Wexford Club Times October/November 2023

In This

Issue

Message from the GM, 2 Employee News, 2

Letter from the Board President, 3 Foundation News, 4-5

Board News, 5

Harbour/Yacht Club, 6-7

Tennis & Pickleball, 8-9

Golf, 10

Clubhouse Corner, 12-15

Croquet, 15

Member Photo Gallery, 16-17

Calendar, 18-20

Dear Members,

It has been a busy 2023 thus far getting settled in at Wexford. As we make a final push to finish off the season and approach the Annual Meeting, I’d like to take this opportunity to recap a couple noteworthy initiatives.

Patrick McGuire General Manager

First is the hiring and onboarding of Wexford’s Executive Chef Olivier Geyer. After hitting the ground running on September 1st, he masterfully planned and executed the week of Anniversary events. He continues to assess, train and lead the kitchen staff.

Equally important to the owner experience is the fiscal responsibility which has been lacking for some time. I ask for your patience as he proceeds with a full assessment of staff, menus and cost of goods.

In that vein, I do have a special request to be patient with the service staff as well with menus and special-order items. Once Olivier gets a better handle on the operation, you will begin to see appreciable changes.

On a different note, the staff survey conducted by Club Benchmarking was well subscribed and participation matched last year. I look forward to benchmarking the two years to garner areas of opportunity to make Wexford the employer of choice. In addition to the staff survey, the owner survey has now closed, and the Executive Summary is being compiled. I look forward to seeing those results as well.

Lastly, my office door is always open, and I am happy to make myself available any time.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Officers:

President:

Stephen Carter

Vice President:

Terry Ramey

Treasurer:

Keith Poisson

Secretary:

Lynn Looby

Directors:

Mary Boland

Michael Fajgenbaum

Harry Mellon

John Presley

Chris Wycoff

ADMINISTRATION

OFFICE:

Monday – Friday 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM

843-686-6950

By the time you are reading this, new menus should be in the final stages if not already complete and his strategy moving forward with be a regular rotation on a monthly basis. Olivier has engaged several purveyors that will be supplying the Club with fresh, local, farm to fork products.

See you at the Club, Patrick Wexford Briefly

Please consider donating to the Wexford Employee Holiday Fund, a time-honored tradition, to show our appreciation of the staff’s dedication and commitment to elevating the Wexford experience, contribute to the beauty and sense of community we enjoy each day and make Wexford one of the premier communities in Hilton Head.

Letter from the Board President

Hello Neighbors,

I write this as I travel back from a short trip to Boston. I left the hotel in the evening and was definitely glad that I had a sweater with me. Although it is still in the 80s in Hilton Head during the day, there are definite signs of fall in the air and welcome though that is, it means a busy time for your board and management.

Stephen Carter President

By the time you read this, you will be familiar with the proposed Clubhouse and Harbour Center Amenities Plan that our Amenities and Planning Committee has worked on all year. I sincerely hope that you will vote “yes”, since I think it is a very strong plan and crucial for Wexford both now and in the future. Not only are we enhancing our physical infrastructure with the first major work on the Clubhouse for well over a decade and for the first building renewal of our critical Harbour Center, but it is also providing the owners with the chance to decide whether they believe Wexford is a community that they wish to invest in.

Many of us that spend most of our time here, have had a chance to visit neighboring communities and to admire their new and renovated facilities. If we are to remain competitive and seek to maintain and grow our property values, we must do the same and I sincerely hope that residents of those clubs will shortly be wanting to visit ours.

I recognize that this has been another tough economic year, interest rates have continued to rise, and albeit at a slower pace, inflation is still a major factor. The labor shortage, particularly on our island has continued to be a tough adversary, and expenses such as insurance, food and beverage supplies, golf course and landscaping pesticides…I could go on, have all taken their toll. Having said that I believe that our Finance Team, assisted by our Finance Committee have done a very good job in sorting through the numbers to create a proposed budget for 2024 that balances the need to provide excellent service with fiscal responsibility. We will of course be voting on that budget proposal in the annual ballot in November. Our Member Survey has closed now and we should soon be able to share the results. Although I recognize that to maintain statistical validity we cannot pick and choose when we should do an annual benchmark, I do think it is a shame that the survey for this year will not be able to reflect such things as the new chef’s work or some of the other improvements we have seen in our

operations. I should not be impatient though, and we will see the fruits of those initiatives in the 2024 survey.

