Happenings
December
2020
President’s Message Even though many of us are ready to put 2020 in the rear-view mirror, there is much to be thankful for this year. For the most part, Lost City has been spared the ravages of the pandemic as well as the record number of hurricanes. Additionally, we experienced the most active Atlantic season on record with 30 named storms and thirteen hurricanes! It has been great to see our members, staff, and even our vendors, all doing their part to keep our Club safe and open for your enjoyment. Due to the exceptionally friendly nature of our Club and its various activities, we have experienced excellent membership growth and we are looking forward to meeting everyone during the upcoming holiday festivities. As we have begun our new membership year, we have adjusted to our new health and safety guidelines and have adjusted our events and activities accordingly. Be sure to check the calendar and make reservations for our High Tea and later for the Christmas Dinner! We have plenty of outdoor dining available and continue to offer take-out meals for all who wish!
President’s Message Also, please join us in making the season
questions that we are unable to answer at
happy for many children by filling the large
this point. Will we be able to mine the
Santa’s Sleigh with unwrapped toys. Our
sand for new bunkers from our property or
TGIF events are as popular as ever,
will we need to purchase it? Will a specific
however since we are unable to offer our
club allow us to be a reciprocal participant
previous buffet option, it means that our
or will they be too full due to the
kitchen is bombarded with 100 requests for
nationwide upsurge in golfing? How will
meals within a 45-minute period. To
we format our Annual Meeting? Will the
accommodate all members in a timely
vaccine ……? These and other questions
manner, the kitchen decided to offer a
will be answered in time.
limited choice of three entrees. Please
As 2021 approaches I want to truly thank
continue to offer feedback via our
everyone for the support you have shown
comment cards and website as to what
for the Club and the staff throughout these
works and what doesn’t. Complaining to a
unprecedented times. We have much to
staff member during a busy event is not
look forward to during the coming year,
always the best time to have a healthy
and we will enjoy the progress together!
exchange of ideas! Our much-anticipated capital improvement project is on schedule as planned. Bids for both the golf greens reconstruction and for the men’s locker room/pro shop are in process, either being evaluated or being sent depending on the dateline. Our financials are stable, and you can read an update elsewhere in this newsletter. As previously explained, there are some
Wishing everyone Happy Hanukkah and Merry Christmas and a great holiday season!
In renovation preparation news, we have received our bids for contracted work to be done during the renovation. We will be meeting with Tom Fazio II and the chosen contractors to review the costs and timelines for the work to be done to assure everyone involved is on the same page. We had a good initial kill on the rough grass, and we are starting to close each 9 to re-spray any areas necessary. This will be done on our slowest days of golf to eliminate any issues with play. As a reminder, we have not sprayed out the green surrounds as you can see, so there is space to leave the fairway to get to the cart path. Extensive traffic over the same area over and over after it has been sprayed out will only result in zero grass and bare areas. If we all enter the fairway immediately leaving the tee complex, and stay on the fairway, only exiting 90 degrees of the fairway or up at the approach where the green grass flares out to the cart path. This will preserve our rough areas from being worn out. Please remember to fill your divot and two more with green sand and repair ball mark and two more on the greens. The fairways will not be renovated in April so please leave them better than you found them during each round of golf. Also, please discard cigarette and cigar butts properly. Steve Yager, Bob Koepka and Greens Committee
Green Report
Hopefully, all the rain is behind us for the season, and although the grasses love rain, we did receive an excessive amount from the second half of October through the first half of November. Hoping for some dry weather, as we have been sitting on our next fertilizer application because the grass needs to be dry to apply. We were able to start getting the fertilizer out the week of Thanksgiving.
Direct Dial With our new phone system, you can now dial directly to the person you are looking to speak with.
General Manager
Membership Director
(561) 855-7761
561) 966-7607
Golf Pro Shop
Membership Concierge
(561) 966-7622
(561) 966-7621
Accounting (561) 433-4571
Clubhouse Manager (561) 966-7619
Dining Reservations
(561) 966-7620 reservations@lostcitygolf.com
October 31 represents the close of the fiscal year for the Club and, on balance, there is good news to report. Early in the current fiscal year, and in anticipation of the golf course renovation planned for this coming summer, the Board approved utilizing funds from the Capital Improvement Fund (CIF) to pay for an enhanced fertilizer program for the fairways and to pay the continuing rentals on certain golf course equipment rather than purchasing new equipment before the renovation. Under accounting standards, these costs are charged to operations increasing the Club’s operating loss.
