BOARD MEETING MINUTES

Minutes of the ASGC Board of Directors Meeting - Approved October 7, 2024

When:  9 September 2024, 10 am--Noon

Where:  Walter Reed Community Center, Arlington VA

Who:  Bernie Dennis, Mark Norman, Mark Robertson, Bob Odmark, Maurice Spraggins, Rob Fairweather, Madhav Panwar, Sidney Reid, Christine O'Donnell, Art Hauptman, Frank Sauer, Sharon Monde, Ralph Orlik.  Excused:  Ruth Ann Neely and Dave Hundelt.

The Minutes of the 5 Aug 2024 Meeting of the Board were approved and will be posted to the ASGC website.

Treasurer Rob Fairweather reported that there were no changes, i.e. no receipts and no expenses since the report of 30 July 2024.

Mark Norman gave the membership report:  There are currently 265 members, both active and inactive.  There were 29 new members for 2024, and 47 members dropped out.  No new members will be added for this year's play.  3 non-Arlington County people have joined the wait list for Club membership in 2025.  We are well below our membership cap of 325.  Inquiries about membership, such as those expressed by employees at Laurel Hill, should be encouraged.

Coordinator Bob Odmark reported that there are no shotgun starts for regular play in September.  A shotgun start at Stoneleigh might be followed by a planned luncheon, maybe as a reward for those who have travelled so far?  There was a question of the readiness for play on the fairways at Heritage Hunt, but later reports say that they will be fine.  There was a ranger at Prince William to expedite play.  Bull Run's golf carts advertised that they used GPS to know where each cart was located.  That information was used to send out a course ranger to investigate a lone golfer behaving unusually.  Such data could be used to monitor how well groups are keeping with groups ahead of them, and to prod them to keep up.

Bernie Dennis and Maurice Spraggins said that 4 people are leaving on 9 Sept (today) for Massanutten Resort.  The Getaway starts on the 10th with play at the Meadows course, with 28 players signed up; continues with a Scramble on the 11th at the Mountain course, with 27 people; and ends on the 12th at Bryce Resort, with 15 people signed up.  Awards for low scores, long drives, and closest to the pin during the scramble will be awarded at the course, while we eat lunch.

Frank Sauer will open the Lottery for October play, during the 15-17 Sept timespan, and post the results on the 18th.  Signup on iGolf for the three shotgun starts in October will be to determine playing partners, not tee times.

Sidney Reid said that Marc Hitzig will be assisting her as the liaison to Arlington County.

Mark Norman tried to set us straight on the relationship between the By Laws of ASGC and the Operations Manual.  The last revision of the By Laws was in 2022; the OM was adopted in 2023.  We are trying to get a new version of the By Laws ready for presentation to the membership at the March 2025 general membership meeting.  The OM is meant as a guide for ASGC officers, volunteers, and chairs in interpreting the By Laws.   Changes to the By Laws need to be ratified by the membership, but the OM is not distributed to the membership.   If the By Laws are changed, the OM will probably have to be changed, but changes to the OM should not require changes to the By Laws.  The more details that are removed from the By Laws to the OM, the less frequently the By Laws should require changing.  We would like to build some flexibility into the By Laws so that the need to change them is reduced. 

The OM stated that Activity Centers, not mentioned in the By Laws, are a type of Ad Hoc Committee.   Activity Centers for Club Historian and Member Well Being were set up since their Chairs didn't want to be board members.   The OM will restore these two groups to standing committee status.  Other changes to the OM will be to make the timeline of events deal with a generic year, and state that memorial names will not be assigned to scrambles nor tournaments.  

The By Laws should specify the results desired, whereas the OM describes how those results are obtained.  If a wait list for Club membership is to be maintained, the OM says how.  The By Laws can state that a minimum-play requirement is necessary to maintain good standing in the Club, and the OM can specify that the Board sets, annually, a non-negative integer as the minimum number of plays required.   It was recommended that the Information and Communications Committee be separated into an IT Committee, to manage iGolf, look into purchasing Club Express, set up a secure website, etc.; and a Communications Committee that posts minutes to the website, publishes the Newsletter, sends out general emails to members, etc.  It was debated whether chairs of Activity Centers and Ad Hoc and Sub- Committees should be on the Board and vote as opposed to leaving a small executive board. 

  The OM might be used to set the rules of regular play and the guidelines for tournaments, such as assigning average scores to guests who have no established handicap, and how scramble teams are to be formed, using average scores calculated from scores posted to a spread sheet by the members.

Sharon Monde reported on the preparations being made for the 10 October Club Championship at Old Hickory.  The cost of golf and a buffet lunch will be $80 for those paying by check; more for those paying by credit card.  October 1st will be the deadline for entries.  Rob needs money by 6 October so he can pay the course.  Signup for groups is via iGolf--all starting times will be the same.  Maurice Spraggins has leftover cards with the rules for the Tournament.  Those who need a special diet should contact Sharon.  The tee boxes to be used by each golfer will be declared beforehand.  There will be prizes awarded by tee box and by gender, etc.  Instead of cash prizes, vouchers will be issued to all winners, for awarding at the November banquet.  Old Hickory staff will help in the gathering and collating of scores.  

Art Hauptman talked about arrangements for a November, 2024 awards banquet.  It would take place in the afternoon at Pistone's restaurent in Falls Church, probably in the week  after the election, on November 12, 13, or 14.  The cost will be from $50 to $70, depending on the menu and whether wine is included.  There will be a cash bar.  Parking is sufficient for at least 50 people.  Members are encouraged to bring spouses.  Payment will be in advance, to Rob, after he returns from vacation.

Articles for the Fall Newsletter should be sent to Mark Robertson.  The next Board meeting will be on 7 October 2024, at the Lubber Run CC.  We will try to get the revised By Laws ready for a vote at the March, 2025 general membership meeting.  The January general membership meeting will be on 15 Jan 2025, 11 am.  An ASGC Board meeting will be held on 7 Jan 2025.  

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Minutes of the ASGC Board of Directors Meeting - Approved September 9, 2024

When: 5 August 2024, 10:00 - Noon

Where: Lubber Run Community Center, Arlington, VA

Who:  Bernie Dennis, Rob Fairweather, Ruth Ann Neely, Bob Odmark, Frank Sauer, Maurice Spraggins, Sharon Monde, Sidney Reid, Christine O'Donnell, Ralph Orlik, Mark Norman, Mark Robertson, Marc Hitzig, Art Hauptman.  Dave Hundelt & Madhav Panwar (excused)

The minutes of the 3 June 2024 Board Meeting were approved, with changes offered by Mark Norman, Art Hauptman, Rob Fairweather.

Bernie called attention to the Spring Newsletter of ASGC, recently published by Mark Robertson.  Mark is working on a Summer issue now and would appreciate contributions.  Six new members of ASGC attended the most recent new-member orientation.  Additionally, four members attended an earlier orientation.  New members were given tips on using our web site, reporting golf scores, using iGolf, reading the By Laws, etc.  It was suggested that such orientations be offered at the beginning of each golf season, maybe adding presentations by Committee Chairs.

Treasurer Rob Fairweather reported that our Operating Income rose by $115 since 1 June 2024, from $12,406 to $12,520.  Four new members and $250 in tournament entry fees increased it while $270 in tournament refunds decreased it.  Operating expenses rose by about $7000, since we held the scramble tournament in June.  Rob reported that we are not exempt from sales taxes. A special letter of relief from the State of VA would be required, but in VA exemptions do not cover IRS 501c.7 Social Clubs.

Mark Norman reported that our membership has dropped from 268 to 265.  Seven members were dropped from our roster for non-payment of the fees due Arlington County.  They were warned but failed to respond.  There are 29 new members for the year.  In the future, we should require that the ASGC dues and the County fees be paid together.   Enforcing such a requirement  needs better linkage between ASGC and County systems.

Golf Coordinator Bob Odmark reported that a memo received from Laurel Hill, regarding our pace of play, seemed ominous, but conversations with on-course personnel was less threatening.  Some workers at LH even enquired about joining ASGC.  Our pace of play on 29 July was over 4.5 hours, but better on 31 July.  Possibly due to those days being a Monday and a Wednesday.   It was noted that another group of older golfers has a rule that any group that gets to a tee box of an open hole, is required to move up 150 yards to tee off.   Enforcement might be a problem for us to mandate such a rule.   Art Hauptman claimed that using  the iGolf  Lottery for signing up for shotguns, was not working.  iGolf is used to signup groups who want to play together  in a shotgun.  The hole that iGolf assigns is irrelevant, since each golf course will assign groups to holes.  Players who waited until after the running of the Lottery, to sign up, had to wait a bit.  The problem was one of communication?  One real problem is that iGolf doesn't make it easy to know when a golfer has deleted himself from the tee sheet.

Maurice Spraggins reported that the Getaway to Massanutten on 10-12 September 2024 had only 20-some people signed up.  This was far less than the 50 or so who had indicated interest in a survey.   It wasn't clear who was sharing a room with whom.  We will cancel the proposed banquet for 11 September, since it required $1200 for the room, $110 for a bartender, and $40 apiece for dinner.  Currently, each person will pay, individually, the hotel for room, the golf course for golf, and will eat meals somewhere nearby ( there is no breakfast at the hotel).  We will collect a small amount for prizes for the Scramble on Wednesday.  The room rate of $99 is guaranteed until 10 August.     Only 8 people have signed up to play on Thursday the 12th.  The start time for play on Tuesday the 11th has been moved up to 11:00, so we can drive there from Arlington early in the morning.   A 9:00 tee time would just about require a stay at the hotel on Monday night.

A general discussion of Getaways ensued.  Arlington County does not allow overnight stays for trips.  The Getaway is not an official function of the County nor ASGC.  It is questionable whether the ASGC treasurer can collect Getaway money.  The number of people attending recent Getaways has fallen from about 60 at Williamsburg, to 40 at Lancaster, PA, to 20 at Massanutten.   A Getaway that is too close to Arlington is hardly a Getaway.  At least a one-night stay is necessary.  Maybe holding a Getaway earlier in the season would work better, before the heat rises and interest drops.  A one-day trip, via charter bus, would satisfy County rules.  The County would collect the money and pay for the bus.  There would be a minimum number of attendees required, but not so many that all the golf bags wouldn't fit.  Maurice suggested that we might have to cancel this year's trip.  

Sharon Monde reported that all was going well for our Fall tournament at Old Hickory, on 10 October 2024.  The Tournament Committee will be meeting shortly.

Frank Sauer reported that the iGolf Lotteries for September will start on 18 August.  There are no shotguns scheduled for this September.

Sidney Reid introduced Marc Hitzig, from Arlington County.  Marc will assist Sidney in the 55+ program.  The 55+  program is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year on 2 October 2024.  Art suggested that ASGC could sponsor a golf tournament for charity, to benefit the Alliance.  

Mark Norman reviewed for us the work that he has done on the By Laws and the Operations Manual of the ASGC.  His purpose was to raise the issues that the Board needs to consider.  It needs to define what is a Standing Committee and what is an Ad Hoc Committee, and whether an Activity Center is the same as an Ad Hoc Committee.  There seems to be no problem in declaring that the By Laws have precedence over the Operations Manual.  By Laws cannot be waived, at the discretion of the Board.  But By Laws can be written so that the board has the flexibility to make decisions without amending or waiving them each year.  For example, the By Laws can state that a member must play a required number of times during the coming year,  to maintain good standing in the club, but allow the Board to set that number at the beginning of the season, anywhere from zero to seven.  The OM can provide guidance for operating the ASGC between revisions of the By Laws, which have been done about every 10 years.    We hope to prepare an amended version of the By Laws for presentation to the membership at the January, 2025 meeting.  The Member Well Being and Club Historian should be Committees whose Chairs are members of the Board.  The By Laws define who is on the Board.  There should be no need for an executive committee.  A generic time-line is included in the OM, to help the Board schedule the variety and order of a new season of activities.

Art wants a declaration of tee to be used by each golfer, to be included in our Fall tournament.  Exactly how such a declaration would be determined and used in a tournament where prizes are awarded, is not clear.  He has been working to schedule a Club banquet in November.  He has in mind a place, and prices; a midday time seems preferable to more members.  He also wants to see a membership directory, via email, if it can insure the privacy of each member's information.

Next meeting of the Board is scheduled to be held on 9 September 2024, at 10am, at Walter Reed.

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Minutes of the ASGC Board of Directors Meeting - Approved August 5, 2024

When:  3 June 2024, 10 am until noon

Where: Lubber Run Community Center, Arlington, VA

Who:  In person:  Sidney Reid, Mark Norman, Ruth Ann Neely, Frank Sauer, Madhav Panwar, Bernie Dennis, 

          Bob Odmark, Rob Fairweather, Sharon Monde, Art Hauptman, Mark Robertson, Ralph Orlik  

          Excused absence: Maurice Spraggins, Christine O'Donnell, Dave Hundelt

The minutes of the 6 May 2024 meeting of the Board were approved, and will be posted to the ASGC web site.

Treasurer Rob Fairweather reported that 65 people have paid the entry fee for our Scramble tournament on 6 June 2024.   One person has paid but is not playing in the Scramble, leaving 64 players signed up, just right for 16 foursomes, without a ghost player.  A refund was given to the withdrawer, so that the net income is just under $6000.  About 60% of those paying for the tournament paid by credit card and 40% paid by check.  Those paying by card were charged a service fee.  The total income from membership dues is $6425, which leaves our total income for 2024 at $12,406.

Membership Chair Mark Norman reported that we added one new member since May, giving us a total of 268 members.  This is about 20 less than we had at this time last year.  We gained 24 new members in 2024 while 19 dropped out.  53% of our members reside in Arlington County, exceeding the required threshold of 50%.  It was suggested that members invite guests to play a round with us, to check us out.  Guests don't need to be seniors--members sometimes bring their kids and grand-kids as guests.

Golf Coordinator Bob Odmark reported that Slow Play is still a problem to be solved.  A group of slow players at Reston, last Thursday, had an early tee time.  There were empty holes before them and all groups following them complained of Slow Play.  If there was a marshal monitoring play, he did not do his job.  He should have warned the slow group to either speed up, or if necessary, skip a hole.  A course marshal and our Coordinator Bob Odmark need to have the authority to warn and take action against offending groups.  Slow play affects not only the ASGC  members, but all players who are scheduled to play after us.  A target time of four hours and 30 minutes for playing 18 holes was used by the USGA for its US Open qualifier at Woodmont on 3 June 2024.  We should be able to meet that target.

Tournament Director Sharon Monde said that the arrangements with  Raspberry Falls for our box lunches, and the payment of the golf fees were  taken care of.  Bernie and Bob were working on the guidelines for the Scramble.  Players have indicated the tee which they normally hit from (short or medium).  There will be prizes for long drive and closest to the pin for players hitting from the short and medium tees.  The order of play for the foursomes was discussed, but the suggested order: A, B, C, D-players, was deemed not feasible.  We should play ready golf and let the captain exercise his judgement on who plays when.  Double bogey will be the maximum score on any hole.  Prizes will be $65, $55, $45, and $35 for winners of the Scramble and  $50 each for the competition holes.  In addition,  there will be door prizes awarded to winning ticket holders.  Giving refunds in case of bad weather, or Cart-Path-Only rules was discussed, but not necessary since the rain held off, pretty much, until all of us finished playing.

Frank Sauer reported that the lottery for July tee times will take place on June 18th.  Madhav will  assist Frank who might be absent on that date.

Arlington County liaison Sidney Reid reported that there are 25 ASGC members who have not paid the two fees due to the County.  Warnings will be given to those who are delinquent.  Cutting off access to iGolf might serve as a reminder that all members who have paid their ASGC dues, still need to pay the County fees.  The survey concerning the 55+ program has not had the full participation of ASGC members.  Only 35 have responded.  Sidney reminded us that the invitations to the 27 June lunch for volunteers should be answered soon.  200 volunteer hours were required to receive the invitation.  Dave Hundelt prepared a spreadsheet with volunteer hours for ASGC Board and Committee members.

Newsletter compiler Mark Robertson reported that he has received 3 articles for the next issue.  Sidney, Frank, and Bernie will write articles.  Photographs taken by Brad James and Player of the Month will also be featured.  Art Hauptman voiced concern on the method used to distribute the Newsletter so that it is easy to access by members.  Opinion differed as to whether an email or an attachment to email is best.   Four pages will be the extent of the Newsletter.

Mark Norman summarized his work on the By Laws and the Operations Manual.  The most recent By Laws were approved in March of 2022.  The first attempt at an OM was in 2023.  The OM was intended as a guide for officers, committee chairs, and volunteers.  It should help reduce the need to amend the By Laws frequently by giving the Board more flexibility in meeting current needs.  Mark presented a summary of the current inconsistencies that exist between the By-Laws and the Operations Manual. The Board agreed to discuss and address these in upcoming meetings of the Board.   The Club's historical documents that Chris O'Donnell has, can provide insights.  

100 responses were received to a Survey sent out to ASGC members.  One question on the Survey was on how members can communicate directly with each other.  70% said they would like to have available the email addresses of others.  That would be subject to privacy concerns.  Any member should be able to remove his email address from a list.  On the subject of a year-end banquet, 60% were neutral while 20% said YES and 20% said NO.  36% of those amenable prefer a lunch time dinner.  Two-thirds would bring another person. Moderate cost was preferred.   On the subject of the Getaway, 21% were for but 44% said NO.  It was not determined why not, but the place and time may not be to their liking.  On tee boxes used, 44% use short tees, under 5000 yards.  Distances that we hit our 7-irons varied a lot, and might not be a good determinant of tees to use.  27 comments were included, on things like post-play socializing and Slow Play.

The date for the July meeting, currently set for 1 July 2024, may need to be changed to later in July.  If late enough in July, we might be able to skip an August meeting.  Mark Norman needs to attend to discuss his changes to the By Laws and OM.  A possible date is 10 July.   Subsequently the July meeting was skipped and the Board met next on August 5th.

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Minutes of the ASGC Board of Directors Meeting - Approved June 3, 2024

When:  6 May 2024, 10 am until noon

Where: Lubber Run Community Center, Arlington, VA

Who: In person: Art Hauptman, Bob Odmark, Maurice Spraggins, Bernie Dennis, Sharon Monde, Rob Fairweather, Frank Sauer, Sidney Reid, Ralph Orlik, Christine O'Donnell

          Excused absences: Mark Robertson, Mark Norman, Madhav Panwar, Dave Hundelt, Ruth Ann Neely

The minutes of the 1 April 2024 meeting were approved, with noted corrections by Bernie and Ruth Ann Neely.

Treasurer Rob Fairweather reported that 3 new members have paid via our web portal, rather than by check.  We paid our iGolf bill ($1800) by check, to avoid the fees charged for international online payments.  So far, we’ve paid $813 for refreshments for two general membership meetings.  Art suggested that we have too large a cash balance and might subsidize fees.  Rob warned that we need a healthy balance for upcoming web site expenses, credit card processing, etc.

Rob also gave the membership report for Mark Norman.  We have 257 paid members plus 10 inactive members, for a total of 267.  242 of them are male, 29 female, and 53.6% live in Arlington, meeting the requirement that we maintain over 50% of our membership from Arlington.  We are well below our cap of 325 members.  We still seek more members, via an insert in the 55+ newsletter and on the front page of our web site.  We might invite a prospective member to play with us as a guest.  53 members have not paid all the fees due to Arlington County.  Emergency contact information was missing for 13 of our members, but 10 members have replied to an email outreach with the requested information.  Longtime member Darrell Goff passed away.  His daughter thanked us for implementing the iGolf system so that she could more easily sign up her father for tee times.  Eight new members, plus any others who want to, might profit from a 2nd new member orientation session on Club operations and how to navigate the Club's web site.

Golf Coordinator Bob Odmark noted that shotgun starts will generally alternate with tee-time starts at courses for the months of June, July, and August.  Augustine will have four shotgun starts in the two weeks that we play there.  iGolf is used to sign up a foursome to play together in a shotgun outing.  The hole assigned for the group is there for iGolf's convenience.  It is not binding on the course. The course may change hole assignments according to their priorities, such as putting slower groups at the end, assigning 2 groups to one hole, or keeping some holes open for other players.   The actual starting holes for groups will be posted on the golf carts at the course.  

The second training session that was to be scheduled at the Virginia Golf Center has been canceled.  They have a problem getting enough staff for the potential dates that were considered.    Bob reported an 'ugly' incident that occurred at Bull Run.  Due to several no-shows, there were several 2- and 3-somes interleaved and vying for position on the tee.  A marshal may have given them conflicting information as to priority.  There were accusations of players deliberately hitting into groups ahead.    The result was bad feelings and near fisticuffs.  We are reminded that there is a code of conduct for ASGC that we should follow.  Incidents should be reported to the Coordinator who can deal with them before they fester.  Letting another group go through yours, when there is a whole hole open, is good etiquette.  Shouting at slow players ahead of you is not.  Also, players who cannot make their scheduled tee time should call the Coordinator or the course ASAP.

Art suggested that golfers should be asked to declare their tee boxes for the season based on the length they tend to play from - forward, medium, and long. This declaration for the season could then be used in determining the tee boxes and the average scores that apply to members in the championship. Art further suggested that members adjust the length of what they play when the course we are playing does not offer a length that conforms to their declared length of play.

Sharon Monde reviewed the plans for the Spring Scramble, to be held on 6 June 2024, at Raspberry Falls.  Rob has created an online form for paying the $98 entry fee by credit card.  The lines on that form for meal preference and for average score will be removed from that form and put into another registration form, so both those paying by check and by credit card are treated equally.   An exact count of players needs to be sent to the course on 28 May 2024, for the purpose of ordering lunches.  Although we won't actually pay the course until 6 June, we need to collect the payments, by check or credit card, by 25 May.   Registration for the Scramble will open on 9 May 2024 and close on 21 May.   Average scores will be used to form foursomes.  Those golfers without enough scores in 2024 to form an average, will use last year's average.  Those without any average score will be asked for an estimate.  There is the possibility of inclement weather on 6 June.  The course is always open, they say.  However, if a 10-day weather forecast indicates that very bad weather is predicted, we can cancel the lunches for the day.  The question of giving refunds to members who have already paid, is not something we like to consider.

The iGolf lottery for June tee times will take place between 19 and 22 May 2024.  Signup for the 6 June Scramble will not be included in the lottery--there will be a separate registration form.  The form for reporting April scores is closing soon.  

Arlington County is surveying 55+ members.  There is a link on our web site.  Our responses can influence the County budget, so take the survey.  

The new Club Historian, Christine O'Donnell, carted away a box of Club records, on paper.  These records have been scanned for posterity.  Bernie gave thumb drives of the scanned records to the Historian and County for storage.  

Volunteer hours should be reported monthly.  The annual lunch for volunteers is planned for 27 June 2024, at the Jefferson.  

Articles for the June Newsletter are requested by Mark Robertson, before the end of May.

An end-of-year banquet is on the horizon.  It may cost around $100.  A volunteer Chairperson is being sought.  A survey will solicit interest.

Mark Norman is working on clarifying how the Operations Manual interacts with the By Laws.  

Next board meeting will be on 3 June 2024 in the LRCC at 10 am.

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Minutes of the ASGC Board of Directors Meeting - Approved May 6, 2024

When:  1 April 2024, 10 am - noon    

Where:  Lubber Run Community Center, Arlington VA

Who: Bob Odmark, Ruth Ann Neely, Frank Sauer, Mark Robertson, Mark Norman, Bernie Dennis, Art Hauptman, Madhav Panwar, Maurice Spraggins, Sharon Monde, Rob Fairweather, Ralph Orlik, Sidney Reid.   Dave Hundelt is temporarily out of the area; he will return mid-summer.

The minutes of the 4 March 2024 meeting of the Board were approved.

The minutes of the 13 March 2024 General Membership meeting, taken by Bernie, were approved.

Treasurer Rob Fairweather reported that the rate of payment of Club dues, at $25 per member, has slowed in the past few weeks, to 5 members in 2 weeks.  Two members used the link provided on our web site to pay by credit card.  ASGC receives $24.95 of the $26 paid by CC.   There is about a week's delay for a CC payment to reach our bank account.  We have received $6300 from 252 members, at $25 apiece.  Our CC processor, Stripe, allows us to collect information on who has paid, so we can keep our membership database up-to-date.

Membership Chairman Mark Norman added 11 inactive members, and 2 members whose dues have been waived, to the 252 paid members, to give us 265 total members.  53% of them live in Arlington.  This exceeds the 50% minimum number of Arlington residents that we are required to maintain.  19 new members have joined from our wait list, and 19 members from 2023 have dropped out of the Club.  21 members from 2023 have not responded to our inquiries.  

It was suggested, and approved, that we offer an honorary membership to Bill Dawson (who has not renewed his membership for 2024).  An honorary Club membership will waive the $25 Club dues, and Arlington County agreed to waive their 2 fees.  

Bernie added that there was a new-member orientation session on 18 March 2024.  Four members showed up, to get individual instructions.

Golf Coordinator Bob Odmark said that one of our two end-of-March instructional sessions scheduled at the Virginia Golf Center was a success.  The Tuesday instructor played waltzes while she told us how to hit wedges rhythmically.  However, the Thursday session was rained out--five members who did not get the message, showed up anyway.  We might be able to reschedule the Thursday session later in the year, especially in one of the weeks in which we are not scheduled to play golf on Tuesday and/or Thursday.  Our first 2 weeks of outings, at Raspberry Falls and Westfields, have been fully subscribed (near 100 golfers).  

Bob noted that he has been receiving a half dozen or more changes to the tee time sheet, between the time that he sends the tee sheet to a course and the day before we are scheduled to play.  This may lead to carts being incorrectly marked, people missing from (rarely added to) the tee sheet, etc.  Bad weather forecast for our two playdays at Raspberry Falls had several people, and whole groups, wanting to change days.   The course still gets paid if groups change tee times, but not when they drop out at the last minute.  The iGolf Committee will look into how the iGolf printout which is sent to the courses can be adjusted.  Maybe the sending of the Thursday tee sheet to the course can be delayed, so that it reflects any changes made over the weekend?   

Maurice Spraggins reported that 30 people signed up for the Getaway on 10-12 September, at the second General Membership meeting.  75 rooms are being reserved at Massanutten Mountain, for us.

Tournament Chair Sharon Monde reported on plans for our Spring Scramble, on 6 June 2024, at Raspberry Falls. She is dealing with a new person at the Course who may not know our history.  The Tournament Committee will meet to set the rules for play, scoring, prizes, etc.  The price that we need to charge to break even will be $95 per person ( $98 by CC)  This price covers the golf and food, not the prizes, which are covered from Club dues.  The cost of box lunches has gone up from $12 to $16, and green fees, to $80.  The question was raised   as to why the cost of golf for the Scramble is more than we play for our regular golf, since we do the collecting of money and arranging of groups for them.  If there is a separate cost for the banquet room, it should be part of the food cost, not golf?   

The naming of a tournament, to honor a current or former Club member, was discussed.  The Summers Scramble or Gosling Championship were deemed to be one-time names.  We will have a Spring Scramble tournament and a Fall Tournament. Our budget will deal with Spring and Fall tournaments--the term Scramble is for marketing purposes.  This scheme works when we have only 2 tournaments per year now, as opposed to the  4 or 6 that we used to have.  We need to have a policy for cancellations due to weather, illness, etc.  We will collect money in advance of play, so the risk will be on the members who don't show.

iGolf will hold the lottery for May tee times, from 14-17 April.  30 April will be included in the May schedule.  There are about 425 members in the iGolf database; 525 when guests are included.  Frank will update the iGolf list of names with the help of Mark Norman.  Mark will send Frank the current list of members.  The iGolf roster is not automatically coordinated with our list of members.  

Arlington County has a projected $10 million budget deficit.  Therefore, the cost of the 55+ pass will rise by $5, as will the golf program fee.  The pay of the Golf Coordinator will not change.  There was a public hearing on the County budget on 2 April 2024.  There are Club members who have not paid the County fees.    We will furnish the County with a list of our members, to compare with their list of those who have paid County fees.

Volunteer hours for March have been requested.  It is not clear whether Dave Hundelt will be gathering and reporting hours to the County.

Mark Robertson plans to publish 3 newsletters per year--Spring, Summer, and Fall.  He will set the deadlines for submission of articles.

Art Hauptman suggested that ASGC show its support for the National Links Trust, which is trying to improve the 3 golf courses in DC: Langston, Rock Creek, and East Potomac Park.  We could hold an event at one of them.  The problem of getting into DC in the morning is real.  Maybe a later start, perhaps a shotgun, or nine-hole play would work.

Art also asked how we can better match the abilities and the personal enjoyment of our golfers to the different tee boxes that courses offer.  Total length of a course from a given set of tee boxes is not always the best measure.  It might be better to pick the tee used on each hole played.  Some courses offer 'combo' tees as a partial solution.  For our regular play, playing a mixture of tees would probably increase enjoyment.  The problem comes when an average score, arrived at by picking and choosing tees, is to be used for tournament play, or prizes are awarded for long drives or closest-to-pin.  Driving distance, seven iron length, etc. offer some guidance as to proper tee selection.  A 4800-yard course is said by some to be optimum for 70+ golfers (that's us).  We will survey members on the issue.

The next meeting of the Board will be on 6 May 2024, at LRCC, at 10 am.

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Minutes of the ASGC General Membership Meeting - Approved April 1, 2024

When:  13 March 2024, Noon – 2:30 pm            

Where: Lubber Run Community Center, Arlington VA

Who: General Membership of the ASGC

People arrived shortly before noon. Handouts on each chair included the agenda, the current tentative Schedule, and a signup sheet for the Getaway. Rob Fairweather manned a table at the entrance, with a sign-in sheet and collected the $25

ASGC dues for 2024 from those who hadn’t paid yet. Those wanting to pay their Arlington County fees were referred to the Registrar’s Office in the building.

President Bernie Dennis, welcomed attendees and invited them to socialize while food for lunch was laid out, explaining that at the conclusion of lunch, we would have our Guest Speaker, followed by a Business Meeting. Brad James' video of photos of ASGC at play in 2023 was running on 2 display screens during the gathering and through lunch. Lunch started at approximately 12:05pm.

Lunch concluded around 12:45pm, and Bob Odmark introduced our guest speaker, John Miller, PGA Director of Instruction at VGC. John took an interesting approach to his topic “Slow Play” by inviting the audience to contribute what they felt were ways to combat slow play. First suggestion was “Ready Golf”. Numerous suggestions followed including: limiting search for lost balls; positioning cart between balls in fairways; suspending hitting honors - hitting when you’re ready and its safe; limiting putts – picking up after 2 but recording 3; playing from forward tees. This forward tees suggestion prompted two lively discussions: they are not “Ladies Tees” anymore, and “I can’t move further forward”. John agreed regarding the tees

designation, but challenged the second, asking “why not move further forward?”. He asked how far the audience hit their drives and 7-irons, then from the responses offered advice for moving forward on tee boxes. His most interesting observation was for those who can’t hit their driver 175 yards, consider teeing forward in the fairway at the 200 yard-in marker and playing the hole from that point – something for us to consider. The lively and entertaining discussions continued with John offering advice and insights to various suggestions from the audience. Once John felt that most if not all tenets of 

“Ready Golf” were addressed, he concluded by inviting the audience to avail themselves of the resources available at Virginia Golf Center, where ASGC will conduct its Spring Tune-up March 26 & 28.

Around 1:15pm, Bernie Dennis delivered his President’s Message. He introduced the elected officers and Committee Chairpersons who assumed their roles after elections held at the January General Membership Meeting. Individuals were asked to remain standing during the introductions so members could get a good look at the Club Officers. (copy of President’s Message is posted in President’s Corner on our website)

Bernie’s Goals for the 2024 year are to continue ASGC efforts to facilitate golfing opportunities for the 55+ folks, with play at a variety of courses, in competitive and non-competitive formats, and at all skill & ability levels. He wants to continue the search for a Membership Management Software Package, to include a new website platform with firewall capabilities, and appropriate document storage capacity for Club Records. He plans to continue “The Ready Golfer” newsletter, and to continue efforts to improve the Operating Manual, syncing it with our By-Laws. Plans for a successful Getaway and a

Season-ending Banquet. 

Bernie wants to Emphasize Fun this season, with a focus on Improving Pace of Play – we showed good improvement in 2023. Wants to review/revise our Pace of Play Policy and publish Club Rules for Regular Play. Finally, he plans to conduct a New Member Orientation session – scheduled for next Monday, March 18th at Lubber Run from 3:30-5:30 pm. 

While billed for new members, all are welcome to attend.

Rob Fairweather reviewed the Club’s financials in his Treasurer’s Report, and combined his talk to include Membership Committee figures for Mark Norman who could not attend. Current dues collected cover 253 members for an intake of $6,125. This is under our 325-membership cap; a makeup of 53.4% Arlington County residents, with 9.5% females – work needed here. From the Wait List, 12 Arlington residents were invited to join and 12 accepted. 9 non-Arlington residents were recently invited and so far, 3 have accepted.

Golf Coordinator Bob Odmark reviewed the current schedule for courses. Two courses were dropped because they require signed contracts, which we cannot do per County restrictions. He explained the switch back to having the Spring Tune-up Sessions at VGC on March 26th & 28th vice later in the season. The Spring Scramble is now scheduled for June 6th at Raspberry Falls. On behalf of Maurice Spraggins who couldn’t attend, Bob explained that the Getaway is planned for Massanutten Resort for September 10-12. Bob asked that members fill out and return the handout with an indication of whether they are interested in attending the Getaway. This is just preliminary to judge membership interest – a separate message with more details and registration will follow later in the season.

Tournament Chair, Sharon Monde addressed the change in the Spring Scramble due to the dropping of the original course over contract issues. It’s now scheduled for June 6th at Raspberry Falls. Details are currently being worked out with the course and food catering, and will follow via email, soon.

Bernie closed the meeting with several reminders. Watch for an Opt-In Survey for an Email Directory, soon. iGolf Lottery Opening for April Tee Sheets opens 9 am Sunday March 17th, closes 5 pm Tuesday March 19th, with Results posted

Wednesday March 20th. The Scores Reporting Spreadsheet will be posted on website by April 1st - Opening Round April 2nd - post scores immediately before you forget. A New Member Orientation will be Monday, March 18th, 3:30 –

5:30pm at Lubber Run.

Meeting ended around 2:10pm. Attendance was 55 members.

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Minutes of the ASGC Board of Directors Meeting - Approved April 1, 2004

When:  4 March 2024, 10 am--noon

Where: Lubber Run Community Center, Arlington VA

Who:  In Person: Bob Odmark, Mark Robertson, Rob Fairweather, Bernie Dennis, Frank Sauer, Ruth Ann Neely, Madhav Panwar, Mark Norman, Sidney Reid, Sharon Monde, Dave Hundelt, Ralph Orlik

Google Meeting was available for remote access but was not used by Art Hauptman, nor by Maurice Spraggins.

The minutes of the 6 Feb 24 meeting were approved, with corrections to two misspellings of names.

Treasurer Rob Fairweather reported that 244 members have paid their $25 Club fee, so far.  The rate of signing up has slowed since the January meeting.  The proposed budget for 2024 estimates that we would reach 275 members.  At the moment, it looks like we may end up 20 members short of the estimate or $500. President Bernie Dennis was added to the list of those authorized to sign checks.  Past President Art Hauptman was removed from the list.  Our application for IRS 501(c)(7) status has been approved.  We will be able to start receiving credit card payments after Rob does a test to see that money paid via credit card is properly credited to our bank account.  Credit card processing fees will be passed on to members using that method of payment.  It will cost a member about $26 to pay the $25 annual dues by credit card.   Cell phone applications such as Venmo will not be available for use, since the Club does not have its own cell phone number.  ASGC already had a TIN for our bank account, dating back to the 1990's, but that TIN will be replaced by our new TIN.

Membership Chair Mark Norman reported that we have 246 active members (244 paid and 2 that are exempt from the fee); 253 when inactive members are included.  130 active members reside in Arlington (5 inactive) and 116 do not (2 inactive), satisfying the requirement that 50% or more of our members are Arlingtonians.  We have gotten 14 new members for 2024, 17 2023 members have dropped out, and 28 members have not responded to our mailings.  12 Arlingtonians were accepted from the wait list and have paid their dues; for non-Arlington residents 2 have paid of the 9 offered membership.    We need to better publicize that Arlington residents will gain immediate acceptance to ASGC upon application, and payment of all fees.

We discussed whether inactive members must still pay dues each year.  Non-Arlington members who are inactive might keep paying dues in order to stay on the roster, and thus avoid going back to the wait list.  Arlington members can stop paying dues, be dropped from the roster, but be pretty sure that they can rejoin the Club from the wait list.  Should inactive members be dropped after a specified number of years on the inactive list?  Inactive members do not receive Club emails, but they are entered into iGolf.  It was moved and approved that there will be no change in policy, i.e. inactive members count in the ratio of Arlington to non-Arlington members but are not charged at the beginning of a season.   

Golf Coordinator Bob Odmark pointed out recent changes to the schedule of course play for 2024.  Piedmont wanted a pre-payment of $250 and required a credit card for charging if our date was canceled because of bad weather.  Augustine will replace Piedmont on 16 May.  Penderbrook will substitute for Piedmont on 13 May?  ASGC requires payment for tournaments 10 days prior to the play date, with no refunds within 3 days of play.  Piedmont wanted us to guarantee payment 8 days before play.   Our Spring tournament may be held at Bull Run or Raspberry Falls.  Our fall tournament will be moved from Stoneleigh to Old Hickory, in October, causing our date at Forest Greens to move to August.  Dominion Valley has been dropped, for same reasons as was Piedmont.  Brambleton play will start at 10 and 10:10 am, in October.  We can't switch courses at Twin Lakes--Tuesdays are always the Lakes; Thursdays, the Oaks.  P B Dye dates will be shotguns on July 16th & 18th.

Maurice wants to poll the members attending the general membership meeting on 13 March 24, as to preferences for the Getaway on 10-12 September.  A Google Form could also be used to register interest.

Sharon thanked Bob for his help in setting up the Spring Tournament.  Problems with food at Penderbrook are now moot.  She will contact Raspberry Falls for possible substitution of venue.  Sharon will speak at the 13 March 24 meeting, on the Fall Tournament at Old Hickory.

The second annual membership meeting will be held on 13 March 24 at LRCC, starting at noon. There will not be any virtual link.  Brad James' video will be run as we eat pizza, salad, and soft drinks.  A speaker, John Miller, from VA Golf Center, will speak at 12:45, after lunch.  He will speak primarily on how we can eliminate, or at least reduce, the scourge of Slow Play.  The 2 training sessions at VGC will be moved back to the end of March.  A Google Form, not iGolf, will be used for signing up.  

Our ASGC business meeting will follow the speaker.  It will cover the Spring Scramble, iGolf, the 2024 schedule, the Getaway, etc.  The signup for April play dates, in iGolf, will open up at 9:00 am on 17 March 24.  Dave Hundelt wants us to report March volunteer hours.  Christine O'Donnell has consented to become our Historian.  We still need a Web Master, who may want to replace Google.  Holding training sessions, at Walter Reed or Lubber Run, for new members was discussed.  Board members would be present, in person, to offer assistance to members who need help in using iGolf, our web site, spread sheets, Google Forms, etc.  Any training offered should take place soon, to help members use iGolf for signing up to play golf in April.

The next Board meeting is scheduled for 10 am on 1 April 2024, at LRCC, preceding our opening day at Raspberry Falls on 2 April 2024.

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Minutes of the ASGC Board of Directors Meeting - Approved March 4, 2004

When:  6 February 2024, 2 pm - 4 pm    

Where:  Lubber Run Community Center, Arlington VA

Who:  Mark Norman, Sharon Monde, Bob Odmark, Sidney Reid, Ruth Ann Neely, Maurice Spraggins, Dave Hundelt, Madhav Panwar, Bernie Dennis, Frank Sauer, Rob Fairweather, Ralph Orlik

ASGC President Bernie Dennis opened the meeting by introducing the new IT&C Committee Chair, Madhav Panwar.  

The minutes of the 11 January 2024 Board of Directors meeting and the 18 January 2024 General Membership meeting were approved, for posting to our web site.  

Also available on the web site is the photo recap of the 2023 season of ASGC, compiled by Brad James.  It was run on two screens at the 18 January meeting and reflects the considerable effort that Brad put into it.  Take a look!

Thanks were given to Tom Farley, who recently resigned as the Club Historian, for his work in gathering and organizing documents left by the prior Historian, Bob Dawson.  Past President Art Hauptman continues to work on the two documents that Bob Dawson started, entitled:  "Who we Are" and "How we got Here"

Bernie will conduct an online survey of ASGC membership, after the March membership meeting, to ask for those who might be interested in joining a Committee, in helping Bob Odmark as a Starter at golf courses, and to ask permission for releasing our email addresses to each other.  

A visual from a December 2022 survey was shown, with members who volunteered to serve on ASGC Committees (Golf Coordinator, IT&CC, Tournaments, Membership, Well Being, Photography). Committee Chairs were encouraged to reach out to these volunteers to see if they are still willing to help.  Ad Hoc Subcommittees, aka Activity Centers, include Newsletter, Photographer, Scorekeeper, Website, and Getaway.   Mark Robertson agrees to continue as Newsletter editor, and hopefully will issue Spring, Summer, and Fall editions.  Mark will play the role of assembler and publisher of the Newsletter, and welcomes articles from the Board, Committee Chairs, and our members.  The Getaway Chair is vacant, but Maurice is investigating possible venues in the Blue Ridge and other areas.

More women are needed on the Board and Committees.  Christine O'Donnell and Sylvia Alimena were suggested as possible additions.

Treasurer Rob Fairweather handed out the latest budget numbers.  We have collected $5425 from 217 members, so far.  Our only expenses were those incurred for the January membership meeting.   Richard Brandenburg has completed his tour of duty as the reviewer of our financial statements.  Pat McVeigh is being considered to replace him for 2024.  The status of our application for IRS  501(c)(7) status is still pending after we paid a $600 application fee last summer.  We won't be able to accept Credit Cards for Club fees for a while longer.

Mark Norman reported that 112 of our 217 members, who have paid to date, are from Arlington, satisfying the requirement that 50% of us live in Arlington.  48 members from 2023 have not been heard from yet.  15 members have indicated that they are not going to renew.  All wait-listers from Arlington have been invited to join the Club.  Seven people, not from Arlington, are still waiting for an invitation.  The names of new members need to be added to iGolf, given to our Starter, to the Scorekeeper, and to the County.

Wellness Committee Chair, Ruth Ann Neely, would like to receive timely notices of members who are ill, injured, inactive, etc., so she can send cards.  Notices will be solicited at the March membership meeting.

Golf Coordinator Bob Odmark commented on the latest version of our golf schedule, and a new version of the 'letter of intent' that can be sent to golf courses, in lieu of a formal contract.  Reston has been added to the schedule for 28,30 May, thus completing the schedule.  The rates that Herndon will charge us, with and w/o range balls, are undetermined.  They will likely increase, from last year's $57 into the sixties.  Bob is having trouble contacting responsible parties at Piedmont and Dominion Valley.  Bull Run, a member of the 'Raspberry Golf Trail' group has agreed to the LOI.  Potomac Shores and Laurel Hill have not yet commented on the LOI.  Piedmont wants to be able to cancel a play date within 7 days, if the weather report is not acceptable to them, or they would require a prepaid fee of $4000, to guarantee about 60 golfers at $65. Reston also wants the option of cancelling if the weather forecast is bad.  The head pro at Piedmont, formerly at Hidden Creek, seems amenable to negotiation.   There is some confusion about whether the two dates in late March at the VGC have been switched to May/July or will be held, in addition to the May/July dates.   The same format would be used at VGC as last year--pick 3 stations for instruction, but no sand traps.  The Fall championship, scheduled for Stoneleigh, may be too late and too far away.  The three golf courses in DC (EPP, Langston, Rock Creek) were suggested as possible venues.  There is an outside committee (not ASGC) trying to improve the 3, but the morning commute into DC would be a challenge.  

Frank Sauer assured us that the April play dates are already entered into iGolf.  iGolf will be opened up on 17 March, for April tee times.  iGolf has a 'feature' that sometimes splits two people who have signed up together, to ride in different carts. Frank and Bernie tried to explain why, but we might have to live with it, and just change the signs that go on the carts, when we send the players' names to the course.  Bob Odmark will coordinate with the courses.

Sharon Monde is talking to Piedmont regarding our Spring Scramble, on 13 May, a Monday.  The October date at Stoneleigh for a tournament needs to be switched.  Maurice wants the rules to be codified and issued on a laminated card for easy reference.  Laminated cards were distributed previously, but menbers may need replacements.

The second general membership meeting was set for 13 March 2024, at the LRCC, starting after 11:30 am, to avoid conflicting with parking for an earlier class.  Two Chefs will furnish pizza.  More pizza and salad are needed than we had at the Jan. meeting.  Less salty food and maybe vegetarian pizza were suggested.   The agenda for the meeting will cover the details for the VGC dates and discuss the two tournaments.  Adding the signup for the May tournament to the signup for April play will not work.  There will be a separate signup for the Scramble--names only are needed, since groupings will be decided based on golfers average scores.  The Tournament Committee will meet and determine how signups will be handled. There may be a speaker at the meeting, on 'Ready Golf' but not on swing mechanics.

Mark Norman reported that he worked on the Operations Manual.  First, he edited the OM, for form rather than content.  He then worked on making the OM consistent with the By Laws, which have precedence over the OM.  He clarified the similarities/differences among the Committees, Ad Hoc Committees, and Activity Centers. A generic calendar for the Club year has been included. Copies of these documents will be sent to the Board for review following this meeting.  No changes to the By Laws are being considered now--there isn't enough time to prepare them for the March meeting, anyway.   

Maurice has been investigating Massanutten Mountain as a possible Getaway location.  There are two golf courses there, as well as a hotel and restaurants for a banquet.  A mid-week trip (10-12 Sept) would cost $99 for a hotel room.  For the more adventurous, there is a water park, zipline, and bungee jumping.  We could do a one-, two- or three-day outing.  He is working with a Golf Group Coordinator at Massanutten Mountain.  There are other courses nearby, such as Bryce Mountain.

Dave Hundelt, second VP, will be tallying volunteer hours.  Hours will be collected monthly and reported quarterly.  Dave will send a fillable form to everyone and total the results for sending to Sidney Reid.

Bernie wants to set up recurring dates for future Board meetings, so the Board will have them on their calendars.  Four meetings per year are required by the By Laws, but we don't have to meet every month.  We can schedule the next meeting at the end of each meeting.  The first Monday of the month seemed OK with most of us, starting at 10 am and ending before noon.  Sidney confirmed that a room is available and will reserve it at LRCC.    The March meeting will therefore be held on Monday, 4 March 2024, at LRCC, at 10:00am.   There will be a virtual option provided.  Google Meet is being considered--it's better than Zoom--$2 cheaper per month than Zoom and allows 50 more users per meeting.  

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Minutes of the ASGC General Membership Meeting - Approved February 6, 2024

When:  18 January 2024, 11 am-2 pm            

Where: Lubber Run Community Center, Arlington VA

Who: General Membership of the ASGC

Running on 2 screens were Brad James' photos of ASGC at play in 2023.

Rob Fairweather and Mark Norman manned a table at the entrance, collecting the $25 ASGC dues for 2024.

Another table was manned by Arlington County to collect the golf program fee due the County, and the 55+ pass fee.

Art Hauptman, President of ASGC for the last 2 years, opened the meeting.  He thanked the members of the Board and Committees for their service.  Dennis Macdonald, Membership Chair, is leaving the area.  His work on the membership data and our new Operations Manual will be continued by the new Membership Chair, Mark Norman.

Our Historian, Bob Dawson, passed away at the end of 2023.  His work will be continued by Tom Farley.  

Thanks were also due to Sidney Reid and Bob Odmark, Arlington County employees who helped run our Club.

Art pointed out that we survived a pandemic, we still have nearly 300 members, we played golf for 30 weeks in 2023, signing up with iGolf instead of a spreadsheet. The number of competitions we held was two, a Scramble and a Club Tournament, down from a high of 6 a few years back.

Bob Odmark counted over 3262 rounds that we played, with only one rainout.  We averaged 63 players per day, with highs of 95 at Reston, and 92 at Heritage Hunt.  Our lows were understandable--34 at Worthington Manor on a 100-degree day, and 29 at Heritage Hunt on a 2-hour frost-delayed day.  

Hole-in-one bag-tag awards went to Dick Irvine, #8 at Augustine; Kevin Neeland, #4 at Forest Greens; Mark Beebe, #17 at Worthington Manor.

Nomination Committee Chair Maurice Spraggins announced the slate of candidates for the ASGC officers for 2024:  Bernie Dennis, President, Frank Sauer, 1st VP, Dave Hundelt, 2nd VP, Rob Fairweather, Treasurer, Ralph Orlik, Secretary.  Without any nominations from the floor, the 5 officers were voted in by a show of hands.   In addition to the officers, there are 8 Committee Chairs that will help keep the Club running in 2024.  Mark Norman, Membership; Tom Farley, Historian; Sharon Monde, Tournaments; Ruth Ann Neely, Wellness; Mike Marron, Scorekeeper; Brad James, Photography; Richard Brandenburg, Audit; Maurice Spraggins, Nominations.

We don't yet have a leader nor a place for our annual Getaway. Suggestions were made for going to Massanutten, Wintergreen, Shenvalee, Carroll Valley.  Got a better idea?  Volunteer to lead us!  

We took a break for lunch of Two Chefs pizza, soft drinks, salad, chips, and cookies.

After lunch, we were told how to safely acquire clubhead speed.  Dave Maloney, golf biomechanist and exercise physiologist, showed us that by firing the muscles in our hips, torso, and arms, in  the proper sequence, we will efficiently produce the maximum club speed.  He explained how in his facility he attached electrodes to places on golfers bodies to see when those muscles were activated.  Graphs of the results showed how the speed builds up to the max when the club strikes the ball.  Mr. Maloney showed us videos of Pro golfer Billy Hurley swinging and on a wobble board, maintaining his posture, stability, and mobility.  He challenged us to stand on one foot for 5 seconds and told us that Tour Pros can  do it for 30 seconds, blindfolded--they have superior control over their bodies.  He showed us how we should be able to rotate our hips without rotating our shoulders, and vice versa--we need to disassociate our body movements.  Since our physiques differ, we need to match our swings to our physical ability--Jon Rahm swings differently than Rory McIlroy.  We get better sensory feedback if we practice barefoot.  He said to stress stability and range of motion.  There should always be one stable part of the body--the body below the waist does not move when the pros putt.  Doing the plank is better exercise than doing situps.  Pain is a symptom of dysfunction.  Dave will send references to Bernie, so we can improve our swings.

Bob Odmark presented our tentative schedule of golf courses for 2024.  We will move the 2 days of instruction at VGC from late March to one day in May and one in July.  We are adding Dominion Valley to our schedule and Piedmont is returning.  Courses that we have omitted are National Golf Club, Worthington Manor, Little Bennett, Lake Presidential.  Reston is back but Falls Road and UMD courses are not on the schedule.  Price and lack of member satisfaction are sometimes reasons for dropping a course, but more often, courses are requiring that we sign contracts that guarantee some minimum payment.  There will be 7 shotgun starts, during June, July, and August.  A Scramble and a Club Tournament will be held.

Membership Chair Mark Norman is replacing Dennis Macdonald, who is moving to Texas.  Mark reports that we gained 30 members at this meeting, so that we have 155 paid up.  90% of our members are male, more than the national average for golf clubs.  52% of 2023's 285 members lived in Arlington County, just over the required 50%.  16 people (8 from Arlington) are on the wait list.  They should all be added to our Club come 1 Feb 2024 when current members should all be signed up.  Our average age was 73.4 in 2022, and 74.1 in 2023.

Incoming President Bernie Dennis performed his first official duty by announcing that the 7-play-minimum rule will be suspended in 2024.  He added that volunteers are always needed; we are working on compiling a list of email addresses of members, opt-in only, to help members communicate with other members; and iGolf will open up for requesting April tee times in mid-March.  Another general membership meeting will be held in March, date to be determined.  75 people attended this General Membership meeting.

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Minutes of the ASGC Board of Directors Meeting - Approved February 6, 2024

When:  11 January 2024, 12:30 pm to 2:30 pm.

Where:  Lubber Run Community Center, Arlington VA

Who:  Tom Farley, Dave Hundelt, Bernie Dennis, Maurice Spraggins, Sharon Monde, Art Hauptman, Bob Odmark, Sidney Reid, Ralph Orlik

A quorum of Board members was present, to make this meeting official.  The minutes of the 19 December 2023 meeting were approved.  

Maurice Spraggins will present the slate of officers for 2024 at the 18 Jan. 2024 general membership meeting.  The membership will vote to accept the slate.  A majority of those present at the meeting will determine the winners.  Frank Sauer, scheduled to be the first v.p., is recovering from serious injuries but intends to serve if elected.   Dave Hundelt will be nominated as the second v.p.  Nominations from the floor will be allowed.  Nominees need to be present and be willing to serve, before being voted on.

Bob Odmark discussed the tentative schedule of courses, dates, and fees for 2024.  He noted that the 2 play-days at Pohick Bay were switched from May to August. Dominion Valley, along with Piedmont, have been added, subject to negotiations over whether a signed contract and a deposit will be required.  Dates at Raspberry Falls in April and June were deemed to be far enough apart.  P B Dye, Little Bennett, Stonewall, Penderbrook, Worthington Manor, 1757, Lake Presidential, National Golf club, and Herndon are in various states of limbo, for reasons of price, small turnouts last year, and contract talks.  A fall tournament at Stoneleigh in October may be too cold and too far away.  A better choice of date might be 3 July.  There are about 6 shotgun starts scheduled, from June to August.  Westfields and Laurel Hill don't allow shotguns.  A suggestion was made that ASGC could help reduce fees deemed too high on desirable courses with a subsidy. 

Slow play continues to be a problem.  Various corrections were considered.  Moving known slow groups to the end of a day's tee times does not woik when using  iGolf.  More active marshalling has not been very effective.  We have not tried assigning a group leader to each foursome who could be held responsible for the speed of the group.  Encouragement of fast play is better than any kind of punitive measures for slow play.  Speakers at our membership meetings and videos on combating slow play will be tried.

Committee chairs are appointed by the President, and are separate from the Officers.  The ByLaws and the Operations manual need to be reconciled.  Mark Norman is working on doing so.  Rules for tournaments were discussed.  Should tournament rules be different than those of regular play-days?  Is there a minimum number of plays required to enter a tournament?  to receive a prize? Are guests awarded prizes?

Two articles submitted by Historian Bob Dawson were discussed. The first article, 'Who we are?' is to be addressed soon with  a short post to our web site.  The second article, 'How we got here?' requires additional work and Art is plowing through many historical documents, meeting minutes, committee reports, rosters, scoring averages, etc.  4 copies of the first 20 years of our history serve as a starting point.  A database management system would allow searching through all the data collected from committees, to discover trends over the years.  Club Express is still the best candidate for a data management system. The emergency contact information is accessible by the golf coordinator, in case something bad happens to one of us on a golf course, which may require calling 911.  Longtime member, Bill Dawson, is not renewing his membership for 2024.  Henry Seymour, who spoke  at our first annual meeting,  may speak again this month?  We had 6 competitions in 1993, but are down to 2 now.  We have not resolved the problems with the rules for tournaments and prizes:  how flights are determined by average scores, tees used, length of drives, sex of golfers, etc.

Planning for the annual meeting on 18 Jan 2024 followed.  We need volunteers to help set up, starting at 10 am on the 18th.  There will be tables for paying of dues to the ASGC, for pizza, and drinks and dessert.  The two fees payable to Arlington County can be paid down the hall in the LRCC.   An 18-minute video by Brad James featuring a review of ASGC in 2023 will be played on one of the TV screens.  There will not be a Zoom connection for remote participation.  The speaker will need a podium, microphone (portable?), and screen. Current President Art Hauptman will speak on the year 2023, followed by the election of a new Board (no campaign speeches are expected), lunch, and our featured speaker. Parking could be tight since there is a large class taking place between 10 and 11 am.

Sidney gets the totals of volunteer hours collected from ASGC Board and committee members.  The total of over 1600 hours contributed in 2023 are passed up the County chain of command for their use.  Volunteers fill out a form used in a background check so that the County's liability coverage will apply to them.  Sidney was asked if funds would be allocated for the transition to a new golf coordinator, should that ever occur.  87 members have already paid their fees for 2024.   

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Minutes of the ASGC Board of Directors Meeting - Approved January 11, 2024

When:  19 December 2023, 10 am until noon

Where: Lubber Run Community Center, Arlington VA

Who:  In person: Dave Hundelt, Bob Odmark, Art Hauptman, Frank Sauer, Tom Farley, Bernie Dennis, Rob Fairweather, Maurice Spraggins, Dennis Macdonald, Sidney Reid,          Ralph Orlik

         Remotely: Mark Norman

The minutes of the 4 December 2023 meeting were approved, with changes provided by Bernie.

Bob Odmark gave his report as the golf coordinator.  The courses that we will play in 2024 are pretty much the same as those we played in 2023.  National Golf Club has been dropped from the schedule, due to unfavorable reviews in our survey of members.  Augustine is questionable, for the same reason, although travel distance might be a factor.  Bull Run will host our fall tournament.  We will play at Piedmont twice, one of which will be a Scramble.

The Getaway is scheduled for the 2nd week in September.  We are still looking for someone to organize it.  Places suggested for the Getaway were the Homestead (which would require an overnight stay since it is a 3.5-hour drive and might cost more than our members are willing to pay), Wintergreen, and Charlottesville, in VA and in MD areas of Frederick, Kent Island, Queenstown, Hog Neck, or to Ireland.  A mystery tour was suggested by Maurice, in which members sign up to get on a bus to play, without knowing where they are going, and are surprised when they arrive at a course.  A poll will be taken at the January meeting, to see what the members prefer.  Our survey showed that a majority of members would like a trip with only a one-night stay.  More than one Getaway, per year, was also suggested.    

Art proposed two questions for answering:  'Who we are?' and 'How we got here?'  The first should be answered in a paragraph that can be put on our website as a mission statement.  The second is of book length, covering the history of the ASGC from its start in 1982.  From existing documents provided by Bob Dawson (former Historian), Dennis Macdonald (departing Membership chair), and those being rounded up by current Historian Tom Farley, we will get a better idea of those things that have already been tried by ASGG, to promote cohesion among the members.  In addition to the opportunities that members have to socialize after lessons at VGC, scrambles, tournaments, shotgun starts, Getaways, banquets, etc.  we could do more to support such activities.  Suggested were events for new members, 9-hole play with a lunch, online directory of names and email addresses of those members who 'opt-in' ( an action item would be a firewall, necessary to ensure privacy), more frequent newsletters, a wall of photos and videos ( see our website), a bus (with golf clubs and all?) to faraway courses, a carpool list, a Facebook group, a meet-up presence, member-guest events (our by-laws limit guests to twice a month and require that they share a cart with a member), broadcast to the 6000+ people in the 55+ program, etc.  We have a reputation as a non-social group with golf courses, since few of us stick around after golf to eat or drink.   Those members who just want to play golf can still do so.  We are still searching for a suitable platform for communications to members.  We need to fill in some existing gaps in the history of the ASGC for the 40 years of our existence.  We should make our history available on our website.  Biographies of our founders and leaders should be included.   ASGC members will be asked for suggestions at the January meeting.