Speaking of the new chef, his arrival has been very exciting. Chef Olivier has a wealth of experience not only as a pure chef but also as an Executive Chef managing a high quality kitchen. While many of us just focus on the food on our plate, there are multiple steps and sequencing to get it to our table. As all good managers do in a new position, Chef Olivier is assessing his resources including staff, equipment, suppliers and logistics and is now well into that next phase of redesigning menus, undertaking training, cleaning, maintenance and a multitude of other tasks, preparing for our busy banquet time of the year including our Member Guest tournaments.

I cannot finish this note without mentioning the 40th Celebration Week. Firstly I would like to thank and praise our staff for the excellent job they did to make it both memorable, enjoyable and inclusive. Our members had choices of golf, tennis, pickleball, croquet, trivia, and varied dining opportunities; many of which included an 80’s theme (including Salisbury steak, which I discovered was not steak but was delicious!) , in honor of Wexford’s 40 years. As you can see from the photos throughout this issue, all were well attended.

I attended the gala dinner during our 40th Celebration Week and loved the food and the atmosphere, but perhaps the rather spontaneous expression of fun at the Nine and Dine dinner was one the best I have ever had at Wexford. It has been a great start to a new era and we hope for even better things to come.

I believe that this has been a very constructive year so far. We have seen some further transition in our management team, but I believe that we have moved ever closer towards our goal of creating an atmosphere of stable competency, capable of delivering excellent service, as well as striving to be welcoming and friendly, and I hope that you agree.

I wish you all very well for what I hope will be a great run up to the Holidays. In the meantime get out and enjoy this weather and, if you haven’t already voted, please vote “yes” to show your support for Wexford’s future!

Sincerely,

Stephen

Feeding children, one backpack at a time

For many families, we know the fall season brings school homework, sports, and additional activities but we often don’t realize that for some children the concern of having food can get in the way. The reality is that many children who qualify for a free breakfast & lunch at school are likely to have no food in their homes over the weekend. Our charity partner, Backpack Buddies of Greater Bluffton, is dedicated to eliminating this chronic childhood hunger and to rectifying the obstacles it presents to children.

In 2010, Sue & Ken Kroupa founded Backpack Buddies after the encouragement from the Low Country Food Bank and with assistance from three local churches. Since then, this grass roots effort has grown to serve over 700 children monthly. “To know that I am helping these children to have a better life is what is most rewarding to me,” said Kroupa. “You can’t start too early to make a difference in these important years.”

Backpack Buddies has four programs to support children in need. First, their “bags of food” program on Friday’s provide the children with food & snacks to last the weekend. Currently, 225 children are being assisted with this effort at 4 different schools. The second program is their monthly “boxes of food” which help to supplement the whole family’s nutritional needs. Each box contains

about $40 worth of shelf-stable food & is a better solution for older children & large families. A monthly produce basket is a third program component to ensure that families have fresh fruits and vegetables. Lastly, over the summer months, the organization has orchestrated a unique voucher program with the Farmer’s market to provide fresh produce when the children are out of school.

What does it take to make all of this happen? A lot of time & effort from over 150 passionate volunteers and organizations such as the Wexford Foundation that raise money on their behalf. It takes a tremendous amount of coordination between 3rd parties like Food Lion, Sysco, The Bluffton Farmers Market, Churches, School Staff & volunteers to execute their programs.

The Wexford Foundation is proud to be associated with this amazing organization that works behind the scenes to help meet a child’s most basic need — food.

2023 Fundraising Kickoff

Addressing Hunger, as highlighted in the Backpack Buddies Spotlight piece, is one of the mission critical cornerstones of the Wexford Foundation along with Health, Housing and Educational needs in our local community.

Inflation has added a painful new dimension to the challenges facing the working poor. Even though we funded 35 charities in 2023 with our highest ever level of more than $370,000 in sustaining grants, many of our non-profit partners have appealed for additional financial assistance just to get through the year. Looking ahead, our Grant Committee just reached agreement to evaluate 2024 grant applications from 42 existing as well as new non-profit organizations. The needs are real, and they continue to grow.

