THE
CREEK JULY 2020 NEWSLETTER
STAFF DIRECTORY & CLUB HOURS Joel Inman General Manager/COO jinman@laurelcreek.org Elisha Carson Controller ecarson@laurelcreek.org
Golf Course
Tuesday to Thursday 8:00 a.m. - Sunset Friday 7:30 a.m. - Sunset
Patty Fagan Director of Membership pfagan@laurelcreek.org
Saturday & Sunday 7:00 a.m. - Sunset
Erin Schafer Director of Events eschafer@laurelcreek.org
Pro Shop
John Geller Clubhouse Manager jgeller@laurelcreek.org
Tuesday to Thursday 7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. Friday 6:30 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Nevada Groulx Director of Communications ngroulx@laurelcreek.org
Saturday & Sunday 6:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
John Slade Director of Golf Course Operations jslade@laurelcreek.org
Outdoor Dining
Matt Walbert, PGA Head Golf Professional mwalbert@laurelcreek.org
Tuesday thru Thursday 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Friday 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Peter Rosenblatt Executive Chef prosenblatt@laurelcreek.org
Saturday & Sunday 9:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Carol MacLennan Director of Tennis cmaclennan@laurelcreek.org
Tennis
Mike Holak Pool Manager mholak@laurelcreek.org
Pool
ON THE COVER
The first Ladies’ 30 & 3 Clinic of the season.
Courts are open for play
Open 10:00 to 9:00 p.m. daily
BOARD OF
TRUSTEES
Joel Inman GE NE RAL M ANA G E R There is an old saying: “May you live in interesting times”
Daniel Bianco President Michael Hughey Vice President
Scott Duman Treasurer
Sean Fox Secretary
Well…I think we can all agree that these are certainly interesting times. As we continue plowing through this season, we continue to learn so much about ourselves and those around us. I believe that difficulties don’t define you they uncover who you really are. With all of the uncertainties that my team has had to deal with, I can say that these “difficulties” have uncovered how incredible they really are. On any normal season, the teams hands are full with making sure we provide the best possible experience…combine that with the new guidelines that have been imposed, it’s easy to see how they might get overwhelmed. Not this team…they have all stepped up and taken this challenge in stride. I couldn’t be prouder of them and the work they do.
Erich Herkloz
As I mentioned the guidelines, I would like to reiterate some of the details that I need you, the member, to remember…
Troy Hopper
•
Michael Kassak
•
Gene Martin
• •
Mark Muir •
Tony Palmer •
John Venne
Ken Zimmer
Dining – Make reservations…PLEASE. If we don’t have a reservation for you and we are full, we will not be able to accommodate you Pool Reservations – similar to dining, make a reservation so that you can be comfortable knowing we will be able to take great care of you when you arrive Social Distancing – please follow the mandated guidelines of maintaining your distance while at the club Masks – Please wear your masks when entering either the main clubhouse or the bathrooms at the cabana Keep you eyes open for changes to the guidelines as we will send out any adjustments our policies based upon any updates to the Governors orders Most importantly – remember to smile and enjoy your time here. Most of the frustrations you experience, we experience as well. We don’t have these policies to frustrate anyone, but to keep everyone safe. If something isn’t working correctly, I promise you we will do all that we can to fix it. Thank you for your patience and support of the club.
We all look forward to transitioning back to a more normal operation soon.
MEMBERSHIP
Patty Fagan D I REC TOR OF M EM BERS H I P
A
bsence makes the heart grow fonder. These words could not ring truer as I have missed seeing your smiling faces for the past few months. My sincere gratitude goes out to all of you for your support during these unusual times. Although patience has never been one of my virtues, I’m astounded with how understanding you all have been as we slowly started to open golf & tennis, and most recently, the outdoor dining and our pool complex.
