HOPLINE

August Issue 2011

Celebrating 50 Years1961 - 2011

YEARS

CELEBRATING

1961 – 2011

HOP

MEADOW

COUNTRY

CLUB

H

MCC

President’s Points

1President’s Points

Table of ContentsBill Heidel, PresidentAugust 2011

June 18, 2011 will go down in the club’s history as one of the finest dinner dance extravaganzas ever held in the old barn. The evening was beautiful, special hors d’oeuvres were served, along with an elegant champagne fountain, under the tent, and a wonderful dinner was presented by our own Chef Aaron. The highlight of this fun affair was the Clark Eno band that played great dance tunes until the last survivors departed. They lived up to their billing and then some.

During that evening I had the distinct honor of presenting the Burton Knust Award for the first time in a number of years. This award was first presented to Burton Knust in 2000 and was in recognition of his tireless effort in supervising the construction and renovation of the dining room end of the clubhouse that was completed in 2000. It was subsequently awarded to former Presidents, Leo Bruyette and Howard Cole in 2001. The award states, “From a grateful membership in recognition of extraordinary devotion and contributions to the benefit of HMCC”. The Board’s selection as the 2011 winner of this prestigious award is Maureen Jessen. Maureen has worked tirelessly for the club as head of Junior Golf for five years, she added her expertise to the Finance Committee for a number of years and is extremely active as an inspiration to a great many of our HMCC membership. This year she also volunteered to head up the club’s chosen charity event, The Folds of Honor, Patriot Golf Day.

The Folds of Honor fund raiser is scheduled for Saturday, August 27. If you haven’t registered yet, please put together a group or sign up individually to help this worthy Organization surpass its 2011 goal. With a month to go, we are significantly ahead of previous year’s number of participants and expect to send a much larger donation to the Folds headquarters this year. The dollars raised will provide post secondary educational assistance to children or spouses of either fallen or seriously injured military personnel. Hop Meadow has embraced this charity and in its short existence we have been one of their major contributors. Come on out, have a fun day while at the same time helping someone get the educational opportunity they so richly deserve. Check with Jason in the Pro Shop with any questions.

Al Schuyler, founding member number “5”, attended the Founder’s Dinner in May. During the evening Al was presented with Honorary Membership recognition and was surprised and elated with the acknowledgement. We recently received a thank you note from Al and he closed it with the following. “The festivities of this year confirm that after 50 years, and some difficult ones, the club is a healthy, vital factor in Simsbury’s recreation and social life. Congratulations are in order and well earned.”

That about sums it up. Enjoy the rest of the summer. It will go quickly.

Bill Heidel, President

August 6thSimply White Summer Nights

August 13thCooking with Chef Aaron

August 19thPool Camp Out

August 27thPatriot Golf Day

September 10thLittle Chef ’s Cooking Class

October 16thDom’s Cup “Toys for Tots” &

Club Awards Celebration

December 17thHoliday Gala

Save the Dates

2Membership Reflections

5Artist Corner

6Summer Camp at Hop Meadow

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Kitchen News

7

50th Anniversary Jubilee

10Pool News

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Membership NewsJoe Shiman III, Membership Chairman

ManageMent teaM

CHIEF OPERATING OFFICERJackie Morr860-658-7623 x234jmorr@hopmeadowcc.net

HEAD GOLF PROFESSIONALJason Waters860-651-0686Jwaters@hopmeadowcc.net

DIR. OF GOLF INSTRUCTIONKen Doyle860-658-7623 x225

GROUNDS SUPERINTENDENTErick Holm860-658-0720

TENNIS PROFESSIONALJim Whiting 860-651-2905 Jwhiting1958@yahoo.com

EXECUTIVE CHEFAaron Theriault860-658-7623 x228kitchen@hopmeadowcc.net

CATERING DIRECTORBeth Georger 860-658-7623 x230 bgeorger@hopmeadowcc.net

MEMBERSHIPSusan O. Baughman susan@hopmeadowcc.net860-651-0499

OFFICE MANAGERAngela Mierzejewski 860-651-0499angela@hopmeadowcc.net

RESTAURANT MANAGERDanielle Hermanowski860-658-7623 ext. 236 dhermanowski@hopmeadowcc.net

tO ReaCH US:Hop Meadow Country Club85 Firetown Road, Simsbury, CT 06070 www.hopmeadowcc.net

Clubhouse Front Desk 860-658-7623 Reservations 860-658-7623 The Golf Pro Shop 860-651-0686 The Tennis Pro Shop 860-651-2905 Business Office 860-651-0499

HOPLINE

2011 is promising to be a successful membership year. The club is already half way to its 50 Members in 50. Please help me welcome the following new members into the club.

