Port Royal April Around the Clubhouse

New Members

NEWMEMBERS:

Paul and Terry McGrath – Resident Family Sports

John and Shari Box – Resident Family Sports

Drew and Julie Setser – Resident family Golf

Brian Reese – Non-resident Golf

PRESIDENT'SMESSAGE

Written by Jim Walker

Happy Spring everyone! Of course, this also means we are entering mating season for our alligator population, so please be careful near the ponds, etc. Don’t forget, you get FREE relief for a ball that lands near an alligator (as long as you ’ re outside of a penalty area)

As happens every spring, playing conditions on our courts and courses are improving rapidly with the better weather. In conjunction, Heritage has undertaken several maintenance changes and capital improvements for the benefit of all members – racquet and golf. Here is a partial list:

Racquet:

New windscreens for the tennis courts have been ordered They are expected to arrive and be installed in the next month or so, improving both play and general appearance! Tennis court signage is being upgraded with the addition of new logos

Golf:

New sod is being added to both courses to improve numerous tee boxes and address multiple thin areas. This work has already begun and will continue for some time. The impact of sod work last year was significant and hopefully, this year will be no different. Look out for an increase in the speed of our greens, as mowing height is being reduced, and the greens will also be rolled every other day

Tree maintenance and removal is ongoing The impact of this can already be seen on Barony #13, which has benefited from the removal of many small palmettos that previously obscured the view of the green from the fairway

PRESIDENT'SMESSAGE

Written by Jim Walker

A new artificial tee line is currently being installed on the driving range This is an exciting development and should improve the overall experience of the range. The grass range will still be available to members most of the time; however, the addition of the artificial range area will help the grass areas remain in better condition – particularly, mitigating the impact of outside tournaments held on our courses

Although still in the planning stage, the addition of an ice and water machine at the “Outpost” behind the 9th tee on Robber’s Row It is expected that this will be in place before the very hot weather gets here

Finally, look for some new faces in the Sports Shop and among our Outside Services Team, as the part-time staff is being increased in preparation for the upcoming “busy” season Please welcome them and help them quickly become part of the family!

Looking forward to seeing you all around the club!

LADIES GOLF COMMITTEE

Written by Linda Gorski

The results are in!!!! The first WONDER WOMAN’S DAY tournament for 2024 is in the books and it was another rip-roaring success The event, which is open to all female golf members of Port Royal Golf Club, was held on March 8th, a glorious late-winter day and with 40 superheroines participating.

It was a close match with the winning team determined by a scorecard playoff! The team of Cheryl Moore, Judi Chmielowiec, Tammie Blank, and Cynthia Michael narrowly beat out the team of Lisa Adamsky, Phyllis Facterman, Cherie Bailey, and Jackie Darling Both teams carded an impressive score of 55 for 18 holes Way to go ladies!

Wonder Woman’s Day in March happened to fall on International Women’s Day. As you will notice in the photos most of the golfers dressed in purple, the official color of IWD, to honor the occasion. The exception is Robyn Brands (front and center) who took the best-dressed honors in her authentic Wonder Woman costume!

There are three more Wonder Woman’s Day tournaments scheduled for 2024 – May 17, August 16 and October 18. Mark your calendars and watch for details to follow!

In other news your new Ladies Golf Committee is up and running! We held our first meeting on Monday, February 26th and discussed some of the LGC goals for 2024 Members of the committee are Linda Gorski, (Chairman), Gay Halleman (18 Hole Ladies Golf Group), Karen Simpson (9 Hole Ladies Golf Group), Rhonda Heuple (Treasurer), Joan Hazel (Wonder Woman’s Day), and Tammie Blank, (Advisor) This committee represents YOU – all the women golfers at Port Royal The committee will be meeting monthly and will be communicating with you regularly

If you have any questions, comments, concerns or suggestions about women ’ s golf at Port Royal, please contact Linda Gorski, lindagorski@cs com or 713-557-1496

Sue Walker, Chris Hall, Nancy Sheahan and Karen Simpson toasting the day!

