Fairways & Cart Paths Only
Message from the P resident of Lost City Golf Club It's the Season. Welcome back to all of our Members who have returned to South Florida for another six months of warm sunshine and winter golf. Also welcome to all our new Members. On that theme, I welcome our new Chef Nick who joined us for the Welcome Back party and decided to stay. What an evening that was. We were sold out, 240 plus reservations, lines for valet parking, and as a long-time member told me “Just like the Old Days”. A shout out to Mihai, his staff, Chef Nick, the kitchen staff, and to Carla Kutsher and her Committee. As one Member told me, “It wasn’t what we planned but it turned out wonderful.” With heavy rain forecast, and possible flooding on the back staging area, the Party was moved indoors at the last minute. Cindy Crawford attended her first Board meeting last week and will be joining the Membership Committee. With Cindy on the Board and eligible for nomination by the Nominating Committee to be elected to the Board at the Annual Meeting in February, I have accepted Ian Crawford’s resignation as Chair and a member of the Nominating Committee to avoid any perceived conflict of interest. Barry Neagle has agreed to move up and Chair the Committee. Barry is in his third year as a member of the Committee and has previous Board experience. Our annual Toys-For-Tots campaign is well underway. Please drop off an unwrapped toy for the sleigh in the Lobby by December 12th. The Board has revised our Covid Protocols to allow vaccinated staff the option of wearing or not wearing a mask when interacting with Members. Unvaccinated staff is required to wear a mask when interacting with members. We provide unvaccinated staff with the opportunity to be tested at the Clubhouse on Tuesday mornings by a licensed pharmacist. The Holiday Season has arrived. In November it is customary for the Accounting Department to add a line item to your monthly bill to provide Members with an opportunity to make a voluntary contribution to the Holiday Bonus Fund for employees. This Fund provides the membership with an occasion to show appreciation to employees of the Club during the Holiday Season by funding a holiday party, end-of-season party as well as staff bonuses. We are thankful to have such a loyal and experienced staff and would like to thank them for their service to the Club this year. Your generosity is especially meaningful to not only those employees who perform their jobs in the front of the house but also those behind the scenes, such as the golf course maintenance staff, kitchen staff, accounting staff, and clubhouse maintenance staff. To show our appreciation to our employees, a charge of $150, unchanged from last year, will be added to your November account. This charge will underwrite the Employee Holiday Bonus Fund for this year. In the event you would like to adjust the amount of your donation, please contact the Accounting Department. On behalf of the Board of Directors and the staff of Lost City Golf Club, I extend to you and your family our greetings for a most joyous holiday season.
Keith Billings
Those of you who attended last month’s Welcome Back Party know first-hand how outstanding the food was. We are very excited to share with you the news that Chef Nicholas Clutts, who stepped in to lead our kitchen has accepted our offer as our Executive Chef going forward. Chef Nick was previously employed for the past nine years as the Executive Chef at Delray Dunes. A graduate of the Florida Culinary Institute, he lives locally with his wife and two young children. We could not be more pleased with this hire. We are confidant Chef Nick will raise the standards of our entire Food & Beverage Operation as well as the Club in general. Everything happens for a reason; Chef Nick was meant to be our Chef from the start. Special thanks to Mihai and Mrs. Kutsher for their determination to do what was best for the Lost City Golf Club!
Golf season is finally here and we hope everyone is enjoying the changes and new design by Tom Fazio II. It is our job as members to help maintain the conditions so everyone can enjoy our beautiful new course and assist Steve and his staff. Please remember to limit the driving in the roughs to keep from stressing the turf. Keep carts on the cart paths or in the fairway when driving and do your best to double up and ride with your partner. Also please remember to rake the bunkers, fill your divots and ball marks along with others you may see that were not properly done. Also please dispose of your cigarette butts properly. 1 North green has been treated for worms and should see improvement each day moving forward! Enjoy the cooler temperatures as we approach the holiday season and keep it in the short grass! Sincerely, Steve Yeager and Green Committee
Sorry for the confusion as we resolve the new phone system issues
As we head into the Holiday Season, we look forward to some exciting golf events during December.
