JULY 2013
w w w. b l a c k d i a m o n d r a n c h . c o m
A Message from Doug Egly, General Manager Dear Black Diamond Members:
Club Staff Doug Egly General Manager degly@blackdiamondranch.com 352-746-3440
Matt DiMase Director of Golf Course Maintenance mdimase@blackdiamondranch.com 352-746-0404
Peggy Gleason Accounting pgleason@blackdiamondranch.com 352-746-0254
ROB KING Director of Development rking@escalantegolf.com 352-453-5454
Mary Napolitano Fitness Center mnapolitano@blackdiamondranch.com 352-746-3385
BrAD T. REID Club Manager breid@blackdiamondranch.com 352-746-3440
Bryan Richard Director of Golf brichard@blackdiamondranch.com 352-746-3446
JENNIFER STAUFF POA Manager jennifer.ncpm@wildblue.net 352-465-6933
KENNETH TUFO Executive Chef ktufo@blackdiamondranch.com 352-746-3449
It is hard to believe that the 4th of July is just around the corner! I hope everyone is enjoying the summer wherever you may be. As you know, we have launched a new membership plan designed to bring in new members to the club and boost our real estate efforts. The effort has already paid off as we welcome three new members to the club and also welcome back another three members who have rejoined Black Diamond. It is exciting to see new and familiar faces around the club and we hope to see more each month. As we have previously communicated, we are focused on getting the Ranch Course back in shape and open. The Quarry Course was impacted less during the transition, but there are areas that were also affected. Our corporate agronomist has been working with Matt and his team to put an aggressive plan in place to improve conditions immediately, as well as to put a long-term strategy in place so that we do not experience these same challenges again next year. Thank you for your patience with this process and know that we will put the necessary resources towards our number one asset. I would like to invite you to log on to our new club website, located at www.blackdiamondranch.com, which is up and loaded and is currently being upgraded and improved daily by out team and the host site. I believe you will find it much easier to navigate, make tee times and plan for upcoming events. Many thanks to everyone involved for the many hours involved in making the new website a reality. Finally, I would like to invite anyone who has any questions or suggestions to come by my office and speak with me. My door is always open and I look forward to seeing you. Please welcome our new members when you see them at the club and make them feel welcome to this special community!
SUMMER FITNESS SCHEDULE Monday
Thursday
WATER AEROBICS 8:45 A.M. – 9:30 A.M.
YOGA FOR GOLFERS 7:00 A.M. – 8:00 A.M.
Tuesday
Friday
YOGA FOR GOLFERS 7:00 A.M. – 8:00 A.M.
STRETCH, TONE, & BURN 8:00 A.M. – 9:00 A.M.
Wednesday
WATER AEROBICS 8:45 A.M. – 9:30 A.M. page 2
A Message from Matt DiMase Director of Golf Course Maintenance Good Afternoon Members:
As you all know, Curfew has been applied on all the tees, fairways, and select rough areas on the 3 golf courses, as well as Diamond Dunes. I am very happy with the results since the Curfew application and can see areas recover and start to fill in. Some areas do require sod, and we will be sodding the Ranch Course this week, starting on Hole #1 and working forward. We have another truck of sod scheduled for next week to continue on with repairs. Other cultural practices we did are: • On June 24th and 25th we Verti-Cut the Ranch Greens, Tees, and Fairways which will help promote Bermuda growth as well as remove thatch. •
On June 24th and 25th we aerified the Ranch Putting Green and Holes 1 through 18. We then cleaned the plugs from the greens, top dressed greens, and then brushed the sand in.
•
Last week we aerified the Quarry Front 9 Tees. The back 9 are scheduled for July 1st.
Our fertility program has not and will not change for the next 3-7 weeks. We will continue to fertilize every 1014 days until we achieve the uniformity and turf density to provide the best playing surface possible. On top of fertilizing, we are still using our sludge/milorganite blend on certain areas that are very sandy or had very high nematode populations. Other items we are addressing are: • Weed Control: We are working our way through the courses spraying weeds as we speak. When we spray weeds we do the following: We spray weeds after a mowing, we do not irrigate anywhere from 30 min to 4 hours after the herbicide is applied (depending on which herbicide we use) and lastly, we are using a blue dye to mark what weeds were sprayed. If you see a weed that is blue, it’s a matter of days before it is dead. •
Course Detail: We have identified areas where we will be tree trimming, bed edging, and adding either pine straw or mulch to certain beds. Our goal is to work in numerical order with several crews on the courses. This will be a process where we limb up and trim back trees, possibly remove or renovate vegetation, and then chemically spray out new beds.
Expect another update next week.
