Port Royal Around the Clubhouse February 2024

F E B R U A R Y

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AROUND THE CLUBHOUSE

Newsletter

F E B R U A R Y

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AROUND THE CLUBHOUSE

In This Issue President's Message Membership Chairman Fun Around the Club Chili Night Photos Golf Report Men's Golf 18 Holes Woman Golf 9 Holers Racquet's Up! Events Monthly Member Social Mardi Gras Dinner Valentine’s Day Dinner Trivia Night Tapas Night St. Patrick’s Day Party Heritage Golf Text Club

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PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE Written by Jim Walker Our intrepid Wonder Women’s Day Committee has put together the schedule of events for 2024, with four tournaments scheduled for March 8, May 17, August 16, and October 18.

A big thank you to Linda Gorski, Joan Hazel, and Rhonda Heuple for their work in building on the success of the first Wonder Women’s Day held last November! Volunteers are always welcome, by the way, so please reach out to any of these ladies if you’re interested in helping with one or more of these events.

In case you haven’t noticed, the growth in attendance at club functions like member socials and trivia nights has been remarkable! This is due, in large part, to the efforts of Anne Gerth and her team in choosing and planning such fun events – great job folks! They have quite a lineup of events coming our way in 2024.

In addition to the work of the Social Committee though, it should also be noted that Chef Curtis and our great kitchen staff have made our restaurant a “go-to” destination (if you have not tried Chef’s Shrimp and Grits, you are missing out)! Furthermore, Keresha and her team do a fantastic job creating a welcoming atmosphere at the bar and, by the way, she has developed some great special drinks for the menu!

One thing that has surprised me, is that many of our non-member neighbors are unaware of Robbers Row Grille and its offerings. For example, few, if any, have any inkling that we now have a Happy Hour (often with live music) or that there is dinner service several nights of the week – right here within Port Royal Plantation!

So, I urge you to let your neighbors know about what’s going on here. Maybe invite one or two for a drink during Happy Hour (3-5 PM most nights) or ask them to join you for lunch or dinner at the club some time! While dinner service in February will be limited (for seasonal reasons), lunch is still served every day and the normal dinner schedule will resume in March.

It would be great to start seeing more than just members enjoying our beautiful patio and restaurant! Postings of positive reviews to social media outlets (e.g., Yelp, Facebook, OpenTable, TripAdvisor, etc.) can also go a long way to getting the word out and making that happen, so please post away!

MEMBERSHIP CHAIRMAN Written by Linda Gorski As the Membership Chairman for the Port Royal Plantation Club Board, I have some exciting news for ALL Female golf members of the Port Royal Plantation Golf & Racquet Club.

Thanks to the amazing success of our Inaugural Wonder Woman’s Day held on November 8, 2023, when 40 Wonder Woman participated in a great day of golf, we are excited to announce that we will have FOUR Wonder Woman’s Golf Tournaments in 2024. After meeting with Jay Rusch, our Club Pro, we locked in the following four tournament dates: Friday, March 8th– Also International Women's Day! How cool is that!

Friday, May 17th- Celebrating a Belated Mother’s Day! Friday, August 16th– The “Hotter n’ Hell” Tournament!

Friday, October 18th- Early Halloween - dress like a Wonder Woman Please mark these dates on your calendar! All these tournaments will begin with a 9:30 a.m. shotgun start and will feature a step-aside scramble format. Lunch and awards will follow golf in the Members’ room at the Golf Club.

So whether you are a member of the 18-hole Ladies Group, the 9-hole Ladies Group, the Golfing Gals or simply play casual rounds with your hubby or friends, as a member of the Port Royal Plantation Golf & Racquet Club you are eligible to become a Wonder Woman and join in these tournaments.

Watch for more information to follow. Sign-ups will be through Golf Genius via Mary Grace Tabb. If you have any questions at all, contact Mary Grace in the pro shop or Linda Gorski at lindagorski@cs.com or 713-557-1496.

FUN AROUND THE CLUB Written by Anne Gerth Our 2024 social events are in full swing. Don’t forget to RSVP for our February 19 Trivia Night. Our meal before trivia that night will be an Italian feast for $28 per person. It’s a perfect way to spend a Winter’s night with your Club friends.

