The
Voice
of Talbot Country Club Easton, MD
Founded in 1910
October 2011
President’s Letter Fall has begun here at TCC and it is time for our greens to receive their fall aerification. This will take place October 3rd through October 6th, weather permitting. After the extreme temperatures of the summer and the heavy rains in September, this necessary maintenance will help insure the greens at TCC are the best. As we head into the fall season, there are still many great events yet to come. On October 1st there is a one-day Men’s Member Guest and a Fishing Derby. The final Nine & Dine will be October 14th and will be followed by an Italian Wine Dinner on the 15th. Also, the Guys & Gals event on October 23rd will be the final one for 2011. Please plan to attend TCC’s new event to celebrate Halloween, an adult Halloween Costume Party on Saturday, October 29th. Brunch will be on Sunday, October 30th along with pumpkin decorating and a Halloween parade for the little ones. As we end our 2010 and 2011 fiscal year on September 30, 2011, we look to be closing this year ahead of budget. Once our treasurer, Jerry Wilcoxon, and Kelly Hall have completed the final numbers, they will be reported to the membership. By now, you should have also received a review of the fiscal year through August 31, 2011. Jerry and the Budget Committee have worked with Chris Wyles and Kelly Hall to make the budget for 2011-12 as lean as possible, without cutting services to our members. We will be seeing a 3% dues increase for all membership categories. This was a hard decision to make, but was needed to offset rising energy costs and other operating costs. One thing we all can do as TCC Members to help our financial position is to assist the Membership Committee identify prospective members. Although over the past two years we have been able to hold our overall membership number around 500, we have seen the Full Senior category decrease from 385 to 332, a loss of 53 memberships. The makeup change is our Social Membership growing from the mid 90’s to 122 and our Junior Membership increasing from a low of 10 to 20. All of these categories are examined as the budget is prepared. The hard part is predicting how the membership will change over the next twelve months. In talking with Mr. Wyles and the Membership Committee, there are many great ideas being discussed for ways to increase membership for the fiscal year 2011-12. As I look forward, increasing the membership needs to be priority number one here at TCC, so if you have an idea or would like to join the Membership Committee please contact Chris Wyles. In addition, contact your friends or family members who would be a great addition to TCC. There are many great incentives in place for new members. I have heard from a few of you about the changing of the monthly VOICE from a mailed hard copy to an electronic version. The electronic version will be available at the Club’s website, www.talbotcc.com, and also by an email blast at the beginning of each month. If you wish to still receive the VOICE in a hard copy, please let Marian know and we will have one printed for you. The changing of how you receive the VOICE is not set in stone, but we have seen great responses to our email blasts and this is an additional way the Club can save money and become greener, so it is worth a try. I would like to thank our staff for the great job they do for the membership day in and day out. This summer has been one of the most stressful for our Greens and Grounds Staff, so please thank them for the great job they have done. I also want to thank Chris Wyles for keeping the entire operation running so efficiently. Butch Townsend President