Summer ChipShots 2026

CHIPSHOTS CHIPSHOTS Summer 2026

Inside this Issue Updated golf policies (p. 6) Putting surfaces before and after ( p.7) Can you guess that bunker? (p. 10) Meet our new locker room manager (p. 11)

CONTENTS

Inside this Issue

Upcoming Events Happy Hour & Tasting Friday, July 10 BYOB Night Saturday, July 11

Upcoming Events ........................ 1

President’s Letter ...................... 2

General Manager’s Report ........ 3

Finance Report .......................... 4

On the Tee with Tyler ................ 5

Collin’s Corner ........................... 7

Staff Spotlight .............................. 11

Dining ........................................... 12

Club History .................................. 12

Club Contacts ............................ 14

Lobster Night Thursday, July 23

St. Davids

Golf Club

Happy Hour & Tasting Friday, August 7 BYOB Night Saturday, August 8 Wine Tasting Thursday, August 13 Lobster Night Thursday, August 20 Labor Day BBQ Monday, September 7 Trivia Night Thursday, September 10

Hours of Operation Restaurant Monday Closed Tuesday 11:00 am - 3:00 pm Wednesday – Sunday 11:00 am – 9:00 pm The bar opens at

Golf Shop

Saturday - Monday Monday Closed Closed Tuesday - Friday Tuesday - Friday 8:00 am - 6:00 pm 9:00 am - 5:00 pm Saturday - Sunday 7:00 am - 6:00 pm Paddle

11:00 AM

Golf Course

Tuesday - Sunday

Monday Closed Tuesday - Friday 8:00 am - Dusk Saturday & Sunday 7:00 am - Dusk

Cigar & Whiskey Tasting Saturday, September 12

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Office

Seasonal

PRESIDENT’S LETTER Back Together, Better Than Ever Well, folks, we did it! After a long year away, we are finally back together enjoying our new golf course and clubhouse. My gratitude to our membership, club leaders and incredible staff for all the work and effort that went into the course renovation and clubhouse refresh. These important projects are not only great improvements for our community to enjoy, but symbolic of our commitment and stewardship of the Club for future generations.

It has been incredible to see so many happy gatherings and smiling faces in the past couple of weeks, and to be back together again. The course is magnificent, and I’m especially proud of Colin and his team as well as Tyler and his team for getting us over the finish line and helping us navigate the past year. Incredible job (on time, on budget). Please also join me in thanking Dean Kandle for his amazing leadership getting us safely back to harbor, his incredible team, and to everyone who worked so hard to make the projects a success.

It feels good to be back!

Advance it forward, stay the course.

John Beisty President

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June 11, Golf Course Grand Opening Celebration

GENERAL MANAGER’S REPORT

Honoring Our Legacy, Embracing Our Future Wow…what an amazing difference! By now everyone has seen or experienced our upgraded golf course and clubhouse, which have both opened to rave reviews. The momentum that the clubhouse redesign brought to our dining service has continued from spring into summer, and the buzz and energy in the grill room have been exciting.

Now that the golf course is open, we anticipate a more active summer than normal as members make up for lost time at the Club.

With that said, I know most of you are grateful for a return to "normal" around St. Davids, and for good reason. As a staff, it's comforting to return to our routines and the regular flow of members throughout the Club. Over the last 18 months, much of our energy focused on planning for the closures and then managing budgets, staffing, events, and communication in that unprecedented environment. Now we can focus on adjusting to new workflows, promoting club activity, and continuing to add touches that elevate the Club for members and guests. Our goal is to balance "new" with "familiar" so you can experience the St. Davids you know and love in an upgraded environment.

key to both. Our sincere appreciation goes out to Leigh Murray for championing this communication campaign and turning the concept into a reality, to Chris Albany for his vision for our Welcome Back videos, and to Ali Pierce for her expert production

and execution of this campaign. It's another example of what the Club can achieve when we lean into the vast skills and capabilities of our membership and staff.

As we enter the summer months, the Club's calendar is full of events. We will still have some non-golf/social events for you to enjoy, but our calendar will focus on the golf tournaments and events that you all love the most.

The Entertainment Committee is planning for an active and enjoyable fall schedule as the weather cools and golf comes to a close. But until then, it's time to play some golf!

Along those lines, you have probably noticed the phrase "A Legacy Renewed" in club communications this season.

