THE
CREEK OCTOBER 2021
STAFF DIRECTORY & CLUB HOURS Joel Inman General Manager/COO jinman@laurelcreek.org Elisha Carson Controller ecarson@laurelcreek.org
Golf Course
Tuesday to Thursday 8:00 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
Tuesday to Friday 7:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
John Geller Clubhouse Manager jgeller@laurelcreek.org
Saturday & Sunday 7:00 a.m. - 6:00 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: Kyu Chung, Super Senior Club Champion
Pool
BOARD OF
TRUSTEES Daniel Bianco President
Joel Inman
GENERAL MANAGER
In the book Alice in Wonderland Alice has a conversation with the Cheshire Cat… Alice: “Would you tell me please, which way do I go from here?”
Sean Fox Vice President
Scott Duman Treasurer
Troy Hopper Secretary
Erich Herkloz
John Higgins
Michael Hughey
Gene Martin
Mark Muir
Tony Palmer
John Venne
Ken Zimmer
Cheshire Cat: “That depends a good deal on where you want to get to” Alice: “I don’t much care where” Cheshire Cat: “Then it doesn’t much matter which way you go” By the time you read this, the club wide, member survey deadline will have passed. For those of you who have taken the time to fill it out… thank you! For those of you who haven’t…why? As active members of the club, don’t you want to have a say in what direction the club continues to go? Or do you prefer to be like Alice…”I don’t much care where....so long as I get somewhere.” We have had a trying 2 years with the pandemic and its continued aftermath. Club closure, social distancing, air high fives instead of handshakes, smiles hidden behind masks to concerns about vaccinations, and a continued, nationwide labor shortage. These things are the antithesis of what a club is all about. Social engagement, relaxing in a safe environment and enjoying your free time away from work. As we continue to re-image and reinvent ourselves in the wake of this new norm your input will be critical. Who better to help direct the club’s future than those that are currently it’s members? Who knows more about you and what you would like to have at your club then you? This was your opportunity to help is get better, be better and be more of what you want. How are we to know which direction to go if you don’t help us by giving us your feedback. Tell us the good, the bad and the in between. I promise we want to hear it as it helps us make your time here better. For those that didn’t fill out the survey, an assumption would be that everything we do and everything we have is perfect and there’s no need to improve and even if that is the case, why not help point us in the right direction? Help us continue to be your destination of choice by telling us what you think. The future isn’t written, and we all know that if you don’t continue to grow, evolve and improve you will decline and be passed by those that are doing those things. Once again, thank you to those who took the time to help us in improving our great club. We appreciate all the feedback…and appreciate you taking the time to light the way to our future.
MEMBERSHIP
Patty Fagan D I REC TOR OF M EM BERS H I P
S
ummer may be over but that did not stop us from partying at the pool on October 3rd as we unveiled the new cabana bar and pool kitchen complete with a pizza oven. What an awesome turn out of members who enjoyed a beautiful evening of live music, food and cocktails. The weather couldn’t not have been more perfect and I thank all of you who came out to support us. Check out some of the photos on this page.
If you are new to the club, wait until you see what we have in store for you over the next few months. First out of the gate is our Annual Halloween Party on Monday, October 25th. This event is sold out but as I have stated in my previous news article, if your name is on the wait list, we will do everything we can to get you in. We know events sell out quickly and I understand that this can be frustrating but if we can figure out a way to accommodate more people, we will. Please make sure your name is added to the wait list so we know that you want to attend and don’t forget our 48 hour cancellation policy. You may wonder why we allow guests to attend events, especially since most sell out so quickly. While we certainly don’t want a member to miss out on an event, one of the benefits of joining Laurel Creek Country Club is to entertain friends, extended family and clients. Another reason is our private club status which prevents us from advertising. The only way new families join our club is by referral or by reaching out to us thru our website. Many of you joined LCCC after coming to the club as a guest of a member. We want to continue allowing guests so please be mindful in the number of guests you bring so all can enjoy the many events we host each month. Speaking of new members. You may have noticed that our “Welcome New Members” photo page has been missing. The Board placed a pause on accepting new members in August but now allowing the Membership Committee to start interviewing those who have recently applied for the 2022 season. We have a wait list for golf but House and Social memberships are available. As always, thank you all for your continued support and I look forward to seeing you soon at the club.