We have been extremely fortunate to have so many generous donors that have supported the Foundation year after year. We could not do what we do, and have done, without you. Our ability to sustain our mission in the future will depend on growing our donor base to include many of the new owners that have moved to Wexford in the last 3-4 years. As we officially kick off our annual fundraising activities with this issue of the Club Times, we are very pleased to announce that M.C. and Paul McEvoy have graciously pledged to match up to $75,000 in contributions from new donors. This extra boost, along with revenue from the annual Gala’s raffle and auction, will help us provide grants in 2024 that meet and hopefully exceed what we were able to offer this year.

If you would like to learn more about the Wexford Foundation, please contact me at chair@ wexfordfoundation.com, visit our website at wexfordfoundation.com or reach out to any one of our Board Trustees.

Fred Noonan Chair

2024 Board Election

In November, Wexford members will be given the opportunity and the responsibility to elect three new directors to replace the Board members who will be completing their terms. It is important to think about your choices because your vote will determine who will be making the key decisions that can affect your lives. Are they problem solvers? Do they work well with others? What experiences do they bring to the Board? Do they have the time to devote to the betterment of the community?

This year our retiring Board members are Mary Boland, Chris Wycoff and Terry Ramey. We thank them all for sharing their precious time, talents and knowledge to keep our community fiscally stable and a fabulous place in which to live and raise our families. As you consider this year’s candidates, please appreciate the roles and the contributions which Mary, Terry and Chris made during their time on the Wexford Board.

Mary Boland

Mary brought her many years of financial expertise and operational accountability in industry to our Wexford Board. She chaired the Governance Committee for two years, Marketing Committee for two years and the Golf Committee for one year. While each year of Board membership brought with it challenges to navigate with owner and management changes, Covid recovery and various proposed covenant changes and amenities plans, she is appreciative of the time working with her fellow Board members and Wexford staff.

Terry Ramey

Terry worked in insurance, manufacturing, professional services and participated in several Habitat for Humanity builds before coming to Wexford. Being a “people person” with well developed interpersonal skills, he served as Vice-President for one year, on the Greens and Ground Committee for two years, and the Tennis/Pickle-ball Committee for one year. Terry is particularly thankful for the time and energy expended by all committee volunteers who provided essential input to the management team.

Chris Wycoff

Chris’ background in business management, marketing and sales was an asset for the community as he helped guide the Board through the challenges of Covid-19 and the unprecedented utilization of facilities that resulted. Over his three years on the Board, he chaired the Marketing Committee, the House and Social Committee and the Harbour and Yacht Club Committee. Chris is grateful for the experience working with his fellow Board members and the entire Wexford management team.

The lock is scheduled for another refurbishment in early January 2024 and will be closed off until the end of February.

The Lock is shut down for 2 months?...What?

It’s true! By design, every 10 years the lock must go through a complete refurbishment. This involves a substantial bit of work but is necessary so that it continues to operate properly, reliably and safely. The good news is that it is a Wexford reservefunded project (funds are already allocated to it) and it is scheduled for the January-February timeframe which is the least busy time for the lock throughout the year. The bi-annual channel dredging will be accomplished at the same time.

So, what’s involved? The lock doors are completely removed,

taken to Savannah, sand-blasted, balanced and repainted (this time with different paint which will inhibit marine growth). All of the rubber grommets and seals are replaced. The hydraulic systems are flushed, inspected, repaired and tested, the pumps are serviced, the electrical components are inspected and upgraded and the mud in the bottom of the lock is dredged. Additionally, the flushing gates are cleaned and serviced, the lock door sills (in the bottom of the lock) are refitted and replaced if necessary, and for this go-round, the hydraulic rams will be upgraded with certain parts that have better wear characteristics.

Will the harbour drain and dry up?

No, large timbers are installed in slots in the lock structure to keep the water in the harbour.

What if I want to use my boat during that time? If you think you may use your boat during this time, you will need to move it to an outside marina before refurbishment begins. Once the project starts, there will be no egress/ingress of Wexford Harbour! The work is to start right after New Years, and be done at the end of February. However, watch for periodic updates on scheduling, and call the Harbour Center anytime you have questions.