golf
Both the WGA Presidents Cup and the Men’s Presidents Cup are held in December. The WGA Presidents Cup
will be held on December 7th & 9th and the Men’s Presidents Cup will be held on December 4th & 11th. The Presidents Cup events will be individual net formats and players will be flighted based on their handicap index. Men’s Skins are every Wednesday. The Professional Staff will pick 9 holes as the designated “Skins” nine each Wednesday. The entry fee is $20. We hope to have better weather for our TGIF events in December. 2:45 pm and 3:15 pm shotguns will be held on: December 3rd
December 10th
December 17th
Please email lostcitygolftimes@gmail.com to register for any TGIF event! WGA & 9 Hole Ladies events will be on every Tuesday, with 18 Hole Ladies beginning at 9:00 am and 9 Hole Ladies beginning at 10:00 am. The 9 Hole Christmas Party will be held on December 14th with a 9:30 am shotgun and a fun party to follow! If any ladies have interest in joining the 3-4 hole group please contact Mason at mason@lostcitygolf.com. We will have a 15-minute clinic every Tuesday at 9:30 am that is available for the 9 Hole Ladies, 3-4 Hole Ladies & Ladies Practice Members. The golf shop has recently received some new merchandise including 50th Anniversary Tee Shirts for both Ladies & Men. If you would like one of these limited shirts, please come by the golf shop! Please note that the Golf Course, Golf Shop & Clubhouse will be closed on Christmas Day.
Dear Lost City Golf Members, The reviews are in and our Golf Course, Men’s Locker Room, and Golf Shop Renovations all received high marks from our members and their guests. Our new Golf Staff led by Director of Golf Mason Colling, Head Golf Professional Peter Haupt, and Outside Operations Manager Ed Segala has received high grades as well. Mike Dolan our Membership Director reports our membership roster is healthy and the future looks brighter than ever for the Lost City Golf Club.
GM Report
Opening Day went well. Mrs. Brown, Mrs. Weekes, Mr. Driscoll, and Mr. Bennett hit the ceremonial opening tee shots. The Tom Fazio Roundtable Discussion was extremely informative. Close to 100 of our club members were in attendance and asking questions of Tom, Green Chair-Bob Koepka, Golf Chair-Roger Rose, Director of Course Maintenance-Steve Yager, and new Director of Golf-Mason Colling.
Clubhouse Manager Mihai Ripanu and his team put on a great opening cookout which was enjoyed by over one hundred fifty of our club members. TGIF Dinners have been incredible. Our two superstars Gabby & Gary are back. Evan, Keely, and a few new rookies along with some veterans round out our dining service team. With Chef Glenn's resignation for medical reasons prior to our November 1 reopening, we went on a hunt for a replacement. Given that our present kitchen staff had tremendous team chemistry, not the norm in the restaurant industry, we wanted to preserve that camaraderie and enhance it with a creative chef able to help all staff reach their potentials while running the kitchen smoothly and providing you, our members, with the best culinary experience possible. Boy, did we strike gold! Chef Nick Clutts, working with our staff like he had been here forever, stepped in at the last minute to serve up a great menu for the Welcome Back party, staying on to cook for Thanksgiving and deciding to make Lost City his new home! We welcome him and look forward to a great relationship.
Rueben Perez leads our Building Maintenance Team of Alex Perkins and Guido Mosca. Guido & Alex also take care of our Men’s locker room serving as attendants. Rueben has been a tremendous addition to our staff, he continues to amaze us with his positive can-do attitude and strong work ethic. Club controller Ed Pass is upgrading our accounts payable system. It will be much more efficient for our department heads to review and approve invoices and board members will not have to come to the club to approve and sign checks for our vendors. Edwige and Kate are focusing their attention on member service, doing whatever they can to make paying your monthly club statement as painless as possible. We are on a roll that we hope will continue for decades. We constantly strive to improve daily operations and invest your capital wisely to ensure we meet your expectations. Many thanks to all of our volunteer Committee Members and Board Members. Welcome, Mrs. Cindy Crawford to the Board and thank you again to Mrs. Kathy Fernandes for your service on the Board. Being a Board Member requires long hours in and out of meetings. Thank you all for everything you do for the club. Enjoy every swing!! Leo McMahon General Manager
Inside the Numbers
We have 335 golfers that can play on weekend mornings. Quail Ridge has 1000 Bear Lakes has 800 Pine Tree has 650 Delray Dunes has 700
Who is referring all these new members ? In 2021
Existing Members : 10% PGA Ambassadors : 22% Social Media & Internet Marketing : 68%
Many different numbers but which ones are we watching closely?
