The Tallwood Traditiontallwoodmensclub.wildapricot.org/resources/Documents/TTT_May 2020.pdfBut to quote John Goodman from the movie 10 Cloverfield Lane – “Crazy is building your

The Tallwood Tradition

With golfers now accustomed to the “new normal”

and safety protocols in place, our Club began its

tournament season on Saturday, May 9. There will be

some modifications to the calendar of events, but we

will all be able to enjoy the lineup as the weather

improves. Our first “Major” tournament of the

season, the Memorial is scheduled for May 23, so let’s

hope for a full field!

Many thanks to Steve Liteplo for coordinating a

fundraiser to benefit the Manchester Area Council of

Churches (MACC) Pantries. Our Members

generously donated $2,300.00 to help local families in

need during these difficult times.

A few things to be aware of as we begin the season:

We will be implementing a new set of tee options for

2020. We hope this will make our tournaments more

enjoyable.

Various throwback themes will be introduced for

some daily tournaments throughout the season

commemorating our 50th anniversary.

A few temporary local rules will be implemented

while we play under the State-mandated social

distancing guidelines. Please be aware and apply

those rules until we get back to normal.

At this point, our plan is to hold our event celebrating

50 years on September 12 at A Villa Louisa in Bolton.

Save the date!

Don’t forget to check out the May installment of Circa

’70: Tales of Tallwood Past submitted by John

Nowobilski and Phil Daly. This month, John and Phil

recall the famous TMC “Glee Club”.

Bob Wahlberg

President

May 2020 http://www.tallwoodmensclub.com

2020 Board of Directors

President – Bob Wahlberg

Vice President – Paul Signorello

Treasurer – Kim Aderman

Secretary/ Communications

– Greg Berger

Handicap – Joe Dura

Membership – Jim Bourn

Co-Social – Ron Krupa

Co-Social – Paul Castanho

Tournament – Bill Muzin

Past President – Joe LeBlanc

The President’s Corner

http://www.tallwoodmensclub.com/

The Tallwood Tradition May 2020

2

Membership

Membership Director’s Report – May 2020

It looks like the month of March is finally ending….. OK, it has just seemed like March.

At this writing our membership is starting to pick up and grow as we now have 190 members signed up

or in two cases, pending payment. There are still a lot of existing members that might be holding off to

see how the rest of the season transpires.

But to quote John Goodman from the movie 10 Cloverfield Lane – “Crazy is building your ark after the

flood has already come.”

So why wait, jump on in with the rest of us and be ready for a great season of golf in 2020.

I would like to welcome new members Alan Hendricksen, Mike Wieliczka, and Brent McCartney

(all friends of Corey Wieliczka and Bob McMahon) as well as David Schramm who has been

introduced by Burt Clark to the Tallwood Men’s Club. Welcome and have a great and safe 2020 golfing

season.

Hot town, summer in the city

Back of my neck getting dirty and gritty

Been down, isn't it a pity

Doesn't seem to be a shadow in the city

All around, people looking half dead

Walking on the sidewalk, hotter than a match head - John Sebastian, Mark Sebastian, and Steve

Boone.

I thought I would try to heat up the mood with a little something by the Loving Spoonful because it will

get to be actual Spring at some point. I mean it just has to. Right?

Speaking of heating up plans are still in effect to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Tallwood Men’s

Club which hit the ground running way back in 1970. Hopefully this whole virus deal will settle down

and we can all have a beer in the clubhouse and celebrate our 50th.

Vivian: “It's not a very clear time for me.”

Gloria Burgle: “Which?”

Vivian: “The ‘70s.” – From the TV Series Fargo

As the saying goes about the 60’s and early 70’s, if you remember them you weren’t really there and the

way things were in the early days of the Men’s Club a lot of stuff happened that some people would just

as well forget. Or their wives would at the very least.

“People are strange creatures. You can't always convince them that safety is in their best interest.” –

John Goodman as Howard from the movie 10 Cloverfield Lane

As we all begin to try to get at least the golf part of our lives back to some semblance normalcy

remember that this whole virus thing is not completely over. So, try to continue to maintain a level of

social distancing for the next month or so. The rest of your membership will thank you for it.

