R O U N D T H E C L U B H O U S E
John and Mary Ellen Pilkington have joined the club as Sports Members. They are originally from New York. Mary Ellen has joined the 9-hole golf group.
Warm nights and warmer days are finally here! Now that nighttime temperatures are starting to stay above 60°, we should start to see the grass in the fairways, etc., start to grow. Having some grass under the ball will definitely be welcome!
Unfortunately, the warmer weather has also brought more unauthorized incursions onto the course properties during golfing hours As a reminder, Barony and Robbers Row are PRIVATE property (other than the several shared leisure and golf cart paths), and only golfers registered with the pro shop should be on the courses between dawn and dusk. The club IS, in fact, our neighbor and pays significant landowner fees and taxes (just as we do) One would not traipse through a neighbor’s yard with impunity, and the golf courses should be afforded the same consideration. Furthermore, an active golf course is not a safe place to stroll, as it could lead to injury. (I can personally attest that getting hit by a golf ball hurts A LOT!)
Historically, reasonable use of areas of the course property has been tolerated as long as it didn’t interfere with play, such as walking dogs and riding bikes at hours on holes where play is not expected (e g , finishing holes during the early morning hours or starting holes during the evening hours) Unfortunately, greater and greater liberties are being taken, and several incidents have been reported in recent weeks. For example, during the late morning and early afternoon, several golfing groups have had to suspend play until people walking dogs and riding bikes along the cart paths moved out of range I, myself, had to wait to tee off recently due to a pair of teenagers who were sunning themselves on a blanket in the middle of a fairway! Such incidents slow play and can lead to flaring tempers.
Typically, it is not our members who are the problem, and this is a common issue in golf communities such as ours. It is NOT being suggested to confront anyone who is trespassing on the courses (which could quickly take an ugly turn), but if the opportunity arises, it could be helpful to “gently” remind neighbors and guests (in a non-confrontational fashion) that the course property is not a public park In addition, pictures taken of those trespassing can be sent to Jay, who can bring the Port Royal Landowners Association in to help with repeat offenders (which they have done in the past) Finally, at our request, Lance Pyle will (again) be reminding the Port Royal Landowners to stay off the golf courses during golfing hours via email and/or during his “Link Up with Lance” broadcast.
Thanks so much for your help with this, and my apologies for sounding like a “schoolmarm ”
First of all, I want to extend my gratitude to all lady golfers at Port Royal for your very positive responses to the informational emails the Ladies Golf Committee has been sending out!
Details about course conditions and other topics have been gleaned from meetings of the Ladies Golf Committee, the Men’s Golf Committees, and the Port Royal Plantation Board and shared with you. If you have not been receiving these emails, please get in touch with me – Linda Gorski - and I’ll add you to my list (lindagorski@cscom) At last count, we have 96 Lady Golf members at Port Royal and we are growing every month!
As most of you know, the Ladies Golf Committee was formed just two months ago to represent and give a voice to all lady golfers at Port Royal. By the time you read this newsletter, you will have received a survey that was developed by our LGC committee member Rhonda Heuple and our club pro Jay Rusch We hope you will complete this survey and send it back, sharing your opinions and comments about Ladies Golf at Port Royal
Lady golfers at Port Royal are fortunate to have several choices of groups to play with There are three sanctioned ladies' groups with regularly scheduled tee times every week The 18 Hole Ladies play on Tuesday mornings in a shotgun format If you would like to join the 18-hole group, please contact Gay Halleman, President, at vghalleman@gmail.com. The 9 Hole Ladies play on Thursday mornings in a tee-time format If you would like to join the 9-hole group, please contact Karen Simpson, President, at kssimpson4@icloudcom The Ladies Open Golf group, led by Liz Bailey and open to ALL lady golfers at PR, plays on Monday mornings in a tee time format. If you would like to play on Monday mornings with this group, contact Liz at ladiesopengolf@gmailcom
If you prefer playing in the afternoon, the Golfing Gals is another casual ladies group that plays on Wednesday afternoons and is open to all lady golfers at PR For more information about Golfing Gals, contact Alison Cross at alisoncross1@verizonnet
And finally, I just got word from the Pro Shop that the quarterly Wonder Woman’s Day tournament has been rescheduled for Friday, May 31st Please mark your calendars for this fun event that is open to all lady golfers at Port Royal More details to follow!
