McCall Golf & Country Club - Constant Contactfiles.constantcontact.com › 2e09563f001 › d37e7a39-504c-4909-87c… · In our catering department, March is not as good as in past

McCall Golf & Country Club

McCall Matters March 2017

General Manager’s Letter Bob Casler

Wow, it has certainly been a very interesting winter up till now! With the mildest winter I

ever remember, our activity at the Club has been better than expected. Just the other day the phone

rang and a member requested rental of golf carts but I had to inform him it is still February, so it

should be interesting to see what March brings! The saying is that March “comes in like a lion and

out like a lamb.” Looks like to me that it is coming in like a lamb! Hopefully it doesn’t go out like a

lion! The extended forecast looks better than expected. With the hope of our golf season fast

approaching along with daylight savings time, we all need to think spring!

Joe Candelore and his staff have a lot of hard work and cooperation by Mother Nature to have

our Spring Scramble on Saturday, April 15. Over the winter we have done quite a few projects. For

starters, we needed a lot of painting done throughout the clubhouse to keep our place looking fresh

and clean. Joe and his crew are in the process of replacing the ceiling tiles in our main dining room to

keep our room looking elegant. Our drapes in the dining room will be cleaned and some new fabric

will be replaced as well. We are hoping that this will also entice some new brides to our facility. We

also plan to paint the hallway leading up the steps to Conference Rooms A and B and outside the

ladies locker room. Very special thanks to our staff that provided some of the labor for the projects.

Using our staff, saved us a tremendous amount of money and provided quality work. Thank you to

all that were involved!

During March, the Grille at McCall will open on Saturdays and Sundays from 8:00 AM till

3:00 PM for breakfast and lunch. The Grille at McCall will reopen weekdays in April with an all

new exciting lunch menu. Also coming in March, we will have two dinner buffets on Tuesday,

March 7 and March 21, with a St. Patrick’s theme menu. Breakfast with the Easter Bunny is right

around the corner and will be held on Saturday, April 8, from 9:00 AM till noon. Check your email

for the flier. Call Bill Shields early for your reservations as these events will be a sellout for sure. If

you have an idea for a special event or a social event that you think the members would like, drop me

an email with your ideas.

Page 1

McCall Golf & Country Club

McCall Matters March 2017

General Manager’s Letter Bob Casler

Our Pro Shop is also gearing up for an all new season. During March, our Pro Shop will

be open from 9:00 AM till 3:00 PM Tuesday thru Sunday and closed on Mondays. Sign up in the

Pro Shop for our Tuesday Night Golf League that will begin on April 11, followed by our Grille

at McCall being open. Eric, our Golf Pro, will be happy to get you involved if you are a new

member or just new to tournament play as well as introduce you to other members. League play

is a perfect opportunity to meet other members, and don’t worry, your handicap doesn’t matter,

everyone has fun! The Tuesday Night Golf League is a perfect start if you have never played in a

tournament.

Lastly, but very important, I am very happy to reintroduce in this article of McCall

Matters an article that will introduce a member’s volunteer program by our Greens Chairman,

Rich Flebbe. He has done a magnificent job in past years with some awesome ideas, and I hope

we can get the same response from our membership as we had in 2016 for the volunteer program

in 2017.

In our catering department, March is not as good as in past years but we anticipate once

the weather breaks the phones usually start ringing. Our spring is filling up nicely so if you are

looking for social events and parties especially in April you need to think about it now as April

and June dates go very quickly. Please contact Bill Shields at [email protected] to

reserve your party or event.

For the month of March, I look forward to seeing everyone return for an all new exciting

season. Let’s all continue to support our Club and make this another successful golf season!

Page 2

Bob

mailto:[email protected]

Page 3 March 2017 McCall Matters

The Golf Course Joe Candelore, Director of Golf & Facilities

Hello to all members and to a “happy new golf season”. The course has been very busy with our mild

winter especially the last two weeks of February but March can be cold and snowy so who knows, not the

meteorologists, that’s for sure.

