Club News

On behalf of the staff, I want to thank all of you that participated in the employee holiday fund this year. After a challenging year, the team has faced, your support and appreciation has made this holiday season extra special for our families and us. We were disappointed that we were unable to host our traditional holiday gala and New Year’s Eve celebration this year but hope to offer our normal calendar of events in 2021. I wish you all a Happy Holiday and looking forward to exciting things to come for the club in the New Year.

January marks the beginning of a major irrigation project on the golf course. The current irrigation system is almost 30 years old and we have seen significant deterioration over the years. The project is scheduled to start January 11th and will continue until April. The golf course will not be closed during this process. They will work on one hole at a time and we will play around it. Below is the scope of work that will be completed: Jason Seehafer

Porters Neck General Manager

The pumpstation will be replaced on January 19th tentatively (new pumps, motors and control system ) water will be off for 4-5 days. We are switching over to a two-wire system, so there will be no gray control boxes out on the course. The system has a central control panel that will be in the course maintenance office. The entire system will be controlled via iPad or cell phone. Over 18 miles of wire will be run throughout the golf course.

Every head in the fairways, rough and tees will be replaced with new heads. So, every head will be leveled when they are done. We will have single head control for watering. We will have better control of watering with single head control. Estimate of over 900 sprinkler heads will be replaced. Each head has a 460 microchip in the head, so we have two-way communication. The head talks back to the central and lets the central know when it has activated. We are redoing the irrigation around the greens with new irrigation, heads and better spacing.

We are starting at the course maintenance building and working our way out. Hole 8 will be the first hole and we will decide how we go after hole has been completed. When the contractor is working on that hole that hole will be closed. So, we when we get to the range it may be closed for several days in a row. During the process we will have the course GPS marked: heads, drainage, and with this data we will have a very detailed as built plan.

Food and Beverage

We look forward to officially welcoming Chef James Patterson (JP) to Porters Neck. He will begin the 1st week of January. We have added four new industrial heaters to the Clubhouse Patio, as part of our ongoing efforts of utilizing the Clubhouse Patio year round. Our Curbside or 'To-Go, order pick-up times have been adjusted to every 30 minutes. The times are 5pm, 5:30pm, 6pm, 6:30pm, 7pm, and 7:30pm. Depending on business volume in the restaurant, 6:30 and 7pm may be limited to a certain amount of orders

McConnell Golf App

The McConnell Golf App will be available to Porters Neck members in January, 2021! You will be able to make tee times, court, gym and dining reservations, pay your bill AND receive club news ... all on the app. Look for more details, including instructional videos to follow shortly.

Welcome

John & Tracy Kane & Nick and Ryan Full Golf

David & Tyler Michael

& Fletcher and Mila Full Golf

Walter Tippett & Sally Scott-Tippett

& Walt, Hill and Sarah Full Golf

Thomas & Wendy Anderson Full Golf

Stay Connected!

1,200 Toys Donated!

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WOWZA! Our Porters Neck Country Club Members deserve a huge pat on the back for collecting approximately 1,200 toys this year to be donated to our local Toys for Tots foundation! The local toys for Tots representatives were overjoyed when they picked up these gifts and want to send their deepest thanks and gratitude to our lovely members. We would also like to thank our Banquet Captain, Deb Scuorzo, who organizes this drive for us every year.

Community News

Cowen's Creations

2021 is finally here, and many of us love to use the new year as a chance to turn a page in our lives. Do you have your New Year’s resolution for 2021? Well, Porters Neck member Peter Cowen is already one step ahead!

“I’m a people watcher, ” Peter explained.

“I’m a very perspicacious person. ” Fortunately, for yours truly, he clarified that ‘perspicacious’ means that you are someone who notices things or is very observant. This trait no doubt came in handy during his 44 years in private education, 22 as a Headmaster in independent schools in North Carolina, Massachusetts, and Maryland.

He became particularly perspicacious over the past year, as he began to notice that a lot of men were wearing bracelets. Because Peter didn’t typically wear much jewelry, he found this intriguing. It was the combination of masculine materials and interesting design that especially caught his eye. After doing a bit of research, Peter bought his first bracelet on Amazon. Not quite satisfied and because he had the time, he decided he would try his hand at making something for his wrist!