We truly believe that the changes at St. Davids celebrate the most important elements of the Club: the golf course and the clubhouse. As the centerpieces and gathering places for family and friends, these two places are where Respectfully, the legacy of St. Davids was built. With the recent upgrades, they are now "renewed" and will be the places where new memories are made, continuing the legacy of St. Davids. We have much to celebrate in our past and a lot to look forward to in our future. These renovations are

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April 11, Clubhouse Grand Opening: John Beisty, Barbara Balongue, Dean Kandle, Mark Pulos

Dean Kandle General Manager

FINANCE REPORT

The Financial Success of Our Club Improvements There is nothing more gratifying than seeing our beautifully refreshed clubhouse filled with friends and families enjoying Victoria’s wonderful cuisine, and our members enjoying the magnificent golf course we all love. There is so much to be proud of and grateful for at St. Davids Golf Club!

For those who may still be wondering if the financial aspects of these critical projects worked out as planned, the short answer is a resounding “yes!”

It’s a privilege to take over as Treasurer and Finance Committee Chairperson after serving on the committee for the past three years under Bill Henderson’s leadership. I can confidently say that, under the exceptional leadership of Dean Kandle, our General Manager, along with Bethany Jones (Controller), Jill Pacholek (Office Manager), Kelli Iorio (Accounts Payable), and especially under Bill’s watchful eye, we successfully navigated one of the most exciting and financially complex periods in our club’s history.

As a summary of where we now stand on a variety of new and pending matters:

ediate Members. With the Finance Committee’s endorsement, the Board approved the recommendation to reduce the Intermediate member entry fee to $30,000 and the Legacy Intermediate member fee to $20,000. We believe these changes will help attract outstanding members in this category Our annual audit was conducted earlier this year by Condon, O’Meara, with results that continue to show financial strength, operational efficiency, and appropriate cash management. Interestingly, part of the audit benchmarks our club against other Northeastern and MidAtlantic clubs in a variety of meaningful categories.

Importantly, our operational efficiency (thanks to Dean, Bethany, Jill and Kelli) continues to rank very highly in virtually all categories We have embarked on a capital and depreciation study, utilizing a consulting firm to examine every asset of the Club, its state of depreciation relative to its life cycle, and its replacement cost. The goal here is to have a true understanding and actionable plan for the required capital as the replacement of these assets come due rather than having to react to significant expenses on an “ad hoc” basis. This will help ensure that future expenditures do not come as a surprise, are appropriately funded for on an ongoing basis, and, in turn, helps us to avoid major assessments

The Clubhouse Refresh project is complete, and the associated loan has been established and is progressing as planned. The Golf Course Restoration project is also complete, and, as designed, the loan associated with this project will be finalized shortly Now that we are fully operational and largely “back to We finished the fiscal year on budget and with a strong normal,” let’s commit to using our club regularly, and sharing year-end capital position, despite the challenging task of our enthusiasm with our friends, guests, those who we “owe” forecasting our revenue streams and expenses during the a reciprocal round to, and interested parties. Let’s “keep the course and clubhouse closures vibe going!”

Year to date, again, despite difficult budgeting circumstances, we are approximately $157,000 favorable Michael Marciano to our forecast Earlier this year, a subcommittee was formed to review Treasurer the pricing structure for Intermediate and Legacy Interm-

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ON THE TEE WITH TYLER

Golf Is Back! What You Need to Know It is great to be back on the course at St. Davids! Thank you to those who were able to participate in our reopening shotgun events or our various opening day events. I hope you’ve all enjoyed returning to your home club and meeting our new staff members thus far.

Exciting times are ahead with the return of the Donald Ross and Women’s Member-Member events in July along with the introduction of the Senior Donald Ross! The Christie Bowl returns on July 5 along with our first Men’s One-Day Member-Guest of the season on July 9. While we prep to re-visit and enjoy some long-standing traditions of St. Davids, there are a few new updates to the golf operation we’d like to share with you: St. Davids Golf Cart Policies With warmer temps on the way and the heat of summer quickly approaching, we’d like to remind everyone to proper golf cart protocols while enjoying your round to help ensure proper course conditions for everyone to enjoy this year!

Follow all signage and directional arrows that are positioned on the course. When managing golf cart traffic, it’s best to evenly distribute traffic patterns to avoid creating tracks of cart tires. These tools help us navigate all the golf cart traffic appropriately.

Avoid fenced off areas. The brown fence posts that are positioned throughout property are there to divert golf cart traffic elsewhere. Please allow for space between the post and your tires.

All par 3s are cart path only. This includes when the cart is parked at the tee or green.