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Notice a difference in our coffee at the Clubhouse lately??? Hopefully you all have and you may already know this BUT, just for the sake of letting everyone know, we have changed our coffee and now serve Douwe Egberts. The finest quality beans sourced from all around the world are used to create the perfect cup of coffee for you to savor. With this change, we will soon have the capability of serving cappuccino and espresso as well. I hope you all enjoy! I would like to thank all of you for your continued support, especially with our theme nights on Wednesday’s growing in popularity. You will see Italian every month as well as Bingo night. There are a couple theme nights that have been really popular along the way that will be making appearances every so often. Did you hear about the Argentinean Steak night? Huge success and I hear many of you talking about it. We are going to do it again on July 12th for dinner after the Nine & Dine event that is scheduled, so if you haven’t signed up for this golf event yet you may want to! We hope you have noticed our reoccurring specials on Friday A la carte nights. Every month we will feature a Fish Fry and Prime Rib Special. Summer is here, the weather is heating up and we look forward to seeing all of you cooling off at the Clubhouse.
NINE AND DINE Friday, July 12, 2013
Sign-Up Individually Couples Not Paired Together
FORMAT:
4-PERSON SCRAMBLE
COURSE:
HIGHLANDS
TEE TIME:
3:30PM REGISTRATION AT GOLF SHOP 4:00PM SHOTGUN START AT HIGHLANDS
TEE’S:
MEN: GREEN WOMEN: SILVER
ENTRY FEE: $22.00 PER PLAYER DINNER:
INCLUDED IN ENTRY
JACKPOT JOKER DURING DINNER
2013 SUMMER CLASSIC July 16-17, 2013
Format – Two-person Member-Member team event of 4 different 9-hole formats DAY 1 – QUARRY – 9:00 AM SHOTGUN Chapman (Front 9) – Both partners hit a tee shot on each hole. The second shot is played by switching balls and hitting each other’s tee shot. After the second shots, a choice is made selecting one ball. That ball is then alternately played until holed out. (You may change balls on the putting surface). – 60% of A player’s and 40% of B player’s 9 hole handicap Scramble (Back 9) – Regular Scramble – 35% of A player and 15% of B player 9 hole handicap DAY 2 – RANCH – 9:00 AM SHOTGUN Aggregate (Front 9) – Total strokes of both players – 100% of course 9 hole handicap Better-Ball of Two (Back 9) – Men will use 90% of course handicap, Ladies will use 95% of 9 hole handicap Tees – Teams will be flighted by adding the handicap indexes of both team members together
Men Ladies
Flight 1 – Diamond Flight 2 – Green Flight 3 – White Flight 1 – Diamond Flight 2 – Silver Flight 3 – Silver Flights subject to change based on # of participants
Price – $60.00 per person. Includes prizes and lunch selection both days. page 4
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MARK YOUR CALENDARS! BDLGA JULY LADIES’ DAY GAMES (Some games may be switched to different days because of course selection)
JULY 2, 2013
TBD Team Game: Step Aside Scramble (Gross only) each player’s drive must be used twice.
JULY 9, 2013
TBD Team Stableford
JULY 16, 2013
Ladies’ Day dependent upon demand, due to Summer Classic.
JULY 23, 2013
TBD Team Game: Scramble. Each player’s drive must be used twice.
JULY 30, 2013
TBD Individual Game: Blind 9. Gross and Net. Shop will draw 9 holes after play has begun.
A Note from... Jane Smart, President Whether we are playing on Ladies’ Day, or in a tournament with family or friends, it is golf etiquette that the USGA defines as the “Spirit of the Game.” Having spent 35 years in education working with the 3 R’s, it has been interesting to learn to golf and once again focus on another set of 3R’s – now when thinking about golf etiquette. They are: Respect for other golfers Respect for the course you are playing Respect for golf traditions Respect for Other Golfers Be concerned for the safety of your fellow players. Don’t hit the ball if a player is standing too close to you or if you can hit the group in front of you. Keep up the pace of play by being ready when it is your turn to hit. Be quiet when others are hitting. Be aware of where the players in your group are putting and stay off of their line.
Respect for the Course You Are Playing Leave the course in better shape than you found it by: Replacing divots and grass chunks, Repairing pitch marks and raking sand bunkers, Following signage for carts.
Respect for Tradition Know the dress code at the course you are playing and dress accordingly. Use appropriate behavior and language on the course. Score your round accurately.
Section 1 in the USGA Golf Rules deals with etiquette. If we are all aware of golf etiquette’s 3Rs, it will be a better round of golf for everyone! Hope you are all having a great summer and enjoying your golf.