The ASGC By Laws state that, to maintain 'good standing' in ASGC, a member must meet a minimum-play requirement.  Currently, the minimum is set at 7 plays per season.  This was arrived at, years ago, to encourage each member to play at least once a month during our 7-month season.  The Board has the power to suspend the 7-play requirement, and did so for the 2023 season, and has voted to suspend the 7-play requirement, in advance, for the 2024 season.  Influencing this decision was the fact that ASGC had only 285 members in 2023, well short of the maximum allowed, 325; and that there are few people on the wait list.  Enforcing the 7-play minimum might discourage some golfers from renewing their memberships, thus reducing our numbers.  On the other hand, there might be less incentive for members to play, thus reducing the number of players that we can promise golf courses; and the payment of additional fees of non-players will benefit ASGC and Arlington County.   Surveys of members in 2022 and 2023, showed that about 80% of members polled are in favor of keeping the minimum or are indifferent.  Some respondents suggested a minimum play requirement of more or less than 7.  A simple change to the By Laws might be to remove the number 7 from the minimum-play requirement, replacing it with a number ( 0 to N) which would be set annually by the Board--it would no longer be either 0 or 7. 

A faction of the Board has claimed that the Minimum-Play requirement was to maintain ASGC exclusively as an Old-Boys club, and accused us of being racist, sexist, or ageist, and therefore liable for legal action on behalf of Arlington County.  This is a serious charge that would have to be proven.  No such proof was cited by the accusers.   It is not obvious how requiring ASGC members to play at least once a month is biased against any group.  Sidney will enquire of the County whether any action is justified. 

Mark Norman, incoming Membership Chair, is working on revising the By Laws, which must be approved by the membership, and the Operations Manual, which is the province of the Board.  However, no By Law changes can be readied before the general membership meeting on 18 January 2024, at the Lubber Run Community Center.  There will be a speaker at the meeting.  He is an exercise physiologist, a top-50 trainer (according to Golf Digest) and works with the Capitals.  He will tell us how to generate more clubhead speed so that we can hit longer drives.  We should be sure to allow him sufficient time for his presentation--something we did not do last year for that speaker.

Maurice Spraggins, chair of Nominating committee, is working on a slate of candidates for presentation to the membership in January.  Our tradition has been to elect first and second vice presidents, with the understanding that the 2nd vp moves up to the 1st vp position, who moves up to the Presidency, in successive years.  Tom Farley and Dave Hundelt are candidates for the vp positions.  

A Board meeting in the week before the January membership meeting will be scheduled.  

Dennis Macdonald, our Membership Chair, is leaving the DC area early next year.  He put in one last plug for the importance of the Operations Manual.  He also dumped on Tom Farley a box of historical stuff relevant to our history.

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Minutes of the ASGC Board of Directors Meeting - Approved December 19, 2023

When:  4 December 2023, 10 am to noon

Where:   Lubber Run Community Center, Arlington, VA

Who:  In Person:  Art Hauptman, Bob Odmark, Rob Fairweather, Dennis Macdonald, Bernie Dennis, Sharon Monde, Tom Farley, Frank Sauer, Ralph Orlik

           Remotely:  Mark Norman   

Tom Farley did not receive the minutes for the 7 Nov 23 meeting because the Secretary had an incorrect email address.  Tom's address has been updated and he has been sent the November minutes.  The November minutes were sent to all who were present at the meeting.  Board members who were not at the meeting did not get the minutes.  In the future, the minutes of meetings will be sent to all those who were present and to any Board member who was not present.  

November's minutes were approved, after accepting suggestions by Rob F. and Bernie D.

Membership Chair Dennis Macdonald is ready to send out invitations for current members to rejoin ASGC for 2024.  There is no reason to delay sending the invitations because of our pending change of fiscal year to the calendar year.  Treasurer Rob F. can accept any payments by check now but will not deposit them until January 2024.

Mark Norman has done some analysis of our membership data.  He has prepared a PowerPoint presentation that will be sent to Board members and discussed at the next meeting of the Board.

Treasurer Rob Fairweather handed out copies of the ASGC Budget proposed for 2024.  It included income of $6875 (275 members at $25 apiece), and $12,000 from tournaments (2 tourneys of 75 people at $85 apiece).  Expenses include $12,000 for tournaments, $2500 for prizes for 2 tournaments, $1000 for the general membership meetings, $2200 for subscriptions to iGolf (but not Club Express), etc., and $1150 for credit card fees and other service charges.  Discussion ensued on whether ASGC should subsidize tournament lunches (at $10).  Should any subsidies, for prizes, tournament lunches, or Club dinners, come from general funds rather than from entry fees?  And if so, do all members have an equal chance of receiving them?  We should tell members if their dues will be raised in order to provide subsidies.  More social events are desired by some Board members.  Some felt that the ending cash balance of about $6000 should be used for subsidizing Club events or be used for contingencies such as a website upgrade.  Rob F. indicated that the 2024 budget projects a $315 loss from operations and that we should be careful about spending any projected balance.  Tom F. noted, from historical records, that ASGC had more social events in the past (such as dinners where members and their wives attended), and that they were not subsidized by the Club.  

It was suggested that there be 2 types of members.  One kind only wants to play golf, and another wants more social activity.  The two types would pay different rates.  This seems too complicated to implement and enforce.  Another suggestion was to better explain the items included in 'Other' category or the contingencies which might be required. 

It was moved, seconded, and passed, to accept the budget for 2024 as presented.  It was also moved and passed that we do not raise the dues paid to ASGC.  They will remain at $25 for 2024.

Rob also presented an example of a payment system which he investigated.  'Stripe' is a low-cost option which does not require a contract nor minimum usage.  Stripe can be put on our website or be imbedded in an email request for payment of dues or entry fees.  It will give us a summary of who paid. It will not be used to pay fees to Arlington County.  Stripe will issue a 1099 form to us and the IRS at the end of a year.  The amount on the 1099 will be taxable if we don't have a tax-exempt status.  We have a 501(c)(7) status pending.  We will still have to file a brief form with the IRS when we become tax-exempt.  The Board voted to have Rob open a Stripe account.  It also chose not to subsidize those who pay by credit card, thus requiring them to pay the processing fee, as does Arlington County. Payment by check does not entail a processing fee although it does require more effort on the part of the Treasurer.

Maurice Spraggins is compiling a slate of candidates to serve as officers of ASGC in 2024 and be presented at the general meeting in January.  A candidate for second vice president is being sought.  

There should be an acknowledgement of Bob Dawson's service as Club historian.  A biography of Bob, as well as other founders of ASGC, should be added to the website and featured in the newsletter.  

Bob Odmark issued a tentative schedule of courses, with dates, for 2024.  The schedule was drawn up before the results of an online survey of Club members was taken.  There is general agreement between the courses scheduled and those for which our members expressed preferences.  Courses with less than stellar reviews, such as Augustine and National Golf, could be dropped.  Stonewall is not scheduled since it continues to demand that we sign a contract.  Piedmont volunteered to host a tournament.  Worthington Manor may want a contract in the future since only 35 of 80 golfers promised, showed up.  However, it was a very hot day, the course is in Maryland, and they would be unlikely to get 50 golfers from the public.  Worthington was a nice course, and not as far as PB Dye nor Little Bennett.  

The Survey indicated that one shotgun start a week in summer was acceptable.  Two per week would disappoint those who like to or must play later in the day.  The survey did not distinguish between those who disliked a course from those who didn't play or were indifferent. Reasons for dislikes, such as distance to a course, were not sought.

This year's Getaway was not really a getaway.  It was close enough so that some golfers commuted to the course rather than staying nearby.  We need a getaway organizer for 2024.  The Board needs to set guidelines for such a leader.  Factors might be: how to get more than 50 players; choosing an acceptable distance to travel; enhanced social activity; etc.

Bernie asked how we might allow some players to only pay for and play 9 holes.  It would depend on whether courses would like it, what it would cost, whether members would want to drive to courses to play only 9 holes, or if they would be more likely to socialize afterward. 

Brad James, club photographer, has put together a video on the year 2023.  See our website to view.

We did not get through all the items on the agenda in this meeting.  The meeting will continue on 19 December 2023.

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Minutes of the ASGC Board of Directors Meeting - Approved December 4, 2023

When:  7 November 2023, 1 pm to 3 pm

Where:  Lubber Run Community Center, Arlington VA

Who:  In Person:  Rob Fairweather, Bob Odmark, Art Hauptman, Sidney Reid, Dennis Macdonald, Frank Sauer, Tom Farley, Ralph Orlik, Bernie Dennis

           Remotely:  Mark Norman

Bernie Dennis offered 2 changes to the Minutes of the 18 September 2023 meeting of the Board.  One was to correct the number of members in ASGC from 279 to 285.  The other was an answer to a question proposed in the Minutes that messages, reminding players when they are scheduled to play, should be sent out close to the date on which they are scheduled to play.  Bernie said that iGolf can do this, automatically.  Bob Odmark also sends an email to players to remind them of upcoming play-dates in a given week.  It was suggested that not only the date of play but the time of play be included.   However, tee times can be changed during the week by players making requests to Bob Odmark, and also by Bob Odmark as he consolidates the tee sheet to fill each time slot with 4 players.  This can significantly change the tee time which was assigned a player after the Lottery was run.  The direction of change is usually to an earlier tee time.  Players should check iGolf the day before playing, to see the latest version of the tee sheet, which should be close to the one that Bob sends to the golf course.  

Dennis Macdonald said that inactive members are included in the number of members, 285.  The maximum number of members allowed in the club, the Cap or Ceiling, currently 325, also includes inactive members.  Dennis summarized the 55 emails he received from members who did not renew their memberships in 2023.   26 gave no reason, 9 moved out of the area, 7 had medical issues, 4 had schedule conflicts, 4 were not playing enough, others cited Covid, traffic, slow play, etc.  Dennis sent an email to 77 members, not on the inactive list, who had not recorded more than 4 plays, as of July 2023, reminding them that we have a 7-play minimum.  He said that, prior to the Pandemic, we lose about 40 members each year.  Sidney said that Arlington County programs are not yet back to the pre-Covid levels.  Mark Norman was tasked with analyzing the numbers of members joining or leaving ASGC in the last few years.  Has the distribution of ages changed over time, for example? 

The Ceiling on the number of members has risen over time from under 100 to 325, now.  We need enough members to produce a sufficient number of players to keep the golf courses happy and our Club running.  Half of our members must reside in Arlington County.  If less than 163 members from Arlington have joined the Club, the Ceiling will be less than 325.   We have had a waiting list of potential members, mostly from outside of Arlington, that has stretched to four of five years of waiting.  The requirement of a minimum of 7 plays in a season encourages players to remain active members, although no one has been dropped from the Club for lack of play, in the last few years.  In fact, the waiting list was cleared of waiters in 2019.  The current number of members, 285, is 40 below our Ceiling of 325.  We now need to market ASGC to potential members, especially those from Arlington, to prevent further decline.  The 55+ membership can be a place to start.  We need to encourage current members to renew, but not too soon, since we are changing our fiscal year to the calendar year, starting in January 2024.

Treasurer Rob Fairweather presented 2 options for the 2024 budget, a Chevy and a Cadillac.  Assumptions for option 1 are that we have 275 members at $25 apiece, 50% of the dues are collected through a payment processor ( which will charge a fee of about 3%), and there are 4 compensated rounds;  option 2 assumes $30 per member, 75% of dues and fees collected by a processor, there are 8 compensated rounds, we subsidize 150 lunches ( at Tournaments ) at $10 apiece, that we allow for 40 rounds at $50 apiece, to be paid to a course, if we do not meet the turnout that a contract promised.   Option 2's expenses will be $11,020 versus option 1's $6880.  The cost of purchasing, installing, and training for Club Express would add $2650.  Constant Contact is being investigated to see if it meets our communication needs.  Rob asked for input from all Board members for any other expected expenses, such as our own subscription to Zoom.  The budget options will be voted on in our December meeting, especially the $25 vs $30 dues.  Discussion of who is on the Board and gets to vote, followed.  Our by-laws and the Operations manual don't always agree and could leave us open to a legal challenge.  Thanks were given to our retired Historian, Bob Dawson, who passed away this week.

Rob also gave us a chart comparing charges of 3 payment processors.  Using a payment platform may generate a 1099 statement, which could be considered taxable.  We are pursuing getting a 501(c)(7) tax status, so we avoid this.

Golf Coordinator Bob Odmark reported that the many changes to the tee time sheet, just days before the play day, are confusing members, who don't know that their times have changed, and the courses, which want an accurate list of players.  iGolf has the latest version of tee times and should be consulted before playing.  Having iGolf send a message to each member involved in any tee sheet change can result in the member getting several messages.  We need to emphasize at the annual meetings that members can't assume that their tee time won't change in the week before they play.  Slow play is still a problem.   Playing from the 'proper' tee can help.  Guidelines for choosing the proper tee include age, sex, average length of drives, average length of 7 iron shots, length of the course, etc.  For awarding prizes for long drives, closest to pin, gross and net scores, we need to group players fairly.

The 7-play minimum rule came under fire.  It might have been announced in the 2023 annual meetings, but no such documentation has been found.  Due to the declining number of members, the lack of any appreciable waiting list, strong opposition to the idea of any minimum number of plays by some members, and some doubt that the 7-play minimum was in effect in 2023, the Board voted not to enforce it again this year.  The Board has such discretion and exercised it.  We need to revise the by-laws to make it clearer why a minimum number of plays is required, when it is in effect, and when it may be waived.   Tabulating the number of times a member has played relies on the members faithfully entering scores in a spreadsheet.  Accepting 'excuses' for not meeting the minimum has been very liberal, recently.

The next meeting of the Board will be on 4 December 2023.    

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Minutes of the ASGC Board of Directors Meeting - Approved November 6, 2023

When:   18 September 2023, 2 to 4 pm.

Where:  Lubber Run Community Center

Who:  In Person: Art Hauptman, Rob Fairweather, Bob Odmark, Mark Robertson, Dave Hundelt, Bernie Dennis, Maurice Spraggins, Sidney Reid, Ralph Orlik

           Remote:  Sharon Monde, Mark Norman

Art Hauptman opened the meeting.  The minutes from the 17 July 2023 meeting were approved.  Art noted that a quorum was not present.

Bernie Dennis reported on the status of the membership.  We have 285 members.  There are people on the wait list who could join the Club now but have chosen to wait until 2024.

Rob Fairweather reported that 74 members were signed up for the Club tournament on 28 September, at Bull Run Golf course. Not all of them have paid the $85 entry fee.  $4700 in entry fees have been received so far from 55 players.  The deadline for entry has been extended to 21 September.  Members with checks can bring them to Lake Presidential golf course on the 19th or 21st of September, and hand them to Rob or Bob Odmark.

Golf coordinator Bob Odmark reported that slow play is still with us.  Rounds at Worthington Manor were very slow, but mainly due to groups that were sent out in front of the ASGC groups.  Tuesday rounds at Rock Harbor were slow, maybe due to other groups and confusing course directions.  However, the Thursday rounds, for some of us, at Blue Ridge Shadows went quickly.  We can try to put known slow players at the end of the day, but if they have signed up for early time slots, they would be unhappy.  It is probably better to reward slow players for playing faster to than punish the faster players.  Slow play is a perennial problem that we have not been able to fix.  No new measures will be tried this year, but a committee of Bob, Maurice, and Dave ( visitor to Board meeting) will meet to address the problem.  

Sidney reported that Arlington County has not changed its Covid policy as of now.  There were two members who dropped out of the Getaway due to Covid.  Sidney wants us to set a date for the January meeting of the members.  Rob wants membership for 2024 to open in January rather than December 2023, so that our fiscal year will correspond to the calendar year.  The County cannot handle a hybrid meeting, i.e. with Zoom, at LRCC.  Dates that were considered are the 18th and 22nd of January 2024.  Mark Norman will replace Dennis Macdonald as membership chairman.

Art declared the Getaway a success but wants a new leader next year.   We had 32, 28, and 16 players on Tues, Wed, Thurs, the 12, 13, 14 September.  Since the venues were close enough to DC, some players became day-trippers who didn't stay in the Hotel.  Having to drive from the Hotel to the golf course for meals was no great problem.  Rock Harbor golf course was thought too rocky and complicated.  Suggestions were made for the next Getaway to be East of DC in Queenstown or Hog Neck, still close enough for day-trippers.  

Sharon called in to discuss the Tournament on 28 September.  She reported 59 entries, less than Rob reported, above.  She needs to give the course a firm number of players, a couple days before the Tournament, for planning the food and drink.  Bob Odmark will work with the Bull Run pro, to coordinate the number and groupings of golfers and the holes that will be used.  Bob, Sharon, and Maurice will talk about the awarding of prizes, given our budget and the arrangement of flights.  There was a discussion of which tees are to be used for different 'flights' of players, especially for long-drive and closest-to-pin holes.  Since members report their scores during the year according to their own versions of the rules, should they play by their own rules in a tournament, or should we try to enforce some standard set of rules, for one day a year?  Tournament refund policy is on the website. 

Mark Robertson will publish a Newsletter in October, covering the Getaway and the Tournament.  We are aiming to publish a monthly Newsletter. 

iGolf came in for some criticism.  There have been several instances where the names of golfers have disappeared from the tee-time sheet, without a suitable explanation.  It may have to do with the locking of the tee sheets in iGolf when the pairings are being sent to a golf course.  The multiple email messages that are sent to a member after the lottery is run or after he signs up for a time slot are easily forgotten when it comes around to the play date, which could be month away.  iGolf can send out an email, nearer to the date on which a player is scheduled to play, as a reminder.  Bob Odmark also sends players a reminder message.   iGolf does not handle shotgun starts well. Golfers want to sign up to play in a group with their friends; all groups have the same starting time; the hole assignment will be done by the course, at its convenience.    Scrambles are shotguns where the players are assigned to groups, outside of iGolf.

Bernie Dennis spoke on Club Express (CE), the package that that a Task Force chaired by Mark Norman has been considering using for our membership data.  The Task Force has been investigating how it can fulfill our needs.  CE can store documents and photos in a central database, accessible by all members.  It has training videos, and no contract is required.  There is a monthly hosting fee, which will cost us about $5 per year per member.  It will require us to train our members and assign someone to administer CE.  It can link to our Excel spreadsheets but does not support its own.  CE duplicates what we have now and has more than we need.  Its reports are different than ours.  Our desire to allow Credit Card or other electronic payments could be done in other ways.  Accepting payment by check would cost a dollar or more per check in CE.  We are already proficient in Excel.  We will talk to the Encore organization, which uses Constant Contact, to see what alternatives there are.  We don't have a paid staff to maintain a new system.  We need a webmaster, an Excel master, and an iGolf supporter, now.  Can we bite off more? The Board directed the Task Force to continue looking for options to improve our membership record keeping and website.

The date of the next meeting was not set.

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Minutes of the ASGC Board of Directors Meeting - Approved September 18, 2023

When: 17 July 2023, 10 am to noon

Where: Walter Reed Community Center

Who:  Art Hauptman, Rob Fairweather, Bob Odmark, Sidney Reid, Bernie Dennis, Dennis Macdonald, Maurice Spraggins, Ralph Orlik, Mark Norman, Mark Robertson

          Frank Sauer will be on medical leave from ASGC duties, for July and August 2023

           Dale Strawser, past President, has left the area.

Art Hauptman, President, opened the meeting.  The Minutes of the 22 May 2023 meeting, as amended, were approved.

Art attempted to speed up slow play by suggesting that two players sharing a cart can generally play faster than a player alone in a cart, but he received negative feedback from the object of his suggestion.  He noted that 'ready golf' is not universally practiced.  Many courses don't provide marshals with authority to hurry-up slow groups.  The Coordinator can't both play and monitor all the other golfers.  100 golfers are expected on Tuesday, the 18th, at Raspberry Falls, so we need to play 'ready golf'.

Dennis Macdonald reported that our current number of members is 279.  The wait list has 3 Arlington residents and 4 from elsewhere.  13 members are in the 'limited play' category, both short and long term.  There was one application received in June and 2 in July.   It doesn't look like we will reach the number that we had last year.

Rob Fairweather reported that dues for 3 more members ($25 apiece) were received since May, making the total amount received $6800, which is $700 less than the budgeted amount, for 300 members.

Coordinator Bob Odmark reported that the pace of play for the shotgun start at Forest Greens was painfully slow.  Many players clocked 5-hour rounds.  All the players were started on one nine, doubling up on par 4's and 5's.  This may not have been the reason for the slow play, in itself, since a few very slow groups could slow everybody behind them.  We will try arranging the groups playing in a shotgun so that slower groups don't hold up the rest.  The shotgun at Prince William, two weeks before, did not have such problems.  

The Coordinator was made to pay for his round of golf on Tuesday at Reston.  He doesn't normally pay for his golf, since he is awarded a complimentary round for his duties as a starter.  However, new management at Reston, and other courses may have misunderstood the custom, or were trying to eliminate it?  By Thursday, however, the customary complimentary round was awarded to Bob.  It was pointed out that the 'special' rate we pay for our golf was no different than the mid-week rate for seniors, at some courses.  The starting times for shotgun starts varies with the courses and is sometimes changed late in the week before play.  A shotgun at Loudon CC will start at Noon on a Monday.

Sidney Reid needs volunteer hours to be reported.  Frank's illness has slowed the reporting?  She wants to insert notices in the County newsletter for future events, such as the Annual Meeting in January.

Art said that people have been slow in signing up for the Getaway in September.  We are encouraged to 'talk it up' and we will include notices in the forthcoming newsletter.

Tom Farley was not present to report on the doings of the Historical Records Committee.  It is working on moving ASGC data to an Arlington County file server.

Mark Norman reported for the Committee on Club Software.  He said that seven members of the Board have been a 'task force' that has been investigating the possible use of a commercial software system to manage ASGC's data.  The task force has held 3 meetings, set objectives and goals, evaluated potential packages, and met with representatives of some packages.  The main goal is to have a single, integrated system which we can use to input, manage, and display the data that we now have stored in several spreadsheets. The package recommended by the task force is called Club Express.  It includes 26 pre-programmed modules for us to access the SQL database for reports and inquiries.  It can accept payments of golf fees and dues, by credit card, PayPal, and even checks (for a fee).  Club Express will offer training sessions, technical support, and will assist us in loading our data into the database.  There are costs involved.   A one-time set up fee can range from $150 to $1000.  It will cost us $600 to get an EIN and apply for IRS status 501(c)(7) as a nonprofit organization.  Then there will be a monthly fee of about $115 ( $1400 per year), based on our projected membership of 300.  We will have to raise the annual dues by at least $5.   A fee of approximately 3% per payment transaction will be absorbed by the Club. 

Bernie gave us a look at how our current files of member data, scores, news, historical data, calendar, photographs, documents, emails, surveys, meeting minutes, bulletin boards, web pages, etc. would appear in CE.  Each type of data can individually be made visible to or hidden from members or the public.  How each of these types of data get entered into CE, without re-keying them, and maintained by the individuals responsible for them, are procedures that will need to be worked out, and will be included in our Operations Manual.  CE offers a 60-day trial period for us to load some of our data and try out the various options.

The Board voted for the task force to continue learning about CE, to get an EIN, and IRS status 501(c)(7), arrange for a 60-day trial, and report back at the September meeting.  

We would like to have the system in place for our 2024 golf year.  The current systems will need to remain in place until we are confident that CE is operating as advertised.  There will be training required for each of us who has data that will be transferred to CE.  CE will not replace iGolf, which costs us $150 per month.

Mark Robertson and Art are using the Encore newsletter as a model for ASGC's.  We are asked to submit news items to Mark, so he can get the first edition prepared.

Now that we are doing one shotgun start per week, the performance of iGolf has come into question.  Singles who enter the lottery don't get a whole time slot to themselves--iGolf will consolidate groups, depending on each individual's weighting by iGolf.  The Coordinator will do a final consolidation of the tee sheet, before sending it to a course.  Post-lottery signup may be better for singles.   For shotguns, iGolf will be used for signing-up groups of players.  These groups, after consolidation, will be sent to the course, which then can decide which groups are assigned to which holes.  Players should not expect to know the hole they start on until they get to the course.  The order in which groups are assigned to holes will be arranged by the Coordinator.

The date of the August meeting was not set.

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Minutes of the ASGC Board of Directors Meeting - Approved May 22, 2023

When:  17 April 2023, 10 am.

Where:  Lubber Run Community Center

Who:  Frank Sauer, Art Hauptman,Bernie Dennis, Mark Norman, Rob Fairweather, Maurice Spraggins, Sharon Monde, Mark Robertson, Bob Odmark, Ralph Orlik, Sidney Reid, Tom Farley

Art Hauptman called the meeting to order.  The Minutes of the 20 March 2023 Board Meeting were approved and will be posted to the ASGC web site.

Tom Farley, who is replacing Bob Dawson as Club Historian, came to his first Board Meeting.

Art announced that the dates for the September Getaway to the North Shenandoah area, have been moved a week later, from 5-7 September to 12-14 September.  This change will make necessary a rescheduling of our play at Worthington Manor, currently scheduled for 13-14 September.  Golf at a course on the way back from Shenandoah was discussed, such as Stonewall.

Maurice Spraggins presented his rules for combatting slow play, by playing 'ready golf'.  Ready Golf means not always waiting until you are the farthest from the hole, to play.  It means picking up your ball when your next stroke is for 3 over par on a hole.  It means taking no more than 3 putts on a hole (does that mean that your 3rd putt is a gimme, or your 4th putt is a gimme?)  It means staying close to the group in front of you.  It means obeying the Marshal when he tells you to skip a hole.  It means finishing a round in less than 4.5 hours as you follow the hole-by-hole timings found on your score card or on your cart.  It means making only one trip from your cart to your ball before you hit it, i.e., take with you all the clubs you need and your rangefinder, etc.  It means playing off the proper tee, depending on the distance that you normally drive the ball.  It means spending only 2 minutes looking for a lost ball.  It means conceding a putt that is 'within the leather'.

These are rules to be followed in our regular play.  These are the rules by which we establish an 'average score'.  Are they also the rules we use in a Scramble or Championship play, where prize money is involved?  There are differences of opinion on the rules when closest-to-the-pin, longest drive, 2-drive minimum from each player are considered.  Should we have 2 flights in a Championship, one for the 10% of golfers who want to play by USGA rules, off the back tees, and one for all others?

The  members of ASGC are expected to adhere to the Code of Conduct of  the Department of Parks and Recreation of Arlington County.  The Code describes, briefly, basic rules of behavior, and the consequences when those rules are ignored.  Consequences  are: a Warning, a Suspension, and a Termination, in that order.  An appeal process exists.  Some deemed the Consequences too harsh, but there was a time when such a process  was thought necessary.  The Rules of Play and the Code of Conduct are to be printed on the two sides of a laminated card, to be issued to ASGC members, for attaching to your golf bag, for frequent consultation.  We will look into how much 200-300 copies might cost, once we have final drafts of what we want to say.

Alternate payments, i.e., paying fees to the County or golf courses, without using cash or checks, was discussed.  Services such as Venmo or Zelle or PayPal can charge hefty fees, require a tax-exempt status, invoke reporting to the IRS when a minimum amount is reached, or require a corporate cell phone or email address be used.  No decision was reached.

A Newsletter, to be called Divoteer, Ready Golf, etc, was discussed.  It might include current news like good scores, tournament results, photographs, rule reminders, etc.  It could also feature ASGC History, biographies of members (with permissions, of course).  Constant Contact has a Newsletter template we might use.  The County has a template for organization's newsletters.  Bob Dawson has written a draft History of ASGC.  Tom Farley will try to locate that and also boxes of documents which Bill Dawson might still have.  The Operations Manual is the place to define how all our various means of communication (Meeting minutes, newsletters, emails to members, survey results, iGolf information, Club History, etc.) should be coordinated and stored for posterity to see.

Currently there are 263 members who have joined ASGC.  All those on the waiting list have been sent invitations to join.  If we reach a maximum of 270, e.g., (i.e. 30 short of our expected number of 300), we will fall $750 short of our budgeted income (30 members at $25).  We will spend $1000 on the Scramble prizes, $250 less than budgeted.

The next Board meeting is set for 22 May 2023, a Monday.  Signup for June play will be on 21-23 May.  Survey results for the iGolf signup, for May, were good.  We may not have the June survey results for the May meeting.

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Minutes of the ASGC Board of Directors Meeting - Approved April 17, 2023

When:  20 March 2023, 10 am

Where:  Lubber Run Community Center

Who:  in person, Sharon Monde, Maurice Spraggins, Frank Sauer, Bernie Dennis, Dennis Macdonald, Bob Odmark, Ralph Orlik, Rob Fairweather, Mark Robertson, Art Hauptman, Sidney Reid

          via Zoom:  Mark Norman

Art Hauptman opened the meeting with a vote to accept the Minutes of the prior Board meeting, on 23 Feb 2023.  With no dissenting votes, the Minutes were accepted.

Tom Farley was introduced, in absentia, as Historian of ASGC, replacing Bob Dawson.  Mark Robertson will work on creating a newsletter, to replace the now defunct Divoteer. Old copies of the Divoteer should be passed on to Mark.  

Do we need a Communications Chair, to coordinate the gathering and storing of our records?  Dennis said that not everything should be made public.  Bernie suggested that we could store working records in the 'cloud' with access for the Board, and then erase them if they are not to be made permanent.  It was suggested that the Coordinator, as an Employee of the County and likely to be around longer than Board members, be the 'memory' of the Club.  However, this would not be one of the duties for which he is paid.

Rob Fairweather reported on the treasury.  He stated that we are currently about $1300 short of the projected intake of membership dues, since there are only 245 members paid, of the expected 300.  One check, claimed to be sent in, has yet to be found.  We spent $845 on the food and drink at our two general membership meetings in January and March..  We have paid $1800 ( plus a handling fee of $54) for 12 months of iGolf usage.  

Rob, et al. met with the Alliance, to discuss joining them as way of accepting alternate payments, such as PayPal.  This would require that we have a 501(c)(3) tax status and get an EIN.  This avenue was not deemed viable for now.  Using the Eventbrite platform is also not a viable option, since it is set up for selling tickets, charges 8-13% fees, and also requires an EIN for receiving 1099's.  Status 501(c)(7) is still an option.

Dennis Macdonald reported on the membership.  We have 137 active and 9 inactive members from Arlington; 107 active and 2 inactive members outside of Arlington; 7 checks 'in-the-mail'.  2 checks will be carried over for a year, for 2 members who will be out-of-state for the golf year.  Only members who have paid their $25 are registered in iGolf--non-payers cannot sign up to play.  Invitations to join have been sent to all those on the wait list.   35 members from 2022 have not responded to emails inviting them to rejoin.  54 members from 2022 did not return for 2023.  The reasons for the seeming decline in membership were attributed to aging of membership, post-pandemic drop in play, players moving away from the area, etc. A notice will be included in the 55+ publication, to recruit new members.

Golf Coordinator Bob Odmark reported that the PB Dye golf course has been added back to the schedule.  It will replace one of the plays at the National Golf Course in Fort Washington.  The day will probably be 30 May 2023, since a survey had equal numbers of golfers (54) preferring Tuesday or Thursday.  A 9 am start time proposed by the course is rather late, since the last groups wouldn't tee off until nearly 1 PM, but an early start might be a problem for some who come from a long way away.  A shotgun start might be preferable?  The $60 fee is predicated on there being 80 golfers.    

The 28, 30 March dates at the VGC will go on, rain or shine or cold, since they have more indoor facilities.  There will not be any play from sand traps.  

Dennis Macdonald sent copies of the Operations Manual to Board Members, for comment.  He especially thanked Bernie, Frank, Art, and Mark Norman for their work.  The OM is meant to accompany the By Laws.  It will describe the responsibilities of the Board, standing Committees, ad hoc committees (e.g. the development of the OM), and Activity Centers.  It will help both current and new volunteers to understand where they fit in.  The By Laws should be on our web site--they will not change very often, whereas the OM is meant to be updated more frequently.  The OM is now 26 pages and growing.  The Board voted to approve the 2023 version of the OM.

Maurice had to leave before any serious discussion of the proposed Rules of Play could take place.  He was promised a full hearing at the next Board meeting.  The nature of the Rules was briefly discussed--are they really to be prescriptive rules that we try to enforce, or are they only suggestions to be considered by members?  The Rules, and the suggestions for combating Slow Play, could be put on a two-sided card.  Are the Rules for tournaments to be different than the Rules for regular play days?  

Bernie noted that signup for April golf tee times is underway.  The Lottery will be executed on Tuesday, 21 March.   For several days now, golfers have been able to put in 'bids' for the April tee times they wanted.  Using Bernie's suggestions from the 1 March membership meeting, golfers will try not to request tee times exactly on the hour or half-hour, and will specify a reasonable window within which they want to play.  After the Lottery is executed, golfers will receive an email for each tee time they were awarded in April.  There could be several emails, all at once.  Anecdotal evidence was cited that a single golfer got a time slot, assigned by iGolf, for himself, being given priority over a foursome.  If this happens, there are ways to deal with it.  One is to enter iGolf after the Lottery was executed and grab any empty slots.  Another is that the Coordinator will close up holes in the tee sheet.  Rather than trying to change iGolf to deal with an anomaly, we should let iGolf work its magic.  It will keep a history of which tee times that golfers get, or did not get, and adjust weights in the system so that no one gets too many of the 'best' times.  We need to trust the system for which we are paying $150 per month to do what other users say it does well. We can keep a list of complaints about iGolf, or do a survey of golfers, for their opinions.  We should encourage our members to get used to the system and see if their problems are solved. 

Sharon Monde is working with Twin Lakes golf course on our scramble tournament on 4 May 2023.  She cited a price of $75 per golfer, with a box lunch for an additional $12.  We will set the price at $85.  There will be no lunch-subsidy available this year as was last year.  The budget shortfall, so far, may require a reduction in prize money, down from the budgeted $2500 (for two tournaments).  We will still have to collect checks from members who enter the scramble.  We need to set a date for entries to be received, by mid-April.  No checks allowed at the door, since we have to place an order for food with the course and know who is playing so that we can do an equitable draw, using the average scores of the entrants. 

The meeting was adjourned before the agenda was completed.  The Getaway on 5-7 Sep 2023 was mentioned.  There was no date set for the next meeting of the Board. 

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Minutes of the ASGC General Membership Meeting #2

When:  1 March 2023, 11:30 am

Where:  Walter Reed Community Center

Who:  47 ASGC members, in person; 26, via Zoom.

The first half hour was taken up by consuming pizza, salad, cookies, and soft drinks, in the cafeteria.

The meeting proper started next door, with a big screen and audio-visuals.

Art Hauptman, President of ASGC, opened the meeting with a review of the structure of the ASGC.  He noted that there are:

Elected officers, such as President, 1st and 2nd Vice Presidents, Secretary, Membership;

A Golf Coordinator, an employee of Arlington County;

Standing Committee chairs, such as for Tournament, IT;

Activity Managers such as for Scores, Well Being, Photography, Getaway, History; 

Ad Hoc committees such as for Rules, Operations Manual, iGolf, By Laws, Website, Alternative payments.  

Plans for 2023 include a golf tune-up at VGC in March; 7 months of golf (April through October); a monthly Newsletter; the Gosling Scramble tournament on May 4th; a mid-season dinner in July; a Getaway on 5-7 September; the Somers Club Championship; an end-of-season dinner in November.  The Getaway will be held on Blue Ridge Shadows golf course and at least one other nearby course.  Players will stay in the Double Tree hotel at BRS.  Deposits won't be due until August.

Always on the agenda is combating slow play, by promoting ready golf.

Treasurer Rob Fairweather reported that our income consists of the dues ($25 apiece) that we have received from 240 members, so far.  This is short of the 300 members that we expect to have.  Our only expenses have been the food and drinks for our 2 Membership meetings.  We currently have a cash balance of around $11,000.  Our annual audit has been completed.  Rob is looking into how we can accept payments by credit card or other electronic means.  A processor of such payments requires that we have an EIN.  We have 2 tax-exempt alternatives.  We can apply for a 501(c)(7) status as a social club (and pay $600); or join the Arlington Alliance as a 501(c)(3) organization.

Dennis Macdonald reported on our Membership.  In 2022, we had 151 members from Arlington and 141 not from Arlington.  In 2023, we have 125 members from Arlington; 112 not Arlington; and 20 on the Wait List.  58 Arlington residents have been invited to join, as have 25 non-Arlingtonians.  

Maurice Spraggins reported that we are finalizing a brief list of Rules of Play, aimed primarily at speeding it up.  He envisions a set of rules that will fit on a card that can be attached to a golf cart right in front of the players.  Comments by ASGC members will be solicited before a final version is decided on.

Golf Coordinator Bob Odmark distributed the tentative list of golf courses that we will be playing in 2023.  Some changes are expected to occur, as the season wears on.  Our season starts, as before, with 2 days of instruction at the Virginia Golf Center, near Twin Lakes golf courses.  There will be 3 sessions on 3 aspects of the game; players can choose which sessions to attend; the cost will be $50.  9-holes of golf are optional and will cost extra.  There are about eight Shotgun starts scheduled for the Hot months of the summer.  A group of players who prefer to play only 9 holes is organizing itself.  The golf courses will have input into shotgun starts, where everyone pays at once, and 9-hole play where course maintenance might be impacted.  We have added to the schedule playdays at National GC (in Ft Washington, MD), Prince William GC, Loudon CC, Brambleton, Lake Presidential, and Worthington Manor.  PB Dye was considered but not added due to difficulty, travel distance, and price. Stonewall is not in the schedule since they demanded a signed contract, which we cannot abide.

Dennis Macdonald talked about the Operations Manual which is under development.  It is intended to accompany the By Laws, which describe the officers, committees, and policies of ASGC.  The OM describes how ASGC works.  It will flesh out the policies described in the By Laws, so the By Laws will not have to change very often.  The OM will define the Coordinator's work, the Activity Centers, standing Committees, member services, the informing of members via a newsletter, the website, etc.

Dennis mentioned the distribution of ages in ASGC, where about 70% of us are over 70 years old, and the average age is about 76.  The definition of who is a Super Senior may need revision, especially when prizes are awarded in tournaments.

Dennis suggested that we have a videographer, in addition to a club photographer--someone who documents us, especially how we swing the golf club.

Bernie Dennis offered tips on using iGolf's Equitable Draw (aka Lottery) mode.  We will be using iGolf to sign up for all play this year, using the Lottery mode. Our trial run of the Lottery in October, 2022, showed that 81.5% of bids for a tee time specified a time that ended in xx:00 or xx:30.  Bernie says that we should pick times that are not exactly on the hour or half hour, to let the algorithm work its magic.  85.1% of bids for a tee time got a time within 1/2 hour of the bid.  Only 2.6% got a tee time 2 hours from that requested.  Bernie says that if we pick a window of acceptance that is too large, iGolf can assign any tee time it wants.  A window should be neither too large nor too small.  For the 8+ shotgun starts, we can bid on the starting hole for a group, not the tee time.  For new members, there are videos on the website to help them get started.  Tee times for April will be open for bidding in late March.  Even after the bidding is closed and the Lottery is run, for the whole next month, there is time to change things directly in iGolf or by calling Bob Odmark, after the Thursday before the week of play.   We should trust that experience using the Lottery will show it to be easy to use and make us all happy?

Bernie also encouraged members to use the website.  It has lots of information on Breaking News, Player of the Month, reporting of scores, average scores, FAQ's, photos, meeting minutes, training videos, the schedule of play, directions to the courses, results of member surveys, By Laws, Operations Manual, and more.

Fernando Martinez had less time than he expected to convince us to play faster golf.  He came with 18 suggestions that got boiled down to a few--play fast, everybody watch where every shot ends up, even if it's a bad shot, and don't spend time looking for lost balls--they won't be lost if everyone watches.  He had volunteers swing a club that clicked when acceleration was greatest.  The volunteers all clicked too soon, leading to a loss of power in their swings. He used a coat hanger to show us that rotating our hands is not good; and he said that we must turn our shoulders first, which takes our arms back.  He offered deals on Callaway clubs and said to come out to VGC at end of March.  

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Minutes of the ASGC Board of Directors Meeting - Approved March 20, 2023

When:   13 Feb 2023, 11:00 am

Where:  Lubber Run Community Center

Who:   In person:  Maurice Spraggins, Sidney Reid, Bernie Dennis, Frank Sauer, Bob Odmark, Dennis Macdonald, Art Hauptman, Rob Fairweather, Ralph Orlik

            Via Zoom:  Mark Norman, Sharon Monde

Approval of minutes and Announcements

The Minutes of our last meeting, 9 Jan 2023, were not approved.  Bernie had comments that were not included in the latest draft; Frank referred to Attachments which were not included with the paragraph that he supplied.

Art confirmed that the second ASGC General Membership meeting will be held at Walter Reed CC, on 1 March 2023, starting at 11:30 am.

He also stated that the First and Second Vice Presidents do need to be elected each year.  

The Activity Managers (formerly committee chairs) were listed:  Brad James, Photography; Bob Dawson, History; Sharon Monde and Maurice Spraggins, Tournaments; Ruth Ann Neely, Well Being; Mike Marron, Scores; Mark Robertson, Newsletter; Alternate Venue (formerly Getaway), vacant; Dennis Macdonald, Operations Manual; Pace-of-Play, Ad hoc.

Treasurer’s Report

Rob Fairweather said that 227 members have paid the $25 fee, which is 73 short of the projected number.  That number will increase, as those on the Wait List are being invited to join ASGC, starting 1 Feb 2023.

Richard Brandenburg has done a draft of the Audit, but still needs the number of Volunteer hours.  

Rob is pursuing the idea of Alternate Payments, i.e., using electronic means to pay golf and greens fees.  A tax-exempt status of 501(c)(3) or a social club status of 501(c)(7) could be necessary.  That might involve an application and a one-time $600 fee.  Also, a 3% processing fee for each transaction would be charged to us.  The processor would provide us with a 1099 form each year, for tax purposes.  IRS is not interested in all our transactions, but only the bottom line, i.e., the end-of-year balance.

Selling of tee shirts for profit, could be reportable, but only if the sales were a significant portion of Club income.   

Membership Report

Dennis Macdonald said that of 227 members, 118 are Arlington residents, fulfilling the requirement that more than 50% of our members are in-County.  45 members from 2022 have not yet rejoined; 13 are inactive; 31 are on the Wait List (11 from Arlington).  55 2022 members withdrew, and 20 more in 2023.  We should get to 300+ members by April.  4 or more of 13 Inactive members are expected to return to Active status.   Discussion followed with Board commentary:  Only one of the 3 fees are waived (the ASGC fee) for members who are 90+   One had paid and received a refund.  Those who did not renew did so for various reasons.  We don't have good statistics on why they dropped out.  We do have good data for the distributions of ages of our members, but not on the number of rounds that they play.  We would want the latter if we are going to divide players into flights for tournament prizes?

Coordinator's Report

Bob Odmark said that the 28, 30 March dates at the Virginia Golf Center will function like they did last year.   Participants will be divided into 3 groups, and will be able to choose which of 3 activity types they need improving in.  A survey of participants will be conducted, to gauge attendance and preferences.  

Bob has tried to alternate Shotgun starts scheduled, between Tuesdays and Thursdays, in the hotter months.  A total of 16 shotguns are scheduled now, but this number may be adjusted as the season progresses.  The starting time for a shotgun is a compromise--those who want to play very early may have to wait for the Shotgun, while those who normally play later, have to come earlier.  Distance to the course is also a factor.   Too many people trying to pay greens fees at the same time is feared by some courses.  Mixing tee-time play with shotgun play might work, if courses agree to it.   Weather delays and no-show policies need clarification.

PB Dye course is distant, difficult, and expensive--even if we can produce a turnout of 80 or more.  Prince William course seems eager for us to increase the number of plays there.  Monday- or Wednesday-play courses: Piedmont, 1757, Loudon, Brambleton, Reston, Worthington Manor.

Tentative schedule will be presented at 1 Mar 2023 meeting.  The setup of iGolf is OK with having shotguns combined with tee-time golf.

County

A link is available on the ASGC web site to get quickly to the Arlington County page on which one can pay the two fees due Arlington County.

March Membership Meeting

Bernie is coordinating the supply of pizza and drinks at the 1 Mar 2023 meeting.  There will not be a visual Zoom link, but audio, only, via the County.  Bernie may be able to remedy.  A speaker will be asked to concentrate on playing Ready Golf, to combat the perennial slow play problems.  A video presentation may be available.  The food policy at Walter Reed is in flux?  A bigger screen was requested.  

Operations Manual and By Laws

Dennis Macdonald is still editing the Manual.  It is currently at 48 unnumbered pages.  He hopes to finish his work in a couple weeks.  Prospective volunteers (15) and members new to ASGC are the target audience of the OM.  It will contain the Code of Conduct, Rules of Play, Active vs Inactive membership status, Activity centers and standing or ad hoc committee activities, reporting of scores, 7-play minimum, etc.  A draft of the OM will be available for discussion at the 1 Mar 2023 meeting.  The OM is envisioned to work with the By Laws.  The By Laws will set the policies of ASGC while the OM will specify the details.  Bernie reminded us that any changes to the By Laws must be presented to the Membership 15 days before being voted on, at the General Membership Meeting.  I.E., it is too late for any changes at the 1 Mar 2023 meeting.  The date of formation of ASGC, and whether there was a Charter to begin with, will be referred to Bob Dawson, our Historian.  

Rules and Slow Play

Maurice Spraggins handed out 3 documents:  USGA rules, ASGC rules, and Recommendations to improve, i.e., eliminate, slow play.  He asked for comments, especially on the latter two.  Enforcing any policy to speed up slow play will meet with opposition--we need to sell it.

iGolf

Frank is adding directions, in iGolf, to the courses that we will be playing.  The signup for play, starting in April, will need to be done in mid-March.  Procedures for signing up will be announced at the 1 March meeting.  

Getaway (aka Alternate Venue)

Art said that a 2- or 3-day Getaway (5-7 Sept 2023) was being considered in the vicinity of Blue Ridge Shadows.  We would stay at the Double Tree hotel on the premises.  Another course would be played on Tuesday afternoon, Wednesday at BRS, and another course would be an option on Thursday, on the way home.  $475 was the price quoted for 2 days of golf, plus Hotel and the Wednesday Banquet.  

Futures

Mark Robertson will edit a newsletter, which is currently nonexistent.  Bernie encouraged Board members to try the members-only page of our web site.  EPP has made changes, to look more like Top Golf?

Next Meeting is scheduled for 20 March 2023, at 10 am in the LRCC.

Meeting adjourned, 1 pm.

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Minutes of the ASGC General Membership Meeting #1

When:  18 January 2023, pizza at 11:30 am; meeting from 12:00 to 1:00 pm

Where:  Walter Reed Community Center

Who:  About 70 members of ASGC, present at WR;

          About 30 members of ASGC, via Zoom.

Art Hauptman, President of ASGC, opened meeting, and introduced Maurice Spraggins, Chair of the Nominating committee.

Maurice noted that the President, First Vice President (Bernie Dennis), and Second Vice President (Frank Sauer) have been elected for 2-year terms, and thus do not need to be voted on.

Current Secretary, Ralph Orlik, and Treasurer, Rob Fairweather, were re-nominated, seconded, and unanimously voted in.

Art introduced the Chairs of Committees:  Frank Sauer (Information Technology), Tournaments (Sharon Monde and Maurice Spraggins), Well Being (Ruth Ann Neely), Photography (Brad James),  Scores (Mike Marron), Newsletter (Mark Robertson), History (Bob Dawson), and Getaway (currently looking for a volunteer)

Art Hauptman listed some of the accomplishments of ASGC in 2022:

  We bought and implemented iGolf, our tee-time signup system;

  We ran a Spring Scramble Tournament at Piedmont:

  We had an October Club tournament at Raspberry Falls;

  We had a September 3-day Getaway to Lancaster, PA;

  We did online surveys of ASGC members, soliciting their opinions.

Art also listed some new and on-going issues:  

   The problem of slow play is still with us. 

    We are looking into ways of providing payment of club and greens fees that don't use checks or cash.

    We are reviving a newsletter.

    We will try to do a better job at new-member orientation.

    We will encourage more interaction among members, with social events and shotgun starts.

    We will use the so-called Lottery mode of iGolf for all signing up for tee times.

    We will investigate a safer website, with a members-only page.

    we will work on an Operations Manual, in conjunction with the By Laws.

Treasurer Rob Fairweather showed a slide of our Budget for 2023.  The Budget is also on the ASGC web site.  He has revised the presentation of the Budget so that it is consistent with the format of our annual Audit.  Income includes the annual dues that we collect, $25 per member.  It does not include the 2 fees that are collected by Arlington County:  The 55+ Program fee that is paid by all participants in senior organizations; and the Golf Program fee which goes toward paying the salary of the Golf Coordinator.

The other source of Income is Tournament fees, which are paid to the golf courses.  The approximately $7500 that we collect in dues goes to pay for iGolf ($150 per month), tournament prizes, the annual meetings, our Internet presence, etc.  About 150 members have paid their Club fee, so far, this fiscal year, which started on 1 December 2022.

Membership Chairman Dennis Macdonald reported that he now has an assistant, Mark Norman, and has also been helped by Bernie Dennis.  The roster of members who are paid for 2023 is on the website.  There were 123 plus those who rejoined at this meeting.  Of the 315 members we had in 2022, we have lost 17 (13 residents of Arlington).  There is a wait list of 19 from Arlington and 15 not from Arlington.  Dennis predicts that all those from Arlington will be invited to join the Club, and many who are not.  The admitting of new members is subject to the requirement that 50% of all the members live in Arlington, and that the maximum number of members is not exceeded (currently 325).  Sidney Reid, the 55+ Coordinator for Arlington County was introduced.  

Golf Coordinator Bob Odmark acknowledged the help of Brad James, Ray Ewing, et al. in setting up the schedule of courses that we are going to play in 2023.  The schedule is mostly filled up, except for some days in Sep and Oct.  They looked at adding 4 courses in Maryland:  Worthington Manor, Lake Presidential, Enterprise, and P B Dye.  P B Dye reduced its price from $100 to $85.  It has talked of having an 80-player commitment on our part.  The course should be in great shape since it is preparing for a tournament.  Worthington Manor is farther north than P B Dye, but costs $70 and is highly recommended.  Maryland courses want us to sign a contract to guarantee them some minimum number of players. We cannot commit Arlington County to any such thing.  We are sending a Letter of Intent (LOI) to all courses, especially those who are not 'regulars', explaining how we work, and what is expected of our members and of the course.  Lake Presidential and Enterprise are reviewing the LOI.  Penderbrook demanded a contract and has been dropped.  Loudon CC could only host us on a Monday in August, with a shotgun start at Noon.  1757 and Piedmont are also available on Mondays, only.  Chantilly has been dropped, based on the member survey done by Bernie Dennis, since it received a low rating.

Shotgun starts were approved by many members in that survey.  We will try to do more shotguns in the hot months.  Most courses are amenable, except Laurel Hill.  Some courses would charge more for a doing a shotgun. e.g., $42 -> $50 at Forest Greens.  One shotgun a week would be tried, not all on Tuesdays nor on Thursdays.  The start time for a shotgun will vary depending on the travel distance and the needs of the course.  Rain delays or rain checks could be a problem, as well as paying green fees for 70-80 golfers all at once.  Since ASGC had, last year, 70% over-70 golfers, there have been questions about playing 9 holes instead of 18, possibly at 9-hole courses such as Jefferson or Pinecrest.  Nine-hole fees are not offered at all courses, and the ninth hole doesn't always end at the Club House.

Frank Sauer offered hints on how to use the iGolf Lottery mode to best assure that you, or your group, get the tee times near to what you want. He suggested that you don't all sign up for exactly for 7:30, 8:00, 8:30, etc. times--use 8:15 or 7:40, for example.   Don't set the timeframe that you are willing to accept, too large or too small--you may get a tee time far from what you want, or none at all.  Even with little experience in using the Lottery, 85% of those signing up got tee times close to what they asked for.  After the Lottery is run, there still will be opportunity to change your time, especially if you are a single or a twosome.  Art suggested that some tee times be left open, as tables in a restaurant are, for 'walk-ins'

The new Operations Manual, 2023 version, should be ready for presentation at the 2 March 2023 Membership meeting.  If changes are necessary to the By Laws, they will be discussed then. It is intended that the By Laws will set the policy and rules, while the OM will describe the details.  For example, the 7-play minimum rule would be removed from the By Laws.  If any such minimum-play requirement is retained, it would be described in the OM.  The By Laws would only state that a member must maintain 'good standing' in the Club.  The March meeting will also discuss how the general pace-of-play can be speeded up, and any changes to the rules of play, so that the 'average score' that is used in a tournament, is a fair one. 

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Minutes of the ASGC Board of Directors Meeting - Approved in March after comments incorporated.

When:  9 January 2023, 10:15 to 13:00

Where:  Walter Reed Community Center

Who:  In person: Art Hauptman, Bob Odmark, Maurice Spraggins, Dennis Macdonald, Sidney Reid, Rob Fairweather, Sharon Monde, Frank Sauer,

           Via Zoom: Bernie Dennis, Ruth Ann Neely, Dale Strawser, Mark Norman

Art Hauptman, President, called the meeting to order.  The minutes of the Board on 12 December 2022, as amended, were approved by voice vote, and will be posted to the ASGC website.

Treasurer's Report

Rob Fairweather distributed a 2023 budget which was the same as that which was approved in December 2022 (and should be posted to the website) except for a new column entitled 'Actual 2023.'  This column contains the amount of Membership dues that has been collected so far, for 2023.  104 members have paid $25 apiece, for a total of $2600.    There is one refund due to a member who is over 90, and no longer needs to pay the fee.  

The data for the audit has been sent to Richard Brandenburg, who will do the audit.

Membership Report

Dennis Macdonald introduced Mark Norman, who will be helping Dennis with membership duties. Members have until February 1st to renew their membership in ASGC, along with the Arlington County golf fee.  At that time, new members will be invited to join ASGC, if the membership ceiling (325) has not been reached, and 50% of the members are residents of Arlington County.  Current members who have not renewed by 1 Feb 2023 will be put on the wait list.  Eight Arlington residents are on the wait list, as well as 15 non-residents.   Dennis has sent an email to current members, announcing the General Membership Meeting on 18 Jan 2023.  It will take place at the Walter Reed Community Center, starting at 11:30, when pizza, salad, and soft drinks will be available.

The current limit of 325 members is set by Arlington County, because it impacts the workload of the Coordinator, who is paid by the County.  Inactive as well as Active members are included in the limit.  The requirement that 50% of ASGC members live in Arlington pertains to the actual number of members, which is less than or equal to the maximum.

Coordinator’s Report

Bob Odmark said that the schedule of courses to be played in 2023, is mostly completed.  There are some dates, in September and October, which are not yet filled. A Scramble tournament will be held on 4 May 2023 at Twin Lakes (Oaks).  The Club Championship is tentatively scheduled for 23 October, a Monday, at Piedmont.  The Getaway dates are listed as 5-7 September 2023, but could be changed to 12-14 September.  A venue for the Getaway has not been chosen yet.

An amended version of a Letter of Intent (LOI) was discussed.  A few textual suggestions were that the payment of fees be included in the section 'Responsibilities of ASGC Members', and a date be included.  The LOI is to be sent to golf courses, under the signature of the ASGC President.  It is not a legal document, and must be approved by Arlington County.  Most discussion involved the mechanics of sending the LOI.  Should it be a letter, an email, or an attachment to an email?  Are responses from courses to go to the President or the Coordinator?  Is it a menu of items that a course can accept or reject?  Courses that know and trust us may be recruited to vouch for our integrity to other courses that do not know us yet.  An agreement between ASGC and each course, as to dates of play, price to be charged, number of players expected, etc. would be separate from the LOI.

The poll of ASGC members showed much interest in using 'shotgun' starts during the hot months.  A later starting time for a shotgun would be desirable for a course that takes more time to get to.  One shotgun a week might be tried, initially, to see if members and courses actually like shotguns.  The opinion of the courses involved must be gotten.  Some courses are reluctant to commit to early play on both nines, since they do course maintenance on the back nine while play starts on the front.   The same goes for so-called 'crossover' starts.  Some courses can't handle an influx of 75 golfers who all want to pay green fees at 8:00 am.  For ASGC events in which everybody starts at the same time, such as Scrambles or the Club Tournament, we require payment in advance, to ASGC, and only one payment is made to the course.  Can we require that all 80 golfers prepay for a shotgun, over the phone or online?  Do members get refunds if the weather is bad?  iGolf can collect fees at signup time, but can it deal with refunds?  A poll of members will be done at the 18 Jan 2023 meeting.  9-hole play is always possible by just quitting after the front nine, but special arrangements might be made for golfers who only intend to play nine.  Not all courses have a nine-hole rate, and some don't have an easy way to play nine when the 10th tee is far from the Clubhouse.

Member Survey

Bernie Dennis summarized what members said when surveyed.  Up to 80 current members will attend the General Membership meeting on 18 Jan 23, in person; another two dozen may use Zoom.  The March meeting will include new members.

About three quarters of the members agreed with keeping the 7-play minimum (see below).  As to selling merchandise with an ASGC logo, interest was mixed.  Arlington County might need to approve a new logo, and a vendor would have to be selected.

Eighty-two percent of the members were in favor of shotgun starts, in general, but details need fleshing out (see above).  About 60% of members would consider playing at the P.B.Dye course in Maryland, even when the fee was reduced from $100 to $85.   Travel time is similar to that to Little Bennett, also a Montgomery County course.  Worthington Manor may be a better choice.  Over 60% approved of using the 'Lottery' mode of iGolf in 2023.  That mode is always used for shotguns.

General Membership Meeting

Food and chairs for up to 80 people are required.  Ledo will deliver 10 pizzas and 6 tossed salad bowls.  Soda cans will be purchased by us, separately.  The $1000 budgeted for the two annual meetings should be split 55/45 for the two.  Sidney is a certified server who can supervise others.  A podium, microphone (wireless?), speakers, screen, etc. will be needed.  A potential speaker has a broken thumb, so his time slot will be filled by explanations of how the Lottery and shotgun starts will be used in 2023, and members input will be solicited.  There will be no Board meeting after the annual meeting.

