From the Desk of the General Manager

19 H O L E
the
th
January-February 2016
A N E W S L E T T E R F O R T H E M E M B E R S O F T H E L I N K S AT S T O N O F E R R Y
From the Desk of the General Manager
The Links at Stono Ferry has been chosen
The one change I announced for 2016 at
by the South Carolina Golf Association to
the course is the creation of a set of tees
host the South Carolina Junior Amateur. It
that will be set at 3,850 yards.
will be the 58th time the tournament has
tees will take the place of the blue and
been held, and only the third time it has
yellow family tees.
been hosted in the Charleston area. Past
be cut at tee height and the tee mark-
champions include Lucas Glover and Char-
ers will make it easier for players to find.
lie Rymer. The golf tournament will be held
They will be rated for men and women.
June 7-9, and it is open to players ages
These tees are designed for players who
13-17. We will be looking for volunteers
hit driver less than 150 yards. The dis-
to help with the event. Mainly we will need
tance should allow for players to make
spotters on the course to help players find
more greens in regulation, speed up play,
their balls and to assist with pace of play.
and have more overall enjoyment. Please
Please be on the lookout for sign up op-
be on the lookout for the tees this spring.
These
The teeing area will
portunities, they will be posted this spring.
As we begin the 2016 season, I want to
The annual meeting turn out this past De-
encourage all members to continue to give
cember was very good. It was great to see
the staff and me as much feedback as
outgoing board members being recognized
possible. We may not always be able to
for their service to the MGA and the WGA.
accomplish your desire, but we will when
I want to say a special thanks to our out-
we can. Our goal as a company is to con-
going board members for their efforts, and
tinue to improve, and the only way that is
I also want to thank Alex Tumbleston for
possible is from membership feedback.
her efforts as President of the WGA. The
Feel free to call, email, or see me in person.
meeting was also an opportunity for the
membership to recognize the new incom-
Thank you again for your business. The
ing WGA President. Libby Summerford.
staff and I look forward to serving you.
General Manager, Greg Wood
Jan/Feb ‘16
S T O N O
F E R R Y
M E M B E R S
N E W S L E T T E R
GROUNDSKEEPER
Michael Eargle
The holiday season is drawing to an end. The
golf course maintenance staff and I hope the
last couple of weeks were filled with special
moments and memories for every one of you.
I want to take this opportunity to recap some
of the highlights from 2015. “It rained, a lot!”
(82 rain days totaling 73+ inches). Seemed
like we were in continuous clean up mode
and could never stay out in front always playing catch up! Hopefully in 2016 we can get off
of the cart path. My Mother always said, “This
too shall pass!”
For the maintenance operation, during the
months of January and February our top priority is to prepare the golf course for play each
morning. This takes about four hours and
requires every staff member. Once the golf
course is ready for play, work efforts will be
focused on things such as, irrigation repairs,
bunker repair (redistribute sand), tree work,
mulch beds,and leaf removal. Much of this
clean up and repair work is performed on a
priority basis or “moments of opportunity.”
Your comments are always much appreciated and we did try to address as many as
we could in 2015, please continue with your
feedback, so we can improve upon our day to
day operations in 2016. Thank you for creating
many bright spots for my crew and myself this
past year with your praise and appreciation for
our efforts in maintaining your golf course. May
your drives be straight and your putts short.
Golf Tips and Clinics
Tee Height?
In our journey to get everything out of our
golf game and especially the driver, there
are many variables that we should consider. One of these is how height you should
be teeing the ball. I get this question a lot
when I am giving a lesson and the student
is usually surprised what a difference the
height can make. I will give you my general rule of thumb and then explain why you
might need to tee it higher or lower.
First, the basic fundamental for almost all
golfers is that at least half of the ball should
be above the top of the driver. With today’s
large heads on the drivers that means we
have to tee it up significantly higher than
we used to. This helps promote hitting up
on the ball slightly which we want to do
with the driver.
If you currently have the tendency of hitting
big hooks (right to left for a right handed
player), then its possible that you could
benefit from teeing it lower. This can help
you not have the club move too much from
in to out.
