turning dark purple, and the maples were showing their reds and oranges. Fall is on the way, but it was wonderful to have the clubs out for one more long weekend Kathryn McIntyre I really want to thank all the wonderful Michigan ASGA folks for an outstanding weekend. Yes it was chill for 18 holes on Friday, but I did manage 36 on Saturday and another 36 on Sunday. Golf is good! You guys were a lot of fun, and I look forward to getting together and playing more golf in beautiful Michigan with my new friends. Great memories with wonderful people at dinners and drinking and learning euchre. Also, I don't think I've ever seen a birdie putt that goes in the hole after it bounces off someone else s ball 10 inches away, and off line, from the cup. Chicago Ed I had a great time. I was one of the chickens that didn't play on Saturday, but we were able to have a lovely afternoon with Bruce's sister that lives only a few miles away from Gull Lake. Thanks to Denny and Mary Ann, I was able to stay nice and toasty warm with the use of their heater. Ed and Bonnie from Chicago were very nice. I enjoyed their company. I hope we can get together on another ASGA event. As usual, we always have a great time playing Euchre and just hanging out. Thanks to Nancy, Diane, and Helen for hosting the card party. Alice Klavanian I had a lot of fun golfing at Gull Lake and playing cards into the wee hours of the morning. Thank you, Mary Ann, for use of the cart cover Saturday. I enjoyed the company of our friends from Chicago, Ed and Bonnie. Hope we can play together again someday. Helen Puffenberger Hello to all the ASGA members. It was another wonderful ASGA weekend getaway to Gull Lake. The weather was not the greatest but the golf, accommodations, and group of people were AWESOME!! This weekend was an inter-chapter gathering. Ed and Bonnie from Chicago fit in just like they have always been a part of our Michigan chapter. There were some who were die hard golfers and battled the inclement weather. There were others who decided to stay warm, see a good movie, and try their luck on the slot machines at
the nearest casino. The golf scores may not have been the best, but the laughs on the course were priceless. For those of you who have never been on a golf weekend, you need to join us!!! Ann Amazing that we were able to play every day! Diane I just wanted to say that we pulled off another great weekend. Although I opted for the movies and casino on Saturday, I still got in my golf. Thanks to Mary Ann for organizing, and a special hi to our Chicago friends. Thanks to Mary Ann Wenger for planning this great weekend! BLUE/GREEN CHALLENGE On October 12, 2014, we had 36 golfers for our annual Blue Green Challenge. This included three guests, three alumni, and 30 active members and friends. The day was supposed to start at 9:a.m., but due to cold weather, the greens were not ready until around 10:00 a.m. MSU Green prevailed with a low score of 360 vs. the UM Blue score of 373. The low Blue team foursome shot 67, and the low Green team shot 69. After golf, we had dinner and our award festivities in the Links of Novi restaurant, where the staff did a great job for us. We had a 50% (Phil Allor) / 30% (Denny O Neill) / 20% (Judy Wysocki) drawing. Closest to the pin awards went to: Audrey Bennett, Charlie Pullman, Patty Glime (guest), and Bob Pattullo (alumni). Closest to the MSU and UM Bag awards went to Alan Snider (UM) and Nancy Strong (MSU). Longest putt went to Jim Dawson. Mulligan awards were split between most par 4 s with eleven (11) (Blue team #4 Ann Piper and Jim Gralinski) and most par 3 s with four (4) ([Blue team #2 Chuck Hanshaw, Mary Ann Wenger, Kathleen Camire], [Blue team #4 Bill Pflugrad, Ann Piper, Jim Gralinski], [Blue team #3 Tim Murphy, Audrey Bennett, Diane Dziewicki, Phil Allor],[Green team #4 Patty Glime, Darlene Janulis, Joan Colwell, Charlotte Gralinski], and [Green team #5 Kim McIntyre, Art Goldman, Sue Merrick]). ABOUT OUR MEMBERS Happy Birthday to these members: Joyce Burns - 11/29 La Juana Clancy - 12/15 Nancy Clark - 11/02 Charles Hanshaw - 11/27 Darlene Janulis - 12/13 Timothy Murphy - 12/13 M. Liz Nicholl - 12/11 Lisa Payne - 11/14 Suzanne Peltier - 11/08 Jim Richardson - 11/05 George Sehr - 12/04 Alan Snider - 11/06 Gary Tarlowicz - 11/05 Diane Thompson - 12/11 Welcome newest members: Vicki Edwards - Joined 10/07/2014 These members recently renewed: Fran Firek Susan Merrick John Raymond Lawrence Schultz These members did not renew their dues: (date shown is date membership expired) Bruce Kaier - 09/30/2014 Our chapter currently has 93 members. Rules and More Rules Bending branch out of the way of your swing Q. Larry was playing in a stroke play event. As he too often does, he was playing most of the round on the edge of the woods rather than in the fairway. On hole # 5 his ball was tucked up against a very large bush in the rough. On preparing to take his stance and practice his set-up swing it became apparent that a branch would inhibit (don t you just love that word) him from making an unrestricted backswing. Larry carefully bent the interfering branch back and tucked it behind a larger branch that held it out of his way. Larry then proceeded to top the ball but did get it out into the fairway. But I digress. Excuse me, got carried away. Now back to Larry. His opponent called called a 2 stoke penalty. Larry protested. What is the correct answer below? A. Larry did nothing wrong bending the branch out of the way of his swing, so long as he did not break a branch. No penalty is warranted. B. The opponent was correct. Larry can not bend branches. But the penalty is only one stroke, not two. C. The opponent was correct. Larry can not bend branches. Two strokes is the correct penalty. D. That is an obvious 15 yard penalty. Ball is to be re-spotted at the point of infraction, 1st down. AND THE ANSWER IS: The answer is C. Larry was wrong and should have been assessed a two (2) stroke penalty. Larry was in violation of USGA Rule 13-2 which pertains to Improving Lie, Area of Intended Stance or Swing, or Line of Play. The rule is very explicit, you are not allowed to improve your lie, area of stance or swing, or your line of play. The basic play it as it lies rule. The penalty for violating the rule in match play is loss of the hole; in stroke play the penalty is two strokes. Larry had options he could have made. 1. He could have declared the ball unplayable and taken a penalty and drop. 2. Or he could have played it where it was in a manner that did not entail bending the branch and breaching the rules. He could have for example choked down on the club and made a shorter swing. Conversly, he could have taken a full swing and hit the branch free of penalty and swung down trying to make good contact with the ball.
Hosting an event is an easy way to get involved and meet new friends. To host a social event, contact Marilyn Abray at 248.685.7039. To host a golf event, contact at 248.830.7075. Check our website for the most up-to-date information. Social Calendar 2014 Date Day Event Name Host / Hostess 1/16/14 Thursday Monthly Meeting at G. Subu s Leather Bottle Leather Bottle Board of Directors 1/18/14 Saturday January Meet & Greet at Bakers of Milford Tish Gordon 2/16/14 Sunday Tipping Point Theatre Reggie Czach 2/20/14 Thursday Monthly Meeting at G. Subu s Leather Bottle Board of Directors 2/21/14 Friday Euchre Party Fran Firek 2/28/14 Friday Meet & Greet at Farmington Elks Club Patsy McKenna/Andy Lauderback 3/7/14 Friday Golf Show Meet & Greet at Gatsby s Mary Ann Wenger 3/7-9/14 Fri-Sun Golf Show (Novi) On your own 3/8/14 Saturday Dueling Pianos at Karl s Cabin Marilyn Abray 3/20/14 Thursday Monthly Meeting at G. Subu s Leather Bottle Board of Directors 3/21/14 Friday Meet & Greet at Bayside Carmen Meranda 4/17/14 Thursday Monthly Meeting at G. Subu s Leather Bottle Board of Directors 4/19/14 Saturday Meet & Greet at MEX J.B. Bernard 4/27/14 Sunday Balls, Burgers, and Beers Mary Ann Wenger 5/2/14 Friday Golf League Begins Party Patsy McKenna 5/3/14 Saturday Special Olympics Bowl-a-Thon Patsy McKenna 5/4/14 Sunday Balls, Burgers & Beer Oasis Golf Dome Mary Ann Wenger 5/4/14 Sunday Tipping Point Theatre Mary Ann Wenger 5/15/14 Thursday Monthly Meeting at G. Subu s Leather Bottle Board of Directors 6/19/14 Thursday Monthly Meeting at G. Subu s Leather Bottle Board of Directors 7/17/14 Thursday Monthly Meeting at G. Subu s Leather Bottle Board of Directors 8/21/14 Thursday Monthly Meeting at G. Subu s Leather Bottle Board of Directors 9/13/14 Saturday Appreciation Picnic Reggie Czach 9/18/14 Thursday Monthly Meeting at G. Subu s Leather Bottle Board of Directors 10/1/14 Wednesday Make a Wish Donations Due Carmen Meranda 10/16/14 Thursday Monthly Meeting at G. Subu s Leather Bottle Board of Directors 11/14/14 Friday MEET & GREET AT CORK WINE PUB Jerrie Sasson 11//20/14 Thursday Make A Wish Auction - Monthly Meeting at G. Subu s Leather Bottle Carmen Meranda and Board of Directors 12/5/14 Friday Christmas Dinner & Monthly Meeting Reggie Czach
Golf Calendar 2014 2014 Golf Chair American Singles Golf Association SE Michigan Chapter Golf Calendar 2014 Sept. 18, 2014 dziewickid@yahoo.com Date Day Event Name / Status Host / Hostess 07-09-Mar Fri-Sun Golf Show (Novi) 26-Apr Sat Glenhurst Redford Denny O Neill 27-Apr Sun Balls, Burgers & Beer Oasis Golf Dome Mary Ann Wenger 02-May Fri Farmington Hills Golf League Starts (1) Denny O Neill 10-May Sat Salem Hills (Northville) 16-May Fri Farmington Hills Golf League (2) Denny O Neill 17-May Sat Twin Lakes, Oakland Twp (Noon Ck-In) (Noon check in)(check NLT May 10 th ) 23 May Fri Williamsburg, Va. / Ford s Colony the Blue Heron GC 24 May Sat Williamsburg, Va. / Ford s Colony the Blackheath GC Denny O Neill ASGA National (Tom Alsop) ASGA National (Tom Alsop) 30-May Fri Farmington Hills Golf League (3) Denny O Neill 6 June Fri Farmington Hills Golf League (4) Denny O Neill 7-Jun Sat Tyrone Hills, Fenton Tish Gordon 13 June Fri Farmington Hills Golf League (5) Denny O Neill 14-Jun Sat Taylor Meadows, Taylor Alan Snider 20 June Fri Farmington Hills Golf League (6) Denny O Neill 21-Jun Sat Carrington (Monroe) Kathryn McIntyre 27 June Fri Farmington Hills Golf League (7) Denny O Neill 28-Jun Sat Hunter s Ridge Sue Merrick 5-Jul Sat Kensington (Milford) D. Dziewicki & M. Abray 11 July Fri Farmington Hills Golf League (8) Denny O Neill 12-Jul Sat Wysocki Golf Outing J. Wysocki 18 July Fri Farmington Hills Golf League (9) Denny O Neill 19-Jul Sat Meadowbrook Fran Firek 20-Jul Sun Cherry Creek (Shelby Twp) Denny O Neill 25 July Fri Farmington Hills Golf League (10) Denny O Neill
2014 Golf Chair American Singles Golf Association SE Michigan Chapter Golf Calendar 2014 Sept. 18, 2014 dziewickid@yahoo.com Date Day Event Name / Status Host / Hostess 25 Jul Fri The Quest / Houghton Lake Denny O Neill 26-28-Jul Sat Traverse City Weekend/Roscommon Spruce Run GC 26-28-Jul Sun Traverse City Weekend/A Ga Ming Golf Resort 26-28-Jul Mon Traverse City Weekend / Roscommon Forest Dunes GC 1 Aug Fri Farmington Hills Golf League (11) Denny O Neill 8 Aug Fri Farmington Hills Golf League (12) Denny O Neill 9-Aug Sat Black River (Port Huron) Pam Santos/Patsy McKenna 15 Aug Fri Farmington Hills Golf League (13) Denny O Neill 17-Aug Sun Heather Hills (Romeo) 20-Aug Weds Bushwood (9 holes & dinner) F. Firek 23-Aug Sat Rush Lake Mary Wright/ Mary Ann Wenger 13-Sep Sat Appreciation Picnic Reggie Czach 14-Sep Sun Coyote Milford Kim McIntyre 27 Sep Sat Woodlands of Van Buren 3-Oct/4-Oct Fri / Sat Gull Lake Weekend Mary Ann Wenger 3-4 Oct Fri / Sat Gull Lake Weekend Mary Ann Wenger 12-Oct Sun Blue/Green (The Links of Novi) Denny O Neill 18-Oct Sat
The Southeast Michigan Chapter of the American Singles Golf Association WANTS YOU! We re 3,000 members in 75 cities and we re ALL ABOUT HAVING FUN! So if you re single (i.e. divorced, widowed, legally separated or never married) and enjoy meeting others through the game of golf, you re invited to inquire about membership by calling the American Singles Golf Association directly at 1-888-465-3628 (1-TRIPLE-EIGHT-GOLFMATE) or visit our website at SinglesGolf.com