Greetings from WAUBEEKA - OUR THURSDAY NEWSLETTER

Hello Nate

FROM THE GM - Vicki Richardello

We got what we asked for from the State of MA and the Town of Williamstown!  We are now serving food and beverage on our backyard patio, our driving range is open dawn to dusk, except for mowing on Monday mornings when they will open at 10 AM!  Our putting green is open!
   
Deadline for non-members to get full credit for every round played toward a golf membership expires midnight, Sunday, June 15.  What better sport is there to play with family and friends during a time like this?  I think, no other. Join today!

The sad passing of our good friend and former Waubeeka member, Jeff Polucci has left us all thinking of him and the many fond memories we share.  Jeff was a 3 time club champion at Waubeeka  and played many rounds of golf with his good friend, George Petropolis, the King.  George’s sons and grandsons are also feeling the hurt.  We send our condolences to them and all of Jeff’s family and friends.
 

I predicted in this column last year that betting on golf was going to be huge.  Welcome 2020….it’s here! Didn’t know there wasn’t going to be any sports to bet on until now! Wait…. does Rock, Paper, Scissors count? Golf does!

A huge THANK YOU to all the essential workers who got us through a very difficult time!  It’s not over yet, but we hope that in the future, as we continue to be safe, and with the hope a vaccine is found, we can return to an even better way of life.  Keep up the good work!

TIP OF THE CAP - Toby Foehl & Nicole Overbaugh, two Mt. Greylock seniors who excel at golf and academics gave their final address to their fellow 84 graduating seniors last Friday night!!  They are two wonderful role models and all of us here wish them and all their classmates, nothing but the very best!  I’d also like to give a special ‘Thank you’ to Taylor Cornell, Paul Roeder, Braydon Smith and Joe Jones.  They get up at 5 AM to keep Waubeeka in the shape you see it in everyday, or they come and enjoy a round of golf!  Their dedication and work ethic does not go without notice.  Big shout out also to Finn Welch, both for his ability on the soccer (POY) field and the golf course!

Christina and Casey Conry installed two honeybee swarm traps at Waubeeka last Saturday on Holes 5 and 11.  I think they look great and hope the bees do as well. Read more about them here.

TIP:  More and more people are out walking for exercise, not just on the golf course, but everywhere.  Always walk against the traffic, so you can see the traffic coming toward you.  Never walk with traffic, it’s too dangerous.  Always wear reflective gear; more so at night!

Congratulations to the dean of high school coaches, Dick Salinetti and to Henry Sniezek, Hoosac Valley HS senior.  They were named ‘Coach of the Year’ and ‘Golfer of the Year’ in Berkshire County by the Berkshire Eagle!!  Two extraordinary and deserving selections.

Another Congratulations to our very own Pro, Erik Tiele and his playing partner Kevin Johnston of Stockbridge for last Monday’s performance in the NENY Section Pro/Pro Tournament.  They collected a couple of skins and walked away with a lot of cash!!  Eric Mabbe and Scott Berliner took first place in a playoff over Glen Davis and Brian Lowe. We thank the many pros for their kind comments about our course!

The Dick Nichols Memorial Bench dedication will take place at 10 AM Monday.  A small group of relatives and friends will gather to pay tribute to this wonderful man who loved golf and Waubeeka!
 

FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT - Brian Bartlett

Our driving range and putting green are open.  Great time to purchase a Driving Range membership, (terrific and economical family opportunity).  We have set the distance between stations at 10 feet not only for social distancing, but for safety, also! This week, assistant Superintendent Keenan Pallos and plant specialist Taylor Cornel picked out  new perennial flowers from Whitney’s Farmstand for the entrance of the parking lot and around the clubhouse. The increased temperatures have required 700,000 gallons of water to keep the course alive!  We need rain...preferably from 9 PM to 7 AM in the morning, just like last night!!

FROM THE CHEF - Rich Wilson

We are OPEN, both for ‘TO GO’ and outside dining with alcohol!!  So happy to have our waitstaff back and serving not only our members and friends, but those community neighbors who just stop to grab a bite and enjoy our views!! 
Welcome all! Our menu is on our website, our specials for each night are also listed. We stop serving at 8 PM on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights.  On Sunday and Monday nights we stop serving at 5 PM.

FROM THE PRO - Erik Tiele

Square Deal Tiele is at it again!!!  Purchase a new driver for FATHER’S DAY, you will also receive a free dozen golf balls to make the gift even more special!!!
 