The BDLGA food drives May-August (Family Resource Center) September-December (Daystar) There is a hamper in the Ladies’ Lounge to receive (NON PERISHABLE) donations. page 5
Black Diamond Foundation Helps Local Adults Complete GED Studies By Jill Ludowese Secretary, Black Diamond Foundation, Inc. Withlacoochee Technical Institute (WTI) honored the Class of 2013 during an uplifting graduation ceremony on May 20th at the Curtis Peterson Auditorium in Lecanto. That evening over 200 students were recognized for completing their high school equivalency coursework, and passing the General Educational Development (GED) Test. Six of those students benefitted directly from Black Diamond Foundation’s financial support through a synergistic partnership with United Way of Citrus County. In January, Black Diamond Foundation and United Way of Citrus County joined forces to fund an education initiative to attack a root cause of one of the systemic problems in our community: unemployment. Over 17,000 adults in Citrus County lack a high school diploma or GED equivalency. Simultaneously, there are over 600 jobs open in Citrus County with no educated/skilled workforce to fill the positions. The United Way of Citrus County opened a dialogue with WTI to identify why adult students weren’t able to complete their GED studies. Answers varied. Some needed help with tuition. Others needed help paying for childcare, or care for elderly parents, while they were in class. Others needed assistance paying for transportation costs associated with their commute to Inverness. The way ahead was clear: initiate a pilot program for select, motivated students at WTI to help them reach their goal of completing GED studies and entering the workforce in Citrus County. The United Way partnered with Workforce Connection to pay tuition costs for 26 students that WTI guidance counselors identified for the pilot program. Black Diamond Foundation agreed to provide up to $15,000 for “gap funding” designed to pay costs for these students that were not covered by other assistance programs. Foundation funding is contingent on the student staying motivated and regularly attending classes. If he/she skips or quits, the “gap funding” stops immediately.
Over the last six months, a portion of the Foundation’s community grant was used to provide gas cards and bus fare, pay car insurance costs, and augment child care expenses. The grant also covered the cost of a used bicycle for a student who was walking from Homosassa to Inverness to attend GED classes. The first six students in the pilot program completed their GED tests, and graduated in the WTI ceremony on May 20th. They included a young mother from Homosassa who received Foundation “gap funding” to help pay for her car insurance so she could drive to classes in Inverness. The group of graduates also included Virginia Nugent, whose story was highlighted by Eryn Worthington in the Citrus County Chronicle on May 30th. Virginia received gas cards from United Way, funded through the Black Diamond Foundation partnership, which removed barriers and helped her complete her GED studies and obtain permanent employment with the Citrus County School District. Your contributions to Black Diamond Foundation truly “Make a Difference” in Citrus County every day. In this case, through the unique partnership with the United Way of Citrus County and Withlacoochee Technical Institute, you’ve helped motivated adults in our community complete their education and attain skills to earn a family-sustaining income. We look forward to sharing the inspiring stories of more students as this pilot program progresses throughout 2013.
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July Calendar of Events 1
2
Mahjong 12:00 pm
Club Closed
7
BRUnch 9 am - 3 pm
14
Ladies’ Day A la Carte
5:30 – 7:30 pm Reservations Required
8
Mahjong 12:00 pm
9
Ladies’ Day A la Carte
Club Closed
15 Mahjong 12:00 pm
3
KNITTERS & CRAFTERS
10AM - 12 NOON
KFC Night 5:30-7:30 pm
16
july 4th
Golf Tournament
10
KNITTERS & CRAFTERS
10AM - 12 NOON
Mediterranean Night 5:30-7:30 pm
summer classic
KNITTERS & CRAFTERS
11
Trivia Buffet
5:30-7:30 pm Game Starts 6:30 pm
18 Reading &
Discussion Group 4:00 pm
10AM - 12 NOON
BRUnch 9 am - 3 pm
21
A la Carte
Club Closed
22 Mahjong 12:00 pm
BRUnch 9 am - 3 pm
28
BRUnch 9 am - 3 pm
5:30 – 7:30 pm Reservations Required
23
Ladies’ Day A la Carte
Club Closed
5:30 – 7:30 pm Reservations Required
29
30
Mahjong 12:00 pm
Ladies’ Day A la Carte
Club Closed
5:30 – 7:30 pm Reservations Required
Italian Night 5:30-7:30 pm
Duplicate bridge - 6:30PM
24
bridge - 9:00AM
A la Carte Special: Fish Fry Reservations Required
6:30PM
17
5
5:30 – 7:30 pm
Duplicate bridge - 6:30PM
5:30 – 7:30 pm SLIDE BOTTOM GIN Reservations Required
4
12
bridge - 9:00AM
A la Carte
13 LUnch 11 am - 3 pm
Chef’s Cooking Class- 3 PM
LUnch 11 am - 3 pm
19 bridge 9:00AM 20
Special: Prime Rib Club Closed 3pm Reservations Required No Dinner Service
26
KNITTERS & CRAFTERS
bridge - 9:00AM
Theme Night 5:30-7:30 pm
Turkey Buffet Night 5:30 – 7:30 pm
10AM - 12 NOON
31
No Dinner Service
No Dinner Service
A la Carte
Wine Dinner 6:00 pm
LUnch 11 am - 3 pm
Reservations Required
5:30 – 7:30 pm
5:30 – 7:30 pm
25
6
No Dinner Service
27 LUnch 11 am - 3 pm
No Dinner Service
bingo night Buffet
Lunch Schedule
5:30-7:30 pm Game Starts 6:30 pm
11 am - 3 pm
Tuesday - Saturday
— Members — Please help us to ensure that your dining experience is satisfactory by making reservations in advance for all evening dinner service. Our staffing is based on your reservations. Thank you in advance for your cooperation. page 7
Happenings
Hours of Operation
Recipes of the Month - Chef Kenny
Driving Range Monday – Saturday: 7:00 am – 5:00 pm Sunday: 7:30 am – 4:00 pm
Watermelon Feta Salad
Golf Shop Monday – Sunday: 7:00 am – 5:00 pm ForeTees Internet: 24-Hour Access
This dish is a summertime favorite of mine. It is a hit at any gathering. The watermelon is refreshing, the cheese is salty, the watercress is peppery and balsamic vinegar lends a great acidic punch. Try to use two types of watermelon red and yellow for a colorful salad.
