EASTER AT THE CLUB

Member Spotlight

Lynn and I moved to Chapel Hill from Weston, CT in July, 1996, just as our daughter, Kristen, was graduating from Lehigh University and in typical, “IBM - I’ve Been Moved” fashion, we had a weekend to fi nd a house! Lucky for us, our realtor was Debi Saleeby! Debi was involved in membership on the Club’s Board and gave us a tour, also showing us the Oaks neighborhood. Being avid tennis players at the time, and wanting more property, she found us a new house just the other side of University Lake and close to the Chapel Hill Tennis Club. She did a great job as we have been in our house for 25 years. It must also have been fate because when our son, Jerry, who lives in Raleigh, graduated from Duke in 1992, we had his graduation dinner at the old Aurora Restaurant in Carr Mill Mall, never thinking we would be down this way again!

We joined the CH Tennis Club but it did not have the social side we were looking for. Then, in 1999, our neighbors, Jim and Wendy Pease, who were new CHCC members, told us that after a contentious vote on a major course renovation plus a court challenge,100 members had quit and the club was off ering a special incentive to join. Sound familiar? Jim and Wendi invited us to play and we were hooked. The course was beautiful (brand new bent grass greens), the people we met were very friendly, and the tennis courts amazing! We had visions of being dual-sport members but that faded as golf soon took most of our limited leisure time. We were also told that major clubhouse renovations were in the works. So in April 2000, we became members.

The clubhouse decor was dated and the food marginal but the social side was great. Lynn joined the Nifty Niners, I played in the Dogfi ght occasionally, club tournaments (this was preMGA) and when eligible, (55 yrs old) the SMGA. Membership was on the rise but we never had a problem getting a tee time even on the weekends. Sometimes we could drive over on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon and just walk on. Friday night buff ets, cold or hot choices, after a late afternoon golf round were super fun and casual. You could choose the cold buff et, assorted cheeses, peel and eat shrimp, smoked salmon plus dessert for $10!

The major renovations to the clubhouse were sidelined after a controversial two slate Board election. However, the new Board, with fi nances seeming solid, had the old pool demolished and