We look forward to welcoming you to ladies golf at Port Royal! These are just a few of the happy ladies you might end up playing with
From left, Judi Chmielowiec, Nefeli Keebaugh, Mary Beth Strasburger, Mary Ellen Pilkington, and Joan Hazel
MaykicksoffwithourMondaynightMonthlyMemberSocialonMay6thThedatelendsitselftoaCincode Mayo-themedmenu,sodon’tmissit!Oureventrunsfrom5PMto7PMandisonly$10perpersonWhatagreat waytosocializewithfellowclubmembersandenjoysomedeliciousfood
RSVP HERE
GrabapartnerandjoinusforourmonthlyNineandDineonThursdayafternoon,May16th,at4PMPlaynine holesofgolfandthenjoinusfordinnerintheMembersRoom.Registrationisintheproshop,andyour$25fee (forgolfmembers)includesnineholesofgolf,yourcart,anddinnerNon-golfmemberspay$35Ifyouareanew membertotheclub,wewillbehappytopairyouupwithanothergolfingcouple,sopleasedon’thesitatetosign up
TriviaisbackonMay20th!Whereelsecanyougotohavegreatfoodandthismuchfunfor$2800perperson?Our mealbeforetriviathatnightwillbechickenandwafflesorroastchickenifyoupreferBuildyourtriviabraintrust now,butremember onlyteamsof8!Wewillbestrictlyadheringtotheregistrationcutoffdateforthisevent Anddon’tforgettoNAMEyourteamwhenyouregister
PLEASENOTE:EachparticipantonateammustregisterthemselvesthroughtheportalThisensuresyouareon theattendancelistRemembertonoteyourteamnameandthenamesofyourteammatessotheclubstaffcan cross-referencethenamesandbillourmemberscorrectlyItwillalsomakethecheck-inprocesseasier
RSVP HERE
Mark your calendars now for a June 24th Fiesta on our beautiful veranda featuring a fabulous Mexican menu and live music by Pachanga, a new Latin band They feature numerous styles of Latin music, and they are great to dance to and fun to listen to and enjoy This is one event you don’t want to miss More info to follow
See you around the Club!
The weather is warming, and the Bermuda grass is starting to grow. While many fairways still have little grass, the improvement is welcome. As the Bermuda grass grows, it will begin to take over the rye overseed on our greens This transition will cause a couple of weeks of adjustment, and the club will take the opportunity to aerate the greens Barony will be closed on May 16th and 17th for aerification, reopening on Saturday the 18th Robbers Row will be closed on May 23rd and 24th, reopening on Saturday the 25th. On the dates the courses are closed, we will be sharing the other course with the public. A second round of aerification is scheduled in July and will include tees and greens While the courses are closed for aerification, the grounds crew plans to level some of the tee boxes that we have prioritized Also, note that the Wonder Woman event planned for May 17th will be rescheduled due to the aerification schedule.
As the days have gotten longer, we will be adjusting many of our sanctioned tee times The new schedule will begin on May 12th and run into August We have also added an additional booked tee time to two of our ladies' groups due to increased usage. The new schedule and the club’s policy regarding sanctioned tee times will be posted online by the time the newsletter is printed In summary, the Early Birds, Email Group, Ladies Open, 18 Hole Ladies, and the 9 Hole Ladies will be moving ahead by one or two slots The Men’s Member Tee Group will remain at its current 9:32 am start time.
The new artificial turf mats are installed and look great at the practice facility I have only used them once, but was very pleased with the experience I hope it is rare that adverse weather causes us to have to use the mats, but working them into the rotation will improve the other areas of the range, I believe. Another improvement coming soon will be an ice and water machine at the Robbers Row Outpost (9th tee on Robbers). The door to the machine will be locked with the same code as the restrooms The current water fountain was nice, but having ice will be great as the heat and humidity continue to rise!
