October 2022 Newsletter

PRESIDENTA note from the

number of Summer Members, at 50 or so, fell well short of the 70 planned. Despite this, the golf course has been very active with lots of reciprocal and guest play.

Fortunately for LCGC, we avoided any significant damage from Hurricane Ian. Our friends on the west coast of Florida were not so lucky and we can only hope that they can recover from the impacts and restore their properties. It will take effort, money, and more than a little time. Hopefully, the remainder of hurricane season will pass quickly and quietly.

The summer has been an active time for many of our Board committees and I would like to mention three specifically as follows:

1. The Governance Committee undertook a comprehensive review of our Bylaws and Rules & Regulations. This included modifications to resolve inconsistencies between these documents, an updating of the documents to address changes in circumstances since the last review, and a review by outside legal counsel to ensure compliance with Florida statutes and customs.

The changes in the Rules & Regulations have been approved by the Board and posted on the Club website as they are effective upon Board approval.

The changes in the Bylaws have also been approved by the Board but these also require approval by the membership before becoming effective. We expect to be circulating the revised Bylaws and calling a Special Meeting of the members in early December to review and vote on this document.

2. The Finance Committee reviewed the Operating and Capital Budgets prepared by Club Management based on assumptions about membership levels, staffing levels, inflation in operating costs, etc. The Finance Committee and the Board have approved these budgets, including establishing the dues needed for the current year to fund operations at the level our members expect and deserve.

3. The Strategic Planning Committee has started the process of looking at “what’s next” for improving our facilities. The member survey indicated that Bar and the Outdoor Dining areas should be the priorities. With that in mind, a preliminary review of the kitchen facilities was performed to assess its ability to service these expanded areas. It appears that additional workspace will be needed to accommodate the additional demand and options are now being developed. The Committee will be reviewing the costs and timing of the options and factoring that into the overall expansion plans. Stay tuned for further updates.

I am looking forward to the return of our snowbirds and reconnecting with old friends and making new ones. LCGC is our little piece of paradise and the Board and Club management strive to preserve and enhance it to the benefit of our members.

Don Greenhalgh, President

TGIF events will take place every Friday beginning on October 21st.

Please note the following Shotgun Start times for

TGIF for the month of November.

November 4th: 3:00 pm & 3:30 pm

November 11th: 2:45 pm & 3:15 pm

November 18th: 2:45 pm & 3:15 pm

November 25th: 2:45 pm & 3:15 pm

You may sign up through email at lostcitygolftimes@gmail.com or on the sign-up sheet on the bulletin board outside of the golf shop.

Mixed Golf Event: Sunday, November 6th

1 pm Shotgun

Full or Afternoon Golf Members Only

2 Best Balls of the Foursome

Create your own foursome or be paired by the golf shop

Men’s One Day Better Ball Tournament

Wednesday, November 9th

Entry Fee: $50 per player

1 Best Ball of the Twosome

Create your own team of two and you may play anytime during the day.

You must play have at least one other player on the group to act as a marker.

Men’s Skins

Most Wednesdays throughout the season

Entry Fee: $20

Gross and Net Skins awarded

On behalf on the entire golf professional staff, we are excited for another Winter Season of golf here at Lost City Golf Club! Taylor Griffin and his maintenance staff have done a great job all summer getting the golf course in fantastic condition, and I would like to thank them for all their efforts.

Our Outside Operations team will consist of our Outside Operations Manager, Ed Segala, along with Nolan Jerriey, Scott Murphy, Colin Maghan & Pete Cola

Sergei Evangelista will be working as an Assistant Professional in the Golf Shop and Maxwell Keena will be splitting time between working in the golf shop and outside operations.

It’s wonderful to turn the corner into Fall, say goodbye to the intense heat of summer and hello to our returning Snowbird Members. Although we have enjoyed our free time, the House Committee has continued to work throughout these months planning a full season of activities and special events for you all. There are also scheduling changes slated to begin November 1 which have come about as a result of our response to the Member Survey. Please keep up with our Calendar of Events on the website as well as email flyers that alert you to future happenings.

A LA CARTE DINNERS

As I’m sure most of you realized, attendance had dropped sharply at Monday Night Mixers. The question of why was put to membership in the survey and the answers varied including one which made me smile “I don’t really know. Everyone else stopped going so I did too.” One response we did hear frequently was that Monday night was a bad night; people were working, it was the beginning of the week, it’s old hat.

That said, we have decided to begin this season with Dinners scheduled every Saturday night instead. Some of those Saturdays will be special events with set menus, others will be A La Carte Dinner and Music, ranging from individual musicians to duos to disc jockey evenings with dancing. We are excited to offer something for everyone with stream-lined menus and solid choices. Evan will be managing the Dining Room and Food Service so we know we will be in good hands. And, of course, pre-dinner congregating in the bar “mixing” as we used to call it strongly encouraged!