Please continue to use the Laurel Creek app for both dining and pool reservations. I know this can be frustrating at times so if you are having some difficulties navigating thru the app, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me or anyone from the management Team. We would be happy to walk you thru the steps. I am so pleased to share with you that membership has been booming in the past two months as we’ve welcomed 20 new members to the LCCC family. Check out some of the
new member photos on the following page and make sure to say hello if you see them at the pool or dining on the outdoor deck. Speaking of the outdoor deck, one exciting step forward is the return of live music Friday and Saturday nights. We will continue to have our musical guests outside until we can move into the pub. Another step in the right direction is the return of KE Camp and our Golf & Tennis Academy, the week of July 6. It will be great to get the kids outside and off their electronic devices, even if it is for a few short hours. I wish I had a long list of exciting member events and plans for the summer to share with you. For now, we will continue to make small steps forward while following the CDC guidelines. Let us continue to stay safe and healthy and soon will start planning all the awesome events that were known for at Laurel Creek. Can’t wait to see you all at the club!
Welcome
OUR NEW MEMBERS TO THE LCCC FAMILY
Joe & Ashley Liberi
Victor & Lauren Tabaac
The Rath Family
Todd & Tricia Williamson
The Hartman Family
New Baby Wyatt Wright Born 1/24/2020
The Smith/Hollander Family The Graham Family New Baby Rebecca Silver Born 2/22/20
GOLF
Matt Walbert HEAD GOL F PROF E SSI O N A L
I
t has been a memorable start to the 2020 golf season, to say the least! Despite our golf course being closed for nearly 6 weeks, we have experienced a 31% increase in rounds through June compared to last season. The outside services team, led by Ryan Daley, have done an incredible job ensuring all of the golf carts are properly sanitized, washed, and re-stocked for the packed tee sheets! Thank you to all of our members who have showed their support since our re-opening on May 2! Since the tee sheet has returned to traditional club policies, we are looking forward to resuming our golf programs. Both the Men’s and Women’s programs have recently returned to full swing and our Junior Academy begins next week. The newly formed 30&3 Women’s Clinic, geared as a social event to introduce beginner ladies to the game, has been met with a popular demand! If you are
interested in joining, please register via the app. You may have noticed a few new faces on the Professional Staff this year. Ryan Daley, mentioned above, is our Player Services Manager and has been doing a tremendous job leading the outside staff. Ryan joined us after serving the last two seasons as an Assistant Caddiemaster at the Union League Golf Club at Torresdale. In the Golf Shop, Ryan Mirenda and Alexx Suchy joined us as Seasonal Assistant Golf Professionals after recently graduating from Penn State’s PGA Golf Management program. Ryan Mirenda completed his final internship at Baltusrol Golf Club. Alexx served his final internship at Bidermann Golf Club last season and had an internship at Oakmont Country Club the year prior. Both have made an immediate impact on the team! If you have not done so already, please welcome Ryan, Ryan, and Alexx to the club!
UPCOMING MEN’S & MIXED GOLF EVENTS July 4th July 11th July 14th July 24th - 25th August 2nd
July 4th Mixed Tournament Men’s Club Championship Qualifier Individual One Club Tournament Men’s Member-Member Parent Child Tournament
UPCOMING AERIFICATION DATES: August 11th, 18th and 19th
LCWGA
W
e hope this note finds you and your family and friends healthy during these unprecedented times that we are all living through. Sadly we bypassed our Spring season but the good news is the ladies golf season finally started on Wednesday June 17th! Thanks to Chrissy Duman for getting our tournament book updated for the new start with just a few days notice and we have extended ladies day to continue through October this year! The first ladies day game was ringers, where we just played golf. Our scores were used as a starting point for posting on the Ringer board that will be displayed in the locker room. The goal throughout the season is to improve those scores! The President’s Cup and Secretary’s Cup events are underway and there are a lot of great games scheduled for July.