Full Privilege GolfBrian & Emily MagawKeith & Lisa Wetjen

Scott Ziskin & Jenna LuizDave & Jill Powilatis

Jim LindbergJohn & Rosemary GunningMichael & Meghan DeVoe

Craig & Lori RappaportMary LaDuca

Richard & Marianne FeiferRoger & Barbara Bruttomesso

Tim & Julie WernChristian & Jennifer AugerTulio Valdez & Carole LinAnthony & Theodora PaceNick & Melissa Skottegaard

Sporting MembersKevin & Kristina O’Connell

Pool MembersCraig & Shannon Rodner

Randall & Christine PetersonBrian & Karen BuckleyIan & Kimberly Briggs

Dining & SocialRichard “Rick” & Carol Wagner

Golf UpgradesRandy & Shelly Swinford

Jack & Suzy BrinegarJohn & Barbara Cosentino

Jeff & Mary ScobeeMark Thompson & Valerie Goulet

Brendan & Erin WalshDoug & Annamarie Winkler

John & Barbara GilliesMichael & Jennifer Mooney

UpgradeRob & Courtney Feingold—Sporting

This 50th Anniversary Membership offer will expire December 31st or when the 50th family walks thru our doors. If you know anyone that is interested in joining - today is the day, to reach out to them or contact Susan in Membership and she will reach out to them on your behalf.

As you all know we are in the height of event season here at Hop Meadow- the time of the year that I live for. Although I may be in the midst of our current summer events- Weddings, Bar Mitzvahs, Golf Outings, I am thinking ahead for all of you to plan your next event here at Hop Meadow. Over the past four years of my tenure here at “home” I have run over 1600 events for you and have welcomed over 96,342 guests through theses doors- just events! Let me continue to create special memories for you and your family. I look forward to booking your next event; give me a call, as you know I am here!

Tastefully yours,Beth

Summer EventsBeth Georger, Catering Director

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Members ReflectionsBy Susan Baughman

Kevin Foster

Kevin Foster is an icon as Club Champion at HMCC. He has been a member for 35 years and captured the Club Champion title 21 of those years. He and his wife Susan have two sons, John-Ryan and James. Here are some reflections he shared with Susan Baughman, Membership Director about Hop Meadow:

When I joined in 1976 I was a college student and I think my monthly dues were $26. The bill was hand written and the chits were included. You had a pretty good idea on how much you spent by looking at how much the postage was on the envelope.

I remember my 1st Club Championship victory… a 36 hole final taking all 36 holes to decide.

I remember all of the very good golfers that have come along the way. It was always Zink and Haley to play against. They were the best. They never split up and you knew you had to play hard to beat them.

I remember Dominic Lumbruno never missing a Club Championship Final.

I remember the most bitter sweet Club Championship where I had to play the semi-final match against my son, John-Ryan. Everyone was rooting for “you know who” (not me). I was rooting for him too!

Hop Meadow has been and continues to be a great part of our lives.

Brad Kurek

Brad Kurek has been a member of HMCC since 1964. That is 47 years! She has been the Women’s Club Champion 13 times and the Runner-Up 12 times. She has won the Simsbury Town Championship five times. In the winter, Brad plays at a semi-public course called Pinecrest and has earned the Club Championship 5 times!

Brad has had 5 holes-in-one here at Hop Meadow. Two on #9, two on hole #16 and one on #12. Brad and John Kurek were always seen at the Club playing golf and enjoying all the events the Club put on. The most memorable Championship Brad remembers is when she played in the St. Mary’s 9- hole Tournament held in Canton and she received her first trophy – she won the tournament much to her surprise and still smiles with extreme humility in her achievement.

Brad loves to play with the ladies on Wednesday’s here at the Club and has many wonderful memories of friends and golf games to share – ask her the next time you see her at the Club.

August 4th – 7thAnnual Member Guest

August 10th – 11thWGA Flight Championships

August 14thHusband/Wife Championship

August 15thCourse Closed, Maintenance

August 20thJunior Club Championships

August 22ndCourse Closed, Maintenance

August 25thMember Appreciation Day

August 27thPatriot Golf Day

August 28thParent-Child

September 4thHoliday Mixed Golf

September 7thWGA Invitational

September 8thMen’s Invitational Series

September 10-11Men’s Two Day

Member/Member Stroke Play

September 17thMen’s Fall Classic

September 30thMen’s Closing Day

Upcoming Golf Events

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Ken’s CornerKen Doyle

WOW ~ weren’t those great Club Championship matches! It was awesome seeing all those members who came out to support their fellow Club members. If you joined in on the fun you sure were treated to two very exciting battles. Congratulations to Suzanne Harris who defeated Terri Forde and J.R. Foster who beat Ben Jessen. There is a saying “emotions run the show”…we were treated to a great show.

