The Van Schaick Island Country Club

The Islander October 2020

October 2020

VSICC Club OfficeTuesday —Friday

10 am to 4 pmEmail us at

denisevanschaick@gmail.com(518) 237-0145

Bob KennedyHead Golf Professional

Upcoming EventsSaturday October 3 Shootout Scramble

Saturday October 10 Impossible Pin TournamentMonday October 12 Columbus DaySunday October 18 Pumpkin Open

Saturday October 31 HalloweenSunday November 1 Feast of All Saints

Sunday November 1 Daylight Savings EndsTuesday November 3 Election Day

Cool mornings and warm afternoons make for great golf weather. As we move into fall, we are nearing the end of our tournament schedule. We had to make adjustments to the schedule because of the current circumstances but all and all we had a full season.

The USGA says the COVID19 pandemic has caused a significant uptick in golf rounds played. Golf is an activity that you can do and still stay safe while taking some basic precautions. Considering the long list of things we cannot do right now it’s not surprising people are playing more golf. That certainly seems to be true here at Van Schaick.

Congratulations to all the winners of the annual raffle held on September 23. And, thank you to all those who participated in the Ed Cepiel Tournament the same day. Proceeds raised by both the raffle and the tournament go toward improvements in the club.

Several years ago we added a September general membership meeting to accommodate the “snow birds” among our members who cannot make the February meeting. We had to cancel the September meeting because of COVID19. If there had been a meeting the Board and I would report that the club’s financial status is good. We are still a long way from the end of the season. Some of the best weather for golf is till ahead of us. So, get out and play.

Carl Campbell

All The News That Fits We Print

Address ChangePlease note that the club is in the process of phasing out our P.O. Box . If anyone has to mail any correspondence to the club, please use our physical address: Van Schaick Island Country Club

201 Continental Ave Cohoes, NY. 12047

From the Cart Barn….

It is that time of the year again!! We are going to wash and wax our carts and you may be one of the lucky people that gets picked to help.  I will notify you if your lucky enough to have your name picked and when to come for the fun morning to wash and wax the carts! Our carts have run well all season and have been kept right on the maintenance schedule.   Luckily we have had no major problems especially since we have basically been in one- person-per-cart operation all season. Any Issues that came up were addressed immediately! Remember to operate carts carefully over rough or uneven terrain. Hopefully we will have great fall weather.By the way, just joking about washing and waxing carts!

Dave Epting - Cart Committee Chair

Board Approves Fall SpecialEffective immediately, the VSICC Board has approved a “fall special” membership again this year. New members can take advantage of this for $600 for a single and $800 for a family for unlimited golf for the remainder of the season.

New members who join under this program and continue their membership into the 2021 season will pay reduced dues. Their 2021 dues will be reduced by $500 for a single m e m b e r s h i p a n d $ 6 0 0 f o r a f a m i l y membership.

Golf Shop NewsFall is my favorite time of the year to be on the golf course. Fresh air and vibrant colors await those willing to challenge the course.Here are 4 tips for playing better golf in the fall.-Increase the amount of time you spend warming up before you tee off. As the weather gets cooler, your limbs will be stiffer. You need to get them nice and loose to prevent injuries. -Distance seems to be an issue on cooler days. I have often heard balls do not travel as far. Try using a softer golf ball. It is easier to compress a softer ball.-Wear layers of clothing. As the day warms up you can take off layers. Keeping yourself warm is your first priority. The warmer you are the better you will play.-Try walking again. Everyone knows that walking is the most fundamental of all exercise programs. So it makes sense that walking a golf course would be considered good for you. Bob Kennedy

IMPORTANT DATESJanuary 19 Oldies Night February 3 Super Bowl Sunday February 9 Rusty Old Guys February 16 Valentine’s Show February 18 Annual Meeting _______________________________ BOARD NOMINATIONS OPEN Members wishing to be considered for the annual Board of Directors elections should contact Joe Lukovits at jlukovits@nycap.rr.com or Denise Fanniff. Three seats will be open for election at February’s membership meeting. Any member in good standing is eligible to be nominated. _______________________________ OFFICE HOURS UNDER WAY Office hours have changed as we enter the off season. Denise Fanniff will be available in the office from Wednesday – Friday from 10am to 1pm. _______________________________ SCALA, FITZGERALD AGREE VSICC Golf Professional Luke Scala and Course Superintendent Conor Fitzgerald have both agreed to contract extensions that will keep them at Van Schaick for the 2013 season. _______________________________ BOD SETS 2013 DUES The VSICC BOD have set the dues structure for the 2013 season. Included in your billing you should find membership categories and dues for the 2013 season. If you wish to make any changes to your membership status please notify Denise Fanniff in the business office. Van Schaick Island Country Club

201 Continental Avenue Cohoes, NY 12047 P: 518-237-0145 I: www.vsicc.net

Board of Director Nominations Must Be Submitted By February 1 for February 18 Annual Meeting The VSICC annual meeting has been scheduled for 7pm on Monday, February 18th. All members are strongly encouraged to attend. At the meeting, the Board of Directors will present the 2013 budget estimating income and expenses for the coming year. In addition, an election to fill the three open board seats will be held. Only members in good standing with accounts current will be allowed to vote. Members who reside elsewhere during the winter months and wish to participate in the voting process can do so by email. An absentee voting procedure can be conducted by emailing Denise Fanniff in the business office and further detailed in February’s Islander. Candidates may be nominated by emailing Joe Lukovits at jlukovits@nycap.rr.com by February 1.