Then Covid-19 hit and the world changed. As previously reported, the Club had an approximately $68,000 operating loss through April, the first six months of the fiscal year, and the Board determined that it was appropriate to have an interim operating assessment to cover this loss. Since that time, the management team at the Club has done an outstanding job balancing services versus costs, all while continuing the planning for the upcoming renovation programs. As a result, we have now reached the end of the year and, after adjusting the operating losses for the funding from the CIF, we can now report that, on a preliminary basis, the adjusted operating loss for the full year remains at approximately $68,000 so there is no need for an additional assessment to cover operating losses despite the continuing impact of Covid-19 on the operations.
Finance
In addition, the Club was able to realize benefits from the Cares Act due to having to operate under government restriction from April to September. When it was determined that this benefit was available, the Board voted to utilize the funds to cover any further operating losses for the current year and to carry over any excess to underwrite operations for 2020-2021, including any resulting from the closure of the Club during the renovations. As a result of having these funds available, the operating portion of your dues for 2020-2021 remained the same as 2019-2020. Looking forward to 2020-2021, the Club remains in a very sound financial position. As always happens at the beginning of the new fiscal year, we have had a number of members leave the Club. We have also been very successful in attracting new members to the Club and the net results looks like we will have an overall net increase in our membership for the coming year. This will result in an increase in operating dues and CIF contributions. It will also result in generating funds, consistent with the assumptions made in the forecast presented to the membership, in support of the renovation program. As such, the Club is in a financial position to obtain the funding needed for the renovation program and to repay this funding over the ten-year period presented in the forecast. Other articles in this newsletter will discuss the progress being made on the renovation program but there should be no financial concerns about it. All in all, it has been a successful year for the Club, despite Covid-19, and with the new membership numbers, the Club looks positioned for a successful 2020-2021.
Don Greenhalgh, Treasurer
Each year we invite some 15 PGA & LPGA professionals to be a Brand Ambassador for Lost City Golf Club. They can play and practice at our wonderful club and In return they help spread the word about what a great place it is to be a member. Our ambassadors are both top club professionals and aspiring touring pros from around the globe. Please say hello when you see them here and don’t be afraid to ask them to join you for a quick 18.
Chase Johnson
Rachel Jones
Jim Smoot
Blair Hamilton
Joe Felder
General Manager’s Report
Good News from the General Manager We are choosing to be different at the Lost City Golf Club. We focus more of our resources and attention on our member’s golf experience then all of the rest of the clubs in Palm Beach County. During this pandemic it is proving to be a good strategy. We have added 60 new club members to our membership roster in the past few months. Great job Michael Dolan and to Mr. Feick and his Membership Committee. We have had 2 staff members test positive for Covid 19 in the past 9 months. Based on my research we have one of the lowest if not the lowest totals of positive test results of clubs in Palm Beach County. We will continue to follow our club protocols and hope our success continues. As a reminder and most importantly, maintain 6 feet of social distancing and wear a mask. Steve Yager our Golf Course Superintendent and his team have our greens and fairways in the best condition I have seen in my three years at the club. I get to witness how hard Steve and his team work to produce these results. They take pride in knowing they help make your golf experience more enjoyable because of their efforts. We appreciate that 99% of you are staying off the brown rough and staying on the green fairway. We need to exterminate our present strain of rough grass to ensure our new strain of rough grass which will be planted this coming summer will be pure and uncontaminated. Director of Golf Jason Brown and his team are operating on all cylinders as our winter season gets underway. TGIFs, Tuesday Ladies Golf Tournaments, Wednesday Men’s Skins and monthly 40 Thieves Golf Tournament are all being conducted in a manner that is safe and comfortable for the majority of our members. Golf is the magic elixir that overcomes the isolation and depression that Covid 19 brings with it. We hope you all are getting out in the fresh air with your family and friends as much as possible.