First, I just want to remind everyone about our signal flag because some golfers have gone out on the

course with the RED flag posted so just a quick review. The flags are posted in the first tee flower bed next to

the American flag pole so as soon as you turn in the driveway you can see what color is up. The GREEN flag

means the course is open to play unrestricted. The RED flag means the course is closed for some reason,

frost, rain, too wet or other reasons and you should not go out. The YELLOW flag means the course is open

but with a restriction, no carts, certain holes closed or other reasons and the Pro Shop will let you know what

they are. It is my goal to have the GREEN flag out as much as possible because we like to see golfers on the

course. Thanks for your cooperation.

Second, riding carts will go out once the ground is thawed and somewhat dry and the turf has started

to grow a little so it can protect itself from the traffic. We cannot start the season off with cart damage because

we all know as the season wears on so does the wear the carts cause on the turf. If the weather stays warm and

drier, carts could go out shortly in March but if it turns cold and wet it will take a little longer to get them out

on the course. Again, thanks for your understanding in our efforts to protect the course. I know that no carts

affects a lot of members.

Third, when the Pro Shop opens on March 1, free golf is over. You must have your 2017 bag tag

before you go out to play and you must pay for any guests you are taking out on the course. Also back to golf

attire, no jeans, and you the member are responsible for your guest’s attire and behavior while here at the

Club.

There is a lot of cleanup, tree trimming, tree take downs, irrigation improvements, spraying,

topdressing and even some first mowing going on. Let’s start the season off right by respecting all the staffs

here at McCall, the course, Pro Shop and clubhouse employees are all here to make your day at McCall the

best it can be. So the big question right now is was the groundhog right or was the groundhog wrong? Only

time will tell. Thanks for being a member at McCall and we can’t wait to see you out on the course.

Joe


The Pro Shop Eric Figueroa, PGA Golf Professional March Pro Shop Hours of Operation

Monday - Closed

Tuesday thru Sunday - 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM (Weather Dependent)

I hope everyone has had a wonderful holiday season and a great winter. Now that we have

moved into March, it is time to get geared up for the golf season. Are you as ready as I am? I sure

hope so! We have some great things to look forward to this year. There are some new events on

the tournament schedule that will be a blast. Please take a look at the schedule and see what peaks

your interest. It is a great chance to meet new people and have a great day at the Club. Just

remember that we are here to make your time at McCall fun. We would love to have members and

guests of all skill levels. As you stop into the Pro Shop for your 2017 bag tag, please do not

hesitate to inquire about everything we have to offer. I look forward to answering any questions

you may have. Here’s to a great 2017!

Bag Tags

The Pro Shop will be open full time in March. Please stop by and get your bag tag for 2017.

We ask that you get your tag before heading out to play. Dues can now be paid in the Pro Shop.

Please know that you cannot receive your bag tag until ALL fees have been paid in full. A $50 late

fee is added to dues that are paid after February 28. Hopefully you have sent your payments in

already!

Rules of McCall

We ask all of you to be vigilant while out on the golf course. We will need you to be our

eyes and ears along with our rangers. Please let the Pro Shop know if any rules are being broken.

We will deal with the issues at hand. Thank you so much for you cooperation. We are not looking

forward to suspending any rule violators. We just want everyone to follow the rules and enjoy their

time out on the course.

GHIN Handicaps

Since we are a yearly membership, we inactivate everyone’s handicaps in the off season.

We will activate your handicap when you come in for your bag tag. This is the only way we can

keep from being charged for those people who no longer keep their membership at McCall. If you

are away in Florida, and have paid your dues for 2017, please contact me and I will activate your

handicap. GAP team captains will give me a list of those who have agreed to play, and I will

activate those players so they will be eligible by the deadline date. Please stop in and get your bag

tag as soon as you can and I will activate you handicap that day.


The Pro Shop Eric Figueroa, PGA Golf Professional Spring Scramble

The Opening Day Scramble will be held on Saturday, April 15, and is open to all

members and their guests. The format will be five-person teams and the field will be limited to 26

teams. A full buffet breakfast will be served at 8:00 AM and the Scramble will start promptly at

9:30 AM. Lunch and prizes will follow the event. Payment for this event must be made by

Friday, April 14. Please call the Pro Shop to reserve your spot. As you know, we only have 18

riding carts. Please reserve your carts ahead of time. We will be able to order extra carts if we

have enough carts reserved for the event, so please do not wait to reserve them. We do have a cut

off time to order extra carts. Cart fees will be $50 ($25 per rider). Please make sure to get your

payment in as soon as possible. Cost for the Scramble is $55 for Members and $70 for Guests.

