Page 6 | Saturday, November 3, 2018
Midland Country Club 90 years Anniversary
www.midlandcc.net
Two Lives Brought Together at the Club By Jon Becker for the Daily News
I
t was never supposed to happen. Yet a twist of fate, one that unexpectedly brought Christopher Jue all the way from China to the Midland Country Club by way of California back in 2008, led to a chance introduction to a woman who would later become his bride. As John Lennon once said: “Life is what happens to you while you’re making other plans.” Claudia and Christopher Jue have now been married for just over 6 years, a union that owes its origins to the annual Midland Country Club Invitational Golf Tournament. “We were never supposed to meet,” said Christopher Jue. “I was in China on a family vacation but had to cut it short a few weeks because a family member got sick.” Jue rushed back to California, where he lived at the time. Two days after returning home, he spoke with John Carras, his best friend dating back to their college days at USC where they met on the tennis court. (Jue was a highly ranked junior player in Northern California and was an Assistant Coach for USC’s Women’s Tennis Team). Carras’ father was planning on competing in the MCC Invitational, but his partner was forced to withdraw due to an injury. “John asked if I could come out in two days to be his Dad’s partner,” Jue said. “One phone call and two days later I was in Midland for the Invitational.” Still, the stars weren’t quite aligned for Claudia and Christopher to meet. It took a last minute change of mind on Claudia’s part, prompted by her parents, for the fortuitous introduction to happen. They met at the Wednesday Welcome Reception that kicks off the golf tournament. “I wasn’t really interested in attending the event, but my parents insisted because it was always such a fun event,” Claudia Jue said. “Wouldn’t you know it, I ran into John and the rest is kind of history.” At the reception, Claudia’s father, Walter Scherzer, whom Christopher knew from playing golf, asked Carras if his buddy was single. John told him yes and then quickly introduced “me to Claudia,” said Christopher Jue. “He was nice enough to leave us alone after making the introduction. John even went so far as to drive to MBS International Airport to retrieve my golf clubs and baggage that arrived on a later flight—my bags didn’t make the flight with me.” “There was instant chemistry between us,” recounted Claudia Jue. “It was like we knew each other for a long time. Everyone who saw us together couldn’t believe that we just met. It didn’t take long to know that this chance meeting was more than that.” After the tournament, Christopher Jue returned to San Francisco, but the two, clearly smitten with each other, were determined to continue seeing each other. ‘”We dated for three years, became engaged and got married a year later,” Claudia Jue, a graduate of Midland High and Northwood University, said. Said Christopher Jue: “I was born and raised in Fresno, CA. I graduated from the University of Southern California. I lived and worked in California for most of my career until moving to Michigan after marrying Claudia. She’s the reason why I am a Michigander.” Carras and Jue may have met on the tennis court during their freshman year at USC, but these days its golf that strokes their competitive drive.
“I maintain a membership at a club in San Francisco,” Christopher Jue said. “In many cases John has come out to play in our member/guest tournament. It was great when we could compete with each other, but now and as a member of the Midland Country Club we compete against each other.” The Jues have a young son, Ryder, 5, who already is turning heads with his golf game. “Ryder has been swinging a golf club since he could stand,” Claudia Jue, herself a golfer, said. “He plays almost every day with Christopher. He absolutely loves golf.” “He was introduced to the game just a few weeks after he was born,” said Christopher Jue. “I took him to the course with Claudia. I think he started hitting balls and running around the course when he was 2 years old. It was great way to tire him out.” For the Jues, golf is a family affair. They all have enjoyed it (including their other children, Madison and Devin) and feel fortunate that Midland offers such a premier country club with attentive and skilled staff. It makes a difference when they all know Ryder—and even what he likes to eat. Both of Claudia’s parents, Walter and Margarete Scherzer, play as well, especially after retiring in 2016 when they closed their family business, Stanley’s Furniture, a fixture in Midland for 65 years. “Golf is such a great game that can be played a lifetime,” said Claudia Jue. “It’s such a great way to spend time as a family. We are extremely lucky to have the country club and all that it has to offer in a community our size. The staff is so wonderful, so kind and accommodating. They are more like friends and family to us.” And it’s not just golf that brings the Jues to the country club. Ryder learned to swim there and his Dad typically begins his day at the club. Its aquatic facility, adroitly managed for 46 years by Tom Messinger, is a prime attraction. “The country club is a special facility in a special community,” Christopher Jue, who runs his own business, said. “It has been a big part of our lives in so many ways but more as a respite from daily life because it offers so many things. I use the workout facilities and take classes almost daily to start my day. During the summer at the pool, you don’t feel like you’re in the Midwest.” The country club has fueled Ryder’s passion for golf. Club pro Jim Deiter’s development of the junior golf club has “taken Ryder’s enjoyment to a whole new level. He’s having a ton of fun, making more friends, and he’s improving too. When I’m on the course and Ryder’s not with me, everyone asks where he is.” From witnessing his father-in-law’s hole in one and outlasting Carras in a 26hole match that lasted two-days, to splendid social events and enjoying family time on the links, Christopher Jue has made a lot of lasting memories at the MCC through the years. One, though, will always above the rest: His chance meeting with Claudia, in 2008. “We love to share that story with everyone, because it means so much to us,” Claudia Jue said. “Without the country club and golf tournament we would have never met.”