General Manager’s Report • Clubhouse Manager Mihai Ripanu, Chef Glenn Cinguina and their teammates deserve tremendous accolades for their tireless efforts over the past 9 months. Some of you may not be aware but there are clubs in Palm Beach County that have cancelled their events for the winter season. Mihai and Glenn along with Mrs. Kutsher and her House Committee refused to throw in the towel. They were determined to make this a fun winter for you our club members. • They had to plan our winter social events months in advance without knowing how tight Covid 19 restrictions would be at the time the events actually took place. At the time of planning, seating capacity was limited to 50% with predictions of a heavy increase of Covid 19 cases during the winter months. They set up their event formats with safety as their number one concern. They thought outside the box to ensure we could have winter social events. Thank you to all that were involved in setting up our winter social events calendar. • This is the first pandemic the Lost City Golf Club has been through and hopefully the last. We have completely changed our dining operations over the past month. During the summer months it was too hot for most of our members to dine outdoors. October brought about cooler weather and 95% of our members preferring outdoor dining. Mihai, Glenn and Alex turned the Lost City Golf Club patio into an outdoor dining destination. • We have received an overwhelming number of compliments about Chef Glenn and the homemade dishes he has prepared, more so than any of our Chefs in recent history. I have the opportunity to be in the kitchen and watch Glenn and his team prepare menu selections for all of you. I see the pride and care that goes into every dish. Thank you to the Heart of the House Team. • In closing, the golf course renovation project and clubhouse renovation are on track and within budget. With 65 new members, and soon to be newly renovated golf course and clubhouse, the Lost City Golf Club is on a roll. • Enjoy every swing!! • Leo McMahon
John Page Jose Duran Keith Hoersch
Membership Adam Bienstock
Kevin Hurley Lloyd Meisels Mark Brown Mark Matheiu Matt Kondrath Mike Maxwell Mike Stedem Paul Klein
Adam Ravitz
David Truila-Hernadez Derek Sirhal
Peter Brown
Al Binahgi
Don Evanson
Peter Sykes
Anderson Libert
Doug Bookbinder
Rett Talbot
Andy Berger
Dr. Maria Guoth Edward Maass
Rick Ofsanko Robert Aciero
Francis Carey III
Robert C McManamon
Anita McSharry Anthony Polera
Frank Kujan Jack Tichner
Betty Wallace Brad Gould
Jacob Pistor
Brian Kennedy
Jaron Oswalt Jay Berman
Carl Scheitrum Chris Cavanagh Chris Verna Clifford Staley Dan Logan Dan McCarthy Dave Bennett
David Dzurick
Jay Boodheshwar John Bailey John Dover
Robert Harrell robert richards Rolando Silva Ron Lees Sanford Howard Sanjay Sharma Jane Speakman Stephon McGregor Steve Dougherty Steven Kronheim Tanyon Sturtze Tim Ellis Tim Hiltwine Tom & Marsha Becraft William Benda
Temporary Guest Pass When you have out of town guest this winter, don’t forget about our great Temporary Guest Plan. You can have your guest come to the club, with or without you for up to two weeks. We will set them up with their own account. Just let us know who will be paying the bill. Email Cassandra DuPar at Cassandra@lostcitygolf.com and she will email you a form.
Women’s Golf Association
The Women’s Golf Association of Lost City had their OPENING DAY on Tuesday, November 17th. Rain unfortunately put a damper on the 9 and 18 hole combined scramble which usually signifies the opening game of the season, but a beautiful luncheon was enjoyed by about 30 members outside on our beautiful patio. Jason Brown welcomed the group back to kick off our 2020/2021 WGA golf season! President of the 18 holers, Diane Potter, welcomed the golfers and introduced the new board. Mary Lou Voteras, welcomed the nine hole ladies and their four new members Marsha Becraft, Deborah Polera, Julie Arpante and Maureen Boston! Betty Silversten, membership chairman, gave a warm welcome to Dr. Maria Gouth, who has joined the 18 holers. Chris Maraia and Maureen Sniff announced that the LADIES’ MEMBER GUEST will be held on February 9th! It is not too early to invite your guests. Karen Vaughan gave a healthy Treasurer’s report. Stevie Davenport, Vice President, called Chef Glenn out of the kitchen to thank him, Mihai and ALL of the staff for the delicious, well presented luncheon. A terrific time was had by everyone! THE WINNERS CIRCLE November 3 FLIGHT 1 Karen Vaughan $9.00 Stevie Davenport $7.00 FLIGHT 2 Jeanne Hannigan $9.00 Marcy Albright $6.00 Chris Maraia. $4.00 November 24 PRO TEAM EVENT The red team of Jason Brown prevailed over the blue team of Toby Schmidt!! CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THE WINNERS! See you around the Club! REMEMBER- keep your eye on the ball for 1 more second as you swing through! A tip from Gary Player!!