He started by using paracord material but quickly graduated to making bracelets with round leather of different colors and sizes and also cork leather from Portugal. One of the most interesting bracelets Peter has made involves a “COVID-19 Nickel. ” The COVID Nickel was originally an Indian Head Nickel that a fellow artisan overlayed with a special design. This craftsman is known for taking Indian Head nickels and transforming them into something unique and quite special, a sculptural design tracing back to hobos in the early 1900’s. Peter’s COVID Nickel bracelet was created, he says, as a reminder to himself why Peter started making bracelets in the first place… because he was stuck inside due to the pandemic. Peter’s bracelets are quite impressive, so it is no surprise that while enjoying a meal at Joe Loves Lobsters, two other gentlemen took notice. They asked him where he got the bracelets to which Peter replied, “I made them. ” The gentlemen then asked if they could see his other bracelets in case they wanted to purchase any. Peter had never priced them, so he had to go home and come up with a quick business plan.

They all met up at Panera a short while later, and Peter ended up selling $220 worth of bracelets. They bought 7 bracelets from him that day and have continued to buy from him. Fellow PNCC member Susan Stubits told Peter that he should show them to local jeweler Brad at Lumina Gem. Today, you can find 11 of his designs at Lumina Gem! Nancy has encouraged Peter in his new creative endeavor as he has already made six or seven for his wife as well as several for his male and female relatives and friends. She just wants him to have fun. So, how does Peter feel about his hobby-turned-business? “I’ve got time on my hands but no plans to contact Shark Tank. ”

Usually, you can find Peter on the Porters Neck tennis courts or driving to Boiling Springs Lakes to eat fried clams at Joe Loves Lobsters. Nancy and Peter love to travel, go antiquing and enjoy theater. Peter’s wife Nancy is a very successful travel agent and, as you might imagine, they typically spend quite a bit of time on the road. All of that came to a standstill in 2020 with the onset of COVID-19. For the first time in a long time, Peter found that he had a lot of time on his hands. Fortunately for everyone, he was about to use this time not only to uncover a hidden talent but create a new business!

Staff Edition

Miss Kitty Kitty

Human: Mandy Shuffler, Membership Director

Meeka

Human: Quinn (Office Administrator)

My husband and I got Meeka 5 years ago when we lived in Virginia and a neighbor's dog unexpectedly had a litter of 11 puppies! Meeka is an energetic Husky/German shepherd mix. She is the sweetest, funniest dog who always makes me smile. She LOVES running, being outside, eating watermelon (her favorite treat!) and snuggling up with her favorite humans!

Belle & Dixie

Human: Rebecca (Server)

These are my doggies! The little chocolate dog is named Belle and she is 9 months old and likes to eat ice cubes. The bigger one is Dixie, she is 5 years old. Dory & Girlie Humans: Kerri (Housekeeping) & Bob (Maintenance) Take a look at the two sweetest Beagles you ever did see!

Human: Allison (Wellness Director)Quincy Quincy is a Mini Australian Shepherd who is 10 years old and weighs 15 lbs. I got him on New Year's Day when he was 7 months old. He loves playing on the beach and jumping in the waves. We like to take him wherever we go if possible- he loves to come along in his backpack!

Charlie & Tommy Human: Sarah Loper (Server Assistant) Take a look at Charlie and Tommy, Sarah's ADORABLE pet ducks!

Trixie, Penelope, Mischa & Melvin

Human: Amanda (Restaurant Manager) These are my 4 cats. From top: Trixie, Penelope, Mischa and Melvin. My husband Mick and I are very active in TNVR (trap, neuter, vaccinate, release) downtown working to reduce the stray population. All of my cats came to me as rescues or abandoned cats. We also manage and feed two colonies of community cats in our neighborhood.

Dixie & Murphy

Human: Terrie (Assistant Controller)

Dixie is a 3 year old rescue. She’s a beautiful young lady that loves her humans and treats! Murphy is a 5 year old rescue terrier mix that is full of energy and mischief. He’s a snuggle buddy that enjoys watching TV with his humans, especially commercials with animals!