Nominations

Maurice Spraggins will conduct the election of ASGC officers.  He will ask for nominations from the floor, and then hold a vote on the nominees.  Committee chairs and Activity Managers will not be elected.  They are meant to assist the Board in areas such as Member Well Being, Score Keeping, Photography, Merchandising, and Newsletter.  A Communications manager was suggested to coordinate the information on our webpage, meeting minutes, photos, coordinator notes, surveys of the membership, and possible newsletter.  The Arlington Gazette inquired about including ASGC data such as Player of Month, etc. in their weekly publication.  Privacy issues were of concern.  A members-only page on our website is being tested by Bernie.

iGolf

In our November, 2022 practice using the Lottery mode, 43% got the tee time they requested, 85% got a tee time within 20 minutes of the requested time (Cumulatively 85% got or were within 20 minutes of requested tee time) and 93% (cumulatively) of members got a tee time within 1 hour of what they requested.  Of 698 tee time requests in the November practice, most (81.2% exactly) were for on the hour (xx:00) or half-hour (xx:30) from 7:30 up to 10:00. So 25% of the available tee times were chosen by 81.2% of the members (the famous "80/20 rule" seems to apply here in members choosing desired tee times).   Frank will briefly explain this on 18 January and how the Lottery system best works and how to better choose tee times that get you where you want to be, (such as choosing 9:10 or 9:20 rather than 9:00), and not choosing too large a window of acceptable times.  Frank made a motion that ASGC use the Lottery mode of iGolf for 2023.  That motion passed.  Frank also moved that we use only shotgun starts in the summer. That shotgun start motion was not seconded and was not voted on. However, discussion ensued.  Two shotguns a week may be too many to start out. But more shotguns might encourage more social activity among golfers, who will all be finishing around the same time.  Scrambles are special types of shotgun starts, and are notorious for causing slow play.  Course marshals, with teeth, will be very desirable, to keep play moving.  Courses will have their say, and payment methods need to be agreed upon.  More discussions will be continued at the next Board Meeting, when it is clearer which courses in the summer would accommodate Shotgun starts.

By Laws

Dennis Macdonald continues working on the Operations Manual, 2023 version.  Mostly stylistic questions remain, and further reviews are planned.  Discussions of the 7-play minimum rule generated some heat.  Some argued that we should not have any minimum-play requirement.   Members who have not met the 7-play minimum, in the past, often have good reasons for not doing so.  If they choose to pay the Club and County fees, especially for non-Arlington residents, and do not play very often, that's their choice.  Others argued that we need to keep the 7-play rule, in order to encourage members to remain active. We want to encourage active golfers, so that our weekly turnout fills up most of the time slots available. We could do this by raising the maximum number of members allowed, but that has other problems.  If the minimum-play rule continues, there was a question of whether it should be in the By Laws, or should be defined in the Operations Manual.  If the By Laws just stated that members need to maintain 'good standing' to continue in the Club, the details of maintaining 'good standing' would be included in the Operations Manual.  Good standing could include showing up on time, keeping up with the group ahead, playing some minimum number of rounds, etc.  The minimum number, currently 7, could be changed annually by a vote of the Board.  The means we now have for keeping track of the number of plays relies on members recording their scores in a spread sheet, separate from iGolf.  These scores are used to count the number of plays, as well as to calculate the Average Score of a member.  Members who do not care about maintaining an Average Score can simply report that they played.  To play in a Scramble or Tournament, however, an Average Score is necessary.

Future meetings

A Board meeting is tentatively scheduled for 13 Feb 2023.

The second General Membership meeting is scheduled for 4 March 2023.

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Minutes of the ASGC Board of Directors Meeting - Approved 9 January 2023

When:  12 December 2022, 10 a.m.

Where:  Lubber Run Community Center

Who:  In person: Art Hauptman, Sharon Monde, Bob Odmark, Frank Sauer, Rob Fairweather, Bernie Dennis, Ralph Orlik, Sidney Reid, Dennis Macdonald

           via Zoom: Maurice Spraggins

           Absent:  Ruth Ann Neely, Dale Strawser, Brad James, Bob Dawson

Art Hauptman opened the meeting at 10:05.  The minutes of the 14 November 2022 meeting were approved, after a suggestion by Bernie Dennis was agreed to.  They will now be posted to the ASGC website.

Treasurer's Report

Rob Fairweather distributed a proposed budget for 2023 for the ASGC.  He has reformulated the budget to look more like the audit that was done by Richard Brandenburg.  Projected Income consists of two items:  $7,500 from membership dues ($25 from each of 300 members); and $12,000 from tournament entries ($85 apiece for 2 tournaments of 70 players each.)

Expenses consist of Tournaments ($12,000, same as income); $2000 in tournament prizes; $1000 for the 2 annual membership meetings; $2000 for subscriptions (includes $1800 for iGolf, and Internet costs); $2000 for Other (such as lunch subsidies, 3% service fees charged for credit card payments, possible payment to courses who demand deposits, a possible handicap service, etc.); and $240 for Compensated Rounds (i.e. payment of golf fees for the Coordinator if a course doesn't, or to tournament directors).

Subsequent discussion by the Board changed the amounts of three of the Expense categories.  Prizes were increased to $2500 (from $2000, to allow for more categories of golfers, such as 'super senior'); The Other category was reduced to $1000 (from $2000, since  we do not intend to subsidize lunches, nor employ credit cards any more than in the past, nor pay deposits to courses); and Compensated Rounds was increased to $1000 ( from $240,  if courses don't abide by the standard practice of letting the Coordinator play for free).

The ASGC subscription to Zoom is up for renewal soon.  It allows us to handle 100 users and does not limit the time of use.  This is the same as when we use the County's version of Zoom, which is subject to availability.  Whether we need our own subscription to Zoom, rather than using the County's version, we will discuss in the next board meeting.  

The proposed Budget will leave us a Balance of around $6,000 at year's end.  The Budget was approved by the Board and will now be posted to the ASGC web page, for examination by the membership, prior to the 18 Jan 2023 meeting, which will take place at the Walter Reed Community Center, from 11:30 to 1:30 pm.

Membership Report

Dennis Macdonald reported that an invitation to rejoin the Club was sent on 11 Dec 2022, to currently active members.  Inactive members will be invited next week.  The requirement of 7 or more plays (to retain good standing in the Club) was not mentioned.  He reported that about 2/3 of the members are age 70 or greater.   If the definition of 'super senior' continues to include golfers who are 70 or over, we have about 200 of them in the Club, which is many more than we had a few years ago.  The current distribution of ages, skewed toward the high end, has implications for rules of play, tees used, prizes awarded, etc.  Thirty-three females are members of ASGC.  It was suggested that we invite super seniors and women to open meetings where we solicit their views.

Bernie Dennis has investigated creating a protected way in which members could access their data and change it online.  Ensuring the privacy of member data would be paramount in any such endeavor.   

The meeting for the general membership, on 18 Jan 2023, will have pizza from Ledo's, even though it cuts pizzas into squares.  Small bottles or cans of soda are preferred to large bottles and cups.  A speaker, such as Fernando from VGC, was suggested.  He will be encouraged to emphasize that a round of golf shouldn't take all day. 

Coordinator's Report

Bob Odmark presented the tentative schedule of courses to be played and the dates of play, for 2023.  6 weeks have not yet been assigned to a course, mostly late in the season, in September and October of 2023.  The season opens in late March at the Virginia Golf Center, with lessons on several facets of the game and an optional 9-hole tune-up.  The Getaway is scheduled for the beginning of September, right after Labor Day, although we do not have a destination at this time.  Maurice reported that the Rehoboth, Delaware area would require us to commit to 100 golfers at $100 per round even after Labor Day.  Lake Presidential has returned to the rotation.  It is under new management and assures us that there will be restrooms on the course.  Some of our old friends like Piedmont, South Riding, Herndon, and Pleasant Valley are not scheduled as of yet.   More use of shotgun starts, up to one day a week, especially in the heat of summer, was proposed.  Some courses can't handle the 70-80 golfers who might show up at 8:00 and want to pay via individual credit cards.  They would prefer that fees be pre-paid, or that ASGC issue one check for the whole group.  One payment for a group is what we do for tournaments, and often may involve the signing of a contract.  Signing a contract for our normal play-days is something we have refused to do, and something that Arlington County won't do.  Some members, maybe those under 70?, would like to play more challenging courses.  These courses may cost more, be located in Maryland, require contracts, or slow down play.  The challenge of any course can be increased by playing the back tees.

An alternative method to consider when scheduling play is called 'crossover.'  It is what the PGA uses in the early rounds of its tournaments.  Half the field starts on the front nine, and half on the back.  The groups starting on the back nine play the front nine after they play the back.  It requires that all the groups teeing off on the front nine have teed off before those groups which started on the back nine make the turn.  It still takes 4.5 hours for any group to play 18 holes.   It ties up the whole course longer than would a shotgun start, but it frees up the course sooner than if all groups started on the front nine. It means that everybody would tee off within a 2.5-hour window, say 7 to 9:30 am on a summer day.  It could be used if some of our players played only 9 holes?  We don't know if Courses would agree to this arrangement, but iGolf can handle such an arrangement. 

Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)

A document was prepared to address some of the issues that might be involved in a contract between the ASGC and a golf course.  The MOU summarizes the purpose and history of the ASGC, as a group of 300+ members, with a long history of good relations with many golf courses.  It states how we normally play.  That is, on two days a week, for 7 months of the year, with start times from about 8 am until noon, beginning on the first hole.  We present each course with a list of our members, already assigned to tee times, and we have a coordinator who plays the role of a starter.   The MOU will list the Responsibilities of the ASGC members, the Responsibilities of the Course, and those of the Coordinator. Member responsibilities include being respectful of the course, showing up on time, paying the proper fee, and playing with dispatch.  Course responsibilities include notifying us of changes to normal play such as frost or rain delays or cart-path-only rules; supplying carts, water, practice facilities, and handicap flags when necessary.  The provision of a beverage cart was deemed desirable but optional, as was the provision of a marshal to enforce the completion of the target 4.5-hour round for everyone.  The Coordinator's responsibilities include setting the dates and fees for a round of golf, in coordination with the Course, to present the Course with the order of play, and act as a starter if necessary.  The addition of a Compensated Round, for the Coordinator or his replacement, will be added to the Course's Responsibilities.  Arlington County needs to have a chance to comment on the MOU before it is sent to any Courses.

iGolf in 2023

The IT Committee recommended using the Lottery mode of iGolf for tee time signups in 2023.  Setting up the iGolf software, for signing up for tee times in 2023, begins before 1 March 2023.   We used the Lottery mode for scheduling play in October 2022.  Any shotgun-type start uses the Lottery mode.  There was, and will be, time required for our members to get used to it.  In the long run, iGolf assures us that we will be happy to have the Lottery.   We need to counter the bad reputation that the Lottery has gotten in some quarters.  The Lottery has nothing to with gambling--it is a way to allocate tee times fairly.  It is an alternative to the FCFS mode that results in the monthly rush to sign up for desirable (early morning, in general) tee times as soon as they open up.  It allows a more leisurely sign up, knowing that all tee times will be allocated fairly, after all golfers specify their preferences.  It is fairer to everyone, since it will not allow someone who can beat the rush to hog the best times.  Although you may need to wait a few days (the Draw Period) after you specify your tee time preferences, you will know, as soon as the Lottery is executed, your tee times for the whole next month.  If you want to know quickly what your tee times are, don't input your preferences until just before the Draw Period ends, right before the execution of the Lottery.  Rob Fairweather recommended that we alert members of possible use of the Lottery for the new season.  We agreed this can be done through an additional survey to solicit member opinions before just springing it on them at the January General Membership Meeting.  Better to spend additional effort on getting our members up-to-speed in understanding and using iGolf.  We are paying $150 a month for iGolf.  

An additional Board meeting, before the 18 Jan 2023 general membership meeting, is tentatively scheduled for 9 Jan 2023, at 10 am.

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Minutes of the ASGC Board of Directors Meeting - Approved 12 December 2022

When:  14 November 2022, 10 a.m.

Where:  Lubber Run Community Center

Who:  In person: Art Hauptman, Maurice Spraggins, Sharon Monde, Bob Odmark, Frank Sauer, Rob Fairweather, Bernie Dennis, Ralph Orlik, Sidney Reid

           via Zoom: Ruth Ann Neely

           Absent: Dennis Macdonald, Dale Strawser, Brad James

Art Hauptman opened the meeting at 10:05.  The minutes of the 19 October 2022 meeting were approved, after a suggestion by Bernie Dennis was agreed to.  They will now be posted to the ASGC website.

Treasurer's Report

Rob Fairweather handed out a document with three options for the 2023 Budget of ASGC.  Option 1 was a stripped-down version, with minimal income and expenses.  It assumed that the club fee for 2023 would be $15 for each of 300 members. It limited tournament prizes to $2000, had no money allocated for subsidizing tournament lunches, no money for an 'appreciation day' for the Board, no money for 'compensated rounds', and no money set aside for 'contract contingencies', i.e. money to compensate golf courses when the number of players who turn out to play is less than we promised the course.  Option 1 would leave us with a balance of $5000 at the end of the year.

Option 2 assumed a club fee of $20 apiece, $3000 for tournament prizes, $1500 for lunch subsidies, $750 for appreciation day, $240 for compensated rounds, and $2000 for contract contingencies.  Option  2 balance fell to $920. 

Option 3 assumed a club fee of $25; $4000 for tournament prizes; $3000 for lunch subsidy; $1000 for appreciation day; $480 for compensated rounds; and $4000 for contract contingencies.  Option 3 results in a negative balance of -$2705.

Options 2 and 3 are unacceptable as they stand, but by reducing tournament prizes, appreciation day money, and contract contingencies for Options 2 and 3, the year-end balances can approach that of Option 1. 

One guideline for cutting expenses is to cut those items which benefit the fewest people.  That might include tournament prizes, compensated rounds, appreciation day, and lunch subsidies.  It was pointed out that subsidizing lunches at our Scramble and Club tournament probably didn't affect attendance.  We don't want to cut the refreshments at our 2 annual meetings.  We can't cut the $1800 annual fee for iGolf ( $150 per month)   iGolf costs  $6 per person per year.  This in itself is justification for raising the annual club fee above the current $15.  A suggestion was made that ASGC subsidize play at the most desirable courses.  As the immediate goal of this meeting was to set the club fee for 2023, the Board voted that $25 ( the fee that we had before the pandemic) be the fee for 2023.  

Rob mentioned some platforms, or 'payment gateways' for 'alternative payment arrangements'  i.e. ways of paying club ( and county?) fees, tournament entry fees, etc by means other than cash ( some still do) and checks, or even credit cards. Some of these were Venmo, Zelle, ApplePay, PayPal, and dozens of others. Not all/enough members are up-to-speed on cell phones  to be able to use these platforms now.  Problems with security on these peer-to-peer platforms was raised, along with need for an ASGC tax ID and status as a 501c7 organization as a 'social club' which requires a 22-page application form.  It would be best if the County could accept credit card payments for all fees, and transfer monies to ASGC, thus eliminating the need for 3 different fees?  iGolf has an option to collect course fees, to be held in order to guarantee that a golfer shows up to play, but not for collecting membership dues?  Community centers have accounts under something called the  'Alliance' a 501c3 arrangement?

Coordinator's Report

Bob Odmark reported that much of the 2023 golf schedule has been filled out, especially from April to June, and especially with courses in the Raspberry Trail collection, which includes the Virginia Golf Center.  Gaps in the schedule are being filled with 'secondary' courses.  Bernie discussed the results of the survey he took, online, of ASGC member's 3 favorite and least favorite courses.  Ranking courses by the number of likes minus the number of dislikes gives definite favorites ( no dislikes) and some with all dislikes.  Distance to the course, course fees and condition, were not separately polled.  We should concentrate on playing those courses which are our favorites.

The signing of contracts is being required by some courses, as a condition of our playing on them.  Contracts are commonly required for one-day events, such as tournaments.  Courses don't want to be left 'holding the bag' when an organization cancels an event on short notice.  Courses want a deposit or some guarantee that they will get paid.  Our situation is different in that we have a reputation, over a long time, for turning out 60-90 golfers, twice a week.  On days with bad weather ( or bad weather reports) we can come up very short of those goals, but we have only about 5 no-shows on normal play days?  Maybe we need to have some penalty for no-shows, either monetary or a maximum number per year as we do for the minimum number of plays, in order to maintain 'good standing'?

We need to let courses who know of our reputation to tell others.  Laurel Hill, e.g. requires contracts from all groups except ASGC, based on our past behavior. Even if one  of our favorite courses demands that we sign a contract, we will not play on that course.  The County will not sign any contract, and we don't want to set a precedent by starting to sign any.  Only about 5  courses, so far, have demanded that we sign.  We need to convince courses ( perhaps by a letter of recommendation from one course to another?)  that we are good risks, but we also need to limit the liability of ASGC.  Frank Sauer will chair a committee investigating contracts.

Other Business

Maurice distributed a 3-page list of 22 rules for regular season play.  They will be discussed at our next meeting.

About 1/3 of the members approve (with another 1/3 saying Maybe) of shotgun starts, and would want to see more of them in the future, especially on hot summer days.

Dates were set for our annual meetings of ASGC, for 18 Jan 2023, and 1 Mar 2023, both at Walter Reed Center.  Dates were not set for the VGC, nor a Spring Scramble, nor a Getaway, nor the Club Tournament in the Fall.

An editor for a newsletter is needed.  Bob Odmark will contribute to it.  Would a newsletter be called the Divoteer?

Selling ASGC apparel, bag or name tags, etc. was suggested, to raise funds.  This could be done on the alternative payment platforms?

Next meeting

12 December 2022 is the date of our next meeting.  It will be held in LRCC.

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Minutes of the ASGC Board of Directors Meeting - Approved 14 November 2022

When:  19 October 2022, 10 am to Noon    

Where: Lubber Run Community Center, Room 126    

Who:  Attending in person were Art Hauptman, Brad James, Dennis Macdonald, Ralph Orlik, Bernie Dennis, Sidney Reid, Rob Fairweather, Maurice Spraggins, Sharon Monde, Bob Odmark, and Frank Sauer.

           Ruth Ann Neely, Dale Strawser did not attend.

ASGC President Art Hauptman opened the meeting.  The minutes of the previous Board meeting, 19 September 2022, were approved, with a corrected typo which was pointed out by Ruth Ann Neely.  Those minutes will be posted to the ASGC website.

Treasurer's Report

Regarding the budget for 2023, Rob Fairweather asked whether the subsidies, which reduced the cost of the lunch at our Club tournament, will continue in the future?  Also, will the money to be spent on prizes increase?  A second Scramble tournament may be offered?   Bernie said that the cost of our use of iGolf will remain the same, at $150 per month.    We need to set the amount of the 2023 dues by 1 Dec 2022.  This is the date on which Dennis Macdonald will send invitations for new members to join ASGC.  Dues for 2022 were set at $15, down from the usual $25, due to the Covid-19 pandemic.  Are we going to raise dues for 2023?  Art wants there to be a 'social' budget, to be used for events to build 'community' among members.  He also wants to consider buying a system that will calculate the handicap of each golfer.  Fees that Arlington County charges are not going to increase.  A budget should be prepared for the November Board meeting, for approval in December.  

Dennis Macdonald reported that the wait list has increased by one.  

Coordinator Report

Bob Odmark said that an average of 5 to 8 no-shows was normal for a play-day.  However, there are some days that have many more no-shows than the average.   A Monday outing at Herndon had a low turnout.  Whether this was due to the unusual play on a Monday, or whether the weather report was unfavorable, we don't know.  Only 11 players showed up at 1757 on a day with a very bad weather report but no rain to speak of.  An April date at Raspberry Falls with bad weather produced only 13 golfers.  Courses don't seem to be unusually upset with low turnouts, especially when the conditions are borderline?  The lottery option of iGolf was used in October for signing up to play.  The 'notifications' of iGolf were turned off, to reduce the flood of emails at signup time, but then 'reminders' were not sent close to the time of play.  A new iGolf email system may have contributed to the confusion?  Changing tee times, after the lottery was executed, was problematic, so that spreadsheets were used in some cases.  Art suggested that we not pay iGolf now, while we investigate alternatives?  We need to master iGolf first, before we abandon it?

Promoting social activities for Club members is desirable.  Fitting them into the fall schedule may be a problem?  Suggestions of a beer garden party, a Topgolf visit, and a golf movie night were suggested. Sidney reminded us that Bob's job does not include organizing social events.  We need to draw up a schedule for next year so that we can announce it in December.  One or two scrambles, a Getaway, and Club tournament need dates.  Getaway return to Lancaster is possible, or maybe Queenstown or Ocean City, or Gettysburg?  Bob has not contacted all courses for next year's play dates.  Loudon CC seems out of the question.  Arlington courses (Army Navy and WGCC) were mentioned but probably are not feasible?  We should poll members on their favorite courses and concentrate on playing them?  Lansdowne, River Creek are out of contention? Little Bennet wants too much.    

Contracts

More courses are talking about or requiring ASGC to sign a contract for regular play days.  Several examples of contracts are being collected by Sidney.  We don't have our own contract to give the courses where we want to play, to state our conditions?  We sign a contract with a course for a tournament, where the arrangements are negotiated in advance, and a price is fixed.  In these cases, ASGC pays the course with one check, rather than having 60-90 golfers pay individually.    Our normal play-days have a set price, per individual player, to be paid individually to the course.  ASGC is not involved in the transaction.  Courses, understandably, want a guarantee that the number of promised golfers show up to play.  They would like ASGC to pay some minimum fee or deposit, to cover for no-shows?    Neither ASGC nor the County will do this.  No-shows are often weather-related--a bad weather forecast can cause many golfers to cancel.  Courses remain open for play in all but the worst weather, but may delay play or require cart-path-only rules.  iGolf may be able to issue real-time weather reports?  iGolf may also be able to require payment information from a golfer when he signs up to play, so he gets charged if he fails to show up to play?   That would strongly encourage golfers think twice before failing to show up?  Too many no-shows during a year could be grounds for termination of a membership?  A 'letter of intent' could replace a contract, so the County does not need to sign a contract?

County Stuff

Sidney wants to know when and where the January and Feb/March meetings will take place?  No food or drinks are allowed in LRCC and Walter Reed.  Pizza and soft drinks attract more members, but also dirty the floors.  Jan 18 and 1 March were best candidates for the meetings.  Our Zoom account is good through March, so we can handle the volume of expected users.  Online signup and fee payment would reduce burden of desk at LRCC or Walter Reed on the meeting dates.  County background checks on Board members is proceeding--we don't want any criminals in our midst.  Pictures of members are on the website, but questions of privacy hinder wider distribution.  Volunteer hours are collected monthly but reported quarterly to the County.

Tournament Report

Sharon and Maurice reported on the 6 October 2022 Club Championship.  Sixty members competed, six of them women.  Prizes for longest drives, closest to pin, and gross and net scores were awarded. See ASGC website for list of winners.  Sharon suggests that the same venue for the tournament be used again.  Much work went into the planning of the event, much has been learned, and we should not lose the effort.

Operations Manual

Dennis Macdonald sent members of the Board a draft of the manual.  It describes the officers and committee chairmen, and duties of each.  Dennis requested input from the Board.  He suggests a small, working group to address the manual's improvement.  The division of labor between the By-Laws and the Operations Manual is to be clarified.  The By-Laws may state that a member must remain in 'good standing' to continue playing with the Club.  The Operations Manual defines what 'good standing' means, such as playing the minimum number of times per year (formerly 7 but none, right now); or not having more than the allowed number of no-shows; promptly reporting scores and maintaining a handicap; abiding by the rules of play; etc.

Dinner at Season End

Art wants to build 'community' among members by having an end-of-season dinner.  It would not be golf-related.  Spouses would be encouraged to attend.  He has a venue in mind, in Arlington.  There would be a fixed menu, an open bar, gluten-free menu option, outdoor seating optional, with free parking. 30-60 people are expected, a separate room is possible, without music.  Payment would be in advance, so that no individual checks or credit cards would be allowed at the venue.  We would need to reserve an area, since the venue would be open to anyone else?   Art suggested that the funds that ASGC would have spent on the Board-appreciation day ($750 in the budget) be used to reduce the cost to attendees?  This set off a discussion as to what activities ASGC should or should not subsidize.  Is reducing a tournament fee, to encourage attendance, a proper use of ASGC funds?  

Next meeting is scheduled for 14 November 2022, at 10 am. 

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Minutes of the ASGC Board of Directors Meeting - Approved 19 October 2022

When:  19 September 2022, 1 to 3 pm.

Where:  Lubber Run Community Center, Room 126

Who:  Attending in person were Bernie Dennis, Ruth Ann Neely, Maurice Spraggins, Sharon Monde, Bob Odmark, Ralph Orlik, Dennis Macdonald, Sidney Reid, Frank Sauer, Rob Fairweather 

        Not attending were Dale Strawser, Bob Dawson, Art Hauptman (arrived just as meeting was closing)

The meeting was called to order by Bernie Dennis, in place of President Art Hauptman. 

The minutes of the 29 Aug 2022 meeting were approved by voice vote.  The 'draft' designation will be removed from the minutes which had already been posted to the web site.  From now on, minutes will not be posted to the web site until they are formally approved by the Board at a subsequent meeting.  The first draft of minutes will be sent to the Board, and meeting attendees, by the Secretary.  A week will be allowed for comments, after which time the revised minutes will be sent to the same group of people. No minutes will be posted to the web site until they have been approved by the Board.

Membership

Dennis Macdonald reported that there are 316 members of ASGC, 296 of which are active.  Thirteen people are on the wait list, two of which are residents of Arlington.  The Arlington residents will likely be added to the roster when the Invitations for the 2023 season are extended in December 2022, since they will help fulfill the requirement that a majority of the members reside in Arlington.  Historically about 45 current members will not renew their memberships, and the non-Arlington people on the wait list will likely also be added.  The Board will establish fees, before the December invitations are sent.  The Arlington County fee should not increase, but the Board will decide whether the Club fee will remain at $15 (dropped during Covid days) or return to $25 (or another figure).

Dennis will transmit the annual membership report to Arlington County on 20 September.  The report is the database of ASGC members.  The County will verify that they all have paid the necessary fees.

Dennis and Bernie will put together a survey for our members, using Google forms, sometime in October.  Dennis solicited questions to be asked and hopes for a response rate greater than 10%.   Dennis said that he is requesting ideas for developing an operations manual, which is meant to accompany our By Laws.

Coordinator

Bob Odmark reported, with a smile, that he did not charge the County for his work on the newsletters that he has been sending to the membership, nor on his work during the recent Getaway to PA (it was not an official function of ASGC).  Bob also asks that any comments on, suggestions for, or additions to (e.g., photos, stories, etc.)  the newsletter be sent to him.  A social get-together for ASGC members was discussed.  When it is to be held (this fall or next spring); where it could be held (VGC, County Park (no alcohol is permitted on County property unless a $100 permit is purchased)); what time of day or week is preferred; who will pay for the social (not ASGC nor County?).  Name tags for members was suggested, not only for a social but for regular play?  A motion was passed to let the Coordinator make these decisions, and report back to the Board.

Arlington County had nothing to report

Club Tournament

Treasurer Rob Fairweather reported that he has received 30 checks at $85 each as entries into the Tournament.  Another 15 members have signed up to play in iGolf or have expressed interest in playing.  Emails have been sent to ASGC members encouraging them to sign up, and pay, soon, if possible, on Tues/Thurs playdays this week.  We hope that members who express interest will actually pay and play.  Raspberry Falls needs a final count of players by Friday, the 23rd.  

Tournament chairs Sharon and Maurice discussed the rules of play.  There will be 3 flights: Men from long tees; Men from short tees; and Women (only 4 are signed up).  One hole will be used for closest-to-pin.  Three pages of proposed rules may be too much to digest, given that many rules are pretty standard.  The 'lottery' mode of iGolf has been used for the signup for the tournament.  Actual groupings for the shotgun start will be available once the Lottery is run--until then, all requests entered into iGolf are considered 'bids' for tee times.  Single golfers will be assigned to groups that do not have 4 golfers.  No complementary rounds will be awarded.  Rob needs to know the amount of money that will be awarded for prizes. 

Getaway report

Bob Odmark, for Art, reported that there was near perfect weather for the 3 days of play.  8-foot-high corn stalks in fields surrounded each course.  The handsome Spotted Lanternflies (final instar or imago) were ubiquitous at Royal Manchester, our western-most course, nearly gone at Highlands of Donegal (east of Royal Manchester), and rare at Foxchase, the eastern-most course.  Lanternflies don't bite (they only have sucking mouth parts) but are bad for some crops (over $300 million damage estimated in PA).  S.E. PA has been quarantined, but maps show that the 'flies are moving to the west, into Lancaster Co. where we were.  The 3-mile-island cooling towers were visible from Royal Manchester, from one hole, on the first day.  Slow play was slower than normal, especially on the Wednesday Scramble, when some of our groups endured 6-hour rounds, when locals jumped in between our groups.  Our 37 players was smaller than usual for a Getaway.  The last-minute change of Hotel venue caused some extra driving; but dinner at Heritage Hotel was good.  Brad James will post pictures.

iGolf Lottery mode

Frank Sauer presented slides on iGolf's 'lottery' mode, why we're using it, how the practice session went, the weighting algorithm used, and the plan to use it for October signup.  When Google sheets could no longer handle the concentrated signup for tee times at 9:00 am on a Monday,  iGolf came to the rescue.   It satisfies the objectives of not letting any member overwrite another member's signup, and it will ensure that no members get preferences or priority in signing up, over others.  Members 'bid' for tee times by specifying a preferred tee time and a window of time that will be acceptable to them.  After all bids are made, iGolf  will perform the lottery, and inform all bidders of the results.   In the practice session of iGolf lottery mode, 43% of users got their desired tee time.  85% got tee times within 30 minutes of their desired time, and 93% got tee times within an hour of their preference.  On 2 of the busiest days, however, 18 people did not get a tee time within 2 hours of their wishes.  Bidders may have chosen too many tee times exactly on the hour or half hour, or may have set their window of acceptable times too narrow or too wide.  More experience using the system is necessary and should make things easier for everyone. This is our goal for using iGolf for October tee times.  Frank explained, in detail, how iGolf assigns Weights to each player's tee times so no player will get too many of the 'best' times, at the expense of others who want them.  When resolving a whole month of bids for tee times, each day's tee time assignments will contribute to the weights that will make future tee times more equitable.   Trying to explain the algorithms, used by iGolf, to our members will be very confusing--they need to trust that the system will work as advertised when everybody gets up to speed.  It seemed to some that too many emails were sent out, all at once, at the time that a lottery is executed, which could be a month before the day of play.  iGolf  will also send a reminder email, closer to the day of play.  After running the Lottery, there will be a 'consolidation' of the resulting tee sheets, by the coordinator.  He may fine tune the groupings assigned by iGolf, to suit members wishes when they see what tee times the Lottery assigned to them.   The running of the Lottery for October signup will provide more experience for members in using the system, as well as for the operators, Frank and Bernie.  The October trial will use a longer window for members to submit bids for tee times, from Friday morning until Monday night.  When the renewal for the iGolf comes due, we are committed to keeping it, whether we use the FCFS mode or the Lottery mode.

Next meeting was set, tentatively, for Wednesday, 19 October 2022.

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Minutes of the ASGC Board of Directors Meeting - Approved 19 September 2022

When:   29 August 2022            

Where:  Walter Reed Community Center

Who:     Ruth Ann Neely, Rob Fairweather, Bob Odmark, Dennis Mcdonald, Frank Sauer, Sharon Monde, Sidney Reid, Art Hauptman, Ralph Orlik

Absent:    Maurice Spraggins, Bernie Dennis, Brad James

The meeting was called to order by ASGC President Art Hauptman at 1 pm.  A quorum was deemed present.  Minutes of the 18 July 2022 meeting were approved, as amended.

Publication of Minutes

The Secretary will distribute the first draft of the minutes of a Board meeting to all those present at the meeting, and to those Board members who were not present at the meeting.  After a reasonable amount of time for review of the draft minutes, the Secretary will incorporate all comments into a second draft of the minutes.  This revised draft will be posted to the ASGC website as DRAFT minutes of the meeting.  When the Board approves the minutes of a prior meeting, after any comments are incorporated, the minutes will be posted to the website as the final version of those minutes.  A member of the IT Committee (Bernie Dennis or Frank Sauer) will do the posting to the website.

Communication Among Members

Art Hauptman and Dennis Macdonald (membership chair) purchased a 1-year subscription to Constant Contact.  Art has used it to send messages about the Getaway, to the membership.  Constant Contact requires that recipients 'opt in' to receive messages.  Not all recipients were asked individually to opt-in?  The list of addresses is obtained from the membership list?  Bob Odmark (Golf Coordinator) has been sending 'newsletter' emails to the membership on various topics.  He copies the 300+ email addresses into the 'Bcc:' box.  This is working well.  He uses a list of addresses which is obtained from the Membership Chair and is updated by Bernie Dennis.  Objections to using Constant Contact were raised, as being redundant.  Protection from ASGC email addresses being accessed by a 'phisher' was advised.  A firewall would achieve this objective?

Treasurer's Report

Rob Fairweather reported that there were no expenditures nor deposits since his last report.  Rob will not be available to write checks at the time of the 6 Oct 2022 Club tournament. He will coordinate with Tournament Chair Sharon Monde to make sure that she is able to pay Raspberry Falls for any tournament expenses.  Rob will deliver the checkbook to Art Hauptman, so that Art can write checks in Rob's absence.  

The ASGC ZOOM account will come up for renewal in September 2022.    The ASGC Zoom account can accommodate up to 500 users while the Arlington County account that we have been using for Board meetings can handle 100 users.  Since the need to accommodate more than 100 users should not arise until the January 2023 annual meeting, if then, we can wait to renew the ASGC Zoom account.  

Membership Report

Dennis Macdonald reported that 3 active members have become inactive, and one left the area, leaving us with 296 active members. The wait list has one resident of Arlington and 11 who are not.  The non-Arlington residents will wait until next year to join ASGC.  Although the By-Laws state that no new members are to be added after play starts (in April), we have added new members up to July, if slots are available.  Inactive members who move to Active status can temporarily increase the maximum number of members.   The final report on membership will be given to Arlington County next month. 

Golf Coordinator Report

Bob Odmark says that Slow Play is still a problem.  Average time for rounds is about 4.5 hours, with some groups who are following a very slow group having longer times, and more frustration.  Large gaps in front of slower groups (one or more empty holes) need to be reduced.  'Ready golf' needs better defining.  Shorter hitters (from shorter tees) should tee off while longer hitters (from longer tees) are waiting to hit.  Two players can hit, anywhere on the course, at the same time if they don't risk hitting each other.  Course marshalling is not consistent.  A marshal needs to have authority to close gaps by moving slow groups up a hole, requiring them to let faster players go through, or splitting them into two smaller groups.  Members should not challenge the authority of a marshal.  Bob's newsletter has been received well by members.  

Tournament Chair's Report

Sharon Monde (Maurice Spraggins was absent) reported on the progress in setting up the Club Championship at Raspberry Falls on 6 October 2022.  The price for golf plus a bag lunch is quoted as $84; golf plus a buffet lunch is $97.  These prices include all taxes and service charges.  If we assume that there will be 72 golfers signed up, the $1000 earmarked for subsidy will reduce the prices by about $14 apiece.  If we set the subsidy at $14, and there are more than 72 golfers, we would exceed the $1000 amount of subsidy.  It would be safer to reduce the subsidy amount, say to $10 or $12 apiece, in order to allow for more golfers.    We could also limit the number of players allowed to signup?  We need to set a cutoff time for signing up.  Raspberry Falls needs a two-week notice on the number of players expected, and Sharon needs to pay them by 3 October 2022.  Cutoff for entries is set for checks to be received by 19 September.  Time will be necessary to reconcile the signup to play (via iGolf) with checks received by Rob Fairweather.  iGolf will be opened on 1 September 2022, for signing up for a shotgun start at RF, at 9 am on 6 October.  We cannot assume that RF will let us have the whole course from 9 to 2 pm?  They will most likely schedule more than one group on some holes, so others may play, but may increase the time for ASGC to complete our Tournament? 

A list of Tournament rules was proposed by Sharon and Maurice.  A similar list of regular season rules will be discussed at a later Board meeting.

Getaway

Art Hauptman reports that about 40 players are going to Lancaster PA, 13-15 September 2022.  Some have paid too much while others have not paid enough.  Art will try to resolve the differences.  A clearer presentation of all the options for choosing housing, roommate assignments, courses played, tee times, and meals, would have been helpful, followed by an itemized list of amounts due for each participant, from Genesis Golf, the Company in charge.  Information on the ASGC website, email messages, and the Company web site were not easy to navigate, possibly leading to incorrect payment amounts. 

ASGC Photos

ASGC photographer Brad James has requested $50 for storing, for a year, on the 'cloud' all the photographs that he has taken.  Motion was approved.

Practice Lottery

A practice session for the equitable assignment of tee times (aka the 'lottery' option of iGolf)  was held Sunday and Monday (28, 29 August 2022).  The session was planned to let ASGC members choose their earliest, latest, and preferred tee times, for the 10 Tuesdays and Thursdays in the month of November 2022.  Given all the requests for tee times, iGolf will execute its algorithm to assign tee times, to each group or player, nearest their preferred times.  Each such request for a tee time, for each member of a group, will result in an email message sent to each member.  For 4 weeks of 2 tee times per week, for 4 members of a group, that could generate over 30 emails arriving all at once, for each player.   Frank Sauer reported that, as of Monday afternoon (the 29th), 25 members have made requests for tee times for their groups, for a total of 65 golfers.  Following the practice session, Frank and Bernie will evaluate the results of the lottery and solicit comments from members.

Next meeting.

19 September 2022, at 1pm at LRCC was chosen for the next meeting. 

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Minutes of the ASGC Board of Directors Meeting - Approved 29 August 2022

When:   18 July 2022

Where:  Lubber Run Community Center, Room 124

Who: Attending in person were Sharon Monde, Maurice Spraggins, Sidney Reid, Bernie Dennis, Bob Odmark, Ralph Orlik, Rob Fairweather, Art Hauptman

         Attending via Zoom was Frank Sauer

Meeting called to order by ASGC President Art Hauptman, 1:10 pm.  A quorum was deemed present.  Minutes of the last meeting, 29 Jun 2022, were approved, as amended.

ASGC representative on 55+ Sports and Fitness Committee:

  John Mashaw has retired as the ASGC Rep.  He will be replaced by Ralph Orlik

Treasurer's Report:

   Rob Fairweather reported that the audit for 2021 has been done by Richard Brandenburg, and submitted on 11 July 2022, for the fiscal year ending on 30 Nov 2021.   Richard says that his review is not so formal as one done to the generally accepted auditing standards, but it does abide by generally accepted accounting principles.   Rob said that year 2021 was unusual, due to the pandemic, so that the amount of dues collected was much lower than in 2020, as were expenses.  A large balance at the start of 2022 resulted in the reduction of dues for 2022, from $25 to $15.  He said that the financial data on the website differs from that in the audit, although the bottom line is the same.  The spreadsheet with financial data will be restructured this year.   3 ASGC members who are 90+ years old have received a refund of their dues. 

Membership Report:

   Dennis Macdonald was unable to attend.  Bernie Dennis reported that there was almost no change in the numbers.  318 total members, 300 active, keeps us below our maximum of 325.  There are no Arlington residents on the wait list.  Non-Arlington residents on the wait list choose to wait until 2023 to join ASGC.   Polling the membership, which was formerly done using 'Survey Monkey', can now be done using Google forms.  Players of the month for May 2022 are Anne Lange and Mike Marron.  4 players shot their age in May.  The number of players who report their score after playing was only 50-70% of those who played on 7 recent playdays.  114 members have reported no scores at all, for the last 2 years.  Reported scores serve to calculate the Average Score of each player, and the number of plays.  Although the 7-play minimum has been suspended for the last 2 years, players are encouraged to report their scores.  Why they don't may be a question for a Google forms survey.   Some courses may keep track of plays, but that would not be as reliable a way of keeping count as posting to the spreadsheet.

By-Laws:

   The updated By-Laws have been approved, signed by ASGC and Arlington County, and have been posted to the ASGC website.  Art Hauptman wants to continue reviewing and improving the By-Laws.  He indicated that the status of Committee chairs needs clarifying, as well as the definition of coordination between ASGC and the County.  

Golf Coordinator:

   Bob Odmark reported that 8-minute intervals between groups playing at Chantilly on 27 June resulted in shorter average times for playing 18 holes.  Courses use 8, 9, or 10-minute intervals, with varying results.  iGolf can handle any of these, but cannot handle mixed intervals. Slow play is still a problem.  Members are encouraged to use forward tees, play ready-golf, spend less time looking for balls, and hit the ball into the fairway off the tee.  Systems exist wherein GPS transponders on golf carts can show the positions of all carts, in real time.  Slow groups could be given messages to speed up or skip a hole.  A once-a-month signup for the next month's tee times, at 9:00 am on a Monday, is  not good for everybody.  Statistics from iGolf show that 60-80 members sign up in the first 20 minutes.  After that, signup is much slower, extending up to the week before play.  A second test of the 'lottery' option in iGolf  will take place later this summer.  We hope that by 2023, we will not have a rush to signup at some predetermined time.   Concern was expressed that a single golfer who signs up in an empty time slot might preclude a foursome from that slot.  First-come-first-served signing up means what it says.  Other golfers can sign up with a single.  The coordinator will consolidate the tee sheets to fill in holes, as necessary.

Liability issues and Arlington County:

   Not everyone thinks that issues of liability have been resolved.  In order to receive coverage under the County's general liability policy, all Board members and Committee Chairs must become 'registered volunteers'   Sidney Reid has sent all Board members and Committee chairs a link in order to complete the process.  The County manager position for the 'volunteer' office is currently vacant.  Sidney also confirmed that the signing, by all ASGC members of a yearly waiver of liability, as part of the 55+ Program application, is required and automatic in the on-line registration and manually done when registration is done in-person.

Tournament Planning Report:

    Planning for the 6 Oct 2022 tournament at Raspberry Falls is underway.  Sharon Monde has been talking to people at Raspberry Falls about food.  We can have a box lunch, with various types of bread, for $16 apiece.  No beverages, other than water, are included.  We could also have a catered lunch, for about $10 extra.  ASGC members can be polled as to their preferences.  The price per player would be about $84.  This includes $64 for golf ($59 for playing plus $5 for executing a shotgun start); $16 for a box lunch; and $4 for tax and service charges.  Of the $4000 that we have budgeted for tournament prizes this year, the Board agreed earlier to moving $2,000 out of prize money to subsidize tournament costs. The assumption was $1,000 each for the Scramble and year end Raspberry Falls Tournament.  However, in part because more players participated than anticipated, expenses were $1,900 higher than revenue for the Scramble, excluding the prizes. Thus, arguably we have already spent most of the money moved out of prizes.  That said, Rob Fairweather has indicated that the balance in the Treasury is sufficient to subsidize another $1,000 of the cost of the year-end tournament and the Tournament Committee is proceeding on that assumption.   If 72 players are expected to play, then about $14 could be subtracted from the price per player, leaving $70 as the cost to each player who signs up for the tournament.  However, Rob has noted that if more players participate than expected, the subsidy will exceed $1,000, although not by a sufficient amount to cause a major budgetary problem.  Furthermore, he has noted that tournaments in previous years were not subsidized by fee collections, other than the prize money, and that the Budget may not allow for subsidizing tournaments in future years.

     How to allot the $1000 in prize money was discussed.  This depends on how many flights there are and how many winners in each flight receive a prize.  Flights can be arranged by sex, by tee used (forward, normal), by Average Scores (A to D flights defined by ranges of average scores),  or by age (over 75?).  Prizes can be awarded by gross score, or by net score, after subtracting one's 'handicap'.    Average scores themselves depend on the tees used, and the strictness of the rules ('gimme's, lost balls, improving lies, three-over-par pickup, etc) which apply.  How are players who have reported no scores (about 40% of players) to be treated?   Plenty of questions need to be resolved.

     Instead of maintaining a spreadsheet for players to report their scores, we could let players enter their scores into a commercially available handicap system?  A good system would take into account the tees used, the course rating and slope, the maximum score allowed on any hole, etc.  Some systems have a reasonable cost ($99/yr) for a league like ours.  Getting our players to use such an external system could be a problem, given that we have trouble getting players to use our current spreadsheet.  

     A committee on setting rules of play was suggested, with Maurice Spraggins as Chair.  Rules of play should be part of the pending operations manual.  

     The 6 Oct 2022 tournament needs to have a firmer cutoff date for entries, earlier than we used for the May Scramble.

Getaway:

Art reported that about 40 players have signed up for the 13-15 Sep 2022 trip to Lancaster PA.  Few spouses have been added.  Too few rooms have been filled in our hotel for us to qualify for a better rate. Skipping the golf on the 15th (Thursday) will reduce the cost of the trip, and potentially avoid dealing with rush hour traffic when returning to the DC region.  Wednesday is the only day with a shotgun start--Tuesday and Thursday will be signed up via iGolf as normal playdays, thus saving us some money.  Some attractions in the area will not be open in September, or not when we are there.  Art and Dennis Macdonald want to use Constant Contact for communications about the Getaway.  They have signed up for a trial of CC.

iGolf:

   Signup for August tee times was on 18 July 2022, at 9:00 am.  The rush lasted about 20 minutes.   Using the 'lottery' mode of iGolf should obviate the need for a rush to sign up.  Another practice session for the 'lottery' mode is being planned. We hope that this mode is available in 2023.   iGolf will be used to sign up for the Getaway, both the FCFS signup on Tue and Thu, and the shotgun signup for the Scramble on Wed.  

Recognition:

 John Mashaw and Rick Townshend were singled out for their distinguished service to ASGC.  The form of that recognition was discussed.

Next Meeting:

Monday, 29 August 2022 was designated for the next meeting.

Meeting was adjourned at 3:05 pm

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Minutes of the ASGC Board of Directors Meeting – Approved 18 July 2022

When:  15 June 2022, 10:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m.

Where:  Lubber Run Community Center, Room 126

Who:  Attending in person were Bernie Dennis, Rob Fairweather, Bob Odmark, Sidney Reid, Art Hauptman, Dennis Macdonald, Ralph Orlik, Ruth Ann Neely, Sharon Monde, Maurice Spraggins.  Zoom was not used by anyone.

The meeting was called to order by ASGC President Art Hauptman.  A quorum was deemed present.  Art expressed his intention of having the full Board meet monthly, or perhaps subsets of the Board, until further notice.

The minutes of the 23 May 2022 Board of Directors meeting were approved by voice vote, with no objections registered.  

Treasurer's Report:

Rob Fairweather reported that there was no income nor expense recorded since the last meeting in May.  The ASGC financial statement is available on the ASGC website.  The audit of the 2021 financial statement has not been completed.  Rick Townshend sent Rob last year's audit.  2021 was an unusual year, due to the adjustments for the pandemic.  In 2020 there was $7750 both budgeted and collected for membership dues ($25 times 310 members).  In 2021, $1250 was budgeted and $1915 was collected.  A credit of $6475 was introduced as a balancing line item.  For 2022, $4500 was budgeted for membership dues ($15 times 300) while the actual is $4590.  There is a need to reconcile the amounts, i.e. checks, received by the Treasurer with the list of the members and the amounts that each has paid, held by the membership chairman.  This includes active members who become inactive, etc. 

One member, Vince Gaito, turned 90 on 6 Jan 2022.  By law, a member must turn 90 before the calendar year begins, to be entitled to a perpetual waiver of dues.  The Board voted to refund Mr. Gaito's $15 as an exception to the rule. 

Membership Report:

Dennis Macdonald reported that there was no change in the number of members since the May meeting.  The Membership Report became a discussion of the communications to, from, and between ASGC members.  Various mailing lists are employed for communications to the Board, Committees, membership subsets (such as those signing up for the Getaway or scheduled to play golf on a particular day), or general membership, with various ways of responding by some or all of the recipients.  A spammer once used the list of Board addresses for a phishing attempt.  As a service to better control our communications, Constant Contact was suggested.  It would cost $10 per month for ASGC.  It would require that more than one of us become familiar with its setup and use. It might require that we obtain permission from each of our members before we can include them, thus defeating the purpose of general communication.   It might be a vehicle for a newsletter to all members (revived Divoteer?)  Although some email communications are now sent in batches of 80, there is no limit on the size of mailings for email, iGolf, nor Constant Contact.  Keeping the list of names and addresses up-to-date in Constant Contact, or any other vehicle, requires attention, especially in Spring, when the roster undergoes rapid changes.  Use of the ASGC website for communications with members is a problem, since not all members read it diligently.  Bernie suggested that we use Google forms to poll our members for their opinions.  iGolf is not designed for a general communication system--it has messages targeted for selected subsets of players, with pre-composed emails.  Bob Odmark uses Outlook to set up groups, but there may be a problem in replying to a group when you are not a member of it.  Art Hauptman will conduct an experiment using Constant Contact for the Getaway communications.  $10 per month was authorized, until the end of the fiscal year, November 30. 

Coordinators Report:

Bob Odmark reported that he was trying to increase the number of players that could play at Chantilly CC on Monday 27 June 2022, by changing the first start-time from 8:00 to 7:30 am and reducing the between-group interval to 8 minutes.

We would have to increase our pace-of-play substantially to keep to 8-min. intervals.  It was suggested that 'faster' groups jump ahead of 'slower' ones, rather than moving the slower group ahead a hole.  Also suggested was putting the 'slower' groups at the end of the day's tee sheets and having more effective marshalling.  All suggestions have some problems--we just have to play faster.

Bob Odmark was not at Bristow Manor, doing starter duty.  There was a starter, who started us on the back nine, and followed us with locals.  iGolf will open for signup for July on 20 June 2022.  Having a 'shotgun' start at Old Hickory on 19 and/or 21 July 2022 was discussed.  An 8:30 start, primarily on the back nine, with doubling up on par 4's and 5's was suggested by the course.  The Board voted to do the shotgun on the 21st, with regular play on the 19th.  The course will charge us $5 more per person for the shotgun.  iGolf will be set up to handle the signup.  It remains to be seen whether everyone can finish before the heat sets in.  

Tournament Report:

Sharon Monde met with Maurice Spraggins and Bob Odmark concerning the Scramble tournament held at Piedmont on 9 May 2022.  The food cost more than we budgeted--they added a service charge and taxes; and we did not include the price of the box lunch in the fee we charged members.  One half ($1000) of the amount of money allocated for prizes ($2000) was applied to reducing entry fees.  However, we ended up $3000 over budget for the scramble--a precedent we should not continue.  

The club championship tournament scheduled for 6 Oct 2022 at Raspberry Falls will have $1000 in prize money awarded.  One flight for all women (there are only 34 in ASGC) and 2 or 3 for the men, were discussed.  Whether to use gross scores or net score (gross score minus some handicap factor)  or both, for club champions was debated.  Which tee to be used by men was questioned.  If a man's average score is arrived at by using short tees, or mixed tees, or longer tees, does a man do the same in a tournament?    Are the rules of play the same as those used when an average score is compiled, i.e. with 'gimme's, improved lies, mulligans, etc?  Maybe all men (and women) should play from the shortest tees, and USGA rules apply?  Bernie said that he has an algorithm that can convert an average score into a 'handicap' .  This would not be a valid USGA handicap index since a strict USGA handicap uses Equitable Stroke Control ( it does not have 3-over-par rules), uses course ratings and slopes, etc. If anyone wants a true handicap, he should sign up for one of the existing systems where he can enter his score on every hole and let the system calculate his Index.

Getaway Report:

Art Hauptman has talked with Kim at Genesis Golf about extending the deadline for signing up for the 13-15 September 2022 Getaway to Lancaster PA until 1 July 2022.  We don't know what the minimum number of entrants is.  27 have paid a $100 deposit as of 15 June 2022.  Brad James, who has roots in the Lancaster area, is helping find things for spouses to do while we play golf.  The play on Tuesday, 13 Sep 2022 is located about 40 minutes outside of Lancaster.  It will not be a shotgun start--iGolf will be used to signup for tee times.  Using carpools or renting a bus were suggested, as well as coordinating with spouses who would not want to sit at a golf course for the whole afternoon.  A shotgun start on Thursday, 15 Sep 2022, would have cost $16 more apiece, and is not being considered.  

Liability of ASGC members and Arlington County

Jennifer, of Arlington County, is unavailable now, so the discussion was postponed until all the required people are available.

Maurice asked whether we could have contests at tournaments where golfers would contribute money to a pot and someone win it, or half of it?  As long as it did not take place on County property, it should be OK?

iGolf:

iGolf can handle shotgun starts, tournaments, scrambles, etc.  We know better now than in May how to set them up.  Shotguns have the option of choosing a hole to start on or entering a 4-some and letting the system assign a hole.

iGolf can change tee time intervals before the time slots are 'populated' but not after.  It cannot handle varying time intervals, such as alternating 8-min and 9-min intervals.

Other Business:

All officers serve 1-year terms.  They must be reelected or reappointed each year.  The same applies to committee chairs.  So, the nominating committee should be constantly on the lookout for new recruits, since resignations can occur at any time.

Art pointed out the multiple emails generated by iGolf when he signs up for a whole month's tee times on a Monday morning.  He needs to be reminded just before each day that he is scheduled to play.

Frank Sauer and Bernie are working on the next trial of iGolf's 'Lottery' mode.  We hope that it will occur in July 2022.

The new By-Laws have been signed by Jennifer (of Arlington County) but not by Art Hauptman, President of ASGC.

The next meeting of the Board of Directors is tentatively scheduled for Monday 18 July 2022.

The meeting adjourned at 12:00

*******

Minutes of the ASGC Board of Directors Meeting - Approved 15 June 2022

When:  23 May 2022, 1:00 p.m. until 2:30 p.m.

Where:  Lubber Run Community Center, Room 126

Who:  Attending in person were Bernie Dennis, Rob Fairweather, Bob Odmark, Sidney Reid, Art Hauptman, Dennis Macdonald, Frank Sauer, Ralph Orlik.  Attending via Zoom: Ruth Ann Neely.  Present in spirit were Sharon Monde and Maurice Spraggins.

The meeting was called to order by ASGC President Art Hauptman.  A quorum was deemed present.  Not all Board Members received the agenda prior to the meeting.  This points to the need for a standard way of mailing notices to members of the Board.

The minutes of the 20 April Meeting were approved, when the comments received from Bernie Dennis were applied.

The next meeting is tentatively scheduled for 15 June 2022, at 10 a.m. at the LRCC.

Treasurer's Report:

Rob Fairweather reported that he and former Treasurer Rick Townshend have made the changes necessary to transfer the duties of Treasurer to Rob.  They have changed the signature card (Art and Rob are now authorized signers), changed the password to the account, and turned over the checkbook.  Rick finished his tenure by depositing the checks for the 9 May 2022 scramble and paying the bills for it.

Eighty-four golfers paid $60 apiece to enter the 9 May 2022 scramble tournament at Piedmont, for a total of $5040.  Expenses for the scramble were $7169, after the cost of the box lunches ($20) and tax and service charge ($300) were added, which comes to $85 per golfer.   We had estimated that there would be 60 golfers at $15 per box lunch and did not expect the tax and service charge.  The cost of prizes for the tournament were $1040, so the total cost came to $8209.  The total budgeted amount for 2022 tournaments and prizes was $14,000.  We have spent over half of our budget for tournaments already.  One other tournament is scheduled for 6 October 2022.

Membership dues of $4590 have been received in 2022, and the other major expense was the $2017 fee for iGolf.

The annual audit has been done in the past by Richard Brandenburg, a former Board member.  He has not been asked yet to do it this year.  Rick Townshend is recuperating from surgery and may not be able to prepare the data for Richard.

Membership Report:

Dennis Macdonald reported that we have 300 active and 18 inactive members.  This leaves us 7 members short of our maximum number of 325.  166 of the 318 members are residents of Arlington County.  152 are not.  This leaves us with more than the required 50% of members from Arlington.  152 of the active members are residents while 148 are not.  There are 34 female members of the 318 total.  The current wait list has 8 non-residents of Arlington.  We are not admitting them at present, since we are holding the 7 available slots open for potential applicants from Arlington.

A questionnaire was sent to members on 28 April 2022, asking for interest in volunteering.  Of 14 responses, 7 just wanted to play golf.  A few others had skills that we might want to use, such as writing, database, organizational, etc.  We will pursue leads to recruit new volunteers.  

A suggestion was made that ASGC offer more opportunities for interaction among members, such as poker nights, hobbies, etc.  This might be done via a newsletter (the Divoteer?)  However, this might be better handled with the existing 55+ channels of communication.  More member interactions beyond our basic mission of playing golf could also expose us to individual liability as Board members.    

Coordinator's Report:

Bob Odmark reported that 89% of those golfers who have signed up to play by the Thursday before a Tuesday or Thursday playday, show up to play.  This number does not include the 2 days at Raspberry Falls in early April when bad weather resulted in only 3% of those who signed up, playing.  Those who cancel do so mainly for weather-related reasons.  Some also have personal reasons, such as injury or family matters.  The numbers of those who do play are obtained from the starters check-in sheets or sometimes from a golf course's records of how many have paid.  The number of scores reported by golfers after they play, in a spreadsheet separate from iGolf is not a good count of those who played, since not all golfers are reporting their scores promptly.  iGolf itself cannot help in this respect, since it does not keep track of who played, only who signed up to play.

Bob noted that the pace of play is approaching 5 hours for many golfers, especially those who start late in the morning.  They might not finish until after 4 p.m.

Bob mentioned the possibility of playing on 3 days a week, for shorter spans of tee times, instead of 2 days of longer spans.  It would depend on whether each course agrees to such an arrangement, however.  There is no guarantee that the pace of play would improve.  The total number of player slots would decrease somewhat.  That is, limiting tee times to a 7:30 to 10 a.m. window, for 3 days, would yield 64 timeslots per day, times 3 days, or 192 total.  Two days of tee times from 7:30 to 12:00 yields 112 timeslots, times 2 days or 224 total.  Bob's overhead also increases if he has to travel to a course 3 days a week instead of two.

Bob also mentioned instituting a 2-putt rule, but enforcing it seems problematical.  Putting known slow-playing groups late in the day also has problems in enforcing.  More active marshals might help, if they have the authority to move offending groups up to the one ahead.   Slow play is one of the items that a committee will be tasked with when it tries to improve the golf experience of members.

Tournament Committee Report:

Sharon Monde reported, via Art Hauptman, that the 9 May 2022 scramble was a success in that the original 60 to 65 golfers projected to play ballooned to 88.  Everyone did the two-part signup without complaint and all checks were received on time.  The weather cooperated, box lunches were doled out in lieu of a hot lunch, and the prizes were distributed to about 1/4 of the participants.  Financially, there were some surprises (see the Treasurer's report, above).

Getaway Committee Report:

Art Hauptman reported that the rate of signups for the September Getaway to Lancaster, PA is disappointing.  15 people are signed up so far.  Art would like 40, soon.  The date for $100 deposits, 15 June 2022, is only 3 weeks away.  But that is 3 months before the date of the Getaway.  Art and Brad James did a mini-Getaway to view the facilities.  The price of golf and dinner, on the Tuesday of that week may be too high to attract many players.  The Tuesday and Thursday rounds of golf in Lancaster will not have shotgun starts--they will use iGolf to sign up groups for the timeslots they desire.  

iGolf Report:

Bernie Dennis reported that signing up for June 2022 tee times went well on 23 May 2022.  Of the 112 timeslots available on a given day, from 7:30 to 12 noon, up to 60 were booked between 9:00 and 9:05 a.m on the 23rd.  By 9:10 the 3 Tuesdays in June had over 60 timeslots taken, and the Thursdays had over 50 timeslots taken.  If there were no complaints from members about not getting the times they wanted, this is an improvement over the old Google spreadsheets.   However, it still requires lots of people to access iGolf early on a Monday morning.  Plans are under way for a second test of the Lottery option of iGolf.  The first test had some problems, and feedback is being used to make the second test better.  The Lottery option will obviate the need for dozens of people to be first in line on a Monday morning.