DENIM AND DIAMONDS

Welcome Back Party

Our official Welcome Back Party “Denim and Diamonds” will take place Saturday, November 12 with cocktails at 6:00pm. It’s shaping up to be a stellar event with a fabulous menu you won’t want to miss! That said, if you haven’t already made your reservations, be sure to do so ASAP. Only limited seating will soon be available.

We will be serving drinks at both the indoor bar and at a bar set up on the outdoor patio but hors d’oeuvres will ONLY be offered at the outdoor patio. That set up worked so well for Members and Staff at the April in Paris event! We will once again be calling you up by table numbers to visit the food stations to avoid waiting on long lines.

To clear up some “dress code” confusion, let me state emphatically YOU DO NOT HAVE THE WEAR JEANS TO THE PARTY! We thought it would be fun to offer Members a “One Night Only” opportunity to trot out their designer jeans if they so wished but to gussy them up with some flashy jewelry sure to dazzle. All colors of denim are acceptable for this event ONLY. Those of you not inclined to jeans can wear the bottoms of your choosing and dazzle as you wish.

LUNCH AT THE TURN

11am to 3pm

In an effort to simplify the “lunch process” for Members who want to play through and yet grab something to eat at the turn, we will be instituting a new procedure offering a limited number of items beginning November 1. A sign on the 8th hole of each course will remind you to call the phone number listed and place your order with the bartender who will have it ready for you to pick up when you come in. We will be offering soup, cups of chopped lettuce with choice of tuna, egg or chicken salad, a hot dog, and the wrap of the day as well as the usual beverages. Another step towards enhancing the Lost City experience!

RESERVATIONS

Although most Members are doing a better job of making reservations, not everyone is as diligent as they could be. We ask you again, especially with the change in Dining Room management, to please make reservations in ADVANCE for ALL EVENING MEALS, including Pub Night. Not only do we not waste food (your money) or run out of food but, very importantly, we are able to staff properly, providing you with the best service. Walk ins or non cancellations can hurt everyone. Please be considerate.

Dear Lost City Golf Club Members,

I and all of your staff members are here for you to ensure your expectations are met each and every time you come to your club. You are an owner of the Lost City Golf Club.

The definition of owner is “a person who owns something”.

The definition of renter is “a person who pays rent for the use of property”.

The concept of “ownership” is financial and psychological, with the psychological component perhaps being the more powerful. In most hospitality experiences, it is a renter experience with purchases made, consumed and left once completed, not so at the Lost City Golf Club. The Lost City Golf Club is an owner experience. It’s about the unique relationships with other members, the staff, golf course and dining facilities which are most difficult to replace or find elsewhere; it is your second home.

Ownership thinking puts a premium on qualities that are considered “intangibles” such as tradition, loyalty, myth and symbolism. These “intangibles” create a special bond between you, the member , and the Lost City Golf Club not found at a resort or local restaurant.

We encourage you to be active owners of your club. Attending holiday events, special member dinners and major club functions will enhance your feeling as an owner of your club. This is your unique and very private, very special club experience; it is your second home.

At the Lost City Golf Club, we have a loyal membership base. If you are a new member, welcome and please enjoy being an owner and forming long lasting relationships with your fellow owners and staff 2023 season!!

Lost City Golf Club

We have begun upgrading the left side of #1 South. The Goal is to clean up the area left of the cart path and install a new native area that will increase both the aesthetics and playing conditions on this hole. This process will begin by spraying out the unwanted weedy/ thin turf areas, followed by scraping and the burying of this unwanted material.

We are confident that the sandy soils underneath can be used as our new base layer for shaping out the new native area. Further trucks of Sand/ Screenings/ Pine straw will be purchased as needed.

After we have shaped and contoured these areas a series of “pods” will be strategically placed throughout. We will use similar plant materials that on going into other waste bunkers on property. All plants and grasses are native to South FL and require low amounts of water to survive our seasons.

In the beginning these areas may look sparce or “too empty” but overtime our grasses and plants will mature and extend. This is meant to be a test trial not only for the GCM team who has to maintain but also for all members and players that enjoy our facilities.

Our first two meetings are:

Wednesday, November 16 Karen Vaughn will lead the discussion of The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post by Allsion Pataki

Wednesday, December 7 (NOTE THE DATE) Anne Dougherty will lead the discussion of Issac's Storm by Erik Larson

The rest of the season meetings are the third Wednesday of the month Jan 18, Feb 15, March 15 and April 19.

The other books chosen for the season are: The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles, The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner, The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict, and The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocum.