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC FROM 7AM-10PM DAILY VIEW OUR MENU AT WWW.VSICC.NET

SATURDAY, JANUARY 19 FROM 8-11PM

OLDIES NIGHT WITH TRIVIA, DANCE CONTESTS, RAFFLES MUSIC BY "BACKBEAT"

$20.00 HOT AND COLD BUFFET STARTS AT 6:30 PM

SUPERBOWL SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 3 REMEMBER US FOR ALL YOUR PARTY FAVORITES!!!

PRE-ORDERING APPRECIATED!!!

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 9 FROM 7-10PM DANCE TO "RUSTY OLD GUYS"

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16

VALENTINES PARTY WITH "THE OLDIES SHOW"

IF YOU ARE NOT RECEIVING SHAWN P'S EMAILS PLEASE EMAIL US AT SHAWNPATVANSCHAICK@GMAIL.COM AND WE

WILL ADD YOU TO OUR LIST!!!

CALL US AT 328-0079 FOR RESERVATIONS!!

Board of Trustees

Carl Campbell——President -Greens Chair

Dave Smith--Vice President —Communications Chair

—Membership ChairPeter McGarvey-Secretary

Ken Rogers-Tournament ChairKelly Gordon—House Chair

Bill LeBeau—Pool ChairDave Epting—Carts Chair

Bernie SantandreaBob Grebert

Club StaffBob Kennedy—PGA ProfessionalConor Fitzgerald--Superintendent

Denise Fanniff--Office

Business Office 518.237.0145Pro Shop 518.237.6127

Restaurant 518.328.0079

The Islander October 2020

VSICC Has a Facebook PageWherever you find yourself this off-season, let us know what you are doing. The club has a Facebook page. Check it out at https://www.facebook.com/pages/manage Post your photos and your comments.

Tournament ResultsGeorge Roe Tournament

September 5 & 6Overall Winners

Liz Ames & Cambell Kennedy

Flight WinnersFlight 1 Chip Murray & Ryan MeikleFlight 2 Jack Maloney & John EnglishFlight 3 Carl Campbell & Kathy GillFlight 4 Liz Ames & Cambell KennedyFlight 5 Jim Smith & Walt GillFlight 6 Rich McDonald & Bill Harris

HandicappingHandicap StatisticsIt seems that golfers no matter their level of ability try to improve. Probably not to the lengths of Bryson DeChambeau, who gained 30 pounds of muscle within a year in order to hit the ball farther. A player’s Handicap Index is an indication of the level of their ability. This might bring up the question of where do I stand relative to all golfers? The USGA has statistics on handicap indexes. Here are some takeaways pulled from those statistics.

The average handicap index for men is 14.2 and the average for women is 27.5. About one third of all male golfers have an index between 11 and 16. A similar distribution for women is a much larger range of indexes, 23 to 32. To be in the top 10% of male golfers you need to have an index of less than 5. The top 10% of female golfers have an index of less than 15. Less than 2% of men and less than 1% of women are scratch golfers (0 and lower handicap). These statistics do not include golfers without an official handicap who are probably in general more casual golfers.

Ralph MarksHandicap Committee Chair

Ed Cepiel TournamentIt was a full field. Teams teed off on Saturday, September 26, playing the annual Ed Cepiel Tournament. Along with some great prizes like 10K Raffle tickets, players were treated to typical Octoberfest offerings like clam chowder, German potato salad, brats, hamburgers and more. Thanks to all who p a r t i c i p a t e d ! F u n d s r a i s e d g o t o improvements in the club. Click here to see the scores and winners.

Annual 10K Raffle ResultsThe 10K Raffle drawing was held on Saturday, September 26 right after the end of play in the Ed Cepiel Tournament. Both events generate funds used for improvements in the club.

Congratulations to all the winners! Click here for a list of who won and how much. A special thanks to Jim Smith who, for many years, has sold tickets.

Sand Mix Now AvailableYou may have noticed that sand mix is now available. So, if you cannot replace a divot please at least use the sand mix in bottles on most carts. Walkers can pick up special sand mix bottles for walkers adjacent to the first tee.

While you are at it, please also make sure you repair ball marks on the greens. If you see a ball mark someone else made but didn’t not repair, please go ahead and repair it. If you don’t know how to properly repair a ball mark, click here for a USGA video on how to do it.

PoolWe would like to thank our club/pool members for observing Covid-Rules around the pool areas. Hopefully next year we will have a full pandemic-free season. I believe overall we had a good summer.   It’s my hope all our pool members will return next year with more club members utilizing their access of the pool. See you all next year.

Arrears VSICC also thanks our membership for keeping their billing accounts current.

Bill LeBeauPool Committee Chair

Greetings from the maintenance department

This golf season has been a very difficult one with the weather and not to mention the Covid pandemic but, over all, I think as a group we have done very well . As the fall months are upon us they are welcomed with open arms . Fall is an ideal time to get the turf healthy again and prepare for next season. Fairway aeration, seeding and fertilization will continue. Greens aeration will be done in the first two weeks in October , as well as-the blowing out of our irrigation system . So we will be busy. I would like to thank my staff for a great job in preparing the golf course for daily play. I would also like to remind everyone to keep carts away from greens as much as possible . Stay healthy.Regards,Conor

Conor FitzgeraldCourse Superintendent