Newsletter- September 2020

Smoke Signals SEPT 2020

SERVING UP SUCCESS FOOD AND BEVERAGES BRINGS MORE TO THE TABLE THAN JUST FOOD

FOOD AND BEVERAGE FIRES UP FOR FALL

The proof is in the bread pudding!

When 2020 arrived the Food and Beverage team was riding the success of a successful 2019. We had a plan in place and were ready to deliver social and dining events oriented around our 65th anniversary season.

Then, like the rest of the world, we were thrust into the new normal of Covid-19. As you know, the club was required to significantly reduced its offerings, which resulting in reduced staffing. The management team, along with a few additional staff members, spent much of spring trying to everything possible to connect with our members and provide a feeling of normalcy. We created a pantry program, where members could order supplies that were in heavy demand, a curbside to-go menu allowing us to create our very tasty drive-thru service. We delivered sweet treats, created themed events like Taco Tuesday, Bubbles by the Bay and National Ice Cream Day and opened our drive-in movie theater (also known as the tennis parking lot).

During and coming out of this period, we had to closely evaluate projected business volumes compared to staffing levels. We, like you, were ecstatic to welcome back staff, as we could. We found some were eager to return, some felt more comfortable remaining secluded from others, and some took the opportunity to take other paths. As of right now, we are in a great position with incredible team in place - hopefully this is evident if you've tried the crab topped steak, Chesapeake pizza or a variety of other recent specials being prepared by some of our new team members.

We recently welcomed Kitchen Manager Michael Martin to the team. Michael’s background include other country club kitchens, teaching culinary curriculum and he brings a great pastry background. Michael has shown an adept ability to quickly bring a team together and it shows increasingly with each passing week. If you've tried the shrimp & grits or crab crusted filet, you got a taste of him and we look forward to more great dishes.

As we have had this time to focus on the organization, we also looked at how Megan and her role as Membership Director would best be served and created and Accounting/Event Sales position. This will allow Megan the full availability to enhance and grow our great membership. With that, we welcome Theresa DeGraw, who has an extensive background in catering and event sales and we are excited about the role she'll play in our future.

We are currently revising some standard operating procedures and developing booking governances to include reserving set spaces for many of the club weekly activities. If you are looking to book space for a celebration, meeting or an afternoon of bridge or mah jongg, please reach out to Theresa to book the space and coordinate details.

Dining Room Manager Shawn Valdrighi has been working with our service staff on training and customer service, all with the focus on delivering an exceptional dining experience. He continues to play a large part in our wine club, which offers discounts on wine events, the ability to purchase wine through the Club and educational opportunities throughout the year. If you would like to join the wine club or purchase wine through ICYCC, please email svaldrighi@icycc.com or call 804.435.1340 ext 110. Comments around campus and in committee meetings already prove that these, combined with Chef Michael's talents, are all paying off.

The best of ICYCC is in our future - keep the feedback coming, both positive and constructive! The entire Food and Beverage team is challenged and excited to bring you the very best experience possible.

President's Message

By Bill Vose

I want to offer my general perspective as to where the Club stands in this pandemic that is nearly six months in duration with no end insight.

It began just as the Club had competed its annual budget review process. This requires thoughtful preparations by the General Manager and team and it is then reviewed thoroughly by the Finance Committee (FC). This committee is comprised of four past Club Presidents and five current or past Board members.

With this lineup, you can be sure that few stones are left unturned! It is then forwarded to the Board for final review and adoption.

As all of this was being finalized, March 11 arrived.

And then everything changed. ICYCC like all other enterprises, public or private were confronted with a future yet to be defined. Your Board learned quickly about Zoom and learned more about powerlessness.

There were many questions and many worries. There was no certainty on either. We went forward with our budget knowing that it was obsolete the moment it was adopted.

For the past two months, we have kept on top of the events occurring that were pertinent to our Club and its future. Things have become clearer now but still nothing is certain. We learned that the support offered by the Federal Government did not apply to our category (501-c-7) of corporation (Private Club). We did increase our line of credit by 50% and we took the drastic step of laying off employees who were involved with services which we were restricted from providing.