Keep carts out of the fescue areas. Carts can be driven through rough or the fairway (unless otherwise instructed before your round).

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When parking your cart, keep all four tires on the path. The new paths are wider and allow for two-way traffic in most areas. In the case of a cart needing to get around your parked cart, let the cart traveling enter the grass to get around your parked cart.

Do not drive carts closer to the tee boxes. If cart traffic was meant to be closer to the tee box, a cart path would’ve been built there. You should not take your cart off the path to get closer to the any teeing area.

Member and Three Guest Forecaddie Policy After an impressive start to the season from the membership with more than 1,000 rounds played the first week after the course reopened, we look forward to welcoming back guest play starting July 1. To provide an elevated experience for your guests returning to St. Davids, the Board recently passed a new requirement for all foursomes featuring one member and three guests (including family guests) to take a forecaddie in-season.

See below for details surrounding this new policy.

ON THE TEE WITH TYLER When a forecaddie is required: Any foursome of one member + three guests (including family guests) taking carts Both 9- and 18-hole rounds Unaccompanied guest groups (unchanged from current policy) In-season (April 1 - October 31)

All new caddies will start at Level 1. After 30+ loops of experience and positive member feedback, they will be promoted to Level 2 where they will be able to double bag. All caddies will be equipped with a name tag that features their first name and their level. Should you have any questions, please reach out to our new Caddie Master, Billy Burbridge, billy@stdavidsgc.com.

When a forecaddie is NOT required: One member + three guests who walk with caddies Junior members bringing junior guests Off-season (November 1 - March 31)

Thank you all for your time and support while celebrating the return of our restored golf course – we look forward to teeing it up with you soon!

What you can expect from your forecaddie: yardages, divot fill/replacement, bunker raking, ball spotting, and general assistance to your guests throughout the round.

Cost & booking: $25 per player ($100 total from the foursome): paid directly to your caddie by cash or Venmo after the round.

No extra booking steps: just select cart or caddie as usual when reserving your tee time. If your group selects carts, a forecaddie is reserved automatically.

St. Davids Caddie Program Update Thanks to the efforts of our new Caddie Master, Billy Burbridge, we have welcomed over 130 new caddies to the St. Davids Caddie Program for the 2026 season! To help you best prepare for your future caddie experiences here at the Club, we'd like to share this year's rates with you. Caddies are to be paid in cash or Venmo following your round.

Level 1 Caddies $60 base fee + recommended $10-20 gratuity Level 2 Caddies $80 base fee + recommended $10-20 gratuity

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Tyler Santacroce Head Golf Professional

COLLIN’S CORNER

Course Conditions, Care, and Member Experience What a journey it has been! Thank you to the membership for your support, commitment and trust in our team throughout this monumental year. Now you can all enjoy the fruits of your investment!

It has been very rewarding to hear the overwhelmingly positive feedback regarding the golf course. The initial reaction has been terrific and I expect that to increase as the membership becomes more familiar with the new golf course. As feedback continues to come in, there are a couple talking points I would like to reiterate as we move through the next couple of months with an active tee sheet.

Green Speeds As previously mentioned, the expectation of “fast” greens is not obtainable right now. Our goal was to open the golf course to the membership and let them enjoy it without any more disruption to play. In order to do that, our team needs to play defense and protect the young turf stands through the heat of the summer. While we monitor the health and performance of the playing surfaces throughout the summer, we will consider making adjustments to our practices to promote faster green speeds when weather permits.

Traffic Control We are quickly learning the new traffic patterns with minor signs of wear already starting to show on some of the playing surfaces. Our team will continuously monitor these patterns and try to redirect it with various obstacles.

Please keep in mind that these control measures are out

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there for a reason and should be obeyed for the entirety of your round.

EZ Locator Hole Locations We hope the membership is enjoying the new intricacies of the putting surfaces. We spent a lot of time working on the green surfaces to capture as many hole locations as possible and I feel that has become evident. Some greens have drastically changed, while others have subtle tweaks.

Our hole location software, EZ Locator, presents this visual clearly.

10 before

10 after

COLLIN’S CORNER CONT. 13 before

2 hours to keep the seed wet. That is simply not possible to achieve during play. We are utilizing overnight irrigation programs to help with divot recovery as weather permits, but we can not expect divots to recover in 2-3 days. We do expect to see establishment start in 7-10 days under the right conditions.

