THE
CREEK SEPTEMBER 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 7:30 a.m. - Sunset
Erin Schafer Director of Events eschafer@laurelcreek.org
Pro Shop
John Geller Clubhouse Manager jgeller@laurelcreek.org
Tuesday to Friday 7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. Saturday & Sunday 6:30 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Dining
John Slade Director of Golf Course Operations jslade@laurelcreek.org
Saturday & Sunday
Peter Rosenblatt Executive Chef prosenblatt@laurelcreek.org Carol MacLennan Director of Tennis cmaclennan@laurelcreek.org Mike Holak Pool Manager mholak@laurelcreek.org
ON THE COVER: Fun at LC Tennis Camp
TRUSTEES Daniel Bianco President
Sean Fox Vice President
Scott Duman Treasurer
Troy Hopper Secretary
Erich Herkloz
Nevada Groulx Director of Communications ngroulx@laurelcreek.org
Bob Hennefer, PGA Head Golf Professional bhennfer@laurelcreek.org
BOARD OF
Tuesday thru Friday 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
John Higgins
Michael Hughey
9:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Gene Martin
Tennis
Courts are open for play
Pool
Open 7 days a week from 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Mark Muir
Tony Palmer
John Venne
Ken Zimmer
Joel Inman GENERAL MANAGER
W
hen a new team member joins us, regardless of what their responsibilities are, they sit down with me to go over our guidelines. They are shaped by our Mission Statement and our Core Values. I believe this is an important step to ensure we not only have the “right people on the bus” but also to let them know our expectations of them. They then go through a training program for their specific job. During this time, we, on occasion, make an error by not living up to our standards. Unintentional of course, but still not acceptable and not operating within our “guidelines”. Most of the time you, the members, are nice enough to alert us to this fact, so that we can make the necessary adjustments in how we operate to so you can have an outstanding experience when you come. Yes, this year has been a unique challenge, but it’s not an excuse. We always want to do the best we can. There is a flip side to this dynamic. As you know when a member joins Laurel Creek, they go through an interview process and also an orientation with the Department Heads to ensure they have a good understanding of what the Club’s expectations are of them. The Club also has its Rules and Regulations and it’s By Laws which are in effect the members “guidelines”. It is my team members that are here to help remind you of these guidelines and this helps ensure everyone here has an enjoyable experience. Of late there are 2 particular areas where we see these guidelines not being adhered to. The first one is our Dress Code policy. Too often my team must address members and their guests not being dressed properly while coming to dine with us. While we all want you to enjoy your time here, we do expect you to follow our dress code policy, which by comparison to other clubs is extremely modern and contemporary. Please make sure you, and anyone you bring to the club, knows our dress code policy…if you haven’t seen it you can find it on the website or via the app. The second one is our cancellation policy. I love to see that our events are so sought after that they almost always are sold out. Because of this we continue to grow our offerings and try to accommodate as many members as possible. For example, we just held our Laurelpalozza event on the range. We initially capped the event at 300 and within 4 hours it was sold out. We then increased it to 400 and that too sold out. We secured the band, the bounce house, food, electric and all of the other items necessary to pull this great event off. As the day got closer we had our normal attrition and as of the day of the event, we still had close to 300 members coming. We do our best to come as close to break even on these events however by the time the event ended we only had 150 attendees. Close to half either canceled that afternoon, or just didn’t show up to the event. This is, unfortunately, becoming the norm, members sign up just to secure their spot and then cancel last minute or don’t show up. After discussing this with the Board members, we are instituting a 48 hour cancellation policy. This means that if we do not receive an email cancellation within 48 hours of the event and you either don’t show up or cancel within that 48 hours, we will still charge your account for that event. I still encourage you to sign up for the events that you would like to attend, but please be courteous of other members who may want to attend and cancel if you no longer wish to come. As a last note, please take a look at this picture:
This was found the other morning by our maintenance crew on the 6th green. I can’t express how disappointing it is to see this. Because of this, and other instances, we are forced to hire additional staff to police the golf course later in the day to ensure things like this don’t happen. I encourage you to help us by saying something if you see something. Self-policing is the best way to protect the golf course and ensure everyone can enjoy their round
MEMBERSHIP
Patty Fagan D I REC TOR OF M EM BERS H I P
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e’ve had an exceptional year in membership as I’m sure you’ve seen many new faces at the club. It’s great to see our members enjoying all the activities offered and attending our summer events. Members are my best referral and I’ve been introduced to many of your friends this summer who are now looking to join the Laurel Creek family. However, we’ve placed a pause on accepting applications for membership. As many seasonal staff head back to college, we’re now in the process of training the new hires. Once we feel that they are ready to provide the exceptional service you expect at Laurel Creek, we will welcome your friends to apply for membership.
