Greetings from Waubeeka
OUR THURSDAY NEWSLETTER

FROM THE GM - Vicki Richardello

It is with great sadness to write that one of our very dear friends, Donna Peters, passed away on February 10th. Donna and her husband Mark have been longtime, dedicated members at Waubeeka.  We send our sincere condolences to him, the family and their favorite playing partner, Linda Nichols. Donna will undoubtedly be greatly missed by many.

Also, we send condolences to Mitch Spooner and the Spooner family on the death of his dad, Fritz, a true gentleman.
3 Golf Rule Changes for 2022….that probably won’t affect you. 

1. Your driver can be no longer than 46 inches, changed from 48.
2. Green Books, mostly used by the pros, have changed to not show the contour of the green.
3. Amateurs can now be paid by outside endorsements.

• #1 June 14, 15 and 16
• #2 August 16, 17 and 18

• #1 June 21, 22  and 23 
• #2 June 28, 29  and 30 
• #3 August 9, 10  and 11

FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT - Brian Bartlett

Santa delivered this SALSCO roller to us the day after Christmas! Santa Claus left a note, he had to make a decision—get it to us a day late and get all the kids their presents on time.  Okay, Santa, a deal.  We are happy with our gift from you!  Thank you.  BTW, next year can we have a resort hotel or at least a clubhouse?

There will be a lot of new changes greeting our golfing community on the course this season.  One noticeable change is the thinning of the trees and moving the tree line in on Hole #11. This should make the hole friendlier for all players! 

FROM THE KITCHEN -

We have a new menu with many of your old favorites still on it! Stop in and check it out.  And while you’re doing that, say hello to our new bar manager, Cindy.  She already knows many of our members and is looking forward to meeting all of you.

FROM THE PRO - Erik Tiele

The golf course and driving range opened this past Tuesday, April 12th, at noon.  Many took advantage of the great weather and now it’s time for the golf course! We are OPEN! For daily greens fee specials visit our website.

Come check out all of the new inventory in the Golf Shop with more to come every day… new clubs, apparel, golf bags, shoes; the hits just keep on coming! I have continued with my many staples..Titleist, Footjoy, Callaway, Cleveland, Cobra and Taylormade, and I have added a few new ones.  

I had the opportunity to attend the Masters last week! I was there for the Tuesday practice round. It is truly an unbelievable piece of property, a holy ground for all golfers.  I’m sure you have heard that television does it no justice and that is 100% correct. The elevation changes, the green sizes and green contours are on a whole different level. 

LEAGUE INFO- 

The Tuesday Morning Senior League will be starting play on May 10th.  Call Mike Baratto, 518-763-9478 or mpb416@gmail.com

The Tuesday Night Ladies League will be starting play on Tuesday, May 10th. No informational meeting is set at this time. Contact Tammy Wright at 413-652-2004 or email waubeekaladiesgolf@gmail.com

The Wednesday Night Dick Nichols League will have their informational meeting on Wednesday, May 4th and begin play the following week. Any one looking to play as a regular or a sub please contact Ron Goss at 413-346-7805 or RSG@mack.com

The Thursday Night Men’s League will begin their first week of play on Thursday, May 5th. Contact Pete Landry @ 413-884-2465 or  prlandry1957@gmail.com

Dick Syriac (laryoflenox) writes:

We have all come in contact with people that we could classify as "cool". I don't mean cool as in chilly , I mean cool as in unflappable , aloof , laid back and in control.

It might have been an upperclassman when we were students , Tom Brady with the clock running out, Mariano Rivera with the winning run on second base, George "The Iceman" Gervin whenever he had a basketball in his hands, Ray Allen at the foul line or even Fonsie on Happy Days...you get the picture.

With all due respect these folks will now have to take a back seat to the man who should have his picture in the dictionary next to the word cool, PGA Tour professional Jason Dufner. Not many people have had a verb named after them, but he has. Google "Dufnering" and get with the times .If you want to learn how to do it  simply work on your slumped sitting position with your hands under your legs with an expressionless face. Tebowing is out, Dufnering is in.  

Last Friday the Courier caught up with Dufner at Crumpin Fox Golf Club in Bernardston where he was putting on a clinic and playing in a fundraiser for the JEHH Foundation organized by the Harrington brothers, past legends of the Pioneer Regional High School basketball program. Adam went on to the NBA after college and Kevin played 4 years at Assumption College in Worcester.

It was easy to catch up with Dufner because he doesn't move very fast. When you are cool, you don't have to. Dufner could have been in Cromwell CT playing in the Travelers but chose to honor a commitment to his fellow Auburn University buddy Adam Harrington.

Jason had a barrage of microphones in his face held by media members from all over New England; after all, he is a one of the most talented and popular members of the PGA tour,  winner of the PGA Championship at Oak Hill in 2013 and, oh by the way,  shot a course record 63 in the process.

Dufner was first spotted on the porch at Zeke's Lounge kicking it back before the festivities began. I got the impression that if the lounge was engulfed by fire and everyone was scattering he would calmly look down at his shoes to see if the flames had reached him yet.  

He stood on the range like he was anchored to the ground and responded to all questions . His luggage may not have made the trip because it appeared that he borrowed the pants he was wearing from someone that they actually fit.