13 after

Zoysia Bunker Faces Being a warm season grass, the Zoysia bunker faces took a little longer than expected to fully green up. Many of the northern facing slopes that receive the least amount of sunlight are still a little bit slow to wake up. As these mature this season, I expect the green-up next year to be more consistent next year. We will wait until July 1 to see how much growth and recovery we achieve on the weaker bunker faces. At that time, we will address any areas in need of sod or plug work.

Bunker Sand Splash I have heard great feedback regarding the quality of the bunker sand. One reason for this is due to the angularity of the sand particles. It offers great consistency and firmness as well as holds the sand up bunker faces. With that, the angularity of the sand particles is also very abrasive to the succulent turf on the putting greens. This, along with the rate at which sand heats up on the putting surface serve as a lethal combination. To combat this, you will see and hear our team on the course blowing sand splash off of greens in the afternoons. We will utilize gaps whenever possible and will be investing in electric blowers to soften the noise disruption.

Divot Recovery As advertised, these new bentgrass varieties germinate very quickly under the right conditions. During the grow in of the golf course, we were irrigating seeded areas every 1-

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In-Ground Trash Cans In effort to limit clutter on the golf course we have introduced in-ground trash cans in select areas. Please look for these next to all of the on-course water filling stations.

Depending on feedback and usage, we may introduce more of these over the coming months.

Golf Course Etiquette The golf course may be new but the same common etiquette practices remain the same. Please remember to leave each hole better for the next player by raking your bunkers, fixing ball marks and filling your divots. Now m-

COLLIN’S CORNER CONT. ore than ever, these simple practices will enhance the golf pride displayed in their workmanship has been incredible experience and help the season-long performance of the to witness. We can not wait to carry this momentum into playing surfaces. the 2026 golf season.

It has been a pleasure interacting with the membership throughout the project and as excitement built leading up to opening day. I cannot end this communication without mentioning the team that truly made all of this come to fruition and deserves all the recognition (photo below).

Their commitment to the success of this project and the

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We look forward to seeing you out on the golf course!

Collin Harley Golf Course Superintendent

MEMBERSHIP

Guess that bunker Answers are upside down at the bottom of the page. No cheating!

a

b

c

d

e

f

Stay Connected!

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Welcome, New Members!

St. Davids Golf Club would like to welcome our new members to the Club. We look forward to seeing you and your family on the course and around the clubhouse!

Reverend Ryan and Jill Balsan Berwyn, PA

Answers D. 10 green E. 14 green F. 11 fairway

Click here to contact Ali Pierce, she’ll set you up!

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A. 8 fairway B. 18 fairway C. 13 fairway

No, how do I do that?

STAFF SPOTLIGHT

Chris Walsh Please join us in welcoming Chris Walsh, who joined the team at the beginning of June as our Men's Locker Room Manager.

Chris has spent his entire professional career in the private club industry. After graduating from West Chester University in 2016, he began his career as a tennis professional at Radnor Valley Country Club. He later worked as a caddie at Stonewall Golf Club, where he also assisted in the locker room during major events and tournaments.

Chris grew up in Phoenixville and now lives in Valley Forge. When he's not at the Club, you'll likely find him on the ice. From spring through fall, Chris plays defense in a men's hockey league two to three times a week in Kimberton and Collegeville.

Chris is also an avid traveler and outdoor enthusiast who enjoys hiking and exploring America's National Parks.

Some of his favorite destinations include Glacier National Park in Montana and Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. Next on his adventure list? A trip to California to experience Yosemite National Park and the Redwoods.

Since arriving at St. Davids, Chris has quickly felt at home.

"It's fantastic. The clubhouse is awesome... everyone loves it. There's lots of good energy because of the remodel. The membership is awesome, with super nice people. I'm totally impressed by the way the staff and membership interact with one another."

You can find Chris around the Club Wednesday through Sunday. Be sure to introduce yourself and say hello!

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DINING/CLUB HISTORY

Welcome Back to the Club!

Thank you to our membership for supporting the dining room and our team as we reopened the clubhouse! The amount of activity from the moment we opened our doors has been tremendous and we are so happy to see everyone utilizing our services.

We recently launched our summer menu. You’ll find lots of fan favorites and some new additions! Come enjoy the summer harvest salad (spring mix with grilled peaches, heirloom cherry tomatoes, green beans, cucumber, dried cherries, sunflower seeds, goat cheese, & citrus vinaigrette) or Chef Victoria’s family recipe in our Victoria ala Vodka dish!

Our first Lobster Night was a success, please don’t forget to register for the upcoming Lobster Night on Thursday, July 23. Our final Lobster night is on Thursday, August 20, registration opens on Thursday, July 9.