We will say our final farewell to summer at our annual Labor Day Carnival & BBQ held both Sunday and Monday of the holiday weekend. There will be water slides, bounce houses, games and a delicious buffet on both days. Please cancel your reservation if you’ve made other plans so those on the wait list can attend. Last but not least, I wanted to share some photos from our Laurelpalooza event on August 12th. A big thank you to all of our members who showed up and helping us create an amazing event.
Welcome
OUR NEW MEMBERS TO THE LCCC FAMILY
The Devine Family
The Velandia Family
Vasu Palli & Jessica McPoland
GOLF
Bob Hennefer H E AD GOL F PROF ESSI O N A L JUNIOR GOLF
August concluded our summer Junior Camps and what a pleasure it was to get to know the future golfers of the club! We averaged 35 kids for each week of Junior Camp and each day we provided golf instruction, played some golf, some fun games, and friendly competition. We hope your kids enjoyed camp as much as we did and can’t wait to see them out again soon!
PARENT CHILD
Congratulations to Brad and Alec Ryden, our 2021 Parent Child Champions!!! The Ryden’s tied Ken and Kevin Zimmer in the 18 and older division at 6 under par, and advanced to the sudden death shootout by winning the chip off on #9. They advanced to face Charles and Chase Cristella, the winners of the 17 and under division. The two teams traded pars on #1, and then birdies on #9 until we reached #18. There the Ryden’s got up and down for Par to claim the title! Congratulations are also in order to our 11 and under Division Champions David and Emily Maurer with an impressive 2 under par!
LCWGA Hope everyone has been enjoying the summer! This is a quiet time of year for the lady golfers. The Jersey Girls have their last match of the season Tuesday 9/14 at Medford Village. The winner will probably be Laurel Creek or Medford Lakes depending on how each team does. The same day the 9 holers will be participating in the Medford Lakes 9 hole Invitational. Best of luck to both teams! The signature event of our season is the Annual Member Guest on Wednesday 9/29, for all female members with golfing privileges.
Meet ALEXANDRA
‘LEXIE’ RIGDEN
A
lexandra “Lexie” Rigden and her son, Ben, joined Laurel Creek Country Club in February 2019. Lexie, an attorney who practices family law in Marlton, grew up in Lumberton and now lives in Mount Laurel, minutes from the club.
Although Laurel Creek is her first club membership, Lexie was familiar with country clubs at a young age. “I grew up going to my dad’s club, Green Valley Country Club in Pennsylvania and my grandfather’s club in Portland, Oregon. I joined Laurel Creek because I wanted Ben to have that feeling of community where you build relationships with fellow members and with the staff” said Lexie. As a single mom, Lexie felt welcomed at Laurel Creek from the very start. “There were very few single parents at the club, but everyone was so friendly and Ben just loved it” recalls Lexie. “Members would
invite Ben and me to sit with them at events so it wasn’t just the two of us and the staff treated us like family, especially John Geller.” Earlier this year, Lexie got engaged to Ron Lieberman, father of two. He and his children really enjoy the club as well. Ron and Lexie recently sparked an interest in golf. “Ron and I wanted to find a hobby to do together. I’ve taken lessons in the past, but my interest has always petered out. He used to play, loves it and is much more dedicated than I am! There are great instructors on staff at the club and we may be looking to upgrade our membership next year.” Lexie and Ron have enjoyed many events this year but there’s one coming up that she’s really excited about--their wedding on September 25th. We wish you both the best!
FOOD & BEVERAGE
Tina Paul
S
ASSISTANT CLUBHOUSE MANAGER
chool is back in session! With the start of the new school years leaves us saying goodbye to our seasonal team and hello to new faces. While our seasonal team members are learning and growing in college, our new team is learning and growing here at Laurel Creek. Over the past 4 weeks we have hired over a dozen new faces. For some of them, this is a first job. For others, it is a new experience working in a private country club. Much like being on a college campus and experiencing new life lessons, the same can be said here at Laurel Creek. Each day at work our team gets to come in and not only learn skills but most importantly develop relationships with our membership and fellow team members.