Bernie also reported on the ASGC website developments: Art's speech on the "State of the Club for 2022" has been posted; April Player of the Month, Bill Briggs, is honored for shooting 10 strokes under his average; average scores for April 2022 have been updated, and the number of rounds played is included.  Members are encouraged to report scores within a week after playing.  Remember that scores are used to compute a player's average score and the number of plays during a year.  Although there is no required minimum number of plays this year, such a requirement is likely to be reinstituted sometime in the future.

Ad Hoc Committee on Improving the Golf Experience

Art Hauptman announced the formation of a new committee, chaired by Dennis Macdonald with the assistance of Ruth Ann Neely, to investigate ways for making ASGC members happier.  Foremost on the list of tasks to be addressed is the problem of slow play (see also Coordinator's Report, above.) 

Another task is to improve the communication between members.  Controlling lists of members email addresses while ensuring privacy of individuals is needed.  Communications to all Club members is not always required--subsets of members are sometimes sufficient, such as the Board of Directors, or just the players who are playing on a given day.  Constant Contact was suggested, but it may be too expensive.  Use of blind copies (bcc) is recommended when appropriate.  Use of an Arlington County email server might help?

The third task is the usage of iGolf.  It was stated that a single golfer who signs up first for a timeslot, blocks out all four of the times.  This is not true--up to 3 others may add their names to the tee time.  A consolidation of tee times earlier in the week, by Bob Odmark, might help to compress a signup sheet, but might cause problems in notifying members of changes?

Relationship of ASGC to Arlington County

Concern was expressed that individual members of the Board of Directors of ASGC could be sued by members of the Club, or others?  ASGC operates under the umbrella of the County, for its normal golf operations.  The Getaway is not a normal operation, as is clearly stated in its publicity.  There was a question of whether the desire of some members to increase communication channels would leave us open to lawsuits.  Sharing of member emails for activities other than strictly golf operations could leave us vulnerable.  Promoting more social activity between members might be better done via the existing 55+ communication channels rather than via any ASGC vehicle.   A meeting of the Board of Directors with the County legal staff was proposed.

The next meeting of the Board is tentatively scheduled for 15 June 2022, at LRCC, at 10 a.m.  

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Minutes of the ASGC Board of Directors Meeting - Approved 23 May 2022

When:  20 April 2022, 1:30 p.m. until 3:00 p.m.

Where:  Lubber Run Community Center, Room 126

Who:  Attending in person were Maurice Spraggins, Ruth Ann Neely, Bernie Dennis, Frank Sauer, Rick Townshend, Ralph Orlik, Sidney Reid, Art Hauptman, Dennis Macdonald, Rob Fairweather, Bob Odmark, Sharon Monde.  There were no attendees via Zoom.

The meeting was called to order by ASGC President Art Hauptman.  

The minutes of the March Board of Directors meeting were approved by voice vote.  Those minutes can now be installed on the ASGC website.

Three new members of the BOD were introduced:

• Rob Fairweather will be replacing Rick Townshend as Treasurer.  Thanks go to Rick for many years of service to ASGC.

• Sharon Monde is the new Chair of the Tournament Committee.

• Maurice Spraggins is the new Chair of the Nominating Committee.  He is assisting Sharon Monde with the Scramble Tournament.

Treasurer's Report: 

Rick Townshend reported that the current balance of the ASGC is $10,785.  The full budget is available on the ASGC website.

Of the 62 players who have indicated their intention to play in the 9 May 2022 scramble at Piedmont, about 45 checks ( $60 apiece) have been received.  The names and statuses of those signed up can be seen on the ASGC website.  Those names highlighted in Red are receiving 'compensated rounds', for which there was $1020 budgeted.

Rick Townshend will be retiring as Treasurer on 1 May 2022.  Rick and Rob Fairweather will coordinate the transition to a new Treasurer in early May.  They will ensure that the checks received for the Scramble are deposited; a check to pay for the Scramble will be given to Sharon Monde; Rob will be added to the list of those authorized to sign checks; Rob will take charge of the Club checkbook; Rick's name will be removed from authorized signers; any necessary changes of addresses on the ASGC website and at the bank, will be done;  Rob will begin receiving the bank statements; the annual audit will be expedited.  

A question was raised as to whether a Post Office box for Club business, rather than a person's home address, should be used.  A cost of about $200 per year would be incurred and someone would have to make extra trips to the P.O.

Art Hauptman is already an authorized signer of checks.

Membership Report:

Dennis Macdonald reported that there are names of 293 active members of ASGC on the website.  151 members are residents of Arlington, 141 are non-residents.  16 members are in Inactive status (12 from Arlington).  Active plus Inactive members then come to 309.  This number is below the maximum of 325 members allowed under the By-Laws.   If the 7 persons who have been invited to join the ASGC do so, there will be 316 members.  That will leave 9 slots available before we reach the maximum.  These slots will be reserved, until August, for residents of Arlington who want to join the ASGC.  After August, requests for membership will go to the waitlist.  We have, currently, more members from Arlington than non-residents.  This fulfills the requirement stated in the By-Laws.  

An updated Membership Report will be submitted to Arlington County at the end of April. 

Dennis Macdonald and Bernie Dennis will work on an online questionnaire.  It will be directed to members, to seek input on our past and future activities. 

iGolf Report:

Bernie Dennis and Frank Sauer reported on the practice session (18-21 March) using the 'lottery' method of signing up for tee times with iGolf; and the 18 April 2022 signup for tee times in May, on the First-Come-First-Served method.  

40 people participated in the Lottery practice signup. Some of those who practiced signing up, signed up for a group of players, so that 87 total players were signed up.  39 of the 40 practice signers answered a questionnaire about the process.   

Many of those responding liked the idea of the Lottery, when compared to the FCFS method, because it eliminates the need to try to beat the clock on a Monday morning and should assign tee times equitably.  Response to two questions indicated a preference for the FCFS method: which do you prefer - 41% for FCFS, 35.9% for the Lottery;  adopting the Lottery - 38.5% No keep FCFS, 33.3% favor adopting the Lottery. The biggest complaint with the lottery method, as implemented for the test, was that players did not get tee times close enough to the time that they requested.  This problem may have been due to the non-optimal setting for the 'weighting'  of the assigned tee times.  That is, the tee times were chosen 'randomly' rather than giving more weight to times nearer the desired time.  The proper setting of the weighting needs to be done in another test of the Lottery method.  There should be limits applied to tee times that are deemed acceptable by a group, perhaps by designating a window of acceptability.

Email notices were sent to those who signed up for May tee times.  Each tee time generated an email message, so that a player signing up for 5 tee times in May got 5 emails on the day that the signups were made.  

We need to find out how to do a sign up for a 'shotgun' start, using iGolf. 

Coordinator's Report:

Bob Odmark reported that the 18 April signups have nearly filled all the available slots at Twin Lakes, and 98 at Raspberry Falls (Tuesday only, since Thursday was rained out). There are 108 slots available on a given day (4 golfers for each of 27 times (4.5 hours at 10-minute intervals)), or 216 per week.  That would accommodate 2/3 of all our members if they all wanted to play in a week, which would be unprecedented.

ASGC will not be playing at Little Bennett on 3,5 May 2022.  We could not come to an agreement with them on the fee to be charged, and their need for a deposit to be made.   Instead, we will play at Augustine on 2 May 2022.  There will be a shotgun start at 10 a.m.

Tournament Committee Chair's Report:

Sharon Monde reported on the planning for the 9 May 2022 Scramble Tournament which is being held at Piedmont golf course.  Sharon and Maurice Spraggins met, via Zoom, with the Event planner, and the Head professional at Piedmont, to discuss the logistics of the tournament.  They agreed that we will supply a list of players two days before the tournament; that Piedmont will supply a PA system, a scoreboard, and awards ceremony on a patio; the range will be open at 8 a.m.; boxed lunches will be supplied at the midway point; holes for longest drive and closest-to-pin, for men and women, will be set up; a check for the event will be paid to Piedmont on 9 May 2022.

Since Piedmont is normally closed on Mondays, it would cost us extra to have a beverage cart during the play and a bartender, after.  Supplying water with the box lunch might cost extra, but could be done by us bringing a case of bottles to hand out, as 'sponsor'?

Rick Townshend will do the pairings, given the final list of players signed up, along with their average scores.  Interest in future Scrambles' letting players form their own groups would complicate the way we do pairings but will be considered.             

Getaway Report:

Art Hauptman reported on the 13-15 September 2022 trip to the Lancaster, PA area.  He noted that play on Tuesday and Thursday will be by signup, rather than a shotgun start as has been done in the past.  Play on Thursday will be offered as an option for those who choose to go home early.   Wednesday, 14 September 2022, will be Scramble with a shotgun start.  Prizes will be awarded.  Details on the trip, and how to put down a deposit, were sent to ASGC members in an email on 9 April 2022; they are also on the ASGC website.   $100 deposits are due on 15 June 2022; final payment is due on 1 August 2022.

Miscellaneous:

Reports of hours spent by Board and Committee members are to be reported to Frank Sauer quarterly, rather than monthly as has been done up until now.

Art Hauptman maintained that we need some type of Listserv system for notifications to and communications with Board members and the membership.  Also, iGolf notices of tee times ought to be repeated/delayed until closer to the date of play.

We should be working toward a paperless way of paying for tournaments and member's fees.

Art will be asking some members to join a Future Directions Committee, to consider issues such as a P.O. box, a mailing list, and electronic payments.  Dennis Macdonald will chair the committee.

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Minutes of the General Membership Meeting of the ASGC - Approved 20 April 2022

The meeting was held at the Lubber Run Community Center, Room 119, on Monday, 7 March 2022

It started at 10:10 am, after a short delay due to technical matters.

Approximately 30 people were in attendance at LRCC

Another 30 people attended via Zoom, remotely.

President of ASGC, Art Hauptman, opened the meeting by asking for the approval of the minutes of the general membership meeting which was held on 19 January 2022.  The minutes were approved by those in attendance in person and remotely.

President's remarks:

 Art Hauptman noted 10 areas in which ASGC has improved or might need to improve the operation of the Club in meeting its mission of providing its members with opportunities to enjoy playing golf.

1. ASGC has successfully installed and is ready to use the iGolf system for signing up for tee times, starting later this month.  Thanks goes primarily to Bernie Dennis, Frank Sauer, and Bob Odmark, who will be reporting in more detail on iGolf later in this meeting.

2.  Art has asked members Dale Strawser, David Tate, and Dan Olson to lead a committee, which, along with Bob Odmark, will develop a plan to reduce the problem of slow play that affects the enjoyment of golfers playing behind the slower groups.

3.  Player-of-the-month and other recognitions of stellar play, initiated by Don Collier, should be continued.

4. We need to resume having an annual Club tournament, which has been cancelled the past 2 years.  One is scheduled for 6 October 2022, at Raspberry Falls.  We hope to have a spring Scramble this year, following the Art Gosling Memorial Scramble of last fall.  There will also be a Scramble as part of the Getaway. 

5. Art has taken over from Bill Dawson the task of planning a Getaway in the fall, planned for 13-15 September 2022, in Lancaster PA. 

6. ASGC should move away from writing and mailing paper checks for the payment of ASGC fees, and for entry fees for Scrambles and the Club tournament, by offering payment by electronic means, such as credit cards, VENMO, PayPal, etc. ASGC could absorb the transaction fees, in order to encourage members to use electronic means of payment.

7. Communication to members and among members, would be enhanced by reintroduction of the Divoteer, a newsletter which ASGC used to publish.

8. An orientation for new members, to help them learn the Club's rules and traditions, will be explored by Bob Odmark.

9. Socialization of members with each other, such as having Poker nights for those interested, will be explored.  Bernie Dennis and Frank Sauer will look into electronic ways of communication, in addition to the role the Divoteer may play.

10. An end-of-year banquet for members and spouses, for awards and camaraderie, should be explored.

In addition to his 10 areas, Art thanked Chuck Hadden, Dick Irvine, Bernie Dennis, and John Mashaw for the work they did in producing a revised version of ASGC's By-Laws.  The revised By-Laws will be covered in detail later in this meeting.  Art recommends that the membership approve them in a vote later in this meeting.  He also has asked Bernie Dennis and Dennis Macdonald to draft an operating manual, within the next 6 months, and Bruce Needham and Mike Marron to review it.  The need for an operations manual arose in the process of revising the By-Laws.

Committee chairs, members:  

Maurice Spraggins is taking charge of the Nominations Committee from John Mashaw.  Sharon Monde will become the Tournament Committee chair, replacing Susan Ciochetto.  Volunteers are always welcome.  

Treasurer's report:

Bernie Dennis delivered the report for Rick Townshend, who is recuperating from recent surgery.

The current balance in ASGC's account is $10,372.  $3899 is projected to be carried over into 2023.   $900 was saved by not buying pizza for 2 general membership meetings.  $2000 budgeted for prizes in cancelled Scrambles and Tournaments was not spent.  The annual fee for the use of iGolf, $1800, has been paid for 2022.  It looks like the fee for 2023 will also be covered.

Membership Report: 

Dennis Macdonald has put the names of 257 members on the ASGC Roster, which is on the website.  These are the people who have paid their $15 fee, for 2022, to the ASGC.  Not all of them have paid the 2 other fees that are due to Arlington County--the 55 Plus fee and the Golf Program fee.  Only about 170 are completely paid up.  

There are 9 members who have requested to be put on inactive status, for various reasons.  42 members have left the Club.  17 residents of Arlington, and 10 non-residents have been invited to join the Club.  7 have joined, so far. 

17 non-residents are on the Wait List.  Non-residents cannot be added to our Roster until more Arlington residents are added, due to the requirement that 50% of the members must be from Arlington.  A week ago, there were 124 members who were Arlington residents, and 119 who were not.  We are not currently in danger of reaching the maximum number of members (325) allowed in the Club and won't be in danger until more Arlington golfers join up.  ASGC has a unique status among clubs supported by Arlington County, in that we have a requirement of only 50% Arlington residents, whereas other clubs have a 75% requirement.   We need more members from Arlington.

Coordinator Report:  

Bob Odmark reminded us that there is less than a month until our first playday at Raspberry Falls.  Prior to that play, there are 2 sessions at Virginia Golf Center, 29 and 31 March, to tune up your game.  Emails will be sent to those who expressed interest, earlier.  Most courses are not allowing single-rider carts, even with an added charge.   Threesomes will have two carts for 3 people, allowing one single-rider cart.   Masks are now optional in most places.  Arlington County says that we cannot ask anyone's vaccination-status, so if a golfer wants to know before he shares a cart with a stranger, he has to ask that person himself.  We hope that members will be forthright is answering.

The Club tournament has been moved from 1757 to Raspberry Falls, on 6 Oct 2022.  That will give us 5 plays at Raspberry.  The 4 Oct 2022 play at 1757 will be a normal playday.  It was reported that 1757 is 'going private.' They have cancelled all league-play there.  That may have been the reason that they demanded a signed contract and a $500 deposit for a tournament date that we refused to accept. We are considering trying to have a shotgun start at Old Hickory on either 19 or 21 July, in midsummer. Ray Ewing reported that his connections with Loudon CC have not helped us in securing a playdate there.  The Board has voted to use half of the money set aside for Scramble prizes ($2000) to reduce entry fees into the Scramble.

Getaway Report:

Art Hauptman has taken over the arrangement for a Fall Getaway from Bill Dawson.  A trip to Lancaster County PA is planned for 13-15 September 2022.  Two hotels are being considered, one being more deluxe for those members who are willing to pay a little more.  Brad James, Club photographer, knows the Lancaster locality.  He might be able to gain access for us to a private Country Club in Lancaster, for play on the Tuesday afternoon of the Getaway.  It would be subject to a requirement that players stay and have either lunch or dinner at the Club.  Lunch seems reasonable since players will be arriving around noon, in order to play in the afternoon.  The Lancaster area is a little more than a 2-hour drive from the DC area.  The Thursday course will be on the way south from Lancaster, but not so far away as the one we played last year, halfway home from Williamsburg.

Arlington County Liaison:

Sidney Reid introduced herself as our new link to the County.

By-Laws Revision:

Chuck Hadden talked about the people who worked to revise the By-Laws, the process they followed, and the results of their work.  Chuck Hadden, John Mashaw, Dick Irvine, Bernie Dennis, Dennis Macdonald, and Sidney Reid worked from October 2021 until January 2022 in preparing a draft of the new By-Laws.  They held 10 meetings over those 4 months before approving unanimously the draft of the new By-Laws.  They recommend, along with President Art Hauptman, that the new By-Laws be adopted.  

Chuck highlighted the changes made to reorganize the By-Laws, to clarify terms, and to add new provisions.

Article II.2 details how new members are added from the Wait List, given that 50% of the members must be from Arlington. No non-resident members will be dropped in the course of a year if the percentage of members from Arlington falls below 50%.  The required majority of Arlington County members will be regained as soon as possible.

Art.II.3 lays out the rights that members have, and also the need for members to remain in 'good standing', by being current in all required payments, completing the minimum number of plays in a season, and being civil to other members.  

Art II.5 covers the resignation and termination of members who do not maintain good standing.  It is not too much to ask that members be active enough to meet the minimum-play requirement, currently 7 plays per year.  Since the one-play-per-week limit is no longer in effect, members can sign up to play twice a week for 30-some weeks, April through October 2022.   Only 7 of a possible 60+ playdates during a year need be played.  Members with 'good cause' will be granted a waiver of the rule.  Requiring that members maintain some minimum level of activity helps ASGC get better rates from golf courses when we can promise them that more golfers will play on a given day.  It also makes room on the roster for new members to be added to the Club.

Art II.6 limits emoluments to Board or Committee members to $10 without the approval of the Board.

Art IV covers how the general meetings of members are announced, the quorums required, and the taking of votes.

Art V defines who belongs to and can vote at Board meetings.  The Board replaces what was known as the Executive Committee.  The golf Coordinator cannot vote on the Board since the Coordinator is an employee of the County.  Board meetings, quorums, votes, and rules for operation are specified.

Art VI describes the duties of Officers, their term limits, and procedures for replacing Officers

Art VII describes the standing Committees and their Chairs.  The duties of the Average Score Committee will be handled by the new Information Technology & CC Committee

Art VIII describes duties of the Treasurer in keeping the financial records of the Club and having a yearly audit by someone other than the Treasurer.

Art IX is a Code of Conduct that members, and their guests, are obliged to abide by in order to maintain good standing.

Chuck Hadden, Art Hauptman, and the Board all recommend that the new By-Laws be adopted, which they were in a subsequent vote of the membership, both physically present and remote.

Information Technology & Communications Committee:

Bernie Dennis thanked the iGolf subcommittee (Rick Townshend, Frank Sauer, Bob Odmark, Bernie Dennis) for their work in selecting, purchasing, installing, and implementing the iGolf system for assigning tee times.  iGolf replaces the old Google sheets that were used by members to sign up for time slots.  iGolf does not handle the reporting of scores.  This will continue being done in a spreadsheet.  

The ASGC website has a link to the iGolf system, videos showing how to use it, and FAQs.  If you haven't already, you need to change the default password (your member number and email address).

To book a tee time for 1 to 4 people, you sign on to iGolf, use the calendar to choose the date and time that you choose to play.  You enter your name as the 'booker' of the tee time, and the names of the players in your group. You can create a buddy list to make the process easier.  You have 4 minutes to complete your booking, by saving it.  If not saved within 4 minutes, the hold on your time will be released for someone else to book that time.  Once the booking is finished, the members of the group will receive an email reminding them of the date and time, at 24 or 48 hours before the time.

The booking of tee times for our first playday on 5 April 2022 will begin at 9:00 am on 14 March 2022.  Other tee times for the month of April can also be booked at that time. The booker can delete any members of a group for a tee time, whereas the individual members of the group can only delete themselves.  If a booker deletes himself, another member of the group will be promoted to be booker.  If a twosome wants to sign up with an existing twosome, there will be two bookers.  Cart signs can be printed accordingly.  Bob Odmark will consolidate or edit the tee time sheet, as he does now, to close up gaps in times and groups, by moving people around.  He will notify all players by way of a final tee-time sheet that will also be sent to the golf courses.

Initially, the first-come-first-served mode of iGolf will be used, as we have been doing in the past with Google sheets.  However, on 18-21 March 2022 ( Fri-Mon), there will be a practice session in using the Equitable Draw (aka Lottery) mode of assigning tee times in iGolf.  Members are encouraged to 'bid' for tee times ( at least 4 times on different days is suggested) anytime during those 4 days in March.  Tee times will be for the month of January 2023--this is for practice only.  That is, book your group for a tee time near the one you really want, and the iGolf system will assign tee times to all groups, after 21 March 2022, on an equitable basis.  About 23-24 March 2022, iGolf will send emails to groups, informing them of the tee time they were assigned.  Feedback will be requested from members after this test.

A member's Average Score, which is calculated from the scores that we report on a spreadsheet, is not the same as a Handicap, nor convertible to one.  If you want a real USGA Handicap Index, you need to use some other system into which you can enter your hole-by-hole scores, the slope and rating of the course, etc. and let it calculate a handicap index for you.  That can then be used to calculate your course handicap when you play in an official event.

Awards:

J Vergalla and B Fischer had Aces in 2021 and will be presented with medallions.  B. Amin had an Albatross (3 under par on a hole)

Harvey Doerksen, our Secretary for the last 10 years, will be presented with an award the next time he is seen on a golf course.

Adjournment:

The meeting was adjourned at noon, when our room reservation expired.

*********

Minutes of ASGC General Membership Meeting - Approved 7 March 2022

19 Jan 2022, 11:35 am to 1:25 pm

Meeting in person (approximately 25 persons) at Lubber Run Rec Center, and via Zoom (approximately 60 persons)

Pizza and soft drinks were not permitted in LRCC meeting room

Art Hauptman, interim President of ASGC opened the meeting.

ASGC Officers for 2022

John Mashaw, chairman of the nominating committee, presented the slate of officers for approval by the membership.

Officers nominated were:  Art Hauptman, President; Bernie Dennis, First Vice President; Frank Sauer, Second Vice President; Ralph Orlik, Secretary; Richard Townshend, Treasurer.

By voice vote, the proposed Officers were unanimously approved.

President's Remarks

Art Hauptman thanked Don Collier for his service as President in 2021, in which ASGC purchased, installed, and is preparing to implement the software package iGolf.  Art noted that ASGC has golfers who range in age from 55 to 90, and all of them deserve to have an enjoyable golf experience.  He asked Bob Odmark and Dale Strawser to work on the perennial issue of slow play.  iGolf, more of which later in the meeting, should alleviate the problems we have had in signing up to play golf.  He relayed the comments of Rick Townshend, that we should reconsider the scramble tournaments and championship, given that only about 25% of the members play in them, and the prizes awarded are the largest item in our budget.  He also expressed hope that ASGC will do a better job of communicating with its members, and facilitating communication among members, letting them talk to each other.  The revival of the Divoteer, a monthly newsletter sent to all members, might be the vehicle to feature player profiles and accomplishments, and club history.  A volunteer to edit a recreated Divoteer is needed.  

Committee Chairs

John Mashaw (Nominating Comm.), Bob Dawson (Historian), Dennis Macdonald (Membership), Ralph Orlik (Average Scores), Bernie Dennis and Frank Sauer (Information Technology & Communications) were introduced.  Tournament Chair is currently vacant.  Member well-being (Ruth Ann Neely), Club Photographer (Brad James) are other committees currently active.  The duties of the Committee Chairs (and also those of the ASGC Officers) are listed on the ASGC web site.  Volunteers to work on committees are always being sought.

Treasurer's Report

Bernie Dennis gave the report for Rick Townshend, who could not attend the meeting.  The current balance is $11,297.  Current plans for spending point to an end-of-year carryover of $3899.  This year's dues were reduced to $15, because of low spending in the last year, due to COVID-related issues.  Not serving Pizza at this meeting saved us $450.  We spent $1000 to purchase the license for iGolf.  We have adequate funds to pay the annual maintenance fee for iGolf of $1800, for 2022 and possibly for 2023.   Rick announced that 2022 would be his last year as Treasurer.  He has served in that capacity for nine years. 

Membership Report

Dennis Macdonald reported that since the invitation to rejoin ASGC was sent out to current members on 15 Dec 21, there have been 194 members who have renewed at the rate of $15 apiece.  Members are encouraged to join by 1 Feb 2022.  After that, those people who are on the wait list will be considered for membership.  29 people are currently on the wait lists:  8 are Arlington residents, and 21 are not.  6 members have withdrawn from the club, and one requested to be put into inactive status.  No one will be dropped from the roster for lack of completing 7 rounds of play in 2021.  The iGolf system will also keep some member data, e.g. email addresses and contact information, that is also kept in the membership data base.  Members are asked to inform Dennis Macdonald or Bernie Dennis about any changes in member data, so that they can keep our databases synchronized.  The two fees that Arlington County requires, are payable online, or at this meeting or the one in March.

Coordinator's Report

Bob Odmark (that's Ode not Odd) discussed the schedule of courses to be played in 2022.  He noted that most courses will be played on Tuesday and Thursday, although a few (Laurel Hill, Westfields, Chantilly, Stoneleigh, Heritage Hunt) will not.  The format at Virginia Golf Center is under discussion.  Loudon CC is not on the schedule, after waiting too long to agree on a date.  Bristow Manor has been added back.  Courses differ on the rules for single-rider carts.  Some charge extra, some don't allow, some allow one of them in a 3-some.  The number of requests for single-rider carts has decreased substantially since the beginning of 2021.  The iGolf system will include information about walking (allowed at all, not recommended, have pull carts available).  Some courses will honor the VSGA 'VIP' booklet that has discounts for playing at certain times of the day or year.  Little Bennett has the highest fee ($70) but may consider reducing that to perhaps $60 if we could guarantee a minimum number of golfers?  Little Bennett is the only Maryland course scheduled.  Others in MD demanded that we sign a contract and/or prepay them, and were higher in price, not-to-mention the problems in trying to cross the Potomac River.  Trying shotgun starts for some play-days, especially in midsummer, has been suggested.  Shotguns are usually more expensive for golfers due to the increased work on the part of the course.  However, iGolf can handle the bookkeeping for a shotgun, thus lessening the burden on the course.  Augustine is reported to be in better shape than it has been, and the person responsible is working on Old Hickory now.

Getaway for 2022

Art Hauptman is working on a Getaway to Lancaster County, PA.  Suggested dates are 13-15 September.  Brad James will assist Art since Brad is familiar with the area.  Art wants to increase the number of non-golfing participants by possibly offering optional upscale accommodations for those who want to pay extra.

By-Laws Rewrite 

A rewrite subcommittee has been working on revising the ASGC By-Laws, since November 2021.  Chuck Hadden, John Mashaw, Bernie Dennis, and Dick Irvine, along with Don Collier and Art Hauptman and Sidney Reid (Arlington County) held 8 Zoom meetings and produced a final draft on 1 Jan 2022.  Current By-Laws were approved on 22 Jan 2020. The ASGC web site has them and the minutes of that meeting which summarize the By-Laws, including the provisions for the 7-play minimum, the 325-member cap, the 50% Arlington members, and the difference between the Board and the Executive committee.  The revised By-Laws address the issues of the status of the Golf Coordinator--not a member of the Board but a County employee; the IT&C committee as a new committee; and the voting rights of elected vs. non-elected members.   Comments from Board members are being reviewed, to be presented to the Board at its Feb 2022 meeting.  If approved, the rewritten By-Laws will be presented to the general membership in March for approval.  To satisfy the current By-Laws, any proposed Amendment must be submitted to the President 15 days prior to the membership meeting at which it is presented for a vote.  Thus, a proposed Amendment of 'Article XIII. Amendments' was sent to Art Hauptman on 4 Jan 2022.  The amended Amendment article was approved by voice vote at this meeting ( 19 Jan 2022).  This will allow the full revised By-Laws to be distributed to members before the March general meeting, for vote at that time.

iGolf

The IT&C committee was established in March 2021, to use modern technology to solve problems with tee time signup, virtual meetings, keeping average scores, member communication, etc.  The Google sheets that ASGC has been using for years, for signing up for tee times was not working well, and Google is discontinuing support.  The IT&C committee was tasked with finding a replacement, and if possible, an improved system.  The committee of Bernie Dennis, Frank Sauer, Rick Townshend, and Bob Odmark recommended the purchase of iGolf, after evaluation of possible replacement systems.  iGolf was discovered by Frank Sauer.  iGolf is a system which is used for allocating tee times to golfers, by either a first-come-first-served basis (similar to what ASGC does now with Google sheets), or by an 'equitable draw' method (which chooses tee times, as in a lottery, for all the members who have expressed a desire for a given range of tee times).   The FCFS method holds a tee time for 4 minutes, while the person who is booking the tee time adds the names of his/her group of golfers.  If s/he does not 'book' the time within the 4-minute window, the hold on the tee time is released, for any other user to grab.  The Equitable Draw method of allocating tee times is used by most users of iGolf, as the fairest way of allocating times, but ASGC will not use this method starting this April, until we gather some experience using the iGolf system.  

The committee has created training videos, which are available on the ASGC web site.  The courses which we are playing in 2022 have been entered into the system.  The names, email addresses, etc. for paid-up 

ASGC members has been entered into the iGolf system.   iGolf is ready for use.  How to use iGolf was demonstrated by Bernie Dennis at the meeting.  A practice session is taking place on Monday, 24 Jan 2022.  This will be a chance for all members to practice signing up for tee times in February, using the FCFS protocol.   Pretend that you are really going to play in February, and sign yourself and your buddies up.  Then send any feedback you have on your experience to Bernie Dennis.  In March 2022, there will be another practice session for the Equitable Draw method of allocating tee times.  It will be used to practice signing up for tee times for Jan 2023.  We don't want to interfere with the setup of iGolf for 2022.

Bottom line is: sign on to iGolf (you must reset your password), choose a date on which you want to play, pick a time on that day, add your golf buddies, then book the time.

Try it.  It's easy. to use.

Respectfully submitted by Ralph Orlik 

DRAFT Minutes of meeting of Board of Directors of ASGC

4 Jan 2022, 10 am to 12:22 pm. 

Meeting via Zoom

Attendees: Art Hauptman, Frank Sauer, Bernie Dennis, Dale Strawser, Chuck Hadden, John Mashaw, Dick Irvine, Brad James, Dennis Macdonald, Susan Ciochetto, Ruth Ann Neely, Bob Odmark, Jennifer Collins (Arlington County), Sidney Reid (Arlington County), Ralph Orlik, Rick Townshend

Art Hauptman presided.  He became President on 1 Jan 22, after the resignation of Don Collier (who completed one year of his two-year term).  The plan was for Dale Strawser (a past President) to be nominated for President at the Jan 19th meeting.  However, subsequent developments have changed the plan so that Art Hauptman is slated for nomination as President, to be voted on at the meeting.  Dick Irvine would have moved up from 2nd vice president to 1st vice president but has decided to leave the Board.  Bernie Dennis was to be nominated as 2nd vice president.  Rick Townshend will continue as treasurer.  Secretary position is currently vacant.  Volunteers for board and committee positions are encouraged.  Descriptions of the duties of board and committee positions are on the ASGC web site. 

Minutes of last meeting approved.

Chuck Hadden departed the meeting, when it was clear that substance of by-laws were not to be discussed.

Membership

Dennis Macdonald reported that the invitation to join ASGC was sent out on Dec 15th. The dues for 2022 are $15 and are to be paid to the treasurer by 1 Feb 2022. The two County fees are to be paid directly to the County, by check or online.  124 checks have been received, as of 3 Jan 2022.  118 names are on the 2022 website roster.  Six members have withdrawn their memberships.  27 people are on the wait list, 20 of them not from Arlington.   The 7-play minimum rule will not be enforced in 2022.

iGolf system

The iGolf committee (Bernie Dennis, Rick Townshend, Bob Odmark, Frank Sauer) reported on the status of the new tee-time signup system.  2 training videos are now available on the web site for using the new system.  Members who have paid their ASGC fee for 2022 are encouraged to sign into the new system, change passwords, and explore.  Data from the ASGC roster have already been used to populate iGolf with the names of golfers.  Course data (addresses, phone numbers, email, directions, etc.) have also been entered.   Bob Odmark will enter additional courses to be played as they are confirmed.  Practice sheets for early Feb, for Old Hickory, are to be used for training.  iGolf allots 4 mins for a group to complete a sign-up, before releasing its lock on that time slot.  Frank Sauer noted that iGolf also has a ‘lottery’ feature that allows members to sign up for desirable tee times, within a specified window of time.  At end of that window,  iGolf will assign those groups tee times, based on their history with the iGolf system, and send them emails.  This feature might be useful to us to avoid the rush when the sign-up is first opened for a month.  However, for now, we should concentrate on getting everybody up to speed with using  iGolf in the first-come-first-served mode as we do now, before play starts in April.

Treasury

Rick Townshend reported that there is $9727 in our bank account, with another $500 in checks pending.  Rick noted that any additional un-budgeted spending needs to be approved by a vote of the board and should contain wording about having funds available to cover said expenses.  This will prevent the spending of funds, already budgeted for other items, from being spent on new items.

By-law revision

The revision committee (Bernie Dennis, Chuck Hadden, Dick Irvine, John Mashaw, Sidney Reid) met during November and December 2021 to draft new by-laws and reached consensus on 1 Jan 2022.  Side-by-side comparison between the current by-laws (from Jan 2020) and the proposed by-laws have been furnished to the board.  Comments, in writing, are requested by board members, to be sent to Bernie Dennis, to share with the board.  Arlington County will take a more active role in approving new by-laws and reviewing all communications to the members.  It seems too hurried to amend the by-laws before the 19 Jan 2022 meeting.  It is hoped that the new by-laws can be voted on at the general meeting on March 7th.  It was suggested that we amend the procedure for amending the by-laws now, and then take more time revising them.  It was also suggested that we remove from the by-laws those things that describe operating procedures and belong in an operations manual, so that the by-laws will only need infrequent revision.  The board can discuss the changes to the by-laws at its Feb 2 meeting.  It was noted that the upper limit on Zoom participants (currently 100) necessary for virtual general meetings on Jan 19 and in March, will have to be raised.

Getaway for 2022

It was suggested by Art Hauptman to do a Getaway in the area of Lancaster PA.  Suggested dates were 13-15 Sept. or maybe 6-8 Sept. 2022.  We should encourage more non-golfing wives/friends to go.  We should also try to pick courses better suited to the abilities of our golfers.  Maybe we could offer an option for choosing a better motel for those willing to pay more?

Schedule of Play for 2022

The courses that we will be playing in 2022 have been mostly set up by Bob Odmark.  Not all dates have been confirmed, and 3 open dates remain.  Tournament and Scramble dates and locations have yet not been set.  The full schedule is not ready for web site posting just yet.  The possibility of doing a Shotgun start on some Thursdays was mentioned.  Some golf courses seem to like doing shotguns, but the cost to our members may be more than our normal sign-up play day. Frank Sauer said that  iGolf can handle shotguns starts.  Catered lunches at shotguns would not be necessary but there might be a box lunch option?  Or we could rely on the usual ‘cart lady’ for eats and drinks? Courses that require us to prepay or to guarantee the payments of all golf fees were not considered for our schedule.

Awards/certificates 

Bob Odmark will present those members singled out for noteworthy play, e.g., a hole-in-one, or other exceptional feats, with an appropriate award or certificate when he sees them at the courses.  Acknowledgement will be made also, at meetings, via email, or on the web site.  A special achievement award for Harvey Doerksen, retiring secretary, will be announced at the 19 Jan meeting, and presented if it is available, and we meet in person.  

Audit 

The audit of the 2021 finances of ASGC will be done by Richard Brandenburg.  The name of the incoming President will be added to list of authorized check signers.

Meeting adjourned, 12:22 pm, 4 Jan 2022.

Respectfully submitted by Ralph Orlik   

Arlington County Seniors Golf Club

Approved Minutes of the Executive Committee

November 8, 2021 (Approved 4 Jan 2022)

Present: Susan Ciochetto, Don Collier, Bernie Dennis, Harvey Doerksen, Art Hauptman, Dick Irvine, Brad James, Dennis Macdonald, John Mashaw, Ruth Ann Neely, Bob Odmark, Ralph Orlik, Rick Townshend, Sidney Reid, Jennifer Collins

Location:  The New, Improved, Flashy Lubber Run Community Center

Start Time:  10:01 a.m.

End Time:  12:31 p.m.

Roll Call and Introductions.   The “new Allison Cheek,” Sidney Reid, was introduced, and members introduced themselves to her.  Sidney will be our liaison to Arlington County.

Minutes of September 20, 2021.  Don Collier expressed a concern that historical copies of the minutes, going back as far as Exodus and Leviticus if not Genesis, still are titled “Draft Minutes.”  As he has time, Rick Townshend will correct the notations on the website.  Otherwise, the September 20 minutes were approved.

Ratification of an iGolf Contract.  Rick Townshend said that we need to move quickly to initiate the contract for the iGolf system for making tee-time reservations.  With the blessing of the Executive Committee, he will contact the company representative and make the initial payment of $1,000.  There are still several unknowns about the system.  Initially, Rick, Bernie Dennis, Bob Odmark and Sidney Reid will receive training, with the intent of having the system up and running for the 2022 season. Rick has enough cash in the bank to pay the initial payment and to cover the $150 monthly payments that will begin in 2022.  The Executive Committee approved the expenditure of the money to initiate the contract.

Executive Committee Job Descriptions.  Dale Strawser had asked that each member of the Executive Committee provide a job description of their responsibilities.  Don Collier put the various descriptions into a common language.  He provided participants with a handout.  Rick will place the summary of job descriptions on the ASGC website.

Exemplary Golf Awards.  During the past year, Don Collier recommended special recognition each month for members with special achievements:  hole-in-one, best score relative to their average, and greatest number of shots under their age.  Bill Dawson took the lead on assembling the data and distributing the results, but only though the 2021 season.  Hence, the question:  Who will do it now?  Rick Townshend and Bernie Dennis will work with Ralph Orlik to figure out an easy way to identify the winners, either through our existing spreadsheet systems or through the iGolf system.  In the meantime, if you get a hole-in-one or shoot 20 under your age, let us know.  You will probably win, or at least get your name on an email message.

Financial Report.  Rick Townshend reported a bank balance of $9,561.40.  After paying the $1,000 license fee on the iGolf system, he expects a carryover into 2022 of about $8,500.  He expects a carryover into the 2023 season of about $4,000, depending on the Covid Bug.  In normal times, the County feels more comfortable with a carryover in the range of $2,500 to $3,000.  The Golf Club fee will be $15 for 2022.  The fee amount for 2023 will be determined in late August and will depend on factors not yet known.  

Richard Brandenburg will be asked to conduct the annual audit of the ASGC books, as he did last year.  We hope he will accept the responsibility.

County Concerns.  Jennifer Collins said that a notice will be sent out in early December that will list the two Arlington County fees that apply to members of the ASGC and will describe the steps required to pay the fees.  The two fees that need to be paid directly to Arlington County are the 55+ Pass fee and the Golf Program fee (this fee helps the County pay for the golf coordinator).  For Arlington County residents, the 55+ Pass fee is $20, and the Golf Program fee is $25. If you reside outside of Arlington County, your 55+ Pass fee is $45, and your Golf Program fee is $50.  The ASGC Membership Committee will provide the County with the names of persons expected to continue their membership into 2022, and Sidney will send out the notice to those individuals.  

All-member meetings in 2022 will be held at the Lubber Run Community Center.  The first meeting is scheduled for January 19 at 10:30 a.m.  Now is the time for an “alas, woe is me” moment.  Because of Covid, the room where food and drink can be served is too small to accommodate us with adequate spacing between individuals.  Therefore, the meeting will take place in the larger gymnasium area where food (i.e. pizza) is a no-no.  Other than that, this refurbished facility is quite spectacular.  There are some side rooms where we can set up iGolf tutoring sessions in March, and in January if the system is ready for demonstrations.  

The County requires all employees, contractors and volunteers to be vaccinated for Covid.  All members of the Executive Committee serve as volunteers on behalf of the County.  Those who have not yet done so, will need to complete volunteer forms so that vaccination compliance can be documented.

ASGC By-Laws.  We discovered, accidentally because of what someone said in the meeting, that Bob Odmark cannot vote as a member of the Executive Committee because he is a County employee.  And yet, our By-Laws suggest otherwise.  The upshot is that we need to update the By-Laws to correct this and probably some other stuff like, are there differences between elected members and non-elected members in terms of whether they can vote and how often.  Don Collier designated a group to re-write the By-Laws, consisting of Dick Irvine, John Mashaw, Bernie Dennis and Chuck Hadden, working closely with Sidney Reid.

Golf Coordinator’s Report.  Bob Odmark reported as follows:  “It’s been a quiet week in Lake Wobegon, my home town.”  NOT!!  He actually said that it’s been a great year in ASGC Land.  Good weather, mostly.  Forget about the rain at Greendale and the frost delay at Heritage Hunt.  And at Stoneleigh, the guy who made life miserable for us has been fired, even though Bob did not send the dunning letter that he had written.  Two courses have insisted that Bob guarantee on his personal credit card a given number of players.  In the future, we will not schedule outings on any courses that make a similar request.  

During the season, we recorded 4,217 individual rounds of golf, yielding for the golf courses we played at, a combined income of about $221,000.  

We agreed by acclamation to start the 2022 season in April after the golf clinic the last week of March, and to end the season at the end of October.  This is consistent with our schedule not too many years ago.

How about the single cart situation?  The number of persons requesting single carts has dwindled to about 5 each day of play.  The question arises, should we discontinue the policy of allowing people to opt for a single cart.  The County says no for now.  And we should not schedule courses that do not allow any single carts.  Per Bob, some courses have too few carts available, but other courses are just being rigid, notably Bull Run and Herndon.  In the meantime, we can accommodate more requesters of single carts in those situations in which one person walks, and where Bob can schedule groups in a threesome.

We discussed the possibility of having members of the Executive Committee act as course marshals.  It could amount to two or so times per person during the season.  Bob Odmark will write up some rules for how this can be done and will prepare a sign-up sheet so that Executive Committee members can opt for days in which they are available.

Membership Report.  Dennis Macdonald reported that our current 2021 roster stands at 320 members, of which 310 are active and 10 are deferred to the 2022 season.  There are 162 Arlington residents and 158 non-Arlington residents.  We must exercise caution in admitting new members in order to assure that at least half are Arlington County residents.  There are 16 individuals on our Waiting List, of which 2 are Arlington residents.  

Dennis will be sending re-up invitations to current members the second week of December.  Prior to getting the iGolf system up and running, registration will be handled in the same way as last year.  The ASGC dues will be pegged at $15 per member during 2022.

How about some stats?  There are 279 men and 41 women in our membership.  Some are older than others:   three members 90 or older; 51 aged 80-89; 59 aged 76-79; 124 aged 70-75; 74 aged 60-60; and 4 aged 55-59.  Another 5 show no birthdate and are probably aliens from outer space.

Fifty members have an average score under 90; 56 score between 90-94; 55 score between 95-99; and 87 score over 100.  Oddly, 73 members have no score reported during the season.

IT Committee.  Bernie Dennis reported that the Committee is in a brief holding pattern pending arrival of iGolf, for which they will be actively trained.  The group will also scan the website and make corrections and updates as needed.

Member Well-Being.  Since February, Ruth Ann Neely has sent 15 cards to members and/or family members for issues ranging from surgery, injury from falling, death of a family member, stroke, and vision issues preventing a member from playing golf.  Ruth Ann expressed appreciation to Executive Committee Members for alerting her to issues among the membership that warrant an expression of concern.  

Tournaments.  Susan Ciocetto asked the group for preferences on when to hold the two tournaments for the 2022 season.  We opted for mid to late May for the scramble, and later, perhaps September for the stroke play event.  We may consider adding back the third tournament in the 2023 season.  Susan opined that the term “club champion” should be based on more than just a single stroke play event.  Others offered observations from other courses in which the club championship is based on several events.  Even so, we opted to let things stand.  For now, the Club Champion of ASGC will be that person with the lowest net score in the stroke play tournament.

Members have told Susan that of the courses we might consider for tournaments, Raspberry Falls, Bull Run and Westfields ranked high.  At the other end were Hidden Creek and Greendale.  Rick Townshend will add a new tournament page to the ASGC website on which announcements, news and results of tournaments may be displayed.  

I would be remiss if I did not report that John Mashaw brought to the meeting a “show-and-tell” trophy he won for his golfing prowess back in the caveman era.  Notwithstanding the intervening eons, he remains proud of the accomplishment, as well he should be.    

Handicaps.  Ralph Orlik will work with members of the IT Committee to simplify his use of spreadsheets and databases for recording scores, establishing average scores, for producing statistics, and for determining special achievement winners.  As there is no other systematic way to do it, those of us who get a hole-in-one need to blow our own horn.  Get the info to Ralph or another member of the Executive Committee.

Photography.  Brad James sought input on his role as the new Club Photographer.  People seemed receptive early on, but after two or three photos, some members felt they could live without another mug shot.  The consensus seemed to be that Brad should continue his work, but not as frequently.  Brad has attempted to add a name to the people in the pictures, but it has proved very time-consuming and difficult.  Brad received positive feedback for providing photographs to those who participated in the scramble.  There are potential privacy issues from posting the pictures on the website, especially with names attached.  In addition, Rick Townshend noted that our website has more limited storage potential than the previous site, and this could be an issue for photographs.  To the extent that we do post photos on the website, we can do so in low resolution.

Nominations and 55-Plus.  John Mashaw welcomed Sidney Reid to her new post, and noted that the County’s Sports and Fitness Committee will meet in the near future.  

As to nominations, John announced that Bernie Dennis may be available for the position of Second Vice President with a term beginning in January 2023.  He also announced the resignation of Harvey Doerksen as Secretary at the end of the 2021 season and asked for suggestions of a possible replacement.  John noted that he will be seeking a new Treasurer to begin duties in 2023 to replace Rick Townshend.  Finally, he will be seeking a person to assume responsibilities as Editor of the Divoteer, the revived ASGC newsletter.

New business.  Art Hauptman noted that he has volunteered to organize the 2022 Getaway, which, due to County policies, is not an official ASGC event.  Art will welcome any volunteers to assist in this effort.  

Parting Note from Harvey Doerksen.  I have had a most enjoyable ten years as Recording Secretary of ASGC.  The Executive Committee has been a wonderful group with which to work.  Of course, I’ll still see y’all out on the links.

Arlington County Seniors Golf Club

Approved Minutes of the Executive Committee

September 20. 2021

Present:  Susan Ciochetto, Don Collier, Bernie Dennis, Art Hauptman, Dick Irvine, Dennis Macdonald, John Mashaw, Bob Odmark, Ralph Orlik, Frank Sauer, Dale Strawser, Rick Townshend, and Jennifer Collins

Location:  Various, via Zoom

Start Time:  10:00 a.m.

End Time:  12:18 p.m.

Minutes of August 2, 2021.  Oddly, even in Harvey’s absence, the minutes were approved as written.  And thanks to all who provided instructive notes and verbiage.

Resignation of Bill Dawson.  Bill Dawson has announced his resignation from the Executive Committee and the IT Committee.  Bill will continue posting the monthly awards for excellent golf through the end of the 2021 season.  We will need someone to take on tha task, beginning in 2022.  We appreciate hearing from volunteers and thank you in advance for your interest. 

ASGC Newsletter.  Bill Dawson suggest that we revive the Divoteer, a regularly distributed newsletter that had been produced and circulated in years past.  Bob Dawson seemed to be the logical person to assemble and publish such a paper, but due to illness he has been temporarily sidelined.  John Mashaw agreed to draft a question from Bob Odmark to the membership seeking a person to take on the challenge of publishing the Divoteer. The paper would be a good delivery vehicle for monthly awards intriguing photos and interesting stories about our golfing partners.

IT and Communications Committee.  Bernie Dennis gave a report on behalf of the IT and Communications Committee regarding a potential replacement of our tee-time signup system.   The Committee had been tasked by the Executive Committee at its August 2 meeting as follows:  Meet with Frank Sauer so that the group can develop a coherent recommendation to the Executive Committee regarding a tee-time system.  At the time of the evaluation, the group included Bill Dawson (who has since resigned as chair and replaced by Bernie Dennis in that capacity), Bernie Dennis, Rick Townshend, and Bob Odmark.  Discussions included Frank Sauer, who has now become a member of the Committee.

Bernie explained the activities of the Committee in investigating various options for an alternative tee-time signup system.  Bernie acknowledged that the current Google Sheets Tee Time Sign-up does function, and he commended both Bill Dawson and Rick Townshend for their efforts at setting it up, managing and maintaining it, and for successfully modifying the system to meet the particular challenges created by the COVID pandemic that required many single cart requests and caused sign-up system overloads.  

Based on an extensive review and evaluation, the Committee recommends that ASGC use the iGolf system that they believe will meet all of our needs and correct some of the deficiencies of the current system. The iGolf system has been in use and development for about 20 years by various country clubs to wide acclaim by club members. The cost of the system involves a $1,000 start-up fee, and $150 per month thereafter.  The current ASGC budget is sufficient to fund the startup fee and monthly fees through the 2022 season.  We would need to increase our annual dues by $6.00 beginning in 2023 to cover the monthly maintenance fees.

Rick Townshend opined that the iGolf system would fix all the existing problems that the Google sheets system presents. His research showed that 20% of the membership accounted for the registration of 82% of members on the monthly sign-ups. Ralph Orlik asked about weekly scores, which we use to calculate member averages and to determine whether members have played seven or more rounds during a season.  Frank said that iGolf does not track scores.  Consequently, if we do use the iGolf system, we will still need to use the existing system or an alternative mechanism to track member scores.  

Jennifer Collins said that the County is reviewing a system that potentially includes golf signups.   The Executive Committee voted to use the iGolf system beginning in 2022, but with the caveat that we hold off implementation until we learn whether any new Arlington County can provide the needed service. Jennifer will advise the board and the IT Committee within a few days.  If the County chooses to use a new system, our IT and Communications Committee can work with County staff to bring about a smooth transition.  If the County makes no change, the ASGC can move ahead with plans to implement iGolf. 

September 23 Scramble.  Susan Ciochetto reported that the planning for the scramble on September 23 is in place. Pairings are to be sent to the golf course today (September 20).  Bob Odmark will send the pairing sheets to members. There are 64 people signed up to play. There was a question as to whether volunteers from ASGC would serve the food to avoid too many hands "in the pie," but volunteers were uncertain. It is likely that food will follow a do-it-yourself buffet style. Brad James will follow up with the golf course management to provide a screen on which to display pictures of various members in the heat of battle.

As announced earlier, there will be no annual tournament this year on October 7, due mainly to the failings of the intended golf course, and the apparent unavailability of other courses on short notice. 

Slow Play, the Continuing Nemesis.  Bob Odmark sought guidance from the Executive Committee on ways to deal with the never-ending issue of slow play, particularly by those who sign up for early tee times. He noted that there have several five-hour rounds in recent weeks.  The consensus was that we canvass the membership for volunteers to do marshaling, or to have Bob Odmark do marshalling while someone else mans the fort at the starting area.  Frank Sauer noted that there is a mechanism within the iGolf package that monitors the pace of play.  Perhaps that will provide more specific data.  

New County Liaison.    Jennifer Collins reported that a new person will soon be hired to assist in the 55-Plus programs, of which ASGC is a part.  We will learn who this will be within a week or two.  The new staff person will participate in future Executive Committee meetings.

Membership Report.    Bernie Dennis reported that there are currently 320 members on our 2021 roster, of which 310 are active and 10 have deferred status.  There are currently 14 persons on the Waiting List, of which two are Arlington County Residents and 12 reside elsewhere.  Bernie raised an issue related to reporting scores.  About a fourth of our members have not been reporting their scores.  We discussed whether to re-institute the seven-play minimum rule, which we had temporarily dropped during COVID, in order to give more Wait List folks a chance to join up.  It was decided to postpone this decision until January when, hopefully, the COVID situation would be clearer and a better decision could be made.

Treasurer’s Report.  Rick Townshend reported that the current bank balance is $9,616.70.  Rick anticipates a budget surplus of $3,900 for the budget year 2022 that begins in December 2021.  Rick is currently holding $4,100 in checks for the scramble and will deposit them on Thursday after the tournament.  There are 64 players who have fully paid.

Rick presented the proposed 2022 budget for review and approval by the Executive Committee. It is based on a $9,600 carryover from 2021.  Rick estimates an income of $4,500 from members’ dues for 2022.  Because of a COVID-related carryover that is larger than usual, the budget assumes lowering of member dues from $25 to $15 for the 2022 season. This will return some of the carryover to the members. 

Rick added a new line-item to account for annual subscriptions, which would include a new tee-times system, the Zoom meeting system, and the Domain Name. The budget contains $3,356 for subscriptions in 2022, which includes the one-time start-up fee for iGolf.  In 2023 that figure will drop to $2,356 because we will pay only the monthly fee.  Dues are projected to rise by $6.00 in 2023 to cover the annual maintenance fee for iGolf so that the total annual fee will be $21.00 per member.  

The Executive Committee voted to approve the 2022 budget as presented.  

Art Hauptman noted that some members have been unable to view the budget on the website, while others have been able to view it.  NOTE:  Rick has resolved the issue and all members now have access. 

Members’ Well-Being.  Ruth Ann Neely was absent, but reported through Don Collier that, in her role, she had communicated to Nicholas Heon a letter of condolence on the death of his wife.  For those of you who know Nicholas, your own words of comfort will be appreciated.

55-Plus Programs.  John Mashaw reported that 55-Plus Programs are working smoothly for outdoor activities, but are still restrained for indoor activities due to the virus. He called on Jennifer who reported that, for various reasons, the County has lost some of their 55-Plus class instructors.

Handicaps/Averages.  Ralph Orlik reported that he was keeping up with the Dawson plan to publish low-score rounds on a monthly basis. Rick volunteered himself and Bernie to design an alternative scoring system that would serve Ralph's needs.

Photography.  Bob Odmark suggested that photos should footnote where they were taken.  He also advised that photos should only be taken at times and places that would not interrupt pace of play.

Getaway Report.  Susan Ciochetto reported on the prizes at the Getaway, noting that several additional prizes were made available by the winning group (8 under par) being a threesome rather than a foursome, and there being a tie for third place. Also, John Vergalla was recognized with an award for his hole-in-one. Don Collier noted that the first day of play at Royal New Kent was on a course better suited for a scramble than for individual play, that the scramble at Williamsburg National was a real pleasure, and that Thursday’s play at Mattaponi Springs was cart-path-only due to overnight rains, which resulted in several cancellations.  Art Hauptman volunteered to put together a Getaway for 2022.

Next Meeting.  November 8, 10:00 a.m. at Lubber Run.

Arlington County Seniors Golf ClubDraft Minutes of the Executive Committee August 2, 2021

Present: Richard Brandenburg, Susan Ciochetto, Don Collier, Bill Dawson, Bernie Dennis, Harvey Doerksen, Art Hauptman, Dick Irvine, Brad James, Dennis Macdonald, John Mashaw, Ruth Ann Neely, Bob Odmark, Ralph Orlik, Dale Strawser, Rick Townshend

Location:  Various, via ZoomStart Time:  10:07 a.m.End Time:  11:59 a.m.

The Zoom Meeting

July 1 Minutes.  Don Collier noted one boo-boo in the section under “Membership Report,” the omission of the word “percent.”  The sentence is corrected to say:  “Not counting the 10 members who are inactive due to COVID, there are 312 active members, of which 51.5 percent are residents of Arlington County.”  With this change, the minutes were approved.  Bill will make the change on the website.

Recognition of Special Scores.  Don Collier noted that, though the minutes said there would be photographs of winners posted on our website, that apparently has not happened.  This started a wide-ranging discussion of photos in general.  Basically, we are trying to figure out how to make this happen, cognizant of the warning by Rick Townshend that our new website has less memory available than its predecessor, and any photos would have to be deleted after a short period of display.  

Brad James has tried to put names on the photos early on, but has discontinued because of the difficulty of identification.  He has also encountered some resistance from folks saying, “enough already.”  He may try to put together a yearbook using photos he currently has.  Brad also noted that anyone with an Apple i-cloud account can locate the photos on the cloud.   

Delta Variant of Covid.  Don Collier wondered whether we should take any specific actions due to the increasing incidents of Covid due to the Delta variant.  We believe that most of our members are vaccinated, but new information indicates that vaccinated folks can carry and transmit the virus.  We will keep an eye on the number of signups for the upcoming tournaments, be attentive to any County action that might shut down such activity and consider whether to establish a minimum number of participants necessary for a viable tournament.

Upcoming Tournaments.  Susan Ciochetto reported that our two tournaments will be held as follows: the scramble tournament on September 23 will be at Pleasant Valley with outdoor seating for the banquet; the stroke-play tournament on October 7 at Old Hickory with indoor seating for the banquet.  Both will require payment of $70 per participant.  Invitations will be sent to all club members a few weeks in advance of each event.  

For the scramble tournament, cash prizes will be given to members of winning teams (best team scores) and to individual winners of skill challenges (closest to the pin for men and women and longest drive for men and women).  Each member of the winning team will receive $90, with $75, $60, and $45 each to members of the second, third and fourth place teams.  Winners of individual skills each will receive $75.  In addition, every participant of the tournament will receive a non-cash prize, just for showing up.  How cool is that?

For the stroke-play tournament, participants will be divided into four flights based on their average scores.  Cash prizes of $80 will be awarded to the men’s and women’s low net (largest difference between tournament score and average score), men’s and women’s low gross (lowest tournament score), and Super Senior low net.  Prizes will be awarded for low net scores in each flight:  $75 for first place; $60 for second place; and $45 for third place.  Winners of the four skills contests will receive $75.  All participants will receive a non-cash prize.

Because this is Susan’s first year at managing the tournaments, she will offer participants the opportunity to register their likes, dislikes and preferences via a survey form that will be placed in the carts, to be returned with the score cards.  

Membership Report.  Bernie Dennis reported that we have a current membership of 320 individuals, just short of our authorized level of 326 persons.  Our active roster for 2021 is 310, because ten members are inactive due to Covid suspensions.  There is a wait list of 11 non-Arlington residents.  We are not adding new members until next season.  Even if we were to add new members, it would not be possible to add non-Arlington residents unless we first add an equal number of Arlington residents because at least 50 percent of our membership must be residents of Arlington County.  The process for signing up for membership is posted on our website along with an application form that would go the Bernie Dennis, either to be added to the roster or placed on a wait list.

Treasurer’s Report.  Rick Townshend said that we have a current bank balance of $11,638.70.  He is starting to prepare a budget proposal for the 2022 season, which will be reviewed for approval by the Executive Committee in October.  The primary variables that will affect the 2022 budget are the 2021 tournaments.  If they happen, we will have less carryover.  If they are cancelled, we will have greater carryover.  

Art Hauptman proposed that the Executive Committee have a discussion on whether to purchase a new system for tee-time signups.  Frank Sauer has been evaluating potential systems, as has Rick Townshend.  Frank is still in the process and is not ready to make any recommendations.  The Executive Committee will consider this issue at the next meeting.  Prior to that meeting, the IT and Communication Committee will meet with Frank so that the group can develop a coherent recommendation to the Executive Committee.