FUN

Written

HappySpring!WehavesomeveryfuneventscomingupinAprilandyoudon’twanttomissthem,andaseasyas itmightbe,tosimplyphoneinyourreservationtosomeoneattheclub,wewouldreallypreferthatyousignup throughtheportal Itiseasierontherestaurantstaffandmakesbillingandcheckinginmuchmoreefficient

Iknowthatmanyofyouarestillhavingsomeproblemsloggingintotheportaltosignupformemberevents If yourememberyourpasswordbutit’snotworking,theywillhelpyouresetit.Allyouneedtodoiscalloremail them,andtheywillbehappytohelpyou.

NoahHightower

Email:nhightower@heritagegolfgroupcom

Phone:8433422582Ext 2

JayRusch

Email:jrusch@heritagegolfgroupcom

Phone:8436811510

MaryGraceTabb

Email:mtabb@heritagegolfgroupcom

Phone:8436811766

April kicks off with our Monday night monthly member Social on April 1st It runs from 5 PM to 7 PM and is only $10 per person What a great way to socialize with fellow club members and enjoy some delicious food

RSVP HERE

On Monday, April 15, we are having an Asian April dinner with great Asian cuisine prepared by Chef Curtis. We complete the menu with complimentary shots of sake The cost is $32 per person

RSVP HERE

Nine and Dine is back! Grab a partner and join us for our monthly Nine and Dine on Thursday afternoon, April 18, at 4 p m Play nine holes of golf and then join us for dinner in the Members Room Registration is in the pro shop and your $25 (golf members) fee includes nine holes of golf, your cart, and dinner Non-golf members pay $35

Mark your calendars now for the second DJ Trivia night of 2024 on Monday night, May 20th It’s too early to sign up but it’s not too early to assemble your team of eight

ST. PATRICK’S DAY PARTY

ST. PATRICK’S DAY PARTY

GOLFREPORT

Written by Bud Henry

The big news for April is that we will have a new artificial turf line at the practice facility, which is currently being installed

Not only will this allow practice during weather conditions that typically close the range, it will also allow the grass areas to recover more quickly with less use. The artificial turf line will not be available at all times for safety reasons The staff has also announced the aeration schedule for this year, and while weather conditions may cause adjustments, the first round will be during the 3rd and 4th weeks of May for the greens The respective course being aerated will be closed on Thursday and Friday of that week and reopened on Saturday. The second round will be during the 2nd and 3rd weeks of July and will include tees and fairways.

The Ladies Golf Committee held its first meeting in late March with the intent to appoint a chairperson and other officers as they desire. This will allow a better voice to the club concerning course conditions, suggested improvements, and event scheduling. Initially, the chairperson or their designate will attend the Men’s Committee meeting as the Heritage team can have a single communication regarding questions, concerns, and other events This approach will be reviewed over time, and if needed, an additional meeting will be planned

April will be a busy month for golf. Super Men’s Day on April 3rd, Masters' Sweeps on April 13th, and the Men’s Individual Match Play Championship from the 9th through the 15th The RBC Heritage Tournament is in town from April 16th to the 21st, and we expect a lot of visitors and a lot of golf played on the resort course. I want to thank all members for their efforts in filling divots and repairing ball marks on the greens. My observation is that while there are quite a few unfilled divots on Wednesdays, our first day back on the resort course, by the following Tuesday, most divots have been filled If we continue this activity, the courses have a much better chance to recover quickly when the Bermuda grass starts to flourish in late April and early May. We have not planned a divot-filling event recently due to the amount of play we are getting and the general condition of the courses, but are thinking that a good time would be during the aeration when the courses are closed When that plan is finalized, we will assess the conditions and announce an event if needed

MEN'SGOLF

Written by John Strasburger

Our first major tournament of 2024, the Two Man Stroke Play Championship, is in the books with some spectacular scoring from a very competitive field Our Championship flight featured six teams competing with one better-ball gross scoring from the White tees.