The above players showed great skills honed on the practice range and on the course. If you want the skill you are attempting to learn to show up on the course, you have to expose it, during training to a range of on-course situations, from bare and fluffy (i.e., to sidehill lies to in-between yardages). You have to be able to perform the skill consistently under pressure, as if you were playing in the final pairing of the Club Championship.

By practicing different lies and distances you have to calculate how much resistance the club will encounter from the grass, where you have to land this ball, how much the ball will check when it hits the green, and how far the ball will release – and you have to execute this process all over again on each consecutive ball. Remember to practice like you play.

Please make a note of the follow dates:

Tuesday, August 9th Ladies Day at Pine Orchard Yacht Club in Branford, CT. Everyone is welcome! Please call reserve your spot by calling 860-836-9759 or check the sign up sheet in the hall of the Golf Shop.

Friday, August 12th | 12 pmKen Cup

Saturday, August 27thPatriot Day Golf

Fairway Mowing Patterns

Erick B. Holm, C.G.C.S.

As you know, to reduce our fuel costs, we changed our fairway mowing patterns this spring to the “classic cut”. This mowing method (one side is dark - the other side is light) worked fairly well for us until the heat of the summer was here. In the three month period that we used the “classic cut” method, we did not see any grain (or laying over) of the fairway surfaces, but once the hot weather started, our approaches showed signs of stress. At this point we then went back to our cross cutting methods which dictates that the mowers turn in the roughs (rather than in front of or around the greens). The cross cutting is more expensive, but less damaging in front of the greens. Going forward, we’ll let the weather, labor and fuel costs dictate the fairway mowing patterns.Sonic Solutions

The “Sonic Solutions” algae control system installed in the pond on # 9 continues to keep the algae popu-lation to a minimum. The duck weed (tiny green pellet-like plants) brought in with the water that fills the pond from Grimes Brook is still present but seems to float to the sides since there is less algae in the pond for it to adhere to.

From the Golf Course Superintendent

Suzanne Harris & John Ryan Foster2011 Club Champions

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Golf ProfessionalJason Waters, PGA

Summer has hit. It seems like we went straight from a rainy spring to the heat and dog days of summer. We enjoy seeing you out on the course and hope to see you more as the summer progresses.

July was Championship Month. We were able to crown champions in many different areas of the club. Please congratulate the following champions on their accomplishments:

• Men’s Club Champion – J.R. Foster, Runner Up – Ben Jessen• WGA Club Champion – Suzanne Harris, Runner up – Terri Forde• Mixed Club Champions Gross – Mark Murnane/Jackie Coghan• Mixed Club Champions Net – Rich Forde/Carole Margolis• Super Senior Champion – Dr. David Kaye, Runner up – Ed Olson

We still have many events on our calendar and hope to see you out participating in the coming months.

Mark Amoroso2011 Men’s Senior Golf Champion

Artist ReceptionMatthew J. WagnerFriday, September 2nd at Hop Meadow Country Club6 pm - 8 pm

Currently on display in the Clubhouse Grille dining room Courtesy of Matthew J. Wagner, Fine Photography Located at:522 Hopmeadow St. Simsmore Square Simsbury, CT 06070 860-264-4192 www.matthewjwagner.com

When asked what he strives for most in his work, his perfect answer is: “I’m just looking for images that move me.” Matthew J. Wagner is Connecticut’s best-kept secret no longer. Located in Simsbury since November of 2009, Matthew specializes in weddings, family, children’s and executive portraits.

Artist Corner

Dr. David Kaye2011 Super Senior Golf Champion

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Father’s Day Fishing Derby returns to the Hop!

What a day! Tons of Dads and their children came out to the Club’s pond to fish and spend time together as a family. The sky was blue, the fish were biting and the hot dogs were on the grill (with a beer or 2 for Dad)!

Trophies were given out to: Andrew Cefole for Longest Fish caught, Cameron & Sophie Morgan for Biggest Fish and Sophie & Charles Thompson for Most Fish Caught. Congratulations to everyone and a big thank you to Fisherman Bill for providing the bait and helping all the kids on this Father’s Day Fishing Derby. This event is sure to be repeated next year!