Even if the grill room remains closed, we can at least have a can of brew and reminisce from a safe distance. Ed Norton: [reading from book about golf] "The golf swing: First, step up, plant your feet firmly on the ground, and address the ball." Ralph Kramden: Wait a minute. What do they mean by "address the ball"? Ed Norton: How should I know? That's what it says here. Ralph: Well, read a little further. Maybe it explains it. Ed Norton: Hellllooooo, ball!


3

See you on the golf course.

Jim Bourn

179 Hamilton Drive

Vernon, CT 06066

Attn: TMC Membership

Membership Director

Social

As another month passes, we continue to evaluate the possibility of when we can hold Social

tournaments. By their very nature, these events that comprise the Social calendar, are dependent on

social interaction. At the heart of these events is the gathering after the round, when we relive those

shots that remind us why we play this game, along with those shots that we wish to quickly forget (these

make for best discussion with those that witnessed them). We do this while delving into the culinary

treats that have been planned, prepared, and served by your Social committee.

Unfortunately, Scotch Ball 1 – had to be cancelled. As the weather gets warmer, and closer socializing

is safe, we will commence our events. At this time, we are hopeful that the Parent / Child (7/25/20) will

be our kickoff Social Event for 2020.

Our premier event, the Member / Guest Tournament, will be a very unique experience this year. Our

initial plan was to have a two-day cumulative event, planned for June. Because, we do not believe that

social events to be safe in June, we have decided to push this event to August, and to merge with the

Two-Ball Barbeque Open. If all goes as planned, this event will be held Aug 15 & 16Th (Saturday /

Sunday). We have received both positive and negative feedback for this plan. Our logistical challenges

are unprecedented. June is too soon. A Friday / Saturday event may conflict with possible members’

employment issues. Members were not likely to participate in both the 2 Ball Open and a two-day

Member / Guest tournament so close together on the calendar. Therefore, we decided to simplify this

year and merge the two similar events, and to forge ahead with this premier event. Further details will

be forthcoming as plans are solidified.

Now raise a glass in toast – “Here is to seeing all of us at the 19th hole, soon!”

Ron Krupa and Paul Castanho

Social Co-chairs


4

Tournament

The 2020 season has begun, finally!! The revised schedule was published and may continue to change

as decisions are made about future events, especially social events, necessitated by the Coronavirus to

keep us as safe as possible.

As you are probably all aware by now, the Board has made significant changes to the Tournament

structure based upon member feedback the past few years. That feedback included:

• The desire for members to play the tee most suited to their game / ability without the artificial

governor of the age / index rule.

• The inequity of blue tee gross eligibility only, as those playing from forward tees were

contributing to the gross pool that they were ineligible to win.

• The inequity of low handicap players teaming with high handicap players in two-man events and

winning second flight low gross an inordinate number of times.

It’s difficult enough to address one issue at a time, let alone multiple issues, which exponentially

complicates the problem. Our subcommittee, which included Joe Leblanc, Bob Wahlberg, Kim

Aderman, and me, with input from Terry Ruzzo and Eric DeStefano, worked many hours on this, going

through many iterations and scenarios to develop our new structure. We understand that no solution is

perfect and will make everyone happy, but we feel it addresses the existing concerns and makes the

Men’s Club events more fun and more equitable for the vast majority of members. The plan going

forward is to see how well this new structure works over time and adjust if necessary.

Coming up in the next month are two GOTY events, the Memorial Day Tournament on May 23rd and

the Father’s Day Tournament on June 6th, where we will again play for gift certificates to a local

restaurant. See you at the course!

2020 Tournament Rules Revisions

Based upon member feedback and the desire to provide a fun but fair Men’s Club experience for its

members, the Board of Directors has decided to make a number of changes to our tournament rules

starting with the 2020 season. We realize that no one solution is perfect for all members, but we believe

the following rules will be fairer and enhance the Men’s Club experience for the majority of players.