This photo from January 2014 shows workers removing the Wexford lock door.

New-format Docktails a big hit!

The kickoff of the new approach to Docktails featured a Lowcountry Boil and lots of happy Wexfordians! Chef Olivier and his team prepared a wonderful meal featuring fresh steamed shrimp and muscles, corn on the cob, corn bread and craft beer! The weather on the Harbour Terrace was just perfect and the cajun music and string lighting offered a wonderful Lowcountry ambiance.

With the new approach, Docktails will now be every couple of months (instead of every month) and will feature a food theme prepared by the restaurant staff. Next up? Octoberfest and then maybe make your own pizza! Stay tuned and watch for announcements!

Next Safety Seminar

The next safety seminar will be on weather and how it can affect your boating. It will take place October 17 from 5:00 to 7:00 PM in the Waterford Room.

The safety and comfort of those who venture out on the water have always been weather dependent. Are the winds too strong? What is a small craft advisory? These and other important questions will be answered during the seminar. This seminar, a must for boaters who have never taken a weather course, will help you answer these questions and gain an understanding of the forces acting on your boat. Understand the forecast and know what to expect, whether you’re in a kayak, trawler, sailboat, or schooner. This seminar presents a complex subject in a way that is both understandable and useful.

What’s included?

• What causes weather

• How weather systems move

• Why winds blow

• What clouds tell us

• How storms and fronts create foul weather

• Why fog forms

• Where to get the best professional forecasts

• How to refine them using your own observation

One of the Big Three: Boat Commissioning — October 15th

The Yacht Club hosts three major events during the year and the second one is coming up: the Boat Commissioning.

Join us on October 15, 2023 as we welcome 24 new boats into Wexford Harbour this year. Cocktails start

promptly at 5:00 PM and the ceremony follows with dinner after that.

Make your reservations early to ensure you get a seat at the always-sold-out event.

Patrick Mason Director of Tennis

(843) 686-8816, ext. 150

pmason@wexfordhiltonhead.com

TENNIS TIP

Tennis & Pickleball

Get your first serve in!

When playing doubles, it’s very important to make your first serves if you want to win. I understand it’s not possible to be 100% successful, but your first serve percentage has to be at least 75%. For most players, the second serve is their weakest shot. This is bad news for your partner, who now becomes a sitting duck at the net. Being in the line of fire, they must brace for a powerful return. Because there is a high probability the ball will be returned offensively, your net player will have no opportunity to poach. Furthermore, serve and volley is probably out the window for the server as an option.

To up your first serve percentage, take some pace off the ball and apply more spin. Placement is your best friend in doubles, so hit a well-placed serve with less power and more spin. This will increase the likelihood of making the first serve, which affords you options. You can serve and volley, poach, or attack off a weak return. However, if you miss the first serve, those options disappear.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Friday, October 6th: Pro League at Rose Hill

Friday, October 13: Pro League at Oldfield

Saturday, October 7th: American Cancer Society Tennis & Pickleball Round Robin

Friday, October 20th: Pro League at Palmetto Dunes

Friday, October 27th: 24 Annual Pro-Am, 9:30-12:00pm

Friday, October 27th: Pro League FINALS at Long Cove

Friday, November 10th: Pickleball Social — Wexford hosts Sea Pines Country Club

Friday, November 24th: Work off the Turkey Tennis & Pickleball Round Robin 10am-12pm

40TH ANNIVERSARY POWER HOUR

Thank you to all who joined us to celebrate Wexford’s 40th anniversary and congratulations to our Power Hour winners!

5 Tips for Intermediate Pickleball Players

Tip #1 Go Deep

Your serve and return of serve must and should always be deep. With a deep shot, you are providing time for you and your teammate to reach the net. Conversely, the deep shot prevents your opponent from getting to the net for as long as possible. As a server, pushing the return team back as deep as possible is a crucial strategy.

By hitting a deep baseline hugging return of serve, you make it harder for the serving team to get to the kitchen line. The longer it takes the serving team to get to the net, the longer the return team has a big advantage. This same strategy also applies to in game shots. Players should always hit toward the opponent who is furthest back. When your opponents are not lined up next to one another, immediately hit at the player who’s furthest back. This is not a difficult strategy to implement, but depending on the pace the of the game, it is a difficult error to quickly recognize and expose.