Each day, we worried about how our Membership would react to the pandemic and the situation the Club was in. Membership was our highest priority prior to the pandemic. Our members are our “owners”. Our members are our present and future. (More about membership on the right!)

The good news is that, as time has gone by, we have learned that our member/owners are in this with us. We have lost a few members through normal attrition, but we have added a like number even under pandemic conditions!

This has given us confidence that the celebration of our 65th year is a welcoming to the next 65 years and it will only get better from here as we all pull through together.

About Membership: A recent national headline shouted, “Existing Home Sales gain 24.7% in July”. Our real estate friends have been telling us the local market is “on fire” or “unlike ever before”. We have all seen the any existing inventory in our neighborhood has been sold.

This is a membership recruitment environment too good for us to ignore. Each of us needs to reach out to these new homeowners to be sure they know about the only country club serving the area. We need to get their names and emails to Megan and members of the Membership Committee. I know the quarantine makes this problematic. However, stretch the envelope to at least make contact. Many current members, when asked, how they found the Club say, “My neighbor told me I had to join!”

As Winton Churchill said, “never waste a good crisis”.

Commodore's Corner I hope you have all recovered from the state of "Bedlam"# left by Tropical Storm Isaias and its associated tornadoes. The marina was lucky to escape any serious damage, although there was some bumping around in slips. We are fortunate, as it could have been much worse. Whilst on the subject of the marina, it has been a very light season in terms of visiting clubs and transients. We do encourage you to come and test your boat’s compatibility with the latest standard of marina shore power. This may help you identify issues before you encounter them away from your home port. It will also help the club and its team of testing volunteers build up their experience and reservoir of knowledge in the use of test equipment. We will be offering the opportunity to test your boats during the Sailing Regatta which is to be held on September 19th.

Following the Sailing Regatta in September, there will be the final cruise of the season entitled Mariners Paradise, led by the Hellers, Hoyts and Murrays.This will be a fluid event (pun intended).

Destinations will be determined by weather and inclination and if you have anything that floats you are welcome to participate in whatever manner you can - so watch for announcements leading up to and during the cruise.

A big thank you to the Youngs for arranging their Creek Hopping Cruise and to the many hosts along the way. It was an enormous success, conducted very professionally and shows you can still have fun in these difficult times.

Sailing Regatta September19

The Cape Charles cruise which was to be led by Gil Zimmerman and myself has sadly been cancelled. We had hoped this would provide an excellent opportunity for both the Golfing and Yachting communities to engage.

The last social gathering of the season will be another Bubbles event, but this time by the pool. " Bubbles by the Pool "will be held on Friday September 11th. We will maintain the same formula of clearly marked “Bubbles” with tables for two or four within them. The same disciplines as to social distancing and food service will apply.

We have had some Indian Creek Yacht Club bumper stickers produced which I hope will raise awareness of the club. We are working on delivering as many as possible by hand, but if you do not receive one by mid September you will be able pick one up at the Pro Shop.

Looking forward, the issue of how to hold the Annual Meeting is currently exercising us and we are considering a number of alternatives. The Commodore’s Ball is, of course, cancelled, but I can however reassure you there will be a change of watch. #Bedlam Now the word is used to describe a state of extreme confusion and disorder. The word originated from the name of a London mental hospital Bethlem (original spelling) Royal Hospital or St. Mary of Bethlehem Hospital. The hospital is over 750 years old and the Royal Navy would discharge men there for the treatment of mental illness who could not be ccommodated at the "Royal Hospital for Seamen at Greenwich "(est.1692) - which was the equivalent to the “ Royal Hospital Chelsea” (est,1682) for soldiers.

visit icycc.com for more details!

Your Sticker is Coming Soon!

IN THE HEAT OF SUMMER

by Mike Mayer, PGA

LADIES' GOLF 18-Holers Handicap Tournament The Handicap Tournament featured a thirty-sixhole low net format with players flighted into two flights. Molly Gatchell emerged as the overall champion after winning a matching of the cards against Kay Stout. Pictured above, Overall Champion, Molly Gatchell.