Coordinator’s Report.  Bob Odmark has been pleased with the weather for 2021 thus far, with only one event that almost got rained out.  Still, a small group ventured out even on that day.  He also noted that slow play has been only a minor issue.  Nevertheless, the Executive Committee felt compelled to discuss the subject, lest it once-again become a problem.  There are a few known individuals with a reputation for slow play.  We agreed to two short-term attempts to alleviate the issue.  First, Bob will try to pair these slow individuals in threesomes so that their slow play is not so severe.  Second, Bob and possibly Dale will give the slow players a personal phone call and work with them to find ways to speed up their play.  When they show up at the courses, Bob can again remind them of the need to keep moving.

Don Collier suggested a 450/350/150 rule, in which players move up to the next tee on par 5 holes longer than 450 yards, par 4 holes longer than 350 yards and par 3 holes longer than 150 yards.  Some players already do this, but there was little support for the proposal, partly because it might cause confusion and require more time to adjust on the course.  In addition, it was noted that short drives are not synonymous with slow play.  Many short hitters are fast players.

Bob explained the reason that he has had to send out revised pairing sheets.  Signups are made on our website in a Google format, but he sends them to members in Microsoft Excel format.  Therefore, he must copy the spreadsheet from the website and paste it into his computer before sending it out with email.  When changes (such as duplicate entries, adds and deletes) are made on the website after he has sent out the pairing sheet, he must repeat the process, which may result in errors.  Anyway, be patient, and above all, pay attention when you receive a revised pairing sheet because your tee time may have changed. 

Regarding the issue with our outing at Stoneleigh, Bob has drafted his nastygram, but has not yet sent it.  He is still struggling over what to say and how to reach the person to whom it will make the most impact.

We will continue to open the signup sheets for both weekly outings at the same time.  We are now allowing members to sign up for both days.  While we are on that subject, the September signup sheets will open on Monday August 9. 

Don Collier raised the issue of whether we should provide for three days of play during the week instead of two.  The County had weighed in via email that this would result in higher cost for the Coordinator, and the County’s budget for next year is already in the hopper.  Furthermore, Executive Committee members seemed to say “NO.”  Unless, perhaps, we are heavily oversubscribed in one or two very popular courses.  In the meantime, no change.

Don Collier suggested a 450/350/150 rule, in which players move up to the next tee on par 5 holes longer than 450 yards, par 4 holes longer than 350 yards and par 3 holes longer than 150 yards.  Some players already do this, but there was little support for the proposal, partly because it might cause confusion and require more time to adjust on the course.

Member Well-Being.  Ruth Ann Neely reported that we must be in pretty good shape physically.  She sent out four cards to the ailing in June and only one in July.  If members become aware of other members who are suffering from illness, surgery, or whatever, let her know so that we can respond as a Club to people in need. 

 55-Plus.  

John Mashaw reported that five Arlington County Community Centers are open, with masks required in most indoor situations.  Pickleball is an active draw for ASGC members.  All outdoor courts are fully scheduled, and some inside courts are open.  The Lubber Run facility is now open.  It may be possible for the Executive Committee to meet in the building in September, but with Delta’s rise, probably not.

Getaway.  Bill Dawson reported 67 are signed up.  One person requested a refund.  There are still 20 who have not yet made their final payment, which they must do by August 7. 

Next Meeting.   September 20, 2021.  

Arlington County Seniors Golf Club

Approved Minutes of the Executive Committee

July 1, 2021

Present: Don Collier, Bill Dawson, Bernie Dennis, Harvey Doerksen, Art Hauptman, Dick

Irvine, Brad James, Dennis Macdonald, John Mashaw, Ruth Ann Neely, Bob Odmark, Dale

Strawser, Rick Townshend, Allison Cheek

Location: Various, via Zoom, Zoom, Zoom

Start Time: 7:09 p.m.

End Time: 8:14 p.m.

One Molar, R.I.P.

It was supposed to be a routine root canal, as though any root canal is ever routine. I got to the

dentist’s office with time to spare, called from the parking lot as COVID restrictions require, and

was given permission to come on up.

The X-Ray showed a problem that necessitated removing the crown from the tooth before the

root canal could proceed. GRIND. CHOP. WHIRRRRRR. SUCTION. REPEAT.

I was then taken to the root-canal room. The Dentist entered with the terse exclamation, “I am

eating crow.” Turns out, the post-grind X-Ray showed that a root canal would not save the

tooth. It must come out. I asked the Dentist if, perhaps, we should have some kind of service for

the tooth. He said he had never heard of this being done, but why not?

Back to the first room. I texted my wife that the tooth was a goner. She texted back, “We should

have a service. I will make a cookie coffin.”

She was well prepared when I got home. The apartment smelled of fresh-baked cookies. The

living room was filled with some of our closest friends. There was an air of excitement. I was

not really in a partying mood, but the mood in the room was electric. I handed the tooth to my

wife, who placed it atop a cookie and pressed it down into the dough.

She then passed the cookie around the room. Each person was asked to take a little piece of

cookie, say a few words (optional), eat the tiny morsel in memory of the tooth, and then pass the

cookie to the next person.

I was really touched as friend after friend made their statements. “Such a molar. Hidden from

view, yet oh so important.” “You had to grind food day after day, and yet you never

complained.” “I hardly knew you, but your importance cannot be overstated.” “A new tooth

may take your place, but you can never be replaced.” And the generic “You will be missed.”

After the last accolade, my wife placed the tooth into the soil of a houseplant that had been

sitting on the coffee table. She then took the pot back to its usual spot on the window-sill.

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We all dived into the supply of cookies for the equivalent of a post-funeral dinner (except for me,

on my restrictive soft-food diet). Amidst the usual hubbub of animated conversation, someone

asked my wife about the burial. “That seemed a bit unusual,” he noted aloud.

“Not at all,” she replied. “The plant is a toothwort.”

Extraction of Facts and Fiction

Recognizing Exceptional Golf. The primary reason for this meeting was to evaluate whether to

institute a new program to recognize members with a significant achievement in their golf game.

This could be a great round relative to their usual score, a hole-in-one, an eagle or albatross.

After a round of discussion about options, mechanisms for determining winners, prizes, and who

would implement the program, we came out at the following parameters.

1. Each month, one person would be recognized for shooting the best round relative to their

average score (average score minus single-day score).

2. We will calculate this by using our record of scores that is maintained on the website.

3. Bill Dawson will be responsible for making the calculations.

4. All members, whether male or female, are eligible for the prize.

5. The prize will be Kudos in the form of an announcement to membership, and a photo on

the website.

6. A winner of one month is not eligible for winning in subsequent months.

7. In order to make this work best, Ralph will need to update the average scores as soon as

possible (e.g., within a week after the end of each month).

We also intend to provide similar Kudos for members who shoot a hole-in-one, an eagle, or who

shoot their age. Members who achieve any of these milestones will need to notify the Club

because such things are not normally recorded in our system. Bob Odmark will send an email to

the membership on how to go about this.

Membership Report. Bernie Dennis noted that our current membership stands at 320,

compared to an authorized level of 326. Just under 51 percent of the members are residents of

Arlington County. Not counting the 10 members who are inactive due to COVID, there are 310

              active members of which 51.5 percent are residents of Arlington County.”. There are 8 non-Arlington

persons on the wait list, but because we are so close to the 50 percent requirement, they cannot

be admitted for membership at this time. Bernie will prepare a Membership Report through the

end of June and forward it to the County this week.

Tournament Report. Rick Townshend noted that we are planning our first tournament at

Pleasant Valley. Details are not yet final, but Richard Brandenburg and Susan Ciochetto are

getting together to make it happen.

Financial Report. Rick Townshend reported a current bank balance of $11,742.70. He

anticipates a carryover of funds at the end of the year. He proposed that we reduce the

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membership dues for 2022 to $20 and possibly $15, so that members can benefit from the excess

balance.

Getaway Report. Bill Dawson reported that 68 golfers and 8 non-golfers have signed in

advance of the cutoff date of June 30. We are good to go.

Coordinator’s Report. Per Bob Odmark, all courses are ready for July. We have very few

members requesting single carts, but some courses are not accommodating any single cart riders

unless in a party of three. South Riding will not allow single carts, and Bob has emailed those

who had requested single carts of the issue. Bob is having difficulty reaching Piedmont by

phone. He will try email. One person at Laurel Hill said that they allow no more than two carts

per foursome per County policy, but there is a question about whether this is accurate. Bob will

follow up with someone in higher authority.

For August, members will still be able to request single carts. Members will be able to play both

days, as is the case for July.

Bob encountered a particularly knotty problem this week at Stoneleigh. The course was acting

as though we are not welcome, as evidenced by several things: They first refused to allow us to

pay individually and demanded a single payment from the Club; they did not bring carts to the

usual spot near the clubhouse and we had to go and find them; the beverage cart did not take

cash or credit card, but only a Stoneleigh member number; the clubhouse folk did not routinely

hand out keys to players as they paid; and they refused to comp Bob for his round though he

handled 100 percent of the starter duties. Before deciding to drop the course altogether from our

schedule, we decided that Bob would send a nastygram to the course management detailing all of

the presumed slights, and see how the course responds.

Photographer’s Report. Brad James has been diligent in taking photos of players. The goal

has been to have a photo of every member so that we can associate a name with a face. There

are still a few that he has not photographed, but he is uncertain just who they are. He will send a

note to members to shake the last few from the tree.

County Report. Allison Cheek approves of the Kudos and posting of photos on the website for

members with special achievements. She noted that the Lubber Run building will be open next

week. The Walter Reed Building likely will be available for the all-members meetings next

Spring. If not, there is a large room at Lubber Run that may be available. With regard to the

single cart issue, the County still wants to allow members to be able to request single carts, but

may not be in a position to force courses to comply with the requests.

Arlington County Seniors Golf Club

Approved Minutes of the Executive Committee

April 19, 2021

Present: Susan Ciochetto, Don Collier, Bill Dawson, Bernie Dennis, Harvey Doerksen, Art Hauptman, Dennis Macdonald, Ruth Ann Neely, Bob Odmark, Ralph Orlik, Rick Townshend, Allison Cheek, Frank Sauer

Location:  Various, via Zoom

Start Time:  03:07 p.m.

End Time:   04:20 p.m.

The Zoom Meeting

The intent of this meeting was to try to find ways to lessen the incidence and impact of recent difficulties that members have been having in signing up for play.  There was substantial chatter about the causes and potential solutions.  The primary problem is that members have been shut out of the signup spreadsheet, had difficulty entering their request, and in some cases, having their entered names subsequently deleted.

One probable cause of the difficulty is that, with the limited number of slots available due to COVID restrictions on the numbers of times a member can play in a week, and in the further limits on maximum participants because of requests for single carts.  As a consequence, a large number of members are on the system at the same time, vying for the same time slots.  In a couple of instances, the Google Spreadsheet program froze up.  

The Executive Committee in its last meeting implemented an interim process to address the issue of peoples’ entries being subsequently deleted by having the IT and Communication Committee monitor the spreadsheet and “lock” the time slots after members have entered their names.  There appear to have been fewer problems in May as a result, in comparison to what happened in the April signups.  

Software Changes  

One potential solution is to upgrade to another software system.  Rick Townshend has spent a large number of hours evaluating other systems.  Most are oriented to Golf Courses.  For one thing, they deal with all of the kinds of work of a golf course, such as maintenance, payroll, etc., as well as scheduling.  Furthermore, they are prohibitively expensive.  All would require redesign to our specifications.  The cheapest, for example, would cost about $1,200 for new design, plus $21 per month to host, and $600 per year for maintenance.

We discussed the possibility of using the County’s signup system.  If we do this, the earliest it could be implemented would be the 2022 season.  And it, too, would require some redesign for our specific needs.  Bill Dawson and Rick Townshend will follow up with Allison and with RecTrac, the company that made the system.  One possible difficulty with the system as currently configured is that a member must log in individually and separately for each player that the member wishes to sign up.

In the meantime, based on his shopping around, and on his experience with signups so far, Rick feels that the current system, while it has shortcomings, is best suited to our purposes.  Also, we hope that the signup problems will sort themselves out after we get past the pandemic and members again share carts.

Tweaks to Our Existing System 

Other possible solutions revolve around more efficient use of the existing system.  Specifically, we searched for ways to reduce the high volume and intense competition for limited slots.  The Google system that we are using should be able to handle 100 people at one time.  Frank Sauer noted that this system is designed for “collaborative” use in which a group of perhaps 30 to 50 persons are logged onto the system at one time, all can see the same thing on their screens, and they work together to input information collaboratively. 

We use the system more “competitively” in a way in which large numbers of members are logged on at the same time and are often competing for the same time slots.  Thus, we focused on ways to reduce the number of members on the system at any given time.  

1. Allocate times during which specific groups could log on.  It could be alphabetically by last name, perhaps.  However, we felt that this would cause a great deal of unfairness in allocation.

2. Split up the signup sheet into separate days.  Currently, a member can log into the system and stay on as long as necessary.  Because there may be around eight potential dates to sign up for, as long as necessary may be quite long.  As a result, there can be an exceedingly large number of members signed on at the same time.  Since a lot of members play either on a Tuesday or a Thursday, we could have one signup sheet for Tuesday signups and a separate sheet for Thursday signups.  This would reduce the number of persons on the system at any given time, but it would require a member to log onto two separate sheets if they wish to play both days.  

3. Separate signup sheets for each play date.  Under this arrangement, a member would log into a separate sheet for each day of the month.  While this might certainly reduce traffic and resulting competition, it might be much more cumbersome both for the member and for the computer jocks who must divide and set up the sheets.  

4. A general request system.  Rather than have members sign up for specific times, we could have people request certain days, and possibly certain playing partners.  Then Bob Odmark could sort it all out and make assignments.  This, however, would require tons of administration time, and would take us back to 2008, when members submitted their requests through the mail with individual postcards.  

5. Assign separate time slots by group type.   Under this arrangement foursomes could only sign in slots available for foursomes, and ditto for threesomes, twosomes, and lonesomes.  Resounding rejection.

6. Play all events in a scramble format.  Under this arrangement, members would request dates of play and playing partners, if desired.  The Coordinator would assign starting holes to each foursome and all foursomes would begin at the same time.

In the short run, we will not make any changes to the signup procedures until we learn how things work out in June.  We hope that, with most of our members having received COVID vaccinations by early summer, most of us will be sharing carts, and there will be more slots available for play.  To the extent that this plays out, the competition for slots should ease up.

Member Behavior

We discussed some ways in which members could use the signup sheets in ways that would reduce “crowding” the system.  Examples were:

1. Get off when done!  We strongly urge members to sign on, make their schedule request and then get off the system, such as move to email.  As long as the signup page is on your screen, even if you leave it there overnight, you potentially limit its use by others.  And the specific spreadsheet cell that your cursor occupies may prelude someone else entering their request in that cell.

2. Cut and paste.  If a member wishes, for example, to sign up a foursome on four different dates, an efficient way to do it is to enter the first row of names, block and copy the names, and then paste the block on the appropriate rows of each succeeding date.

3. Don’t expect miracles.  This is a complex and fallible system, subject to periodic computer glitches and operator errors.  Do your best, be happy with pretty good, and enjoy the game.

We recognize that most of us are of an age in which computers are not second nature.  We can all dial a rotary phone and that should count for something.  Anyway, Frank Sauer, Bill Dawson, Bernie Dennis and Rick Townshend will try to put together a training video that articulates the signup problems we are trying to address and explain how members can do their part to expedite signups, such as cut and paste and how to sign off the system.  They plan to meet via Zoom on Wednesday, April 21, at 7:00 p.m.  They will try to have a video available before the June signups.  We will try to have the video both on the ASGC website and emailed to members.

Afterthought

We did not have an established agenda, and Rick forgot to mention that we have $11,642.70 in the bank.  Now you know. 

Arlington County Seniors Golf Club

Approved Minutes of the Executive Committee

March 15, 2021

Present: Richard Brandenburg, Susan Ciochetto, Don Collier, Bill Dawson, Bernie Dennis, Harvey Doerksen, Art Hauptman, Dick Irvine, Brad James, Dennis Macdonald, John Mashaw, Ruth Ann Neely, Bob Odmark, Ralph Orlik, Rick Townshend, Allison Cheek

Location:  Various, via Zoom

Start Time:  10:05 a.m.

End Time:  12:29 p.m.

Approval of minutes.   By a general nodding of heads and rolling of eyes, the minutes of the February 11, 2021 meeting were approved. 

Introduction of Guests and new Officers   John Mashaw introduced Dick Irvine (pronounced er-vin, not er-vine) who was elected as Second Vice President; Ruth Ann Neely (pronounced knee-lee) who replaces Chuck Hadden as new Members Well-Being Chair; and Susan Ciochetto (pronounced See-Oh-Chetto) who replaces Richard Brandenburg as the Tournaments Director.  Also new to our ranks was Brad James, our Club Photographer, who introduced himself later in the meeting.

Affirmation of Zoom as vendor for Virtual Meetings.  Rick Townshend noted that the Club has paid for a subscription to Zoom so that we can use it for meetings of the Executive Committee.  Meetings are not limited by time, but they cannot handle more than 100 persons.

For the all-members meeting in February, we used a Zoom system through the County.  However, per Allison, that system was paid for by a group associated with the County and may not be available in the future.  It is also limited to 100 persons, which created a problem during the February meeting.  Therefore, if we need Zoom again for an all-persons meeting, we will consider at that time whether to pay the additional fee to accommodate our full membership.

Honors and Awards.  Members have been notified of a plaque that was recently presented to Bill Dawson for his 17 years of tireless efforts to keep the Club moving.  A photo of Bill with the plaque is posted on our website. 

In addition, we discussed a way to honor two of our other members who have recently died.    William Somers was a perennial winner of the Club Championship and a true gentleman.  Art Gosling served as Club President and was also a true gentleman.  In their honor, we will name the next two tournaments after them.  We will feature the William Somers Club Championship and the Art Gosling Scramble Tournament.

Monthly Sign-Up Process. - Rick Townshend reported that, after working fine for a number of years, our signup system was plagued early this year with apparent sabotage, in which peoples’ names were removed or replaced, causing all sorts of consternation.  One problem is that the Google system does not have some of the protections and security that it had in the past.  Rick contacted around 20 vendors to find a replacement system, but all were too expensive, too complex, or inappropriate for our specific requirements.

As an alternative, and without changing our existing system, Rick is working with Bill Dawson, Bernie Dennis and Terry Townshend to monitor the signup sheets and regulate signups in a way that two people cannot enter their names in the same cell and cannot change or remove someone else’s name.  They propose that, when the signup sheet is opened, Bill Dawson, Bob Odmark, Terry Townshend and Rick Townshend will protect the lines on the spreadsheet in a way that prevents unauthorized changes.   

We will give this new approach a try for the May signups and see how it goes.  Several days before the signup sheet is opened, all members will receive a notice on how the system will be monitored, and what to do if they need to make changes.  Also, new members in particular should be aware of the “how to” video on the website that gives instructions for how to sign up for tee times.  This may be somewhat dated but should still provide a useful introduction.

Early sign-up for dignitaries.  In the past, special privileges were granted to a select few to sign up for tee times before the sheet was opened to everyone else.  These few included the Treasurer, Coordinator and Membership Chair.  This was done to reward those few who did the lion’s share of work on behalf of the Club.  We spent a lot of time discussing the merits of this practice.  Though no one in this meeting admitted to being a “dignitary,” some did admit that they spend a ton of hours doing ASGC stuff. 

We decided that the following member-volunteers will be allowed to sign up early for themselves and their playing companions:  Bernie Dennis and Dennis Macdonald as Membership Committee, Rick Townshend as Treasurer, and Don Collier as President.  The offer of advance signup is optional to them, but not mandatory.

Coordinator’s report.  Bob Odmark reported that the one-play per week limit continues to apply because of the limits of available carts.  Walkers may play twice a week subject to availability of open slots.

There have been a couple of changes in the schedule.  Pohick Bay will be added in place of Herndon in June and Bull Run in August.  Pohick will accommodate single riders in carts, but will charge an extra cart fee of an as-yet unknown amount.  The single cart policy may change due to changes in the Covid situation.  Greendale will be added to the schedule on June 22 (Tuesday, just after play at Loudon on Monday) and also on Friday September 17.  With those changes, the schedule is essentially complete.  The schedule on the website is not totally up to date, but soon will be.

Because of weather issues, The Virginia Golf Academy proposed to change this week’s clinic to next Monday, March 22.  All persons who signed up for either March 16 or 18 will be moved to the March 22 date, and these members will be notified of the change.  The Clinic will offer five skill areas, and each member may opt for one, all, or any number in between.

We do not yet have information on the next tournament.  Richard Brandenburg will get together with Susan Ciochetto soon to discuss all of the details related to organizing tournaments in general and specifically for planning the William Somers Club Championship and the Art Gosling Scramble.

Bill Dawson reported that no one had yet signed up for the Getaway, although one of those present said that he had registered and paid the fee.  We assume that, with most of us receiving Covid shots by that time, the Getaway is likely to happen this year.  Bill will send another notification in April.

Arlington County Comments.  Allison Cheek reported that about 220 people have paid their County Golf fees, and that that less than 100 have still to pay.  After the email that Bob Odmark sent to members, another 30 or so paid over the weekend.  Some people have opted to pay by check, which is fine except for potential delays in processing.  First, of course, the mail is less than reliable at the moment.  Second, there are few people in the office at any given time, so there may be delays in processing.

Members are required to have paid both the ASGC Club dues and the County’s Golf fee before they are allowed to play in the Club’s scheduled events.  The County is notified of the names of persons who have paid the Club dues.  It is then the responsibility of the County to obtain payment of their golf fee.  If someone does not pay after the County exhausts their attempts to collect, the County will notify the Club and that person will be removed from the membership rolls of the Club.

If such a delinquent shows up at a course for scheduled play, Bob will allow them to play on that day, tell them that they have a monetary obligation to the County, and suggest that they contact Allison by phone.  If they fail to present evidence of having made that payment by the time of the next sign up, they would not be allowed to sign up for play.   

Membership Report.  Bernie Dennis and Dennis Macdonald reported that the current roster stands at 308, of whom 156 are Arlington County residents and 152 non-Arlington.  We have, therefore, met the requirement of 50 percent from Arlington County.  One additional non-Arlington person says his “check is in the mail.”  Seven members requested suspension of their membership until 2022 due to Covid, of which 5 are from Arlington County.  Fifteen let their membership lapse, of which 7 are from Arlington County. 

The current wait list contains one person, who is not from Arlington County.  He has been notified already that he may have to wait until next year.  In addition, a member (residence unknown) recently requested suspending his membership until next year.  Dennis and Bernie will evaluate potential impacts on the County/non-County distribution before deciding whether to admit this one person.  A report will be submitted to the County in the near future.

Club Photographer.  Brad James, our new Club Photographer has placed a number of photos on the ASGC website and invites members to view them.  In the future, he will attempt to photograph all members and post the pictures with names, so we can associate a name with a face. 

Treasurer’s Report.  Rick Townshend reported a current balance of $11,549.70, with $55 in checks waiting to be processed.  It looks good for our ability to cover all obligations for 2021 even if we have sit-down meals at tournaments. 

Handicap.  Ralph Orlik noted a couple of typos on the website, which Rick Townshend promptly corrected on his ever-ready laptop.  On the handicap listing, there is an error message that crops up when a person has had no scores reported.  Ralph will work on fixing that issue.

In calculating average scores, Ralph must deal with a total of about 18,000 cells of data, and he must line up names perfectly across weeks of data.  There has been some confusion related to persons with the same surname getting in the same spreadsheet row with other persons of the same name.  According to our resident techies, there is a way to handle this by executing a sort function by a unique identifier, such as member number.  Bernie Dennis will give Ralph a tutorial on how to make it work. 

Members Well-Being.  Ruth Ann Neely had already been opted out of the meeting by a computer glitch by the time she was called upon to report.  However, ever resourceful, she followed up with an email in which she reported that she had sent three cards:  two to members of the Executive Committee with health issues, and one to a member who had a bad fall.  Be careful out there!

55+ Program.   John Mashaw reports that all County outdoor facilities are open, with Covid cautions still in place.  Some indoor activities are open with strict Covid guidelines.

New IT and Communications Committee.  Due to the increasing need to adapt technology to such things as signups, meetings, and analysis of scoring averages, and the need to communicate quickly and directly with membership, some of the techiest among us proposed the creation of a new committee.  It would be composed initially of Bill Dawson as Chair, Rick Townshend, Bernie Dennis and Bob Odmark.  The Executive Committee agreed with their proposal and dubbed the new unit the IT and Communications Committee. 

Distribution of Minutes.  Bob Odmark raised the issue of who should send out the minutes.  In the past, techie Bill Dawson handled both versions of the minutes.  He sent the version with the inane story to members via email.  And he also posted the non-story version on the website.  In the future, the new IT and Communications Committee will handle both distributions. 

Arlington Seniors Golf Club

Approved Minutes of the Full Membership

February 11, 2021

Location: Various, via Zoom

Start Time: About 10:08 a.m.

End Time: 11:50 a.m.

The Virtual Pizza Meeting

The annual pizza meeting was held this year via Zoom because of the ongoing Covid pandemic. An apology is owed to those few (or many) who tried to log on and were told that the meeting was full. A maximum of 100 participants had been established. We are looking into the issue in case there is need for future Zoom meetings. Sorry. But at least, you did not miss the pizza.

I apologize also for any inaccuracies or under-reporting of the meeting’s events, because about halfway into Bernie Dennis’s report on membership, the sound on my computer went dead. I tried lip-reading during the ensuing 80 minutes, while simultaneously watching people fidget, drink coffee and something from a dark-colored bottle, get up, sit down, look outside for snow, and pick their noses. Oh, wait! That last one was me. I thank those presenters who were kind enough to supply me with summaries, though I was perfectly willing to plunge into the realm of fiction, an area with which I am intimately familiar.

Normally, the current, pre-election president would preside at the beginning of the meeting. Alas, Dale Strawser is unavailable due to a health issue. So, Don Collier presided over the beginning and the end. Dale provided us with a rousing summary of the year past. All are invited to see his summary on the ASGC website under the tab “Presidents Corner.”

In addition. Bill Dawson, whose name has become synonymous with Arlington Seniors Golf Club, is notably absent, also due to health issues that have had to take precedence.

Anyway, Don expressed his thanks on behalf of all of us to both of these gents. To Dale for his leadership over the past two years. To Bill for his tireless 16 years as Golf Coordinator. Dale will continue on the Board for two years as Past President. Bill will continue to assist Bob Odmark as needed. Don encouraged members to send a note by snail-mail or email to both of these gentlemen.

It was also noted by Mike Marron that our one-time President and long-time member Art Gosling passed away during the 2020 season. A statesman, a true gentleman, and an all-round good guy.

Election of Officers

Allison Cheek announced the winners of the Survey Monkey election in which all those nominated were elected. The officers for the 2021 season are:

President: Don Collier

First Vice President: Art Hauptman

Second Vice President: Dick Irvine

Secretary: Harvey Doerksen

Treasurer: Rick Townshend

Don Collier noted that there will be two new members on the ASGC Board: Dick Irvine who was elected today, and Ruth Ann Neely, who will begin a stint in the Member Well-Being seat. Art Hauptman will move from Second VP to First Vice President. Mike Marron, after two years as Past President, will search for green grass in the Pasture of Ex Past Presidents.

Minutes

After a motion and second to approve the minutes of March 11, 2020, the motion was passed by a show of ayes.

Membership Report

Bernie Dennis is acting as Dennis Macdonald’s seeing-eye dog as the latter is coping with some vision issues. If someone messes up, we can always blame Dennis and always be right. Anyway, Bernie reported that, due to the pandemic, it has been more difficult than usual to trace our 2020 members to learn of their intentions for 2021. They have reached most folks. Our current membership stands at 285, with 146 from Arlington County and 139 non-Arlington. Thirteen members are dropping out of the club, 6 of whom are from Arlington County.

There are six members who have reupped, but whose checks have not yet arrived. Three claimed to have mailed the checks, and we have become accustomed to blaming the Postal Service. The other three have not responded. Bernie says to get cracking.

There is a requirement that at least 50 percent of our membership must reside in Arlington County, so it is important to pay attention to County of residence. There are about 30 open slots, and the Dennis duo have invited five from Arlington County to join. Having now reached the required percentage of Arlington residents, membership invitations will now be extended to the 21 non-Arlington residents on the Waiting List.

Some participants suggested that a list of member emails should be available to all members. Rick Townshend said that this information had been made available on the website in the past, but that they were deleted due to privacy concerns. The website is widely available to practically anyone in the world.

In a related privacy matter, there was discussion of posting a list of those who had been vaccinated for Covid. This will not be done for the sake of member privacy.

Treasurer’s Report

Rick Townshend, relaxing in his recliner and looking for all the world like the Monopoly tycoon, announced that we have $11,172.10 in the bank. He believes that things are looking very good for the club in 2021.

The ASGC finances are subject to annual audit. An audit was conducted toward the end of 2020, and the audit report was presented to Arlington County.

Arlington County Report

Allison Cheek reminded the group that, in addition to the dues that we have paid directly to the club, associated golf fees to the County are due and payable. There are two additional fees that

go to Arlington County. The two fees that need to be paid directly to Arlington County are the 55+ membership pass and the Golf Program fee. The Golf Program fee helps to pay for Golf Coordinator Bob Odmark. For Arlington County residents, the 55+ membership fee is $20, and the golf program fee is $25. For residents of other counties, the 55+ membership fee $45, and the golf program fee is $50.

Due to the current pandemic situation, existing general 55+ membership pass holders were given a 7-month extension. Because of this, the renewal date for the 55+ pass will be seven months from the time of the original renewal date. ASGC members will receive a reminder from the County when it is due. New ASGC members will need to obtain a 55+ membership pass prior to paying for the Golf Program fee.

The membership fee and the golf program fee can be paid in several different ways. 1. Online at https://registration.arlingtonva.us. Login and use the “Renew My Membership” button (for renewals) or the “Become a Member” button if you are new to the ASGC.

2. By Mail, by sending a check to: 3700 S Four Mile Run Drive, Arlington, VA. 22206. Checks should be made payable to “Treasurer at Arlington County.” You must state in the memo section of the check that you are paying for county golf fees. You may also address the letter to the attention of Allison Cheek.

3. By phone, by calling Allison Cheek at (703)228-4756.

If you have further questions about these county fees, you may direct them to Allison Cheek at (703)228-4756, or you can email her at acheek@arlingtonva.us.

Coordinator’s Report

Bob Odmark reported that the schedule for 2021 is posted on the ASGC website, and is therefore available for all to see. He has scheduled some new courses for 2021, including Penderbrook, Medal of Honor, and Little Bennett. Concerns were expressed that it may take an extra hour to get to Medal of Honor on Quantico Marine Base, but Bob quoted the manager as saying it would take an extra ten minutes. Bob will do some more investigation.

There were questions about whether walkers would be charged the same fee as riders. There was quite a bit of conversation about this point. It appears that there is no single answer for all courses, because each course has its own policy in this regard.

This has been a difficult year for scheduling for a couple of reasons, both seemingly related to Covid. Because golf appears to be one of the safe sports during the pandemic, most courses have been playing at full capacity, and our bargaining power has consequently been diminished. Second is our concern for safety of our members. Some courses are taking the pandemic more seriously than others, particularly with respect to single carts. The Board has established a policy that we will not schedule a course that will not provide single-rider carts.

We have had to look beyond the usual courses in planning for 2021, and to schedule more course repeats than is typical. Bob has had to expand his search for courses. Several Maryland courses were suggested to fill the gap, including Hampshire Greens, PB Dye, Needwood, Renditions, U. of Maryland, Falls Road and Blue Mash (not Blue Marsh as Rick insisted). Bob is still in the process of finalizing the schedule and will reach into more Maryland courses as needed.

Bob will post the sign-up sheet for the March/April period toward the end of February. The same procedures from last year will apply, as related to Covid. When signing up, you should indicate your cart preference, whether you will share a cart or require a single cart. When the number of carts needed exceeds the number of carts made available by the course, the sign-up period will end, and all remaining slots will be blacked out. In order to allow more members a chance to play, members will only be allowed to sign up for one round per week. Walkers may play twice in a week.

There was a complaint about frustrations of signing up for tee times due to the 9:00 a.m. rush that usually follows the opening of the signup sheet. Some people go online sharply at 9:00 only to find that they are way behind already. Proposal of solutions was invited from participants, but no satisfactory solution was forthcoming.

Tournaments

Richard Brandenburg reported that two tournaments are scheduled for the season, one in September at Pleasant Valley and one in October at Forest Greens. Richard will be out of town during those events, but Rick Townshend will take the lead on managing the tourneys. Members should sign up for these as early as possible to assist the Tournament Director and the courses to plan for the events. When you sign up, your payment is made to Rick Townshend as Treasurer. Rick will provide a list of participants to Bob Odmark. Bob will then establish pairings according to handicap and will provide these pairings to the Tournament Director.

These tournaments are rife with monetary prizes, which are paid for from the ASGC Budget. The Tournament Director makes careful note of the recipients and their winnings and prepares a tournament result that is subject to the ASGC audit procedures

.

Rick Townshend said that the golf-only cost at the tournaments is expected to be $48 per player at Pleasant Valley and $41 at Forest Greens. The cost is typically higher because a meal is usually included. If the Covid situation is such that we can safely plan for a meal as part of the tournament, the cost will be about $20 higher than the greens fees alone. A decision on meals will be determined later in coordination with the Board, the County, and the membership.

Handicaps/Average Scores

Ralph Orlik, who calculates and maintains records of the scores of all members, requests that all members record their scores as soon as possible after each round. Record your score on the ASGC website on the same pages on which you sign up for play. First, click on “Monthly Signup & Scores” on the left side of the home page. Then find the tab for the appropriate month and click on it. At the bottom of the sheet are a series of tabs for Week 1, Week 2, etc., ending with a tab that says “SCORES.” Click on “SCORES”. You will see all members names listed alphabetically on the left side of the sheet. Across the top are listed the courses played for that month and the dates of play. Find the appropriate column, scroll down to your name, and enter your score.

If you are not able to complete an entire round, you should still record your score. You would put in your score up to the point at which you stopped and add the numbers of holes played in parentheses. For example, if you played nine holes and scored 52 up to that point, you would

enter “52(9). It is club policy that no one should enter a score higher than 3 over par on any hole. If you score 9 on a par five hole, you should enter 8 as your score for that hole.

The club uses average scores rather than the more complex system of handicaps used by the USGA. We have determined that average score results are reasonably close to the handicap calculations, but that average scoring is much easier and less costly to calculate. We use average scores for three primary purposes. One is to establish a reasonable system for calculating your net score in tournament competitions. Prize awards for net scores are based on how well a player scores in the tournament relative to how they typically score in regular play. Another purpose is to establish foursomes in scramble tournaments that are evenly matched. This gives every foursome an equal chance to win prizes in the scramble. The third purpose is to determine whether a member has met the required seven plays during the season in order to be eligible for reinstatement as a member in the following season. It should be noted, that, during the days of Covid, the club has suspended the seven-play requirement.

Average scores are posted on the ASGC website. A person whose average score is shown as “#DIV/0!” has recorded no scores, and has, therefore, no average score.

Arlington County 55+ Council

John Mashaw reported that the Sports and Fitness Committee of Arlington County met in December for the first time since the pandemic began. Most of the sport activities are in a holding pattern, with no face-to-face program activities. The County has put strict limits on the number of people who can use gym exercise facilities and asks that reservations be made. The single sport with the most activity is outdoor pickle ball, since there is no indoor sports activity.

Volunteer Hours

Art Hauptman noted that Arlington County maintains a running record of hours logged by volunteers in a variety of activities. Members of the ASGC Executive Committee, which we commonly refer to as the Board, are considered volunteers and must report their volunteer hours monthly. It is the responsibility of the Second Vice President to obtain from Board members a statement of their volunteer hours each month, and to report these to the County. Because Dick Irvine will now assume this responsibility, Art will brief Dick on the process in order to pass the baton.

Website

Rick Townshend reported that Google will be ending support for our old website in June or July and we have, therefore, been required to open a new site. Rick encouraged all members to check out the new site. There is a link on the front page of the old site. Rick will continue to work on improving the new site.

Once you locate the new website, you should bookmark it for future reference, for it won’t be long before that is your only option for accessing information about the club. The address for the new site is: https://sites.google.com/view/arlingtonvaseniorsgolfclub/home

Much of the information presented at this meeting is available on the website as well.

Getaway

Speaking on behalf of Bill Dawson, Don Collier gave a preview of the 2021 Getaway, which is scheduled for September 14 through September 16 in Williamsburg. The group will stay at the Holiday Inn Gateway hotel. The room fee includes hot breakfasts and a Wednesday evening banquet. As usual, friends and spouses are welcome, whether they play golf or not.

The Tuesday round will be played at Royal New Kent, which is rated number 3 in Virginia by Golf Digest. The Wednesday scramble tournament will be played at Williamsburg National (Jamestown). Thursday, we will drive part way home and play at Mattaponi Springs (pronounced Matta Poe Nigh), listed number 4 in Virginia by Golf Digest.

Prices are $346 per golfer for double occupancy, $464.40 per golfer for single occupancy, or $505.27 for a golfer and a non-golfer sharing a room. Prices are lower for golfers who arrange their own lodging, and golfers who do not play at Mattaponi. Space is limited to 60 golfers.

Arlington County Seniors Golf Club

Approved Minutes of the Executive Committee

November 19, 2000

Present:  Dale Strawser, Don Collier, Art Hauptman, Richard Brandenburg, Rick Townshend, Mike Marron, Dennis Macdonald, Bill Dawson, Bob Odmark, Ralph Orlik, Chuck Hadden, Bob Dawson, John Mashaw, Allison Cheek

Location:  Various, via teleconference

Start Time:  10:08 a.m.

Time of Adjournment:  12:12 p.m.

The Real Meeting, After Board Members Clam-ored to their Phones

Previous Minutes.   The minutes from the August 31, 2020 meeting were approved by acclaim (though from some quarters came “a claim” that the vote was rigged.

Membership report.  Dennis Macdonald related that 2021 season invitations will go out by the end of December 2020.  Rick Townshend provided to Dennis a list of 59 members who carried their membership over one year due to the pandemic.  Dennis will incorporate this group in his mailing list as he invites members to participate in the 2021 season.

Due to an eye injury, Dennis sought Board approval to draft Bernie Dennis as a back-up in the event that medical problems prevent him from performing his duties.  No Board action was needed, and Dennis was encouraged to have a back-up in place just in case. Bernie would not be a member of the Board and the Membership Committee will still have only one Board vote.

Rick Townshend reported that in January he and Bill Dawson will begin the website files transfer to a new Google sites system/format since Google is ending its traditional setup effective in July.

Treasurer’s report.  Rick Townshend reported a current bank balance of $10,173.  If the ASGC holds three tournaments in 2021, he expects a carry-over balance $3,900 at the end of the calendar year. 

Bob Odmark will check with host courses to see if they will provide complementary rounds at the tournaments for the Tournament director and the Treasurer.

Richard Brandenburg volunteered to audit the Club books as required by the By-Laws. The Board agreed, and Allison Cheek concurred, that the annual financial report to the County could be delayed beyond the December 31 deadline due to Covid concerns.  At the moment, it seems likely that Richard Brandenburg and Rick Townshend will be able to complete the audit on time.    

Mike Marron commented that the billing will be confused by the fact that the County merely shifts the due date to accommodate pandemic delays made by the County in operating its 55-Plus Plan. The County will have to work that out.

General Membership Meeting.  Due to Covid concerns, the Board agreed to hold only one full-membership meeting in 2021, and will use Zoom technology under the County’s authority.  The single meeting, scheduled for February 10 at 10:00 a.m., will be set up by Allison Cheek.  Presumably, pizza will be distributed by email or text message. 

In advance of the meeting, members will receive an email message to let them know about the Zoom meeting, obtain their concurrence on the proposed slate of officers, solicit write-ins, and obtain their votes on any issues that arise.  

Typically, we hold an all-members meeting in January and March.  The single meeting in February should be late enough to allow Bob Odmark to line up the schedule of courses to play in 2021. The County will be expected to clarify details about payment of County fees.

2021 Slate of Officers.  Nominations will follow traditional advancement of First and Second Vice Presidents.  The newly-vacated Second Vice President position most likely will be filled by Dick Irvine, who was recruited by John Mashaw, Nominating Chair.  

Chuck Hadden will be retiring from his position of Membership Well-Being at the end of the year.  Ruth Ann Neely has indicated an interest in assuming the position.  When John Mashaw confirms that Ruth Ann will be the next Chair of Membership Well-Being, Chuck will transfer any unused cards to her for future use. 

Don Collier suggested that the Tournament Committee be renamed the Tournament and Awards Committee, to acknowledge the significant work that is done by the Tournament chairman to name, obtain and distribute awards at each tournament. The Board will consider this suggestion in future meetings. 

Richard Brandenburg has expressed a desire to retire from his position as Tournament Chair.  Richard has agreed to continue in that capacity for at least the first portion of the 2021 season.  Due to prior obligations, he will be unable to serve during the last three months of the year.  Bill Dawson will email members with a request for interest in helping organize and manage the tournaments.

Dale contends that the role of Coordinator is really a two-person job, based on the time requirements imposed by the myriad responsibilities of the position.  Bill Dawson and Bob Odmark agree with this assessment.  Bill is officially retiring from his half of the position at the end of the year but has offered to support Bob as needed.  Mike Marron has volunteered to assist on golfing days.  

Golfing Schedule.  Bob Odmark is currently negotiating with courses to schedule golf dates for the 2021 season.  Courses that insist on dual-occupancy carts pose a particular dilemma.  We will consider scheduling these courses if they offer prices low enough to compensate for the increased risk.  Otherwise, we should avoid scheduling with these courses until an effective vaccine has been delivered to ASGC members. Bob asked if the distant courses should be scratched, since prior participation has declined.  Bob will analyze the data from past experience and decide accordingly.

Bob is in favor of another Golf Clinic in March or thereabouts, but no decision was made by the Board to pursue such an outing.  It could be advertised as in the past without requiring member support.

2021 Getaway.   Bill Dawson will schedule and arrange for a Getaway in the Fall.  Because Arlington County forbids travel, any Getaway will be handled as an independent event, not under the auspices of the County.  The Getaway will be contingent on alternative plans that the virus may have up its sleeve.  We will monitor the pandemic to determine whether safety concerns require postponement, as was the case in 2020.

55-Plus Program.  John Mashaw reported that there has been no activity by the County on this program.

Member Well-Being.  Dale Strawser requested that there be a report at the February meeting regarding any member deaths during 2020.  Such a report likely will be made by Ruth Ann Neely, since Chuck will already have vacated the position. 

Miscellaneous.  Chuck Hadden and Mike Marron expressed their pleasure at having served on the Board in the past.  Dale Strawser gave praise and thanks to the Board for their support and hard work.

Next Board Meeting.  The Board scheduled another conference call for January 7, at 10:00 a.m. Among other agenda items that may arise, we will follow up on decisions made today, and will continue to review the status of the Coronavirus, and positions taken by the County. 

Arlington County Seniors Golf Club

Approved Minutes of the Executive Committee

August 31, 2020

Present: Richard Brandenburg, Don Collier, Bill Dawson, Harvey Doerksen, Chuck Hadden, Art Hauptman, Dennis Macdonald, Mike Marron, John Mashaw, Bob Odmark, Ralph Orlik, Dale Strawser, Rick Townshend, Allison Cheek. Jennifer Collins

Location:  Living rooms, dens, offices, parking lots, and spas, via teleconferencing

Start Time:  10:06 a.m.

End Time:   11:22 a.m.

Minutes of July 17, 2020.  Approved without fanfare. 

Membership Report.  Prior to the meeting, Dennis Macdonald had emailed to members of the Executive Committee a full list of members and all of their pertinent information.  He is still in the process of updating and correcting glitches, such as misspellings and incorrect information.  There are currently 304 members.  Two persons have terminated their membership.  We offered Dennis our thanks for the many hours he has spent organizing the data on membership.

COVID Response.  Recently, one of our members tested positive for the Corona Virus.  This person notified the club so that we could notify the other members who were in the same playing groups.  The other members have been notified, and at least two of them have been tested.  Some of the playing partners are signed up to play this week, which occurs at the end of a two-week period from when they last played with the affected individual. 

Chuck Hadden argued that, out of the abundance of caution, and in light of the small inconvenience involved, those members of the affected person’s group should be precluded from playing until the week of September 7.  After considerable discussion, the Executive Committee decided to allow them to play this week, and to focus our attention what the ASGC should do if members in the future test positive shortly after playing with the ASGC. 

In general, we wish to err on the side of caution to protect our members, while not stepping out of the bounds of our authority.  For example, it was not clear to those in attendance whether the ASGC is subject to the requirements of HIPAA, which would prevent disseminating the names of persons who test positive unless they give permission to do so.  People who test positive are referred to the State health officials for contact tracing and the like, and that is beyond our purview.  And we cannot require members to self-quarantine.  We can, however, regulate whether certain members are allowed to play in our events.

The County representatives are checking into other policies that may affect us and will report back.  In the meantime, we decided to initiate the following procedures in the event that members test positive for COVID-19 in the future:

1. We strongly encourage any member who tests positive to notify the club.

2. We further encourage the member to authorize the Club to release their name to other members of their recent playing groups. 

3. Persons who played in the same groups when the person was likely contagious will not be allowed to play in ASGC events for two weeks.  We impose this restriction out of an abundance of caution, as a means of protecting all of the members of the Club.  We are, after all, members of a high-risk group.

4. We will revise these procedures if needed based on information that the County representatives provide regarding County policy.

Treasurer’s Report.  Rick Townshend reported that 56 members, who have not played this year and expect not to, have received a credit of $25 toward their membership for 2021.  An email to Rick is required in order to receive the credit.  Members who have played during 2020 and who are renewing for 2021 will receive a credit of $20 toward the 2021 dues.  New members in 2021 will pay the full $25 amount for dues, as will persons who dropped their membership and received a refund, if they sign up again for 2021

The proposed budget for the 2021 season is posted on the ASGC website.  The proposed budget is based on the assumption that our expenses will be approximately the same as they would have been in 2020 without COVID.  For example, the budget assumes that ASGC will be hosting tournaments in 2021.  

The proposed budget was approved, with the understanding that these are uncertain times.  As Rick stated it, we are better off if we have the money and don’t need it than we are if we don’t have the money and find out that we do need it.  If it turns out that we don’t need the money, we can credit it back to members as is being done this year.

There was a brief discussion of the benefits of membership, including having events scheduled for us, receiving reduced rates for greens fees, pizza lunch at the all-member meetings, free range balls at many of the venues, and reading the stories in the minutes.

Coordinators’ Reports.  Bob Odmark indicated that some members have perceived inequities associated with the signups for play.  Clearly, COVID has resulted in restrictions, particularly associated with the availability of carts at the courses.  As a consequence, persons who are willing to share carts are more likely to be able to play.  There are a very few members who walk, and they seemed to be shut out if all of the carts were taken and no more slots were available to sign into.

We discussed several possible approaches to the signup procedure that could help more people be able to play.  Bill did an analysis of play during August.  If we limited members to one play per week, we could have freed up 8 slots.  If we eliminated guests from play, we could have freed up 4 slots.   

We made the following changes to the signup procedures to look something like this:

1. Available signup slots will be limited by the number of carts available at the course.

2. Members will be able to sign up for only one play per week, but can add their name to a waiting list if slots become available.

3. We will accommodate walkers, if they let Bill Dawson or Bob Odmark know in advance of their request.  They will be allowed to play but will be given no particular priority.

4. If carts are still available on a particular day, Bill or Bob will move names from the waiting list to available slots, in the order in which they were received. 

5. Guests will be allowed to play, but only in shared carts.

Bob will confirm with the courses scheduled for October to confirm our reservations and determine how many carts they will make available. 

55+ Group.  John Mashaw reported that the group has held no meetings recently.  Big surprise.  Outdoor activities are open and are doing well.  Indoor activities are open, but nobody is showing up.

Miscellaneous.  Ralph Orlik will soon calculate the average scores for the month of August.

In the event that we are able to have a getaway in 2021, we will tentatively plan to stay with Williamsburg, as had been scheduled this year.  Bob is on it.

We will consider a course in Montgomery County next year, probably somewhere close, like Falls Road.  We can see how it works out, what with the traffic issues around the bridge.   

Arlington County Seniors Golf Club

Approved Minutes of the Executive Committee

July 17, 2020

Present: At least Don Collier, Bill Dawson, Dale Strawser and Rick Townshend, Bob Odmark, Art Hauptman, and Mike Marron (and possibly others)

Location:  Various, via phone conference call

Start Time:  Somewhere around 10:00 a.m.

End Time:   Heaven only knows

The Actual Phone Call

COVID-19 had closed the recreational programs of Arlington County for what seemed to be an interminable period.  The Arlington Seniors Golf Club was able to reopen on June 22, with modifications due to courses that could not accommodate the program for one reason or another.  The Executive Committee met on June 16, 2020 to hammer out some details for how to reopen the program safely.  Because there were, at that time, so many unknowns, we agreed to meet again after a few weeks to see if any tweaking would be needed.  This is the report of that tweakie meeting.

Our usual Recording Secretary was not available for the phone call, so this report is based on notes taken by some of those present, notably Don Collier, Bill Dawson and Rick Townshend. 

Treasurer’s Report

Rick Townshend reports a balance of $10,179.06 in our bank account.  Due to the abbreviated season, the County may institute some policy for potential rebates.  We will find out what the County is planning and revisit the issue at the next meeting of the Executive Committee.

General COVID planning

We will continue to operate as we have for the first month after reopening, with no changes in our general approach.  We affirm the work Bill Dawson is doing to maximize single carts in order to minimize unnecessary exposure to the virus.

Tournaments and Getaway

The September Championship at Bull Run and the October scramble at Pleasant Valley will not take place this year, due primarily to the risks associated with the indoor luncheons in close quarters.  The tournaments will be replaced by regular outings, but not at Bull Run because the course requires dual cart occupancy.  Bill Dawson will send out a general notification.

The Williamsburg Getaway will be cancelled.  The seven members who paid a deposit for the Getaway will be receive a refund.  Bill Dawson has been able to schedule Loudoun Country Club for Monday, September 21, and 1757 for Thursday, September 24.  We will keep Williamsburg in mind as a possible venue for the 2021 Getaway.

Arlington County Seniors Golf Club

Approved Minutes of the Executive Committee

June 16, 2020

Present: Richard Brandenburg, Don Collier, Bill Dawson, Bob Dawson, Harvey Doerksen, Chuck Hadden, Art Hauptman, Mike Marron, Bob Odmark, Dale Strawser, Rick Townshend

Location:  Various, via phone conference call

Start Time:  2:05 p.m.

End Time:   3:08 p.m.

After Arlington County stopped all of its Recreational Programs, all of our scheduled events were cancelled until further notice.  On June 12, the County gave us the go-ahead, effective June 22, and Bill Dawson quickly opened up the schedule for June/July, beginning with play at Loudoun Country Club on Monday, June 22. 

Because the COVID-19 virus is still with us, and social distancing precautions are still recommended, individuals have varying degrees of comfort, or discomfort, with the usual protocols of play.  The rapid opening under uncertain circumstances is ripe for confusion.  As a result, the Executive Committee convened this meeting to sort things out.

General Approach

We recognize that interactions among players will be different than pre-COVID days.  There will be no shaking hands, social distancing is a must, sanitizer should.be used liberally, etc.  Chuck Hadden noted a recent article in Golf Digest that suggests ways to play safely. 

The Club will not require anyone to do something that makes them feel uncomfortable in this new environment.  Our general rule is, if you don’t feel safe, don’t play. 

The Executive Committee agreed to an initial approach.  At the beginning of play for each foursome, the group will have a little powwow, in which members identify those behaviors that make them feel most at ease.  Bob said that he will bring this to the attention of each group and get them started on a conversation before they head out.

Rescheduling of Venues

For the first week of renewed play, Bill Dawson reports that 87 have signed up.  Play will begin on June 22 at Loudon County as planned.  Reston was unavailable for June 25, and has been moved to July 2, replacing Pohick Bay. Raspberry Falls has also been added for June 30, replacing Piedmont.  There is no play scheduled for June 25.

The Cart Situation

Bill has asked that anyone who signs up for play express a preference for the cart, from wishing a single cart, to sharing with a trusted partner, to alternating walking or driving, to walking with the clubs on the cart.  We discussed some of the options.

Single Cart Option 1.  The major issue during the meeting related to option 1, in which a member states that they must have their own cart.  The current option 1 reads: “Must have own cart with understanding there's no guarantee you'll get one.” The “no guarantee” wording caused the most concern. 

What if a person requests a single cart, and it turns out that there are not enough carts available.  Stay and ride with someone?  Walk?  Go home?  The Executive Committee definitely does not want to be in the position of requiring a player to share a cart if they stated a single cart requirement.  We would not want a player to go to the course and learn that a single cart is not available to them.  To avoid the situation, Bill will notify players at least two days in advance of play if he foresees a cart-shortage issue.  Bill has also cancelled guest play, if requiring a separate cart, during this initial re-start phase to give members a better chance of getting their preferred option. 

Bill Dawson is keeping track of the cart requirements based on the options that players choose when they sign up.  He notes that there should not be a cart-availability problem at Loudon for Monday.  Generally, signups are resulting in a small over-subscribing of available carts.  Bill believes that attrition prior to the round may solve some of the problem. 

Cart Switching Option 3.  Option 3 currently reads: “Alternate riding/walking every other hole with known partner.”  There seemed to be general agreement that switching driving and walking responsibilities is a bad idea and contrary to social distancing.  Option 3 will be modified to mean one person walks for nine holes, then they switch for the second nine, after sanitizing the steering wheeling and seat.

Option to Walk.  Because there are some members who are able to, and wish to, walk using their own pull or push carts, Bill may add this as an option 5.  Persons opting to walk with their own equipment would free up carts for others. 

Variable pricing.  At least one course plans to charge more for carts with single riders.  Most courses offer a lower price for walking.  To give members a better idea of what to expect, Bill will check with the courses in advance about their pricing policies during this time.  He will notify members on the sign-up sheet.

The Bottom Line.  There are so many concerns and so little information.  We decided that we will proceed with our current program with no changes for the next two to three weeks.  As small issues arise, Bob Odmark and Bill Dawson will institute small corrections.  After this brief trial period, the Executive Committee will reconvene and hammer stuff out and make any necessary changes. 

Financial Report

Rick Townshend reports a current available balance of $10,173.

September Getaway

Only one person has signed up.  Our deadline for cancellation is coming soon.  Bill will see if he can get the deadline extended.  When the deadline nears, we will decide whether to cancel.

Arlington County Seniors Golf Club

Meeting of the Full Membership (The Pizza Meeting)

Approved Minutes of March 11, 2020

Start Time:  12:10 p.m.

End Time:  1:07 p.m.

Approval of the Minutes

Dale Strawser asked for a vote whether to read the Minutes of January 22 or simply approve them.  Approved by acclamation and a sigh of relief.

Introduction of ASGC Executive Committee Members

Dale Strawser introduced himself as President and asked all Executive Committee members to come forward for introduction.  They included:  Don Collier, First Vice President; Art Hauptman, Second Vice President; Harvey Doerksen, Recording Secretary; Rick Townshend, Treasurer; Mike Marron, Past President; Richard Brandenburg, Tournament Chairman; Dennis Macdonald, Membership; Bob Odmark, On-Site Coordinator; Chuck Hadden, Members Well-Being; and John Mashaw, Nominating.  Not present were Bill Dawson , Administrative Coordinator (his first missed meeting in 16 years, due to illness); Ralph Orlik, Handicaps (due to illness); and Bob Dawson, Historian (History will record his absence).

Membership Report

Dennis Macdonald reported a current membership of 302 folks, of which 268 were existing members who renewed their membership and 34 were new.  Three more were added today, and two more are waiting to be added.  This will make a total of 307.  We are required to have at least 50 percent of the membership who are residents of Arlington County and we are very close to 50/50.  Consequently, Dennis must closely monitor new recruits in terms of their residence to make certain that we do not under-represent County residents. 

Every member has an assigned member number.  Each of you should take a look at the roster on the ASGC website and make certain that the number listed for you is accurate.

There are about 80 members on the “unable-to-play” roster.  If you have been on this list, and are now able to play, please let Dennis know so that the list accurately reflects current realities.

Treasurer’s Report

Rick Townshend reports a current balance of $9,980.56.  This year, we will increase the amount awarded in prizes at the two scrambles and the championship tournament.

Arlington County Representative

Allison Cheek had been at a table by the entrance, chatting up folks and providing information, including the current play schedule.  She reiterated the fees that are payable to the County by members of the Arlington Seniors Golf Club as follows:  $25 and $50 for the golf program for County residents and non-residents, respectively; $20 and $45 for the County’s 55+ Program.

Coordinators’ Report

Bob Odmark excitedly announced that, from the period of mid-November 2019 until today, there have been a whopping zero no-shows at ASGC events!!!  Then, apparently striking a more somber tone, Bob pleaded with members that if they sign up, they should show up.  No-shows not only cause unnecessary re-shuffling of schedules on the fly, but they also give us a bad name with the courses.  If after Bill Dawson sends out the pairing sheets you find that you cannot play, email either Bob Odmark or Bill Dawson.  Do not contact the course.

Pace of play has improved during the last year or two, but we still need to be aware of ways to improve our pace.  Like, if it is cart path only, and your ball is an uncertain distance from the green, take two or three clubs so that you only make one trip to the ball.  Also, park behind the green where possible so that you quickly get out of the way of the group behind you.  And wait till the next tee box to record your scores.

You may find that your actual tee time at the course is slightly different from the time listed on the final pairing sheets.  One reason may be that, due to no-shows, tee times are moved a bit earlier.  Another is that Bill may have scheduled tee times closer together or farther apart than the course’s schedule allows.  And, sometimes, groups move out at a good pace.

Bob passed on a word from Bill Dawson that the time is now to sign up for one of the golf clinics at the Virginia Golf Center.   

Tournaments and Getaway

Richard Brandenburg said we should show up at least 30 minutes early for scrambles and tournaments.  These are generally shotgun starts and we need everyone at the ready.  There will be two regular scrambles, on Thursday, May 14, at Raspberry Falls, and on Thursday, October 1, at Pleasant Valley.  There will be a scramble as well at the Williamsburg Getaway, September 22-24. 

Our annual Club Championship Tournament will be at Bull Run on Tuesday, September 15.  There are actually two Club Champions.  One is Low Net—the person who posts the best score in relation to his or her average score.  The other is Low Gross—the person with the lowest score.  There will be a Super Senior Champion, awarded for the Low Net score among members 75 or older.

Richard awarded a certificate to Jeff Barnes for a hole-in-one.  Jeff wore two shoes.  There was a hole in one.  No, I jest.  A hole-in-one is a big deal.  His came at the seventh at Stonewall.  Congrats to Jeff.

ASGC Website, Slow Play, Rules

Dale Strawser reiterated our concerns over slow play.  It only takes one slow group to make a whole set of foursomes very irritated.  If you find yourself a hole behind, move up and take a par or bogie or whatever floats your boat.  We have been asking the courses to supply active marshalling to keep an eye on the pace.  We are not playing for zillions of dollars and we promote the enjoyment of the game.  So, move up to forward tees and have more fun. 