He donned a nice golf shirt with horizontal stripes, too bad they didn't have one in his size. His right hand was always in his pocket and he was quick on the draw to whip out his Sharpie to accommodate autograph requests.

The 37 year old Dufner could not have made himself more available to the press or the fans. A first class guy who doesn't take himself too seriously. 

"I will probably only play on the tour another few years or so, the game is changing, I can't hit it as long as a lot of the guys, my type of game may become obsolete. I will not play on the Senior Tour either; I'll be looking to do other things.”

Hey Jason, you have banked over $17 million from the PGA tour , you are one of the top players in the world, and you sound like you are ready to shop for a rocking chair.

He was asked if he likes to fade or draw his ball, “I like to hit it straight,” end of answer. Short and honest. You want fluff, you are asking the wrong guy.

A reporter asked him "Your hair is short now, what's up with that?” Response from Duf "Oh ,I just got it cut.” These were not Greg Popovich responses, they were Duf answers.

Earlier in the year he was at Churchill Downs in Louisville KY hitting golf balls from the Twin Spires over the track to a big horseshoe in the infield. Jockey Robbie Albarado bested him in the competition in front of Rick Pitino and the Governor of Kentucky. Duf was, as always, unflappable.

Tim Sullivan of Courier-Journal.com described Dufner in this way and nailed it, "Dufner has a poker face so inscrutable that it could cause the Mona Lisa to fold a full house.”

With apologies  to Bob Hope, I am now adding Jason Dufner to complete my dream foursome of Mickey Mantle and retired Jockey Ramon Dominquez. 

With Dufner you get what you see, a former walk on at Auburn, who has made it the hard way and is proud of his accomplishments but looks like the guy you would find on the next stool with a pot belly and pinch between cheek and gum that would talk to you all day, and you would listen. 

We hope to see him on the next Ryder Cup team but if you see him on screen, you will not be able to determine if he is 3 up or 4 down; remember, he is Jason Dufner, Mr Cool.

His lovely wife Amanda,  who he met at Auburn , was not in attendance , she might have been at the Holyoke  mall attempting to  upgrade his wardrobe for the dinner that followed the golf gala that evening at Northfield Mt. Herman prep school. 

Or maybe not, she has a great guy, why try to change him.

Ed Note : Next week we will have part II of the report from The Fox 
 

A SLICE OF ART -

We are always looking for talented artists who wish to display their art at Waubeeka.  Feel free to stop in or call 413-441-0993 for more info.

PGA Tour

Tiger Woods finished at 13 over for the week at Augusta National. But, not many people were too concerned with his score. Like him or love him, it was inspirational to see him play at The Masters completing 72 holes after last year's major accident. A huge accomplishment in itself! 
Scottie Scheffler won the Masters by three shots. It's his fourth win in his last six starts on the PGA TOUR.

Check out the clubs he used to get it done at Augusta.
Driver: TaylorMade Stealth Plus (8 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 7 X
3-wood: TaylorMade Stealth Plus (16.5 degrees @15)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 8 X
Utility iron: Srixon Z U85 (3)
Shaft: Nippon Pro Modus3 Hybrid Tour X
Irons: Srixon ZU85 (4), TaylorMade P7TW (5-PW)
Shaft: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM8 (50-12F, 56-14F, 60-06K)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400
Putter: Scotty Cameron Special Select Timeless Tourtype GSS Prototype
Ball: Titleist Pro V1
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet

This week the PGA tour is on to Hilton Head Island, one of our favorites to view.  We have friends down there who will probably be watching.  Steve Crowe will undoubtedly be in attendance.

LPGA Tour

Anna Davis won the 2022 Augusta National Women’s Tour. What a great feat at only 16 years old. She had a 3-under 69 to finish as the lone player under par at 1 under. Just think, only a high school sophomore - it's safe to say she will have a promising career ahead of her. 

The LOTTE championship started this week starting in the beautiful Oahu, Hawaii. This is the 10th anniversary of this event and starts at the Hoakalei Country Club. Since 2012, when Ai Miyazato won the inaugural event, every winner of the tournament has gone on to win multiple times that same year.

DEEP Thoughts 

It isn’t often that one has the opportunity to confront his own mortality.  For those of us fortunate enough to be given this chance, I reflect back on a very lucky life.  Regrets… I’ve had a few~not winning the Sunday afternoon baseball game, disappointing my parents because of poor behavior, and making regrettable decisions.  But oh, I have been so lucky.  Parents committed to each other and their family.  My sister and I being part of 3 generations, soaking the value of family.  Today, we are that older generation.

My plans going forward are as follows:

Get well and enjoy this beautiful course.

Book value of Waubeeka is $10 million today.  I will give away the golf complex, all equipment, stock and inventory to the entity that will honor my promise to the town voters some 6 years ago!  To build for the community an affordable place to enjoy; swim, play tennis, pickleball, mini golf, simulators, a 120 room destination resort and a new clubhouse!  If all of the above were completed without a mortgage, profit would be certain.

I would love to step back from Waubeeka to smell the flowers.  If a deal can be made to give the golf course away, my job will be to be certain all employees are handsomely compensated, and, most definitely, this  newsletter continues!