• Members are allowed to play any tee, blue, white, or gold, without any age or handicap

restriction and play with the appropriate handicap from that tee. This includes the Pro’s Trophy

and Governor’s Cup, which are net only events. Members must designate on the scorecard

which tees they played or be disqualified. In the interest of fairness, members are urged to

choose the tee that best suits their ability.

• We will have separate blue, white, and gold pools, with gross and net in the blue and white pools

awarded on a 40/60 gross/net basis, and net only in the gold pool. Each pool will be flighted

when appropriate within the pool based upon the number of entrants in that pool and determined

by the Pro Shop. Your tournament entry fee will go into and prizes be distributed from the pool

you are entered in.

• In two-man events, if the difference in the handicaps of the team exceeds 5 strokes, the higher

handicap will be reduced to 5 strokes above his partner for flighting purposes only. Also, both

players must play from the same tee to be eligible to win gross. Two-man teams playing

different tees will be placed in the net only gold pool.

• For Major / Trophy events, the gross winner must have played from the blue tees, with the

exception of the Seniors and Super Seniors tournaments, which will be played from the white

tees, and the Club Championship, where the Championship Flight will play the blue tees and the


5

remaining flights from their choice of tees. While most of these tournaments are flighted, all

flight winners (and runners up, if appropriate) will win GOTY points, but only the overall gross

and net winners will receive trophies, with the exception of the Club Championship where all

flight winners receive trophies.

• For the Match Play Classic tournament(s), the first two or three flights, based on participation,

will be played from the blue tees, the last flight played from the gold tees, and the remaining

flights played from the white tees.

In addition, for this year only, both the Pro’s Trophy and the Governor’s Cup will be reduced from 32 to

16 participants / teams.

The objective is to provide an equitable system that members will enjoy. The Tournament Committee

reserves the right to monitor and address any actions taken by a player that are not in the spirit of these

guidelines.

Fairways and greens,

Bill Muzin

Tournament Chairman

Handicap

Joe Dura

Handicap Chairman


6

Well let’s try this again.

Welcome to the 50th year of golf at Tallwood!

The image above is the banner that will be hanging at the clubhouse on the days of enhanced events, so

if you see it then do inquire in the pro shop if you need more details on how to participate.

The board has released a revised schedule and we have recalibrated the celebration events for the new

calendar. The 50th events were originally designed with the mindset of stimulating that very thing that

makes the men’s club a special place to play - gathering, socializing, joking and lamenting about what

should have happened one way or another on the golf course during that last round. A lot of this is of

course is exactly what we are being told not to do, so the events for the most part are now very

individualistic in nature. We do hope by the end of the season though some group activities can begin

again.

So, starting with the month of June these are the tournaments days that have some extra spin to celebrate

the 50th.

➢ June 6th Father’s Day Tournament – Throwback attire contest

Lots of us have those knickers and argyle socks with the classic cap collecting dust somewhere

in the closest, well it’s time to break it out for some fresh air and perhaps win a prize. The golfers

will be looking very sporty on this day!

How to participate: Just wear your classic attire, stop by the pro shop on the way in, someone

will come out and snap a quick photo for the judges to do what they do.

Three prize categories each getting a 50th golf shirt and $25 cash or credit.

The classic look – like the old-time golfers.

Most colorful – sports teams, Easter colors, whatever floats your boat.

Best overall look – This guy just looks like he should be wearing knickers all the time.

➢ June 19th 2man best ball – Persimmon wood contest

So, you think you’re a good golfer eh, try playing it the way Jack and Arnie did and let’s see,

also these were what the men’s club was playing when it started back in 1970. So, because

people would not want to give up their hard-bought technology for a whole round this contest is

limited to ONLY the par 5 holes. Bring in that old trusty wood you have home and see if it still

works. Yes, you can carry a 15th club for this day, only if it’s a persimmon wood. Don’t have a

persimmon wood? No problem, Eric will have woods available on each par 5 for people to use.


7

How to participate: Just tell the pro shop that you’re in, all tournaments that day can be scored

with the drive you hit with the Real wood.

Each player for the Low net team per tee set gets a 50th golf shirt. Long drive (persimmon only)

on the 16th hole for the day also gets one!