Payments made the day of the event will incur a $5 added fee.

Tuesday Night Golf League (April 11 – June 6)

Everyone who has played in the golf league last year should be receiving his or her entry

form shortly. Please turn in your form as soon as possible. There are only 80 spots and they do

fill up quickly. New members are encouraged to call the Pro Shop for details and registration.

The Pro Shop can be reached at 610-734-7903. The Tuesday Night Golf League will start on

April 11 and run for nine weeks. The price for the league will be $40. We will revert back to the

round robin match play format. This is a great way to meet new faces and enjoy some friendly

competition. Please contact the Pro Shop for more details!

GAP Matches

The first tee will be closed from 7:30 AM until 11:00 AM on the dates listed below. If

you are planning on playing these days, you must tee off before 7:30 AM or after 11:00 AM. Ron

Bonenfant will be the captain of the first team, Roland Thomas will be captain of the second team

and John O’Rourke will be the captain of the third and fourth teams. The 2017 schedule is as

follows. Please let us know if you are interested in participating in the matches. It’s a great time

to be had.

April 23 April 30 May 7

McCall 1 Aronimink 2 Downingtown 1 Stonewall 1

McCall 2 Conestoga 2 West Chester 2 Fieldstone 2

McCall 3 Limekiln 2 Concord 3 Lancaster 3

McCall 4 Coatesville 4 Valleybrook 2 Loch Nairn 2


The Pro Shop Eric Figueroa, PGA Golf Professional

Senior/Super Senior Championship - June 3 & 4 - (Update)

We will make a slight change to the Senior/Super Senior Championship this year. In past

years, we would allow those participating in this event to tee off at any time on Saturday or

Sunday. We will now move to a tee time system for these days. The tee times will be set from

8:00 AM and run until 9:00 AM. We will pair all players together during this allotted time. If

you are interested in playing, please start planning on blocking a day off on your calendar for

either Saturday or Sunday. We will have more details in the future. Please contact me with any

questions you may have. I hope you can fit this event into your schedule.

VIP Pass

The VIP Pass will be offered once again this year. Please do not miss out on this great

opportunity. There is no deal like it ANYWHERE! Here is how it works:

Cost is $125 and you receive a $125 in merchandise.

20% discount on all apparel, accessories and guest fees for the season.

10% off all equipment purchases (off retail price only).

5% off a dozen golf balls.

$5 off 18 hole cart fees

This is what you call a no brainer. No retail store will ever come close to this deal. The

Pro Shop will be offering the following clothing lines: FootJoy, Greg Norman, Page & Tuttle,

Antigua and Adidas. We will also carry FootJoy shoes, socks and rain wear. Titleist equipment

will be well represented in the shop. McCall is now a Titleist exclusive ball account. This means

we will carry only Titleist balls. We have accounts with all major brands and can special order

anything you may need. Just remember that the initial $125 must be used up by the end of the

year. Any balance will be forfeited come January 1, 2018.

Guest Fee Change

There has been a change to our guest fee structure. In 2017, we will be moving forward

with a weekday guest fee, weekday VIP guest fee, weekend guest fee and weekend VIP guest fee.

We have decided to do away with Senior and Senior VIP guest fees.

Eric


The Pro Shop Eric Figueroa, PGA Golf Professional

Golf Lessons

Golf lessons are available by appointment. Please contact me at 610-734-7924 to schedule

a lesson. Now is a great time to get your game in shape for the 2017 season. Clinics (adult and

juniors) and group lessons are being created as we speak. Please keep an eye out for dates, times,

and details. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions regarding lessons, clinics, and

group lessons.

HELP WANTED

We are looking to hire some help for our outside staff. Some job details would be cleaning

and putting carts away, picking the range, icing the water fountains and general cleanup around

the building. It is just a few hours a day throughout the year. If you know of anyone that is

interested, please have them contact me. We will need people to start soon. Thank you!