The Pro Shop hours are now daily 8 to 7 on weekdays and starting on Saturday June 20th we will open for the weekends at 7AM.  As things continue to progress, we will continue to look at an earlier opening on the weekdays.

This week’s Sunday Sweeps format was delete your worst hole. On the gross side of the course Jamie Gaffey took home 1st place honors with a 69. He was followed by Bill Molloy’s 73, Russ Gilman 74, Jeff Bourdon’s 75 and Al Stalker rounded out the top 5 with his 76. The net side saw Fred Scully claim first place firing a blistering 59; he was closely followed by Ron Goss and Chuck Lewitt with their 61’s and rounding out the money positions were Bob Williams and Al Field which saw them each shoot a 62!!!

Our FREE weekly Sunday Junior Clinics will begin this coming Sunday, June 14th @ 1pm. Hope to see you there!!

We had to adjust our Golf School schedule due to some new guidelines which were imposed upon us in regards to clinics/camps and schools.. So with that in mind, here are the NEW approved DATES:                    

• June 23 - 25 - 7 student openings
• July 7 - 9 - 2 student openings
• July 21 - 23 - 9 student openings

The NENY Section of the PGA held a Pro-Pro event here this past Monday. It was great to have 27 of my fellow professionals here for a great day of golf. The guys were very impressed with the course conditions and many inquired about our new touchless ball return!!!

ATTENTION MEMBERS!  Please pick up a survey in the pro shop.  We are interested in getting your feedback for upcoming events. Deadline to return the survey is June 15th.

Fantasy Golf Pool starts Thursday, June 24th with The Travelers Championship.  We will run the pool for 19 weeks this year due to the revised schedule from the PGA Tour. This will take the schedule all the way to the World Golf Championships - HSBC Champions on Oct 29-Nov 1. Choose your players just like last year!  Your picks must be in by Wednesday, June 23rd .  $20 Entry Fee. Who will you be rooting for this year????

Watch Tiger Woods practice on the range here. 

This is what our divots should look like after hitting balls!!  This video is also on our webpage!

Dick Syriac (laryoflenox) writes:

Berkshire County and Western Mass golf lost one of its prominent ambassadors with the unfortunate passing of Jeff Polucci last Friday, and Linda and I lost a true friend.

I first met Jeff when I was a student teacher at McCann Tech and I encountered him in the boys room taking a smoke break from his studies.

Despite his nasty habit he managed to display his talents on the basketball court for the Hornets under Coach Tim Carroll. He and Coach Carroll remained in touch over the years and Tim was surprised when he received the bad news at his Cape Cod home ." I'm shocked, what a wonderful, caring person. I was so proud of him and all that he accomplished in his lifetime. He will be sorely missed by so many.”

I recall Coach Carroll telling me years ago about Jeff's contributions to the team. "He was an exceptional defensive re-bounder, but didn't do much at the other end. By the time he made it up the court, we had already lost the ball or Dick DeGray would have scored.” Jeff and DeGray remained best friends since age 14 and have visited the cashier's window often throughout Western Mass as partners in various tournaments.

Former Drury standout golfer Trevor Gliwski, now a PGA Professional in Naples Fl., learned to play golf caddying for Jeff at Waubeeka. Trevor told me, "I made it a point to watch how he conducted himself on the course and I benefited very much from that experience. First class man all the way and I will miss him.”

I have heard from many of Jeff's acquaintances and friends including John Demko PGA of Crumpin Fox, Tom Sullivan PGA of Wyantenuck and numerous others.

Jeff had many friends who benefited from his generosity. If anyone wanted to beat him to the bar tab,  good luck with that.

If you knew Jeff Polucci, you were fortunate. If you were his friend you hit the mother load.

R.I.P. Partner; you left our world a better place because you were in it.

If his close friends have 5 minutes and 44 seconds to spare I suggest listening to "Everybody Hurts" by R.E.M. and think of Jeff. You can view it here. To do this you will need a computer and some tissues.

PGA Tour

We’re Back!! - There may not be spectators, but the TV sure works!  The World’s #1, #2 and #3 ranked players are in the field, Rory McIllroy, Jon Rahm and Brooks Koepka. First stop of this new and spectator absent season is The Charles Schwab Invitational in Fort Worth, Texas.  Should be fun watching pro golfers looking for their ball within 3 minutes and then going back to hit another!! With no spectators, it may be a whole different ball game!

DEEP Thoughts 

Augusta National bought the property next door for $26 million dollars!  Golf really is on the upswing!! Do you think they want to make the course longer???? Or maybe they’re looking to build a hotel!