In our Net flight, ten teams played with a better-ball format from the Member tees with handicaps adjusted at 85% Rounds 1 and 2 were graced with nice weather and good course conditions

Two-Man Championship Winners

Championship Flight: Ron Tucker and Carl Nelson (74, 72 146 Total Score)

2nd Place Honors: Brad Payne and Chuck Wibby (76, 72 148 Total)

3rd Place Honors: Lanny Bailey and Jack Schrader (76, 76 152 Total)

Two-Man Net Flight Winners

1st Place Honors: Bill Hazel and Mike Hall (68, 64 132 Total)

2nd Place Honors: Jim Stauffer and Greg Blahut (65, 68 133 Total)

3rd Place Honors: Jerry Bailey and John Dreyer (66, 69 135 Total)

4th Place Honors: Rick Keebaugh and John Strasburger (69, 67 136 Total)

5th Place Honors: Tim Allen and Trevor Owens (71, 67 138 Total)

It's happened to all of us... you hit an approach shot, it lands short of the green and as it is heading toward the green, your ball hits a rake and bounces into the trap - Ugh This has happened to me twice in the last few weeks, once in a match play tournament Players often ask –“where should the bunker rakes be placed?”

MEN’SGOLF

Written by John Strausburger

Here is what the USGA advises:

Outside and Out of the Way

The USGA recommends placing rakes outside of bunkers and away from where they are likely to interfere with play Ideally, you don’t want to place rakes across the line of play or in a location where they could trap balls in a difficult spot – e g , within a bunker on a steep slope near the lip. If a rake does trap your ball, you can move the rake, but you must replace the ball on its original spot if it moves This can be problematic if a rake traps your ball on a steep slope where the ball will not stay If you can’t find another location within the bunker where the ball will stay at rest that is not nearer to the hole, you are facing one or two penalty strokes to obtain relief. This is a big part of why it’s usually best to keep rakes out of bunkers altogether.

Up Next:

Super Men’s Day on Wednesday, April 3rd

Individual Match Play Championship Round 1 completed by April 9th, Round 2 completed by April 12th, Round 3 completed by April 15th.

Augusta Master’s Sweeps on Saturday, April 13th

Pick-a-Pro and combine his 2nd round score with your Saturday Net score

18 HOLE WOMAN’S GOLF

Written by Gay Halleman

The reunion luncheon, on March 15, was a fun-filled event While we were sorry not to have been able to find many of our old friends, we were thrilled to see the ones who were able to attend.

Sophie and Cathy did a terrific job arranging everything The tables looked beautiful and the name tags were great!

Our guests were met with a super poster in the foyer crafted by Carol Duffin with pictures of many of them from when they were part of our group

Pictured left to right: Cheryl Moore (green shirt), Andi Argast, Sophie Burger, Mary Zych, Cathy Grigoriou (hidden) and Judy Tauscher

Seated: Alice Williard (pink shirt), Linda Muehlberger, Leanne Heslop, Nancy Collins, Kathy Reilly, Barbara Costalas, and Gail McGavack.

Another fun table: Karen Elrod, Carroll Lindseth, Mary Zych, Debbie Hendren, Linda Gorski, Tammie Blank and Liz Bailey.

18 HOLE WOMAN’S GOLF

Written by Gay Halleman

The first day of our 2 day Member-Member Match Play did not get off to a good start with lots of confusion. Due to a scheduling error, we missed that the second day's play would be during Easter week and that we had only 7 teams signed up On a windy, cloudy Tuesday, March 26th the ladies headed out to play on Barony

A fierce battle ensued between Rhonda Heuple and Linda Gorski versus Tammie Blank and Polly Jackson

Coming out on top for “braggin’ rights” were Linda and Rhonda Linda stated it was a “fun match” Congratulations ladies!

Standing: Gail Brown and Nancy Collins, Seated: May Leong and Ann Parker

Standing: Nancy Collins, Cathy Grigoriou, Kathy Reilly, Sue Boldig, Tammie Blank and Gail McGavack

Seated is Alice Williard surrounded by Kathy Reilly, Linda Muehlberger, Ann Parker, Carol Duffin and Leanne Heslop

NINE HOLERS

Written by Karen Simpson

We would like to extend a warm welcome to our three newest members: Julie Setser, Shari Box, and Mary Ellen Pilkington. We are all looking forward to playing golf with you

On March 7th, we had a beautiful sunny morning for our Individual Stroke Play:

Gross Winners

1st - Phyllis Wibby: 50

2nd - Cathy Vetrano: 51

3rd was a tie - Linda Gorski and Sue Walker: 52

Net Winners

1st - Shari Box: 22

2nd was a tie - Julie Delaurence and Jackie Darling: 35

3rd - Sue Walker: 36

Way to go, ladies!

