The Tallwood Tradition The President s Corner February 2010 http://www.tallwoodmensclub.com/ 2010 Board of Directors President - Jeff Anderson jeffrey.anderson@snet.net Vice President Dave Rutz d-rutz@cox.net Secretary Ryan Nowobilski rnowobilski@sbcglobal.net Treasurer Kim Aderman kim.aderman@comcast.net Handicap Mike Violette mviolette@aol.com Membership Steve Lynch stevenmlynch@gmail.com Co-Social - Steve Liteplo ttopsteve@yahoo.com Co-Social Mike Peterson michael.peterson@snet.net Tournament Ron Krupa thekrupe@yahoo.com Past President Terry Ruzzo terryr13@hotmail.com Communications Jay Howroyd jbyrd14@aol.com Well things were looking green (or at least brown) for most of the winter, however since Mother Nature likes to have some fun, looks like we have to dream of green fairways for a little longer. I hope some of you have gotten away to warmer locations to keep the swing in shape. Hopefully many of you have seen the announcement regarding our guest speaker for the Kick-Off dinner. The TMC membership should all feel very honored and proud that the current PGA President, Jim Remy has committed to speak at our annual Kick-Off dinner. Jim has a lot on his plate this year, with the current state of golf, the normal slate of PGA events and the addition of the upcoming 2010 Ryder Cup matches. It is great we were able to land such a phenomenal speaker. Please get your reservation in now for the annual kickoff to the season. The interest in Tallwood Men s Club remains strong as our new member list is growing by the day, the Social Calendar has been finalized, and the Tournament Calendar is also set for the season. We have made progress on the 40 th Anniversary Gala planning, so reserve the evening of July 24 th on your calendar, for this spectacular occasion. So start thinking fairways and greens, it s not too far away. I look forward to seeing you all at the Kick-Off Dinner in March! Jeff Tallwood Men s Club. Why would you play anywhere else!
The Tallwood Tradition 2 February 2010 How Your Club Operates The Role of Your Treasurer The Treasurer is responsible for the budget, income, and spending of your Tallwood Men s Club. Early each calendar year, projected budgets are created and revised, based upon various levels of expected club membership, (i.e. income). The budget becomes final in April, once the annual membership count is firm. Each TMC Board of Director has his own sub-budget to manage during the year. The Social budget and the Tournament budget are by far the largest two subbudgets for your club. The club has some fixed expenses; such as insurance, website, printing, and the annual CSGA fee. However, well over 90% of your $130 annual membership fee goes directly back to the members in the way of social event and tournament subsidy, your GHIN handicap, new member orientation, and year-end awards/trophies, etc. The Treasurer balances the bank statement every month, and presents it to the TMC Board of Directors. The Treasurer s books are formally audited every year, and the audit results presented to the Board of Directors and to the general membership at the TMC Spring business meeting. Checks and cash that you send to the Pro Shop for tournament and social entry fees are held by the Pro Shop until the event has concluded. After the event, the Pro Shop gives your checks and cash to the Treasurer for deposit into the TMC checking account. Checks are preferred, but cash is also accepted. Each year, over $100,000 flows in and out of the TMC checking account. At yearend, your club plans on about a $3,500 operating balance to carry-over into the start of the next year. Kim Aderman Treasurer - Tallwood Men's Club Vice President s Report Have you ever heard the following being uttered at Tallwood: I just played a round in under four hours. I hated it. If this keeps up, I may have to find somewhere else to play.? No, me neither. How about the following: Another freaking five hour round. If this keeps up, I m out of here. I hate having to wait before every shot.? Yeah, me too. Many times. Virtually everyone likes to play fast, while nearly no one wants to play a slow round of golf. That was the rationale behind the Board of Directors establishing a Pace of Play (POP) Policy several years ago. The POP Policy is posted on our Web Site, summarized on the back of our Score Cards and will be posted in the club house; so I m not going to discuss it here. Suffice it to say, I have the dubious distinction of sending out the infamous letters to tardy players. Please keep in mind that even though I will be the one signing them, I am sending them on behalf of all the players who had to wait while finishing their rounds behind you. It is my sincere hope that I will be sending out even fewer letters this year than Rob Davidson had to send out last year. Dave Rutz Vice President - Tallwood Men's Club