We’ve added some additional BYOB nights to the calendar this summer. Join us on Saturday, July 11 and August 8. If you can’t make it, you are always welcome to bring your own bottle of wine, but please note there is a $25 corkage fee.

Summer hours of operation Monday: Closed Tuesday: 11 AM - 3 PM Wednesday - Sunday: 11 AM – 9 PM The bar opens at 11 AM Tuesday - Sunday

Angela Hummel Clubhouse Manager

Trees on the Golf Course When St. Davids Golf Club’s new golf course opened for play in the fall of 1927 there weren’t many trees among the golf holes. For 70 years, trees were planted for a variety of reasons. Some were planted to protect golfers from errant golf shots, some to protect neighbors, some to make a golf hole more difficult, some in memory of a loved one, and some for beautification.

Early on trees were planted on the left side of the 1st fairway to protect the golfers on the 3rd tee. In 1972 five fast growing trees were planted on the left side of the 12th fairway to protect the next door neighbor from errant golf

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CLUB HISTORY shots. At the same time the 12th fairway was moved to the right, making the hole more of a dogleg. Past SDGC President John Yerkes donated the trees in memory of his wife, Mary, who had died that year.

To make the 17th hole play more difficult, SDGC green superintendent George McKenzie (Mr. Mac) planted several trees on the right-hand side in the 1950s (before the full shot practice field was created the 17th hole had been a 423-yard par four). Mr. Mac played golf with the men on Saturday mornings.

1999

In the late 1960s willow trees were planted between the 5th and 8th holes in hope that the trees would soak up water that persisted in that area. But, that only made the problem worse, as the willow tree roots coughed up the drainage pipes that had been installed from time to time.

In 1969 Heidelberg Country Club was under construction near Reading on a former Christmas tree farm. The owner of Heidelberg sent out word to other golf facilities offering evergreen trees for sale at a low price. SDGC purchased nearly two hundred of those trees. The trees were planted on nearly every hole, and now, except for a few, they are gone.

1975

removed. But, longtime SDGC President Victor Mauck, who oversaw SDGC for nearly thirty years, would not concede to fewer trees.

Over the years, trees were planted, all with good intentions, but trees can become larger than expected and become a problem. Trees near the 8th green and the tees for the 5th and 8th holes became large with roots that extended under the green and tees along with blocking the badly needed sunshine. Several large trees near the 6th green blocked the sun and air circulation.

Over the years lightening and the Dutch Elm disease eliminated some trees. Then three professional golf course architects; Brian Silva, Ron Prichard, and Tyler Rae, who made restorations to the golf course, removed many trees for various reasons. When it comes to trees at SDGC it is more like 1927 now.

The USGA Green Section, a consulting service that SDGC subscribed to, made yearly visits to the Club. There would always be the mention of one thing. For better health of certain greens, like the 6th and 7th, some trees needed to be

Peter Trenham Club Historian

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CLUB CONTACTS Board of Directors President John Beisty

First Vice President Jay Mutchler

Second Vice President Chris Albany

Secretary Gregory McShea

Treasurer/Finance Mike Marciano

Entertainment Harriette Waldron

Golf Mike Conway

Green Dan Dressel

House Jay Mutchler

Membership Development Mike Peck

Clubhouse Refresh Mark Pulos

Membership Mindy Aldridge

Chuck Chupein

Roy McGillis

Staff Directory Dean Kandle, General Manager (610) 688-2010 x 206 Dean@stdavidsgc.com

Jill Pacholek, Office Manager (610) 688-2010 x 201 Jill@stdavidsgc.com

Bethany Jones, Controller (610) 688-2010 x 203 Bjones@stdavidsgc.com

Kelly Iorio, Accounts Payable (610) 688-2010 x 202 Kiorio@stdavidsgc.com

Tyler Santacroce, Head Golf Professional

(610) 688-2010 x 209 Tyler@stdavidsgc.com

Collin Harley, Greens Superintendent Charley@stdavidsgc.com

Angela Hummel, Clubhouse Manager (610) 688-2010 x 206 Angela@stdavidsgc.com

Emily Turnwald, Private Events Coordinator Emily@stdavidsgc.com

Ali Pierce, Communications Manager Alison@stdavidsgc.com

Victoria Giurbino, Executive Chef Victoria@stdavidsgc.com

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St. Davids

Golf Club

connect with us

845 Radnor Street Road

info@stdavidsgc.com

(610) 688-2010

www.stdavidsgc.com

@stdavidsgolfclub