Most players however, tend to slice the
ball and because of the downward angle
of attack of their swing they usually tee
the ball too low. You can easily recognize
this player by the bottom of the driver being worn out from hitting the ground too
much. If this is you, TEE IT HIGHER! Try
to sweep the ball off the tee and catch it
on the upswing. Almost everyone I have
ever given a lesson to that has these swing
characteristic picks up distance by teeing
the ball higher.
I hope this little tip helps! Please let me
know if I can help you start a plan to
achieve you golf goals for 2016!
Visit the Instruction page on our website
to view my golf tip videos that will help you
lower your scores in 2016.
Director of Instruction
David Kite
The Golf Shop - Mike Sutton
The Pro Shop Christmas Sale was once again a big success and I hope all that came and shopped had a great time. If you happened to miss
the sale but still need some stocking stuffers or that last minute gift, we will be open and ready for you right up until the last cart comes in on
Christmas Eve!!
Some of our popular items from the sale are still available. We have Under Armour sweatshirts, FootJoy Polos and Dunning polos and pants. And
for that hard to buy for friend or relative I might suggest a NexBelt one size fits all belt. They come in lots of fun colors and buckle designs.
To prep for the coming season in 2016 we are starting a number of glove and ball sales to help you stock up;
Nike Dura Feel glove on sale for 2 for $15.00
Srixon Cabretta Leather glove for 2 for $20
Srixon Z Star – 1 Dozen - $49.99
2 Dozen - $69.99
3 Dozen - $99.99
S T O N O
F E R R Y
N E W S L E T T E R
Jan/Feb ‘16
Rules Corner: New Rules for 2016
The USGA and RA publish a new rulebook every 4 years, with this revision covering the
period of 2016-2020. There are 4 major changes to the rules that take affect on 1 January 2016.
-The first is Rule 6-6b, which covers the limited exception to the disqualification penalty for
submission of incorrect scorecard.
-Rule 18-2b withdrawal of rule on ball moving after address
-Rule 14-3 modification of penalty for a single impermissible use of artificial devices or
equipment.
-Rule 14-1b prohibitions on “anchoring” the club while making a stroke.
Rule 14-1b is the rule to be overviewed here today. This rule is not an equipment rule but
prohibits anchoring the club “directly” or by use of “anchor point”. You can continue to use
these pieces of equipment.
-The club is anchored “directly” when the player intentionally holds the club or a gripping
hand in contact with any part of his body, except that the player may hold the club or a
gripping hand against a hand or forearm.
-An “anchor point” exists when the player intentionally holds a forearm in contact with any
part of his body to establish a gripping hand as a stable point around which the other hand
may swing the club.
Further, for purposes of Rule 14-1b, the “forearm” is the part of the arm below the elbow
joint and includes the wrist.
The local club or committee in charge of competition cannot adopt a local rule to allow for
this method of stroke. A Local Rule to permit anchoring is not authorized under the Rules
of Golf.
Under rule 33-8, “A Rule of Golf must not be waived by a Local Rule.” Local Rules are
intended to address local abnormal conditions at a specific course and must be consistent
with the policy expressed in the Rules. A “Local Rule” purporting to eliminate Rule 14-1b
would be an impermissible waiver of a Rule defining a fundamental characteristic of the
game, i.e., how a stroke is to be made.
Likewise, a Condition of Competition to permit anchoring is not authorized under the
Rules. In establishing the conditions of play, the committee in charge of a competition or a
course “has no power to waive a Rule of Golf” (Rule 33-1).
Accordingly, an individual club or competition committee would be acting contrary to the
Rules of Golf if it declared that Rule 14-1b could be ignored, whether this was characterized as a Local Rule, Condition of Competition or in any other way.
For further information regarding the anchoring ban, please go to usga.org
Real Estate
When looking back on 2015 in the world of
Charleston real estate, one theme would be
new construction. With a tight inventory supply homebuilders have been building like crazy
in the Tri county area. In Stono Ferry the same
has been true. There have been 4 closed new
construction sales with 5 more under contract
set to close after the New Year. If inventory remains as tight as it has been in 2015 then the
new construction trend will continue into 2016
as builders look to fill that demand. Below are
some stats and commentary on the past year
and current market conditions in the Tri County
Area.
Residential real estate is experiencing its best
year since the recession. Housing demand is
healthy, and that is expected to continue until
the end of the year. Home sales are actually set
to have their best national showing since 2006.