Tip #2 Be Active

An advanced player should never look stationary or inert in one or two positions while playing. Make sure your body is relaxed and ready to

adjust to any situation especially sudden changes in ball trajectory. Stationary players tend to play stiff and have delayed reactions to plays. An active or dynamic player with better body language is readily able to make unique plays on the ball. A good example of this would be shading in the kitchen while your teammate is dinking. Your eyes, body and paddle should be always moving and shuffling with the ball. If you are standing upright while your teammate is dinking, the opposing team may decide to speed it up while your paddle is down.

Tip #3 Ball Tracking

Being in the ready position means having your paddle up and in front of you.

Additionally, once you have your paddle up, players should be tracking the movement of the ball with your paddle. This does not mean you should be waving around the paddle like you are a wizard with a wand. Rather, players always track the ball and mimic its path with their paddle. If your paddle is in the ready position and following the ball trajectory you will always be ready to strike. This tip also applied if the ball is not being hit at you.

One common mistake is anticipating where the ball will go, this could be costly because shots altered by wind, spin, and net cord contact.

Tip #4 Go for the legs.

Hit at your opponents feet. Makes for a difficult return shot. Easy right? No. Think about how often you have seen shots be hit accurately when the opponent is imbalance and generating power while backwards. This is a very low percentage shot. Odds are if you hit at the opponent’s feet, it is not being returned!

Tip #5 When you go for the legs, also go for the backhand

Again, the idea here is to make your opponent hit a difficult shot. Any backhand shot, even for an intermediate player, is a more difficult shot. The more difficult the shot, the more difficult it is to win. If your opponents are having to hit difficult backhands and you’re hitting forehands, you’re going to win more points.

If your opponent is left-handed, then hit every shot low at their right foot. A backhand shot of any kind while stepping backwards is an awkward and extremely difficult shot for even the best players to hit.

LADIES INTERCLUB TENNIS VS. SHIPYARD FALL PICKLEBALL: FIRST MATCH

Scott Hunter Director of Golf

BOBBY’S BASICS

Manage the golf course for better results

“I’m not going to out-ball-strike you to death; I’m not going to out-putt you to death; but there’s no reason why I can’t out-think you. Course management over the course of my career has allowed me to win as many tournaments as I have.” – Tiger Woods

The above quote from Tiger is one of my favorites and provides really good insight from one of the greatest to ever play the game.

Golf course management involves many factors and scenarios, but here are a couple of thoughts to stay focused on throughout your round.

Consider where the best areas are to play your next shot from. I like to say, always keep the short grass in front of you. A lot of the time, aiming for the center of the green rather than firing at a tough pin

Golf Instruction

New to Wexford – Trackman – a radar device that measures the golf ball at impact as well as the club. It is a great tool for the professional staff to help diagnose your golf game and give helpful tips. The machine can also help with club fittings, distances of your clubs, putting and so much more. Contact the Golf Staff for a Trackman lesson.

location, eliminates your next shot being played from a challenging location.

If we do get in a tough situation, get your ball back into a spot you are comfortable with. This might mean pitching out of the pine straw to a comfortable yardage, or if you find yourself short sided around the green, make sure you get the next shot somewhere on the green to have a chance to make a putt. If we miss the putt, we walk away with bogey rather than a double bogey or worse.

The discussion of course management encompasses so much more, but the main thing is to make each round of golf as easy as possible for yourself. Preparation and thoughtfulness prior to the shot will save you strokes and lower the chances of putting yourself in stressful areas on the golf course.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Oct. 7th

MGA Golf Day

Oct. 13th-14th

Ladies Invitational Golf Tournament

Nov. 1st-4th

Men’s Member Guest

Nov. 10th-11th

Ladies Broad Creek Classic

Nov. 18th

Nine and Dine

Nov. 23rd

Thanksgiving Shotgun

Marvin Morrison Chief of Security

(843) 686-8817

mmorrison@wexfordhiltonhead.com

Steven Williams

Security Captain

(843) 686-8817

swilliams@wexfordhiltonhead.com

Emergency devices throughout Wexford

Each Wexford Security Officer receives their training for CPR and AED from the Hilton Head Island Fire and Rescue training section.