Leadership Kathy Fernandes President
Keith Billings Vice President
Roger Rose Secretary
Don Greenhalgh Treasurer
Bob Koepka Green Chairman
John Dowley Long Range Planning Chairman
Paul Feick Membership Chairman
James Haldenby Building & Premises Chairman
Carla Kutsher
WGA
December Calendar 1st & 3rd
8th
15th 22nd 29th
President’s Cup Nassau Nines Teal, Green, Silver Firecracker
House Chairwoman
Leo McMahon General Manager
Steve Yager Director of Golf Course Maintenance
Jason Brown Director of Golf
Mihai Ripanu Clubhouse Manager
Christine Rigg Controller
Michael Dolan Membership Director
Ladie’s 9 Holer
Rain, Rain, go away! The rescheduled Women’s Opening Day Luncheon was held on Tuesday, November 17th, but unfortunately, the heavy early AM rains caused the golf event to be canceled. But that didn’t stop the fun of seeing old friends again and meeting new members at the “Party on the Patio” . Mary Lou Vowteras, our Event Co-Chair, reported that eleven 9-Hole Ladies attended: Sally Howard, Sandy Bride, & Joy Bayrouty ( all new 9- Holers who joined us from the 18- Holers); new members, Marsha Becraft, Debra Polera, and Cynthia Dover, as well as Linda Heilman, Patty Schmelzer, Patti Train & Merle Zamboni, After enjoying chicken francese and delectable fried cheesecake, Mary Lou welcomed our new members and old, to the ’20-’21 season. A big Thank You to 18 holer Stevie Davenport & the 18 Hole Ladies team for all their work on this special celebration. Mark your calendars! Our 9-Hole Ladies Holiday Party is Tuesday, December 8th. Look for your invitations on email only this year due to delays in regular mail delivery. A morning Golf Event will be followed by a patio luncheon. We’ll be sending more details to you in the next few weeks. We hope you can join us! 9-Hole Ladies regular play has begun! We meet every Tuesday AM for play starting at 10:00 AM. We’ll email you if a Golf Clinic is scheduled for 9:30 AM. Please notify the Pro Shop by Monday AM if you plan to play on Tuesday. And all 9-Hole Ladies - Nifty Niners & Golfers -are invited to join us for lunch after play. And just a reminder that ALL women LCGC members are welcome to join the 9-Hole Ladies, even if you don’t golf. Our non-golfing members, The Nifty Niners, are invited to our special parties, can serve on our Board and party committees, and are welcome to join us for lunch every Tuesday after golf. Please contact Mike Dolan or Cassandra Dupar if you are interested. We love to meet new Club members! Come Play With Us! Eileen Sullivan, Secretary Eileeninez.es@gmail.com
Atlantis Literary Society Little Fires Everywhere
We will meet outside on the back patio, outside of the main dining room. We will be discussing Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng. An individual continental breakfast will be available. Cost is $10 per person. All Lost City club members will have this amount applied to their club account. Please RSVP to Martha Greenhalgh at mgreen144@aol.com or 617-947-2713. We look forward to another wonderful meeting safely outdoors. Happy Thanksgiving to all.
Upcoming Dates to Know: WGA Presidents Cup (36 Hole Individual Net Championship) - Tuesday, December 1 and Thursday, December 3, 2020. WGA and 9 Hole Ladies’ Events - Every Tuesday in December. Men’s Presidents Cup (36 Hole Individual Net Championship) - Saturday, December 5 and Saturday December 12, 2020. Men’s Skins - Designated 9 holes every Wednesday. Men’s 40 Thieves - December 16, 2020 TGIF - Friday, December 4, 11, and 18, 2020. (Pick Your Partners) 3:00 pm Cobra Demo Day - Friday, December 18 from 12:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Christmas Eve - Shop closes at 3:00 p.m. and carts in by 3:00 p.m. Christmas Day - Course and Clubhouse Closed all day Men’s Paul Jackman Member-Guest: Entry forms have been sent to last year’s participants, who get first access to this year’s event. If you are looking to play this year, registration forms will be available to the rest of the membership starting December 16th in the Golf Shop. This year’s event will be held February 11 thru 13, 2021 with optional practice round on February 10th.