More of the same is anticipated in 2016, but
inventory and affordability challenges coupled
with mortgage rate increases will likely keep any
sort of monster growth in check. This should be
a good thing for keeping home prices from increasing too rapidly to maintain economic stability. New Listings were up 0.7 percent to 1,417.
Pending Sales increased 28.1 percent to 1,340.
Inventory shrank 15.2 percent to 5,390 units.
Prices moved higher as Median Sales Price was
up 11.7 percent to $246,135. Days on Market
decreased 22.5 percent to 62 days. Months
Supply of Inventory was down 29.6 percent to
3.8 months, indicating that demand increased
relative to supply. Unemployment rates across
the nation changed little last month, which
bodes well for an increase in buying activity. The
national jobless rate was 5.0 percent in October,
which was 0.7 percent lower than the year prior.
Although housing and employment data are
quite positive at this juncture, it is still certainly
possible for listings and sales to be down in
year-over-year comparisons. Bad weather and
the mix of housing available to buyers tend to
have a greater effect on trends at the end of the
year than during the midsummer months.
If as a member you have any questions as to what constitutes an anchor point you can
stop by the pro shop and discuss the rule with any of the professional staff.
If you or anyone you know is looking to buy or
sell in 2016 please let us know as we would love
to help.
Read more on the 2016 rules changes here.
Rob Sturm - 843.478.2404
[email protected]
Bud Poston - 843.697.3786
[email protected]
Jan/Feb ‘16
S T O N O
F E R R Y
M E M B E R S
Men’s Golf Association News
On behalf of the MGA Board of Directors I’d like to wish you all a Happy New Year
and best wishes for an exciting and fun 2016!
The MGA held its annual meeting and Board of Director elections on December 15th.
Many thanks to Pat Barber and Greg Wood for hosting the meeting as well as to Barry
Hogan and Caroline Knapp for preparing a delicious appetizer spread. We had over
50 members attend the meeting and over 100 ballots cast for the two open board
positions. We sincerely appreciate everyone who attended and especially thank the
candidates who volunteered to run for the board. Rodney Arendsen and Jack Greco
are the new board members for 2016. The 2016 MGA Board, officers and committee
chairs are as follows:
John Crocker – President
Chuck Bryden – Treasurer
Ferol Vernon - Sponsorships
Joe Shirley – Tournament Signs and Sponsorships
Jack Greco - Secretary
Rodney Arendsen –Tournament Food & Catering
Another tournament season will be upon us soon so please mark your calendars for
the Super Bowl Blitz on February 7th and the Stono Cup on March 13th and 14th.
FYI the 2016 tournament schedule is posted in the MGA binder located in the pro
shop next to the computer station, and reminders will be sent out prior to each event.
Please note that you must be an MGA member to participate in MGA sponsored
events. Also, participants in MGA events must have 10 posted scores from the tee
for which they are registering within the previous 12 months.
MGA annual dues will remain at $35 for 2016 and we will strive to keep tournament
fees reasonable in the face of rising costs in many areas. One of our primary objectives is to increase member participation and I encourage you to continue your participation in MGA tournaments and functions.
I would like to extend special thanks to the MGA board and outgoing board members
Bill Tucker and Steve Radin for their support and stewardship of the association over
the past several years. I would also like to thank our many sponsors and patrons for
their continued financial support which allows us to continue to improve our tournaments and keep entry fees reasonable.
You’re next on the tee, hit away!
John Crocker, President
N E W S L E T T E R
STAFF CONTACTS
Greg Wood
General Manager
843-763-1817, ext. 5
[email protected]
Mike Sutton
Head Golf Professional
843-763-1817,ext. 4
Michael Eargle
Golf Course Superintendent
843-556-3006
David Kite
Director of Instruction
843-763-1817, ext. 8
Erica Peper
Wedding & Event Sales
843-847-1607
[email protected]
Website
www.StonoFerryGolf.com
Jan/Feb ‘16
S T O N O
F E R R Y
M E M B E R S
N E W S L E T T E R
Women’s Golf Association News
Many hands played a part in making 2015 a success for the SFWGA. As always, Pat
Barber, Greg Wood, Mike Sutton and the entire Stono Ferry staff created a professional
and fun environment for us to enjoy. Their support and expertise were invaluable. And
our generous sponsors continued to make our events and tournaments possible. Thank
you to our Gold Sponsors: Bonitz Flooring Group, Carolina Hearing Services, GersonyStrauss Co., and Lowcountry Physical Therapy Association as well as our loyal silver
sponsors.
