SEND IN YOUR NEWS AND NOTES: All members of the MGWA, with items for our Newsletter, are urged to e-mail them to Chuck Stogel (chstogel@aol.com).
PHOTO GALLERIES: Please note that photo galleries from many of our MGWA meetings and outings are posted on our website (metgolfwriters.org). There are foursome photos, action photos, meeting photos and more. To access, log on to our website and click on Meetings & Outings, then open the photo gallery you wish to see (photos are free to copy).
PRESIDENT CROWELL, MGWA BOARD RE-ELECTED FOR 2023
The Metropolitan Golf Writers Association Board of Directors has been re-elected in its entirety for 2023. Noted broadcaster and PGA professional Brian Crowell will retain the title of President. Joining him on the Executive Committee will be Vice Presidents Mark Cannizzaro of the New York Post, Hank Gola, veteran sportswriter formerly at the New York Daily News, and Damon Hack of the Golf Channel. Treasurer Dave Donelson of Westchester Magazine will also serve another term.
Current members of the MGWA Executive Committee who are returning: Bruce Beck, WNBC-TV; Dan Berger, DMB Media Network; Lori Ann Cerullo, WMGA; Martin Davis, The American Golfer; Patrick Donnelly, Sirius XM Holdings; Pete Kowalski, Kowalski Sports and PR; Ann Liguori, Ann Liguori Productions; Bill Meth, JB Sports Service; Peter Morrice, Golf Digest; John Paul Newport, Freelance; Patricia Norton, On Course Strategies; Bill Pennington, Freelance; Jimmy Roberts, NBC Sports; and Chuck Stogel, Freelance.
Renowned throughout the golf industry, Crowell (pictured left) is the General Manager of Trump Golf Links at Ferry Point. He has been a PGA of America golf instructor since 1991, was named the 2020 Met PGA Professional of the Year and recently earned the title of PGA of America Master Professional, the highest educational designation a PGA professional can obtain. On the media side, Crowell has covered numerous Masters and PGA Championships for CBS Sports, as well as both men’s and women’s U.S. Opens, the Ryder Cup, President’s Cup and U.S. Amateur tournaments. He hosted Lesson Tee Live on Golf Channel and On-Course on SiriusXM, and has authored several books: Slice-Free Golf, The Idiot’s Guide to Golf and Visual Quick Tips: Golf.
MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL NOTE: A renewal notice and membership dues structure for 2023 will be emailed to all current members after the holidays. Additionally, new members are always welcome, with the application for membership accessible at the MGWA website.
WE GOTTA BREAK UP THE BERGER KINGS!
Foursome Wins The MGWA Shootout Trophy, Again
A throng of nearly 70 attendees turned out for our morning meeting session and luncheon, followed by 63 golfers teeing it up in the afternoon, at the MGWA gathering on September 29th at Forest Hill Field Club in Bloomfield, NJ (www.foresthillfc.com). The get-together at FHFC was our last outing with a formal meeting session for 2022; the MGWA seasonal schedule concluded on October 17th with golf on the Bethpage State Park Black course.
Outdoor demo sessions at Forest Hill and indoor presentations featured: Bruce Sizemore (pictured left), founder of equipment company More Golf; Jon Levy (right), managing director of lifestyle firm GolfForever; Forest Hill owner Rob Marziotto and head golf pro Jason Fiore; and World Golf Hall of Famer Tom Kite, who has been crafting and overseeing renovations at the Forest Hill course along with Billy “Better Bunkers” Fuller.
Levy led our attendees in an indoor workout session crafted by GolfForever, which launched in 2019 and is based in Aspen, CO. The company’s program features an integrated training system designed by medical and physical therapy specialists; there are personalized workouts, flexibility routines, apps, videos and specialized training devices. More info about GolfForever is available at the company locations on YouTube and Facebook.
Sizemore, a former playing professional who has been designing clubs for more than 20 years, opened Detroit-based More Golf in 2018 (moregolf.com). The company features putters, wedges and irons designed by Sizemore and custom fit to individual swings and putting styles. In talking about his approach to crafting clubs, Sizemore said, “Golf is too focused on distance and not enough on precision.”
Kite (pictured below, with FHFC pro Jason Fiore) regaled our attendees with specifics about the architectural renovations enacted at Forest Hill, along with a free-flowing range of candid golf, pro tour, rules, tournament and opponent backstories woven into an extremely lively Q&A session. Co-designer with Bob Cupp of nearby Liberty National GC in Jersey City, Kite met, and was subsequently hired by Marziotto, who in addition to having purchased Forest Hill in 2019, is a member at Liberty National. The current par-71 Forest Hill course was originally designed by A.W. Tillinghast and opened in 1927, and Marziotto has been upgrading all the facilities at the club since assuming ownership. “Forest Hill is a tight piece of property, so one of our concerns was to address safety issues for the golfers,” said Kite. “Some of the greens with bold contours did not present enough pin placements. All the bunkers were redone, and some were moved. Tee boxes were rebuilt and expanded. The idea was to keep the flavor of a very fine layout and make it fun, but still challenging for all.”