On March 13th, 18 lovely ladies wearing name tags met for a Girls Night Out at Gusto Ristorante! Name tags were needed as we all spruced up with no hats, sunglasses, or golf apparel. Gusto’s did a great job on dinner, and I want to thank Leslie North for the special dessert treat and organizing us!

On March 14th, Cherie Bailey had an amazing 45-yard chip-in on Robbers Row #1 for a birdie three!

Congratulations Cherie

March 14th Gross Winners

1st - Carroll Lindseth: 46

2nd - Cathy Vetrano: 49

3rd - Nancy Sheahan: 50

Net Winners

Nancy Sheahan: 30

Carroll Lindseth: 34

Jackie Darling: 35

The Ringer tournament Day 1 was played on March 21st on Barony I have no scores to report yet Jackie Darling did get a chip-in on hole #2 Way to go, Jackie

On the last Thursday of the month, we always gather for lunch as a group It is a nice way to mention chip-ins, and some of the Directors of the Month may give out token prizes to honor those that had a great round.

A friendly reminder to all members: please remember to enter your GHIN scores every time you play and of course be mindful of pace of play while on the course.

RACQUET'S UP!

Written by Angelo Verde

The weather continues to be challenging, with colder temperatures hanging on. USTA teams are in full swing, and hopefully, your team is out of the gate quickly and challenging for the top spot and a place in the state playoffs

We hope your racquet play is improving, your member experience is at a high level, those winter pounds are starting to melt off, but most of all, you are enjoying the time with friends on the courts!

Court Maintenance

Dale has reported that the new wind screens have been ordered and should be installed in April. The board is aware that the tennis committee and Port Royal USTA teams are concerned about the effect on play without a proper background and wind barrier. We continue to be challenged by the see-saw temperatures, colder causing issues with the tennis surface, specifically dead spots Dale and the team are keenly aware of the issue Spring weather with warmer temperatures should go a long way in helping the court's surface play, and the rolling of courts needs to continue frequently We appreciate your patience

Tennis Committee Update:

The tennis ball recycle container has arrived and is on the left side of the covered stairway leading to the pro shop on the tennis court's side. Please remember to drop your used balls into the container. Member Vicki Olson and I had the pleasure of meeting with Chris Scott, a resident of Sun City, who has led this worthy mission to help the environment Click the link below to see Chris’ story The club will continue to support animal shelters by supplying used balls as well

Agenda items on the schedule for the next committee meeting on April 9th include:

Finalizing details for the Wimbledon Event on July 12th

Discussing member ideas for additional programs to encourage opportunities to play with other members and meet new members and guests

Discuss member comments on court conditions/maintenance and scheduling for pickleball and tennis

Key Dates for 2024:

May 17-18th: Member/Member tournament - Taco bar courtside Friday evening, play

Saturday

Wimbledon round-robin and lunch on July 12

October 18-19th: Member/Guest tournament

November 13th: Closing Dinner at the Beach House

Dale’s Corner

Having trouble with your shots? Maybe it’s not your technique. Maybe it’s your balance. We all know it’s hard to do normal activity when your balance is off. The same goes for tennis. Try keeping your feet about shoulder-width to just outside shoulder-width apart when you hit your groundstrokes and volleys. You’ll be amazed at what a little balance can do to your game. It is a simple rule to always remember

fierce concentration! Don’t forget to sign yourself and visiting guests up for Dale’s weekly clinics and round-robin play Check the site and the pro shop for dates and times

Follow Dale on Instagram and Facebook @tenniswithdale

Remember to dress appropriately for the weather conditions, bring an appropriate hydration drink, stretch and warm up properly, and stay safe out there.

Above all, HAVE FUN!

Monthly Member Social

Cleveland Demo Day

Art Charity Event

Spaghetti Night

Prime Rib Night

Mother’s Day Brunch