Golf Report Golf Shop Women’s clothing - 50% off Member Price includes all blouses, sweaters, and bottoms currently in the shop. All new Foot Joy shoe line is in for Men and Women. Great gift ideas for the golfer in the family - Bushnell rangefinders, Bushnell Wingman Integrated Speaker, Oakley Glasses, Golf Bags, and more. Course Care The weather has been spectacular these past weeks with cooler days. This means the grass is now transitioning into a slower growing condition. Steve and his crew have done a great job providing us with the best playing conditions and it’s up to all of us to help him by doing the following: • Cart traffic is particularly noticeable this time of year so please keep carts on the cart paths at tees and around the greens. Use the 90 degree rule or keep carts in the fairways to avoid wearing out the burned out rough. • We have added blue stakes connected by a blue line at the approach to each green. Carts should not drive any closer to greens then the area marked. • If you have a handicap flag issued by the golf shop, the carts are not to be driven or parked at the front of the greens. Instead, the cart should be driven behind the green through the green rough and parked. This will keep cart traffic out of the common played area around the green and prevent the grass from getting matted down making it difficult to hit from. Carts should never be within 20 feet of the greens or driven between a green and greenside bunker. • Repair all ball marks on greens and fill divots with sand. Professional Staff Jason Brown – PGA Director of Golf
It’s hard to believe that another year has flown by and what a year it has been! I know no one can wait for 2020 to be over and 2021 to return us to life as we knew it, perhaps with some new insights and certainly with gratitude for what we do have and can enjoy at Lost City. No matter what, the glass is always half full! They say a picture is worth a thousand words and, hopefully, these pictures will show you how beautiful and how much fun the Welcome Back Party was! The weather was perfect, the DJ played "our" music and the creative menu was delicious. As one attendee said, "Chef Glenn knocked it out of the park!" And we cannot thank Mihai and his staff enough for an above and beyond effort with something so different that they handled so beautifully. Kudos to them all!! For the month of December, we will be open for lunch seven days a week, from 11am to 2:30pm (Saturday till 3pm) with an a la carte menu and daily specials. Dinner will be served both indoors and outdoors three nights a week, Monday, Wednesday and Friday as well as available for pickup or delivery on those evenings. ALL THREE EVENINGS WILL REQUIRE ADVANCE RESERVATIONS INCLUDING PUB NIGHT. Given the Club’s ban on standing and drinking in the bar area, a socially-distanced “Cocktail Lounge” will be set up in the Grill Room for drinks before dinner on Monday evenings and after TGIF play on Fridays. We will also have a bar open outdoors following TGIF and on mixer evenings. Of course, you are welcome both nights to have your pre-dinner drinks at your dining table.
Our ever-popular Monday Night Mixer will feature our traditional a la carte menu with weekly specials and live piano music that will play softly while you enjoy your dinner and friends. Wednesday will continue to be Pub Night with Happy Hour from 4pm to 6pm offering a $1.00 off all beverages (dine in only).
Come and enjoy delicious wings, sliders and more with the Kitchen open until 8pm. Along with our pub menu available every Wednesday from 5pm to 8pm, Wednesdays will also alternate bocce, trivia and outdoor movies. Friday night dinner following TGIF will not be a buffet but rather served a la carte with a choice for all three courses — appetizer, entree and dessert. Last but not least, Sundays will continue to feature an a la carte lunch menu with Brunch Specials including Eggs Benedict and a Smoked Salmon Platter, accompanied by Tailored Bloody Marys and Mimosas. We will start off December with Trivia Night on Wednesday, Dec 9. Movie Night continues to be a success and this month’s offering in keeping with the Christmas season is “Love Actually” which will be shown on Wednesday, December 16 at 7pm. Remember snacks and drinks are available at the driving range bar and our Pub menu will be available both dine in and take out. Plan to join us.
Four “special events” are scheduled for this month: On Monday, December 7 “Hats ON for High Tea” will take place outdoors on our patio with tables of 4 to ensure everyone’s safety and comfort level. Ladies, wear your chapeaus, traditional or zany, and join us for Chef’s High Tea menu with sandwiches, pastries and house made scones with all the fixings. Reservations required. Oh, and drinks will be served! Cocktail hour begins at 6pm with dinner Our Christmas Dinner Party is planned at 7pm and an early ball drop. for Saturday, December 12 with dining both indoors and out. It will feature a
And, finally, even though it’s not
three course a la carte menu — details December but January 1, Chef Glenn is to follow!
looking for challengers for a chili cookoff to take place on New Year's Day from
We will say good bye to 2020 on
11am to 2pm on the outdoor terrace. If
December 31 with a gala New Year’s
you have a special recipe to challenge
celebration with a four course dinner
his with, bring your ingredients and
served both indoors and out and
come cook! Lost City will provide
dancing (with masks).
burners etc.