We have some special “local rules” to help you have more fun and to speed up play.  One is “lost in plain sight.”  If your cart mates agree where the ball should be and you cannot find it, take a free drop and continue with the next shot.  If your scoring average is 25 over par or you cannot hit a drive 175 yards, move to the forward tees.  We have a three-over-par maximum.  If you are at two over and haven’t holed out, pick up the ball, record three-over and move on.  For out of bounds, drop where the ball went out of bounds and add a stroke. We encourage “gimmies” inside the leather.  

The ASGC website has a list of members of the Executive Committee with contact information.  If you have questions or concerns, let them know.

Tune-up Sessions

Rick Townshend lauded the upcoming tune-up sessions at the Virginia Golf Center near Twin Lakes.  There are two five-hour clinics, on March 17 and 21.  These are well worth the price of $140 with a lot of individual attention and lunch included.  There is a three-hour clinic on March 19 for a price of $35 plus $10 if you wish to play nine holes.  Lunch (optional) is $15.     

Golf Demonstration

Fernando Martinez gave a demonstration of the basic elements of the swing.  He started, oddly enough, with a tennis racket.  With a tennis racket, it is rather easy to see how the face lines up with the ball at impact.  That is the intent that every golfer should have.  Not to use a tennis racket, but to develop a clear understanding of the position of the club face at impact.  Pay attention to the face!  And during the COVID-19 period, don’t touch the face with dirty hands.

Most people use the hands too much during the back swing.  If you are too handsy, with little body turn, your hands and wrist tighten up.  Not good.  Think of a putter.  You begin the back swing with the arms and no handsy wrist turning.  Same with a regular swing.  Start the back swing with a turning and coiling of the body.  This allows your hand to stay fairly loose and not tighten up.  Start the downswing with the body and let gravity pull the club head down.

As we age, we lose flexibility.  There are some ways to counter this.  For example, you can use one of those heavy balls that are mounted on the end of a flexible shaft.  This requires you to stop momentarily at the top of the back swing and allows you to feel the gravity pull on the club head as you begin the downswing.

Rotate your shoulder first, then the hands.  You need to feel the coil of the body.  You should feel the pressure on your right thigh (if you are right-handed) as the thigh pulls the body forward.  It is the uncoiling, not your arms pulling down on the club, that should initiate the downswing. When you don’t swing, the ball goes further. 

My next job?  Describing the intricacies of ballet steps using American Sign Language.

Meeting of the Executive Committee

Present: Richard Brandenburg, Don Collier, Harvey Doerksen, Chuck Hadden, Art Hauptman, Dennis Macdonald, Mike Marron, John Mashaw, Bob Odmark, Dale Strawser, Rick Townshend, Allison Cheek

Start Time:  1:22 p.m.

End Time:  3:03 p.m.

Disposition of the Minutes

The County has expressed an issue with the “unofficial” portion of the Minutes.  This is the section at the beginning that contains a bit of tongue in cheek humor, and which does not describe the actual meeting.  In the future, Bill Dawson will continue to email the full version of the minutes to all members of the ASGC as he has done in the past. This version may or may not contain a “story.”  The version of the minutes that is posted on the ASGC website will contain only the portion of the minutes that describes discussion and decisions that took place in the meeting.  So, if you like a story, save the email version because you will not be able to retrieve it from the website.  If you don’t like the story, don’t read it.

Golf Scores

Richard Brandenburg relayed the concerns of one of our members that there may be a potential flaw in our system of dividing members into four quartiles based on average scores.  It was noted that “A” players are represented by average scores of 75 to 90, a fifteen-stroke spread.  By contrast, “B” and “C” players are in a narrower range of six to seven strokes.  The member’s conclusion was that foursomes containing a member at the low end of the “A” spectrum would be more likely to win in scramble competitions.

Actually, it turns out that foursomes in which the “A” player has a very low scoring average seldom win in scramble tournaments.  Also, in order to make all groups equally competitive, scramble foursomes all have a player from each of the four quartiles, and the total of all four averages is approximately equal to the other foursomes.  We do this intentionally in order to give all foursomes an equal chance at prize money. 

We also try to equalize the opportunity for prize money in the Club Championship Tournament.  We award the Club Champion prize both for low net and for low gross.  Under this system, persons in the “C” and “D” quartiles actually have a better chance of winning if they play an exceptional round in the tournament.  In addition, we award prizes for the low net winner from each quartile.

Based on our analysis at the meeting, we decided to make no change in our approach to setting up foursomes in tournaments.

Arlington County 55+ Council

Allison Cheek said that the 55+ Council discussed some upcoming events, including Fitness Day on May 29 at Arlington Mill, the Arlington Palooza on April 25, with live music, art and games, and a leadership lunch for volunteers.

There have been a lot of questions about COVID-19 among participants in the gyms but few have cancelled their participation.  One trip was cancelled by the destination location.

We suspect that a lot of the ASGC members are not aware of benefits available to them from the fees they pay to Arlington County in terms of access to County recreation and community centers, as well as access to special classes.  For a small upgrade ($40 to $45 annually), members can also obtain the 55+ gold, which provides access to fitness centers.  Allison Cheek will prepare an email to all members that details the benefits to which they are entitled, both from the fees they have already paid, and the availability of upgrades with additional fees.

Pizza Report

Don Collier reported that there were 50 in attendance at today’s all-member meeting, and there was a sufficient supply of pizza.  Good combo.

Tournament Comps

Tournament planning and execution require many extra volunteer hours from Richard Brandenburg, Bill Dawson and Rick Townshend.  Currently, the Club pays the entry fee for Richard and Bill.  The Executive Committee voted to pay for Rick’s fees as well.

In addition, we encourage Richard and/or Bill to see if the courses will offer one or two complimentary rounds for Club officials during tournaments, as they currently do for our coordinators during regular play. 

Membership

Dennis Macdonald noted that, at the end of the 2019 season, Rick Townshend and Bill Dawson sent an email to the 60 members who had played less than seven times during the year.  Thirty responded and were offered an invitation to rejoin in 2020.  Some of these provided evidence that they had, indeed, fulfilled the seven-play requirement.

The real fly in the ointment is the “Unable to Play” list.  With 80 on the list, it has become unwieldy and unmanageable.  Part of the problem is that the list has not been purged.  Some may have returned to active play but did not remove their names.  Some may have allowed their membership to lapse but were not removed from the list.  Etc.  Etc.  

Dennis will archive the list in order that he can retrieve it if and when necessary.  In the meantime, he will start a new list from scratch.  There are currently two members on the “new” list.  If you have reason to be placed on the “unable to play” list, let Dennis know.  And if you are on the list and become able to play, let Dennis know that as well.

Emergency Contacts

Dennis Macdonald is also trying to keep the emergency contact list for members current.  At least 30 members have not updated the list in the last two years.  The Executive Committee engaged in a long discussion about member safety, and how the Club can best respond if there is a medical emergency out on the course. 

In the interest of privacy, member data on the website is limited to member number and name.  Members of the Executive Committee have access to the full range of member data, including the emergency contact.

We decided that the Club starter (usually Bob Odmark or Bill Dawson) will have on their person the full list of members that contains the emergency contact information.  In emergency, we expect a call to 911.  In addition, the starter can provide information on the emergency contact.  When the starter begins his or her own round, the starter will notify the course of the availability of the contact information in the event of an emergency.  We will not provide the list to the course, only the information that the list is available.

Speaking of Emergencies …

If you become aware of particular difficulties encountered by another member (e.g. illness, injury, death in the family), let Chuck Hadden know.  He is our designated point-man to send out official condolences, good wishes or congratulations on behalf of the Club.

Approved Minutes of the Full Membership in

The So-Called “Pizza Meeting”

January 22, 2020

Present: A bunch of folks, around 110, in various versions of casual wear, and winter coats draped over the back of seats.

Location:  Walter Reed Community Center

Start Time:  12:12 p.m.

End Time:     1:13 p.m.

Chocoholics Anonymous

The sign is clear.  It is posted at the guard gate of our retirement community.  “This is a Smoke-Free Campus.”  The sign adds some more precise language regarding the prohibition. 

My wife and I were walking the hallways one rainy afternoon.  We came across a new resident and stopped to talk.  After a few minutes of conversation, she moved toward the door.  “No umbrella?” I asked.  “No,” she answered.  “I’m just going out for a smoke.”  I said something about the rain.  She explained, rather jokingly, that she would just smoke until the rain put out her cigarette.  My wife and I walked on, wondering.  What must it be like to need something that is not allowed?

I must have thought about that question most seriously.  And then, I got an answer.  There were a series of meetings, quite animated meetings, between the residents and the administration.  In spite of overwhelming objections by residents, the edict came down in no uncertain terms.  This would, henceforth, be a “Chocolate-Free Campus!”  Whoa!  I had not been affected by the no-smoking rule.  But no chocolate?  Highly personal!

Of course, I could not and would not stop eating chocolate.  No way.  I mean, you can’t even make cookies without chocolate!  What to do, what to do, what to do?  Then I thought about the sales office.  They always had a bowl of Halloween-sized chocolate bars in a big bowl for potential residents.  My wife and I even dropped in on occasion to sample the goods.  After all, we had earned it by putting our life savings on the line to move in.  I opened the door at the sales office and looked around.  Nothing!   No chocolate bars in the bowl.  Man, I thought, they must really be serious about this.

Pre-prohibition, we could carry chocolate around in our hands.  Who cares if people see it?  Flaunt it.  Make them jealous.  Whatever.  Eat chocolate openly while walking around in public.  But now, life is different.  Everybody is a potential spy, a whistle-blower, a rat.  Gotta hide the stuff.  You soon learn that chocolate bars in warm pockets have a way of self-advertising.  It melts, oozes out of the wrapper and stains your clothing.  Then, everybody knows.

My entire life changed by edict.  I had to learn how to transport chocolate out of sight, how to keep it from melting, how to sneak little bites of chocolate in public places without attracting notice.  Crazy stuff.  I learned to place a little piece between my fingers, and then pretend to rub an itch on my nose.  When the fingers were on the nose, I would press the chocolate into my mouth in a way that no one could see it.  The chocolate cannot touch your lips, for it will leave a stain that is a dead giveaway.  Speaking of dead giveaways, chocolate breath is the worst.  Breath mints are a must.  I learned where all the little secret hideaways on campus are.  In these places, I could take larger helpings.  It’s best after dark, because you just never know who will be prowling around. 

And then, I got busted.  I tried to sneak a tiny bite of chocolate at the table in the dining room.  I saw a person from my table get up, trying to appear innocuous.  He went to the serving area and talked to the manager.  A few minutes later, the security guards headed toward my table.  I got up and ran down the hall, followed at speed by the guards.  I ducked into a little alcove, hoping they would run past, but no.  They stopped and stood, seeming giants as I cowered in the corner.  Would I be jailed?  Probably kicked out of the apartment, at least.  I started to whimper.  The security guys grabbed my arms.  I screamed, “LEAVE ME ALONE!

“Hey!  What’s going on?”  It was my wife, shaking me awake.  “Having a scary dream?”

“Yeah,” I said, when I realized where I was.  “Really scary.” 

“I know just the thing,” my wife said softly.  She went into the kitchen and returned a few minutes later with a piping hot cup of hot chocolate.

Now, for the Actual Meeting

Approval of the Minutes of 11/13/19. 

Dale Strawser opened the meeting with a call for approval of the minutes.  The insistent cries to have the full minutes read from the podium were quelled by a motion and second to approve them.  Approved by voice vote.

Election of Officers. 

The following Officers were elected as a group in a single vote of raised hands:

         President:                Dale Strawser

         1st Vice President:   Don Collier

         2nd Vice President:  Art Hauptman

         Secretary:                Harvey Doerksen

         Treasurer:                Rick Townshend

Revision of the By-Laws

Dale summarized our By-Laws and recent proposed changes.  Dale, Chuck Hadden, and Rick Townshend subsequently responded to questions from the audience.  Our By-Laws require that any amendments be approved by a majority vote of members present at the first meeting of the general membership each year.  In recent months, the Executive Committee has proposed some amendments that:  require all expenditures subject to Executive Committee approval; articulate intent to maintain an annual carryover of fund of $2,500 for emergencies; make Club members subject to the County’s Code of Conduct; and, require that a player must have played seven rounds and have a current golf average in order to play in the Club Championship.

Question:  Is the $2,500 a cap?

Answer:  We will try to carry over at least that amount for unexpected expenses.

Question:  No new members added after the season begins?

Answer:  That is the provision of the By-Laws.  It is possible, for example, that an Arlington County resident may apply after the cut-off, and the Executive Committee may make an exception, but we would not exceed the 325-member cap.

Question:  Why the 7-play minimum? 

Answer:  There are several reasons.  We want to provide an incentive for members to play.  The more that play, the better our negotiating power over the courses for reducing fees.  For non-Arlington members, it takes about seven plays to break even on the reduced rates.  Play in any of the scrambles counts toward the seven.  We have flexibility to waive the 7-play requirement, for example, if someone comes off the Disabled List and was not able to finish seven rounds in time.

Question:  Why hold the cap at 325 members?

Answer:  Last year, members of the Executive Committee logged 944 hours of volunteer time.  Every increase in membership requires more time for their various duties.  Executive Committee members are here for the same reason as other members, to enjoy golf and save money in the process, not to over-indulge in paperwork.  Furthermore, increasing the membership much beyond the 325 could impact on our ability to obtain desirable tee times and to maintain a reasonable pace of play.

Question:  Fifty percent Arlington County?

Answer:  The Club is sponsored by Arlington County and it is reasonable to place a limit on residents of other counties.

Question:  What is the difference between the Board and the Executive Committee?

Answer:  They are one and the same.  According to the By-Laws, the Executive Committee consists of the Elected Officers, the Chairs of standing committees, the immediate past President, and the Golf Coordinators.  In the past, we have used the term Board as a shorthand for Executive Committee.

Question:  Have we dropped some members due to the 7-play requirement?

Answer:  Yes.  All members that had played fewer rounds were given an opportunity to respond and show cause.  Those who did not respond were dropped from membership.

The By-Laws, with amendments, were approved by show of hands.

Treasurer’s Report

Rick Townshend reports that, as of January 22, but prior to adding the fees that members paid at the meeting, we have a balance of $8,310.35.  We currently stand at 246 paid members.

Coordinators’ Report

Bill Dawson and Bob Odmark took the stage with a shower of applause.  Bill first discussed the schedule for 2020.  He has added Hidden Creek for a Tuesday and Thursday, River Creek for a Monday, and Chantilly for a Monday.  There will be three scrambles, two in the regular season (Raspberry Falls and Pleasant Valley), as well as the scramble at the Williamsburg Getaway. He has added Pohick Bay to the schedule.  Potomac Shores is reduced to one week instead of two.  Greendale was dropped because of scheduling issues, and Lake Presidential was dropped due to decreasing interest. 

The Williamsburg Getaway is scheduled for September 22-24 at three courses:  Royal New Kent, Williamsburg National, and Mattaponi.  We will stay at the Holiday Inn, which will serve breakfasts and provide the banquet meal.  Bill is adding a link on the website for signing up and paying the deposit.

Bill will open the signup sheets for March/April at 9:00 on “a” Monday.  Not sure which Monday, but probably the first week of March or the last week of February.

Bob noted that the most difficult part of his job is handling no-shows.  PLEASE:  If you sign up, show up!

Rick Townshend discussed a new pre-season event.  In addition to the Virginia Golf Clinic on March 17 and 19, the Virginia Golf Center will provide a more intensive instructional program for a fee of $140.  This will be held on March 17 and 21.  It will provide an hour of presentation and Q&A, then three hours of instruction and lunch.  See the flyer at the table.

Tournaments, Scrambles, and Holes-in-One  

Richard Brandenburg requested that members sign up as early as possible for the scrambles.  We need to allow lead time for us to develop pairings by handicap, and for the courses to prepare for tee times and meals.  

Richard then handed out a series of Certificates, as follows:

Club Championship Awards:

Low Net and Club Champion                Dom DeMarco

         Low Gross and Club Champion     Bill Dawson (who shot 2 strokes under his age)

         Ladies’ Low Gross                     Mae Kiehl

Hole-in-One Awards:

         Richard Brandenburg (Wouldn’t you know ….)

         Chuck Hadden

         Larry Dinger

         Dale Strawser

Jeffrey Barnes (Not recognized at the meeting, but will be awarded a certificate)

Richard note that the club played 4,490 rounds in 2019.  At four par three holes per round, we had 17,960 opportunities for a hole-in-one.  According to the PGA, amateurs have an average success rate of one hole-in-one per 12,000 rounds.  Pros average one hole-in-one per 2,500 rounds.  Arlington Seniors?  A stunning one hole-in-one per 4,490 rounds, much closer to the pro average than amateurs!  Not bad for a group of youth-challenged folks.

Question:  Why not a nice, shiny trophy for Club Champion?

Answer:  Hmmmm …

Dale called for a vote on whether people would prefer the cash prize or a trophy.  Came in at about 50-50.  We’ll probably take it up in the Executive Committee.  This is only for the Club Championship.  In other tournaments, it’s cash.

Historian Report

Bob Dawson noted that there is a history site on the Club’s website.  Take a look.  There are some new things added.

Scores and Reporting

Ralph Orlik summarized how to report scores, by going to the website, pushing the button for Monthly Signup and Scores, pressing the button on the bottom right that says scores, locating your name on the spreadsheet, and entering your score under the column that reflects the proper course and date.  If you play fewer than 18 holes (say, 9 holes), enter the score thusly:  45(9).  Even this partial round counts toward the required seven in the season.  Report all scores except scrambles, because scrambles are a team score, not an individual score.  You should also report individual scores on the Getaway, again, not the scramble.  Scores entered onto this website are used to calculate your average, which is a basis for constructing foursomes for scrambles that have approximately equal skill-levels overall. 

Question:  Does the average score include the previous year:

Answer:  Early in the season, yes.  The average score is based on a rolling average, so as you add scores, older scores drop out of the calculation.

Question:  How late can you enter your score?

Answer:  Enter as soon as possible, and within a week.  If you forget, you should still enter the score and then email Ralph that you did so. 

Arlington 55+ Council

Allison Cheek, the County’s 55+ Sports and Fitness Coordinator, reiterated the fees that are due to the County, in addition to the $25 Club dues.  The Golf Program fee is $25 and $50, respectively, for Arlington County residents and non-residents.  The 55+ membership fee is $20 and $45.  An additional optional fee is available for persons wishing to use the County’s fitness centers.

The County is sponsoring a Golf Conditioning Class on February 26 at the Thomas Jefferson Community Center Personal Training Room.  Space is limited to ten persons, so if you are interested, get on it.

Member Well Being

Chuck Hadden is the point person for providing get well and condolence messages on behalf of the Club.  He reports that four members died during the year:

         Dave Kassing

         William Somers

         Gary Stuart

         Tony Gallagher

Bringing up the Rear

In a congratulatory note, Dale Strawser reports that we field 154 players each week during the season, bring the courses an income of $7,750 per week.  During the season, we field 4,490 rounds.  At an average of $50 per round, the Club contributes $224,500 to local golf courses.

Put that in your pipe and smoke it!

Arlington County Seniors Golf Club

Approved Minutes of the Executive Committee

November 13, 2019

You’ll Remember This

I was fascinated by airplanes even then, at the age of five or six.  Our family was vacationing at Capitola Beach in California.  It was common to see small planes winging at low altitude along the shoreline.  When one plane approached, I waved frantically to the plane.  The pilot tilted the wings up and down in response as he flew the plane past us.  I was elated.  My dad said, “You won’t forget that as long as you live.”  And I haven’t.

Usually, dad said his “you’ll remember” on dreary occasions.  For example, if a vacation went horribly wrong, or something terrible happened, dad would smile and say, “We’ll remember this trip.”  And it was true.  Vacations that go great quickly fade from memory.

I remember when my wife and kids went camping for a week in the Wallowa Mountains of Oregon.  We shared a campsite with my brother and his family. From the time we arrived until we left, it never stopped raining.  We were able to cook with the gas camp stove inside the tent.  We sat on the sleeping bags to eat.  The Forest Service outhouse was a 50-yard run through pouring rain.  We slept to the pitter-pat of rain on canvas.

After a few days, we got cabin fever.  I took my wife and kids in our car for a ride, with no purpose other than to get someplace else for a few hours.  We took mountain roads, down to Imnaha, then along the river and up to the ridge above Hells Canyon of the Snake River.  It was on this stretch of dirt road that I ran over a rattlesnake.  I stopped the car and walked back to see if the critter was dead.  I then caught holy hell from my kids, who reminded me in no uncertain terms that I always told them never to get so close to a rattlesnake, even if they thought it was dead.  On to Lewiston, Idaho, then back to camp for several more days of rain under a tent canopy. 

It was this kind of vacation that would prompt my dad to say, “We’ll remember this trip.”

All of which brings me to my recent birthday.  I considered the gifts that would make my birthday a success.  I could think of two things, really, that I both needed and wanted.  One was a new car, for mine has many more miles on it than I have years.   The other was a golf bag, for mine suffers greatly from excessive wear and tear.  On my birthday morning, my wife said, “C’mon.  We’re going to go out and celebrate.”   I jumped into the car, started the engine, and said, “You tell me where to turn.”

First, she directed me to a local chain restaurant.  I was excited at first, because I had been to one of their other outlets recently and had enjoyed a new dish that combined fried shrimp and lobster tail with a Thai sauce.  When our order arrived, it was nothing like what I had before, and there were only three tiny pieces of lobster.  The shrimp was okay, but the difference between expectation and reality was annoying.  We left the restaurant to find a flat tire.  The towing and repair only took three hours. 

“Okay,” my wife said, “Now we’re now going to get your gift.”  I made mental notes of how we might get to the car dealership, or alternatively, to the golf store.  My wife’s directions did not square up with my calculations and I was surprised when she said, “Turn in here.”  She was directing me to a housewares store!  “What on earth,” I muttered to myself.  We went inside and she purchased a bathmat.  “Happy birthday!” she exclaimed as she handed me the package.  Okay, I admit, we needed a bathmat for the shower because the floor gets slippery when we lather up with soap.  But still . . ..

I did the math.  I would use a new car almost every day of the year.  I would use a golf bag two or three times a week.  But a bathmat?  Three or four times a month, max.  Therefore, on the utility-frequency scale, a bathmat would only rate a distant third at best if it even made the list! 

That evening, I sliced my finger while cutting matboard, and had to have it stitched up.

Like the plane at the beach whose pilot tipped the wings in greeting, my father’s sage advice came winging into my consciousness as we prepared for bedtime.  I smiled to my wife and said, “We’ll remember this birthday!”

Present:   Bill Dawson, Bob Dawson, Richard Brandenburg, Harvey Doerksen, Chuck Hadden, Art Hauptman, Dennis Macdonald, Mike Marron, John Mashaw, Bob Odmark, Ralph Orlik, Dale Strawser, Rick Townshend, Allison Cheek

Location:  Madison Community Center

Start Time:  10:01 a.m.

Time of Adjournment:  12:16 p.m.

Meeting of the Executive Committee

Approval of the minutes.  To spare everyone the agony of a reading of the minutes, we just threw up our hands and said go with them, as is, period, end of sentence.

Treasurer’s Report.  Rick Townsend projects an end-of-year balance of $3,388 and some pennies.  This is a carryover of about a thousand dollars more than had been budgeted.  With the same budget next year, with current assumptions, we should have about $3,000 at the end of next fiscal year.  Rick has sent his fiscal report to the County folks, who are reviewing it.  Allison will check to determine whether County approval is equivalent to the audit that we require every year.  Expenditures for items that are not in the budget must be approved by the Board.  To which a question arose about the adequacy of budgeted funds for cards and postage that we send to members who are ailing or face particular life hardships.  Comes out of the “Other” category, and the $200 budgeted should cover all costs for Membership Well-being.  

Membership.  Dennis Macdonald, in response to questions raised in previous meetings, determined that there are 49 women members of the ASGC, out of our current total of about 330 members.  Five members are leaving the Club at year’s end.  We have 73 members on the disabled list, most but not all of whom have paid their annual dues.  We require that members play in at least 7 events in order to be retained as members in succeeding years.  Based on regular play through September (and not scrambles and getaway), 107 members played in fewer than seven events, of which 43 are on the disabled list. 

We determined to send a sharply worded notice to all of the remaining 64 members (who are not on the disabled list and appear not to have met the required seven plays) that they are subject to being dropped from membership.  If they provide convincing justification for non-play or evidence that our numbers are incorrect, they will be allowed to re-enroll for 2020.  Otherwise they will be dropped from membership.  If persons who lose membership for insufficient play wish later to re-join the Club, they will be placed at the bottom of the wait list.  Conversely, any member who leaves the Club in good standing and later wishes to re-join will be added to the top of the wait list.

This issue resulted in a wide-ranging, sometimes contentious, and mildly entertaining discussion.  Should we drop the requirement of seven plays?  Should we raise the minimum and maybe even require participation in scrambles?  Should we not worry about it and let anyone in and stay in regardless.  Should we raise the ceiling of total Club membership?  What would this do to income?  How would it affect the number of players who participate in weekly events?  If we get too rigid, could it cut into Club and County income if we lose a lot of non-participating players who nonetheless pay their annual dues?  Should we order ham or turkey? 

We decided:  a) We have a rule of seven plays in the bylaws, we will make it abundantly clear to members via several mechanisms, and we will expect members to abide by the rules.  Therefore, no change to the rule of seven.  We will continue to purge the rolls of under-participating members.  b) We will not require members to participate in scrambles.  c) We will keep the current maximum number of members at 320, and neither lower it nor raise it. 

We all recognize the benefits of membership in the Club:  Variety of top-notch courses; negotiated greens fees based on bargaining power of numbers; access to otherwise-unavailable courses; pre-organization of courses and schedules.

Fee Increase.  We have noted in recent years a decrease in participation in scrambles and the Club Championship.  We decided to raise the annual Club dues from $20 to $25 for the 2020 season, and to use the additional income to bolster prize money in these special events.  As part of this increase, we will attempt to offer first and perhaps second prizes that cover the full cost of the entry fee (usually about $65).

On a related note, Allison indicated that County fees likely will also increase in the future, but perhaps not for the 2020 fiscal year.

Coordinators’ Report.  Bill Dawson is about half finished with next year’s schedule.  He has added River Creek and Hidden Creek.  We will not schedule Lansdowne because they are imposing several difficult conditions and also require a contract for a specific minimum number of players.  Bill is not allowed by the County to sign contract on behalf of the club. 

Bill is proposing Williamsburg for the next getaway (probably September 15-17).  The getaway will likely include Royal New Kent, a second course in the Williamsburg vicinity, and the third day at Mataponi, which is on the way home.

The “Tune-up” sessions will be held the week of March 16 and our first day of play for the 2020 season will be on March 24.  

Bob Odmark reports that the year has gone smoothly, with the exception of a fiasco at Herndon due to bad handling of a frost delay. 

There have been issues with how Bill and Bob must account for their hours and mileage.  They will work with Allison to discuss the possibility of moving toward a salary-based plan that can be more predictable both for the Coordinators and for the County budget process.

Tournament Update/Scrambles.  Richard Brandenburg reports that all of the prize money has been settled and accounted for.  He likes the cash-prize concept for its ease of management.  Richard handed out a summary of all of the participants of the Club Championship, showing average scores and scores at the tournament. 

The 2020 season will include one scramble in the Spring, one in early October, and the Club Championship in mid-September.  There was a bit of chatter, but no resolution, of whether we should award a trophy or certificate for the Club Champion (do we need another trophy in the garage?), why we went from low gross to low net to determine the Club Champion (same person always won and we wanted to spread the wealth), and whether we should eliminate the one-foot putting rule (subject to interpretation and expansion).

Historian Report.  Bob Dawson is beginning the process of producing vignettes of Club members.  Vignettes are based on interviews, and will be presented in the Club’s website along with contextual and historical summaries that provide background to the interview material.  He has started with Bill Dawson, and will undertake interviews with Bob Odmark and Dale Strawser. 

Scores, Reporting, Any Updates.  Ralph Orlik has nearly completed the analysis of average scores for the 2019 season.  He has to deal with minor irregularities in reporting that cannot be handled automatically.  For example, if someone posts a score for a scramble, he has to delete it, for such scores would incorrectly reduce a person’s average score.  Also, if a person posts a 9-hole score, for example, the machine reads it as text, and does not count it as a time played.  Ralph has to change the entry to a number that approximates the likely 18-hole score.

Arlington 55+ Council.  John Mashaw noted that the group’s next meeting is Monday, November 18.  Nothing to report since the last meeting.  The last meeting was held in July, with only four members, three of whom are also members of ASGC.  We really get around, don’t you know.

New Business.  John Mashaw is actively working to attract women to serve on the Executive Committee.  Several women have served in recent past, but now we are just a gang of boring old guys.  Ladies of ASGC:  Think about serving on the Executive Committee.  Give John a call.

All-Member Meetings.  We are scheduling the meetings for January 15 and March 11 at the Walter Reed Community Center.  As usual, pizza will be served at 11:30, and the meetings will begin at 12:00 noon. 

Arlington County Seniors Golf Club

Approved Minutes of the Executive Committee

September 18, 2019

Present: Richard Brandenburg, Don Collier, Bill Dawson, Harvey Doerksen, Art Hauptman, Mike Marron, Bob Odmark, Ralph Orlik, Dale Strawser, Rick Townshend

Location:  Madison Community Center

Start Time:  10:05 a.m.

Time of Adjournment:  12:15 p.m.

Socks and Such

Socks, Poblanos, childbirth, … three seemingly unrelated words, forever etched in my brain.  Perhaps I should explain.

First the socks.  My wife, ever anxious to improve my bearing, asked me, “Harv, do you want to be cool?”  Of course, I want to be cool, and I told her so.  She gave me this sage advice, “Buy some brightly-colored socks.”  And I did.  Twenty or so pairs.  I wear them often, typically underneath a pair of long pants.

Living in a retirement community offered me a golden opportunity to tickle the outer edges of respectability.  When you reach a certain age, you can get away with stuff.  Every day, I would don a new pair of bright socks in blue, orange, red or pink, in solids and combinations, painting a splash of exuberant color halfway up my calf.   But here’s the best part.  During summer months, I wear these socks with a pair of Bermuda shorts.  Wowser!  Such a show!

I started getting comments, mostly from women, who would say things like, “Nice socks,” or “I love those socks.”  I also got comments from a few men who, I believe, were jealous of either my good looks or my audacity.  More troubling were the disapproving stares from what I call the conformity police, those few residents whose self-imposed mission is to patrol for outliers.  I knew I had attracted their attention.

As to the Poblanos.  I have a great recipe for Poblano sauce, and always have a container on hand in the refrigerator.  Made with Poblano chilis, chicken broth, butter, cream cheese and cheddar cheese, this sauce is a marvelous flavor enhancer when added to soups, stews, potatoes, and a host of other foods.  It is even a great dip.  But there is a downside.  The preparation process is murder.  You have to cut the chilis in half and remove the seeds, then broil the halves for ten minutes, and then peel off the charred skins.  There is a chemical in the chilis that makes my eyes burn, makes my lungs clench and try to cough out the chemicals, and makes my hands burn like fire.  I always make and freeze several batches at the same time, so I do not have to endure the pain every month or so. 

Why do I endure the intense pain and discomfort of preparation?  Because the final product is pure ambrosia.  I liken the experience to childbirth.  Women put up with the agony of giving birth, partly because there is no turning back, but primarily because childbirth, for all the agony, is the requisite process for producing a miracle.  The pain is relatively brief, while the miracle endures.  I may be overstating this analogy, for I have never endured the pain of giving birth.  I have, however, participated in the inception process, and I have sat for hours in a hospital with nothing to do until they tell you that you are a father.

Anyway, I have learned to mitigate the pain of Poblano sauce preparation.  First, I wear protective plastic gloves to reduce the burning in my fingers.  I put on a white surgical mask to reduce the choking coughs.  I top it off with a pair of swimming goggles with two separate eye covers and a head strap.

During the most recent Poblano sauce preparation, there was a knock at the door.  I looked through the peephole.  It was the conformity police.  I decided to give them the full treatment of the momient—electric pink socks with black flamingos, tan Bermuda shorts, purple shirt, plastic gloves, surgical mask and swimming goggles.  Next to the door was a bright red dunce cap that I had used for some silly thing the day before.  I put on the cap and swung the door open wide.  “May I help you?” I asked politely.

There was a shriek, and then the crescendo of rapid footsteps running away down the hall. 

The letter I received the next day was both punitive and instructive.  “Dear sir.  The Committee finds that your typical display of outerwear exceeds the bounds of acceptable standards and may be subject to public ridicule or worse.  Please be more circumspect in your future choice of accoutrements.  In addition to this general guidance, we make a specific suggestion:  lose the hat!”

Meeting of the Executive Committee

Minutes of July 17, 2019.  Amazingly, dodged another bullet.  Minutes were approved.  Easier to approve than to have them read aloud.

Treasurer’s Report.  Rick Townshend reports an up-to-the-minute balance of $6,770 and change.  He projects a carryover to next year of about $3,600.  This projection appears to mean that no increase in dues for 2020 will be necessary.

Coordinators’ Golfing Fees.  When we had only one Coordinator, his greens fees were typically comped by the courses.  Now that there are two Coordinators, they have been sharing the free rounds, so that one would have to pay to play while the other played free.  We considered the suggestion that the club pay for the greens fees of the Coordinator that had to pay for his round.  We passed a motion that the Treasurer will propose a sum of $600 in the 2020 budget to be used to pay the greens fees of the Coordinator who was not comped by the course.  This additional line item should not require an increase in dues.

In addition, in organizing the schedule for next year, Bill Dawson will ask the courses if they can comp both Coordinators.  

Coordinators’ Report.  Bob Odmark noted that there were a few “no shows” in yesterday’s outing at Pleasant Valley who did not notify either a Coordinator or the course.  Reminder, if you find out right after the pairing sheets are posted that you cannot play, email Bill Dawson immediately.  If you find out late that you cannot play, notify Bill Dawson or the course as soon as you can.

Getaway Report.  Richard Brandenburg reports that he handed out $760 in prizes.  There were four teams tied for first place, so Richard simply divided the total prize money available for best scores equally among the tied teams.  Each individual received $30.

There were some confusing moments related to the straight-drive contest, including that one group apparently took the men’s scoring sheet away to the green of another hole, and, probably partly as a result of this,  several macho-challenged guys put their names on the ladies scoring sheet (but were beat out by a true female whose ball ended up two inches from the rope).  Anyway, because of this and other issues, we will discontinue the straight-ball contest at future events.  Instead, we will increase the number of closest-to-the-pin contests at par three holes. 

For those persons who tried to register your scores at the Tuesday and Thursday courses at the Getaway and found the columns blocked, fret no longer.  You can now do so.  Bill Dawson will send a note to Getaway participants to notify them that they can now register their scores.

There are apparent concerns at the County that the Getaway may appear to be a sponsored event, and we are not allowed to have an official event at an away location.  It should be clear to all members and guests that this is not an official ASGC event.  Neither of the Coordinators receive pay from the County for any part they may play in organizing the activity.  The Getaways are not limited to ASGC members, and we encourage outside participation by family, friends and guests.  All costs for golf, meals and lodging are paid by persons who attend the getaways.  For future getaways, all prize monies will be fully funded by persons who attend the getaways.  

Tournament Update and 2020 Scrambles.  There are now 50 signed up for the October 3 tournament at Bull Run. 

We plan to have three tournaments in 2020.  There will be scrambles in May and September at Twin Lakes and Pleasant Valley.  The Club Championship in October will probably be at Bull Run. 

Maybe our Tournament Director can talk the courses into providing some free rounds that can be handed out as door prizes at tournaments.

Scoring.  Ralph Orlik reported a bit of a glichy-poo in the scoring arena.  Some folks have noted that their reported averages are higher or lower than they should be.  Turns out that there are a couple of causes.  One is that the scoring spreadsheet lists people by last name, and, wouldn’t you know it, there are some duplicate names.  In some cases, people with that same last name had been reversed inexplicably.  Also, we often have to combine information from different spreadsheets that are used for different purposes (such as club roster and scoring results).  One might use last name only, and another might use both, and then if someone drops out, the rows get out of whack, and … aaaargh!!!!

Anyway, Bill Dawson, Ralph Orlik and Dennis Macdonald will knock their little brains together and make everything right. 

By-Laws.    A small group of Executive Committee members drafted revisions to the By-Laws of the Club.  This was done partly to curtail the authority of the President and increase decision-making authority of the Executive Committee, and partly to clarify language that may have been awkward or misleading.  The proposed changes are subject to approval by a majority vote of members present at the January meeting of the general membership. 

Odds and Ends

All-Member Meetings.  Dale Strawser proposed that we invite Fernando Martinez back for a demonstration at our January and March all-member meetings.  We agreed with a rousing Minnesota affirmation:  “yah sure ya becha!”

Driving Range Availability.  Dale Strawser noted that some courses have had their driving ranges closed during our events.  He suggested that, when we negotiate with the courses for schedule and pricing, we also insist that they have their practice facilities open for us.

Hole-in-One Prize.  Don Collier suggested that we provide some sort of special recognition for members who have holes-in-one during our regular events.  We discussed certificates or nice (not flimsy) bag tags or both.  We’ll be thinking about it.  So, if you get a hole-in-one before we decide, maybe you should keep it on the QT until we decide on a really grand form of recognition. 

Name Tags.  Bob Odmark suggested that we have name tags for people to wear at the Getaway.  Since there are a lot of people at these events that don’t know each other, name tags could be a bit of an ice breaker and help people to get to know each other better.  Good idea.  Our Tournament Director is duly alerted.

Executive Committee Appreciation Day.  Art Hauptman handed out a menu sheet so that Executive Committee members could register their preferences for the lunch at Herndon on October 22.  Greens fees and lunch are paid by the ASGC budget to thank Executive Committee members for their many volunteer hours on behalf of the Club throughout the year.

March Tune-up.  We decided that we will reschedule the tune-up session to take place on March 24 and 26 at Virginia Golf Center, just before the start of the regular season.

2020 Schedule.  Bill Dawson asked for recommendations of old courses that we should drop from next year’s schedule, or new courses that we should add.  We will probably drop Potomac Shores to one week, rather than two.  Bill will consider adding back Chantilly and Lansdowne, and adding Pohick Bay, Algonkian and Belmont.

Arlington County Seniors Golf Club

Approved Minutes of the Board

July 17, 2019

Present: Don Collier, Bill Dawson, Harvey Doerksen, Chuck Hadden, Dennis Macdonald, Mike Marron, John Mashaw, Bob Odmark, Ralph Orlik, Dale Strawser, Rick Townshend, Cheryl Johnson, Jennifer Collins, Allison Cheek, and Tatiana

Location:  Madison Community Center

Start Time:  10:05 a.m.

Time of Adjournment:  11:47 a.m. and then revved up again until 12:06 p.m.

Once Upon a Bear

“It’s either you, or the bear,” my wife told me bluntly.  “There’s not enough room for the both of you, and I’m not going without the bear.”

It took a while for these words to sink into my feeble brain.  This seemingly simple dichotomy is only the convergence of some complicating factors.  For one thing, my wife is an artist, and anyone who has lived with an artist can relate to the implications of such a life.  The lion’s share of the stuff in the house is works of art, in our case, 37 framed oil paintings, 26 small vases, 114 paintbrushes made with bamboo or driftwood handles and animal hair, 43 ceramic dogs of varying sizes, plus one large object.  Each of these 220 objects is linked to a warm spot in my wife’s heart.  These are her children, and there are no favorites.  All are special, having been painstakingly created by her own hands, and each has been given a special place of honor in the house.

The large object is a bear that my wife spent a week constructing out of paper mache over a chicken wire frame.  At five feet long and three feet high, this bear is a virtual space hog.  Cute, but needy.  Her name is Tatiana.  She shares one characteristic of a live bear, if you had a live bear in the house.  Tatiana seems always to be in the way.  To be fair, that is my personal assessment.  Tatiana’s mother/creator just brushes it off by saying, “She’s just being a bear.”

For another thing, and perhaps the most significant, we were moving to a local retirement community, and anyone who has done this can relate to the complications of downsizing.  It is simple math.  House equals 3.500 square feet filled with stuff.  Retirement apartment equals 1,100 square feet filled with two-thirds less stuff.  Two hundred and twenty pieces of artwork account for approximately one third of the stuff in our house.  I’d like at least to take a dining room table and a bed.  Perhaps a chair or two. 

Tatiana was the tipping point.  We already had sent away a truckload of stuff to be sold or donated.  Yet, available space at the new apartment seemed smaller and smaller by the minute.  My wife decided that it was Tatiana or me.  There would not be room for the both of us.  Tatiana was her child, her offspring.  I was only a husband, and therefore not a blood relative.  I saw the handwriting on the wall and took action.  In the dead of night, on the eve of moving day, I put my plan to work.   

It was pitch dark, but I found my way into the living room and located Tatiana.  I reached for the cutting tools that I had secreted away the evening before.  Carefully, quietly, I cut a hole in Tatiana’s butt end.  I placed some sandwiches, nuts, and a water jug inside, then crawled into the hole.  I pulled the “lid” back on and fastened it tightly.  “Trojan Horse,” I mused to myself, “You ain’t got nuthin’ on me.  You may have been the inspiration, but I am the finisher!”

Next morning, my wife found the note that I had left for her, noting that I had read her intentions clearly, and that I hoped she would be happy with her choice of Tatiana over me.  I listened for sounds of weeping, but there were none.  The movers handled Tatiana a bit roughly, I thought, but my body suffered no injuries.  At the new place, my wife instructed the movers to place Tatiana right in the center of the living room, where she had been in the house.

After the movers had left, my wife came over to Tatiana and patted her head.  “I am so glad you made the trip well,” she said in a soothing voice. 

“So am I,” I responded.  I heard a shriek of horror, then the inevitable question, “What are YOU doing in there?”

So far, the move is working out okay. Twice a day, my wife opens the butt lid and shoves in a sandwich and a small bottle of water.  In addition, I can maintain my outside contacts, for the new apartment has a strong wifi signal.

In the Den with the Board

Approval of the Minutes of May 8, 2019.  A full reading was waived with unified acclamation and a collective sigh of relief.  The minutes were approved in an apparent attempt to move on to a topic of interest.

Introduction of Arlington County Representatives.  Cheryl Johnson (Division Chief for Community Recreation), Jennifer Collins, (55+ Unit Manager), Allison Cheek, (55+ County Wide program Specialist), introduced themselves to us and we responded in turn.  Allison will be the new Jennifer Weber as our direct liaison to the County. 

Arlington County Coordinators’ Hours and Pay.  In the last couple of seasons, the amount of coordinators’ time spent on duties has increased.  There are a couple of significant reasons why this has occurred, but it is not related to having two persons (Bill Dawson and Bob Odmark) doing the work.  Rather, it is a function of having more members in the Club (from 282 in 2017 to 332 currently) and extending the season into March and November which translates to more outings for which the Coordinators are responsible.

At the same time, the County has been facing budget cutbacks and has held the budget for our Coordinator positions steady.  While increased memberships does result in increased income to the County from which to pay the Coordinators, Jennifer provided data that indicates that there still is a shortfall of fee revenue relative to Coordinator salaries.

The revenues that Jennifer shows are based on actual fees collected.  And, it appears, there are some shirkers among us that the County has yet to shake down.  The Board offered to assist in collections, because we are closer to the membership, can make direct appeals, and can enforce a “no pay, no play” policy.  The County will provide us with a list of those who signed up as members but have not paid the fees to the County.

The County folks also raised questions about our Getaways.  Other County programs have stopped sponsoring overnight travel options.  In our case, it appears that we are okay, since the essential work is being done by a vendor at the Getaway location, we open participation to non-members, and all fees are paid by individual members to the vendor with no cost to the County.  Bill will not be able to sign on behalf of the County, nor will he be able to turn in hours for any work in putting the Getaways together.  The County folks will seek clarification on the dos and don’ts, and any potential issues of liability.

Membership Report.  Dennis Macdonald reported that we have 51 persons on the current disabled list.  Of those, ten have played at least once this season.  Dennis will check with those who played to determine whether they should be removed from the disabled list.  He will also follow up on the others to determine whether they are still disabled.

Treasurer’s Report. Rick Townshend, a man of few words and many dollars, reports a balance of $10,471.81, and projects an end-of-year carryover of about $2,600.  We are left without an explanation of his chauffeur-driven Delorean.  Ruby red, with gold trim.  Gorgeous wheels!

Jennifer wanted to make sure that the County reps continue to receive the annual financial reports at the end of the season.  Rick will send it along with the annual audit report, and for good measure, will provide the running budget for the last two years.  In addition, Rick notes that the budget is on our web site, which can be accessed by County personnel.

Coordinators’ Report.  Bob Odmark noted that pace of play is notably improved over the last couple of years.  Nevertheless, there have been reports of particular regular foursomes that consistently fall behind the pace and create logjams behind them. While discussions about slow play in the past has tended to focus on general patterns, today’s discussion entered more on specific, known offenders. 

We discussed a number of options.  We at least should document instances in which specific groups have consistently fallen behind the pace before implementing remedial actions.  We might have designated Board members act as marshals at courses that tend to not marshal effectively.  We might have early players circle back after they have finished 18 to note gaps and the groups that are causing them.  If the issue is related to physical handicaps, the County has programs available to help people work through some of the issues and move more efficiently.  If the issue is physical, we need to consider all reasonable accommodation so as not to discriminate against handicaps. We might limit known slow players to groups of less that four.  We can contact known slow groups directly, with documentation, and negotiate ways to decrease logjams due to their play.

Tournament Update.  Bill Dawson noted that 64 people are signed up for tomorrow’s tournament at Raspberry Falls, though it is possible that some may drop out due to high temperatures.  Rick Townshend reiterated that at this late date, refunds will not be possible.

It was noted that some members do not like the scramble format because they wish to play only with their regular buds.  Others like the format for that very reason—they get to play with people that they would otherwise never meet.  Dennis suggested some alternative rules to accommodate regular groups. 

We made three monumental decisions.  (Monumental is in the eye of the beholder).  First, we will continue to organize scramble foursomes as we have been doing, with an A, B, C, and D player in each group, in which the total averages of all four players are approximately equal from group to group.  Second, we will consider having our future tournaments at locations that are more centrally accessible to members, like maybe Twin Lakes, Pleasant Valley, or Herndon. An 8:30 tee time at Raspberry almost requires a night in a Leesburg hotel.  Third, to avoid the stifling heat, we will aim for two scrambles during more moderate seasons, like in May or September/October.   

Refinement of Average Score Calculation.  It was duly noted by some jokester among us that Ralph Orlik is no longer our resident handicapper.  Now that we base relative skill of members based on their average scores, he is an Average Scorekeeper.  Because that may sound like a put-down, we agreed to consider him above average, maybe a B-plus or A-minus. 

Anyway, someone raised the issue of how far back you go in calculating averages. For example, if you play well for a time, then sustain an injury that yield a higher average, you might be penalized in tournament play.  What to do, what to do?  Best 10 of the last 20 scores?  That would not solve the injury problem.  Last three months of scores?  What about those who play few rounds.  Go back to official handicapping?  More expensive and time-costly.  We made no decisions, but we realize that any such tweaking will require a systematic computer program to handle analysis in a spreadsheet.  Turns out Bill is married to a computer whiz, and he actually talks to her.  So, … just maybe … . 

Senior Olympics.  Bob Odmark noted the upcoming Senior Olympics.  Turns out that Arlington County is a member of the organization that sponsors the local events.  Bill will tell our folks about the event, especially with respect to the golf event, though some of our members may be interested in other events such as pickleball.

Arlington 55+ Council.   John Mashaw noted that the group just had its most recent meeting on Monday in this very room.  You can still smell the cologne.  Allison was there in her first meeting with the group.  Three members of the 55+ Council are also members of ASGC.

Member Well Being. Chuck Hadden noted that we have lost four members to the grim reaper so far this year:  Bob Bidwell; Tony Gallagher; William Somers, and Gary Stuart. He sends cards to the families when a member dies, and also to members who sustain injuries, surgery, and the like.  Chuck alerts Allison as well, when he gets a note from Bill about someone in need.  We also encourage Dennis to pass the word along to Chuck when he receives timely notification of someone going onto the disabled list.  

New Business.  There was a free-wheeling discussion of topics, bringing back memories of the Nash Rambler, if you’ll pardon the pun. We approached adjournment several times, but it was kept at bay with regularity.  Anyway, Don lamented the apparent forgetfulness of members to repair ball marks and to rake bunkers.  Bill will send out a reminder.

There was a lengthy discussion of what tees people use, and how it affects their averages when it comes to tournaments.  No resolution for now.

And finally, how do we encourage women to participate as members and how do we make certain that their contributions are valued.  And, with regard to tees, why do men get to move up to the forward tees when women are offered no such advantage?  How about a “nine and wine” format for ladies as an alternative now-and-again format?  We are working on it. 

The meeting finally ended at 12:06.  Chuck send a card.

Arlington County Seniors Golf Club

Approved Minutes of the Board

May 8, 2019

Present: Richard Brandenburg, Don Collier, Bill Dawson, Bob Dawson, Harvey Doerksen, Art Hauptman, Dennis Macdonald, Mike Marron, John Mashaw, Bob Odmark, Ralph Orlik, Dale Strawser, Rick Townshend

Location:  Assorted saunas, porch swings and tee boxes

Start Time:  10:00 a.m.

Time of Adjournment:  11:37 a.m.

The Glass Ear

Our house is full of dogs, so many that we have lost count.  These dogs are docile, quiet, and rarely if ever in need of a walk outdoors.  You see, my wife is an artist.  She takes globs of lifeless clay and transforms them into life-like dogs with facial expressions and body gestures that can melt the heart of a dog lover in an instant.  The dogs exude self-confidence, loyalty, sadness, elation, and in some cases, sleepiness.

Though they are made of clay, fired to the hardness of glass, these dogs have become my wife’s children, and she is as fiercely protective of their welfare as any mother would be.  She had a particular attachment to a brown dachshund-like dog on the fireplace mantel.  Because this dog’s resting place was above the cinders, she named it Cinderella. 

Cinderella sat proudly on the mantel above the fireplace, where she could survey all of the goings-on in the room

One day, we had a contractor working on something in the living room.  He apparently felt that Cinderella might be in his way, so he grasped the dog by the neck to move it.  In the process, he broke off an ear. 

My wife was crushed!  Cinderella’s ear would not grow back.  It had already been glazed and fired.  The ear could possibly be replaced into position, possibly re-glued, possibly re-painted.  It would not fit back perfectly, and portions of the cracked area had broken away.  After months of indecision, and countless disappointing consultations with experts on how to repair the ear, my wife came to a decision that she had hoped would never be necessary—euthanasia.

“Could you do it for me,” she asked me one day.  “I’m afraid that Cinderella is beyond hope.  I can’t seem to find a way to restore her ear.”

“Okay,” I promised.  “But perhaps you should not be around when I do it.”  She nodded in agreement, and I waited until she was elsewhere in the house.  I gently picked up this 20-pound animal, nestled her under my arms and walked out to the garbage bin.  The bin was nearly full, so the dog fit neatly just under the lid.  I have no idea why, but I put the ear in my car, in one of the cupholders between the two front seats.  As it happens, the ear in the car evoked pleasant memories of Cinderella and her revered station on the fireplace mantel.

Next morning, I watched through the window when the garbage truck came down our street.  The garbage man jumped off the truck, walked over to the bin, and threw open the lid.  He stopped for a moment when he saw the dog, and then turned his back to me.  I could not see if he removed the dog from the bin, or just let it fall into the truck with the other rubbish.  I knew just the one thing.  Cinderella was gone from our house.

In the meantime, my wife continued her search of ways to repair broken ceramic body parts. Indeed, on her arrival home one afternoon, she excitedly recounted to me that she had found out how to do it.  Too late for Cinderella, I thought.  

Not long after that, we were invited to a party in a neighboring community.  After dinner, the hostess told a story about her cousin, who works on a garbage truck.  “You can’t believe the things people throw away!” she exclaimed.  “He finds enough free stuff to furnish his entire house.  Even works of art!”  She got up from the table, went into the living room, and fetched up a ceramic dog with one ear missing.

“Cinderella,” my wife exclaimed.  She ran out to the car and returned with the missing ear.  To the amazement of the other guests, my wife recounted the full story of Cinderella from start to finish.  The hostess offered to return the dog to my wife, who instead insisted on repairing the ear and allowing Cinderella to stay with her adopted parents. 

Cinderella now has a new ear, a new home, and a new family.  As she had done in our house, Cinderella sits proudly on the mantel above the fireplace, where she can survey all of the goings-on in the room.

The Actual Meeting

This was the Board’s maiden voyage into the collective cyber arena, with a meeting via conference call.  As a consequence, we cannot verify that the people who say they were in attendance are actually who they purported to be.  I can only vouch for myself, out here on an air mattress, floating offshore of the beach at Aruba, trying not to splash water on my phone or the writing pad. 

Approval of the Minutes.  I believe there was no objection to the minutes of March 20, 2019, though the decision took place between two sips of daiquiri.  Had to struggle with the straw.

Membership Report.  Dennis Macdonald brought us up to date.  At the end of 2018, we had 304 members, of which 180 were from Arlington County and 130 from other jurisdictions (if it does not add up, Dennis must have his reasons).  Membership jumped to 332 in 2019, even after 25 members had dropped out. We added 54 new members, of which 12 were from Arlington County and 42 from elsewhere.  The total membership includes 181 from Arlington County and 151 from elsewhere.  Currently, 30 members are on the “unable to play” roster.

Dennis has found 6-8 members who had been assigned duplicate member numbers with other members.  He is working to change these through communication with the affected members, and will keep Bill Dawson, Bob Odmark, Rick Townshend, Ralph Orlik and Dale Strawser informed of the new number assignments.  It is important that each member be assigned a unique number because average scores are calculated by member number and name in the computer. Dennis or Rick will update the online roster to reflect the changes.

One member was incorrectly listed under his spouse’s name, and this is being corrected.  Another has moved away for a year or so, but intends to move back.  He is being placed on the “unable to play” list. Dennis will add the “unable to play” roster to the member roster that is available to Board members.

The new on-line registration system was used by 261 members. Dennis will try to find out from the 71 who did not use the system if there is an issue that can be resolved so that they can use the system in the future.

The criss-crossing of phone lines from so many exotic locations was full of kudus expressed in appreciation for the work that Dennis is doing to keep our membership information in order. 

Treasurer’s Report.  Rick Townshend reports a current balance of $7,491 in the bank.  We are looking good for the rest of the season, and are on schedule to end the year with about a $3,000 carryover to next year.

Coordinators’ Report.  Bill Dawson noted that there seemed to be a paucity of marshaling at yesterday’s outing at Bull Run, though others had seen a marshal.  It was cart path only (CPO), and some rounds took about five hours and 15 minutes, though others reported times closer to four and a half hours.  All in all, meh ….  In any event, it appears that we still need to prod the courses to do active marshaling.  There were 12 no-shows, which seemed not too bad for a CPO

Day. 

Bill will open the June signup sheet on Monday at 9:00 a.m., after which he expects the usual flurry of activity. 

Ralph will update the March/April averages soon.

Bob reported some feedback that the 8:30 shotgun tee time for the Raspberry scramble leaves too little time to walk the dog and saddle up the horses for the ride out to the course.  We had a bit of discussion but held to the original time.  If we push the tee time to 9:00 or later, it pushes lunch well into mid-afternoon.

Bob also reported that several new members felt that there was too little opportunity to meet other members.  In addition, some have received concerns from women members that it has been difficult to meet other women members.  There was a pot-load of discussion about ways in which we might encourage social interaction beyond the regular play.  Some ideas included:  more frequent scrambles with or without a lunch to follow; varied formats of play; nine holes with beer to follow (on non-Tuesday/Thursday days); all-female groupings; and some other stuff that got lost in the lapping surf.

Dale will draft a letter to our membership raising the issue and seeking suggestions of how we might encourage interaction beyond the regular foursomes. 

Gettysburg Getaway.  Bill reported discouraging numbers signed up so far for the getaway.  Currently, 49 have signed up, which includes some non-golfing spouses.  Only three of the new members have signed up, even though Bill sent a separate invitation specifically to new members.  Because of the time demands to organize a getaway, we would like to see many more becoming involved.  Otherwise, we might just bag this opportunity.  People who have gone on the getaways have tended to be very enthusiastic, have enjoyed to chance to play on some very nice courses, and have met new people in the evenings over dinner and around the fire.

In the coming weeks, before the June 30 deadline, Bill will send out reminders, and his message will include information about the activities and highlights available in the Gettysburg area in addition to fine golf courses.  He will emphasize what is included in the package.  Because some may be holding back due to uncertainty about their calendars so far in advance, Bill will also emphasize the refund policy in the event that some last-minute conflicts arise.  To facilitate face-to-face information about the getaway, Bill will provide flyers to Bob, so that he can share them with members at the courses.

Arlington County Coordinator’s hours and Pay.  The County has noted that the work hours reported by Bill Dawson and Bob Odmark (the two employees paid by Arlington County to manage golf schedules and tee times) are on track to exceed the amount budgeted.  We had a wide-ranging discussion about the reasons for the increased time demands, our perceptions of the money going to the County through our annual fees, and possible ways to resolve the budgeting issue. 

It is clear that, with our recent increase in persons playing each week (up from 78 on average to about 95), there are increased time demands on the coordinators acting as starters.  It is also clear that, with our increased membership (up from 304 to 332), more funds are going into the County fund that is used to pay for the coordinators.  The County budgeting system requires a good deal of lead time to plan for changes such as these. 

We decided to schedule a meeting with our County representative to discuss the issue and to seek possible solutions.  Before the meeting, we will develop supporting data on our membership, financial contributions of the Club to the County budget, changing time demands on the Coordinators from, and our expected budgetary requirements for the Coordinators in the future. 

Bill will set up a meeting, to include Rick Townshend, Bill Dawson, Bob Odmark, and Dale Strawser from the Board.   

Historian’s Report.  Bob Dawson proposed an approach to reporting the Club’s history emphasizing people rather than events.  He hopes to help members to become familiar with key participants in the Club’s activity. He intends to circulate about three vignettes per month.  Each vignette will focus on an individual, with personal information about him or her, their relationship to the Club, their unique contributions, and even, perhaps, what they dream about at night.  Board members agreed with this approach and gave Bob a green light.

Next Meeting.  Probably in person, and either June or July.  Timing will be based in part with the outcome of the meeting with the County, and partly with the rate of signups for the Getaway.

Arlington County Seniors Golf Club

Approved Minutes, March 20, 2019

Location:  Walter Reed Community Center 

Red is the New Green

Being red-green color blind is not a curse.  It is simply an attribute shared by about eight percent of men.  My mother first learned of my color deficiency when I was a toddler.  Her father had been quite color blind, and she knew enough to know that she could pass the gene to her sons.  On the day of revelation, I was sitting on her lap.  When I asked why her dress had all those black dots, she knew.  Her dress had multi-colored polka dots.