First Flight: 1st Kay Stout 151 2nd Barbara Maynard 154 Second Flight: 1st Barbara Fentress 2nd Muffin Fitzpatrick

155 159

18-Holers finished well at the PLGA Several of our ladies competed at Kingsmill’s Woods Course on August 3 in a Peninsula Ladies Golf Association tournament. Indian Creek member, Kathy Davidson won Low Net in the B Flight.

Beth Kendrick finished second low net in the same flight.

Congratulations on your strong finishes.

9-Holers The nine-holers invited the 18-holers to join them for a nine-hole scramble played on July 30.

Twenty-eight ladies participated. With a winning score of 35 the team of Beth Kendrick, Paulette Smithgall, Janet Blunt and Merrill Grasso over the second-place team of Kathy Davidson, Debbie Gillispie,Patty Tournai and Sue Saunders. The third-place team was Linda Fothe, Lynn Georgiadis, Mary Bradshaw and Jane Unangst.

Men's Golf 2020 Junior vs Senior On Saturday August 1, a day that we finally got a break from the 100-degree heat, the senior men of Indian Creek Yacht & CC took advantage and defeated the Junior team.

Twenty-two players represented each team.

The senior golfers broke a four-year losing streak, as they won a narrow victory over the junior team by a 17 ½ to 15 ½ margin. The Junior team accepted the loser’s lid following play.

Men's Handicap Tournament Congratulations to Bill Broaddus for winning the four-month long match play event. Bill, pictured below was presented with his trophy in front of the Men’s Member Member field. He defeated Ross Locklear, pictured on bottom right, in the finals.

MEN'S MEMBER MEMBER RECAP This year’s tournament featured two and a half days of great golf with some exceptionally challenging conditions following hurricane Isaias and the tornadoes that narrowly missed the club. The storm did however leave the grounds saturated and littered with limbs and downed trees that required days of cleanup. The full field of 64 players enjoyed tasty meals, great weather and exceptional competition. Special thanks to tournament Co-Chairmen, Jim Purcell and Bob Gillispie.

The weekend began with a nine-hole warm up and player’s dinner. The low gross winners were: John Halley and Steve Edmonds (33). Low net honors went to the team of Kevin Crawford and Ty Brent.

The 36-hole Championship was reduced to 35 holes after the additional 3” of rain Saturday morning on top of the 6” of rain earlier in the week left the sixth hole too wet for play. Under the difficult playing conditions, the cream rose to the top.

2020 MEMBER MEMBER CHAMPIONS Low Gross Winners (Pictured on Left) Bob Gillispie and Rick Saunders Low Net Winners (Pictured Below) Chris McDowell and Tom Scioscia

Gross Winners Low Gross Bob Gillispie and Rick Saunders

136

Runner Up Kevin Crawford and Ty Brent

139

3rd Low Gross Jim Purcell and David Darden

142

Net Winners Low Net

Tom Scioscia and Chris McDowell

124

Runner Up Andy Sharpe and Turner Williamson 134 3rd Low Net David Dew and Nelson Horsley

135

4th Low Net Hank George and Bruce Edwards

135

5th Low Net Dixon Whitworth and Trey Whitworth 135 6th Low Net Les Kilduff and Justin Nelson

136

The Indian Creek Yacht & Country Club Fighting Cancer Fundraising Golf Tournament Forty-four Indian Creek Members came out to support the Bon Secours RGH Cancer Center by playing in a scramble tournament on Sunday July 19. $3,175 was raised for the cause.

Winners: Ed Roccella, Mac Conway, Rick Saunders and Mike Petty.

This team finished with a great score of 56.

Second place went to the team of Ken and Chris Kopocis and Estelle and Ross Locklear with a net score of 57.

Third-place team with a score of 58.5 was Maggie Gilman, Dawn Knightly, Sue Saunders and Dorie Battelle.

Junior Golf The ICYCC PGA Junior League held a match against Hobbs Hole on July 30. The Braves,12 years of age and under, won their match.

Team 1 - Tyler Brent and Nolan Pittman Team 2 - Brooks Reuwer and Porter Pittman Team 3 - Logan Brent, Alex Fulmer and Izzy Dew

The Johnson Loving Start putting your teams back together for our annual Johnson Loving Cup Scholarship Golf Tournament. This year’s Tournament was to have taken place August 16, but was rained out. The re-scheduled tournament is now September 20.

