THE
CREEK SEPTEMBER 2020
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 8:00 a.m. - Sunset
Patty Fagan Director of Membership pfagan@laurelcreek.org
Saturday & Sunday 7:30 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 7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Nevada Groulx Director of Communications ngroulx@laurelcreek.org
Saturday & Sunday 6:30 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
Saturday & Sunday 9:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Peter Rosenblatt Executive Chef prosenblatt@laurelcreek.org
Tennis
Carol MacLennan Director of Tennis cmaclennan@laurelcreek.org Mike Holak Pool Manager mholak@laurelcreek.org
ON THE COVER
Tuesday thru Friday 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Courts are open for play
Pool
Open 7 days a week until Labor Day. After Labor Day it will be open for two weekends (Sat & Sun) on the following days: (9/12, 9/13, 9/19, 9/20).
Charles and Chase Cristella at the Parent Child Tournament
BOARD OF
TRUSTEES Daniel Bianco President Michael Hughey Vice President
Scott Duman Treasurer
Sean Fox Secretary
Erich Herkloz
Troy Hopper
Michael Kassak
Gene Martin
Mark Muir
Tony Palmer
John Venne
Ken Zimmer
Joel Inman
O
GE NE RAL M AN A G E R
ne thing for sure about our current state of affairs is that it shines a light on not only what we do as an organization but also who we are as people. This pandemic has been a challenge to all; management, employees and of course you the member. It has made us rethink and retool everything we did in the past. It has added new challenges and made prior challenges more difficult. The Rolling Stones made a hit out of “You can’t always get what you want” and our team is feeling that now. Whereas prior to COVID we could handle 200+ members on a Friday night, host a wedding and have 250+ members at the pool, now we are forced to do the exact opposite of what we all love about this business…we sometimes have to say “no”. There isn’t a single team member at the club that enjoys this part of where we are right now. We love it when the place is packed, members enjoying the amenities we have and are having a great time. We thrive on that…it’s in our blood. I’m proud of the way our team has stepped up to the new challenges that we currently face. Doing all that they can to say “yes” and find a way to accommodate everyone is a monumental task and sometimes it’s like recreating the wheel. So if the staff has to say those words… ”No” please understand that when “You can’t always get what you want”…there’s “But if you try sometimes you find you get what you need”. Please continue to be patient, understand we will not get it right 100% of the time, but know we will do all that we can to make your time here the best we possibly can.
MEMBERSHIP
Patty Fagan
O
D I REC TOR OF M EM BERS H I P
ur membership continues to flourish, despite the pandemic and this month we welcome more new families to the LCCC community. I would also like to send a warm welcome to the newest addition to the Licausi Family, a beautiful baby girl. Congratulations to Jamison and Rachel and their baby daughter, Jane who joins brother, Jamison and big sister, Claire.
Thanks to all our members who came out to Comedy Night, our first event of the pandemic season. It was a huge success and so much fun to share some much-needed laughter during these unprecedented times. Here is what some members had to say about their experience at Comedy Night: “What a great time at the Comedy Night. Well planned, well organized, and well run. Had a terrific time. So did many other members I talked to. Also, good to see members I did not know.” -John Higgins “I just wanted to drop a line and say that the staff did an amazing job last night. The comedians were hilarious, and I haven’t laughed so much in a long time.” -Farrukh Kazmi “Tonight was wonderful. Thank you so much for organizing this fun event. You always have the best ideas for events!!! Looking forward to the next one! Congrats on a job well done!” -Tami Schoenfeld “We had a great time! It was a great event and the food was fabulous as always.” -Bill & Pat Cassidy
“LAST NIGHT WAS AWESOME! Food was so great. The comedians were so funny especially Tom Cotter. It was a blast. Great event! You guys are the best!” -Aimee King “I just wanted to send you a quick note to let you know that we had a great time last night. The entire event from start to finish was fantastic and the comedians were really funny. Both Sean and I thought the food at the buffet was delicious. Thank you so much for putting it together. It was our first “adult” night out since Covid and it did not disappoint!“ -Sue Corbett “I have been meaning to compose this email for a while but wanted to tell you how much Chris and I enjoyed the Comedy Night you put together!!! It felt so great to get out and see everyone in their cute outfits and laugh. The Buffet Line was very efficient, and the bartenders kept up with a pretty big crowd very well. Felt very “covid safe” too! Thank you so much for putting it together.” -Kelly Moye Our club had some incredible challenges this summer and I want to thank our members for getting us thru them with your patience, support and understanding. As we move into the fall season, we will continue to offer new and creative ways of offering amenities to you and your family while staying within guidelines to maximize the safety of all. Enjoy the final days of summer and I hope to see you soon at the club.
