MGWA March 2021 Newsletter

METROPOLITAN GOLF WRITERS ASSOCIATION

NEWSLETTER

 

MARCH 2021

 

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).

 

Lots and lots to inform, after several months of newsletter & editor hiatus.

 

MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS UNDERWAY

 

Renewals for membership in the Metropolitan Golf Writers Association are continuing, and we urge anyone who has not renewed yet for 2021 to please do so ASAP.

 

Renewing your membership is easy. Simply log into the MGWA website (www.metgolfwriters.org) by clicking the green Login box in the upper right corner, then click the Membership tab on the top menu to be directed to the Membership Renewal Form. You must be logged in to access this form (reminder, your username is your preferred email address, and your password is your last name – capitalize the first letter). If you receive an “Access Denied” message, you have not logged in properly.

 

The MGWA’s 2021 dues are: Regular Members, $75; Associate Members, $100; Retired Members, $25. Descriptions for the dues categories are on the renewal form. Please note that dues have not increased. In fact, with the benefits your membership affords you, if you attend just one MGWA event this year, you’ve offset the cost of your dues!

 

Additionally, we are always looking for new members. If you have friends in the golf writing, journalism or related media/golf industry business that you would like to sponsor, please send them to our website. They can click on the “Membership” tab and submit a membership request.

 

If you have any membership questions, please feel free to contact MGWA Executive Administrator Robin Sauerhaft at: rsauerhaft@mgagolf.org.

 

QUILL & TEE IS BACK, MULTI EVENTS PLANNED

 

The MGWA soon will be sending out a signup notice for 2021 membership in the Quill & Tee Golf Club, which is the exclusive club without real estate for Met Golf Writers members. Sanctioned by the Metropolitan Golf Association and the USGA, the Quill & Tee GC conducts several meetings with golf competitions throughout the season. Q&T membership includes MGA handicapping services, a subscription to The Met Golfer magazine, competitive play in Q&T-only tournaments and eligibility to enter other golf association competitions.

 

The Quill & Tee Activities Committee is busy finalizing this year’s calendar of gatherings, with up to six get-togethers envisioned. Dates will be announced soon for visits to Pound Ridge (NY) CC, a challenging Pete/Perry Dye design; Pelham (NY) CC, which recently completed a major renovation and rerouting crafted by architect Mike DeVries; the newly named The Summit Club in Armonk, NY, which has been closed the past few seasons and has undergone a dramatic reworking by architect Rees Jones (see more about The Summit Club below); North Jersey CC, our MGWA Club of the Year for 2021, which features a classic Walter Travis-designed course with modern upgrades being sketched by Brian Schneider and Renaissance Golf. A pair of meetings are also being planned for the fall, with some noted venues to be announced.

 

THE SUMMIT CLUB TO DEBUT IN ARMONK

 

Westchester County’s “newest” course and club has been named The Summit Club at Armonk (NY) with plans to open this spring. The Summit sits on property that formerly housed Brynwood G&CC, which itself was previously known as the Canyon Club. The Summit has been undergoing a major transformation, with substantial course renovations and changes overseen by architect Rees Jones. Significant upgrades, new holes, bunker rebuilding, green reshaping, tee box adjustments and other changes will yield a formidable 6,700-yard par-71 layout. The golf range and a suite of practice facilities are also being upgraded. (INSIDE SCOOP: The Met Golf Writers will hold one of our 2021 meetings and golf outings at The Summit on July 8).

 

“The Summit Club is being designed as a 21^st-century lifestyle community with a focus on golf, tennis, fitness, and wellness with a resort-like environment,” said Jeff Mendell, managing partner.

 

Among the early hires for the club’s golf operation is course superintendent Christopher Alonzi, part of a pair of father/son course superintendents. Prior to joining The Summit, Alonzi worked in Westchester County at Saint Andrew’s, Westchester CC, Brae Burn and the now-defunct Elmwood. In 2006, the four Alonzis were honored as Family of the Year at the MGWA’s National Awards Dinner.

 

In addition to its recreational facilities, The Summit plans to build 73 luxury condominiums housed in seven buildings and sitting on the highest point on the site with 20+ mile views from the residences.

 

For media inquiries, please contact Pat Norton (pat@oncoursegolf-pr.com) or Jane Dally (jane@oncoursegolf-pr.com) at On Course Strategies, 203-454-0232.