Closing Day Event Winners
Missy Walker, Ann Kirk and Gail Walker
The Ladies Association enjoyed sunny, brisk weather for their Closing Day Event on
Dec. 5th. Thirty-five women enjoyed a 9-hole, Captain’s Choice tournament and lunch.
Congratulatons to the winning team: Missy Walker, Ann Kirk and Gail Walker. Second
place went to Georgiann Kralik, Nancy Ziegler, Mayrelle Semken and Claudia Boyce, and
the team of Donna Hill, Valerie West, Millie Kennedy and Joan Zaia came in third. Donna
Hill won longest drive and Nealoo McLain won “closest to the pin.”
After golf and lunch year-end awards were given. Jill Crocker, Nancy Ziegler, Ann Kirk,
and Barb Bryden won the year-long “Wednesday League” competition and Millie Kennedy won for the “Saturday League.” Birdie Box awards went to Chris Murphy, Alex
Tumbleston, and “Most Improved” was Valerie West.
After our business meeting Betty Bear kept the tradition alive by playing Santa in our gift
exchange. We had a great time!
This was the last official event for the 2015 SFWGA board. These exceptional women
played large a part in the successes of this past year under the leadership of our very exceptional retiring President, Alex Tumbleston. Jill Crocker retired as Treasurer and Karla
Abbott retired as a Director at Large.
Alex and the 2015 board led the Association to a total income of $20,998, including a
sponsorship total of $8,300, and a projected balance of $5,073 for the year.
Along with many other accomplishments they increased participation in tournaments
and events by 13 percent over 2014 and brought in 10 new members.
The 2016 SFWGA Board will be working hard to follow in the footsteps of these accomplished ladies. Libby Summerford will move from Vice President to President, Chris
Murphy will be the new V.P., Marilyn Schnitz will be the new Treasurer, Brenda Coleman
is staying on as Secretary, Ann Kirk will remain as Director at Large and Handicap Chairperson and Jan Murray will be the new Director at Large.
We have kicked off our 2016 sponsorship campaign and look forward to speaking
with many of you about your continued or new support of our Ladies Golf Association.
Sponsorship is an excellent opportunity for you to market yourselves to some very influential women in your community!
Women’s Golf Association President
Alex Tumbleston
Our Opening Day Event for 2016 is Feb. 27th, and we have some very talented ladies
lined up to chair all of our 2016 events. We are very excited about our upcoming year
and grateful to those who have given us an exceptional foundation to work with. It’s
going to be a great year!
MON T HLY C A L E N D A R O F
EVENTS
CLUB EVENTS
Erica Peper
Happy New Year!
We have a lot of exciting events in store for 2016 and we could not be more excited to get the new year rolling. We are going to
shake up the socials and hopefully add some more after hours events for you to enjoy.
Mark your calendar for our annual Wine Social coming up on Friday, February 19. It will be a less formal event this year, transitioning from a seated, wine-pairing dinner as we have done in the past to a more cocktail party style, wine tasting event. I hope
everyone can attend! As always, feel free to bring a guest or friend who is interested in joining Stono Ferry.
Keep in mind with my new position here at Stono Ferry as Director of Events, I am mainly in charge of Social Events and Weddings. Please direct any billing questions, membership questions, or tournament inquiries to Mike Sutton or Greg Wood. If you
know someone wanting to plan a party or wedding, or have any suggestions or ideas for upcoming member socials, I am your
go-to contact for that information. Please note that my office hours have changed. I am available in the office on Wednesdays or
by appointment only. I can be reached via email at any time!
Have a great start to the year and we look forward to seeing you around the club!
Golf Funny of the Month
“While sitting at a table in the clubhouse after a
game, Padraig remarked to a fellow club member’,
I’m not going to play golf with Jim Lawler anymore.
He cheats.’
‘Why do you say that?’ asked his friend.
‘Well, he found his lost ball two feet from the green’,
replied Padraig indignantly.
‘That’s entirely possible’, commented his friend.
‘Not when I had his golf ball in my pocket’, retorted
Padraig with finality.”