The Creek News November 2021 by laurelcreekcc

THE

CREEK NOVEMBER 2021

STAFF DIRECTORY & CLUB HOURS Joel Inman General Manager/COO jinman@laurelcreek.org Elisha Carson Controller ecarson@laurelcreek.org

Golf Course

Tuesday to Thursday 8:30 a.m. - Sunset Friday 8:30 a.m. - Sunset

Patty Fagan Director of Membership pfagan@laurelcreek.org

Saturday & Sunday 8:00 a.m. - Sunset

Erin Schafer Director of Events eschafer@laurelcreek.org

Pro Shop

Tuesday to Friday 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

John Geller Clubhouse Manager jgeller@laurelcreek.org

Saturday & Sunday 7:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Nevada Groulx Director of Communications ngroulx@laurelcreek.org

Dining

John Slade Director of Golf Course Operations jslade@laurelcreek.org

Saturday & Sunday

Bob Hennefer, PGA Head Golf Professional bhennfer@laurelcreek.org

Tuesday thru Friday 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.

9:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Tennis

Peter Rosenblatt Executive Chef prosenblatt@laurelcreek.org

Courts are open for play

Carol MacLennan Director of Tennis cmaclennan@laurelcreek.org

Closed for the Season

Mike Holak Pool Manager mholak@laurelcreek.org

ON THE COVER: Brielle and Adelynn at the 2021 LCCC Halloween Party.

Pool

BOARD OF

TRUSTEES

Joel Inman

GENERAL MANAGER

Daniel Bianco President

“How are you doing?” is something we all hear just about every day. It’s a common question that we use to find out how the other person(s) are feeling.

Sean Fox Vice President

We recently wrapped up our latest member wide survey and in it we asked, “How are you doing?”, and we certainly got the answer. We had 799 responses which was a great response rate which gave the McMahon group a 95% confidence level in the results. That means the chances are 19 out of 20 that if all Members and Spouses completed and returned their surveys, the findings would differ from the sample results by no more than +/- 2 percentage points.

Scott Duman Treasurer

Troy Hopper Secretary

Erich Herkloz

John Higgins

Michael Hughey

Gene Martin

Mark Muir

Tony Palmer

John Venne

Ken Zimmer

One of the main reasons we embarked on this latest survey was to help us find out what direction you, the member, wanted the club to go. We asked several questions regarding what you currently think of the club and what’s important to you. I’m not going to spoil the surprise, as you will all receive the executive summary, but needless to say we now have the information we needed. Obviously, my hope would normally be that everything would be outstanding, but I think we all knew that wasn’t the case. There is always room to improve. However luckily some of the things that you expressed dissatisfaction with, were things we had identified as needing to be improved and had already been slated for capital improvements. What I can tell you is that we’ve heard you. We also thank those of you that took the time, and cared enough about the club, to complete the survey and provide those additional comments. All of it was extremely helpful in pointing us in the right direction for the future of the club. So…Thank you and please keep your eye out for the summary that will be sent sometime towards the end of the month.

MEMBERSHIP

Patty Fagan D I REC TOR OF M EM BERS H I P

ow! How awesome was our Annual Halloween Party?! Although we originally capped the number of attendees to 600, the event sold out within minutes and had a wait list a mile long. Since all the activities were planned outdoors, we found a way to spread the event across the club campus, got everyone off the wait list and had our biggest turnout ever with over 800 attendees. That’s incredible!

We sent a brief survey after the Halloween event to get your feedback and out of the 93 responses, 89.25% (83) were Very Satisfied; 7.53% (7) were Satisfied; and 3.23% (3) were Dissatisfied. We know that there are always ways to improve so we appreciate your suggestions for those and noted some changes for next year. Check out some of the comments from the Halloween event on this page. Next up is the Fall Gala on Friday, November 12th. I want to take a moment to thank three members--Jennifer Kramer, Rachel Licausi and Emily Krebs who co-chaired this event with the LC Team. These three ladies spent hours with us brainstorming, designing, and planning an event that you’ll never forget. This party is well overdue, and I am so excited to see everyone dressed to the nines. It’s wonderful to know that Members want to come to all the events we plan each month and understand your frustration when something is sold out within minutes of registration. Whether it’s increasing the number of attendees or adding an additional date, if there’s a will, we’ll find a way to accommodate everyone. The only way we know you want to attend a sold out event is by seeing your name on the Wail List. As always, please be mindful of your fellow members by doing your part and canceling your event reservation as soon as you know that you can’t attend so those on the wait list can. Lastly, I want to wish all of you, my Laurel Creek family a wonderful holiday season and hope that the New Year brings you joy, laughter and peace. “Could have more adult bars so that one doesn’t get so crowded. Otherwise was great fun!” “Event was wonderful! The staff poured their hearts into the event and it shows!” “Better food for the adults.” “With over 800 people there, I was nervous about the crowds. It was so well spread out, which made it feel just right!”