➢ June 28th Senior championship day 2 – Price rollback grill room event.

On this day you can purchase 1 food item and 1 drink item at 1970 prices! Wow what a deal!

Note, please tip the servers at today’s prices.

All events do repeat again later in the year so if you miss the something you like there will be another

opportunity. The event schedule has been added to the tournament schedule and is posted on the

website.

So, in closing there are certainly issues that are not exactly defined well enough to predict but we are

sure that we can work around them and come up with solid solutions for each event. As the date

approaches you can expect email blasts to remind you of the event and inform you of any details that

you need to know as it pertains to the current circumstances.

So, come on out and celebrate, it should be a good time!

Tallwood Pro Shop

91 North St.

Hebron, Ct. 06248

(860) 646-3437

www.tallwoodcountryclub.com

Dear Men’s Club Members,

The Warm Golf Season is here, (FINALLY)

This year Tallwood C.C. Men’s Club will be celebrating the 50th. Anniversary.

The Pro Shop will be carrying new logo products and offering Special events all year.

New products are coming in the Pro Shop every day. (Cigars are available) Club

fittings can be scheduled by appointment only with Eric or Allison. The Demo Days


8

will start next month with all the major golf companies. Sign-ups will be available

next week in the Pro Shop.

Tallwood Men’s Club members are able to play the front 4 - hole loop after 6:00 PM

seven days a week for FREE when TEE BOX is available. (Walking only!) We want to

promote a quality practice session to all our Men’s Club members. All Members

must check in with Pro Shop before teeing off!

The 2020 season will have a few changes with Pro Shop credit and Tournament

Payout. Check Men’s Club bulletin board for the new policies.

The Tallwood C.C. Staff is looking forward to a great 2020 season.

Eric DeStefano

Director of Golf

Cell (860) 508-9365

Pro Shop (860) 646-3437


9

May News from the Lesson Tee… Last month I asked you to explore whether taking a practice swing serves your golf game. If your

practice swing is a dress rehearsal, save your energy and cut it from your routine. Your best golf occurs

when you create rather than attempt to repeat shots. For this month’s newsletter, I want to continue our

topic of mental skills as it is often overlooked.

Your first mission (if you choose to accept it!) is to monitor your thoughts as you play. Most people

operate on auto pilot. They don’t recognize how their thinking inhibits their performance on the golf

course. They replay the same recording in their head with each round of golf and wonder why they get

the same result. Dedicate 9 holes to simply observing your thoughts before, during, and after play. As

you prepare to play, are you saying things to yourself that are supportive and encouraging? Are you

excited for the challenges that a round of golf inevitably presents or do you fear embarrassing yourself?

When you approach a shot, do you think “Hey everyone, watch this. Look what I can do!” Or, do you

pray no one is watching and simply race to get the shot over with!

Thoughts pop up from within (fear, doubt) and from outside (expectations… the “should’s” in life).

Thoughts generate feelings and feelings create a state of being that either supports or interferes with

performance. The good news is you are the gatekeeper. In other words, you’re in charge! When a

thought arises, KEEP IT OR KICK IT. Recognize you have the power to choose. Your best golf is

played when your thoughts are anchored in the present moment. Fortunately, we have limited attentional

capacity. So, when a thought arises that does not support your golf performance, simply redirect your

attention to more constructive thinking…essentially creating no room for mental interference. If you are

struggling with a lot of “kick it” thoughts, here are some helpful strategies:

1. Between golf shots, imagine you are a golf commentator describing conditions of play. For

example, “Conditions today are ideal…sunny and warm with a light breeze out of the west. The

first hole is a par 5 dog leg right. The leaves are just starting to pop, and the grass is greening up

for the summer.” Essentially you observe and describe your surroundings in a positive or neutral

fashion to anchor your attention in the present.

2. Focus on something you CAN do…even if it is something simple like an aspect of your routine.

“I can breathe. I can stand tall. I can smile.”