Summer Camp at HMCC

Hop Meadow had four wonderful weeks of Summer Camp enjoyed by many of our members’ children. Each camper experienced swimming, tennis, golf, arts & crafts, music, dancing, photography & yoga to name just a few highlights, A big thank you to our Camp Director Irene Urko for providing a wonderful group of educators to assist her in creating a well rounded camp experience for each camper that attended. Friendships were established and campers went home with memories to hold onto for years to come.

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Wine Wednesday!Come on in for a bite to eat and share (or don’t) a $10 bottle of wine! The theme for August will be French!

Kitchen NewsChef Aaron

There is always something cookin’ in the Hop Meadow kitchen ~ Being in the late summer, and in the peak growing and harvest season, our culinary team is making a concerted effort to bring you the best local produce, fish and meats. We are making full use of the CSA program from Wild Carrot Farm, in Canton, CT. Perhaps you have already had a taste of the sweet heirloom tomatoes or the unique garlic scapes. Perhaps you’ve tried the organic strawberries, or locally caught red shrimp or oysters. If not, you still have plenty of time. You can look forward to locally grown corn as well as many other weekly featured fresh picked produce. The benefits of choosing locally grown produce over produce shipped in from elsewhere should be obvious. This is also why we have partnered with J. Fosters Ice Cream. They have some of the best ice creams I have ever tasted and I personally recommend you try some of our rotating flavors we carry the next time you need a little cool-me-down. We are also supporting Flamig Farm’s “steakdog” project. This local Simsbury Farm has partnered with an organic beef farm of 100% organically produced grass-fed Vermont beef.

In closure, I would like you to keep in mind that whenever you go shopping for food, you vote with your dollar spent. It is by this method that bovine growth hormones have been removed from milk. It is by this method that organic companies like Stonyfield Farms and Ben and Jerry’s are now widely available. “Be the Change you Wish to See in the World” -and eat well ~ Chef Aaron

Tyler’s Pub NewsTyler Miller

Well, the first half of summer has certainly flown by! I hope everyone has enjoyed the splendid weather and was able to get outside on the course, the courts and in the pool. I take pride in providing a large selection of beverages at both of our snack shops and truly hope everyone has enjoyed these selections! I do my best to meet all requests so please feel free to inform me if there’s something special you’d like to see out there!

New last month, we replaced our three door cooler at the golf snack shop with a brand new single and double door from Pepsi! Yay!

Learn some of Executive Chef Aaron’s secrets as he leads you through the preparation and presentation of an

elegant 4 course meal

~1st Course ~Crab Cakes

~2nd Course ~Field green salad with candied

walnuts and Maytag blue cheese vinaigrette

~3rd Course~Pan seared pork tenderloin with

Rosemary Dijon pan sauce

~Dessert~Classic bananas foster with

vanilla bean ice cream

Saturday, august 13th6:30 ~ 8:30 in the Main Dining Room

$29.95++ per personCall Beth at 860-658-7623 ext230

to make your reservation

Cookin’ with Chef Aaron

Hop Meadow’s Signature cocktail…

the John Daly!Hound Dawg Sweet Tea Vodka

and fresh lemonade(splash of stoli raspberry optional)

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50th Anniversary Jubilee

50th anniversary Jubilee held on June 18th was a fabulous event adding to the vibe of celebrating HMCC’s 50th anniversary. Wonderful cocktails under the tent with a delicious raw bar, champagne fountain and ladies in summer cocktails dresses was the beginning to an evening of dancing under the tent and stars to the Clark Eno Orchestra. A slideshow of this event can be viewed on the Club’s website www.hopmeadowcc.net under The Club.

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July 15th HMCC honored the 1st day of play 50 years ago! Held down at the golf range with cocktails, long drive contest with founding member Jonathan Eno’s golf clubs and of course a bagpiper to honor this occasion. We had a great turnout and maybe it was the PBR for 61 cents but hoping it was a reason to once again, get together with fellow members to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of Hop Meadow! The winners of the long drive contest were Eric Brown with a drive of 234 yards and Mikayla Sheary for the ladies with a drive of 154 yards. These winners received a 50th anniversary golf shirt from the Golf Shop.

For those of you at HMCC that do not know Jeff Dornenburg he has been a member at Hop Meadow since May 2003 (8 yrs). He owns Dornenburg Group LLC, a full service advertising agency that’s been in business for 17 years. Jeff has offered his time, talent and company to create the banners that have been placed around the property. Please take some time and check them out! They are in color and depict the past history of the Club and the present.