PLEASE NOTE: Each participant on a team must register themselves through the portal. This ensures you are on the attendance list. Remember to note your team name and the others of your team so the club staff can cross reference the names and bill our members correctly. It will also make the check-in process easier.

RSVP HERE Music, Games, Prizes, Food, FUN! Let the shenanigans begin! Join us on Monday, March 18 for our St. Patrick’s Day Party. We will be putting on the green with a great Irish menu, Guinness beer, and live music by “The Wild Irish Bros.” Our menu includes corned beef and cabbage and shepherd’s pie. The fun starts at 6 PM. $38.00 per person. You might even win a bottle of Jamison’s.

RSVP HERE Mark your calendars now for our spring Asian April Dinner. We always get a great turnout for this event. $32 per person. Watch for the menu and more details to come.

Mark your calendars now for our Holiday Gala. The date is Sunday, December 8.

(A previously published date of December 1 is incorrect. We do not want to hold our big event on Thanksgiving weekend, hence the switch).

See you Around the Club!

CHILI NIGHT

GOLF REPORT Written by Bud Henry Welcome to 2024 and colder weather leading to the inevitable frost delays.

Please adhere closely to directions provided by the pro staff regarding play and use of the practice areas during these frost delays.

They work diligently to prepare the grounds for play, and want to get us out on the course as soon as possible, but we do not want to create damage that may not heal for quite some time. Other actions we can take to maintain the best possible course conditions include filling our divots (and others you see), repairing ball marks on the greens, and if riding, sharing carts whenever possible. The better we keep the course during the dormant season, the quicker it will recover when the weather turns.

A few members have mentioned that they perceive some variation in rule application in various groups. We do play winter rules during the dormant season. This allows lift, clean and place without penalty in the fairway and closely mowed areas around the green on the hole you are playing.

Additionally, the “gravel” areas near many cart paths, where the asphalt or concrete has deteriorated are considered part of the cart path, allowing free relief. Considering these areas as the cart path may also change where you determine your point of closest relief, as if you take relief you must take total relief, that is the ball and your stance are not impacted.

Some groups have adopted a “root rule” to prevent injury and equipment damage. I believe this applies only to areas on the course where you do not expect to encounter roots, meaning if you are deep in the woods, an unplayable lie would be the appropriate action, but I will try to provide additional details as I learn them. Conceding putts is another area where we may have inconsistencies.

I think in our competitions we should be clear upfront on what is allowable whether it is putting out, good inside one foot, or two feet, etc. I certainly understand making someone grind over a threefooter for triple bogey is cruel and unusual punishment and may be an exception.

Posting scores and handicaps may be another area where we may have inconsistencies. All scores should be posted (practice rounds and playing alone would be exceptions) and it is important they be posted the same day as played. The GHIN system has a calculation called Playing Conditions Calculation, which reviews all scores posted for that course that day to determine if scores are significantly lower or higher than “normal” and makes an adjustment. Not posting the same day as played could possibly impact your and other players' indexes. If you are interested, the math involved in these calculations and other handicap information can be found at the following link: https://www.usga.org/content/usga/home-page/handicapping.html We are organizing the Men’s Spring League currently! The plan is to start play late February, with six or seven teams based on interest and enrollment. Draft Day is scheduled for February 10th. Dave Renbarger has agreed to once again act as commissioner and scribe. The cost to enter is $20 per man, and the season will last 6 to 8 weeks, again depending on the number of teams and participants

The announcement and request for participation and preferred day of play (Friday or Sunday) have been sent via email. If you did not receive the invite or lost it, please email Dave and me at the following addresses: drenbo@aol.com and budmanh3@gmail.com .

See you on the course!

MEN'S GOLF Written by John Strasburger Brrrrrrr . .. is basically my summary of January 2024 Golf.

It is a “slow news day” regarding January golf events; so, instead, I will use this opportunity to help message a few important things.

CART-PATH-ONLY, 90 DEGREES & PITCH MARKS At our January Men’s Golf Committee meeting Jay Rusch and Charlie Duncan (Golf Course Superintendent) requested the committee’s help regarding the importance of following day-to-day cart path rules and designations.