The Tallwood Tradition 3 February 2010 From the Golf Shop Kick-Off Banquet: It is unprecedented that "little ol Tallwood" will be honored by the presence of the President of the PGA of America, Jim Remy, at our Kick-Off Banquet, March 5 th at The Gallery Restaurant. I hope we all know how special this is. Along with Jim, Tom Hantke of the Connecticut State Golf Association and Nathan Grube of The Travelers Championship will also be joining us. Additionally the Golf Show which precedes the banquet will include ALL of the following golf companies: Titleist, Foot Joy, Nike, Callaway, Mizuno, Taylor Made, Bridgestone, Cleveland, Srixon, Tour Edge, Sky Caddie, Ahead Hats, Antigua, Cutter & Buck, Page & Tuttle, Rife Putters, Etonic, Puka Hats, Imperial Hats, And we are not finished yet!!!! This will be the biggest Kick-Off Banquet yet!! DO NOT MISS OUT... This is all for you, the members of Tallwood Men s Club. Golf Shop News: Due to a need to restructure the Golf Shop staff and hours of operation, there will not be a Pro Am list posted. As of this writing, I cannot commit to a pre-posted schedule of the tournament dates. Those members, who have participated in the past few years, will be contacted and asked to play when those dates are confirmed. The local Pro Am schedule to play at Tallwood will be posted the morning of the Spring Classic. Starting time sheets for the first two weekends will be posted at the Cocktail Hour upstairs at the Gallery on March 5 th. The Golf Shop will officially reopen for the 2010 season on Monday March 1st, weather permitting. John Nowobilski PGA Professional, Tallwood Country Club, 860-646-3437, pgatall@aol.com Social Committee News Spring Classic On the last page of this newsletter you will find the entry form for the Spring Classic that will be held on Saturday, March 27 th. This marks the traditional start of our golf season and truly is one of the year s treasured events. It is a shotgun start, so we ll all gather around outside the clubhouse reconnecting with friends and making some new ones. The Anthem is sung (most of the time flawlessly), and hopefully the weather will be nice. Please note that the form and entry fee must be received by March 13 th which is also the cancellation date. If you must cancel please do so by this date. Cancellation Policy We have established a new cancellation policy for all social events, which is indicated on all entry forms so please read it before you sign up. I am sure you are all starting to think of the upcoming golf season and perhaps have even started to practice. So remember to keep your arm straight, your head down, and watch your balls. Steve Liteplo and Mike Peterson Co-Social Chairmen - Tallwood Men's Club
The Tallwood Tradition 4 February 2010 Kick-Off Banquet Update 2010 Kick-Off Banquet March 5 th 5:30pm @ The Gallery Guest Speaker: Jim Remy President PGA of America The Tallwood Men s Club Social Committee extends an invitation for you to join us for an evening of laughter and camaraderie. We are honored to have Jim Remy as our guest speaker for this year s Kick-Off Banquet. Send your entry form today! A copy of the form has been included below. We will also have Tom Hantke - CT PGA President, Nathan Grube - Director of the Travelers Tournament and a number of sales representatives in attendance. Here s the current list: TaylorMade (Gary Rencurrel), Bridgestone (Rob Lamy), AHEAD (Bill Hermanson), Callaway (Mike Perrault), Cleveland/Srixon (Mike Kelley), Mizuno (Matt Mikan), Page & Tuttle / Etonic (John Alysworth), Sky Caddie/ Tour Edge (Scott Hinding), Antigua (Jim Mayo), Nike (Jack Miller), Foot Joy (Larry Bellorado), and more! Jim Remy s Bio: As the first New England PGA Section member to ever ascend to the office of PGA President, Jim Remy, PGA, will lead The PGA of America as it trumpets the vitally important role PGA members play throughout the industry, especially as a golf employer s most valuable asset for economic growth and development, and as a consumer s trusted source for golf instruction, information and advice. An accomplished and highly regarded golf businessman, Jim holds the distinction of having served in virtually every capacity within the areas of Association governance, including an unprecedented six-and-a-half year term on the National Board of Control, which reviews and rules on membership issues. He was named to the Board in 1997, to finish the term of William A. Mitchell, who passed away, and was then named to his own term in 1999. He took part in nearly 1,200 decisions during his tenure. By 2004, Jim Remy was elected national PGA secretary, serving a two-year term, until his election to PGA vice president in 2006, and then PGA president in 2008.