It’s that time again. I am sure that you are all poised to come back out to enjoy our 77

acres of greenery again. One of the signs that spring is coming is the release of the golf schedule

for 2017. As usual, it contains a lot of different things for everyone. By the time you read this,

Eric will be back from vacation and the Pro Shop will be open again and signups will have started

for the Spring Scramble (April 15) and the Tuesday Night Golf League (starting April 11). Don’t

be left out. The Tuesday Night Golf League is returning to its previous straight up match play

format. More information will be coming out shortly on these events. Other early season events

are the GAP Team Matches, the Women’s Golf League play and the Women’s Beginner League/

Clinic. If you want to sign up or have any questions, contact the Pro Shop.

Volunteers

Our volunteers’ program has obviously been a big success and thankfully it will return in

full force again this season. Because of this success, room is being made for some new members.

If you have any interest or questions, or thoughts on other possible volunteer activities, please

contact Rich Flebbe, our Green Chairman or Joe Candelore. Thanks in advance for all your

wonderful work coming during this upcoming season.

Golf Teams

McCall has added a 4th team for the 2017 GAP Team Matches season. We are 1 of only

21 clubs that have 4, or more, teams out of the 139 total clubs participating. There will be a

record 339 teams playing this year. The matches will be played on three consecutive Sundays:

April 23 & 30 and May 7.

While the teams have a full roster of players, it is possible that there will come a time

when Coordinator John O’Rourke will need a last-minute-one-time-fill-in-sub. If you are not

currently on the teams and are interested and available to play, please contact John O’Rourke.

Golf Committee Report Bob Murray, 2017 Chairman


Golf Committee

The Golf Committee has held two meetings for 2017 and a number of activities are in

progress. The Committee meeting schedule for the rest of 2017 is April 19, June 21, September

27 and November 29. The invitation is always open for you to submit any suggestions, questions

or concerns that you have. If you have any interest, or any questions, please contact me or any

other member.

GAP

GAP has also issued their 2017 schedule – it’s on their website (gapgolf.org). It includes:

Winter Series: The list of the spring portion of the 2016-17 Winter Series has been issued. There

are five events, running from March 1 thru April 3, with each using a mid-morning shotgun start.

Registration for all these events has opened on their website. Events are open to all amateur

members of GAP Member Clubs, 18 years of age and older, Philadelphia Section of PGA

Members and golf professionals at Member Clubs. The competition is broken into several

categories. Cost is $40 per person per event plus a $35 cart fee per event. Entrants are accepted on

a first-come, first-serve basis and the tournaments are played under the Stableford scoring format.

Courses are Whitford, Yardley, Medford Village, Sea Oaks and Penn Oaks.

Member Play Days: This series, which runs from late April thru mid-October, has 11 events,

again at some great courses. Look up the list under its own link on their website. The entry lottery

process for the whole list has opened. These events are also played under Stableford scoring,

GAP Handicap System: The system is currently closed in our “cold weather” area for its annual

November 1 to April 1 hibernation period. That means that you cannot post any scores made in a

“cold weather” area, such as here. If you are lucky enough to play in a “warm weather” area (such

as South Carolina, Florida, Arizona, California…) your score should be posted. You can do that

by entering the score in a USGA GHIN handicap computer at the course in such a “warm

weather” area, by putting it in thru the USGA online score posting site or by entering it when the

system reopens here on April 1. This year, the local posting season has been expanded to

November 15. Updated handicaps are issued twice monthly, on the 1st and 15th, every month from

April thru November and once monthly December thru March.



GAP Membership: GAP membership comes as a built-in part of your McCall membership.

This also includes membership in the GAP handicap system. I would like to encourage all

members to take advantage of this great benefit – access to all the great GAP event schedules, the

handicap system and the opportunity to become a volunteer at GAP tournaments.

Course Care: It is exciting to get back out on the course but we all need to be sure to start the

season taking full care of our course – the same repair, replace, fix and rake instructions are

already in place. Remember that when the RED do-not-play flag is out no one is to play or

practice anywhere on the grounds. Unfortunately, we will face a number of those dreaded “frost

delay” mornings. It is extremely important that all members adhere to all the conditions and

restrictions in order to protect our course. Please, at no time, put any of our employees in the

uncomfortable and unfair position of pressuring them for relief for the restrictions.

See you back out on the course, the sooner the better.