Weekend mornings are our busiest times on the course, so we watch how many Weekend Morning Golfers we have. Those are our Full Golf members as no other members can play at that time. Currently we have 335 Full Golf members.
What determines if we add more Full Golf members ? While yes, the more full-golf members, the more dollars we can put into the course maintenance budget. But it doesn’t do us any good to have Augusta National like conditions if you can’t get on the course. The Member Experience is what determines when we add more Full Golf members. How is that monitored? Yes, personal comments from members matter a great deal. But we need to take emotion out of the equation and use facts. Did anyone request a starting time and not get one within 45 minutes of the request? How many rounds of golf were played where we exceeded a 4-hour round? We answer these questions each week to determine if any new members can be moved off the wait list and into Full Golf status. In November, all got their tee time requests within 15 minutes and no rounds were over 4 hours on the weekend mornings. In 2019 and 2020, we spent $51,000 per hole on maintaining the golf course. The average in our area is $90,000. This year we will spend almost $63,000 per hole. Every dollar spent adds to the member experience.
Short Game Test
Brian Varsey
Improvement in golf comes from assessing your skills, continued skill acquisition, training to transfer your skills to the golf course and then performing during playing conditions. Because 70% of the shots you play during a round of golf are within 30 yards of the green the short game is very important. To assess your short game I have a test where you hit 100 shots and we come up with a handicap for seven different areas of your short game, short putts, long putts, chipping, pitching, bunkers, trouble shots, and an overall short game handicap. From the assessment we can come up with a plan for your long-term improvement, including improving your mechanics and fun transfer training practice games. Long-term improvement is much more reliable than continual search for quick fixes that never last. There really are no quick fixes for changing motor patterns and mental habits.
Call the golf shop today to set up your lesson
THE DONNA HOWELL MATCH PLAY FOR LCGC WOMEN GOLFERS EIGHTH YEAR!! JANUARY ~ MARCH 2022 Play in flights with handicaps - flights based on sign-up. Late entries, close to the deadline, may be declined unless space within a flight is available. Strokes are given by the player with the lower handicap based on their difference. Players are to use their handicap determined under GHIN Entry Fee ~ $15.00 Sign up by paying $15.00 to Pat Cmarik or deliver to Pat c/o the Pro Shop before Tuesday, January 4, 2022. Draw will be done by Tuesday, January 11, 2022 There will also be a consolation round. Everyone will play at least two rounds. If you have any questions, please email Pat at patcmarik@gmail.com Matches can be played as arranged between the two opponents but not as part of Tuesdays WGA Events. Request for extensions should be avoided but cleared with the subsequent opponent.
Thanks to the generosity of member Paul Zarcadoolas during the Fazio Fivesome auction, the club made 3 large donations to our long-time friends at the Habitat Center, the Big Dog Rescue Ranch, and to the Alzheimer's Association.
WGA
November’s Events Recapped:
Nov. 2 was the first day WGA played for the 2021-22 season! We are back!!!! First place winners were M.L. Liegel, L. Coates, S Blumel and M. Fashjian. Second place winners were M. Greenhalgh, G. Devine, J. Kelley and a helpful blind – K. Vaughan. Nov. 9 the WGA had a successful Opening Day 9 Hole Scramble followed by a delicious luncheon. Members of both the 18 and 9-hole groups participated and enjoyed playing with one another. Low Gross winners were M. Greenhalgh, S. Davenport, J. Jokiel and Eileen Sullivan. Low Net was won G. Devine, M. Albright, N. Cashman, P. Schmelzer. Nov. 16 was the Pro Team event. Mason Colling and Claire Rose led the Red team to win over the Blue Team led by Peter Haupt and Mary Lou Neagle. It was close! 93-87.