The Tallwood Tradition 5 February 2010 Mr. Remy has served in almost every capacity within the New England PGA Section as well, including as the Section s president from 1995-97. Among various awards, he was named the 1997 New England PGA Golf Professional of the Year and inducted into the New England PGA Section Hall of Fame in 2008. A PGA member since 1984, Jim Remy is the vice president and general manager of the Okemo Golf Division at the Okemo Valley Golf Club in Ludlow, VT. He began his career at Worcester (Mass.) Country Club, site of the first Ryder Cup played in the United States. He served as a PGA assistant professional at Worcester Country Club and Mount Pleasant Country Club, two of Massachusetts s premier private facilities. After accepting the PGA head professional position at Killington Golf Resort in Vermont in 1985, Jim Remy went on to become the PGA director of golf and summer sports, and eventually the PGA director of golf for the Vermont Divisions for S-K-I Ltd. In late 1997, he accepted a position with Okemo Mountain Resort and became responsible for the construction and development of the Okemo Valley Golf Club. Today, as vice president and general manager of the Okemo Golf Division, he is responsible for all aspects of one of New England s leading membership and resort facilities. Sign-up Deadline Approaching: It is truly an honor and a privilege for the Tallwood Men s Club to have Jim Remy as the guest speaker for our 2010 Kick-Off Banquet. Don t forget to sign up for this one. The deadline for signing up for this event is Friday, February 26 th and the Flyer was contained in January s newsletter. As always, it is possible to print out Entry Forms and Flyers from our website, www.tallwoodmensclub.com, under the Entry Form tab off the main page. We are sure this event will be full of surprises! The doors will open early again this year, at 5:30 P.M., so that you can look over the items the Sales Reps will bring with them, and have a few beverages before dinner. Ringers Tournament The Ringers Tournament will once again run from the day after the Spring Classic until the Sunday preceding the Turkey Classic. The entry fee will remain $10 and sign-ups will begin at the Kick-off Dinner. For the benefit of our new members, the Ringers Tournament is a season long event in which you keep track of your best score on every hole. At the end of the season we tally your composite score and award both gross and net prizes by flight. The Ringers Book will be floating around the snack bar after every tournament with a page for every entrant, so keeping track of your best scores is very easy. The great thing about Ringers is even though you play yourself out of the main tournament some days by the 3 rd hole, you can still shoot to improve your Ringers score. One question comes up every year, so we will address it before the season gets under way. Scores made at times other than during regular TMC play (Sat., Sun. and holidays) may not be entered into the Ringers book. Dave Rutz and Ron Weil Ringers Committee
The Tallwood Tradition 6 February 2010 Tournament Committee News The Tournament Committee had a great initial meeting, considering how much work we needed to get through. The 2010 Tournament Calendar was finalized and after hearing that most members prefer straight golf, we've reduced the number of two-man events and also dropped four-man events. When you check out the card, you'll see quite a few more weekend events marked as "T" days. This is to comply with the CSGA's request that we increase our number of "T" scores, so those events will run along with most of the other major events on the calendar. Also check the backside of the card for the GOTY point assignments. These have been adjusted to put more emphasis on individual and season-long events. We'll also be keeping a running total for points on the website, www.tallwoodmensclub.com, during the season. Another main topic of discussion for the committee was second place trophies and play-offs for trophy events. With membership rates dropping and costs continuing to rise, we have decided to reduce the number of tournaments which will be receiving second place awards. Runner up trophies will be for those tournaments considered our "Majors" - the Club Championship, the Governor's Cup, and the Pro's Trophy. Play-offs will only be done for determining events winners; if there is a tie for runner-up in a trophy event, a matching card process will determine the winner (this process will be posted). Finally, a rain policy chart will be in place to assist in determining the status of a rained out