We are looking for people to lead the discussion of these four titles. Feel free to find a friend and present a book together. You volunteer your choice of book and the month you prefer to lead the discussion.

If you are interested in leading a discussion or have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Martha Greenhalgh at mgreen144@aol.com or Lynn Decker at deckerlh@aol.com

Tip of the Month: Ben Hogan once said that the longest 100 yards in golf is from the practice tee to the first tee. Just what did he mean by this? To think of it another way, Dr. Gary Wiren, a top 10 teacher for decades, said that everyone has 5 swings. There is the practice swing, the range swing, the swing when playing alone, the swing playing with your buddies and a tournament swing. The goal, of course, is to get the practice swing to the range, and then the range swing to the course. So how do we accomplish this?

By using psychology, we can make the mental conditions on the range as similar as possible to the mental conditions on the course.

One of the best ways to do this is to develop a very specific routine on every shot. Let’s say, for example, you start from behind the ball, picturing the target and the shot you want to hit. Then you walk into the stance in a structured way, the same every time, maybe placing your right foot first, then your left. Then you look at the target. You may waggle once or twice, but always keep it the same. Finally, after standing at address for the same amount of time, each and every time, pull the trigger on the swing. The goal is to be so consistent in your routine that your brain doesn’t differentiate between shots on the range and shots on the course. Research has shown that the top players spend almost exactly the same amount of time in their routine on virtually every shot. Try it. Develop a routine that is comfortable for you, and then use it on the range while practicing. Take that routine to the course and watch your consistency improve.

Psych 101

WGA

As summer winds down we want to pay tribute to those hardy souls who have “toughed” it out during our record hot summer!

The wrap up of the season will be the Summer Club Championship, a gross and net flighted event, which will be played on October 22nd and 23rd , with a 9:00 am start. Good luck to all.

Following is the current ongoing schedule, showing the results from the completed events.

Sep 6. Individual low net.

Low Net - Didi Norri - 76 - $8

2nd Maureen Sniff 77 $4

Sep 13. Tuesdays’ Finest. (Holes that begin with T or F)

Low Net – Marcy Albright 40 $9

2nd Barbara Anderson - 41 - $7

3rd Maureen Sniff 42 $4

Sep 20. Odds Only 1,3,5,7,9 on each 9. (10 hole event)

1st – Barbara Anderson 42 $8

2nd Marcy Albright 45 $6

3rd Pat Cmarik 47 $3

4th – Rosalie Donohue 47 $3

Sep 27. Blind Draw (indiv. or 2 person teams). Best ball net

Rain out – No results

Oct 4. Nassau Front 9, Back 9, Overall

Overall Winner Clair Rose 69 $8

Front 9 Winner Stevie Davenport – 33 $7 Back 9 Winner Diane Potter 34 - $7

Oct 11. If even numbers: 3 in 1 6/6/6. (6 better ball, 6 alternate shot, 6 2 man scramble. If odd number of players: Hate em (toss out 1 par 3, 1 par 4, 1 par 5.)

WGA

of 2 in each 4 some. Each player tees off the opposing team picks which drive the other team will use. The golfer that hits the worst shot, hits the second shot. Then Alternate shot in from there.

Nov 1. Welcome back with Tuesday's are Fun! Individual net scores based on the holes beginning with a T or an F:1 18. Golf Genius score cards will highlight those holes depending on the rotation that day. (ex.2,3,4,5,10, 12,13, 14, 15) AB/CD

Nov 8. Opening day 9 Hole Stand Aside Scramble. ABCD with 9-holers & Luncheon follows

Nov 15. Pro team: Red vs Blue Teams. Pinehurst match play. Pick your Partner.

Nov 22. Nassau: Front 9, Back 9 Overall. A/B/C/D. Gross & Net

Nov 29. Bring a Friend Day (details will follow shortly)

All WGA & 9 hole members, remember to sign up 11/8 for the Opening Day 9 hole scramble.

ALSO! Have a safe and Happy Halloween!

Can you move leaves in a bunker?

15.1 Loose Impediments

a. Removal of Loose Impediment

Impediment

Remind your friends that at Lost City Golf Club, you can try the club out before you join permanently by using our Welcome membership. Agreat way to see and experience why Lost City Golf Club is so special. Contact membership @membership@lostcitygolf.com

A good grip is very important in order to have an efficient golf swing. The top hand should hold the club more in the fingers, and the orientation depends how fast your hips turn during the swing.

The bottom hand position depends on how your right elbow folds during the swing. If your elbow folds in front of you your right hand should be turned more to the right, if your elbow folds behind you then your right hand should be more to the left or on top of the grip.

The hall of fame has golfers with many different combinations of hand positions. It is important to know what combination is best for you.

Brian Varsey

Get a

Grip!