Welcome
OUR NEW MEMBERS TO THE LCCC FAMILY
GOLF
Bob Hennefer
GOLF TIP OF THE MONTH
H E AD GOL F PROF ESSI O N A L
A
fter watching the Ryder Cup there are always a lot of Rules of Golf Questions as this is one of the rare times that we see match play on TV instead of the standard stroke play tournament. Match Play rules differ than stroke play rules, so it’s always important to know which format you’re playing. I would like to highlight a rule that does not differ however and that is when your golf ball ends up on the wrong putting green. Good news! Your approach shot has found the green. The bad news is, it’s not the correct green. Let’s face it, we’ve all hit errant shots from time to time. This one just happens to be particularly bad. The rule however is fairly simple. If you golf ball finds a wrong putting green, which is any putting green other than the hole you are playing, you are REQUIRED to take free relief and may not hit your ball from the wrong putting green.
LCWGA
C
ongratulations to Eileen Burke and Angela Rekant on winning the 2021 Secretary’s cup! Their opponents, Christine Blessing and Eileen Ramasamy, held on until the 18th hole but ultimately the exceptional play of Eileen Burke and Angela Rekant could not be overcome. Congratulations to Eileen Ramasamy for winning the inaugural Senior Ladies’ Club Championship. Eileen Burke won the Ladies’ Senior Net Championship. The weather was perfect, hopefully next year more ladies will participate and we could have an additional laurel flight.
The Presidents cup still needs to be determined between Eileen Burke and Eileen Ramasamy. Stay tuned to the battle of the Eileen’s! Good luck ladies!! The last Nine Hole Invitational was held on September 14th at Medford Lakes Country Club. Seven of our nine holers participated and represented Laurel Creek. Sue Studley, the Laurel Creek Invitational chairperson, Lynne Sergi, Lillian Maja, Kelly Redcay, Rita Gordon, Joanne Seltzer and Mary Heselton attended this event, and all had a wonderful time. By match of cards, Lynne Sergi was part of the winning team and Mary Heselton’s team came in second. Next year, Laurel Creek will be hosting one of the three events. The last Jersey Girls event of the season was held on September 14th at Medford Village Country Club. The Jersey Girls is a season long Stableford competition, and the team was in second place by 2 points going into the last match. Although Laurel Creek played very well, Medford Lakes played lights out and averaged 33 points per player, which is very impressive. For the final match the team was represented by Christine Blessing, Eileen Burke, Ineke Daniels, Chrissy Duman, Eileen Ramasamy and Marybeth Taras. The end of another season of play is rapidly approaching but it is not too late to participate in our final 3 Wednesdays. We have been so pleased to have a great number of Nine & Eighteen Hole ladies playing each week. A few have been plagued by physical complications and we hope to have them back and healthy next year. Congratulations to Christine Blessing who had her first hole in one on August 28th. She hit her first ace on the 3rd hole while playing with her husband Scott and Julie & Ken Graziul. The pin was in the back and playing 126 from the Legends tees and she used her 7 iron.
FOOD & BEVERAGE
Tina Paul ASSISTANT CLUBHOUSE MANAGER
B
ack in May, we gathered some members, staff, and a team from Makers Mark to help brand our very first Laurel Creek Bourbon. By the end of the evening, we came out with what we think is the best representation of Laurel Creek. The stave profile is 3 Makers Mark 46, 4 Roasted French Mendiant, and 3 Toasted French Spice. Once the branding and barrel was ready, we were so excited to share it with the club!
On September 30, we sampled our newest bourbon, Laurel Creeks Private Selection. Everyone enjoyed it so much that we sold through our first inventory of bottles! Do not worry, we are getting more in very shortly! Having the excitement and support for this event was amazing. We had such an amazing turnout with everyone enjoying bourbon, scotch, delicious food, and cigars, all while listening to great music surrounded by great friends. Some of you may also have heard that we tasted Bakers bourbon, which we do have 3 more bottles in the clubhouse. I would love to do a bourbon barrel program every year! What better way to enjoy a cocktail then with something that was created specifically for you! There will be an announcement when the bourbon will be back in the clubhouse. Until then, please enjoy the current bourbons we have, and hopefully you will be lucky to try the Bakers Bourbon!