Spring has finally arrived, and April treated us to plenty of exciting golf action and competitive play.
Two Men’s events stood out during the month: our Port Royal Individual Match Play Championship Major and April Super Men’s Day Additionally, we hosted a "Masters Sweeps" competition and concluded the Men’s Team Match Play Spring league
Congratulations to the Individual Match Play flight winners: Carl Nelson, Ken Gerth, and Dave Renbarger.
Individual Match Play Tournament Results
Championship Flight
(pictured from Left to Right)
Carl Nelson – Ist Place
Jack Schrader – 2nd Place
Ed Harbauer - 4th Place
Chuck Wibby- 3rd Place
Several competitive matches, many went to extra holes to determine the winner
NET Flight I
(pictured left to right)
Ken Gerth- 1st Place
Bill Hazel – 2nd Place
Mike Hall – 3rd Place
Landon Gates – 4th Place
NET Flight II
(pictured from Left to right)
John McMullan 2nd Place
Dave Renbarger- 1stPlace
Jim Walker – 4th Place
Jerry Bailey – 3rd Place
2024 is shaping up to be the year of Hole-in-Ones
Congratulations to MARTY SCHUPPERT for his April 2nd hole-in-one on Robbers Row #12 This was Marty’s 2ndlifetime hole-in-one Some of the Early Bird golf buds may have had some trouble flying in formation after celebrating with Marty.
Clary & Scheffler win the Masters Sweeps
The Masters Sweeps Contest took place on Saturday, April 13th. Following tradition, participating Port Royal Golf Members selected a PGA Touring Pro to team up with prior to the 3rd round of The Masters tournament With a combined score of 140, the team of Scottie Scheffler and our very own Jeff Clary secured first-place honors. Jeff’s net 69 earned him $59, whereas Scheffler won $3.6M.
Rumors around the clubhouse suggest that Jeff is terminating his contract with Scottie over payment disputes and has resumed talks with Greg Norman
SUPER MENS DAY (SMD)
Possibly hosting our largest field ever, twelve teams (47 players) competed in our Step-Back Scramble SMD tournament In this format, all teams started on black tees As the team progressed to the next hole, teams (a) remained on the same tee with a par, (b) moved back a tee with a birdie or better, and/or (c) moved forward a tee with a bogey or worse It didn't take long before several teams were teeing off from the gold tees It was a tough format, but most players enjoyed the challenge of hitting drives and approaching shots from distances which were much different than the usual course setup
Congratulations to the winning team who posted a sizzling net 56. The next 4 placed teams were tightly bunched between net 59 and 61
Closest to the Pin SMD Winners:
Robbers Row Hole #4: Howard Strauss, 9’ 1”
Robbers Row Hole # 12: Landon Gates, 3’ 7”
Next Up:
Super Men’s Day: Wed. May 8
PGA Sweeps: Saturday, May 18
Longtime member Don Muehlberger was delighted to receive a cake from his Members Tee buddies when he returned to action following a nine-month absence after major surgery Don, 87, didn't miss a beat, shooting a 93 It won't be long before he will be shooting his age again. Welcome back, Don!
Congratulations to the Member/Member Match Play Tournament winners: Cheryl Moore and Maureen Korzik in Flight 1, and Linda Gorski and Rhonda
Heuple in Flight 2.
Spring is here, and round two of the Ringer Tournament is underway as I write this It is one of our major events and is played on one course The second round gives the player an opportunity to improve their score from the first round, hopefully resulting in a terrific score for the two days The winners in each flight will receive their prizes at the awards luncheon in December
For all of our members, new and old, the Board meetings are open for any member to attend. The future date is always included in the minutes, which are emailed to every member each month
Right around the corner is our premier event, the annual Member-Guest tournament All cowgirls will be at the Beach House on Monday evening for the fun-filled cocktail party and will saddle up on Tuesday for breakfast, golf, lunch, and awards. Wow! Pictures will appear in the next article.