event; but the main point is that there will be a designated tournament committee member onsite at the club to handle this decision. Those are the highlights. In conclusion, I wish to correct an omission from last month's committee list as long-time club member, Gordon Beebe, will be lending his wisdom and insight into the tournament zone this season, Welcome, Gordon! See you at the 19th hole - Ron Krupa Tournament Chairman - Tallwood Men's Club Handicap Message As a quick reminder, it is possible to receive GHIN record revisions on the 1 st and 15 th of every month. In order to receive such updates, enter your EMail address on your GHIN records. You can enter/change this information on www.ghin.com. Mike Violette Handicap Chairman - Tallwood Men's Club
The Tallwood Tradition 7 February 2010 From the CSGA Tournaments: The 2010 CSGA schedule includes 33 events and 70 days of competition plus 6 USGA qualifiers and 4 New England Golf Association events. The New England Amateur is being held in Connecticut this year at The Course at Yale (July 20-22). Tallwood Country Club will be hosting the Connecticut Open Qualifier on July 15 th. Access to the full CSGA tournament schedule and registration for events can be found at the website www.csgalinks.org or on posters in the Club House. Issues: This is a critical year for the golf industry. We are looking at issues such as water divergence legislation in Connecticut. This potentially puts golf course owners at risk for having to pay to use their own water sources and could be extremely cost prohibitive. We have joined forces with the Golf Course Superintendents Association and their lobbyist in fighting this legislation. It is also possible Golf Tax legislation could appear at any time again. The CSGA is also involved in the NEW ENGLAND GOLF SUMMIT, which are looking into such topics that include Golf & the Environment, Growth of the Game, Player Development, Industry Trends and Golf and the Economy. The CSGA has also commissioned Golf 20/20 and the National Golf Foundation to do an economic impact study of golf statistics in Connecticut with comparisons to the same matters nationally as well as in the Metropolitan Section and New England golf communities. These findings will be made public during the week of the Traveler s Championship. This is when golf will be at its highest level of exposure in our state and the report will fortify a good number of issues on state and local levels. A copy of this report will be made available to all CSGA member clubs in Connecticut. Volunteers: The CSGA always welcomes volunteers to assist in the conduct of the 70 days of competition throughout the state. Individuals with an interest in and some passion for the game should contact me, Don Sanders or call the CSGA office in Rocky Hill at 257-4171. Nick Pahoulis CSGA Vice-President
The Tallwood Tradition 8 February 2010 TALLWOOD MEN S CLUB SOCIAL EVENT SPRING CLASSIC March 27, 2010 Time: Registration 8:00 AM, Shotgun Start 9:00 AM Format: A-B-C-D-(E) Scramble (4 or 5 man teams) Entry Fee: $10.00 + one (1) Punch on your card ($5.00) prepaid. $15.00 for Past Presidents: If you did not pre-pay your 10 tournaments Green fees and carts (if riding) - paid on tournament day Entry Fee includes: Drink and Food tickets! Prizes: Closest-to-pin on all par 3 s. Closest-to-pin (2 nd shot) on #10. Hams and Pro-Shop credit to the winning teams. Pro Shop Raffle. Side tournaments. Start those stretching exercises, get out the new clubs and golf balls you got for Christmas, dust off the golf bag and polish those shoes the Spring Classic is coming! This ever popular and first social event, is right around the corner. Please enter early to assure your spot in this A-B-C-D-(E) Scramble. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Entry Form Spring Classic March 27, 2010 Please make checks payable to the Tallwood Men s Club. Entries must be received no later than the Entry Deadline of Saturday, March 13 th Cancellation Policy Cancellations will be accepted up to & including Entry Deadline date. Refunds for cancellations after the Entry Deadline will require approval from the Tallwood Men s Club Social Committee Co-Chairs. Mail to: Tallwood Country Club Attn: Spring Classic 91 North Street Hebron, CT 06248 TMC member Name: Hdcp. If new member, please enter your 2007 GHIN # If none please indicate your average 18 hole score Do you wish to reserve a cart (course conditions permitting)? Yes No Can you play on the following rain/snow date? Rain/snow date = Saturday, April 10 th Yes No Amount enclosed: $10 per person - $15 for Past Presidents Check #: