SMGA October 8 2024 Board Meeting
Men’s Card Room 9:30 AM
The meeting was called to order by Larry Clausen at 9:30 AM. Present for the meeting were Larry Clausen, Jeff Ross, Jim Brownlowe, Jonathan Kaufman, Rick Marquardt, Wayne Judy and Jim Banta.
Minutes of the September meeting were approved.
Treasurers Report:
● Current balance is $26,683.63
● Wayne Judy has been added to the Wells Fargo account and Rob Thornton removed.
● Member-guest tournament was $1,508.05 over budget. This was balanced by similar under budget for Ryder Cup.
● One day member-member was $19 under budget.
Membership:
● New members in September/October: Bruce Rockwell, John Bosso, Ty Robinson, and Dennis Branch.
● Lost 2 members: Murrell Weddington, and Mike Willett.
● Three members went on medical leave: Thomas Gambeski, William Greenwald, and Galen McCrum.
● We currently have 174 active members.
Social:
● We had 77 attend the first social and 45 attend the second.
● Next social is scheduled for November 12th and December 10th will be the last social for 2024.
Tournament Report:
● The Member/Member was a success with Mark Whitling and Johnny Wofford winning the tournament and Steve Chiavelli and Greg Davis taking second place.
● 32 players are signed up fo the Stroke Play tournament.
● The Invitational will be moved to November 4th.
● December 9th will be the date for the first 2025 tournament (24 ball).
● Player of the year is very tight and will be determined by the outcome of the stroke play tournament.
Club Update:
● The club will need our 2025 tournament schedule by the end of October.
Old Business:
● Letters need to be sent thanking the sponsors of the Member/Guest.
New Business:
● Stan Rowland and John Thompson have agreed to join the SMGA board to replace Jonathan Kaufman and Larry Clausen.
● New scorecards have been ordered showing only one handicap for all men’s tees.
With no further business, motion was made by Jim Banta and seconded by Wayne Judy to adjourn. Motion approved. Next meeting is tentatively scheduled for November 7th, 2024 at 9:30 AM. The meeting was adjourned at 10:40 AM.
SMGA Board meeting
September 5, 2024
Men’s Game Room - 9:30 AM
The meeting was called to order by Larry Clausen at 9:33 am. Present for the meeting were Larry Clausen, Rick Marquardt, Jeff Ross, Jonathan Kaufman, Jim Brownlowe and Wayne Judy.
Minutes of the August meeting were approved.
Club update by Joe Matheny:
● There has been an issue with a member creating a “bot” to secure tee times. Management is aware and working to resolve the issue.
● Aeration is scheduled for September 9 & 10. The Spring schedule is March 3 and 4.
● The current golf membership is at 508 and with social memberships the total is 920.
Treasurer’s Report:
● Income as of September 5, is $25,125.63.
● Jeff and Wayne are planning to go to the bank to get Wayne added and Rob removed
Membership Report:
● New member … Bosco and Rockwell
Social report:
● There were 45 that attended the optional Member Guest dinner. All but two people had the steak dinner. Positive comments by all.
● We had 61 attend our first SMGA Happy Hour. The food was excellent. However, those that went first may have been excessive on making it a dinner vs appetizers, which left a limited selection for the rest. We may need to revisit pricing and monitoring. Several attended without signing up. There was confusion on the tables being reserved. All comments were very positive.
● We have October and November scheduled.
● We are looking into a dinner for December.
Tournament overview:
● We have a good turnout so far for the 1-day MM. Approximately 30 teams are signed up. TC will be out of town and has coordinated with Mark Humphlett to coordinate flights and pairings with Phillip.
● Due to scheduling conflicts with the Club M/G, we are moving the Stroke Play championship to October 21 and 23.
Old Business:
● We need to address the thank you letters to our M/G sponsors. Due to travel, Larry and Jonathan will address in October.
● The new Hole-In-One policy was approved. Larry will reach out to Scott and Joyce to make it a standardized policy for the Club.
New Business:
● All nominees for BOD have declined the nomination. We’ve had one volunteer to run. Larry is working to twist arms. He will run if he can’t secure additional folks.
● All BOD members were asked to develop 2024 highlights for the SMGA business meeting post stroke play event.
Next Board Meeting:
October 8, 2024 at 9:30 AM in the Men’s Game Room
The meeting adjourned at 10:50 am.
Notes submitted by Larry Clausen for Jim Banta
SMGA August 8, 2024 Board Meeting
Men’s Card Room 9:30 AM
The meeting was called to order by Larry Clausen at 9:39AM. Present for the meeting were Larry Clausen, Jeff Ross, Jim Brownlowe, and Jonathan Kaufman.
Minutes of the July meeting were approved.
Treasurers Report:
● Current balance is $18,400
● Current M/G sponsorships collected $5200. Expected total to $7,100. Signage came in way under budget. Should have around $800 left
● Crown Cup used $710 of $750 subsidy
Membership:
● New member in July … Paolo Leardini
● Lost 6 members … Maples, Bartlett, Russo, Davis, Fahrney Sr and Mahaffey to Social membership.
● Jardien and Riche went on medical
● We currently have 182 active members
Social:
● We currently have 45 signed up for the pre MG dinner
● No updates on the on the Happy Hours to report.
● With the Club being more flexible we need to explore a Christmas dinner activity
Tournament Report:
● Match play pods are completed … Jerry Matthews and John Coombs will be competing for the championship
● Ryder Cup saw the Blue team come back and defeat the Red team
● Member/Guest has 59 teams with no waitlist
Club Update:
● We currently have 505 golf members and 900 plus total memberships.
● The bunker experiment seems to indicate that the new sand and new liner, (i.e.on 6) is the best combination. Fairway bunkers will be reworked in 2025 and green sided bunkers / green in 2026.
● Plans to go private would be delayed until after the new greens are completed.
● The number of public play rounds will be limited until after aeration. The number of round will be capped to around 160
● Grass cutting is behind due to equipment maintenance issues
● Food sales are down slightly since going private. However alcohol sales are way up.
Old Business:
Revisions to the Hole In One Policy were discussed further. A goal was set to have the policy finalized, discussed with the MGA and LGA and implemented by the end of September or sooner.
New Business:
The Board was tasked with recruiting new candidates to run for election. Election to be held in October. Jonathan Kaufman will not be seeking reelection. Larry Clausen is considering running
With no further business, motion was made by Jonathan Kaufman and seconded by Jeff Ross to adjourn. Motion approved. Next meeting is tentatively scheduled for September 3, 2024 at 9:30 AM or September 5, 2024 at 10:30 AM pending feedback from the members that were not able to attend.
SMGA July 9, 2024 Board Meeting
Men’s Card Room 9:00 AM
The meeting was called to order by Larry Clausen at 8:57 AM. Present for the meeting was Larry Clausen, Jeff Ross, Jim Brownlowe,Rob Thornton, Rick Marquardt, Jonathan Kaufman and Jim Banta.
Minutes of the June meeting were approved.
Treasurers Report:
- Current balance on hand is $14,150.53
- We need to start working hard to get sponsorships for the Member/Guest
Membership Report:
- We added one new member in June. Will Cox
- Current membership is 187
Social Report:
- We now have four happy hours scheduled for September 3, October 1, November 5, and December 3. These will be happy hours from 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM.
- Working on a Member/Guest dinner for August 15th. Three dinner options will be available with cocktails at 6:30 and dinner at 7:00 PM. Cost will be $36.00
Tournament Report:
- Player of the year is a tight race with 30th place only 215 points behind the leader
- First round of match play has been completed with 45 participants
- Member/Guest field is full with 60 teams participating
Club Update:
- The sink holes on the range have been repaired. Over 2000 range balls were recovered in the process
- Bunkers on 18 are being reworked.
With no further business, motion to adjourn was made by Rob Thornton and seconded by Jonathan Kaufman. Motion was approved. Next meeting is scheduled for August 6th at 9:30 AM. Meeting was adjourned at 10:12 AM
SMGA June 11, 2024 Board Meeting
Men’s Card Room 9:30 AM
The meeting was called to order by Larry Clausen at 9:27 AM. Present for the meeting were Larry Clausen, Jeff Ross, Rick Marquardt, Jim Brownlowe, Jonathan Kaufman, and Jim Banta.
Minutes of the May meeting were approved.
Treasurers Report:
- Current balance is $11,402.03
- We were overcharged $275 on the Invitational. We should get this back soon
- We are $6.40 over budget on tournaments YTD
Membership:
- No new members for May
- We currently have 186 active members
Social:
- No activity to report
Tournament Report:
- Match play is close to being completed
- Member/Guest registration has been raised to $330.00
- Guests must have a verifiable handicap
- We currently have 35 signed up for the 40 ball tournament, 25 signed up for the Crown cup and 18 for the Ryder Cup
Club Update:
- The bunkers on 6 and 18 will be worked on in July rather than June
With no further business, motion was made by Jim Banta and seconded by Rick Marquardt to adjourn. Motion approved. Next meeting is scheduled for July 9, 2024 at 9:30 AM.
SMGA May 14, 2024 Board Meeting
Men’s Card Room 9:30 AM
The meeting was called to order by Larry Clausen at 9:31 AM. Present for the meeting was Larry Clausen, Jeff Ross, Jim Brownlowe, Rob Thornton, Rick Marquardt and Jim Banta.
Minutes of the April meeting were approved.
Treasurer’s Report:
- Current balance is $19,130.87.
- 2024 SMGA Dues Collected $9,400.00.
Membership Report:
- Current active members total 188.
- No new members since last report.
Social report:
- Looking at possibly having a happy hour type event sometime in June.
Tournament Report:
- We received good feedback on the Member/Member tournament.
- The 40 ball tournament and Ryder Cup are now open for signup online.
Club Update:
- New liners will be going into the bunkers on 6 and 18 in June.
- All fairway bunkers will be redone in 2025.
- All green side bunkers will be redone in 2026.
- In 2026 the course will be closed from Memorial Day to Labor Day to complete the work on the bunkers.
- Starting in July only members will have access to the restaurants and driving range.
With no further business, motion to adjourn was made by Jim Banta and seconded by Rob Thornton. Motion approved. Next meeting is scheduled for June 11, 2024 at 9:30 AM.
SMGA April 8, 2024 Board Meeting
Men’s Card Room 3:00 PM
The meeting was called to order by Larry Clausen at 3:08 PM. Present for the meeting was Larry Clausen, Jeff Ross, Jim Brownlowe, Rick Marquardt, Jonathan Kaufman, Rob Thornton and Jim Banta.
Minutes of the March meeting were approved.
Treasurer’s Report:
- Current balance is $11,402.03
- Anticipate being over budget by approximately $500 after the first two tournaments.
- A new credit card has been obtained for new SMGA events to be charged directly to it as well as SMGA monthly charges
- Expect to get a check from the club at the end of April for SMGA dues to be deposited into the Wells Fargo account
- Motion was made by Rob Thornton and seconded by Rick Marquardt to approve the treasurer’s report. Motion approved.
Membership report:
- New members for March include Gary Read, Don Ritter, Jeff Kemezis, and Kevin Ahrens
- Current active members total 188
Social Report:
- The club has not been positively responsive to our requests for socials
- The club would be open to having a Christmas party for each member organization
Tournament Report:
- We had 61 players participate in the Bubba tournament
- Paul Blocker was the overall winner
- Currently there are 42 players signed up for the Member/Member
- Need to start now approaching sponsors for the Member/ Guest
Club Update:
- The restaurant is now open
- Our club pro Eric Steele will be leaving at the end of April
New Business:
- Sanding of the fairway divots is scheduled for April 18th and April 30th.
With no further business motion was made by Jim Banta and seconded by Jeff Ross to adjourn. Next SMGA board meeting is scheduled for May 14th, 2024.
SMGA March 5, 2024 Board Meeting
Men’s Card Room 9:30 AM
The meeting was called to order by Larry Clausen at 9:28 AM. Present for the meeting were Larry Clausen, Jim Brownlowe, Rob Thornton, Jim Banta, Jeff Ross and Jonathan Kaufman.
Minutes of the January meeting were approved.
Treasurer's Report:
- January 24 balance - $11,402.03
- Rob Thornton has been signed up at Wells Fargo to have access to the account
- Mark Whitling is working on our tax filing
Membership Report:
- New members this year include: Klaren Alexander, Dave Schoendorf, Paul Thomas, Phil Juravel, and Bob Reccord
- We currently have 184 active members
- Total dues billed - $9,200.00
Social Report:
- No social report due to ongoing construction
Tournament Report:
- Four events are now active on the website and are available to our members to register for these events
- Match play billing will be done on the May statement
- Changes to the Player of the Year and Most Improved Player were discussed and approved. Jonathan will send an email to the membership outlining those changes.
- Discussion was had and approved to make sure top three most improved players are invited to the end of year invitational.
- Using our mailing list to solicit participation in events being held at Woodmont was discussed at length. We will set a policy on communications using our GG email list. It must be a golf event supporting a charity and played at Woodmont.
Club update:
- Opening of the restaurant has been delayed due to waiting on electricians to finish
- Restaurant should be open before the end of March
- Fairway bunkers will be reworked in 2025 and green side bunkers in 2026
- Green fees to the public will be going up $10.00 in April
New Business:
- Spring sanding of fairway divots is scheduled for April 18th for the front nine and April 30th for the back nine
- Fall sanding is scheduled for September 26th and October 1st
- Discussion was had on the need for better representation on the handicap committee.
- Discussion was had on accepting only USGA handicap’s for the member guest tournament. Options will be investigated in order to have a fair and fun tournament
With no further business a motion was made by Rob Thornton and seconded by Jeff Ross to adjourn at 11:54 AM. Next meeting is scheduled on April 9th at 9:30AM. Location to be determined.
SMGA Jan 16 2024 Board Meeting
Sales Office 9:30 pm
The meeting was called to order by Larry Clausen at 9:30. Present for the meeting were Larry Clausen, Rick Marquardt, Jim Brownlowe, Jeff Ross, Rob Thornton, and Jonathan Kaufman. Absent was Jim Banta due to illness. Special Guests were John Hout (2023 POY) and Art Walsh (2023 Most Improved).
Minutes of the December 2023 meeting were approved by unanimous vote of the Board.
Special Presentation:
- Rick Marquardt (2023 President) and Jonathan Kaufman (Tournament Chair) presented John Hout with the “coveted” golf bag for POY and Art Walsh with a gift certificate for Most Improved. A photo was taken for publication on the website.
Treasurers Report:
- Newly inducted treasurer, Jeff Ross, presented a detailed budget and spend-plan for 2024. He noted the balance rolled over from 2023 was $11,402.03. For 2024, projected expenses for tournament events are $25,250. Projected miscellaneous expenses are $4,900. Projected miscellaneous income items are $23,970. This leaves a projected surplus of $5,222.03 at year end.
- It was approved that Rob Thornton (SMGA VP) be added as an authorized signature to the SMGA account.
- A motion was approved to add a $500 line item to the projected miscellaneous expenses for a periodic “New Member Meet the Board” event(s).
- The budget was approved with the above addition.
Membership Report:
- Jim Brownlowe reported that the membership chair turnover is complete.
- Two new members have been added in January, 2024.
- After audit by the Club Accountant and Club Membership Director, the total number of SMGA members (inclusive of the new members) is 182. Dues will be billed on 1/28/2024.
- Jim Brownlowe took the action to develop a “New SMGA Member Orientation Presentation”.
- Jim Brownlowe took the action to get a list of MGA members turning 55 this year and send invitations to them to join SMGA.
- Jim Brownlowe took the action to periodically check with the Club Accountant for updates to the medical leave list.
Social Report:
- Rick Marquardt has assumed the role of Social Chair.
- Scheduling of social events continues to be hampered by new restaurant construction and lack of onsite venue. Rick will continue to work with Club management to come up with ideas for social events.
Tournament Report:
- Discussion was initiated about moving the SMGA Invitational from February to May due to chance of bad playing conditions and other factors. Jonathan Kaufman took the action to attempt to revise the tournament schedule to have this event in mid-May.
- Discussion was brought up on changing how Player of the Year points are calculated. It was suggested that POY points should be structured to include participation points plus a set number of points awarded for performance in minor and major events. It was suggested this would make points awarded more predictable vice the present system of participation points plus dollars won.
- Jonathan Kaufman, Rob Thornton, and Jim Brownlowe took the action to meet and devise a new proposed system for awarding POY points and present it to the Board no later than the next Board meeting before the tournament season begins. The Board will evaluate this proposed structure and vote upon whether it will be adopted.