In the intervening years, I have taken some of the color-blindness tests, like in the physical for military service.  These consist of pages of multi-colored dots, in which a number composed of a particular color is buried within the mosaic of colors.  A person with normal color vision can immediately spot the number. I went through an entire book without seeing a single number!  On the last page, the number was composed of black (or at least dark) dots in the midst of yellow (possibly green) dots.  I saw the number!  I think that page was in the book just to see if I was lying about the others.

I have learned to adapt.  For example, in driver training, I became aware of the existence of traffic lights.  It occurred to me that, if traffic instructions are based on color, then they are intended to apply only to persons who are responsive to color.  Ergo, zoom, zoom, zoom.

Marriage also helped, or hindered, depending on your point of view.  You see, when you go through life totally unaware of the existence of clashing colors, you can wear any combination of togs.  But when you share the house with a judge and jury, dressing in the morning becomes a challenge.  I developed a routine.  Each morning, I would select a pair of pants, a shirt, and sometimes a sweater.  I would place them on the bed.  My wife would give the thumbs up or thumbs down.  If the latter, I would try another combination until the thumbs went up.

Over time, I was able to simplify the process by owning only one neutral color of pants.  Basic tan chinos, period.  Therefore, any shirt will suffice.  But in sweater weather, I have to get approval for the combination of shirt and sweater before I leave the house.

I still have to distinguish between pants that I would wear to church or to concerts, and those that I would wear on the golf course.  They are both the same brand and style, and differ only in age and wear.  Here’s my solution.  I take a permanent marker.  On the older pants that I wear for golf, I write a “G” on the tab, for “golf.” To be consistent, I also mark the “go to meeting” pants.  Since they are still in good shape, I mark them with a “G” for “good.”  Problem solved.

This system worked so well that I decided to apply it to shirts and sweaters.  One morning, I put on my pants, then picked a shirt and a sweater to show my wife.  “Good combination,” she said.  So, I got the marking pen and wrote “GC” on the label of both the shirt and the sweater, indicating “good combination.”  Next morning, I tried again.  Bad combination, so I put the sweater back in the drawer and pulled out another.  “Good combination,” she said this time, so I marked each item with the letters “GC.”

It took well over a week before I had all of the good combinations marked on the labels and I was in seventh heaven.  “No more morning color test,” I thought.  I’ve got this down to a science. 

I felt liberated when I leaped from the bed, did my morning things, and pulled on a pair of pants.  I grabbed a shirt off the hanger, and a sweater from the drawer, making certain that each had the marking “GC.” I put these on and waltzed down to the kitchen. My wife looked up from her cup of coffee.

“No, no, no, no, no!” she shouted.  “Ouch, that hurts my eyes.  It clashes something awful!”

To this day, I have no idea what happened.  How could she say, one day, that the combination is good, and the next day change her mind so drastically.  Maybe color vision is not such a great thing after all.

All-Members Pizza Meeting

Start Time:  12:01 p.m.

Time of Adjournment:  12:51 p.m.

Minutes.  There was a first and second motion to approve the minutes of the full membership for January 16, 2019.  Motion passed. 

Overview.  Dale Strawser noted that we now have about 320 members, up about 20 from last year.  There are 61 new members, and by a show of hands, a good number of those were in attendance at this meeting.  At least 50 percent of the Club’s membership must be residents of Arlington County.  Dale thanked Mike Marron for his good work as President over the last two years.  He encouraged all members, especially new members, to take a good look at the Club’s website, which contains a ton of information on Board members, general membership, schedules, signup sheets, bylaws, and lots of other things.

Treasurer’s Report.  Rick Townshend noted that we have a current balance of $7,271 in the bank.  Much of this is used for prizes in our tournaments, maybe not enough to quit your day job, but enough to take your spouse or significant other for a dinner out.

Regarding tournaments, Rick said that it is extremely important when you sign up for a tournament to put your member number on the lower left corner of the check.  Also, for any correspondence with Rick or Dennis Macdonald or other members of the Board, please identify yourself by member number as well as your name.  There are several duplicate names in the club, but no duplicate numbers. 

For new members, Rick offered to provide a brief tutorial at the computer by the side table on how to access and utilize the signup sheet for play.

Member Privacy.  Dale noted that, in the interest of member privacy, we have dropped information about telephone numbers and email addresses from the member list on the website.  However, he noted that some members wanted a way to contact other members.  He took a straw poll to see if anyone objected to leaving the phone numbers on the website.  A couple of people raised their hands in objection. Dale said that we would take up the issue at the Board meeting to follow, and indicated that we would drop the phone numbers of anyone who requested it.

Tournaments.  In our scramble tournaments, we try to give every foursome an equal chance of winning.  Bill Dawson organizes each team in such a way that there is one person from each of four quadrants based on scoring averages (our version of handicaps).  The sum of the average scores are essentially equal across all foursomes. 

Coordinators’ Report.  Bill Dawson reported that about 20 people have signed up for the Gettysburg Getaway, scheduled for September 10-12.  These are lots of fun, with pleasant companions, good food, and nice accommodations.  The deadline for signing up is June 1.  Bill also noted that tomorrow’s (March 21) clinic is re-scheduled for Friday, March 22, due to inclement weather.

Bob Odmark, who is almost always our starter at the courses, requested that members, particularly new members, introduce themselves to him at the course so that he can continue to learn names and face.  Bob also gave kudus to Bill, who is the person who puts together the schedule for the year through negotiations with each of the courses.

Pace of Play.  Dale added that we have worked hard over time to improve pace of play and that we are getting better.  Slow play hurts our standing with the courses, and it is bothersome for players who must wait on every shot for the group in front.  Dale cautions:  do not mouth off if a course or Club official asks you to speed up, or even to skip a hole if you are lagging.  If you tend to be a slower player, you should sign up for later tee times.

All members should pay attention to the speed at which they play the game by using some basic techniques, such as:  leave the flag in per the new rules; play ready golf; park the cart between balls so that both riders can simultaneously prepare to hit their shots; two minute rule for lost ball; a putt inside the leather is good; drop with one-stroke penalty for out of bounds, etc.

ASGC Board Members.  Dale Strawser introduced members of the Board as follows:  himself, of course, as President; Don Collier, First Vice President; Art Hauptman, Second Vice President; Richard Brandenburg, Tournaments Coordinator; Harvey Doerksen, Recording Secretary; Rick Townshend, Treasurer; Mike Marron, ex-President; Dennis Macdonald, Membership; Bill Dawson and Bob Odmark, Coordinators; Ralph Orlik, Handicaps; Chuck Hadden, Member Well-Being; Bob Dawson, Historian; and John Mashaw, Nominations, as well as ex-President and Club Representative to the County’s 55+ Council.

Demonstration.  Dale introduced Fernando Hernandez of the Raspberry Golf Academy, who gave a demonstration that, with any luck, will put us all on the PGA Tour.  The task of translating a demonstration into the written word is not an easy one, but I accept the challenge with relish.  And a bit of mustard and ketchup on the side.  Maybe sautéed onions.  Anyway, here are the key elements:

1. Pay attention to the position of the club face at impact.  Closed face results in a hook or shot to the left; open face results in a slice or a hit to the right.  And, as we all know, there is no such thing as a straight shot.

2. If you are wearing out a hole in the left thumb of your glove, you are a mess.  This means that you are trying to push to club to impact using your left thumb.  Instead, you should pull the club by rotating your legs and lower body.

3. Don’t hold too tightly to the club.  You are on a golf course, not a frigging roller coaster.

Rumpus Meeting of the Board

Start Time:  1:03 p.m.

Time of Adjournment:  2:07 p.m.

Present: Don Collier, Bill Dawson, Harvey Doerksen, Art Hauptman, Dennis Macdonald, Mike Marron, John Mashaw, Bob Odmark, Ralph Orlik, Dale Strawser, Rick Townshend

Minutes.  The minutes of the Board for January 16, 2019 were approved.

Membership:  Dennis is working to collate membership information from last year into new stuff from this year.  He is putting in the emergency information, age of members, and other information needed for tournaments.  When finished, he will send a revised roster to the Board.

Per Rick, we now stand at 324 members.

Privacy.  As a follow-up to the pizza meeting, we voted to add back the phone numbers to the roster on the website.  We will also delete the phone number of any member who requests it.  Send your request to Dennis Macdonald.  We will continue to keep the emails off the website.

Quick Fix.  The website continues to show John Mashaw as ex-President and not his current role as Nominations Chair.  We’ll fix it.

County Representative.  With Jennifer Weber leaving, we need to have a County contact.  We plan to work through Jennifer Collins until we learn differently from the County.

Club Photographer.  Bill Dawson noted that we need a new club photographer to replace Robbie Roberson, who took some great shots before he moved away.  Which, oddly, suggests that golfers who have difficulty making great shots might switch to cameras, though this possibility was not mentioned in the meeting.  There were a couple of good suggestions.  First, since everyone now has a camera if they have a phone, we should find a way for people to forward pictures to Bill or somebody who can collect them.  Also, Bob Odmark said that, since he meets nearly everyone in his role as starter, he could also take some group shots.

Pace of Play.  We seconded the suggestions made in the all-members meeting, particularly ready golf, and parking the cart between two balls to allow both riders to get ready at the same time.

Unexpected Interruptions.  Two strange things happened at the meeting, one which bordered on the intolerable, and one that was mildly interesting.  Right in mid-sentence by someone who I can’t recall, there was a loud farting sound.  This may not seem unusual out on the course, but in a Board meeting?  There were a number of accusatory glances.  And then again, loud and clear, “ppppoooooooohhhh!”  Followed by another, louder and longer.  What?  Did someone have a bean-laced pizza?

Attention focused on an electronic contraption about a foot square on a credenza in the back corner of the room.  Maybe there was a hidden microphone in the adjacent bathroom that transmitted sounds to a speaker in this contraption.  Bill tried to find an off switch to the machine, without success.  He reached behind it to feel around, but jumped back when the darn thing farted at him, a long, plaintive emanation.  Then Dale, showing his Presidential prowess, came up with the solution.  Pull the plug.  He reached down behind the credenza and unplugged the machine from the wall.

The two fixers sat back down, and we started getting down to business, though some snickers persisted.  “Ppppoooooooohhhh!”  Then another.  Laughter.  The culprit, it turns out, was a farting device tucked away behind the machine. Dale picked it up in his hand.  “Pppoooooooohhhh!”  He set it down.  We never heard from the device after that. So, what?  Had it learned to cut loose with silent farts? 

The other interruption was a brief conversation about the price and utility of Kirkland golf balls, a bit of chatter so mundane as to not deserve mention.  Unless, maybe, the Kirkland balls are designed to produce un-toward noises reminiscent of methane emissions.

Death at La Fenice.  Bob Odmark noted that the Club had lost four members to death in the past year.  He raised the question of whether we have a backup plan in the event of the death of one of our Board members.  Well, some reasoned, we have John Mashaw to nominate replacements. Furthermore, for most Board members, it would not be a great loss.  But there are a couple of spots for which a backup plan might be desirable, particularly Treasurer (who is authorized to sign checks), the Coordinator who arranges the annual schedules, and the Membership person, who is deeply involved in data about members.  We’ll think about this and in the meantime, none of us is planning an untimely demise.

Handicap Carryover.  Ralph voiced the concern of one of our members about how we prepare handicaps for the first scramble.  Bill said that, for returning members, he will have 15 months of scoring information by the time the first scramble is held.  And, for new members, we can continue our less formal methods, such as using just the three months of scores, or by just asking the question, “what score do you normally shoot.”

Most Improved Golfer.  There are none.  Actually, it was noted that we missed handing out the award at least once and possibly twice, and there was no tumultuous outcry.  We decided to drop the award in the future. 

55+ Council.  John Mashaw is our representative to the County’s Council that has representation from all of the sporting groups.  They meet quarterly. Nothing new to report.

Wait List.  We cleared the wait list when we signed up new members for the 2019 season.  Since then, four new persons have been added to a wait list for the 2020 season.

Three Plays Per Week?  With the greater number of members, we are scheduling tee times even past noon in some cases.  This is not a problem for the courses.  Someone suggested having three plays per week.  Both Bill Dawson and Bob Odmark are open to the possibility in terms of how this might affect their work schedules.  We will make no changes for the 2019 season, but we may consider three days of play for some of the more popular courses next year.  It may not be necessary.  We’ll see.

Clinic.  There were about 40 persons who participated on Tuesday and it was a worthwhile event.

Volunteer Hours.  Art Hauptman is now the official collector of volunteer hours that Board members contribute on behalf of Club management.  We collect this information for the County, which uses it for budgeting purposes and who knows what else.  Members who were present gave their hours to Art for January and February.  In the future, he will send an email at the beginning of each month and request volunteer hours for the previous month.

Next Meeting.  We will look to May.  We will try to do the meeting remotely by some sort of technological hokus pokus.  Wish us luck.

Arlington County Seniors Golf Club

Approved Minutes of the Board

January 16, 2019

Let’s Hear it for Otis!

Otis.  A small word.  An even smaller place.  Otis, Oregon, consists of a post office the size of a forever stamp, a gas station, and the Otis Cafe.  The parking area is unpaved.  This is a place you would normally drive past on the way to somewhere else.  Blink and you miss it.

We were surprised to find the tiny, rustic cafe almost full, with perhaps eleven patrons crammed into the five booths along the outside wall.  There were also two persons at the table in the middle of the room, one a fiftyish woman, and across from her a rotund gent with flowing white hair and a long white beard.  My wife and I sat down on the remaining two chairs.  We expected a joyless meal before heading on to the coast.

The woman spoke first.  “You must be new here!”  We nodded and answered, “Just passing through.”  She then told us she was from Seattle and came down here with her dog named Mamacita.  “Never miss an opportunity to eat here,” she added.

I turned to the guy.  “I suppose you’re from the North Pole,” I said with reference to his long beard.  He smiled, then said, “You’re not far wrong on that score.”  Turns out, he is a seasonal Santa Claus in a mall over in the valley.  He grows the beard each fall specifically for the gig.

The fellow proceeded to regale us with a Santa stories.  “You know, you learn pretty quick not to assume stuff.  And you learn never to promise anything. What I did early on was to tell the kids that I would talk it over with their mom and dad and see what we can do.  One kid said he didn’t have a dad.  Of course, I was embarrassed.  Another kid asked for something or other, and seeing as how she had come with a woman, I told her that I would talk it over with her mother.  The girl started to cry and then told me that her mamma had died last month.  You learn to be careful.”

Then the guy smiled, leaned back in his chair, and said, “Yeah, I really had a dressing down once.  There was a group of school kids with their teacher.  The kids always get a kick out it when I tell the teacher to sit on Santa’s knee.  The teacher came up and sat on my lap.  I said the usual things, like what’s your name, and have you been a good girl?  The kids just hoot and holler when I say that.  Then I asked what she would like for Christmas.  The teacher looked around at her kids, then put one hand on either side of my ear, leaned her mouth close so nobody could hear.  She said, ‘I want that damn horse you promised me forty years ago!’”

We all had to laugh at that story.  Then my wife turned to the woman.  “I bet you can’t top that!” Turns out, she could.  This normal-appearing woman is essentially a female version of Evel Knievel, the famous stunt rider who used motorcycles to jump over rivers and through fires and tall buildings and the like.  She has a bicycle, and travels about along the coast on two wheels. The bicycle is her version of Knievel’s motorcycle.

She pulled out her smart phone so that we could see actual video of her most recent stunt.  Along the nearby coastline, there was a section of highway that drops very steeply toward the ocean. At the bottom of the grade, where the road turns away from the ocean, she had constructed a ramp so that she could ride directly over the edge of the cliff that drops steeply down to the rocks below.  As she spoke, we watched her in the video riding down the hill at breakneck speed and onto the ramp.  At the end of the ramp she lifted up on the bicycle and went sailing into the air.

She had done some serious calculations before this maneuver. She had determined the exact amount of time it would take for the bicycle to reach the rocks at the bottom of the cliff.  She had calculated the last possible moment to deploy her parachute in order to increase suspense for the cheering crowd and to avoid disaster.  When it looked like she would crash, her parachute deployed.  Her dog, securely tied to the handlebars, had his own little faux parachute that deployed at the same time as the main chute. It added a bit of humor to a potentially dangerous stunt.  They landed softly on a flat portion of a large rock.  Both woman and dog survived without a scratch.

Our meal of giant hamburgers and German potatoes was wonderful.  Our experience with total strangers was mind-blowing.  We no longer dismiss Otis as a boring little wide spot in the road.   “We’ll be back,” I said to my wife.  “Absolutely,” she replied.

All Members Pizza Meeting

Start Time:  12:03 p.m.

Time of Adjournment:  12:55 p.m.

Recognition of Members Deceased

Mike Marron noted the passing of four of our members during the 2018 season.  These are Tony Gallagher (member number 425); Tom Dever; (member number 261) Dan Levin (member number 126); and Bob Bidwell (member number 215).  We honor their memory and appreciate the time that they have shared with us.

Introduction of Board Members

Mike introduced members of the Board, some of whom are elected, and some of whom are appointed.  They included:  President and he who must be obeyed until the election of officers in the next agenda item), Mike Marron; First Vice President, Dale Strawser; Second Vice President, Don Collier; Secretary, Harvey Doerksen; Treasurer, Rick Townshend; Handicaps, Ralph Orlik; Nominations and 55+ Liaison, John Mashaw; Tournaments, Richard Brandenburg (absent from today’s meeting, presumably with an alibi); Member Well-Being, Chuck Hadden; Historian, Bob Dawson; Membership, Dennis Macdonald; Coordinators, Bill Dawson and Bob Odmark, and County Representative, Jennifer Weber.

Remarks from the County Representative

Jennifer Weber expressed thanks to Terry Townshend for her substantial work over several years, and to Dennis Macdonald for his work after taking over the membership task from Terry.  Jennifer noted that she had called renewing members, reminding them to pay the County fees.  You may call Jennifer or Wanda, a newbie in the office.

Jennifer made a plea for potential volunteers to teach a class on golf for beginners.  There was a signup sheet in the room by the putting green.  Classes would be held at Walter Reed, and they are thinking about a field trip to Top Golf.  If you are interested, you may also call Jennifer.

Election of Officers

John Mashaw noted that we have a “three chair system” of priming leaders to be President of the Club.  Under this system, a person would serve a term as 2nd Vice President and a term as 1st Vice President before being nominated for a term as President. This is intended to allow a potential presidential candidate to become deeply familiar with the workings of the Club and its leadership before becoming the all-powerful Big Kahuna.  He then placed nominations on the floor, as follows:

         President:                Dale Strawser

         1st Vice President:   Don Collier

         2nd Vice President:  Art Hauptman

         Treasurer:                Rick Townshend

         Recording Secretary:  Harvey Doerksen

There were no nominations from the floor, and the slate was elected by voice vote.

Minutes of the Last All-Members Meeting

The last minutes were approved by voice vote.  Some of the voices were saying stuff like yuk, trash, and boring.  Some sounded like post-pizza snores.

Membership Report

Dennis Macdonald reported that, before today, 190 members had paid their Club dues, and another 30 paid their dues today here at Walter Reed.  Forty-seven members have paid their dues but have not yet registered.  Of the 190 members who had signed up before today, 108 are Arlington County residents, and 82 are from other counties.  Dennis expect a total membership around 300 for 2019. 

Dennis has implemented a new, easy to use automated registration tool, and 174 members have already used the tool.  Because data errors can easily occur if people give data to Dennis to enter the data into the computer, he believes that the new tool will result in more accuracy.  Members directly enter their data online without the middleman. 

Treasurer’s Report

Rick Townshend reports a current balance, before paying for today’s pizza, of $5,113.  Overall, he says, we are in good shape financially.  Rick will make some changes in order to protect the level of our cash carryover in future years, but these changes should have little impact on members.  If members wish to obtain information on our budget and available cash, it is available on the website.  The site is current, and up to the minute.  When Rick makes a change, such as a cash payment, it is entered in real time on the website. 

NOTE TO ALL MEMBERS:  In order to make life easier for Rick (an object that is important to Rick), whenever you write a check to the club and send it to Rick, ALWAYS WRITE YOUR MEMBER NUMBER ON THE CHECK!!!  This allows Rick to give you proper credit for the payment with a minimum of extra effort on his part.

Coordinators’ Report

Bill Dawson who, remarkably, is serving his 16th year as Coordinator, referred to two handouts that were available on the table.  One was the 2019 schedule and the other about the Getaway scheduled for September 10-12.  He has dropped River Creek, Blue Ridge Shadows, Hidden Creek, The Gauntlet, National Golf Club, and Lansdowne.  Lansdowne was dropped because the course demanded a headcount in advance and would put the Club on the hook for payment if fewer players showed up.  Maybe they will be added in 2020 if they are more reasonable.  He added a new course for us, Loudoun Country Club, for one play, and added back to our schedule Bristow Manor and Greendale, for one play each.  Westfields and Bull Run will be expanded to two weeks instead of one.  There will be only one scramble tournament on the regular schedule due to poor turnout at scrambles in the past.

The Getaway was not held in 2018, but will be brought back in 2019 at Gettysburg, for a maximum of 80 participants.  The cost is a bit higher than in the past, due primarily to elevated hotel costs in the Gettysburg area. 

Bill plans to open the signup sheet around the first of March.  Members will be able to use the sheet to sign up for the Virginia Golf Clinic on March 19 and 21, as well as for regular play in March and April.  The cost for the Clinic will be $22 for the lessons, and an additional $8 for those wishing to play nine holes of golf.

Bill noted that there are typically a lot of signups in the first moments after the sheet is opened.  However, after he sends estimates to the course, there tend to be a bunch of drops.  He wants us not to sign up unless we are confident that we (or our buddies) will play.  It appears that some folks sign up all the members of their foursome in order to get a time slot, and then later find out that Joe or Jeanette or Jack cannot play.  Don’t embarrass Bill by inflating your intentions.

Bob Odmark touted his good fortune for being able to meet almost every member of the Club, whereas most of us get to meet very few.  He claims to have learned the first names of about 50 percent of us, which in and of itself is a remarkable feat.  Bob offered some simple, common sense and effective suggestions for speeding up play. 

-       If you cannot hit a drive more than 175 yards, play from the most forward tees.

-       If your ball goes out of bounds, drop within two club lengths of where it went out, take a one stroke penalty, hit the damn ball, and move on.

-       Within the leather, your putt is good.

-       If you cannot do better than three over par on a hole, take a triple and pick up.

-       Lost in plain sight, such as under leaves or in the light rough?  Free drop.  Play on.

-       Play ready golf.  If you are ready and in the clear, hit the ball.

-       Under new USGA rules, you can leave the flag in.  Do so, if it saves time.

-       Drive to the next tee before writing your score. 

-       Under cart-path-only conditions, choose efficient ways to minimize walking between ball and cart.

-       Aim for rounds of 4 1/2 hours.

Special Guest

Rick Townshend introduced PGA Teaching Pro Fernando Martinez, from Raspberry Golf Academy.  Fernando held a putter in one hand and a microphone in the other and explained some stuff to us, starting with “Get your back up against the wall.”  Well, actually, he did say that it is good swing practice to back up against a wall to practice your swing.  This helps train your mind to swing in an upright position. 

I find it hard to capsulate all of Fernando’s gems of golf wisdom, but I’ll try.  For more, sign up for the Virginia Golf Clinic, which Fernando was also touting. Here goes:

-       Rotate your body, not your hands.

-       Do not try to hit the ball; let the club hit the ball.

-       Focus on how much the club weighs, and then let the weight of the club do all the work.

-       Don’t try to produce power with your hands; rather, let the club add the power.

-       The club speed is faster when you don’t swing it.

Rumpus Meeting of the Board

January 16, 2019

Present:  Don Collier, Bill Dawson, Bob Dawson, Harvey Doerksen, Chuck Hadden, Art Hauptman, Dennis Macdonald, Mike Marron, John Mashaw, Bob Odmark, Ralph Orlik, Dale Strawser, Rick Townshend. 

Location:  Walter Reed Community Center

Start Time:  1:08 p.m.

Time of Adjournment:  2:02 p.m.

Membership Report

Dale stepped up to the plate in his presidential debut by calling on Dennis for a report.  Before today, 190 members had paid, of which 174 used the signup tool.  According to Dennis, the automated signup tool is working well enough, but he has encountered a couple of snags. One problem is that a significant number of members (47 at last count) paid their $20 Club fee but have not used the automated system to provide the key information that Dennis needs to compile a member roster.  Dennis will prepare one more reminder via email to these folks.

In addition, there are 32 members who registered using the system but have not yet paid.  Dennis or Rick may have to ride herd on these folks to pry the money loose.

The other problem is that some folks signed up more than once.  This is not an issue because the system sorts it out. 

We had a long and marginally productive discussion about our requirement that members play at least seven rounds in a season.  Dennis is having a dickens of a time with people who logged fewer than seven scores.  Several of them claim to have played at the least the minimum, but it does not show up in the log of scores.  Should we just drop the requirement, Dennis wonders?  We discussed pros and cons.  If someone pays the fee and does not play, we still have the money.  And if we increase the maximum allowable membership, the courses can still handle the extra players.  But why should we carry non-participants on our rolls that simply increase our administrative load?  And what about persons on our wait lists who can’t join because of people who fill the slots but don’t play?  If we keep the requirement, we may need a more accurate way to verify participation.  We need to make sure that we count play in scrambles, even when folks don’t log a personal score.  How can we account for unusual conditions?  Shouldn’t a person log a round if they go to the course and get rained out?  Whatever else we do to account for play, every member must always log their scores, even if they don’t complete the round.

At long last, we determined to maintain the seven-play requirement, and to eliminate members who cannot justify their lack of sufficient play.

New Member Orientation

There is a video on our website that walks you through the process of signing up for play.  However, there may be a glitch in the video.  Rick tried to pull it up on his handy dandy device without success.  Bill will check to see if there is an issue.

Privacy Issues

Dennis has removed certain personal member information from the website, such as email address.  In addition, we will no longer ask members for the name and contact information of their doctor.  We will continue to require an emergency contact.

Treasurer’s Report

Rick paid off the pizza bill, and shows a resulting cash balance of $4,614.  And, once again, Rick wants to remind all members:   Whenever you write a check to the club and send it to Rick, ALWAYS WRITE YOUR MEMBER NUMBER ON THE CHECK!!!  After all, you don’t want Rick to credit someone else with a payment you made for yourself, now do you?

55+ Representative Report

Basically, John Mashaw waved his cane at everyone and shouted, “You all qualify as 55+!”  John then clarified a non-issue and announced that the next meeting of the 55+ representatives is in March. 

Historian’s Report

Bob had some Club-history documents out on a table at the pizza meeting and encountered someone who wanted to spend more time with the material than was available at the meeting.  We discussed ways to upload some of the documentation onto the website.  Bob will do some checking around and propose a strategy in the next meeting for making historical documents more readily accessible to members. 

Bob noted that one early document contained this instruction:  “Play quickly!”

Microphone Issues

So many times, we have encountered bad public address systems in our larger group meetings.  For example, how does a golf instructor demonstrate a swing while holding a mic in one hand?  We decided to bite the bullet and buy a decent quality lavalier mic that can be used in pizza meetings, Getaways, and other larger group meetings.  Rick has his shopping orders.

Next Meeting

March 20 for all-members pizza, and a follow-up session of the Board after that.

Arlington County Seniors Golf Club

Approved Minutes of the Board

December 12, 2018

Present: Richard Brandenburg, Don Collier, Bill Dawson, Bob Dawson, Harvey Doerksen, Chuck Hadden, Dennis Macdonald, Mike Marron, John Mashaw, Bob Odmark, Ralph Orlik, Dale Strawser, Rick Townshend.  All present, which some believe to be a first.

Location:  Home of Richard Brandenburg, Reston

Start Time:  11:37 a.m.

Time of Adjournment: 2:29 p.m. (with approximately an hour lunch in the middle)

Delivering the News

Some famous proverbs continue to retain a grain of truth even when the actual words are slightly altered.  Take, for example, Benjamin Franklin’s famous line: “A penny spent is a penny burned.”  The restated Peter Principle would go: “Everyone ages to their level of incontinence.”  I had a recent personal experience with an altered maxim by the popular writer A. Nony Mous: “Things are not always as they are seen.”

It began quite innocently.  Our neighbors across the street have been good friends of ours since they moved in several years back.  We both subscribe to the same local newspaper.  Some guy in a sedan sweeps through the neighborhood every morning at around six and tosses the paper onto our driveways.  I am always fully dressed when I go out to collect the paper, but the neighbor …. Well, let’s just say that he waltzes out in a loose-fitting bathrobe and slippers.  No socks.  Possibly nothing under the robe.

I decided to protect passersby from accidental sightings, in the event that the bathrobe has a wardrobe malfunction.  I undertook to rise each morning at the first sounding of the alarm clock, get dressed, go outside, walk across the street, and deliver the neighbors’ paper to their door.  Then I come back to our driveway, pick up our paper, and bring it into the house.  In this way, the neighbor can open his door, pick up the paper, and slink back inside without being seen.

When the neighbor got up first, he started the same routine in reverse.  In those instances, I would open the front door to find our paper at my feet.  This got to be a standing joke between us, almost a competition to see who got there first.  However, when others got involved, it became less a joke between the two of us, and more of a neighborhood morality issue.

Here’s how it started.  One morning, I walked out the front door and headed down the driveway.  There was a lady walking her dog.  We did not know each other, but she was a regular among the neighborhood dog walkers.  We greeted each other politely as she walked past.  She stopped, so that the dog could do some sniffing and whatevering.  She seemed surprised to see me walk past my own newspaper and head across the street.  She ambled around the corner. She looked back to see me pick up the neighbors’ paper and head up toward their house.  When I reached the door, I glanced toward her, but she and the dog were already out of sight.

Not long after that, we repeated the encounter.  And again.  I noticed that she had become increasingly observant about my apparent pattern of leaving one house early in the morning and going into what she assumed was my own house.  She was always already out of sight by the time that I reached the neighbors’ door.  I noticed over time that she had also become more guarded when we exchanged greetings.  Her demeaner suggested that she did not want to know what was going on, and she did not want me to suspect that she knew about some apparent dalliance.

One morning she was walking with another woman, who also had a dog.  I walked down the driveway and greeted them.  They walked past.  I crossed the street and picked up the neighbors’ paper.  I looked toward the women.  They had stopped and turned.  The first woman was pointing back toward me, and they both started to giggle.  I waited until they were out of sight around the corner before proceeding.

Then the inevitable happened.  I left my house one morning at the same moment that the neighbor left his.  We both proceeded down our respective driveways.  The woman walked past with her dog.  I greeted her, as did my neighbor.  I picked up my newspaper.  The neighbor picked up his paper.  We walked toward each other and met in the middle of the street.  From the corner of my eye, I could see the woman watching us intently.  I said to the neighbor, “Wanna do something crazy?”  He nodded in assent.  I explained what was going on with the woman.  We put our plan into action.

First, we exchanged newspapers, right there in the middle of the street.  We gave each other a high five.  Then I walked to the neighbors’ door and placed my hand on the knob.  The neighbor walked to our door and did the same.  I glanced back to see the woman throw up her hands in disgust, and walk away, shaking her head from side to side in disbelief.  When she was out of sight, we returned to our respective houses.

The warning letter from the Homeowners Association arrived soon thereafter, accusing us of kinky behavior inappropriate for a family-friendly neighborhood such as ours.  I took heart in the words of a famous proverb: “No good deed goes unpunished.”

Business in the Living Room

Minutes of September 26

Harvey dodged another bullet from a lenient crowd.  Minutes approved.

Membership Report

Dennis regaled us with an extensive report with handouts to match.

1.      Renewing members.  So far, there have been 66 members who have signed in using the new on-line procedure. Two others dropped out, but not for reasons of unhappiness. 

2.       Disabled list.  The disabled list increased from 12 persons to 32, with two to three who came off the list in order to play in 2019.

3.      Lack of play.  Dennis contacted all of the members who failed to play at least seven times during the year.  Of those who played four or fewer times, some dropped out of their own accord, some demonstrated valid reasons why they could not play, and some demonstrated that they actually had played the seven rounds.  About 19 were not sent an invitation to renew their membership.  Of those who played four to seven times, most demonstrated that they had played seven rounds, and about 15 were added to the disabled list.

4.      Wait list.  There are 14 Arlington residents on the wait list and 56 non-Arlington residents.  We will have about 30 to 40 open slots at the end of the year, and we should be able to accommodate about 75 percent of those on the wait list.  In the past, all Arlington residents were added before any non-Arlington residents from the wait list were added.  We decided that we would try to maintain the 50-50 split of resident/non-resident members by adding non-Arlington folks with the longest wait times along with Arlington residents so that there will remain roughly half of our members from each group.

5.      Total membership.  Dennis expects about 325 paying members in 2019, which includes those on the disabled list who pay the annual fees.  Probably about 270 of these will play.

Data Privacy

Dale expressed concerns that, because our website is open to anyone, we are exposing a large amount of personal data to persons who might take advantage of it.  The site now shows name and number, street address, phone number and email address.  To rectify this exposure, we will: 

1.       Show only members’ name, member number, and phone number.  We may also either delete the phone number, or else show it and delete it at a member’s request.

2.      We will continue to show contact information for elected officers.

3.      Board members will have access to the detailed personal information of members in a format that is secure, such as through a file name and password, and is not otherwise publicly available.

4.      Mike will check with the County with regard to privacy rules.

Treasurer’s Report

Rick is troubled by a decline in the amount of cash carryover in the last couple of years.  He currently projects a cash carryover for the 2018 season of $1,873.  At current spending levels, this will drop to just over $1,000 at the end of the 2019 season.  This compares with around $3,000 in 2017.  Rick has confirmed these numbers with the bank.

Rick believes that we need to tighten the belt.  We discussed a variety of ways to beef up the budget by increasing fees and lowering expenditures.  We will hold the appreciation outing for Board members at a cheaper course, aiming for Bull Run on August 29 instead of Potomac Shores.  We will budget $3,000 for prize money for our two tournaments this year, instead of $4,200.  We may consider increasing the annual dues by $5, starting in the 2020 season.  We discussed the possibility of adding $10 to the price of getaways to help self-fund tournaments, but there was no resolution.  This would be difficult because we do not control the money for the getaways. 

Coordinators’ Report

1.      Schedule for 2019.  Bill passed out a copy of the schedule.  He has dropped River Creek, Blue Ridge Shadows, Hidden Creek, Lansdowne, The Gauntlet, and National Golf Club.  He has added Bristow Manor, Loudoun County Golf Club (Purcellville), and Greendale for one day each.  He has scheduled a Getaway at Gettysburg.  He has scheduled Westfields and Bull Run for two separate weeks.

2.      Getaway.  The Getaway is scheduled for September 10-12.  We will play in three great courses:  Bridges Golf Club, the Links at Gettysburg, and Hanover Country Club.  The price for double occupancy with two golfers will run around $400.  This price includes three rounds of golf with cart, hotel accommodations, breakfast, a banquet on Wednesday night, and taxes.  More information will follow by email, and in the all-members meetings.

3.      Contracts.  Some of the courses are requiring (or at least insisting) that Bill sign a contract that would, in effect, guarantee a certain number of players, and obligate the Club and the County to paying the difference if fewer members showed up.  We decided that there are many other courses that would welcome us, and that Bill should in no way sign a contract that obligates the Club to a specific minimum of players. 

One-Hour Lunch Break at 12:52

We broke for lunch at 12:52 and ate and chatted for about an hour.  Our hearty thanks to Mary Ann, who with an apparent modicum of assistance from Richard, put together a spread of:  baked ziti pasta; toothpicks with fresh mozzarella, cherry tomato, and a basil leaf; deviled eggs; meat balls; green salad; garlic bread; assorted cookies; a fruit and melon combo, and, an offering of myriad drinks.  Did I forget anything?  If so, profuse apologies.  Fine lunch, Mary Ann and Richard!

Nominations

John announced his slate of Officers for 2019.  These nominations will be presented for a vote at the January all-members meeting. 

The nominees are:

         President:                Dale Strawser

         1st Vice President:   Don Collier

         2nd Vice President:  Art Hauptman

         Treasurer:                Rick Townshend

         Recording Secretary:  Harvey Doerksen

If members have other suggestions, they will have an opportunity to nominate from the floor in the all-members meeting.  Or, get in touch with John Mashaw.  Typically, the nominee for President has served in other capacities on the Board.  Recent President have come through the ranks as one or both Vice President positions.  In any event, it is important that the President have a firm grounding in the operation of the Board and a strong familiarity with the Club.

Mike will draft a letter for Bill to send out to membership regarding the nominations and the options of adding to the list.

All-Members Meetings

Jennifer has reserved rooms for our two all-member meetings (the pizza meetings, yeah!).  These are scheduled for January 16 and March 20.  Both will begin at 11:30 a.m.  Rick will try to get a speaker for these meetings.

Proposed Alternate Tournament Format

Don proposed that we consider an alternate format for one of our shotgun-start tournaments.  It would operate in the following way:

1.      Each foursome would be comprised of two pairs of players, who are randomly selected.  The members of each pair would compete with each other in a match-play format. 

2.      If the two opponents have different handicaps, the weaker player gets extra strokes on the most difficult holes. For example, if one player has a handicap of 18 and the other a handicap of 15, the 18-handicap player would get an extra stroke allowance on the three most difficult holes, using the degree of difficulty system on the scorecard.

3.      A player receives one point for each hole won, a half point for each hole tied, and no points for a hole lost.

4.      The player with the most points wins.

We thought about the possibility of trying this basic approach once, after adjustments that we feel would work with our group.  There was interest in occasional use of match play as an option for the group.  Some felt that this approach would increase the level of competitiveness, compared to the scramble format, which takes off some of the pressure.  Overall, there was not a groundswell of support.  But hey, there is nothing to stop individuals from playing a side game of match play in our regular outings in addition to the usual stroke play. 

Tournament Tee Boxes

Chuck cited an article in the Golf Digest that concluded that persons playing from forward tees are essentially playing a different (and easier) course than those playing from back tee boxes.  The argument is that people playing from more forward tees will find it easier to score better than their handicap than players teeing off further back, because they are essentially playing an easier course.  He suggested that we have a different set of prizes for persons playing from different tees.  There was a lot of chatter, but basically no strong interest.

Arlington County Seniors Golf Club

Approved Minutes of the Board

(September 26, 2018)

Present: Richard Brandenburg, Don Collier, Bill Dawson, Bob Dawson, Harvey Doerksen, Chuck Hadden, Dennis Macdonald, Mike Marron, John Mashaw, Ralph Orlik, Dale Strawser, Rick Townshend

Location:  Pistone’s Italian Inn, 6320 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church

Start Time:  12:11 p.m.

Time of Adjournment:  1:42 p.m.

Late Life Insurance

I was in serious need of a little cash, so the unexpected letter in the mail was a godsend.  It was from a well-known life insurance company, which, at first, appeared to be junk mail.  I thought, what the heck, and went ahead and opened the envelope. 

The heading said it all: “Guaranteed Life Insurance Acceptance for:” The name that followed the colon was the thing that I found to be intriguing.  First, it offered me a way to collect some money.  Second, the guaranteed life insurance was being offered to my first wife, who had died 33 years earlier. 

I already had in hand a certified copy of her death certificate, the key document that would be needed to complete the transaction.  All I needed to do now was to fill out the form and send in the first check for the first month’s premium.  What could be easier?

I filled out the form, listed myself as beneficiary, signed her name, affixed the stamp, and sent it off in the envelope that the company had so generously provided. Three weeks later, the policy arrived in the mail.  I had a choice, send the death certificate in right away to get things started, or wait a reasonable period of time.  Being of noble character, I opted for the latter choice.  One should not appear greedy or desperate.  That is not a good way to maintain friendships, nor is it a good way to convince life insurance companies of one’s integrity. 

A month later, I wrote the letter.  “Dear to whom it may concern:” the letter began.  “It is my painful obligation to inform you of the death of my dear wife and best friend.  As you can see, this letter is already stained with my tears of grief over the loss of my best friend in the whole world, who cheered me on, who supported me in times of pain, who bore our children and taught them through example to live upstanding lives, and who was the glue that held our family together.  You will note that I am the designated beneficiary of her life insurance, though, as you can imagine, I would far rather have her standing here beside me, full of life and beaming with happiness.”

I enclosed the death certificate, which was totally accurate, though I may have photoshopped one or two trifling details, such as the month and year of her death.  I did not tamper with two essential facts:  one, she had a guaranteed life insurance policy and two, she had died.  Ergo ….

As they say, the rest is history.  I had been on my last dollars, the insurance company provided a way back into solvency, I put in the effort to respond, and now I am enjoying a life of leisure.  Rental payments and finding cash for food and medicine are no longer an issue. 

 I lean back in my chair and let my mind wander to the series of events that brought me to this place.  I thought of that day when the check arrived in the mail. I recalled the sense of elation when I took the check to the bank and made the kind of deposit that I had only dreamed of doing in the past.  I closed my eyes and let my mind continue to wander over what happened next.  In this state of near stupor, I could even hear that surprising knock on my door on that rainy day, just after I had finished my morning coffee, the knock that changed everything. 

I awoke with a start, and quickly realized that the knocking was here and now, in real time.  Then the shout, “Hey, wake up in there!  It’s time for lunch!”

It was the warden.  He opened the door to my cell and I trundled out for a bite to eat.

Lunch Meeting of the Board

Approval of the Minutes of July 11, 2018

Someone suggested that we dispense with the reading of the minutes. It was decided that a simple approval was the better option.

Membership Report

Dennis Macdonald has set up a system in which members wishing to join our wait list can sign up on line.  This can be a time saver for our Membership Chair.  The only glitch so far is one person from Arlington, Texas, who accidently signed up for the wrong group. 

We spent a lot more time on the subject of our requirement that members play at least seven times in a season.  As of the first of September, we have 159 members who have played fewer than seven times.  There were 39 members who are not on the disabled list who have played one time or zero times.  There was a wide-ranging discussion of what the real issue is, and what to do about it.  Eventually, we tabled the issue for a later date.  But elements of the discussion included:

1. If we have a rule, why not enforce it.

2. If someone does not play but still pays the dues, it gives us more income and makes it possible to add new members at the same time.  In other words, we could simply raise our maximum number of members from 300 to perhaps 320.

3. If Dennis contacts “low-play members,” what does he tell them, and what stated reasons for non-play are acceptable?

4. Can we simply drop these persons from the rolls in the following year?  Should we?

5. In the past, we have notified these people toward the end of the year, but have kept people on if they have valid reasons. 

6. Should we drop the rule? 

7. How does a large contingent of “low-play members” affect persons on the wait list, many of whom are anxious to play, and may play often?

8. Golf Courses would welcome more play.  Are we making it more difficult for the Club to negotiate prices if fewer of our members play each week?

9. If one objective is to get more players onto the courses, we should not count persons on the disabled list among the 300 members.  That would allow us to get more members who are likely to be more active.  Those ending disability should continue to have priority for membership when they become able.

10. In the meantime, Dennis will email “low-play members” and warn them, as we have done in the past, be accommodating to those with reasons for absence, and drop from membership those who do not respond.

There was tacit agreement that, at the beginning of each year, all members will be required to sign a statement as a part of their registration that they are aware of and agree to ASGC policies such as minimum play and Code of Conduct.

Treasurer’s Report

Rick shows a balance on hand of $5,660, with some checks for the Club Championship still to come in the next day or two.  He expects a small over-expenditure of the budgeted amount at the end of the year, but overall, we are in good shape.

Coordinators’ Report

1. No-shows and Cancellations.  Bill Dawson reported that no-shows have not been a problem this year, running at about 1-4 on a normal “dry” day, and higher on days that are cart path only.  He can accept cancellations by Friday noon, before he sends the pairing sheets to the course.  Most have been received in time.

2. Scrambles. The number of participants in tournaments has been going down, from 80-90 in past years to about 60.  Rick proposed that we have only two tournaments during the year and that we double the prize amount awarded.  There is a great amount work required to organize the tournaments for decreasing numbers of participants.  We will consider having one tournament in June or so, and a second one in late September.

3. Getaway.  Bill is considering adding a Getaway for 2019, possibly in the Gettysburg area.

4. Club Championship.  There are currently 53 signed up for the October 2 Club Championship Tournament at Old Hickory.

5. 2019 Schedule.  We proposed dropping Hidden Creek and The Gauntlet from the schedule.  We also proposed scheduling both courses at Twin Lakes and both courses at Lansdowne.

Historian’s Report

Bob Dawson was given a treasure trove of stuff from the County’s Office, historical stuff regarding the Arlington County Golf Club, stuff of the type that clutters our file drawers at home and gets thrown in the dumpster when we die, stuff that an historian would give an arm or a leg to sort through.  As examples:

1. There was a page of handwritten Minutes of the Board from 1993, that was startling in its brevity and general lack of content.  It went something like this: “We talked about a few discussion items and hashed out some ideas.  We then adjourned, there being no additional items to discuss.  The rest of the time was spent folding letters and stuffing envelopes.”  The minutes were signed by the Recording Secretary, something that yours truly is loath to do, to avoid criminal exposure.

2. There were three bound copies of historical documents of the groups over a ten-year period, including news articles, golfing schedules, menus from restaurants the group had visited, and a host of other things.

3. There was a program for the annual awards dinner.  Until 2004, the group handed out awards at the dinner of the sort that we hand out at tournaments.

4. There was a report of the group’s first ten years.

5. For each year, there is a package of all the information that was provided to groups members during that year.

6. There was a folder of memories, obituaries, thank you notes, and the like.

7. A letter from 1985 announced the dues of $10. 

8. And did you know, early on the members would meet in a central location and drive together to the course, where foursomes would be determined on the spot.

We are considering ways to make some of this information available.  Some can go on our web site.  Some can be available for viewing at our all-members meetings.  And Bob may prepare a sketch of Club highlights since the year 2000.  Bob is in seventh heaven over the new stash.  He is even considering giving up ice cream, in favor of musty paper. 

Nominations of Officers

John Mashaw is working to fill the five elective positions on the Board: 

1. President--Dale Strawser

2. First Vice President—Don Collier

3. Second Vice President—Still working on it.  John has been relentless in seeking a candidate from the female persuasion, but is, as yet, unsuccessful.  There are about 40 women in the Club, and we have had active representation on the Board.  

4. Recording Secretary—Harvey Doerksen

5. Treasurer—Rick Townshend

Though the four named officers are nominated to continue, either in their current position or moving to the next level in a planned progression, they must still be elected by the full membership in the January meeting.

Appreciation Day

At the regular outing at Potomac Shores on November 8, Bill will pair members of the Board into foursomes for approximately 9:00 starting times.

Arlington County Seniors Golf Club

Draft Minutes of the Board

July 11, 2018

Present:  Bill Dawson, Harvey Doerksen, John Mashaw, Dennis Macdonald, Ralph Orlik, Dale Strawser

Location:  Madison Community Center

Start Time:  10:16 a.m.

Time of Adjournment:  11:13 a.m.

Old Shep

I loved that dog.  He was, as are so many dogs, simply part of the family.  More than that, really.  I felt that old Shep was an extension of myself, the part of me that could never be, the part that I wished that I could be.  My limitations, physically, were entirely too obvious.  But Shep, true to his breeding as a Border Collie, seemed unbound by any physical limitations.  Oh, how I loved that dog.  How I admired his strength, … his speed, … his stamina.

If there was one thing that Shep was good at, and had a passion for, it was frisbee.  They talk of a dog’s ability to smell and to hear things.  I don’t know what sense he used, but if you picked up a frisbee, quiet as can be, Shep would be right there!  He might be in the next County.  Still you could not lift a frisbee an inch out of the box and Shep would jump out of nowhere and nail that disc with his teeth.  He was a marvel.

At first, I wanted to play gentle with Shep, because early on I had no concept of what that dog could do.  I would toss the frisbee toward Shep, nice and easy, trying to keep it as close to him as I could.  After a few such tosses, Shep would latch onto the frisbee, and with a flip of his head, toss the disc back to me with far more force than I had used. Then he would run out ahead, bark, and jump up and down as if to say, “Give me a hail Mary pass, Buster!”

So I learned to toss with all my might.  Shep would give the projectile a quick look, then dash to the very spot where it would land, and then he would wait.  Shep’s biggest problem was impatience. The frisbee often took so long to come down that Shep could hardly contain himself.  So, when the frisbee got to about ten feet off the ground, Shep would take a gravity-defying leap and nail that sucker when it was still higher than my head.  Then, his jumps got higher, and higher, until I even worried that he would kill himself on the landing to earth. 

“One time”, I thought to myself, “I’m going to test his limits.”  As Shep waited excitedly, I wound up and threw that frisbee as high and as far as I possibly could.  That thing went so high!  But then …. Shep’s impatience got the better of him.  When the frisbee was at its crest, Shep took a flying leap into sky and grabbed that frisbee in his jaws. At the same moment, an eagle dove from the sky and caught the other side of the frisbee in its talons.

The eagle flew off toward the mountain, holding the frisbee and its four-legged cargo.  I watched until they disappeared into the distance.  Ooooh, I was overcome by grief.  “It’s all my fault,” I muttered over and over between heavy sobs.  “It’s all my fault!”

We had a funeral for Shep, as one does for a member of the family.  Everyone who knew Shep said a few words.  We poured champagne and toasted to our dear departed friend.  We couldn’t do a cremation, for there was no body.  But we took some ashes from the fireplace and placed them into the open side of a frisbee. In a symbolic gesture, with all of Shep’s friends as witnesses, I gave the frisbee a toss as a way of remembering old times with a dear friend.

Whoa!  That frisbee had hardly gotten ten feet from my hand when a black and white blur appeared out of nowhere, and “THWACK!”  “Shep!” I cried out.  Indeed, it was him.  He had heard me pick up the frisbee and had come running, just in time to make the catch.  Like old times.  Nothing had changed. Well, almost nothing.  This time, Shep did not bring the frisbee back to me, as he always had done.  Instead, he pranced proudly away from me and laid the frisbee at the feet of an eagle.  Shep wagged his tail.  The eagle tipped its head from side to side in return. 

I looked around at Shep’s friends.  Someone raised a glass, and others followed in the gesture.  “To Shep!”  I was overcome with emotion.  What a fitting end to a funeral.  I looked around the group of friends once again, expecting to exchange expressions of happiness.  Instead, I found that all faces were pointing away from me, toward the animals. 

I turned to see the eagle raise her wings and stand upright.  From underneath her body came a flurry of activity as four little critters danced about, jumping and chasing each other in play.  They were unlike anything I had ever seen.  Eagle heads with curved beaks, black and white in color, covered in feathers, sporting upright waggy tails, and running on four legs with tiny paws.

Shep gave his head a little flip and tossed the frisbee.  “THWACK!  THWACK! THWACK! THWACK!”  Four little puppy-chicks jumped into the air and nailed it!  Shep and the eagle nodded to the little ones in a way that seemed to say, “Good job, guys!” 

Non-Frisbee Board Meeting

Possible Change in Meeting Venue

Because about half of the Board members are from counties other than Arlington, Dale Strawser raised the possibility of holding future meetings at a location more central to the Board membership and easier to access, such as a restaurant nearer the Beltway.  We will continue to consider this possibility.

Approval of May 9, 2018 Minutes

There was one correction and one apology.  John Mashaw noted that Jennifer Weber’s office was to be housed at Madison Community Center, not Langston Brown Community Center, during the construction of a new building at the Lubber Run Site.

Harvey Doerksen noted that there was some push-back on his choice of story in the May 9 minutes.  One member felt that he should be subject to the Code of Conduct.  Another described the story as “literary smut,” which is probably half right, since the minutes were not particularly literary.  In any event, Harvey offers his apology to anyone who was offended by the story. 

Membership Report

Dennis Macdonald has been working hard to get up to speed on the task of keeping track of our membership, adding and deleting, consolidating information, verifying member information, and automating the inputting of data.

1.      He has added the member number to the Roster that is on the website.  This will make it possible for persons who sign up other members for play to do so according to the correct entry format on the sign-up sheet.  Bill Dawson noted that, in the future, we should never re-assign member numbers that had been abandoned by departing members.  The issue is that tracking average scores is made much more difficult if more than one person has been assigned the same member number. 

2.      Dennis needed clarification on re-activating members who had been on the Disabled List. For those who have already paid for the year, it is a non-issue.  For those who have not paid, Dennis needs to make sure that they pay both the County and the Club fees.  He is working with Rick Townshend on where to send the money, and with Jennifer Weber on how to get payment to the County.  Bill Dawson will make certain that the website gives proper instructions on where to send the Club fees.

3.      Our by-laws provide that a member who reaches the age of 90 as of January 1 shall be exempt from fees.  Dennis is conferring with Jennifer Weber to see whether the same exemption has been, or will be, provided with regard to County fees.

4.      Dennis noted that there is sometimes a disparity of information between emergency numbers and regular phone numbers, and between phone numbers listed from one year to the next.  He is working to verify that he is dealing with the correct numbers. 

5.      Dennis is working on an automated function to determine the age of members, for use in the “super-senior” prize category in tournaments.

6.      Dennis is working on a procedure for annual member sign-ups, in which members will complete a form via email, and in which the information will be automatically inputted into the member roster.  This could save mega-time during the annual signup period.

Treasurer’s Report

Rick Townshend was not able to attend the meeting but provided the following information via email.  There is a current budget balance of $7615.  Rick is holding $650 in checks for the July 19 Scramble Tournament at Raspberry Falls.  Forty-five have signed up to date, and Rick expects a total of 55-60.  If you plan to play, don’t dally!  Get your check in ASAP.

Coordinator’s Report

Bill Dawson noted that Bob Odmark is pretty much on his feet with the starter role.  There appears to be an increase in “no-shows” recently.  Bob will begin sending a list of persons who were no-shows each Tuesday and Thursday, so that Bill can send offenders a notice. 

Bill will send out another “Odds and Ends” email in the near future, dealing at least with a couple of issues: 

1.      No-shows.  The negative side of no-shows and how they affect our relationship with golf courses, and reiteration of our rules regarding showing up when you sign up.

2.      Slow Play.  In recent months, our play time has noticeably improved, but we are starting to drift back into slower play.  Slow play by a few has a large impact on many.   

55+ Council

John Mashaw recently attended the regular meeting of the 55+ Council. He noted with his usual astonishment the myriad types of classes and activities available to all ASGC members based on the portion of our fees that go to the County.  At the risk of running out of ink, these include swimming and other aquatic activities, tennis, walking, basketball, ice skating, yoga, Pilates, weight lifting, pickleball, and who knows how many more.  You can find more details in the 55+ magazine that every member receives.  There may, of course, be limitations based on the specific location in which each activity is offered. 

John noted that two members of the ASGC were instrumental in establishing an organization called The Alliance.  The County is not permitted to seek funds outside the normal appropriations and budgeting process.  However, outside groups can seek funds on behalf of the County.  The Alliance is a 401(c)(3) organization and plays this role.

Raspberry Falls Scramble Tournament

Bill noted that participation in the summer scramble has dropped substantially from highs of about 120 persons.  We expect fewer than 60 in the next scramble.  We tossed around the idea of dropping the summer scramble, and holding one in May and one in September, to be followed by the Championship tournament in October.  To be discussed later.

Slow Play Recap

There is a general sense that play in recent months is much faster than historically, but we still need to stay on top of it.  For example, in Tuesday’s outing at Westfield, pace was abysmal.  The marshal who toured the course apparently failed to say anything, even to groups that clearly were at least a hole behind.  We need to work more on the courses to try to keep things moving and not worry about offending us.

Ralph Orlik noted a show on the telly about the shot clock masters.  Apparently, they would time the players from when they got up to their ball and were ready to play up.  The first player to hit had a maximum of 50 seconds to get the shot away, and the second player had 40 seconds.  This seemed to create an acute awareness on the part of the players, but this type of approach would be difficult to enforce.

Average Scores

 There seems to be a general acceptance of using average scores rather than our previous handicapping system.

Appreciation Day

Each year, Board members are treated to a round of golf paid for by the Club budget.  We are thinking of Thursday, September 27, at Herndon.  As a backup, we might consider September 25 at Hidden Creek.  

Arlington County Seniors Golf Club

Draft Minutes of the Board

May 9, 2018

Present:  Richard Brandenburg, Don Collier, Bob Dawson, Bill Dawson, Harvey Doerksen, Chuck Hadden, Mike Marron, John Mashaw, Dennis Macdonald, Bob Odmark, Ralph Orlik, Dale Strawser, Rick Townshend, Jennifer Weber

Location:  Lubber Run Recreation Center

Start Time:  10:08 a.m.

Time of Adjournment:  11:52 a.m.

Ice Sculptures

Golfers don’t, perhaps, have the same reputation as fishermen for telling tall tales, but they run a close second.  Oddly, some of their tales are 100 percent true.  Like when I reminded a friend that I hold the record for the longest golf shot in the history of man.  My friend already knew the story.  He had read about it in the papers.  I still keep the clipping in my wallet, just to prove that I am not lying.  The headline says, “Local Golfer Hits Ball 107 Miles.”  The article goes on to describe the incident.  “His high wedge shot broke the side window of a departing Cessna.  The ball settled itself comfortably in the passenger seat for the trip to Charlottesville.  The ball was discovered after landing.  There was no mystery as to the source, for the golfer’s name was inscribed on the ball.  The pilot returned the ball to its rightful owner, along with a bill for damages.”

A lot of golfing stories are vastly more mundane.  Take a recent conversation among my regular foursome as we enjoyed some drinks at the nineteenth hole.  Due to the insensitive content of the conversation, I will not name names, but will simply refer to the other golfers by number.  The talk focused on our round at Raspberry, on a super cold day with a chilling breeze.  The story has to do with bathrooms.  To about half the human population, a golf course is basically an elongated bathroom lined with fairways and greens. 

“Hey, guys,” I said.  “Remember that day at Raspberry?”  Of course, everyone did.  “I had to relieve myself in the little copse of woods next to the field where there used to be buffaloes.  You’re not going to believe this, but it came out half liquid, and half ice crystals.  Oh man, it felt like I was being reamed out by glass shards!”  I looked around the table to see if this bit of unnecessary information might elicit a reaction. 

There was some mild amusement and eye rolling, followed by a moment of silence.  Then, Number Two spoke up.  “That is soooo not newsworthy,” he said in a tone of challenge.  “Why, when I relieved myself, I wasn’t paying attention.  When I finished, I couldn’t move.  The liquid froze so quickly that it formed a yellow ice column, stuck to the ground on one end, and to my member on the other. I couldn’t break the ice, so I took out my cigarette lighter.  The wind kept blowing out the flame.  I had to shield the wind with my jacket.   I’m pretty much recovered from the frost bite and minor burns.”  He looked around the table to see if anyone would try to better his story.  I thought, no, however ….

Number Three put on a smile from ear to ear.  I think all of us knew the nature of what he was planning to say, if not the details.  “It was cold, all right.  I knew the liquid would freeze almost instantly.  So, I thought to myself, self, why not a bit of ice sculpture?  I did some fancy aiming, arcing, and precision squirting, and was quite pleased with the result.  I should have taken a picture, I know, because I suspect y’alls won’t believe me, but I created two miniature ice sculptures.  One was a replica of the Eiffel Tower, and the other was the Statue of Liberty!  Both to scale, and highly detailed.  They were magnificent!”