Bob


From The Putting Green

Welcome back to another great season at McCall Golf and CC and as the days tick away

the sounds you hear will be of the snowbirds flocking back from a winter in the southern regions

of the country. Joe and the guys are getting the course back in shape for another great season of

golf. As the winter doldrums fade away and the longer days of daylight beckons tennis and

golfers back to the Club for much anticipated outdoor activity, if you have not already done so

pull out your equipment for a final check to ensure everything is in excellent working order.

With the new season of golf before you, it is an excellent time to arrange for tune-up

lessons from Eric before going out on the course. The winter layoff can take a toll on the old

muscle memory and for most a few lessons on the basics of the swing should result in a season of

productive and enjoyable golf.

A few housekeeping items are in order before going out on the course. As the play at

McCall increases, it is important for members to remember to fill divots on the teeing areas and in

the fairways. There are buckets of fill material normally located at the tee markers on the teeing

areas so please use the material to fill your divots. Several clip-on material containers are located

outside of the cart garage and are to be used for filling divots in the fairways. Always look for

and repair ball marks on the putting surfaces which will keep the surfaces in excellent putting

condition. A ball mark not repaired can take weeks to recover while a ball mark repaired at the

time of occurrence will recover in mere days.

A word of caution is necessary at this time when filling divots. The majority of the teeing

areas are seeded with bent grass while the fairways are seeded with rye grass so please do not use

the material from the mix on the drive carts or in the small bottles clipped to your golf bag to fill

divots on the teeing areas and vice-a-versa please do not use the material on the teeing areas to fill

divots in the fairways. In the past, some well-meaning folks have.

The Member’s Voice Richard Flebbe, 2017 Greens Chairman

Rich

Rich


Below is an article that has been submitted from a member of 40+ years and thought

it would be appropriate for the membership to read.

Bob, Joe, Eric you have often pointed out that care of the course is the responsibility of

the members and their guests but it seems like things are getting worse. I was thinking that if a

letter from a member was placed in the McCall Matters and or posted in the locker room or

clubhouse maybe it would mean more coming from one of the members. I wrote a brief note

below in hopes you would consider placing this in the newsletter or posting it in hopes it would

do some good. Thanks for considering it.

To My Fellow Members:

I have been a member of McCall for over 40 years. Over the last couple years I have

observed that the care of the golf course by some of the members and their guests has regressed.

Joe Candelore and his staff work tirelessly every day to keep McCall in great condition. We even

have many volunteers who give their time to supplement the staff in helping to repair areas that is

your responsibility to repair! Every time I play I am amazed by the lack of care of the tees,

fairways, bunkers and greens by some of our members or their guests. It does not take much to

replace a divot on the tee or in the fairway or to fill those divots with the seed mix during the

season when it is available. It does not take much to find a rake and rake your foot marks when

leaving a bunker. It does not take much to repair your ball marks on the green. Even if you

cannot find the one you just made, you can certainly find and fix one that other players may have

left. Care of the course while playing or practicing is the responsibility of ALL players not the

maintenance staff or our volunteers. With the start of the 2017 golf season that is approaching,

please reflect on the way you or your guests treat our golf course and make a concerted effort to

help care for the course.

A Concerned Member

The Member’s Voice Richard Flebbe, 2017 Greens Chairman


Women’s Golf League Georgetta McCabe, President

2017 looks to be an exciting year for our league beginning with our new name - 'McCall Women's

Golf Association'. I would like to introduce our newly elected board, Georgetta McCabe, President;

Tracey Harte, Vice President; Carole Finley, Secretary; Marcy Roche, Tournament Chair; Barbara Joachim,

Treasurer; Loretta Dorsaneo, Assistant Treasurer and Elaine Zappacosta, Nine-Hole League.

We would like to give special thanks and appreciation to our past president, Anne Cole.

We are excited about our spring 2017 season with many new games on our schedule. Look for

details in the future McCall Matters about our Opening Day Luncheon scheduled for April 26. We always

welcome members at all skill levels to join us. Our association has an 18-hole and a 9-hole league. Feel

free to contact me at 610-405-8112 or email me at [email protected] for information.

Leap right into spring with tennis lessons! Yes, spring is on the way here at McCall. Our

tennis courts are waiting for you to hit the first tennis ball!

Even if you haven't played since high school, you can join us on Monday nights after work

for a six-week series of refresher lessons. You will be in a small group of folks at your level,

learning the basics--forehand, backhand, volley, rules, overhead smash and serve. Then you will

play with your new tennis friends to learn some strategy.