 

MET-AREA CLUB PROS SCORE DOWN SOUTH

 

Jason Caron, head pro at the Mill River Club, Oyster Bay, NY, has been named the National PGA Professional of the Year and will receive his award at the PGA of America’s annual meeting this November in Milwaukee, WI. In February, Caron tied for ninth in the PGA Stroke Play Championship for club pros contested at PGA Golf Club, Port St. Lucie, FL. He totaled 206, 7-under-par, in the 54-hole event. Caron previously was named the Met PGA Player of the Year, having captured the 2020 Met PGA Professional Championship and Long Island Open titles, among other top finishes . . . Various Met-area club professionals competed in all four rounds of the 32nd Senior PGA Professional Championship staged on several courses at PGA GC, Port St. Lucie, FL. Highest finisher among area pros was Frank Bensel of Century CC, Purchase, NY, who placed seventh with a 72-hole aggregate of 281, 6-under-par, and 12 shots behind champion Omar Uresti of Texas. Frank Esposito of Forsgate CC, Monroe Township, NJ, was one shot behind in eighth place with -5. Both Bensel and Esposito were among the top 35 finishers gaining berths in the 2021 Senior PGA Championship scheduled for this May at Southern Hills CC, Tulsa, OK. Just missing out on qualifying were Brian Gaffney of Essex Fells (NJ) CC and Jim McGovern of White Beeches CC, Haworth, NJ, who were T39 at +4. Scott Wise of North Hills CC, Manhasset, NY, and Mark Brown of Tam O’Shanter CC, Brookville, NY, were T53 at +6; Scott Ford of Glen Oaks Club, Old Westbury, NY, and Jimmy Farrell of Hamlet G&CC, Commack, NY, were T65 at +8 . . . Rob Labritz of GlenArbor GC, Bedford Hills, NY, and Danny Balin of Westchester CC, Harrison, NY, each won respective events on the PGA Winter Tournament Series for club pros held in Florida.

 

PEOPLE, PLACES, ETC.

 

The MGWA Executive Committee, at its fall meeting, elected Brian Crowell --- who recently became the Director of Golf at Trump Golf Links at Ferry Point, Bronx, NY --- as the new president of the Met Golf Writers Association. Crowell succeeded Dave Donelson, who served as president for three years and now shifts over to the position of treasurer. Elected as vice presidents: Damon Hack, Golf Channel; Mark Cannizzaro, New York Post; Hank Gola, formerly New York Daily News sportswriter and now freelance. The rest of the Executive Committee was reelected as is. For the full release on the election of officers and the committee: https://metgolfwriters.org/brian_crowell­_elected_mgwa_president . . . For the second year in a row, the MGWA will not hold an in-person National Awards Dinner because of the coronavirus situation. However, plans are in the works to stage a Virtual Awards Dinner in the fall, with the honorees who were announced in 2020 all agreeing to take part. For a list of the honorees, and accompanying information about each one: https://metgolfwriters.org/2020_press_releases . . . Speaking of Ferry Point, upon assuming his new position as Director of Golf, Crowell said: “I’m excited to join General Manager Joe Roediger and the incredible team at Trump Golf Links at Ferry Point. The course and the experience are outstanding, and I look forward to this great opportunity. The golf course and our staff are ready for action.” Ferry Point, managed by the Trump Organization, was scheduled to open the course for the 2021 season on Thursday, March 18 . . . Here is a list of our MGWA committees, and their members: Membership Committee: Hank Gola, Pete Kowalski, Bill Pennington; Activities Committee: Dan Berger, Dave Donelson, Howie Munck, Jon Olson, Chuck Stogel; Fundraising Committee: Bruce Beck, Steve Clow (MGA sponsorship director), Brian Crowell, Dave Donelson, Ann Liguori, Jay Mottola, Pat Norton, Jimmy Roberts, Robin Sauerhaft . . . The search for a new PGA head pro at Rye (NY) Golf Club landed Kyle Baehler, 39, who comes over from nearby Willow Ridge CC, Harrison, NY, where he spent the last seven years as a teaching professional. A Wisconsin native and New Mexico State grad, Baehler also has worked at Old Oaks, Apawamis and Sunningdale in Westchester County . . . The third U.S. Senior Women’s Open, one of 10 USGA championships canceled in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic, will be held July 29-August 1 at Brooklawn CC, Fairfield, CT. This will be the fifth USGA national championship at Brooklawn, which previously hosted the 1974 U.S. Junior Amateur, 1979 U.S. Women’s Open, 1987 U.S. Senior Open and the 2013 U.S. Girls’ Junior . . . Also on the area calendar this season: the U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship, at Westchester CC, Harrison, NY, August 2-8; the PGA Tour’s Northern Trust, the first leg in the FedEx playoffs, at Liberty National GC, Jersey City, NJ, August 19-22 . . . NBCUniversal, at the end of 2020, completed the shift of its entire Golf Channel operation from Orlando, FL, to its NBC Sports Group complex based in Stamford, CT. According to reports, only a small number of Golf Channel staffers made the move northward while the Florida operation sustained numerous layoffs. Launched in 1995 in Orlando, Golf Channel is now televised in more than 70 countries and in nine languages. In January, a new live show called “Golf Today” replaced the discontinued “Morning Drive.” The new show is co-hosted by Shane Bacon, Anna Whiteley, and MGWA Executive Committee members Damon Hack and Jimmy Roberts. In other news from NBCUniversal, which is a subsidiary of Comcast, the company announced it would shut down its NBCSN sports channel by the end of 2021. A portion of NBC’s sports programming will shift to either its USA Network cable channel or the ultra premium Peacock streaming service . . . WELCOME NEWBORNS:  Golfweek writer Adam Schupak and wife Kristen, who live in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL, welcomed their first child, daughter Norah Elayne Schupak, into the world on March 12, coincidentally the Friday of The Players Championship at nearby TPC Sawgrass. Adam is a past recipient of the MGWA’s Dave Marr Scholarship for graduate studies in journalism at Columbia University. At the same time Norah arrived, former MGA president and The Met Golfer editorial committee member Les Schupak and wife Dianne became proud first-time grandparents . . . And, in the fall, MGWA past-president Bruce Beck and wife Janet became grandparents for the fourth time when their son and daughter-in-law, Mike and Calie Beck, gave birth to daughter Tyler Danielle. Mazel Tov to all the newborns, parents and grandparents!