Tennis Courts Monday – Sunday: 7:00 am – 9:00 pm
1 red and 1 yellow watermelon peeled and cubed into ¼ inch cubes 3 bunches watercress (bottoms trimmed) 1 large red onion shaved very very thin ½ cup Balsamic vinegar 1 ¼ cup Extra virgin olive oil Crumbled Feta Cheese salt
Pool Monday – Sunday: 8:00 am – 8:00 pm Pool temperature maintained at 84° Fitness Center Open 24/7 with use of Access Code The Clubhouse @ Black Diamond Ranch Brunch: Sunday: 9:00 am – 3:00 pm Lunch: Tuesday – Saturday: 11:00 am – 3:00 pm Dinner: See Calendar Take-Out Window: Tuesday – Sunday: 11:00 am – 3:00 pm
In a large mixing bowl add the first three ingredients. Then toss with vinegar and oil. Season with a touch of salt ( but not too much because the feta is salty). Sprinkle the crumbled feta cheese on top and serve.
Men’s Lounge Tuesday – Friday: 12:00 noon – close Saturday: 12:00 noon – 4:00 pm
Artichoke Gouda Dip This is a great recipe to serve at a cocktail party or any gathering. The smoked gouda cheese is what makes this special, but if you can’t find it you can substitute a good cheddar. Make this dip ahead of time so you can mingle with your guests.
5 cans artichoke hearts drained & crushed 1 T. chopped garlic 2 T. canola oil ¾ lb cream cheese 1 cup Hellman’s mayo
Winners 6-6-13
1 qt smoked gouda shredded 1 cup heavy cream 3 lbs of baby spinach salt
Heat the oil in a heavy bottom pot, add garlic and toast add artichokes, cream cheese, mayo and cream. Once everything is melted together add spinach and cheese. Season with salt to taste. Once everything is done pour the mixture in a greased baking dish and cover with some breadcrumbs and bake at 400 for 10-15 minutes. Serve warm with crackers or toasted bread as an appetizer or snack. This recipe serves 12-15 people.
Reading & Discussion Group
Trivia Night
“Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail” by Cheryl Strayed will be discussed by the reading group on Thursday, July 18th. Cheryl Strayed lost her mother, her marriage, and her family was scattered across the country. With nothing more to lose at age 26, Cheryl begins her solo journey of more than a thousand miles along the Pacific Crest from the Mojave Desert through California, Oregon, and finally Washington. Strayed labors along the demanding trail, documenting her bruises, blisters, and greater troubles. Hiker wannabes will likely be inspired. Experienced backpackers will roll their eyes. But this chronicle, perfect for book clubs, is certain to spark lively conversation. “One Thousand White Women” by Jim Fergus will be the selection for August. For more information contact Faeth Houle.
1st Place: FORGET ME NUTS: $112.50
Ed & Heidi Baltensberger George & Dianne Buck Kevin Conway Steve & Donna Busboom Pete Perry Yong Chung 2nd Place Tie: BDRP: $112.50
Jim & Dona Wood Walt & Pam Ford John Bourdeaux & Gayle Wilder Jill Ludowese Steve & Fran Johnson Charoltte McKim 2nd Place Tie: BRAIN ON THE WANE: $112.50
David & Nicole Ragini Don & Jewel Hasek Bill & Donna Hamblet Lecile & Jan Chesser Mike & Karen Evans page 8