Unlike past years this year’s event will not have men’s and women’s divisions. We will have one division with men’s teams, women’s teams and mixed teams. To allow for more players to participate, spouses may play together. Your tax-deductible entry fee of $25.00 includes a $20.00 donation and $5.00 towards prize money. A mulligan may be purchased for $10 per player.

Donations are to be made to: The Buddy Loving Foundation.

UPCOMING EVENTS Sept. 1 WGA Sadie Hawkins Sept. 10 + 17 9-Holers Club Championship September 20 The Johnson Loving Scholarship Fundraiser

Sept. 15 + 22 WGA Club Championship Oct. 3-4 Men’s Club Championship

Turf Talk

by Pete Stephens, CGCS

There are two things I love about nature (well, there are actually several, but these are two related to my discussion today). First, is the smell of fresh cut grass, which is really a mix of carbon-based compounds called green leaf volatiles; and the other is the smell of rain.

That said, there is truth in the saying that "you can have too much of a good thing". We have recorded approximately 20 inches of rain over the past month, leaving the turf grossly over-saturated. Since I last wrote, we have also endured a tropical storm, which thankfully did not do major damage to the club property, but did create much in the way of tree cleanup and debris. Our thoughts and prayers go out to those it impacted in a more severe way. Our community continues to band together during hard times and we are appreciative all of the volunteers, utliity workers and first responders.

Back to the turf - Fresh water is a great and necessary things for the turf, as our water is extremely high in sodium bicarbonates; however, at these record levels, it makes maintaining our 75 acres of natural beauty a challenge in other ways. With a high water table, water does not drain as fast as we would like, both on turf and in bunkers. The water has prohibited us from getting much of our equipment out on the course, which puts mowing schedules behind and delays operational upkeep, which we apologize for. We are working to get back to our regular routine, barring any additional storms or rain events.

Excessive rain takes its toll on turf health as well, as it increases the threat for disease. We will continue with any necessary fungicide applications, in additional to the regular preventative program.

Wet conditions have major impacts on you, the golfer. Standing water means deeper roughs, slowing the pace of play, and cart path's only rulings to avoid any additional damage. We understand both are less than ideal. Thank you for your patience in the recent cart rulings and rough mowing alterations. We too, are looking forward to drying out. soon.

Garden Buzz by Beth Kendrick First a big thank you to those of you who have joined our gardening ranks. So far we have logged 118 hours of weeding, planting, pruning, mulching and watering on the club grounds. The weather has been interesting to say the least with too much rain, no rain, too much rain - confusing the plants. We won’t even talk about the deer. Please be mindful of the heat and work early in the morning if possible with lots of water handy. We now have a number of perennials blooming all around the property that are attracting hummingbirds, bees and butterflies. Enjoy.

The “lovely” fellow in the picture is familiar I am sure. He roams the property at night and is known as the Virginia Opossum, the name coming from the Algonquin Indians meaning “white face” .Unfortunately most are seen on the roadways due to the fact that stress makes them comatose not a good thing if you are in the middle of the street. Opossums are the only native marsupial in the U.S. raising their young in a pouch like a kangaroo and able to hang by their tails. The species is millions of years old and probably snacked on dinosaur eggs. It is a true omnivore eating anything in its path and is natures’ garbage man consuming trash and roadkill. It is immune to rattlesnake and copperhead bites, rabies and most poisons. Fortunately for us, it loves ticks and eats about 4000 a week! So the next time one decides to lay down in your path on the road you might want to try to avoid it. Even though mother nature did not make this guy cute or cuddly he is a wonderful cog in our ecosystem.

RACQUET NEWS

by George Christoforatos

6 Reasons Tennis is Good for You Tennis is an incredibly popular sport across the world. Not only does the sport have millions of fans around the globe, but millions of people play it on a weekly basis. It is not uncommon to see a 10-year old kid playing on a court right next to a 90-year old, which just shows that tennis is an incredible lifetime sport.

There are several reasons why tennis is considered a good sport for you.