 

HEARTFELT CONDOLENCES

 

Longtime MGWA member Jim Keenan of Norwalk, CT, former head of marketing for Ahead USA, passed away December 23, 2020, from complications of a stroke. He was 60 years old. Golf, golf gear and golf events were a huge passion for Keenan, as was his family. He is survived by his wife, Mary Ellen Keenan, and daughter Casey. A graduate of Fairfield University, Jim most recently was self-employed as the head of Game Plan Marketing. He also was president of Amberview, a club without real estate. Memorial contributions may be made to Food Rescue US, PO Box 1316, Norwalk, CT 06856, https://foodrescue.us.

 

It is with profound sadness we report the passing on February 26 of Elizabeth “Liz” Inselman, 85, mother of MGWA Executive Administrator Robin Sauerhaft (husband Rob). In addition to Robin and her son, Paul, Liz is survived by her husband Stuart. They were childhood sweethearts who met when she was 14 and he was 15, and eventually settled in North Bellmore, NY. Memorial donations may be sent to the East Midwood Jewish Center (where Liz and Stu were married), 1625 Ocean Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11230, www.emjc.org/donate/.

 

Cecilia Liguori, mother of sports broadcaster/author and MGWA Executive Committee member Ann Liguori, passed away March 8 in Lake Mary, FL, at age 95. A native of Snow Shoe, PA, and a former college professor, Cecilia was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, aunt, godmother and friend. She was predeceased in 1980 by her husband, Frank, and in 1982 by her eldest child, Jim. In addition to Ann, her other surviving children are Jean Liguori Skidgel and Daniel Liguori. Memorial donations may be sent to: The Cecilia Liguori Educational Scholarship, c/o The Ann Liguori Foundation, PO Box 605, Westhampton, NY 11977.

 

AROUND THE CLUBS:

West Hills, Westchester Hills, Willow Ridge

West Hills GC, Middletown, NY: The Bonura Hospitality Group, a family business managed by brothers Mike and Joe Bonura, plans to spend $40 million at West Hills on a multi-faceted project that includes upgrading its course and buildings, and erecting 158 luxury apartments. Formerly known as Orange County GC, West Hills’ golf course dates to an original nine holes opened in 1899 and a second nine added in 1928. The current setup includes a 6,813-yard par-72 course plus a nine-hole par-3 layout. West Hills’ most notable feature is an iron suspension bridge that connects holes on both sides of the Wallkill River; the bridge was designed by Roebling & Co., which also built the Brooklyn Bridge. Construction at West Hills is slated to begin this April and finish in late 2022.

 

Westchester Hills GC, White Plains, NY: The club, which dates to a 1913 origin, has hired architect Rees Jones to engineer and execute a golf course master plan and redesign. WHGC’s cozy 6,358-yard par 70 course was designed by the club’s first head pro, Peter Clark, with inspiration from Donald Ross. It boasts rolling terrain and contoured greens known to be lightning fast. The facility is managed by Troon Prive, the private club operating division of Troon Golf.

 

Willow Ridge CC, Harrison, NY: After several contentious months during which membership hoped to find a private buyer, the members of Willow Ridge  and the Town of Harrison, according to Westchester Magazine, have reached an “advance payment agreement” to sell WRCC’s 121-acre property to the town via eminent domain for $13.65 million. The deal allows the members --- beset by dwindling membership and financial struggles --- up to three years to go to court and petition for a higher price; should such action be taken, and the court agrees, the town would have to pay the difference of what a higher judgment would decree. Willow Ridge, which dates to a 1917 founding and has operated under several names since then, sits on land adjacent to the Apawamis Club in Rye and across the street from Westchester CC. Harrison officials plan to hire a management company to operate the club, which may be renamed, and to oversee extensive renovations to the course and buildings. According to Westchester Magazine, the town is contemplating a semi-private club with seasonal memberships as well as daily fee play for both residents and non-residents. The club also has swimming and tennis facilities on the grounds.

 

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