- There was discussion about what types of handicaps will be acceptable for guests in the Member-Guest tournament. It was suggested that players must have a GHIN handicap to participate. Others suggested this was too restrictive. The issue was tabled for further discussion at TBD time.
Management Update
- Joe Matheny was present and gave updates on certain Club news and plans.
- The new superintendent, Travis Franck, has been formally hired after interviewing three candidates. Travis was previously the Club’s assistant superintendent. Congratulation Travis!
- Bi-annual trimming to certain native areas is underway or completed for better aesthetics and playability.
- The projection for the new main restaurant opening is now about 1 March.
- The next planned major capital improvement is expansion of the parking areas.
- In 2023, there were 49,000 rounds of golf played at Woodmont. He believes this surpasses any other year.
- There are currently about 490 golf members and 800+ total members (golf plus activities members)
- New seats and GPS will be installed in the golf carts within about a month. It is TBD on whether any sort of “GPS fencing” will be activated on the carts.
- The Club still plans to switch the nines on or about 1 April. It’s likely that during winter months, the nines will be reversed for starting due to frost issues not clearing as quickly on what will be “new #2” (old #11).
- Joe mentioned the Club is trying to decide what to do with the former Sales Office building. The following suggestions were made:
- Use it as a venue for member / HOA meetings or other small events that do not include food service.
- Move the Fitness Center to this location.
- Move the Pro Shop to this location.
- Simply get rid of it.
Other Business:
- Larry Clausen is working with the Club to have the SMGA Breakfast Workshop on 20 February. This will likely be in Marana’s and may be limited to 60 attendees. There was discussion was about a March Breakfast Workshop on a TBD date.
With no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 11:58 am.
Next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday March 5, 2024 at 9:30 am. Location TBD.
SMGA December 4, 2023 Board Meeting
Sales Office 3:30 pm
The meeting was called to order by Rick Marquardt at 3:38 pm. Present for the meeting were Rick Marquardt, Jim Brownlowe, John Lindemann, Jeff Ross, Rob Thornton, Jim Banta and Larry Clausen (by phone). Minutes of the November meeting were approved.
Treasurers Report:
● Net income as of this meeting was $11,402.
● We should have approximately $7,000 to carry over into next year
● Discussion was had concerning adjusting certain budget line items up or down to better match expectations for 2024
Membership Report:
● No new members were added in November
Social Report:
● Nothing to report due to continued construction
Tournament Report:
● Player of the year was John Huot
● Most improved player of the year was Art Walsh
Other Business:
● Will try to plan a breakfast meeting with the February business meeting and have a USGA representative come in and talk about handicap formula changes taking effect in 2024. In addition we want to introduce our new course superintendent to the membership.
With no further business the meeting was adjourned at 4:03 pm.
Next meeting is scheduled for January 16, 2024 at 9:30 am.
SMGA November 14, 2023 Board Meeting
Sales Office - 9:30 AM
The meeting was called to order by Rick Marquardt at 9:28 AM. Present for the meeting were Rick Marquardt, Jonathan Kaufman, Rob Thornton, Jim Banta, John Lindemann and Larry Clausen. Minutes of the October meeting were approved. Motion to approve was made by Larry Clausen and seconded by Jim Banta.
Treasurer’s Report:
- Net income as of October 31st is $15,454.11
- Still waiting on some bills to come in (Ryder Cup)
- Will be working to put together a year end projection as well as 2024 budget
- Discussed possibly putting together a committee to keep better track of expenses with the club
Membership Report:
- Currently have 196 active members and 7 inactive
- Two new members: Jeff Moore and David Riche
Social Report:
- Socials are on hold due to construction
Tournament Chairman’s Report:
- A tentative 2024 tournament schedule has been formulated
- All tournaments will be 9:00 AM starts with the exception of the two day tournaments. First day will be 9:00 AM start but second day will be 8:00 AM start
- Match play will be scheduled to be completed by the end of August
- Discussed making funds available for a NASMGA celebration. Motion was made by Jonathan Kaufman and seconded by Rick Marquardt to not make any funds available for that due to it affecting too few SMGA members. Motion passed.
- Discussed changing the name of the Crown Cup and format
With no further business the meeting was adjourned at 11:03 AM