When our Sports shop designates the entire course as “cart-path only”, or 90 degrees only, we simply need to do a better job following this designation. This applies to all players, Members & Public. The day after a couple of heavy January rainstorms the course was designated as “cart path only” – yet many golf carts (with members) were seen driving in the fairways.

There are rounds when I’m sure players in carts have all been guilty of not following Cart-Path-Only designations . . . myself included. We know certain fairways handle rain better than others. However, if the entire course has been designated as Cart Path only – we need to abide. As Jay stated tothe committee, “It’s a partnership”, and we need to do our part.

Remember, when the cart path only rule is in effect, Jay & Charlie are simply trying to protect the course.

Here is some good advice re. Pace-of-Play when it is Cart Path Only. (I found this on the internet in a golf article): The 'CartPath Only' Rule Shouldn't Slow You Down Some of you may be thinking, "Wait if I can't drive the cart directly to my golf ball, isn't that going to slow things down?" No, it shouldn't, and it's the golfer's responsibility not to let it.

Be ready to play when it's your turn to hit. It's as simple as that. One way golfers slow things down on a cart-path-only day is by walking from their cart to their ball with only one club in hand, discovering the wrong club, and walking back to the cart to retrieve another. Don't do that! If you can't tell from the cart location which club you need, then carry two, three, or more clubs out to your ball.

Although we have signage on the first tee of both courses, Jay has also agreed to look into how cartpath-only and 90-degree communication can be improved; that is, from the sports shop to Austin’s outside services group to our starters, etc.

Jay and Charlie also asked that we pay better attention to pitch marks on the greens – with the greens being as soft as they are, balls hitting directly into the green are leaving some big deep pitch marks pleaserepairyourpitchmarkalongwith1or2 more!

Here is a listing of our 2024 Men’s Golf Events. Note: this is subject to change due to aeration schedules and/or other factors.

2024 is lined up to be a great year for Men’s golf; sixteen Champion Cup events, the Heritage Invitational Member-Guest, Super-Seniors, Nightmare Nines & four PGA Sweeps.

Up Next: Super Men’s Day – Wed, February 14th Hole in One Congratulations to FRANK VETRANO for a great “hole in one” on Monday, January 22 on Robber’s Row #12. The par 3 was playing 140 yards with a back blue flag. Frank and his playing partners (Bud Henry, Randy Roberts, Ron Tucker) knew he hit a great shot but none could see the ball go in the hole, but Frank knew it had to be in!

Super Men’s Day – Tuesday, January 30th Given the bone-chilling 32-degree forecast for Wednesday, January 17th, our golf committee rescheduled SMD. We were rewarded on Tuesday, January 30th with mid-50s temperature and abundant sunshine . . . perfect weather for winter golf. Forty players (ten teams) played “Packers Scramble” on Barony, hitting drives from one green tee and one gold tee of the team’s choice. Carding eleven natural birdies with a net score of 53, was the winning team of John Strasburger, Ron Tucker, Bill Papale, and Nigel Jones.

2024 HERITAGE CHAMPIONS CUP PROGRAM All Port Royal Men’s golfers with an official handicap are invited to participate in this program. The Champion’s Cup is a season-long points challenge in which points are awarded for each event played. There are 16 qualifying events from January to the end of December 2024. Points are awarded based on the individual or team’s finishing order in each event. The Grand Prize will be an exclusive Heritage Golf trip for six Men’s Golf Members.

Champions Cup Points (per Player) for Super Men’s Day First Place: 20 Points Second Place: 14 Points Third Place: 9 Points Fourth Place: 7 Points Fifth Place: 5 Points Participation: 3 points Tiered Points are doubled for the Individual & Two-man Stroke Play Major tournaments (excludes Super Senior Championship). Note: Points are adjusted according to the number of participants within each flight. Flights with fewer than eight competitors are adjusted on a proportional pro-rata basis.

For Individual & Two-Man match play tournaments, 10 points per player, will be awarded every time an individual or team advances by virtue of a win, bye, or default. Five Points for the 3rd place consolation winner.

Five points are awarded for participation in the Heritage Member-Guest Invitational.

Five points per round are awarded for participation in the Ryder Cup Three points are awarded for participation in Super Men’s Day events.

A half point is awarded for each 18-hole round registered in the GHIN system for play on Barony or Robbers Row home course, with a maximum of one round per day and 100 rounds per year.