WGA December Tuesdays’ Schedule: (Don’t forget to sign up in the Pro Shop or by email.) Dec 7 – Presidents Cup Round 1. A/B/C/D Dec 9 – Presidents Cup Round 2 Dec 14 – Odd/ Even. 1 Best Ball on Odd holes; 2 Best Balls on Even Holes. ABCD Dec 21 Handicap Ranger AB/CD Dec 28 – Firecracker – low gross plus low net score of the foursome. AB/CD Wishing everyone a happy and safe holiday season.
9 HOLERS
9-Hole Ladies regular play has begun! We meet every Tuesday morning for play starting promptly at 10:00AM. Our Practice Group for beginners, those returning to the game after a long hiatus, or those with medical issues, play only 4 holes & follow the start of the regular 9Holers. Score keeping is optional for this group & play is relaxed & pressure-free. Contact Cassandra if you would like to join our Practice Group.
Twice a month, our resident pros will be offering a golf clinic starting at 9:30 AM before play begins. Clinics are open to all WGA members & include short game, full swing, putting, & golf etiquette & rules. Look for the Clinic dates in the weekly sign-up email from Mason Colling, our new Director of Golf. Welcome to our new 9-Hole Lady members! A warm welcome to Lori Adams, Rebecca Carbonero, Janina Casey, Robin Hauner, Debbie Maass, Patricia Mikus, Candy Stedem & Mary Susan Tremba. We look forward to meeting you at our weekly golf games, at our special luncheons or at Tuesday lunch after play. All 9-Holers - golfers or our non-golfing Nifty Niners - are welcome to join us for lunch- usually about noon after our weekly play. Thank You to the Lady 18-Holers for planning & organizing the annual Women’s Opening Day Game & Luncheon. Thirteen 9-Hole Ladies played a Stand Aside Scramble with the 18-Holers & enjoyed every moment on the new South course, as well as the delicious lunch. A wonderful start to the new season! All women members of LCGC are welcome to join us as a golfing member or non-golfing Nifty Niner. Contact Cassandra to register. ($50 for golfers; $20 NN’s) Come Play With Us! Eileen Sullivan, Secretary
Luncheon Party Schedule for the New Season Save the Dates! Tues., Dec. 14th Holiday Party Tues., Feb. 8th. Valentine Party Tues., Mar. 8th. Member-Guest Tues., Apr. 5th Farewell Party
Look for your party invitations in the mail, & in your email.
House
And they lived happily ever
after…Fairy Tales came true when Chef Charming Nick Clutts rode over from Boynton Beach to save the day for us cooking up a storm for the Welcome Back Party and then (in true storybook fashion) accepting our offer to be our new Executive Chef. The House Committee looks forward to working with Chef Nick to concoct some exciting new events for your gustatory enjoyment! What a Welcome Back it was! After wandering the golf clubs of South Florida, it was truly a joy to be back here at Lost City playing our
brand new golf course and seeing old friends. The Welcome Back Party, celebrating our fifty years of golf and friendship, triumphed over kitchen adversities and a most uncooperative Mother Nature (since when do we have so much rain in November??!!) to emerge a Party to be Remembered! From the Cocktail Hour with a bar buzzing like in the old days replete with a gourmet selection of hors d’oeuvres to the Dining Room elegantly dressed for a snazzy affair to a Menu designed to be savored and executed to perfection to a Band that kept us all dancing, it was just exceptional. Our thanks to all our Staff — kitchen crew and wait staff, Chef Nick and Mihai — who made it happen.
No rest for the weary though. December will be a busy month here at Lost City starting off with our Holiday Luncheon on Monday, December 6 at 12:00 noon. Celebrating the Holiday theme, we are requesting that attendees wear something red and/or green to complement the Season. We are also suggesting that it would be in the true spirit of the Season of Giving to support our Toys for Tots donations and bring an unwrapped gift for children in need. We, in turn, will give you a fabulous luncheon and strolling carolers for entertainment! A great time to take a step back and enjoy some relaxing time with your friends before the real Holiday craziness begins. And if you’re game to continue celebrating, Saturday, December 11th will be our annual Holiday Dinner.