Prior to our official start the ladies unofficially started playing and the ultimate highlight was Terri Corbo’s first ever hole in one on 17, witnessed by Christine Blessing and Eileen Burke. Once again congrats to Terri! Jersey Girls which is a friendly social competition with Little Mill, Medford Lakes, Medford Village and Tavistock is underway. Our first get together will be on Wednesday July 8th at Little Mill and we will all be taking our own carts with a socially distanced lunch to follow. This is open to all ladies with an established handicap. Please
contact Christine Blessing if you can play in our first event or would like information about future dates, she is still looking for players!! You don’t need to be a member of the LCWGA to play. We would be remiss if we did not thank the entire staff at Laurel Creek for all of their work the last few months! The ability of the management to change opening strategies on a dime as our state government continues to change protocols on a daily basis. The golf staff for keeping things running smoothly! Did you happen the catch the laurel creek cookbook and on course videos? It goes without saying that we are so happy we can dine outside and the restaurant staff is back!! Hope to see you on the course and if you are looking to learn the game, check out the ladies’ 30 & 3 clinics that the pro shop started on Tuesday June 23rd that will run through August 4th. Finally, as we are just starting, it is not too late to join the ladies group. Members are welcome throughout the season. If you are a seasoned veteran or just learning the game and you have full golfing privileges, regardless of your abilities we have something for everyone. Who knew that in a pandemic golf would be one of the few activities you could participate socially distanced?
AROUND TH A BIG Thank You to Mrs. Hughey & Mrs. Diamond for allowing us to share some of their great photos!
HE CLUB
Where you don’t join, you belong!
Share your LCCC moments! Email your photos to Nevada at ngroulx@laurelcreek.org.
FOOD & BEVERAGE
John Geller C L U BHOU SE M ANA G E R
W
ow, the past weeks have been hectic and exciting all at the same time. We have been experiencing a lot of changes all at once.
The F&B department appreciates your efforts in making reservations for both dining and the pool, your flexibility and patience allows us continue to improve to make your dining and pool experience enjoyable and fun.
The best part about being open again is the return of YOU (the membership to all areas of the club). On the first week we reopened dining we were seeing numbers like the “good old times.� The fantastic a la carte staff needed to shake off some rust, build our stamina back up again but we are ready for some more action this week! I hope to see you at the club soon! Look for another corny video coming your way soon!
Axl Fleming WINE OF THE MONTH
FOOD & BE VER A G E O P ER A T I O N S M A N A G E R
ORIN SWIFT MACHETE - 2017 Petite Sirah, Syrah and Grenache Blend aged for 11 months in French Oak. Pure inky garnet in the glass, the aromatics of plum compote, wild blackberries, crushed gravel, peanut brittle and Tahitian vanilla emanate. Massive on the entry, the mid-palate is diverse with flavors of dark plums, black pepper, Amarena cherries, slow-roasted Moroccan lamb and a marbled leather texture. Pairs well with our Veal Cheek Cavatelli.
CHEF’S CORNER
Pete Rosenblatt EX EC U TI VE C H E F SUMMER TOMATO GAZPACHO YIELDS 2 QUARTS
3 large ripe tomatoes 1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped ¼ cup red onion, chopped 1 small clove garlic, peeled 1 ½ inch slice of Italian bread or baguette 2 tbsp. chopped cilantro ¼ tbsp. chopped basil 1 quart tomato juice ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil 1 tbsp. sherry vinegar Salt and black pepper to taste Working in batches, puree all of the ingredients in a blender until smooth. Chill for 2 hours before serving.
DID YOU KNOW?
“Gazpacho, cold soup of Spanish cuisine, especially that of Andalusia. It is an ancient dish mentioned in Greek and Roman literature, although two of the main ingredients of the modern version, tomatoes and green peppers, were brought to Spain from the New World only in the 16th century. Spanish cookbooks classify gazpacho as a salad.” Thanks for the info, Encyclopedia Britannica!