CHEF’S CORNER
Pete Rosenblatt EXECU T I VE CHEF AUTUMN SQUASH SOUP Yields 8 servings: 1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and diced into large pieces 1 acorn squash, peeled, seeded, and diced into large pieces 4 shallots, sliced 1 clove garlic, minced 3 leaves sage 2 Tbsp. olive oil 2 Tbsp. butter 1 quart vegetable or chicken stock 1 cup heavy cream salt and pepper to taste Optional: crème fraiche for garnish 1. Preheat oven to 375. Season the diced butternut and acorn squash with olive oil, salt and pepper and place on a cookie sheet. Bake for 20-25 minutes until lightly browned and soft.
JUSTIN MATTIE SERVER
Thank you Justin, For all that you do!
2. In a large pot over medium low heat sauté the shallots and garlic in butter until soft, about 5-7 minutes. Add the roasted squash, sage and stock. Simmer on low heat for 20 minutes. 3. Add the cream and simmer for 10 more minutes, season with salt and pepper to taste. 4. In a blender, working in batches puree the soup until smooth. 5. Serve with a dollop of crème fraiche.
RACQUETS
Carol MacLennan DI REC TOR OF TE N N I S UPCOMING EVENTS: October 7th: End of the Season Ladies Day – 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Tennis followed by lunch in the clubhouse. $30 per person. Reservations required on the app. October 10th: Club Championships – 9:30 a.m. Men’s Final match – Ross Charbonne vs Wayne Streibich. Come out to see some amazing competition! Congratulations to the following Club Champions: Dean Sivley Men’s 55 Singles Ross Charbonné and Scott Stockham Men’s Doubles Club Champions Pascale Salah Women’s Club Champion Cynthia Streibich and Chris Zajac Women’s Doubles Club Champions TBD Women’s B Doubles Club Champions Cynthia and Wayne Streibich Mixed Doubles Club Champions TBD B Mixed Doubles Club Champions TBD Men’s Pickleball Club Champions Christine Blessing and Karen Bolte Women’s Pickleball Champions Christine and Scott Blessing Mixed Doubles Pickleball Champions
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
W
hile the team from Mottin Golf are awesome to work with, it is always satisfying when major construction projects are completed. The creation of a short game area, construction of new tees on #10, and bunker work on #11 were significant, and took a great deal of planning. The Club is fortunate to be working with one of the most sought after golf course architects, Andrew Green. Now that seed and sod are down, one of the challenges is maintaining turf that is at different levels of establishment. That is, the needs of sod which was put down a month ago are not the same as a roll that was installed last week.
Until everything is well-rooted and we can allow conditions to firm up a bit, the mowing will all be done by hand, and we won't be able to drive a sprayer onto these areas. With any luck, in a month from now, we should be able to include most of this in our normal mowing routine. Without a doubt, the installation of a tee to green cart path on #10 is a huge help at this time, as it allows us to keep cart traffic off the newly seeded and sodded areas.
It will be spring, 2022 when the short game area is ready for use--we are all excited to see the divots start flying at this new amenity!
Upcoming Events SUN
MON
TUES
OCTOBER
WED THURS
FRI
SAT
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Live Music: Chris Stevens Band 6:00 pm
Live Music: Carl Filbert 6:00 pm
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Live Music: Oliver Dagum 6:00 pm
Live Music: Class A Kings 6:00 pm
Live Music: Mike Margarite 6:00 pm
Live Music: Doug Jennings 6:00 pm
Wine Locker Dinner 6:30 p.m.
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Annual Halloween Party 5:00 p.m.
Flowers Wine Dinner 6:30 p.m.
Live Music: JB Rocks 6:00 pm
Live Music: Dennis Matthews 6:00 pm Quiz Night 6:30 p.m.
Live Music: Joe Parker 6:00 pm
Live Music: TBA 6:00 pm
NOVEMBER SUN
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MON
TUES
WED THURS
FRI
SAT
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Holiday Wine Show
Live Music: Chris Stevens Band 6:00 pm
Fall Gala Club closes at 3:00 p.m.
Live Music: Carl Filbert 6:00 pm
Live Music: Jeff Selby Duo 6:00 pm
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Home for the Holidays
Ladies’ Night Out
Live Music: Class A Kings 6:00 pm
Live Music: Thanksgiving JB Rocks Buffet & Thanksgiving 6:00 pm to Go
Live Music: Doug Jennings 6:00 pm
Live Music: TBA 6:00 pm
701 Centerton Road - Mount Laurel, NJ - 08054 - www.laurelcreek.org