Jeff sits on the boards of Watkinson School and the Urban League of Greater Hartford. His company does pro-bono for Simsbury Main Street Partnership, Hartford Hospital Auxiliary, Farmington Canal Heritage Trail, Cambodia Living Arts and of course Hop Meadow Country Club to name a few! He likes good beer and is a painter, canvas not houses. So if you see Jeff hanging out, drinking a cold beer give him a friendly pat on the shoulder and say thanks for contributing to your Club and its 50th birthday ~ thanks Jeff.

A Special “Thank You” to Jeff Dornenberg

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Kelly McManus, daughter of John & Ann McManus. Kelly attends Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) a first-year student majoring in actuarial mathematics, has been named a Charles O. Thompson Scholar for the 2010-2011 academic year.

A number of golfers from the Farmington Valley participated in the 36 hole Connecticut Junior PGA Championship in July. Congratulations to Andrew Several, son of Ed & Karen Several and Mikayla Sheary, daughter of Peter and Lisa Sheary as participants in this Ct Jr. PGA event.

Congratulations to Katie Euting, daughter of Jeff & Jennifer Euting. Katie is a team member of the Simsbury Little League Girl’s Softball and Connecticut’s District 6 Champions. Way to go Katie!

Ben Jessen, son of Brian & Maureen Jessen was one of approximately 100 CT top ranking amateurs that made the cut to play in the CSGA 8th annual Russell C. Palmer Cup on May 24-25th, hosted by Hop Meadow C.C. Ben made the cut with a score of 76 on May 24th and finished with a total score for the 36 rounds at 72, 13 over par. Ben played on the golf team at Simsbury High and currently plays on the golf team at Colgate University where he is majoring in Math Economics.

Recognition of HMCC member’s children...

Pool NewsSteve Matyczyk, Pool Director

The month of July was exciting with many fun-filled activities, family nights and great weather. What a beautiful July 4th weekend. Many families gathered around for poolside activities such as the Annual Children’s Poolside Parade to start off the day! Children and adults participated in relay races, water balloon toss, big splash competition and even took home their arts and craft creations. What a place to spend the days on the hot and muggy days of mid July! The pool was welcomed with families looking to take a break from the heat and enjoy rest, relaxation and relief from the heat along with a great cook out and cool frozen chilly drinks poolside!!! The Hop Meadow Dolphins Swim Team had a wonderful season. Our dedicated swimmers worked so hard on their strokes in lessons, practice and meets. For their accomplishments coaches Chloe and Kelsey rewarded our swim team with pizza parties, donuts and bagels and even a tie-dying shirt party to prepare for Championships!! I am so proud of all our swimmers!!!

Reminder: Wednesday and Friday the pool opens at 7am for ADULT LAP SWIM

Poolside Summer Camp OutFriday ~ August 19th

6 pm - 8 pm: Set up Tents8 pm - 9 pm: Open Swim9 pm: Movie10:30 pm - 11 pm: Pizza, s’mores, games, arts & crafts, WiiMidnight: Lights out at midnight

Checkout www.hopmeadowcc.net for more information.

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Tennis NewsSome tennis highlights this summer

Our Men’s Greater Hartford Tennis Team won their first match against Bloomfield JCC taking 8 of 9 sets here at Hop Meadow. John Wright and Mark Willis won 2 out of 3 sets at #1 doubles, while Steve Franklin and Tim Ruark swept 3 at #2, and Bob Glasspiegel and Phil Rockwell lost just one game in 3 sets at #3. Well done men!

New Member Mike DeVoe won a triple crown of sorts…capturing the Men’s Singles, Men’s Doubles (with partner Jon Batterson) and Mixed Doubles with Jen Murnane the weekend of July 7th -10th…”t is great to have new members who play such a fine game and to be a part of tennis here at Hop Meadow”, said Coach Jim Whiting. Congratulations to all the players we participated.

2011 Women’s Doubles Championship was held on July 12th with the winners Jean Robbins and Marian Hendershot defeating Jennifer Murnane and Emily Magaw 6-2, 6-2. Congratulations to all the members.

We are pleased to announce Phil Rockwell was the 2011 recipient of the Richard P. Garmany Tennis & Leadership Awards. This award was presented to Phil at the 32nd annual CT Senior Games hosted by the City of New Britain in May. This award is presented to the male and female tennis player who demonstrated exceptional skill and love for the game. Congratulations to you Phil – what an honor!

Please sign up for August Tennis Camps!!Great opportunity to continue that tennis game and to have fun at Hop Meadow with Coach Jim & Ryan. Call the Tennis Shop to register at 860-651-2905 or email Coach Jim at jwhiting1958@yahoo.com

Session 1: August 1-5Session2: August8-12Session3: August 15-19

9:00am to 10:30am for 7-10 yrs10:30am to Noon for 11 and up

Cost is $110/week