RACQUETS
Carol MacLennan CARING FOR YOUR KIDS ON THE COURTS
DI RE C TOR OF TEN N I S RED BALL – AGES 5 THRU 7 We are limiting Red Ball sessions to 4 players per court working with one coach. Red ballers are asked to bring their own racquet and a bucket to tennis to work on their catching skills We’ve added two temporary red courts in the new parking lot. Safety cones and signs keep the area restricted. Red ball is held Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9 to 10:30. Space is limited to 12 players each session. Registration is done using the LCCC app or logging on to the LCCC website. ORANGE BALL – AGES 8 THRU 10 This year to avoid touching the balls during tennis, we are giving out white cotton gloves. They are great for the kids to use for catching games such as the famous “Racquet Game”, serving or picking up balls. We are constantly reminding the kids to maintain 6 feet of social distancing both on and off the court! WHY DO WE USE DIFFERENT COLORED BALLS FOR DIFFERENT AGE GROUPS? There are so many reasons why the ROGY (Red, Orange, Green, Yellow) method of developing players is effective. Red Balls are perfect for ages 8 and under. They are softer and flatter and bounce at the proper height for a young player. They are easier to track because they are larger and bright colored. Plus they are
soft and safe. Orange balls are the next stage. The orange ball is a traditional sized ball but with less compression. This is perfect for ages 7 thru 10. The lower compression ball allows a player to develop the proper swing and contact point. Ages 11 and up will play green or yellow depending on their age, ability and skill development. But the biggest reason we use ROGY tennis is because it works!! NEW THIS YEAR Please remember that advance registration is required for all summer tennis programs. Sign up on the LCCC app on your phone or by logging on to the club website. You will find all tennis clinics and events listed under Club Events.
ON THE COURSE
John Slade D IR E C TO R OF G O L F C O UR S E O P ER A T I ONS
S
ince the course was built 30 years ago, we have worked hard to keep the fairways “Poaless.� The primary tool we used is a selective herbicide which is applied in the late fall. However, over the past few years, this material seems to be losing its punch in taking out the Poa.
Recently we have tried some other tricks, such as making an additional pre-emergent herbicide application in the late summer, in order to prevent Poa from germinating. Despite these measures, we are seeing a small uptick in the percentage of Poa in the fairways. Fortunately, a new product recently received registration for use: PoaCure The protocol for this product is two spring applications, and two fall applications. We have completed the two spring apps, and the great news is that this product really lives up to its name.
The Poa on #10 fairway is slowly melting away.
The challenge now, as we enter the heat of the summer, is to try and encourage the Bentgrass to fill any voids left by the declining Poa. Over the years, people have asked if it is possible to keep Poa from eventually taking over a Bentgrass putting green. The answer is that, to date, few people have been successful in achieving this goal. However, with PoaCure now in the tool box, it certainly looks like it might be much easier to ward off Poa encroachment.
Upcoming Events SUN
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JULY
WED THURS
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SAT
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DJ Music at The Pool 6:00 pm
Live Music: Chris Stevens Band 6:00 pm
DJ Music at The Pool 11:00 am
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DJ Music at The Pool 11:00 am
DJ Music at The Pool 12:30 pm
DJ Music at The Pool 12:30 pm
DJ Music at The Pool 12:30 pm
DJ Music at The Pool 6:00 pm
DJ Music at The Pool 6:00 pm
DJ Music at The Pool 6:00 pm
DJ Music at The Pool 6:00 pm
Live Music: Oliver Dagum 6:00 pm
Live Music: TBA 6:00 pm
Live Music: Michaela McClain 6:00 pm
Live Music: Jeff Selby Duo 6:00 pm
Live Music: The Wayside Shakeup 6:00 pm
Live Music: Modern Mojo 6:00 pm
Live Music: Class A Kings 6:00 pm
AUGUST SUN
MON
TUES
WED THURS
FRI
SAT 1
Live Music: Modern Mojo 6:00 pm
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3
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5
6
7
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DJ Music at The Pool 12:30 pm
DJ Music at The Pool 12:30 pm
DJ Music at The Pool 12:30 pm
DJ Music at The Pool 12:30 pm
DJ Music at The Pool 12:30 pm
DJ Music at The Pool 6:00 pm
DJ Music at The Pool 6:00 pm
DJ Music at The Pool 6:00 pm
DJ Music at The Pool 6:00 pm
Live Music: Chris Stevens Band 6:00 pm
Live Music: Oliver Dagum 6:00 pm
Live Music: Class A Kings 6:00 pm
Live Music: Michaela McClain 6:00 pm
Live Music: Jeff Selby Duo 6:00 pm
Live Music: TBA 6:00 pm
Live Music: The Wayside Shakeup 6:00 pm
Live Music: Jeff Selby Duo 6:00 pm
701 Centerton Road - Mount Laurel, NJ - 08054 - www.laurelcreek.org