Ready to have fun? Visit http://www.mccallgolf.com/tennis/ and learn how to get in on the

fun!

Bambi Dudley

Corporate Tennis Programs

Proudly serving metro Philadelphia small business

corporatetennis.org

610-688-4974

Geeorgetta

Tennis Bambi Dudley

Bambi


http://www.mccallgolf.com/tennis/


Bill


Conference Center Bill Shields, Food & Beverage Director

Well another winter has come to an end and to be honest it was a very mild one. Now it is

time to gear up for the season and it should be a very busy one. It will be nice to see all of your

smiling faces again. My staff is looking forward to taking care of you again this year and please if

there is anything that you would like for me to try don’t hesitate to stop in my office or give me a call

and I will try to accommodate your wishes.

On Friday, February 10, we held our Valentine’s Day Dinner Dance and it was a sellout with

around 150 guests in attendance. Chef Bill did another outstanding job with the food stations and the

rest of the staff out did themselves as well. The music was great and it looked like everyone enjoyed

themselves.

We are still trying to put together another event this summer where we can utilize the outside

and do a nice cookout with music.

The Winter Sunday Breakfast Buffets came to an end and the turnouts were a little down this

year and after looking at my notes the weather on some of the Sundays came into play for the

attendance being down. I have noticed that in the past few years we have so much more competition

with so many restaurants opening up for breakfast. If you have not tried our $10 Breakfast Buffet,

come out in November and you will see there is not a better deal in town.

Tuesday Dinner Buffets – March 7 and 21, 2017

Member’s Grille

March Hours of Operation

Saturdays & Sundays – 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM

We will keep you posted on when we will open up the Grille Room for weekday hours.

I also wanted to let you know that we are going to try something new this season in the Grille

Room. We are going to keep the Grille Room open later but for this to work we really need your sup-

port. If you are leaving work early to come over and play a few holes, make sure you stop by and get

a bite to eat as well as a few adult beverages and say “hello” to Omar & Tommy.

Looking forward to a great season at the Club!!!

Page 15 McCall Matters March 2017

Events & Marketing Update


Culinary Corner William Bodek, Chef

After the unseasonable winter we had, it looks like springtime might start early this year. I

am looking forward to seeing some of you who escaped to Florida for the winter. Have a safe trip

back! During our Tuesday Night Dinner Buffets, many of you have asked if I could post a recipe

for a traditional item to serve during the St. Patrick’s celebration. Hope you enjoy and keep

kitchens cooking.

In the following Colcannon recipe, we mix the mashed potatoes in with chopped cooked

kale, green onions, milk or cream, and lots of butter. To serve, one makes a depression in the

middle of the mashed potatoes and puts a knob of butter in it. To eat it, you dip a forkful of the

potatoes in the melted butter.

Ingredients:

4 russet potatoes (2 to 2-1/2 pounds), peeled and cut into large chunks

Salt

5-6 Tbsp. unsalted butter (with more butter for serving)

3 lightly packed cups of chopped kale, cabbage, chard, or other leafy green

3 green onions (including the green onion greens), minced (about 1/2 cup)

1 cup milk or cream

1. Boil the potatoes: Put the potatoes in a medium pot and cover with

cold water by at least an inch. Add 2 tablespoons of salt, and bring to a

boil. Boil until the potatoes are fork tender (15 to 20 minutes). Drain in a colander.

2. Cook the greens and the green onions with butter. Return the pot to the stove and set over

medium-high heat. Melt the butter in the pot and once it's hot, add the greens. Cook the greens for

3-4 minutes or until they are wilted and have given off some of their water. Add the green onions

and cook 1 minute more.

3. Mash the potatoes with milk or cream, add greens. Pour in the milk or cream, mix well, and

add the potatoes. Reduce the heat to medium. Use a fork or potato masher and mash the potatoes,

mixing them up with the greens. Add salt to taste and serve hot with a knob of butter in the

center.

Enjoy!

Chef Bill

Documents

McCall Golf & Country Club - Constant Contactfiles.constantcontact.com › 2e09563f001 › d37e7a39-504c-4909-87c… · In our catering department, March is not as good as in past