Welcome Greg Guers
OUR NEW MEMBERS TO THE LCCC FAMILY
Mollie Pifer & Kevin Maguire
The Fox Family
The Kirchner Family
Jane Licausi Born 8-13-2020 7 lbs
GOLF
Matt Walbert HEAD GOL F PROF E SSI O N A L
L
ast month provided the course a well-deserved chance to breathe and recover during the annual aeration process. Through the month of August, our member rounds were up 40% over 2019 and 56% compared to 2018 - it has been great to see so much activity at the club! With the fall rapidly approaching, the best golfing weather of the season is right around the corner. The course will be in terrific shape and we will see crisp mornings with warm afternoons… I am sure the trend of increased rounds will continue!
The addition of rounds does come with a cost, and some of our players in the late afternoon may have noticed an increased amount of unrepaired ball marks on the greens, divots in the fairways, and bunkers that haven’t been raked. During play of your round, please remember to take care of your course so it is enjoyable for everyone throughout the day. Ball marks on the greens should be pushed up and flattened, divots should be replaced or filled with sand, and bunkers should be raked after your shot… the groups behind you will thank you! While we are on the topic of etiquette, please
remember to continue posting your scores after each round and paying attention to the rules of golf during club events. If you ever have a rules question, please do not hesitate to call the Golf Shop for a ruling! On the event front, we crowned two new Junior Champions in the month of August. Congratulations to our Champion in the 11 & Under Division, Chloe Donohue, and our Overall Junior Club Champion, Nate Guertler! We are looking forward to our Women’s and Senior Club Championship, which is taking place September 19th - 20th, as well as our Annual Member-Guest tournament September 24th to the 26th. With the ongoing pandemic, most of us have been impacted in our daily lives; whether it is our work schedule, children’s school calendar, or simply how we spend our leisure time. With these changes, we are looking forward to adding more golf programming to get both you and your children out of the house! Be on the lookout for more information on a new series of Junior Golf Clinics and Women’s Clinics that will take place in September and October.
LCWGA
Y
es, it is still summer but not for long! This past month at our delayed Opening Day we said good luck and goodbye to Vincent as he moved to Texas and we welcomed Alexx as the new Women’s Golf Coordinator! We are lucky to have him! Please reach out to him with any questions about ladies golf, lessons or club fittings etc. As of August 12th the leaders for the 9 Hole Laurel Cup were as follows: Linda Angstreich, 31; Rita Gordon, 23; Sue Studley, 20; MaryAnn Stack, 19; Jacquie Ebert, 18. As of August 27th the leaders for the 18 Hole Laurel Cup were as follows: Ineke Daniels 45, Lynne Demmerly 43, Eileen Ramasamy 42 and Christine Blessing 41. There are still 8 more ladies’ days before closing day on 10/28 so come on out and rack up some points. The race to the cups is anyone’s at this point.
Our next big event is the ladies’ Member-Member on 9/9 and 9/16. Please find a LCWGA partner and sign up. On 9/30 there will be a laid back member/ guest event. We are working on the details. It won’t be the big event of prior years due to too many uncertainties, but it will still be a fun event. You are not required to bring a guest but you can if you wish. Sign-ups may be limited due to COVID constraints. Later this month will be the women’s club championship on Saturday and Sunday 9/19 and 9/20. You do not need to be a member of LCWGA, all women with full golfing privileges are encouraged to play as hopefully that will allow for multiple flights. Please sign up with the pro-shop. We are still moving along with the Secretary’s cup and President’s cup tournaments. Stay tuned to next month’s newsletter for some updates. On August 19th Anita Albright, Christine Blessing, Ineke Daniels, Lynne Demmerly, Rita Gordon, and Eileen Kennedy represented Laurel Creek in the first Jersey Girls match of the season at Medford Lakes. We had a strong showing and came in second, behind the host. The next round will be on September 10th at Medford Village. If you would like to play please contact Christine Blessing.
AROUND TH
HE CLUB
FOOD & BEVERAGE
John Geller C L U BHOU SE M ANAG E R During the month of August, I had the opportunity to sit down and get to know Eddie Stillwell. Eddie has been on the team here at LC for five years now as both server and bartender. Have you ever met anyone famous? Yes, Brian Dawkins we played flag football together, I caught 3 touchdowns from him. I also met Alejandro Bedoya, former (Men’s National Soccer Team Captain).
Eddie Stillwell
What is your favorite breakfast cereal? Honey Nut Cheerios Oat Crunch and add sliced bananas. Yum! What was the first thing you bought with your own money? Soccer Cleats (Nike Hyper Venom) What is something you want to do next year that you have never done before? Go to Germany. Family originated from there, specifically Munich. What is your favorite drink to make? Margarita on rocks What kind of music do you like? Hard Rock, Metallica, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, Avenged Sevenfold. Best place you have traveled to? San Juan Puerto Rico with my girlfriend What are you studying in school? Human Services, assisting and providing the resources to better a clients, life, or situation.