Champions Cup Winners Each year six members will be invited on an exclusive Heritage golf trip: Top four picks; 4 members leading the points list ending Dec. 31, 2024.

One Member who played in the most Champions Club events (Super Men’s Days, four Majors, and the Heritage Invitational – excluding Super Seniors Championship). >In the event of a tie under this category (5th pick), the member with the most points will be determined as the place winner One Member “wild-card pick” who finished in the top 40 in points and who played in at least 10 events.

Note: In the effort to open this golf trip opportunity up to as many members as possible, eligible players cannot earn one of the six positions for three consecutive years. If a player has earned one of the top-six spots in back-toback years, he will remain in the points race, however, he will be excluded from trip eligibility for one year.

The six Cup winners will join our two Port Royal Golf Professionals for two rounds of golf in an overnight trip at a golf resort within reasonable driving distance.

18 HOLE WOMAN’S GOLF Written by Gay Halleman What a start for the 2024 season! The horrendous storm which was supposed to blow us away did not arrive until our opening breakfast was long over.

The stalwart 16 members who braved the "no problem" elements were joined by Curtis who not only cooked but made coffee, served it, and ran back and forth refilling the empty pot. He, of course, is now an honorary member of the PRLGA! Thank you, Curtis.

This year's Board, pictured, Gay Halleman, Betsy Papale, Liz Bailey, Amy Ray, and Heather Stevens.

Missing are Linda Gorski (away) and Sophie Burger (ill).

Diners at table 1 are Yvonne White, Cathy Grigoriou, Carole Howell, Gail Brown, Polly Jackson and Tammie Blank.

Table 2 has Liz Bailey, Lisa Adamsky, Betsy Papale, Linda Muehlberger, Amy Ray, and Heather Stevens.

At the small table, Jolanta Taylor, Gay Halleman, Heather Garmston and missing photographer, Carol Duffin.

Please mark your calendars for Wonder Woman’s Day, Friday, March 8th, a 9:30 shotgun scramble followed by a soup and salad lunch.

NINE HOLERS

Written by Karen Simpson We started off January with a Girl's Night Out at our beautiful Port Royal Beach house. We were able to make the changes we deemed necessary to the ByLaws and it was finalized and approved by all.

The final copy went out to all the 9 Hole members this week. I want to thank my board, Joan Hazel, Linda Gorski, and Sue Walker for the endless emails and all your hard work and dedication to get this huge task wrapped up.

We have had 2 ladies join in 2024! Welcome to Christina Hall & Robyn Brands. We all are looking forward to the weather becoming more consistent and getting to play with you both.

On January 4th it was very cold, for our 2024 inaugural 9-hole round but we were able to be warm by the amazing hot chocolate and hot tea that was so graciously given to us by our Director of the Month Phyllis Wibby.

Net winners were Cherie Bailey, Judy Blahut, and Karen Simpson. Cherie Bailey secured 1st place by card playoff.

Gross winners were Phyllis Wibby, Linda Gorski and Cherie Bailey.

Cherie secured 3rd place by card play-off “Way to go Cherie!”

Congratulations to Alison Cross on the 1st chip-in of the year on RR #6. Linda Gorski had a fantastic chip-in on #7!

On January 11,19 ladies braved the cold morning with lots of close scores.

Low Gross winners Stephanie Beeder 2nd Low Gross Sue Walker Low Net: Julie Delaurence 58/34 2nd Low Net: Tammie Blank 54/35 On January 18th a 90-minute frost delay didn’t scare away 7 diehard ladies to play a Low Putt Round.

Congratulations go to Linda Gorski with 15 putts!

A foggy start ended in warm sunshine for yesterday's scramble and luncheon. The team of Gorski, Cross, and Scotti ruled the day with a scramble score of 40. Chris Hall and Arlene Jenkinson both had chip-ins on #4.

We had 22 lovely ladies attend lunch in the wine room. The PRGRC F&B staff did a fantastic job. Our lunch orders were ready for us as soon as we took our seats at the table.

Head up, Ladies! Please mark your calendars for the next Wonder Women's tournament scheduled for Friday, March 8 with a shotgun start at 9:30. We'll play a scramble format followed by a soup and salad lunch and awards. Watch for details coming soon!