I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.  Fortunately, there was only one more member of our group, so with any luck we would soon be able to move on to other topics.  Number Four had a facial expression that I could only describe as part disgust and part superiority.  Number Four waited a bit in silence, while looking each one of us in the eye, starting with me. 

And then, … she spoke.  “I remember that day well,” she said softly.  “I, too, had to relieve myself.  I waltzed upstairs to the bathroom, sat down in the warm room, picked up a book and perused the cover.  But my mind wandered away from the book.  I thought, instead, of you guys out on the course.  And I thought to myself, self, if I were a total idiot, had zero common sense, was totally incapable of understanding weather, and had less than half a brain in my head, I would be out there with you.”  Then she smiled and took a sip of her drink.

Meeting of the Board

Approval of the Minutes of March 14, 2018

Approved without a whimper.  Some groans, sure, but no whimpers.

Membership Report

Dennis Macdonald, our new man on campus, first lauded his successor, Terry Townshend, for giving him a very easy transition.  He reports that Terry had an excellent records system that gave him a running start.  Several others offered accolades to Terry for years of tireless work under increasingly complex membership procedures.  Thanks, Terry.

Dennis provided a handout of his past and future tasks.  He has updated both the wait-list applications and the wait list itself.  There are three new Arlington applicants, for a total of four on the wait list, and one new non-Arlington applicant, for a total of 49.  There are 15 members on the disabled list.  Dennis will next update the 2018 emergency information and data on member birthdays.

Dennis raised an issue of when we should accept members.  Typically, the big push is at the first of the calendar year.  Is there any reason, he asked, why members could not be added during the year as vacancies opened?  Per Rick, Terry has had an informal policy of adding new members through perhaps June or July, and then cutting off membership until the first of the next year.  There has been no official policy on this, but because we cannot prorate fees, it makes little sense to charge a full-year of fees for a small portion of the season. We will add this issue to the agenda at our next meeting to see whether a different, or more formal policy is desired.

In response to a question, it was determined that we also have no official policy on a maximum number of members.  We have had a target of 280, and recently have held close to that number.  We are now at 302, partly because there was a large number of Arlington applicants that we tried to accommodate.

Coordinators’ Hours

With the addition of Bob Odmark to be the Bill Dawson’s new part-time alter ego, it is important to the County to monitor the total number of hours that the two are logging.  The County budgets for 35 hours for each two-week pay period, but not for the full year.  For the most part, Bill and Bob have reported a total of less than 35 hours, except in the early days, when Bob was in training.  The County’s interest is not to exceed their budget, and the Board’s interest is to make sure that the budget allows for all of the time that is spent in the off-season setting up the new course schedule.  Jennifer will check on how many weeks each year is covered in the County’s budget.  She will let us know how many total hours that represents.  The Board then will assess if the budgeted hours will reasonably cover the total time that Bill and Bob are expected to log.

Treasurer’s Report

Rick Townshend reported a current bank balance of $10,478, which does not include $700 of additional Tournament fees that have been received but not yet deposited.  To date, 74 have signed up for the tournament, and we expect that we will have about 80 by the end of the week.  There has been confusion about the procedure for signing up for the tournament.  Players were asked both to send in a check AND add their name to the sign-up sheet.  Some did the first and not the second.   In the future, we will ask only that the check be mailed in.  Bill will black out the sign-up sheet for the day of the tournament, and Rick will add names as checks are received.

Report from Arlington County Representative

Jennifer Weber announced that her office is moving out of Lubber Run, to be housed at Langston Brown Community Center until a new building is constructed on the Lubber Run site.  The Board will be able to meet at Langston Brown or an alternate site until construction is completed.  The Senior program will hold its annual 55+ Fitness Day on Friday, May 11 from 9-3.  Jennifer sent the thanks of staff persons who referred a prospective ASGC member to Dennis, and found Dennis to be most accommodating.

During the packing process, Jennifer rescued two boxes of historical records of the ASGC.  She passed them along to the Board, which promptly asked Club Historian Bob Dawson to sort through and identify things of importance as records of ASGC history.  Among the items were a really cool photo album with plastic jackets and no photos.  It sparked the imagination juices that elicited myriad images in our feeble minds of what the photos might have depicted.  Also, there was a dead moth, dehydrated and petrified.  We made up a new rule that allowed only the person holding the moth to speak.  The meeting then proceeded in a more orderly fashion.

Coordinators’ Report

Bill Dawson noted that there are no new issues.  Pace of play has improved substantially so far this year.  Bob Odmark is getting on his feet and learning lots of new names and faces.  He said that there have been minimal no-shows, and they mostly were related to weather.  He reiterated the need for people to email Bill if they are not able to show up at the course.  Recent courses have been fairly aggressive at marshalling.  Bill will continue to encourage courses to provide scorecards with expected completion times for each hole, and also to provide active marshalling.  When possible, Bill will assist the course personnel in marshalling speed of play.

Selecting Tees for Play

In the past, we have required that players with a handicap of 25 or more or hit average drives of less than 175 yards to play from the most forward tees.  We have now moved away from the system of calculating handicaps and, instead, will calculate average scores.  Some questioned whether we need to establish a policy on which tees to use so that everyone plays against a consistent standard in tournaments.  There was a lot of chatter, but we finally reached our beginning point.  Average scores are running about three strokes higher than the calculated handicaps.  So, we are continuing our original policy with a twist.  Players with an average score of 100 or more (par 72 plus 25 plus 3) or whose average drives are less than 175 yards shall play from the most forward tees.  Some players who may hit drives further than 175 yards or who have averages lower than 100 may elect to play from the most forward tees. The important thing is that all players must play consistently from the same tee boxes throughout the season, whether most forward or next-most forward. Our Coordinator (Bob Odmark or Bill Dawson) will tell players the color of the most forward and next-most forward tees of the course we are playing on

any particular day.

We noted also that posted scores for some players may be padded somewhat by mullies, gimmies, creative re-positioning of the ball, etc.  That’s cool, for we are not playing for a million bucks.  However, in tournaments, everyone must play the tee that they normally use, obey the rules that are posted for the tournament, and putt everything out (no gimmies).

New Tournament Prize

We decided to eliminate the prize for the longest drive in order to give more people a chance to win at a skill competition.  Instead of long drive, we will have the course run a line down the middle of the fairway.  We will offer a prize for closest to the center line, with a separate prize for men and women, and a prize for closest to the pin for both men and women.

Gender Balance

It was duly noted that the number of women on the Board has dwindled to zero.  This has not been for lack of trying.  John Mashaw, in his role as Nominating Chair, has actively recruited women for slots on the Board with little success.  Any women out there who would like to play a free round at the end of the season paid by our budget should raise their hands.  Okay, that’s not a big incentive.  But there are a number of women members of the Club, and their participation in setting the direction of the organization is strongly encouraged.

Code of Conduct

The ASGC, as a program of Arlington County, operates under the County’s Code of Conduct, which articulates types of behaviors that portray the Club and the County in a bad light, and provides remedies and punishments for infractions.  In light of recent instances of questionable behavior, the Board discussed ways in which it should handle such cases with regard to its members.

Arlington County Seniors Golf Club

Combined Minutes of the ASGC Membership and of the Board

March 14, 2018

Walter Reed Community Center

Unmet Expectations

Christmas is one thing, where you wake up full of anticipation, expecting to get that one, really cool thing that you asked Santa for.  And then it doesn’t show up, and your parents say, “Oh, it’s the economy.  Santa had to lay off a whole slew of elves.”  Most people would soften the disappointment by saying, “Well, at least I got some nice stuff.  Maybe next year.”  In a strangely contradictory way, there are those for whom the emotional strain is far more severe and debilitating when they regularly DO get what they EXPECT to get.  Here are some examples. 

Example 1.  A friend of mine plays golf regularly with a guy who loves to bake.  My friend’s “baker buddy” has a habit of bringing a baggie of homemade cookies to his partners each time that they play together.  Most people would simply say thank you for each gift and leave it at that.  Instead, my friend has come to expect a new baggie of cookies each time.  After each round, he stews and frets and works himself into a deep spiral of anticipatory grief because he is afraid that, next time, his baker buddy will not bring cookies. 

Example 2.  My wife recently had a birthday and she received a few cards.  That, by itself, is not so unusual.  Most people would simply thank each sender and get on with life.  However, on this particular birthday, something strange started to happen that set into motion the kind of expectation problem that my friend is dealing with.

On the day of my wife’s birthday, one of the cards had a picture of a dog on the front.  She is fond of dogs, and says that when I die, she will replace me with a dog.  Inside was the usual birthday verbiage.  However, instead of a signature, there was a rough drawing of a rabbit, essentially mimicking what the dog on the front cover was doing.  So, who sent it?  Second day, same thing.  Dog on front, rabbit sketched inside.  Third day, fourth day, and so on.  It is now almost two months post-birthday, and still, a card shows up in the house every morning.  My wife concluded that the cards are from the Birthday Santa, for who else but a Santa could get into our house in the dead of night?

With each succeeding card, my wife showed an increasing level of expectation that, every morning until hell freezes over, there will be a card waiting for her when she awakes.  I became struck by the similarity of my wife’s and my friend’s potentially disastrous behaviors, based on unrealistic expectations.

So, I Googled the symptoms.  Turns out, there is actually a syndrome for people who receive regular and predictable gifts, and several branches of science are involved.  Economists, of course, have a graph.  It depicts a relatively straight horizontal line that represents a constant level of satisfaction each time a person gets what they expect to get.  Then there is a steeply rising curve across the horizontal axis that shows how anxiety over potentially not getting what you expect increases exponentially each time that you do get it.  Psychologists focus on the rising curve. They point out that, the higher the level of anxiety, the greater the tumble into despair on that one occasion when your expectation is unmet.   Psychiatrists focus on their potential long-term income when they take on a patient of this nature.

I thought it might be helpful if my wife and my friend could speak to each other by phone, and perhaps help each other in some way.  After their phone conversation, they decided it would be best to seek professional help.  Both were admitted to an institution for detox and rehab.

And then this happened!  I had to have a tooth removed.  I asked the dentist about the going rate from the tooth fairy.  He said that one friend gives a silver dollar and one gives a two-dollar bill.  I thought, cool! Next morning, imagine my surprise when I discovered under my pillow six quarters, two dimes, one nickel, nine pennies, and a Swiss Army knife.  I thought nothing more of it until the second morning, when I found one dime, two nickels and five pennies.  Great, I thought, “I’ll be set for life!”  Next morning, with high expectation, I looked under the pillow.   Nada, zilch!  I fell into a deep depression and had to be admitted into a program of detox and rehab. 

The good news is this.  My wife, my friend and I are housed in the same ward, so we have lovely conversations together, talking about cookies, cards, and coins.

Meeting of the Full Membership (Pizza Meeting)

Pizza and Soda.  Pretty good, actually.  On balance, probably the best part of the meeting.

Introduction of Board Members and Committee Chairs

Mike Marron began the meeting by introducing our leadership team, names of which were printed on the Agenda.  They were:  Handicaps, Ralph Orlik; Nominating, John Mashaw; Tournaments, Richard Brandenburg; Members Well-Being, Chuck Hadden; Historian, Bob Dawson; Past Presidents, Rick Townshend and John Mashaw; Arlington County 55+, John Mashaw; Coordinator, Bill Dawson; On-Site Coordinator, Bob Odmark. 

Most Unforgettable Board Member, 2018

Four Board members were eligible for the title of Most Unforgettable Board Member for 2018 by virtue of being left out of the list that President Mike Marron had printed in the agenda and which he used to introduce Board Members.   When raising the issue of the minutes of the January 10 meeting, Mike realized that he had forgotten to list or introduce Recording Secretary, Harvey Doerksen.  His recognition effectively removed Doerksen from further consideration for the title.  Three Board members remained as finalists:  First Vice President Dale Strawser; Second Vice President Don Collier (whose oversight is regrettable, since he was serving pizza); and President Mike Marron.   With a landside victory, the title of Most Forgettable Board Member 2018 goes to  …  drumroll please, … President Mike Marron!  Mike not only created the list, but in doing so even forgot to add his own name and consequently failed to introduce himself!  Congrats, Mike!  Your inexplicable oversight gives you the win.   

Minutes from the January 10, 2018 Meeting

Approved by a rippling undercurrent of mass inertia.

Membership Report

Terry Townshend had made available a handout with the following information:  We currently have 297 members, which include 52 new members for 2018; 22 members from 2017 have dropped out; there are 10 on the Disabled List who do not show up on the roster; 85 non-Arlington names were taken off the Wait List, and 45 remain on that list.

Treasurer’s Report

Rick Townshend reports that we have a current balance of about $7,000.

Coordinator’s Report

Bill Dawson handed out the ASGC “Dozen Do’s and Don’ts” list that is intended to make things run more smoothly.  He thinks that we should all put this list on our refrigerators along with the phone number for the crisis center, the spouse’s baby picture, the $5.00 coupon from CVS, and the photo of your hamsters dressed up for the prom.  Here they are.  Take them to heart.

1.      If you sign up other people, you are responsible that they show up or to notify Bill of cancellation.

2.      Sign up on the correct day, and not twice.

3.      Play fast.  Roughly 4 1/2 hours is now our standard.  If slower, play later.

4.      Be in your cart and ready to play in advance of your tee time.

5.      You have until Thursday noon to add/change/remove your name from the upcoming week.  Afterwards, notify Bill of any changes via email.

6.      If you must make changes after pairings are sent on Thursday PM, let Bill know ASAP via email, preferably before noon Friday, when Bill sends the pairing to the course.

7.      If you don’t notify Bill of cancellation, you will be logged as a “no-show.”  Two no-shows during a season gets a warning, a third will cause a one-month suspension.

8.      If there is risk of rain/light showers or if it is raining lightly, show up.  Otherwise you will be counted as a no-show!  Check for weather alert emails.

9.      If your handicap is above 25 or you can’t hit 175 yards, you must play from the MOST forward tee box for a more enjoyable round.  Don’t adjust your score.

10.  Correct sign-up entry: 245-Dawson (member) or 245-Dawson-G-Doe (guest).

11.  To remove your name from the sign-up sheet:  put curser over name, hit space bar and then you MUST hit enter.

12.  Report your scores right after play.  Unless on disability, you are required to play 7 times each season to maintain membership.

Bill noted that there have been slight changes to the schedule since the January meeting.  Since Potomac Shores will be closed for renovation for a couple of months, Augustine and Potomac Shores traded times.

How do you get on the website?  Bill will send out a link.  Save it.  Bookmark it on your computer.  On the left side of the screen will be a series of options.  Click on “Monthly Sign-up & Scores Access.”  Click for the proper month.  Select the week at the bottom of the page.  Enter your name for a desired tee time and hit enter.  To remove your name from a tee time, place the cursor in the box with your name, hit space bar and hit enter.

After play, post your score.  You click on the box “Monthly Sign-up & Scores Access.” Click on the desired month. Then click “Scores” at the bottom of the page.  Find your name and enter the score for the proper course and date.  Rick Townshend provided a show and tell on his computer for those interested.

In response to questions, Bill noted the following:

• He is not retiring.  He is shifting most of the starter duties to Bob Odmark.

• Lake Presidential promised to be 90 degrees cart rule, weather permitting.

• Bill will keep an eye on the weather.  If bad, he will say don’t show.  If iffy, he’ll say be there.

• If you can’t play, email Bill and he will advise Bob.

• You sign up on line and pay at the pro shop.  Your actual tee time may be a few minutes different that the time you signed up for.

• Weather looks iffy for the Clinic next week.  Stay flexible.  We’ll let you know.

Code of Conduct and Pace of Play

Mike Marron noted that, as a function of Arlington County, we abide by the County’s code of conduct.  We have recently begun to explicitly promote it.  Basically, it provides for common sense good behavior and provides penalties.  A copy of the policy was handed out at the meeting.

Mike then turned to the topic of pace of play, an issue that plagues not only the ASGC, but many other groups of golfers.  Some of our rules are different from the official rules of the USGA in ways that are intended to speed up play:

• We have a triple bogey max per hole.  If you lie two over, pick up and log three over.

• If your ball is “lost in plain sight,” such as rough or under leaves, but you know precisely where it ended up, look only for a couple of minutes, drop, and play with no penalty.

• For out of bounds, take a drop within a couple of club lengths from where the ball went out and add a stroke.

• “Gimmies” are allowed “within the leather,” or the distance on a putter from the head to the beginning of the grip.

• If you are a known slow group or player, sign up for later tee times.

• Limit search time for lost balls to two minutes.  It’s only a ball.

If you have issues regarding slow play, bring them to the attention of Mike Marron or Dale Strawser.  Don’t get huffy with Bob Odmark or Bill Dawson.

Demonstration

Two fellows from the Raspberry Golf Academy, Sang Hwang and John Wright, gave a rambling, disjointed presentation of golf stuff, focusing mostly on shots within 50 yards.  Basically, they said that we should aim consistently to make solid contact with the ball.  They used a bunch of words like wrist, head, spine, club, tempo, setup, grip, posture, waggle and aiming at the target.   You’ll have to read the book.

Meeting of the Board

Present: Richard Brandenburg, Don Collier, Bob Dawson, Bill Dawson, Harvey Doerksen, Chuck Hadden, Mike Marron, John Mashaw, Bob Odmark, Ralph Orlik, Dale Strawser, Rick Townshend, Terry Townshend

Approval of the Minutes

The minutes of the Board from January 10, 2018 were approved.

Membership Report

Terry Townshend noted that there are currently 297 members, and the number may go as high as 300.  We have 52 new members for 2018.  Twenty-two members dropped out from last year.  There are 10 on the Disabled List who do not show up on the roster.  Eighty-five names were taken off the non-Arlington Wait List, and 45 remain on that list.

Treasurer’s Report

Rick Townshend reported a current cash balance of $7,238. 

Coordinator’s Report

Bill Dawson said that he opened up the sign-up sheets at 9:00 a.m. and, within a minute, there were 35 people in the system.  One person noted a potential problem in that almost every time slot had but a single name, making it almost impossible for regular foursomes to play together.  On a different topic, Bill said he will talk to the courses about the possibility of providing us with special scorecards that show the expected time at each hole.  When courses did this in the past, it gave foursomes an incentive to keep up the pace.

55+ Council

John Mashaw went to a meeting of the 55+ Council last week.  The group meets quarterly.  If there are policy issues or upcoming events in the ASGC, he reports them to the group.  The Council represents gobs and gobs of varied activities, but the last meeting centered on the up and coming, fast growing sport of pickleball.  Yes, pickleball.  One wonders if there are separate leagues for dill, sweet, relish, and sliced.  The County is evaluating the demand and is working toward providing sufficient facilities to meet the demand.

Nominations Committee Report

John Mashaw is talking to lots of people who might be willing to serve in some capacity with the Board.  As yet, he has nothing concrete on a replacement for Terry Townshend as Membership Chair.  This is a key position that involves contacts with virtually every member of the ASGC.  The demands on her time had grown substantially from the early days when there were fewer members and her interactions with County personnel were less complex.  Board members batted around a variety of possibilities to make the position more appealing and more manageable, such as making Membership Chair a paid position, and various ways to automate member signups and communications.  John Mashaw is meeting with County personnel in the next few days, and he will explore some of these ideas with them. 

Compensation Packages for Bill/Bob

When Bill Dawson schedules courses for ASGC play, he provides for one complimentary round for each day that we play.  Bill and Bob Odmark will share these comp rounds in a way that works for each of them.  Bill well serve as the first line of substitution if Bob cannot serve as starter on any particular day.  As a County employee, Bob will be required to participate in training as required of all employees.  Both Bill and Bob will submit their time cards to the County for payment.

Handicap Calculation

Currently, Ralph Orlik calculates the handicaps of each member using a computer program that is similar to the official USGA handicapping system.  We explored the possibility of simplifying our handicapping system by relying solely on the average of recent scores.  Mike Marron had done a trial run using scores from 2017.  He found that the averaging handicaps were generally 3-4 strokes higher than our existing approach.  Using average scores should have little or no effect on Scramble tournaments, where we use handicaps to place people into quadrants.  It might give some people an advantage or disadvantage for the net score competition in the Club Championship, where everyone plays against their own handicap.  Generally, Board members were warm to the idea.  Bill and Ralph will see how such a change might be accomplished.  There were some techies in the room who would love to jump in to make the system easy and workable.

Tournament Courses:  Will we be able to use all the Holes?

Dale Strawser raised the issue of slow play in tournaments caused by backups, where more than one group is scheduled for several holes, and where certain holes almost always cause backups.  Could the course, he asked, provide all of the holes for us to use, so that we could spread folks out more equitable across the course?  Richard will discuss this with the course and he will ask what the course does with the “blank” holes that are not used in our initial tee assignments.

Active Marshalling? Scorecard Printouts with Times?

We basically reiterated the need for active marshalling, and for having the courses provide time schedules on the scorecards.  Bob Odmark will probably not be able to do much active marshalling until he gets his feet on the ground, but Bill Dawson can probably do a bit of marshalling before his tee time.

The Demonstration at the Members Meeting

Frankly, there were concerns expressed about the weak presentation by the folks from Raspberry Golf Academy.  People acknowledged that these folks have done a good job at the Golf Clinic, but today’s presentation was disjointed, with a TV screen that could not be seen by most, and with only one or two slides.  They had some good ideas, one person said, but they were not very useful.  What to do?

Arlington County Seniors Golf Club

Combined Minutes of the Membership and the Board

January 10, 2018

Walter Reed Community Center

Ice on Parade

Our recent spate of frigid weather brought to mind a seemingly-unrelated memory—Alfred Hitchcock’s movie, “The Birds.”  Of course, most people of a certain age are more familiar with Hitchcock’s movie “Psycho,” and still shudder with fear with any recollection of the shower scene.  It was so scary!

But to me, “The Birds” was way scarier.  This was Hitchcock’s movie about unending flocks of birds that inexplicably began, and continued, an assault on the human species.  You could not go outside, for as soon as you opened the door, you would face an onslaught of hundred, perhaps thousands, of crazed birds, diving and pecking.  If you thought you were safe in the house, forget it, for the birds came in through the chimney and any opening they could find.  And once inside, there were too many to fend off. The attacks were relentless and steady, much like the wind on an Irish links golf course.  No matter what you were able to do with one or a few of the critters, there were untold numbers of replacements ready and willing to continue the onslaught. 

“The Birds” was not Hitchcock’s brainstorm.  His movie was actually a take-off on a book by Daphne Du Maurier, the author from Cornwall, England, whose most famous book was “Rebecca.”  Most of Du Maurier’s books were stories of love, or at least aspirations of love.  But there is a dark side to her writing, and her love stories never seem to end well.  Darkest of all, Daphne’s short story entitled “The Birds” was published in 1952.  Alfred Hitchcock based his movie on her story. 

But back to winter.  My wife and I experienced a modified version of “The Birds” in our own home.  Our refrigerator has an icemaker in the bottom freezer. There is a “U” shaped wire connected to the icemaker that arcs downward into the ice container.  As the icemaker cranks out ice, it pushes the wire thingy upward until it gets to a certain level, indicating that the container is full.  Then the icemaker stops making ice until the wire calls for more.  Ingenious!

One morning, and I still get the shivers just thinking about it, I reached into the freezer to retrieve some ice.  The wire thingy had somehow come loose and dropped onto the ice.  “Oh,” I thought, “I’ll put it back on.”  But for the life of me, I could not figure out where the two ends of the wire thingy hooked into the icemaker.  I gave up.  We would have to make do without an icemaker. 

It wasn’t that easy, for later that evening when I looked into the freezer, it was chock-a-block full of ice!  I emptied the container and put it back into the freezer.  I did not sleep well that night.  My mind raced between “The Birds” and “The Ice.”  I could envision a steady onslaught of both birds and ice, attacking from all sides.  Melt one ice cube, and a thousand more join the battle.    

Next morning, the ice buildup was so great that it had pushed the freezer door open, and the floor was covered with melting ice.  Dustpan.  Mop.  Get large bucket.  Open freezer door.  Fill bucket with ice.  Open back door and toss out the ice, while keeping a sharp eye out for attacking birds.  Thankfully, there were none, but I could sense that they were thinking about it.  Call repairman.  Can’t come until next Tuesday.  Four more days of dustpan, mop, bucket, toss, watch for birds.

Finally, Tuesday arrived.  The repairman, a very nice fellow, by the way, took one look, stuck half his body into the freezer, and put the wire thingy in place.  $100.  I gave him some cookies.  That night, we slept well.  Next morning, I looked into the freezer.  There were about four new ice cubes.  Period!  Every so often, the icemaker would make a disgusting sound as though it was trying to pass something, but no.  Not one more cube.  Finito!

We now fill two ice trays with water, put them into the freezer, and empty them into the container when we need ice.  Hitchcock movies are the farthest thing from my mind.

“Eternal bliss,” I said to my wife one morning.  “Yeah,” she answered, “it’s great!”

Confucius says:  Appliances that work well are a convenience; appliances that over-work are a holy terror; appliances that don’t work are sublime.”

Meeting of the Full Membership (Pizza Meeting)

Start Time:  11:49 a.m.

Time of Adjournment:  1:02 p.m.

Pizza and Soda.  Yum yum.

Welcome & Announcements

Mike Marron took to the microphone like a fish takes to jello.   He gave a shout-out to Don Collier who supplied us well, in his first go at preparing the meal.  He acknowledged the passing of two of our members during 2018:  Steve Matula and Frank Duggan.  He then recognized Jay Buckley as the most improved player for 2017, who brought his handicap down from 20 to 15, thanks in part to good instruction.

Election of Club Officers

Mike Marron recognized the current officers as:  Mike Marron, President; Dale Strawser, First Vice President; Don Collier, Second Vice President; Harvey Doerksen, Secretary; and Rick Townshend, Treasurer.  

John Mashaw (Nominations Committee) nominated these folks for election for an additional year.  Hearing no objections or alternate nominations, it was moved and seconded that the slate be accepted.  Mostly ayes, a couple of neighs (which begs the question).  You are stuck with this gang of renegades through 2018.  

Introduction of Board Members & Committee Chairs

Mike then recognized other members in leadership positions:  Ralph Orlik, Handicaps; John Mashaw, Nominating and Arlington County 55+; Chuck Hadden, Members Well-Being; Bob Dawson, Historian; Rick Townshend and John Mashaw, Past Presidents; and Jennifer Weber, Arlington County.  Mike made special mention of Terry Townshend, Membership, and Richard Brandenburg, Tournaments, who will be leaving their positions and for whom we are seeking replacements.  Finally, Mike noted Bill Dawson, Coordinator, for whom we are seeking a co-coordinator to share responsibilities.  Bill wishes to reduce the amount of time he has to spend, and we plan to have the County hire a person to undertake some of the duties, particularly the on-site starter responsibilities at the courses, and possibly light marshalling.  This is a paid position with up to about eight hours per week, and free golf when the person is on duty.

Minutes from All-Members Meeting of March 8, 2017

Since no one wished to revisit them, the minutes were pretty much approved.

Handicap Report

Ralph Orlik gave a recap of what goes on behind the computer screen in a dark, unlit room.  Basically, each member logs in his or her scores on the website.  It is best to log the scores in the week in which play occurred (and most do this).  If you are late, email the score to Ralph.  Ralph inputs the data into the computer, which apparently knows what to do with it.  Based on the best ten scores of the last 20 plays and the ratings of the specific courses, the program spews out the handicaps. The listed handicap is slightly lower than the actual scores. 

Ralph pointed out that our handicaps are not an official USGA index.  For one thing, we have different rules to speed up play that are not consistent with USGA.  For example, we employ the “lost in plain sight” rule, a drop and one stroke for out of bounds, “gimme” for inside the leather, and a maximum of three over par on a hole.  We use handicaps internally to organize persons into groups for the scrambles, and as a number that we play against in the Club Championship.  We also use the posted scores as a record of how many times each member plays.  It is our only way to know whether members complete the required seven rounds per season.

Women play from the most forward tees, and most men play from the forward men’s tees.  Men with a handicap of 25 or higher and/or cannot hit a drive of 175 yards should move up to the forward tees and make a corresponding adjustment to their posted scores based on the course ratings.  Ralph does not make this adjustment. 

Treasurer’s Report

Rick Townshend reported a current balance of $6,254, which includes a year-end carry-over of $3,029.  Rick noted again what was reported in the last Board minutes that he has changed the Club’s fiscal year to extend from December 1 (just before payments come in for the next year’s dues) to November 30 (after which most of the seasons expenses have been paid).  Rick expects a end-of-year balance of about $2,500.  We typically spend about $5,000 per year.  To maximize transparency, all of the budget information is available online at the ASGC website, and is updated in real time each time that Rick enters a transaction on the computer.

Membership Report

Terry Townshend reported that we currently have 209 members, and expects to top out at about 280. In the past, it was difficult to find potential members from Arlington County, but that has changed.  We now have 36 Arlington residents on the waiting list, and 87 non-Arlington residents.  As a consequence, non-Arlington residents on the wait list have a much longer wait than in the past.  There are currently 12 persons who will not be renewing immediately because they are the disabled list.  If they become able to play, they will be added to the membership if slots are available; otherwise, they will be placed at the top of the wait list.  Members are required to log at least seven plays during the year.  This year, we dropped about 10 members for lack of play.

Coordinator’s Report

Bill Dawson reported that there will be no Getaway during 2018.  Audible groans could be heard, either from the news or from the pizza.  Bill had tried to get Penn National, but they were fully booked.  The Board had considered other locations, but decided to take a year off.  We will try to insert another scramble to replace the scramble that usually takes place at the Getaway.

Bill had tried to resign until the arm twisting became too intense.  He will reduce his duties, and we will be searching for a Co-Coordinator.  Someone asked if there could be two, one for Tuesdays and one for Thursdays. 

Bill asked about costs for play, since greens fees have been rising. Do people have heartburn if fees go to about $65?  Little or no response.  Most courses are less than that, and Bill does not book a course that has a higher fee.

Bill summarized the key changes in the schedule.  The golf clinic will cost $22, with additional fee of $8 for 9-holes of play.  He has added Bristow Manor.  He kept Lake Presidential when they assured him it would be a 90-degree rule; last year it was cart path only.  He has added River Creek.  Several members have played there and report that it is a good, and difficult, course.  Brambleton was added back, for Tuesday/Wednesday.  Hidden Creek was reported as out in the last Board Minutes, but Bill was able to get it back in.  The Gauntlet is back in, as is Heritage Hunt. The full schedule will be posted on the website.

Arlington County

Jennifer Weber reiterated that there are two County fees.  The golf fee, of $25 for County Residents and $50 for non-Arlington residents, should be paid now.  It can be done here and now, or on line.  A notice for the 55+ fee renewal will be mailed to each 55+ member before the membership expires.  The cost is $20 for Arlington County residents and $45 for non-residents.

Virginia Golf Center

Sang Hwang and John Miller, of the Virginia Golf Center, gave a joint presentation on golf tune up.  They noted that our proposed schedule was a class act, and then lauded each other for their excellent teaching skills.  They mostly discussed how to hit the ball in the center of the club face.  If you are off center, you could do any number of things, like move forward or back, adjust the tempo of your swing, try for a swing ratio of 3:1 in which the backstroke takes three times as much time as the downswing.  They note that instruction can be most effective if the golfer has in mind a particular problem to address.  And they caution not to try to think about too many things at once.  Finally, they note that instruction, while potentially dealing with any number of “right” things to do, should individually tailor a few of those principles to the specific needs of the golfer that they are teaching.  They recommend video as a useful tool in analyzing our needs, and as a way for golfers to see things they cannot see when they are swinging.  They say that each of us has an inner athlete and an inner coach.  As instructors, they try to help us bring out each of these qualities.

Meeting of the Board

Present:  Richard Brandenburg, Don Collier, Bob Dawson, Bill Dawson, Harvey Doerksen Chuck Hadden, Mike Marron, John Mashaw, Ralph Orlik, Rick Townshend, Terry Townshend, Jennifer Weber

Start Time:  1:15 p.m.

Time of Adjournment:  2:24 p.m.

Minutes of the Board, December 13, 2017

Approved.

Membership Report

Terry Townshend reported that:

• There are currently 209 renewed members on the roster for 2018.

• 51 of last year’s members have not yet renewed.

• 22 members dropped out for a variety of reasons.

• 12 additional members will not renew immediately because they are on the Disabled List. They all hope to join later.

• There are 34 Arlington residents and 87 non-Arlington residents on the Waiting List.

Audit Report

Bill Dawson has reviewed the books for year 2017 and finds nothing irregular.  He will send a note to this effect to Mike Marron.

Treasurer’s Report

Rick Townshend reports that here is a current balance of $6,254, but still has some unpaid bills.  He expects a carryover of about $2,500. We will not have to pay out $700 for the Getaway that has been cancelled.   

Report from Arlington County Representative

Jennifer Weber noted that 100% of members paid their fees last year. Many have paid today for 2018.  Those who have not yet paid will be contacted.  Renewals can be paid online, but new-member fees must be paid in person or by mail.  Mail-in payments should be sent directly to Jennifer at the 300 No. Park Drive address.

Coordinator’s Report

Bill Dawson will look into adding a third scramble to replace the scramble that we usually play at the Getaway.  Board members gave Bill kudus for the schedule.  Bill described the process as piecing together a 500-piece jigsaw puzzle, which, for a color-blind person, is doubly or triply difficult.  He will start working soon to try to schedule a Getaway for 2019.  There are a number of courses in the area that we have not scheduled.  He may try some country clubs, but many of them have too high a fee.  Bill personally will not schedule a course with greens fees greater than $65.

55+ Council

John Mashaw deferred to Jennifer Weber.  She noted the many types of recreational and learning activities that are available to 55+ members (which includes all members of the ASGC). They include pickleball, walking, classes, fitness, you name it.  Over 500 persons have participated last year.  To a question, Jennifer said that only one other club has a separate fee, as does the ASGC.  However, the County is unlikely to start any new clubs of this nature, because they require a form of bureaucracy, a budget and accounting procedures, and the like.

New Co-coordinator

We are seeking an individual who will be responsible for execution of the golf schedule, primarily on-site at the courses.  This is a paid, part-time position, involving about 8 hours per week.  He or she will have different assignments than Bill, but will work closely with Bill in order to learn all aspects of the Coordinator’s position.

Bill will continue to:

• Prepare monthly sign-up sheets and publish on the web at the designated time.

• Monitor and correct the sign-up sheets as necessary.

• Produce excel weekly pairing sheets by Thursday evening, and send them to the course by Friday noon.

•  Update the pairing sheets based on add/change/cancel emails received from members.

The Co-Coordinator, which we have dubbed the On-Site Coordinator to better reflect the initial duties, will:

• Be present at the golf courses at the designated time and perform starter duties.

• Rearrange groups as required.

• Marshal a portion of the course when time allows.

• Enforce the County’s ethics rules as appropriate.

• Undergo training required of County employees.

When Bill schedules courses, he provides a stipulation that the ASGC Coordinator receive a complementary round. The On-Site Coordinator would receive an appropriate share of complementary rounds over the course of the season.

Because the On-Site Coordinator will be an Arlington County employee, any applicant will be required to complete and submit the appropriate employment-application forms, be subject to evaluation to determine suitability for the position, be interviewed, and be subject to background checks.  The person must be technologically savvy, and well versed in the computer programs used by the Coordinator.

We discussed the possibility of dividing this position between two persons, in which one might work Tuesdays and the other Thursdays, for example.  This seems to be a reasonable option for the County, with the caveat that each candidate/employee would be subject to the same procedures, from application to employment.  We decided that we would only entertain the two-person option if there were no viable candidates willing to take on the full responsibilities of On-Site Coordinator. 

Replacement for Terry Townshend

Mike read a list of responsibilities that had been furnished by Terry, including the direct contacts with new and prospective members, maintaining Waiting List, coordinating with the County on fee issues, maintaining the Disabled List, a host of computer entries.  This is not a paid position, so the County does not hire the person. 

How to proceed from here?  Mike Marron and John Mashaw will meet over coffee and perhaps a few martinis to hammer out a strategy. 

In the meantime, many thanks to Terry for years of tireless effort on behalf of the Club.  No amount of arm-twisting seems to change her mind.

Replacement for Richard Brandenburg

Richard had planned to bag it for 2018, but we discussed going back to the old days in which the Second Vice President was by virtue of the office the Tournament Director.  Don Collier has one more year in that position.  Both Richard and Don are not in a position to undertake the full responsibilities for 2018, but have agreed to share the job for the coming season. Then, if all goes well, we find a new Second Vice President who can assume the historical role as Tournament Director. 

Next All-Members Meeting.

March 14, 2018, Walter Reed Community Center.  With Pizza and pizzazz. 

Arlington County Seniors Golf Club

Draft Minutes of the Board

December 13, 2017

Present: Don Collier, Bill Dawson, Harvey Doerksen, Chuck Hadden, Mike Marron, John Mashaw, Dale Strawser, Rick Townshend.

Location:  Bistro360 Restaurant, Arlington, Virginia

Start Time:  12:49 p.m.

Time of Adjournment: 2:02 p.m.

A Boy and His Dog

“And I thought I knew my daughter,” my friend lamented.  “A mother should know her own daughter.” 

With that sentence, she started to recount a story as unlikely as it was captivating.  I had been away for some time, so we were catching up on the news.  Her daughter had recently moved across the country, to California.  Facing a new job in a new state where she knew no one, she should, thought my friend, have a dog.  So, the mother purchased a dog for the daughter.  A perfect plan except for one thing.  The daughter did not want the dog, and was both unable and unwilling to take care of it.

My friend relented, and asked her son, Jeremy, to drive out to California and bring the dog back to Virginia.  “I know my son,” she told me, “and I knew at the time it was the absolute wrong thing to ask him to do, but I had no other choice!”  I know her son as well, and have known him since he was a babe in arms.  One does not want to speak ill of the socially challenged, so I will say only that he is almost totally self-contained.  The boy seems utterly content with his own company. He is an isolated island of “corpus humanum,” even in a crowded room.  I figured the boy would probably stay with mom forever, and die in his room, where he spent most of his existence. 

His mother had insisted that her son at least send her a text at the end of each day, so that she could be certain that he was okay.  She showed me the texts:

Day 1. Toledo.  Rain.

Day 2. Des Moines.  Radio sucks. 

Day 3. Rock Springs, Wyo.  End of World.

Day 4. Reno.  Ka-Ching!  Just kidding.

Day 5.  Stockton.  Waiting for sis.  Dog barking.

This struck me as an amazing revelation.  On the one hand, a normal person would read into these texts a sort of dark side to this young man, whose view of the world might seem limited and even a bit oppressive.  For me, I was amazed at how expressive he had become!  I mean, in all the years that I had known this lad, I don’t think I ever heard him utter so many words, let along in the space of five days.

“Now look at these,” my friend said with an air of enthusiasm.  “These are his texts on the return trip.”

Day 1.  Placerville, CA. 69 miles. Damn dog.  You can’t believe how many times he has to pee. Gonna take me forever.

Day 2.  Elko, Nev.  400 miles.  Getting a system.  I ignore.  He holds it in.  Cold in mountains, his head stuck out open window.

Day 3.  Green River, Wyo.  Dog has new name.  Slobber.  Got a face full when he jumped into front seat.  Almost went off road.  He’s got a tongue you would not believe.

Day 4. Iowa City.  Nice park near motel for walking dog.  Slobber found new friend.  Basset, I think.  Basset’s owner nice.  We exchanged phone numbers.  Caroline.

Day 5.  Streetsboro, Ohio.  Getting tired.  Slobber likes to listen to me talk and lick my face.  Not my favorite thing, but it’s o.k.  Caroline texted me.  Her dog is Reginald.  She lives in Bethesda.

Day 6.  Arona, Pa.  Slobber clobbered me with slobbers.  My face could fill a bucket cause I’m too slow to duck it.  See?  I’m a poet.  Probably won’t ever need to shower again.  Caroline gets home next week.  Can’t wait.  Slobber either, I bet.

Holy cow!  I could not believe my eyes.  It’s kind of like the saying about, “Give a man a fish and he eats for a day; teach him how to fish and he eats for a lifetime.”  Only in this case, it’s, “Send a boy away on a trip by himself and he hates you for it.  Have him come back with a dog and he finds himself in the bargain.”

I could hardly wait for the rest of the story, which I will summarize for you.  Jeremy and Caroline met up almost as soon as she returned, with Slobber and Reginald in tow.  They went immediately to Caroline’s local dog park, where Jeremy and Slobber were introduced to all of Caroline’s friends.  They have remained constant companions, either in person or by text or phone.  The wedding is planned for April, at the dog park.

I took a deep breath, barely comprehending how that painfully-introverted little Jeremy had blossomed into an almost normal human being.  Just then, the front door opened and Jeremy shouted, “Hey, Mr. H.  Long time no see!”  Slobber jumped up on my trousers.  I scratched his ears.

“And I thought I knew my son,” my friend said with a sigh.  “A mother should know her own son.” 

Now for the Rest of the Story

This was the traditional December meeting of the Board, in which we dine together.  Generally, we eat first, then conduct the meeting, but we got started before the plates were clean.  The most commonly-heard phrases were:  “Aah muuck a moo-shhun to …” and “Git yer durn elbow off my plate!”  And of course, the clatter of silverware.

Approval of October 5 Minutes

Done with a nod and a chew.

Membership Report

In Terry’s absence (due to contagious illness), Rick gave the report.  So far, 108 members have renewed their vows, payment checks of another 30 or so were received but not yet deposited and registered.  Twenty-one existing members did not renew their memberships.  Of these, 11 were  by choice of the member for whatever reason, and 10 had failed to meet the requirement of 7 plays during the season.  There are five on the disabled list that paid to renew their membership.  There are currently 32 on the Arlington County wait list, who have priority.  Therefore, there will be precious few slots open to non-Arlington County residents.  We will probably end up with close to 300 members at the beginning of 2018.

Treasurer’s Report

Rick changed the fiscal year to more accurately reflect the seasonal cycle of income and expenditures.  The old fiscal year was January 1 to December 31.  However, because there are a lot of new deposits in December for 2018 memberships, Rick felt that they tended to skew the picture of our annual season.  The new fiscal year will be December 1 to November 30, so that all of the income and outgo for a given season will be reflected in the same fiscal year. Rick projects a carryover into 2018 of $3,029.66.  Rick has tweaked the system so that entries he makes on his electronic device are automatically calculated and entered on the ASGC website.  Bill Dawson will perform the required audit of the books for 2017.

Next Full Membership Meetings

Our two annual “pizza meetings” will be held on January 10 and March 14, beginning at 11:30 at the Walter Reed Community Center.  Mike will confirm with the County that we are scheduled for the room.

55+ Council Report

John Mashaw, is our long-standing representative to the County’s Sports and Fitness Committee, which meets quarterly.  John notes that there are representatives from more sports activities than you can shake a stick at.  These include the usual suspects, like swimming, ice skating and yoga.  But we spent a lot of time discussing the difficulty of playing the new and upcoming sensation, pickle ball.  The Committee serves as a point of communication among sports groups.  John keeps them apprised of upcoming events in the ASGC.

Required Seven Plays per Season

We discussed the policy, which is made clear to each member at signup.  No changes were made.

Replacement for Bill Dawson

Mike previously had distributed a job description to the Board.  He will send it to all members, noting that Bill plans to retire at the end of the 2018 season, and ask for suggestions of possible replacements.  The ASGC Coordinator is a paid employee of Arlington County, part-time, up to 15 hours per week.  We would like to have someone on board in midseason, so that the new person can learn the ropes from Bill.  Because this is a County employee, we expect there will be a public announcement of availability.  We discussed the possibility of a “job sharing” arrangement, in which two persons undertake different parts of the job, such as, one scheduling courses for the year and handling weekly signups, and a second person taking on the starter role at the courses.  Mike and Bill will set up a meeting soon with the County to float this idea. 

Other Vacancies

Sharon Monde (Nominations), Terry Townshend (Membership), and Richard Brandenburg (Tournaments), are resigning their posts.  We will send out an announcement about Terry’s position, and encourage interested parties to talk to Terry about what the job entails.  We will raise the issue of Tournament Director at the January all-members meeting.  Regarding Nominations, problem solved.  Mike anointed John Mashaw to fill the role.

2018 Schedule

Bill has completed the schedule for 2018.  He was unable to schedule Greendale, Chantilly or Hidden Creek.  He added River Creek (one day only), and reinstated Bristow Manor, Brambleton and The Gauntlet.  

Arlington County Seniors Golf Club

Draft Minutes of the Board

October 5, 2017

Present: Richard Brandenburg, Don Collier, Bob Dawson, Bill Dawson, Harvey Doerksen, Art Gosling, Chuck Hadden, Mike Marron, John Mashaw, Bruce Needham, Ralph Orlik, Dale Strawser, Rick Townshend,

Location:  Herndon Centennial Golf Club

Start Time:  1:20 p.m.

Time of Adjournment:  2:12 p.m.

Cookie Monster

One member of our foursome has the annoying habit of handing out a baggie of homemade cookies to each of the members of the group.  We call him Mr. Cookie.  He considers this a “win-win” situation, because on the one hand people think he is being a good guy, and on the other hand his playing partners get a sugar high from the cookies and can’t hit the ball worth squat.  Sometimes, Mr. Cookie forgets to hand out the stash until the round is well advanced.

Another member of our foursome has the annoying habit of scarfing down cookies like there is no tomorrow.  We call this fellow Mr. B, or just Bee, because he buzzes around actual or potential cookie stashes like a bee around pollen-rich flowers.  Mr. B views the cookies as a “when!?-when!?” situation, because he frets about when he can get his hands on those babies.

On a fine Autumn day on a woodland course, the sun shone brightly, creating a shimmer of reds and yellows on the maples and tulip poplars.  The air was cool and pleasant, not yet the bracing chill that would come a month or so later.  The four of us were relaxed, and engaged in easy conversation.  Well, except for Mr. B.  He was edgy and noticeably quiet. 

You see, Bee’s acute senses told him that Mr. Cookie had brought his usual stash, and he was keenly aware that they had not yet been distributed.  It was not beyond Bee’s nature to “accidently” root through the wrong golf bag and find the stash, or to “accidentally” cause the wrong bag to fall off the cart and spill its contents onto the ground.  “Oh, I’m sorry,” he would say in a false lament.  “Oh, wow!  Cookies!” he would then exclaim, and then stare accusingly at Mr. Cookie.

But on this day, Mr. Cookie made the first move.  While Bee was teeing off, Mr. Cookie opened his stash, and placed a baggie on the cart seat of each of his playing partners.  As Mr. Cookie strolled to the tee to hit his drive, he heard a scream.  He turned around to see Bigfoot, a huge monster rumored to roam these woods, racing away from the carts with a baggie of cookies in his hand.  Bee’s baggie!  Bee took off running after him, shouting obscenities and threats.  The rest of us tried to call Bee away, thinking that a bag of cookies is not worth risking your life for.

“Stop!” we all cried.  “Don’t do it!”  “It’s too dangerous.”  But our shouts were in vain.  And there was no way any of us would chase after Bigfoot. 

Then we started thinking, “Would anybody believe our story?”  I mean, seriously. “Yes, officer,” we might say.  “That’s exactly how it went down.  Bigfoot took his baggie of cookies, and he chased after the beast.  We tried to warn him, to call him back.  But he didn’t listen.” 

“Bigfoot, eh?” the officer would reply.  And he would turn to his sidekick.  “They say Bigfoot did the guy in.”  The officer would wink and roll his eyes.

As we commiserated, here came Bee, prancing proudly, holding his baggie of cookies high for all to see.  “That’s one sorry critter,” he shouted on approach.  The three of us now were filled with mixed emotions.  We were happy to see Bee return safely, of course.  But now we were doubly concerned about how to recount this tale.  We had witnessed something highly unusual, exceedingly extraordinary.  But would anyone believe our story?

“Did you have your phone?” someone asked.

“Yup,” Bee replied.  “Right here in my pocket.”  He patted his front right pocket.

“Did you get a picture of Bigfoot?”

“Nope.  Got something better.”  He held up the baggie.  “Got back my cookies!”

Back in the Clubhouse

After a delightful lunch of barbecue and chips, we convened our post-round meeting of the Board. 

Approval of the Minutes.   The three members of the infamous Loony Lipouts sang a song, to the tune of “Frere Jacques,” to register their support for approving the Minutes of July 12, 2017.  The other Board members could do naught but acquiesce.  Minutes approved.

Treasurer’s Report.  Rick reported that, as of today, there is a balance of $6,064 in the Treasury.  He expects a year-end balance of around $2,200.

Handicap Reporting System.  Rick noted that the way in which handicaps are now reported poses a problem for phone internet users, because the phones cannot handle all of the columns on the screen.  In order to view all of the relevant columns of the spreadsheet, one must use a computer.  Rick proposes formatting the report so that it shows only one column of data.  Ralph said that he is dealing with how the software is formatted, but he will check to see if there is a way to improve the reporting format.  Bill will also take a look and work with Ralph.

Coordinator’s Report on Getaways.  The Ocean City Getaway had 62 participants.  The weather was a bit dicey on the first day, since we were in the path of Hurricane Jose.  But the weather on the next two days was splendid.  The only complaints were about the quality of the Hotel, which was adequate but lacking in certain areas. 

Bill will aim for better quality accommodations in the future.  We will work in the future to avoid Jewish holidays, which we failed to do this year. 

Bill expects that the 2018 Getaway will be held at Penn National, which has two courses, and possibly playing the third round at the Links at Gettysburg.  The price may be a bit higher than the $380 at Ocean City, perhaps as much as $430.  We felt that the extra cost should not be a problem for most participants. 

Board Scramble.  The members of the ASGC Board played today’s round financed by the Club budget, in appreciation for their work during the year.  The winning team of the scramble event was Richard Brandenburg, Don Collier, and Harvey Doerksen, who became a dozen golf balls richer for their seven-under round.

Time for Tallying Winners at Tournaments.  Richard reports that it took quite a bit of time tallying the scores for the Club Championship at Bull Run Tuesday.  He got good help from Don Collier, Jay Buckley, and Steve, the pro at the course.  But scores were coming in late after very long rounds, and some folks forgot to turn them in.  Some folks found the computerized tallying to be difficult to decipher, though it may have been faster in some ways.  Richard prefers the old hard-board method of writing scores as they come in.  It is much easier for participants to read and understand.  We expect that most courses will be moving to the snazzier computerized approaches, but we would like to put a hold on progress.

Speed of play is still a major problem.  At Bull Run, there is at least one thing that we cannot solve, and that is hole number 18, which always seems to jam up.  We noted that the course marshal was exceedingly lax in enforcement.  Also, we need to insist that we be allowed to occupy all of the holes, and not have “A” and “B” groups teeing off sequentially on the same hole. 

Bill has determined that he will not schedule the Club Championship at Bull Run in the future.  Scrambles, yes, but stroke play, no.  Bill will also draft a letter to Steve Clark of the Raspberry Group, indicating that we will not plan future tournaments on their courses unless:  1) they provide serious, proactive marshalling, and that they provide more holes for our use in the tournament.

Following the tournament, there had been an active email exchange among members of the Board about how to speed up play, and also to streamline the subsequent process of score tallying and handing out of prizes.  Mike asked all Board members to pay close attention to suggestions made in the emails, and be prepared to consider these suggestions in planning future tournaments.

A couple of suggestions were made at the meeting. We might, for example, “hire” our own marshal, of the drill-sergeant school of thought, who would keep things moving with a whip and a scowl.  Others pointed to our earlier success of having the course print the expected times of completion of each hole on the score sheet.  Most GPS systems on golf carts do the same.

And Then There Were … Fewer.  We expect a few resignations in the near future.  They include: Richard Brandenburg, who is thinking about chilling; Bill Dawson, who may end his long stint as Coordinator at the end of next year; and Terry Townshend, who has been working the membership desk since before the invention of the wheel.  We need to think about how to handle the Tournament position.  In prior years, it was handled by the second Vice President, but we made it a separate position under Brandenburg.  Anyway, we offered a hearty round of applause for each of these three, who have put in scadoodles of hours at their respective posts.

Seniors Council.  John Mashaw is the ASGC representative on the County’s 55+ Sports and Fitness Committee.  They meet about quarterly, under the tutelage of Jennifer Weber.  The Committee deals with a ton of activities under its umbrella, including ice skating, Pilates, tennis, weight lifting and exercise equipment, swimming, pickle ball, biking, yoga, walking, and maybe even watching sports on TV, but probably not.  Anyway, all members of the ASGC have paid the annual dues that allow them to participate in these County activities.  You must show your blue card that was sent to you when you paid your annual fees.

Survey Results.  Bill has made available the link to the survey results.  The survey validated our concern for speed of play as an ASGC problem, and showed that members view a 4.5 hour as a desirable goal.

Changes in Signup Policy.  Our new policy of first-come, first served, signups has not resulted in complaints.  There is still an issue when known slow players get early tee times and thereby slow up everything behind them.  But Bill is authorized to move such players to later tee times as necessary.

Code of Conduct.  Because ASGC operates under the auspices of Arlington County, behavior of members is covered under the County’s Code of Conduct.  The Code identifies certain behaviors that are unacceptable, sets out procedures for dealing with unacceptable behavior, and establishes potential penalties for failing to comply.  One of the first actions required of a County representative when encountering unacceptable behavior is to provide the offending party with a copy of the Code of Conduct.  The Board intends to pre-emptively provide a copy of the County’s Code of Conduct to every member of the ASGC, along with a clear statement that ASGC members are subject to the Code.  The County has an appeals process.  The ASGC may need to develop its own appeals process, so that issues may potentially be resolved before being elevated to the County.

Arlington County Seniors Golf Club

Draft Minutes of the Board

July 12, 2017

Present: Richard Brandenburg, Don Collier, Bill Dawson, Harvey Doerksen, Chuck Hadden, Mike Marron, Sharon Monde, Ralph Orlik, Dale Strawser, Rick Townshend, Jennifer Weber, Jennifer Collins

Location:  Lubber Run Community Center

Start Time:  10:01:01 a.m.

Time of Adjournment:  11:47 a.m.

Refugees from Next Door

Ring, ring, ring. …  It was our next-door neighbor calling. I had asked her to purchase a big bottle of vanilla from Costco, where she is a member.  With all of the cookies that I bake, the tiny bottles from the regular grocery don’t go very far.  The conversation took an unexpected turn.  She asked, “Can you guys hear the radio from inside your house?” 

“What are you talking about?”

“The radio.  I have it playing loud.  I just want to know if it bothers you.”  I opened the front door and listened.  I could hear the radio playing, but it was soft enough not to be a bother.  I told her so.  Then I asked, “When are you going to turn it on?”

“About eight o’clock.”  Assuming they were having a party that evening, I asked the obvious question, since our bedroom is on the side nearest their house, and I was a little concerned about sleeping with their radio blaring.  “And how late will you be playing it?” 

“We’ll keep it on all night.”  Wow, a whooping good party, I thought, but kept it to myself.  That is when she explained the reason for her call.  There was a pair of foxes who had established a family home underneath their front portico.  She said that the little ones come out in the morning and frolic on the front lawn with the fox parents.  The neighbor had learned that foxes don’t like loud sounds, and so the radio was an attempt to get the foxes to move to another neighborhood. 

This conversation was so unusual that I handed the phone to my wife so that she could hear of this outlandish ruse first hand.  After a few moments, she asked the neighbor, “So what will you be playing?  Honky tonk?”  The neighbor said that no, it has to be talking, not music.  “My wife quipped, “Oh, honky talk.”

After we hung up, we walked over to the neighbors’ house to examine the foxhole.  Holy cow!  The critters had practically dug out a mansion under the porch.  The area around and under the house was so honey-combed with tunnels that I feared structural damage to the building.  Amazing engineers, these foxes!

My wife and I slept pretty well that night.  In those moments of half-wakefulness, we could pick up occasional sounds of voices from the radio.  But we did wonder if the foxes would soon become accustomed to NPR, and send in their tax-deductible contribution to WAMU.

Next morning, I looked out of our bedroom window, thinking that perhaps I could see the critters at play.  What I saw was a total surprise.  Not only had the front portico sunk into the foxes’ lair, the entire house had been swallowed up into a huge sinkhole.  There were fire trucks, ambulances, and police cars parked on the street, and a flurry of activity as folks stared down into the hole.  And we had slept through the entire thing.  We later learned that NPR had denied any culpability.

I was fazed, but still, there were things to do.  I went into the garage to put our kitchen garbage into the bin.  What did I find?  An entire family of foxes, papa, mama, and five babies!  They had apparently been frolicking outside the den when the disaster had occurred.  Now they were refugees, and we, apparently, were the host country. 

I told the foxes, in as calm a voice as I could muster, that they would be temporarily confined to the garage.  I would feed them what I could, but under duress because I feared for the security of my family.  And then, taking a cue from our new President, I said that their future hinged on a visit to the animal doctor, where they would undergo extreme vetting.

And the neighbors?  Yeah, we’ll miss them.  And I’ll miss those big bottles of vanilla from Costco. 

And Now … Marron’s Masses

Minutes of May 17, 2017.  Approved, in a manner of speaking.  No one objected.

Between-The-Lines Sign Up.  Most members have found the elimination of “between-the-lines signup to be helpful.  There have been no complaints.

Review of Penalties for Slow Play.  The ASGC has been wrestling with the issue of slow play since Eve gave Adam a set of golf clubs and sent him out of the garden.  In the last meeting or two, we have tried some novel approaches, since nothing else has seemed to work.  Most recently, we proposed to require that persons signing up for the earliest tee times finish in a specified amount of time or be limited in the future to later tee times.  We got some push-back on that proposal.

The Board seeks to ensure that any strictly-enforced procedure must be consistent with County policies and supported with a compelling rationale. Several reasons were articulated in the meeting.  Slow play by some golfers negatively affects the quality of experience of others.  As an example, when speed of play was emphasized by Hidden Creek Golf Club this week, and nearly everyone finished at or near the course-recommended time of four hours and fifteen minutes, there were a lot of smiles when people finished.  From the standpoint of the course, slow players in the ASGC affects not only our own members, but also negatively impacts players who follow us.  It also reduces the amount of income that courses derive, if slow players limit the amount of later tee times the course has available.  Slow players affect everyone behind them, and the effects tend to accumulate and increase.  And, our emphasis on speeding up play is consistent with the policies of most courses, not just our group.

The Board made several decisions as a follow-up:

1. Bill will identify a number of reasons for why slow play must be discouraged, and show the rationales for a policy that may benefit fast players and penalize slow players. 

2. We will abandon the absolute time limit that had been proposed earlier, and instead aim in all cases for completion in the time that is recommended by each course. We will take into account such factors as cart-path-only rules, rain or other weather issues, and course conditions.  But still, our objective is to speed up play.

3. Bill will continue to monitor the speed of play, and we will strongly encourage the courses to assist Bill in monitoring slow play.  In the event that a group falls a hole behind the group in front, they will be asked to skip a hole and each player will take a score of par for that hole.

4. Groups that usually exceed the target time for a round are requested to sign up for later tee times where slow play will impact fewer players.  Individuals and groups that consistently and significantly exceed the recommended time for a round will be assigned later tee times and/or restricted to playing in a threesome.

5. Mike Marron will send a note to the membership regarding these changes.

6. Bill will initiate a survey to all members regarding these issues as a measure of the extent to which members support the club’s policies regarding slow play and other issues.