Coach Pederson, the head coach of the Super Bowl Champions Philadelphia Eagles. And I had the opportunity to follow Phil Mickelson at the Fedex Northern Trust Cup Playoff match, he was cracking jokes. Who is someone you really admire? My dad, he is a hard worker. Always has a great attitude. What is your favorite family tradition? On Christmas Eve my mom, dad, sister, and I drive around town looking at Christmas lights. We have been doing this since I can remember.
What is your favorite dream car? 2017 Corvette Stingray Convertible, it must be blue. What three items would you take with you to a deserted island? Soccer ball, filter straw, Tempur-Pedic mattress. What is your ideal of a perfect day? Wake up and listen to the Preston and Steve Show on 93.3, have a cup of fall flavored coffee, put my jeans on with a sweatshirt and watch sports all day.
CHEF’S CORNER
Pete Rosenblatt E X E C U TI VE C H E F SUMMER TOMATO TABBOULEH SALAD Enjoy this refreshing summer salad by itself or as a side for grilled chicken or seafood. 2 cups cooked bulgur wheat 1 large Jersey tomato, fillet and small dice 1 cup cherry tomato, thin sliced 3 tbsp. red onion, small diced 3 tbsp. chopped parsley 2 tbsp. chopped mint 3 tbsp. lemon juice Âź cup olive oil salt & pepper to taste Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well, refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.
Nancy Gomez
Ceramic/Flatware Sanitation Technician
Thank you, Nancy, for all that you do!
RACQUETS
Carol MacLennan
W
DI RE C TOR OF TEN N I S
e had a great summer on the courts at Laurel Creek! We loved having your kids at Tennis camp and we hope they had as much as we did coaching and helping them improve. We worked hard at social distancing while still encouraging lots of group games and activities. Everyone has been “ASK’ing when After School Tennis Begins. Starting September 14th, we have After School Kids (ASK) Tennis clinics for ages 7 thru 16 (Orange, Green and Yellow Ball) every Monday and Wednesday from 4 to 5:30. Registration in advance in the app is required as space is limited at these clinics. Tuesday and Thursday afternoons are reserved for private lessons. Have a group of kids who want to play together? Contact Carol to arrange your personal private clinic or lesson with our coaches. Red Ball Clinics will be set up privately in groups of 4. Please contact Carol if you are interested in joining a Red Ball group. Congratulations to our Junior Club Champions: RED BALL Nicholas Bartholo Alex Cohen, Runner up ORANGE BALL Nicholas Bartholo Shea Henefer, Runner Up GREEN BALL Jack Forstein Aaron Cohen, Runner Up YELLOW BALL John Gentek Avani Verma, Runner Up Did you know we have a Men’s Ladder at Laurel Creek? Matches are played every Tuesday at 6 pm. To get a game, register in advance on the app.
John Gentek
Red Ball
Orange Ball
Green Ball
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
ithout fail, at least once each summer we get a call from someone reporting Hornets in a bunker. More often than not, what we find are not Hornet Wasps, but Cicada Killer Wasps. And while these large wasps may look somewhat terrifying, they are not out to hurt you. The Cicada Killer is a burrowing wasp, and it seems that they find a sandy bunker face to be quite appealing. You would really need to be aggressive towards them to see them reciprocate, and turn aggressive. So, if humans have little to fear from Cicada Killers, who should be worried? Yes, it’s the Cicada that needs to look over its shoulder to make sure the Cicada Killer isn’t closing in on it. The female Cicada Killer will sting a Cicada, stunning it, then walk/ drag/fly/glide the huge Cicada back to its burrow where it lays an egg. A word of caution: We do occasionally encounter other wasps, such as Yellow Jackets or Bald-Faced Hornets on the golf course-both of which absolutely can be aggressive towards intruders-so don’t assume that everything is a friendly Cicada Killer!
Upcoming Events SUN
MON
TUES
SEPTEMBER
WED THURS
FRI
SAT
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DJ Music at The Pool 5:00 pm
Live Music: Chris Stevens Band 6:00 pm
Live Music: The Wayside Shakeup 6:00 pm
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DJ Music at The Pool 12:30 pm
Club & Course Closed
Live Music: Class A Kings 6:00 pm
Live Music: Michaela McClain 6:00 pm
Live Music: TBA 6:00 pm
Live Music: Carl Filbert 6:00 pm
Live Music: Live Music: Jeff Selby Duo Oliver Dagum 6:00 pm 6:00 pm
OCTOBER SUN
MON
TUES
WED THURS
FRI
SAT
1
2
3
7
8
9
10
Live Music: Chris Stevens Band 6:00 pm
Live Music: TBA 6:00 pm
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Live Music: Carl Filbert 6:00 pm
Live Music: Class A Kings 6:00 pm
Live Music: Michaela McClain 6:00 pm
Live Music: JB Rocks 6:00 pm
Live Music: Oliver Dagum 6:00 pm
Live Music: The Wayside Shakeup 6:00 pm
Live Music: Jeff Selby Duo 6:00 pm
Live Music: TBA 6:00 pm
701 Centerton Road - Mount Laurel, NJ - 08054 - www.laurelcreek.org