RACQUET'S UP! Written by Angelo Verde We are in the swing of 2024 and hope your racquet play is improving, but most of all enjoying your membership experience having fun, and meeting new friends frequently.

Court Maintenance The winter weather has upset our schedule during January with rainy days and freezing temperatures that have caused wet conditions upon thawing. We appreciate your patience but Dale and the staff continue to work to insure our safety first. Unfortunately, the wet surfaces affect pickleball play even longer as the surface needs to be completely dry to maintain safety standards. If anyone has any ideas on how we can control best Mother Nature, please bring them to the racquet dinner for discussion.

Racquet Dinner February 8th The opening dinner is scheduled for Thursday, February 8th at 6 PM and Dale has sent out an email blast to solicit help and confirm your attendance. We already have 5 chili makers and a few cornbread makers. Please bring an appetizer or a dessert to share and remember to BYOB. This meeting is an opportunity to help shape the events and programs we will present in 2024.

We will also be reviewing the recently sanctioned courts and no-show policies that just went into effect. Dale and I will field all questions and help all members understand the new policies and the issues that mandated we address them. I will be asking for help from the committee and members for a set-up team and a clean-up crew for the evening. Dale and the racquet committee look forward to getting together meeting new members and catching up with friends.

Tennis Committee update: In 2024 we will be implementing new technology to help with the administration of the racquet program and facilitate pros-hop check-in, guest fee payment, and reservation confirmation. A simple check-in with your smartphone is all that will be needed for most players. As previously stated Dale and I will facilitate discussion to help members understand the new policies and the issues members have brought to our attention.

Agenda items on the schedule for the next committee meeting on February 13th include: Setting the 2024 events schedule The final decision on the recycle program for balls and containers.

Further discussion on member meeting topics.

Start of USTA leagues in February 2024.

Key Dates for 2024: February 8th Opening Dinner / Meeting at Beach House (Chili and ….)

May 17-18th Member/Member tournament -Taco bar courtside Friday evening- play Saturday October 18-19thMember/Guest tournamentNovember 13- Closing Dinner – Beach House Dale’s Corner For Pickleball players. Are you having trouble “dinking” the ball over the net? Try loosening your grip and pushing through the ball with a light grip. Push forward with your chest and shoulders.

Do not flick your wrist. A new recurring feature to this article will be our pro-Dale Brown’s tips for members to improve their play.

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 @tenniswith dale Sunday Member Round Robin replaces Sunday social mixed doubles.

Every Sunday we will now have a member's round robin from 2-4. All members are welcome to participate and we ask that when you sign up please state your level of play preference. If interested contact Kathy Verde at Kathleen.Verde@icloud. Com Kathy will try to group courts to play levels.

1- 4.0 2- (4.0/3.5) 3- 3.5 4- (3.5/3.0) 5- 3.0 As the temperatures drop remember to dress in layers, bring an appropriate hydration drink, stretch and warm up properly, and stay safe out there.

Above all HAVE FUN!

EVENTS WHAT'S COMING UP IN FEBRUARY GOLF 1 Thurs Ladies 9 Hole Throw Out Worst Two Holes 6 Tues 18 Hole Individual - Stableford 7 Wed Men's Interclub at Palmetto Hall 8 Thurs Ladies 9 Hole Individual Stroke Play 13 Tues Ladies 18 Hole Fewest Putts - Individual 14 Wed Super Men’s Day 15 Thurs Ladies 9 Hole Blind Hole Event - Pro Pick 15 Thurs Men's Interclub at HH Country Club 20 Tues Ladies 18 Hole Nassau - individual 21 Wed Men's Interclub at Crescent Pointe 22 Thurs Ladies 9 Hole Skins 27 Tues Ladies 18 Hole Low Gross/Low net - individual 29 Thurs Ladies 9 Hole Scramble/Shamble

SOCIAL

5 Mon Monthly Member Social 9 Fri Mardi Gras Dinner 14 Wed Valentine’s Day Dinner 19 Mon DJ Trivia Night 28 Wed Tapas Night

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Monthly Member Social

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Mardi Gras Dinner

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Valentine’s Day Dinner

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Trivia Night

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Tapas Night

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St. Patrick’s Day Party

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