1) It challenges you mentally- The mental side of the game is very important. coaches hired for Teams and players. 80% of the game is mental. When you’re just starting to play tennis, your focus will mainly be on your strokes and hitting the ball , but as you become

STANDING EVENTS Ladies' Round Robins Monday and Friday Drills and Drinks Wednesdays at 4:30 p.m.

Pickleball Open Play Mon, Wed, Fri and Sunday Thursday Night Socials With safe distancing rules in place Private and Semi-Private Lessons

more and more comfortable with the basic shots in the game, you will start to realize that there is so much to it than hitting the ball over the net.

Eventually, you will start to understand tactics, patterns, and strategies – which in my opinion is the most exciting part of the game. Understanding these aspects of the game is what will take your game to a whole new level.

2) It keeps you in great shape - Playing tennis makes you burn calories, burn fat, increase your flexibility, improve endurance, and tone muscles.

3) It awakens your competitive spirit - In several areas of life, being competitive can be seen as something negative; yet we all have that desire to compete within ourselves. Tennis can be a great outlet for that inner competitive spirit.

Once you join a league, it is somewhat inevitable to become competitive with others – even if they are your friends. The good news is that competitiveness doesn’t mean that your friendships will be over – it can just be a way to motivate all players to become better.

4) It can be a great networking tool - People from all areas of life enjoy the sport of tennis, and that shared passion can open doors you wouldn’t see otherwise.

5) It’s a great way to make friends.

6) Fun- Life is all about fun! enjoy Final Thoughts: While there are a lot of popular sports out there that can bring you great benefits, I strongly believe that tennis is one of the best (if not THE best) sports you can play. It can bring tremendous benefits to several areas of your life and make you feel better physically, emotionally, mentally, and socially.

s t a r g Con !

! e g r o Ge

All-Area Coach of the Year!

Many of George's student athletes have gone on to play competitive tennis in colleges around the country - a testament to the teaching abilities of our now not-so-new pro!

Contact Us

Board of Directors BILL VOSE, CLUB PRESIDENT BRIAN CLARKE DAVID DEW BARBARA FENTRESS DEBBIE GILLISPIE DAN HOYT MIKE PETTY

Administrative

Food & Beverage

BRIAN DARLAK

CURT DEGRAW

GENERAL MANAGER, CCM 804.435.1340 EXT 107Â BDARLAK@ICYCC.COM

FOOD & BEVERAGE DIRECTOR 804.435.1340 EXT 109 CDEGRAW@ICYCC.COM

MEGAN STEPHENS

MEMBERSHIP DIRECTOR 804.435.1340 EXT 104 MEGAN@ICYCC.COM

KATHY RHODES AL ROSS RICK SAUNDERS GIL ZIMMERMAN

SHAWN VALDRIGHI

DINING ROOM MANAGER 804.435.1340 EXT 110 SVALDRIGHI@ICYCC.COM

THERESA DEGRAW

ACCOUNTING & EVENTS 804.435.1340 EXT 106 TDEGRAW@ICYCC.COM

MICHAEL MARTIN

HEAD CHEF 804.435.1340 EXT 111 CHEF@ICYCC.COM

WINDLEY GAULDING

BUSINESS MANAGER 804.435.1340 EXT 105 WGAULDING@ICYCC.COM

Golf HOURS OF OPERATION GOLF COURSE: 8-6 P.M. CURBSIDE CARRYOUT TUESDAY-SUNDAY 11:00-6:00 P.M. SKIPJACK, WILLOW OAKS TERRACE AND GRILL ROOM TUESDAY-SUNDAY 11:30- 7:00 P.M.

CLUB WEBSITE: ICYCC.COM CLUB PHONE: 804.435.1340 TENNIS CENTER: 804.435.2713 GOLF SHOP: 804.435.3130

MIKE MAYER

PETER STEPHENS

HEAD GOLF PROFESSIONAL, PGA 804.435.1340 EXT 101 804.435.3130 GOLFSHOP@ICYCC.COM

GOLF COURSE SUPERINTENDENT,CGCS 804.435.2470 (O) 804.436.4059 (C)

Racquet GEORGE CHRISTOFORATOS

RACQUET SPORTS DIRECTOR 804.435.1340 EXT 102 TENNIS@ICYCC.COM