- MEM BER F EATU RE -

Dr. Mark & Colette Walker

r. Mark Walker, aka “Doc” first played Laurel Creek in 1995. It was love at first sight and he became a member in 1997 getting to play as a marker in the Nike event held that year at the club. Mark grew up in Medford Lakes, N.J. where he started playing golf at the age of 10. He went to Rutgers University and then off to the University of Medicine and Dentistry of NJ. He played golf at Rutgers all 4 years, but more importantly it was in college where he met his wife of 38 years, Colette. Together they have 2 sons (Brian & Brett), 1 daughter (Chelsea), 2 grandsons (Jake & Logan) and granddaughter Emma due in December. Mark and Colette currently reside in Marlton and thought they were empty nesters but now have 5 cats with Colette volunteering at a cat rescue. When Mark is playing golf, you’ll find Collette on her road bike. She is quite the cyclist riding over 10,000 miles a year. 2021 has been a special year for Mark. He caddied for our own Dave Quinn in 2 Professional Major Championships and even went into business with one of the players, Joey Sindelar. Also, Mark shot 65 this year at Laurel Creek missing shooting his age by 1 shot.

What really made this year extra special was that by winning the Senior Club Championship, shooting 69 on the second day, it marked his 8th Laurel Creek Club Championship in 4 different decades (5 regular and 3 senior). Overall, at various clubs, Mark has won 30 club championships in 6 decades. His 2011 victory at Laurel Creek was the most memorable as it made the full back page of Golfweek magazine. In 2002, Mark won a local qualifier for the US Open held here at The Creek. He went on to be paired with Fred Couples in the Sectional qualifier. Other memories for Mark include him officiating his son’s wedding next to the LCCC putting green, his mom’s 104th birthday party in The Bistro and The Survivor Theme Night thrown by the club for the premiere of his daughter being on season 39. However, what’s most important to him are the many friendships he has made over the 25 years as a member at our club. Mark feels life is all about Family, Friends, and Memories. Laurel Creek has certainly been a big part of his life. It is truly his home away from home. It is a place he certainly loves. We want to thank Mark for the 12 years he served on the Board and the 14 years as Greens chairman. Good luck next year in the Palmer Cup, the only event he has not won at Laurel Creek.

GOLF

Bob Hennefer

H E AD GOL F PROF ESSI O N A L

t’s hard to believe the golfing season is coming to a close! It has been a wonderful year getting to know you and your families and I’m excited for a little down time to recharge and get ready for an exciting 2022 season! I want to send a special thank you to our amazing golf staff for all of their hard work this year. Glen, Brett, Ryan, Josh, David, and all of our additional seasonal help. We love what we do, and are excited to come to the club each day to make your day better, and that includes staffing the Haunted House on Halloween! We hope your holidays are enjoyable, relaxing, safe and healthy. Be sure to stop in the shop over the coming weeks to get all of your holiday shopping complete. RULES OF GOLF - TIP OF THE MONTH There are plenty of penalty areas and out of bounds at Laurel Creek. Be sure you are following the correct drop procedure if you are unfortunate to have to take a penalty. A few years ago, the Rules of Golf changed the procedure from shoulder height to knee height.