3. List off things you are grateful for… “I can spend time with friends on a beautiful golf course.

My health allows me to play golf.” Regularly taking stock of the simple things in life will keep

you from going down a path of “I’ll be happy when…” Choose to be grateful and happy today.

It may sound simple but keep it or kick it requires attention and discipline. When you notice thoughts

that do not serve you, gently redirect your attention. The process of observing and redirecting will

strengthen your “focus muscles.”

If you want to explore this or any other aspect of your golf game further, you are welcome to schedule a

golf lesson at www.BirdieBound.com. Looking to learn new strategies for optimal practice and play?

Subscribe to my BirdieBound Newsletter. My next newsletter will include a review of Blast Motion

Golf, an exciting new training aid I have been using with players this season. Copy and paste the

following link in your browser to subscribe: https://mailchi.mp/013b77d81c23/nicole-damarjian-birdie-

bound-golf-news

Nicole

Class A LPGA Member

http://www.birdiebound.com/

https://mailchi.mp/013b77d81c23/nicole-damarjian-birdie-bound-golf-news

https://mailchi.mp/013b77d81c23/nicole-damarjian-birdie-bound-golf-news


10

Circa ’70: Tales of Tallwood past

Volume 1; No. 6

The TMC “Glee Club”

Contributing Editors: John Nowobilski and Phil Daly

From John:

The " legendary Tallwood Men's Club Glee Club were about to embark on their famous trip to the

Magic Lantern in Munson MA. Just for the record, the Glee Club was a cover-up. My dad, Harry

wanted to go. My mom, Stasia, was reluctant to have him go, knowing that the likes of Daly, Stone, and

Pahoulis were on the bus trip. I told her nothing would happen – RIGHT! I had him sit with me in the

back row to watch a performance by Busty Heart. I had to go to the restroom, so feeling he was "open

game", I told him "Don't you dare leave this chair while I'm away". Less than 5 minutes later, Harry

was proudly showing his Polaroid picture of his head wrapped in Busty's breasts! "I told you not to

leave this seat" I firmly remarked. His response – “I didn't”. “They picked me up in my chair and

moved it onto the stage!"

From Phil:

Oh yes, the "Busty & Harry" show!

As the famous columnist and newscaster, Walter Winchell would say, "and now, for the rest of the

story..."

...so, on the bus home, John explicitly tells Harry not to say a word to Stasia (John’s mother) about the

"happenings" of the evening. That's like telling Harry, "You will never have another hole-in-one".

Not only did Harry tell Stasia the story, he was so proud of himself, he showed her the PICTURE!

Stasia stopped talking to Harry for months and knowing Nick and I were the "choir directors" we met

the same "cold shoulder" from this lovely lady. It literally took years and several bouquets of flowers

from Nick & I to get back into her good graces.


11

Tallwood Men’s Club 2020 Membership Renewal Application

MEMBER INFORMATION

NAME:_____________________________________________________________________________

ADDRESS:__________________________________________________________________________

CITY,STATE:________________________________________ZIP:____________________________

PHONE HOME:_____________________WORK:___________________CELL:_________________

EMAIL:(required)_____________________________________________________________________

OCCUPATION:______________________________________________________________________

MEMBER SINCE ________ AGE________

IF NEW MEMBER,REFERRED BY:_____________________________________________________

I would like to assist on the following Committee(s): Social__ Tournament__ Rules___ Handicap__

MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL

Renewal is due February 1, 2020.

Early Bird discount applies if the renewal is postmarked before February 1

Membership Type

Renewal

Amount

Discount

Applies

Total

Fee Due

Renewal

Selection

Regular Member (Received before Feb 1st) $180.00 -$20.00 $160.00 ☐

Regular Member $180.00 $180.00 ☐

Junior Member $85.00 $85.00 ☐

Social Member $85.00 $85.00 ☐

GHIN Only $35.00 $35.00 ☐

Make check payable to: TALLWOOD MEN’S CLUB

Please mail your check and Renewal Application to the 2020 Membership Director:

Jim Bourn

179 Hamilton Drive

Vernon, CT 06066

Attn: TMC Membership

If you have questions, e-mail Jim at: [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]


12