We are thrilled to welcome our 45th golfer, Doree Cook, to the Ladies 9 Holers!
On March 28, we experienced a windy, rainy day, unfortunately preventing us from playing. However, we made the most of it by enjoying lunch together.
April 4 marked the second day of the Ringer Tournament. Despite the windy spring weather, 14 golfers took on the challenge to determine the winner Two impressive chip-ins were achieved, one by Arlene Jenkinson on hole #4 and the other by Mary Beth Strasburger on hole #7. Way to go, ladies!
The winner of the Ringer Tournament was determined and revealed on April 10th at our delicious GNO Tee Time Dinner in a private room at Reilley’s Grill & Bar. Despite being unable to attend in person, we connected with the winner via FaceTime to present her with the award.
A big Congratulations goes to Tess Hedegus for her outstanding performance with a Net 28!
Mary Beth Strasburger came in 2nd with a Net 29
April Showers bring May flowers with April 11th being another rain out
The results for April 18th Throw Out Worst Two Holes:
Congratulations!
1st Place Barbara Scotti with a score of 20
Tied for 2nd Place: Cherie Bailey & Tammie Blank each with a score of 23
Congratulations as well to Tess Hegedus for a chip-in on # 9
We finished this busy month on April 25th with a Scramble. The winners had a Net score of 25 The winning team was Linda Gorski, Tess Hegedus, Mary Beth Strasburger, and Carolyn Strauss Tammie Blank had a chip in on #8!
We had our 2nd quarter meeting in the members' room where 15 ladies had a wonderful luncheon. We also were able to celebrate Carolyn’s birthday.
We hope you're enjoying the warmer temperatures and the perfect racquet weather we ’ ve been experiencing lately The courts are usually bustling each morning with group play, clinics, and lessons
As the USTA season nears completion, a few Port Royal teams are in the playoff hunt Good luck to all! If you'd like your team's results reported in the newsletter, please reach out to me at ajverde6790@yahoo com
Court Maintenance: The new windscreens and court number signs are nearing 100% completion, and they look great! The club has installed a tennis shoe water jet cleaner, which is a welcome addition to the facility. We hope the warmer temperatures will help resolve any remaining "dead" spot issues with the courts. The PR team continues to monitor and perform regular rolling of the court surfaces
I've reported to the board that some of the benches and roof frames need refurbishing due to paint peeling, splitting wood, or rusting bag hooks They are aware and will work on a plan to address these issues in the future There is also an issue with the pickleball surface that Heritage is aware of and will address
Tennis Committee Update: Member/Member tennis and pickleball tournament on May 17-18. Tournament play is scheduled for Saturday, May 18th, from 8:30 AM to 12:00 PM. Friday night social for players will feature a taco bar with margaritas Cost per player will be $30-$35 and will include a small player’s gift - hope to see you there! Finalizing details for the Wimbledon event on July 12th Monday afternoon round robin has been dropped due to lack of participation, but Wednesday afternoon 3-5 will still be offered Please use the recycle container outside the pro shop near court #1
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 13: Closing Dinner at the Beach House
Dale’s Corner:
A new recurring feature to this article will be our Pro Dale Brown’s tips for members to improve their play.
Want to improve your return of serve? Remember: Try to have forward momentum when hitting the ball. Have your target in mind before you walk up to return the serve and stick with it Don’t forget to sign yourself and visiting guests up for Dale’s weekly clinics and roundrobin play Check the site and the pro shop for dates and times Follow Dale on Instagram and Facebook @tenniswithdale
The warm sunshine has returned! Remember to dress appropriately for spring play, lather on sunscreen, bring a suitable hydration drink, and stretch and warm up properly. As always, we hope your racquet play is improving, your member experience is at a high level, and you're enjoying your time with friends and/or competitive play!
Above all, HAVE FUN!