LCWGA

ur season ended on a high note with the conclusion of the President’s Cup and our closing day scramble, luncheon, board meeting and season ending awards. Congratulations again to Eileen Burke, who won the President’s Cup on the 18th hole against Eileen Ramasamy, a very tough opponent indeed! The weather was fabulous for closing day. Thanks to Eileen Ramasamy for running the event and putting together a wonderful menu! Well done to team Linda Angstreich, Christine Blessing and Jacquie Ebert who won the team scramble event. Enjoy your proshop credit. During the board meeting portion of the closing day luncheon, nominations for the 2022 board were voted upon and approved by the Laurel Creek Women’s Golf Association membership. The following people were approved for the 2022 year: President Christine Blessing Vice President Joanne Seltzer Treasurer Angela Rekant Secretary Rita Gordon Tournaments Chrissy Duman Rules Susan Kaufman Handicap Eileen Ramasamy 9 Hole Co-Chairs Sue Studley and Linda Angstreich There were many end of season awards distributed but the 2 big ones were the Laurel Cups. Congrats to Sue Stduley for winning the Laurel Cup for the 9 holers and to Eileen Burke for winning the Laurel Cup for the 18 holers!

FOOD & BEVERAGE

John Geller CLUBHOUSE MANAGER NOVEMBER FEATURE:

Randi Iwanowski

am featuring Randi Iwanowski in this month’s Newsletter. Randi was hired on Valentine’s Day 2020 and has been a fantastic employee since the get-go. Randi has an extraordinary work ethic! Randi is a single mother of 4-year-old twin girls who works a fulltime job with the Philadelphia 76ers. If that wasn’t enough, she also gives Laurel Creek 32 hours a week to be scheduled. I consider Randi a worker bee with a full tank of energy for every shift she works.

Randi can serve, bartend, and do banquets when needed, but most of the time, you can find her taking care of the Golfing Members in the Members Lounge. She enjoys taking her girls to parks to play soccer, field hockey, or go exploring in her downtime. After working up an appetite, she takes them to Friendly’s for some mac and cheese, and the girls finish off with a Monster Mash Sundae. Randi also plays Field Hockey competitively at Marlton Field House. If there is any more time left in the day or week, she and the girls will head over to Lifetime, and while Randi is strength training, the girls are learning sports skills, swimming, and gymnastics. I’m exhausted just typing this. We have some great people on staff here at LCCC! Happy Fall!

CHEF’S CORNER

Pete Rosenblatt EXECU T I VE CHEF SAVORY SAUSAGE & APPLE STUFFING 8-10 servings 1lb cubed day-old crusty bread or dried bread cubes 1lb ground pork or turkey sausage 8oz unsalted butter, plus 4oz 2 tbsp vegetable oil 2 granny smith apples, peeled and diced 1 medium yellow onion, diced 3 ribs celery, diced 3 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped 2 tbsp fresh sage, chopped 1 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped 3 cups turkey or chicken broth Salt and pepper

CHARLES SANGERMANO LINE CHEF

Thank you, Charles For all that you do!

Preheat oven to 350. In a large deep skillet sauté sausage in 2 tbsp vegetable oil over medium heat. Using the back of a spoon, break the meat into small pieces until cooked through. Remove sausage from the pan and reduce to low heat. Add 8oz of butter, onions, celery, apples, and herbs. Season with salt and pepper and sauté for 7-10 minutes until soft. Add the broth to the pan and bring just to a simmer. In a large bowl combine the bread, sausage and broth mixture and season to taste. Butter a baking dish with 2 oz butter, transfer the stuffi ng into the dish and top evenly with 2 oz cubed butter. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes to 1 hour until the top is golden and crispy. *the uncooked stuffing can be made a day ahead and refrigerated. Bring to room temperature before baking.

RACQUETS

Carol MacLennan

Some reminders when you are playing at the courts after dark: if you need the lights on the front courts or the pickleball courts, the switch is located on the side fence of court 1. There is no longer a timer on this switch. Please be sure to turn the lights off when you leave. The switch for the back courts is located at the bottom of the lamp post next to pickleball court 2. Please turn off all lights off before leaving the courts.

MEN’S SINGLES CHAMPION Wayne Streibich WOMEN’S SINGLES CHAMPION Pascale Salah

2021 Tennis Champions

he season is winding down but tennis is not over yet!! Tuesday and Thursday Ladies Drills will continue outdoors, weather permitting. Once it’s too cold to play outside, the weekday Ladies drills will move indoors again this year to Cherry Hill Racquet Club. NOTE NEW TIME: Starting in November, these clinics will start at 9:30. Wednesday evening and Saturday morning mixed drills will continue outdoors, weather permitting. The Tuesday pickleball league and clinics are done for the season. These clinics were the perfect opportunity for members to learn the rules and how to play pickleball in a relaxed and fun setting.