The featured competition in the afternoon was the annual MGWA Team Shootout, a two best balls of foursome event in which nine teams participated. The Berger Kings foursome of (pictured, left to right) Jon Olson, Jozef Thur, Dan Berger, and Bob Dorgan claimed the coveted trophy with a 15-under-par aggregate of 127, representing some form of team lineup that prevailed for the third straight time and eighth championship in the past 12 events. In a tournament where offbeat team names are the norm, the Poison Ivy foursome of Evan Mandery, Mike Beckerich, Robert Benno and Jon Lurvey came in second with a net-130, while The Panel, consisting of Steve Adamek, Lokesh Reddy, Eric Berger and Dave Harmon, came in third at 132. They were followed by: The Golfing Gaels of St. Mary’s, 133; Kelly’s Heroes, 136; Chokin’ Dogs, 137; Post Times, and Mac And Bs, 138; The Good Guys, 139. Olson, Kelly Campbell and Thur were nearest to the pin winners on the 152-yard fifth hole; Lurvey, Chris Sulavik and Jon Zanzarella were closest on the 167-yard 16th hole. More Golf and GolfForever provided numerous prizes, along with golf shop certificates, for the day’s top finishers.
MGWA MEMBER JOE DONNELLY
PASSES AWAY
Joseph “Joe” Donnelly, 87, a member of the Met Golf Writers for several decades, died on Sunday, December 11th, at South Shore University Hospital in Bay Shore, NY, after suffering a heart attack at Hauppauge (NY) High School the previous Thursday where he was getting ready to referee a junior varsity girls basketball game. A well-regarded sportswriter by both his peers and readers, as well as an engaging interviewer and a friendly, consummate storyteller, Donnelly worked for Newsday on Long Island for 33 years (1962-1995), primarily covering Mets and Yankees baseball (he was the official scorekeeper at many games for 20 years), but he also wrote about various other sports. Prior to Newsday, he had stints at the now-defunct World Telegram & Sun, at Sport magazine and with United Press International. He was well known as a gracious mentor to numerous young sportswriters. A Brooklyn native, Hunter College graduate and longtime Huntington, NY, resident, Donnelly was active in many, many activities. He was a caddie on Long Island into his 70s (prior to covering Major League Baseball night games) and then a golf ranger, as well as a softball umpire and, despite having been diagnosed with lung cancer in 2020, a boys and girls high school basketball referee right up until last week. He once went to MLB umpiring school for a story, and even called balls and strikes for a few innings during a Mets spring training game. An avid golfer, Donnelly was a regular attendee at MGWA meetings and outings. He is survived by his wife of 59 years, Anne; sons Steven and Michael, and daughters Julie Bretz and Laurie Schuberg; a brother and sister, and seven grandchildren. The family plans a private celebration of life. Stories, remembrances or messages regarding Joe Donnelly may be emailed to: memoriesofjoedonnelly@gmail.com.
To access an homage to Joe Donnelly written by former Newsday colleague Tom Verducci on SI.com: https://www.si.com/mlb/2022/12/13/joe-donnelly-obit.
PEOPLE, PLACES, ETC.
The PGA Winter Tournament Series for club pros began a few weeks ago with 36-hole events on various courses at PGA GC in Port St. Lucie, FL, with Met-area golfers recording several top finishes. In Event No. 1, Casey Pyne of the Stanwich Club tied for second, one shot back of the winner, after posting a 5-under-par 137. Dylan Newman of Brae Burn was T8 with a 2-under 140. In Event No. 3, Pyne came in fourth with a 6-under 138. In the most recent outing, Event No. 4, Pyne tied for fifth, two shots off the winning pace, after shooting a 7-under 135, while Alex Beach of Westchester CC was T7 with a 6-under 136 . . . Seven Met-area pros placed among the top 18 finishers November 17-20 in the PGA of America’s 46th National Assistant Professional Championship in Port St. Lucie. Andy Svoboda of Engineers CC led the area contingent by tying for fourth with a 2-under-par 286 for 72 holes, four shots behind the winner. Other area finishers: Mike Ballo Jr., Westchester CC, T6 with a 1-under 287; Casey Pyne of Stanwich, Danny Lewis of Hollywood GC and Peter Ballo of Connecticut GC, T12; Tyler McArdell of Essex County CC, T9; Frank Bensel of Century CC, T16; and Shea Wolfle of Meadow Brook Club, T18 . . . Bryan DeMarco, head pro at Pine Barrens GC, Jackson, NJ, received the Deacon Palmer Award at the PGA of America’s annual meeting held last month in Phoenix. The award is presented for integrity in overcoming a major obstacle in life. DeMarco has come back three times from bouts with cancer . . . Ben James, 17, of Milford, CT, a freshman at the University of Virginia, is among 16 elite American amateurs invited by the USGA to attend a three-day Walker Cup practice session this month in Jupiter, FL. The U.S. team will be selected in 2023 ahead of September’s Walker Cup matches in St. Andrews, Scotland, against a counterpart team representing Great Britain & Ireland . . . NEW MGWA MEMBER: Hugh McGuire, ABC/ESPN director of operations, hjmcguire@gmail.com.