I asked a few members of the staff some advice they would give to the new hires. Riley said “just forget the word No. Pretend it doesn’t exist and find the Yes!” Karl wants to be sure that everyone knows what high noons and transfusions are! Also, he says, “If there is something that a member wants that we do not have find an even better alternative!” Emily Webb said “be prepared to help out even if it is not your exact job! We all work as one team and that’s what makes this place so enjoyable” Chris says, “Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Whether it is a member, co-worker, or someone on the management staff, ask questions!” I asked some of the newer team members what they like most about working here at Laurel Creek. Aniya says, “I love that I can learn new roles at the club. I don’t always have to come in, get my section and then leave. I am able to learn how the bar is ran, run food, and build relationships with our members.” Ashley enjoys, “Seeing familiar faces even when I am only here 2 days a week” Lauren loves the change of scenery from her full-time job. “When I am working at Laurel Creek, I get to be myself, have fun, and make the members smile. I love that we all work as one team!” Tiffany, who will still be working here while in college says, “It feels like family. I live on campus and not with my family, so it is nice that I still have that family feeling coming to work.” Stephanie loves working as a team! She says, “I never feel like I am working alone with the support of the club.” Alex, our newest host says, “I am excited to get to know the members and the staff better.” As I was talking to our amazing staff, I realized how fortunate we are to have them. They are always so positive and want to succeed. We can all agree that with new faces will come learning and growing opportunities. I encourage all our members to welcome the new faces and help them learn and grow.
CHEF’S CORNER
Pete Rosenblatt EXECU T I VE CHEF NEW MENU ITEMS AT LCCC JERSEY PEACH FLATBREAD V BURRATA, WILD ARUGULA, CRUSHED PECANS
COMPRESSED WATERMELON V/GF Cucumber, Feta, Sicilian Olive Oil, Snipped Herbs
FRIED JERSEY TOMATO V Manchego Grits, Scallion, Mushroom Bacon
LOCAL FLUKE Corn & Poblano Fried Rice, Thai Basil Beurre Blanc
VEAL CHOP MILANESE Wild Arugula, Cherry Tomato, Grana Padano, Lemon Vinaigrette
MOULES FRITES Fennel Sausage, Garlic, White Wine, Parsley Butter, Fries
LUKE KRINGLER GROUNDS CREW
Thank you Luke, For all that you do!
STROZZAPRETI V Japanese Eggplant, Jersey Tomatoes Mozzarella Curd, Basil
FISH SANDWICH Breaded Fluke, Jersey Tomato, Brioche Lemon Tartar Sauce
RACQUETS
Carol MacLennan DI RE C TOR OF TE N N I S
Mother & Daughter Doubles
Women’s Doubles match first round jitters.
Party time at the courts
Ladies Member Guest June 2021
SUMMER AT THE COURTS
Mother & Daughter Doubles
The nuts and bolts of pickleball at LCCC
Who can beat Emma’s 179 ball rally in a row without missing?
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
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e completed our major aerification of greens, tees, and fairways last week on schedule. The forecast for Tuesday and Wednesday had not been good, and we were happy that the weather folks were (once again) incorrect. It feels as if the precipitation has been all around us for most of August, but the golf course hasn’t seen much.
With most of the fairways being opened up from aerification this past week, moisture management is critical. Just three days post-surgery and #15 fairway is looking good, and in need of a mowing.
However, the holes create additional surface area for moisture loss, and until they fill in completely, the fairway will be prone to drying out quickly. So, “To water, or not to water?” is always the question following fairway aerification. Basing decisions on the weather forecast may often lead to having things too wet or too dry. Saturday night into Sunday morning brought 1.80” of rain--not good for playing golf, but a deep soaking that will help the turf heal.
Another way to put this month’s general lack of rain into perspective is to consider that construction has now been going on for five full weeks on the short game area. During that time exactly zero days have been lost due to inclement weather.
Upcoming Events SUN
MON
TUES
SEPTEMBER
WED THURS
FRI
SAT
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DJ Music at the Pool
Live Music: Chris Stevens Band 6:00 pm
Live Music: Carl Filbert 6:00 pm
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Cakebread Dinner 6:30 pm
Cakebread Dinner 6:30 pm
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25
Labor Day Pool Party 10:00 am (SOLD OUT)
Labor Day Pool Party 10:00 am (SOLD OUT)
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Inside the Ropes 6:00 pm
Live Music: Oliver Dagum 6:00 pm
Live Music: Class A Kings 6:00 pm
Live Music: Joe Parker 6:00 pm
Live Music: Jeff Selby Duo 6:00 pm
Live Music: Doug Jennings 6:00 pm
Live Music: TBA 6:00 pm
OCTOBER SUN
MON
TUES
WED THURS
FRI
SAT
1
2
Live Music: Chris Stevens Band 6:00 pm
Live Music: Carl Filbert 6:00 pm
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11
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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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21
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28
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Flowers Wine Dinner 6:30 p.m.
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25
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Annual Halloween Party 5:00 p.m.
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27
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
701 Centerton Road - Mount Laurel, NJ - 08054 - www.laurelcreek.org