DI REC TOR OF TE N N I S

MEN’S 55 SINGLES CHAMPION Dean Sivley MEN’S DOUBLES CHAMPIONS Ross Charbonné and Scott Stockham WOMEN’S DOUBLES CHAMPIONS Cynthia Streibich and Chris Zajac WOMEN’S B DOUBLES CHAMPIONS Sonia Bodiwala and Reetika Joshi MIXED DOUBLES CHAMPIONS Cynthia and Wayne Streibich MIXED B DOUBLES CHAMPIONS Christin Deacon and Vick Bobadilla MEN’S PICKLEBALL CHAMPIONS Jason Rekant and Mark Rekant WOMEN’S PICKLEBALL CHAMPIONS Christine Blessing and Karen Bolte MIXED PICKLEBALL CHAMPIONS Christine and Scott Blessing JUNIOR CLUB CHAMPION Avani Verma JUNIOR RED BALL CHAMPION Ryan Kovach JUNIOR ORANGE BALL CHAMPION Nicholas Bartholo JUNIOR GREEN BALL CHAMPION Aaron Cohen

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

n an effort to keep up with increased play throughout the year, we continue to make changes to our divot mix recipe. Recently we started to include a new product called AquaPerk in the mix, and the divot recovery time has decreased dramatically. Actually, if there’s such a thing as growing too fast, then this might qualify. AquaPerk is a combination of an absorbent polymer (similar to what you’d find in diapers), and used coffee grounds. The polymer helps with moisture retention, preventing the seed in the divot mix from drying out. You can see a side by side comparison we made earlier in the year. Everything about the two pots (including the amount of water received) was identical, except the one on the right had AquaPerk included. We are clearly seeing a significantly improved rate of seed germination using AquaPerk, which may allow us to decrease the quantity of seed needed in the divot mix. With seed prices doubling over the past year, less seed in the mix could lead to some welcomed savings. Another benefit we’ve found from AquaPerk is that it helps to prevent all of the divot mix ingredients (there are six of them, before adding AquaPerk) from separating. Following the Club’s Halloween party last Monday night, we received a downpour, with over 2.5” of flooding rain.

In one of our trial areas, this deluge caused the test divots without AquaPerk (blue dots, below) to have the seed and peat completely separate from the sand--this will clearly not lead to a quick divot recovery. However in the divots with AquaPerk (red dots, below) all of the ingredients remained evenly distributed. Again, with increased play and practice tee use, we need all of the help we can get. A product which can improve results while saving money certainly looks like a great tool to add to the arsenal.

Upcoming Events SUN

MON

TUES

NOVEMBER

WED THURS

FRI

SAT

Holiday Wine Show

Live Music: Chris Stevens Band

Fall Gala Club closes at 3:00 p.m.

Live Music: Carl Filbert

Live Music: Jeff Selby Duo

Home for the Holidays

Ladies’ Sip & Shop

Live Music: Class A Kings

Live Music: Thanksgiving JB Rocks Buffet & Thanksgiving to Go Pick Up

Live Music: Doug Jennings

Live Music: TBA

DECEMBER SUN

Santa Brunch

MON

TUES

Cookie Bake

WED THURS

FRI

SAT

Live Music: Oliver Dagum 6:00 pm

Live Music: Dennis Matthews 6:00 pm

Member Appreciation & Tree Trimming

Cookie Bake

Live Music: Chris Stevens Band 6:00 pm

Ugly Sweater

Live Music: Class A Kings 6:00 pm

Live Music: Carl Filbert 6:00 pm

Cookie Bake

Cookie Bake Live Music: TBA 6:00 pm

Jan 1

New Years Eve Prix Fixe Dinner

Happy New Year! Club & Course Closed

Club & Course Closed

NYE Family Party

Merry Christmas! Club & Course Closed

701 Centerton Road - Mount Laurel, NJ - 08054 - www.laurelcreek.org