Cocktails and Butlered Hors d’oeuvres beginning at 6:00PM, followed by a very special three course dinner and dancing at 7:00PM. Our live entertainment will be courtesy of that perennial favorite, Valerie and Stan. Reservations are requested at least one week prior, Dress Code is Country Club Casual. The fun continues on Saturday, December 18th when we will be offering an Italian Wine Dinner. Sure to be a gourmet event, the evening will begin with Butlered Hors d’oeuvres and Cocktails at 6:00PM followed at 7:00PM by a five course menu with wine pairings. Reservations must be made at least one week prior to the event with a minimum of 20 required and a maximum of 60. A 48 hour cancellation policy will apply.
Of course, don’t forget that Pub Night will continue every Wednesday of the month with dinner fare offered from 5:00 to 8:00PM. Trivia, the 3rd Wednesday of every month, will join Pub Night on December 15th, beginning at 7:00PM. Last but never least, plan to ring in the New Year with us here at Lost City. Cocktail Hour will begin at 6:30PM, followed by a sumptuous Dinner at 7:30PM, Champagne Toast, Dancing to the live music of Jonell and the GMAN and Ball Drop at 10:30PM. The bar will, of course, remain open while there are still revelers in attendance! Some important “business notes”…remember that the Clubhouse and Bar will close at 2:00PM on December 24th and remain closed all day on December 25th. And please continue to have patience with our new staff as they learn their way about our Club and its members. Toward the goal of error-free account billing, please give your server your account number AND spelling of last name.
Welcome Back Party
Clink a link and save a tree at the same time
Play for Pink During the first week of November, 4 teams of WGA members went to Bonita Springs, FL and participated in a three day Play for Pink Tournament held at Raptor Bay Golf Club. This event was originally held in Naples. One of the founders of the event was our long-time member and past WGA President, Bobbie Dicks. It is a fund-raising event which supports Breast Cancer detection, treatment and survivorship. We had a lot of fun. Two of our members won first place net in the STRENGTH flight – Marcy Albright and Pat Cmarik. Other members of the group were Stevie Davenport, Judy Jokiel, Sandy Lawrence, Susan Oglevee, and Claire Rose.
Calling all men who would like to play Bridge Please email dgreenhalgh13@ gmail.com
Linda
Gardner
Brett
Combs
Jay
Seppo
Hanski
Jose
Didi
Andrew
Sones Boodheshwar Duran
Norri
David
Hernandez-Trujillo
Dominic
Taglialatella
Craig
Fialkowski
Sally
Taglialatella
Robert
Campbell
Brian
Sheehan
Philip
Cecilia
Williams
Michael
Anita
McSharry
Robin
Colnon Scott Hauner
Jay
Berman
Elan
Salee
Sanjiv
Sharma
Blair
Trimble
Mark
Brown
William
Benda
Nick
Langeveld
Keith
Hoersch
Wilhelmina
Langeveld
William
Duffey
Mark
Eggen
William
Reilly
Joan
Appel
Jeff
Tarter
Christopher
Verna
John
Boinis
James
Haldenby
Graham
Tobe
Susan
Haldenby
Catherine
Tobe
Ray
Soldavin
Gregory
Simpson
Lynn
Debow
Nino
Tozzi
Paul
Valyo
Nina
Tozzi
Stephen
Arpante
Ryan
Gustafson
Julie
Arpante
Michael
Larocca
Beiter
William
Lightle
Hagerich
Robert
Marello
Freedman
Carolyn
Galiette
Springer
Mark
Galiette
Rettig
Talbot
David
Thomas
Daniel
Barker
Mitchell
Weinberg
Robert
Arciero
Chris
Carpenter
Kevin
Dunhill
Victor
Gomez
John
Verity
Ryan
Cordero
Albert
Ridley
Danielle
Cordero
Clinton Christina Ken Jerry
Kevin
Hall
Alan
Gardiner Gardiner
Rod
Dayton
Jacqueline
Alan
Binaghi
Keith
Hedrick
Andrew
Durgee
Kevin
Mallon
Jamie
Durgee
Michael
Alonso
Arnold
Cohen
Bryn
Cohen
William
Svingos
Many of our Afternoon Members are looking for fellow Afternoon members to play a quick 18 with so here is our list. Look them up in the Member Directory either on the website or on the Phone App. to connect by email or phone