I have received some inquiries regarding the location of emergency equipment, which I will identify below.

Defibrillators

Wexford has 13 Automated External Defibrillators (AED), which are inspected weekly by security and are located:

• Patrol Vehicle 1 - On the back seat

• Patrol Vehicle 2 - On the back seat

• Patrol Golf Cart - Back Storage

• Harbor Center - Behind POS terminal

• Tennis Center - Lower level outside wall mounted by storeroom door

• Administration Office J18 - In the break room on the counter

• Golf Course - Hole #5 rest area mounted on the wall

• Golf Course - Hole #14 rest area mounted on the wall

• Clubhouse - Cart Barn on the wall next to roll-up door

• Clubhouse - F & B Managers Office on the wall next to the door

• Clubhouse – Pool House on exterior wall

• Maintenance Building - Main garage on the inside wall

• Maintenance Building - Greens & Grounds Directors Office in black box

• Maintenance Building - Greens and Grounds

Supervisor’s Office next to the rear door

Fire Extinguishers

Wexford has 56 fire extinguishers, which are inspected and located within each facility. You will find an extinguisher near each entry to a facility.

First Aid Kits

Wexford maintains eight First Aid kits, which are inspected by our provider and are located:

• Clubhouse Cart Barn

• Clubhouse Kitchen Prep area

• Pool Bar

• Harbour Center

• Maintenance Office

• Security Gatehouse

• Tennis Center

• Croquet Court

Stay safe, Chief Morrison

CLUBHOUSE CLOSURES

October 13th – Ladies Invitational Golf Tournament (Clubhouse and Waves Full Day Closure)

October 14th – Ladies Invitational Golf Tournament (Clubhouse and Waves Lunch Closure)

October 20th – Private Member Event (Clubhouse Dinner Closure / Waves Open All Day)

October 21st – Wexford Foundation Gala (Clubhouse and Waves Full Day Closure)

November 2nd-4th – Men’s Member Guest Golf Tournament (Clubhouse and Waves Full Day Closures)

Friday, Nov. 3rd | 5-7pm

Hours of Operation

CLUBHOUSE DINING

Monday Closed

Tuesday & Wednesday 11:30am – 2:30pm Lunch Only (*Bar service until 5pm)

Thursday-Sunday 11:30am – 2:30pm Lunch; 5:00pm – 8:30pm Dinner

CLUBHOUSE BAR

Monday Closed Tuesday & Wednesday 11:00am - 5:00pm Thursday 11:00am - Close

Friday-Sunday 11:00am - 4:00pm; 5:00pm - Close

TO GO HOURS

Want to give Croquet a try?

One of the hidden gems at Wexford is the tournament croquet lawn located across from the children’s playground. Did you know that Wexford’s croquet lawn is one of the finest in the Southeast? Whether you’re a seasoned croquet player or looking to pick up a new sport, the croquet lawn is available for all members to enjoy.

Currently, the Croquet Club plays multiple days a week and with minimal start-up instructions, even beginners can quickly learn to play. The Croquet Committee is making this amenity welcoming for all members to enjoy and has added some fun, new events to the calendar.

If you are interested in learning more about this growing sport, please email Lynn Looby at lslooby1@gmail.com and we will include you on our informational emails.

WAVES

Monday - Wednesday Closed Thursday 11:00am – 8:00pm Friday & Saturday 11:00am – 9:00pm (Food service will end at 8:00pm) Sunday 11:00am – 8:00pm

To find out the Daily Specials or to place To Go orders, call 843-715-0912 during the listed Clubhouse hours

WE WANT YOUR PHOTOS!

Do you have amazing images that you would like to share? Submit your images by posting them to our Facebook or Instagram pages, or email them to info@wexfordhiltonhead.com.

BIRD OF

Photo by Peter Rehm

Photo by Joe Zychowicz

Photo by Marvin Morrison

HILTON HEAD RAINBOW

BROAD CREEK SUNSET

TRIVIA NIGHT

PREY

Member Photo Gallery

RUBY JUBILEE GALA

NOVEMBER 2023