apr ’17 frinside RIDGEWOOD For the Membership of Ridgewood Country Club Danbury, Connecticut www.ridgewoodcc.com

Ladies’ 9-Hole News

from the gm 2 Have you been thinking about joining the Ridgewood 9-Holers but are not quite sure what we are all golf shop news about? Here’s the inside scoop...We are a fun, social group of ladies who range in golfi ng ability from news from the green beginner to more experienced. Some of us know all the rules of golf while others are still learning. We help each other and learn from each other. We golf on Tuesday mornings in twosomes. Golf takes 2 hours 2017 signature 3 and most of us stay for lunch out on the terrace. experience 9-Hole Ladies’ Golf will informally begin on Tuesday, April 11th with a 9:30 shotgun start. We are asking dinner menu 4-5 all participants to sign up with the Pro Shop in advance and please be at the Flagpole “cart ready” by 9:15.

from the chef 6 Our Offi cial Opening Tournament will take place on Tuesday, May 2nd at 9:30 with a fun golf format culinary classes followed by a luncheon hosted by Linda Weiss, Carol Ann Viebrock and Th ayer Cipolla. In June, we will be incorporating monthly half hour clinics prior to our regular golf time to help improve our golf skills. health & wellness 7 Please check out the Ridgewood Calendar and 9 Holer Bulletin Board in the Ladies’ Locker Room and march madnezz 8 feel free to contact us with any questions. We would love to have you join us this season for some “No Pressure Golf!” pub night 9 Sincerely, Linda Weiss, Carol Ann Viebrock, 9 Hole Coordinators kids easter egg hunt 10 & brunch easter grand buffet & 11 Great Menus and Delicious Food petting zoo

all new redesigned family 13 he Ridgewood Pub has only been open a couple of weeks and already people are speaking very night: “apizza night” highly of the new dinner, lunch and pub menus. If you haven’t had a chance to come by for Tlunch or dinner yet be sure to soon—Ridgewood will be your favorite restaurant in the area. kentucky derby 14 You are sure to love the market fresh salads including the new Kale Detox salad and everyone is raving about the complimentary pasta with your entrée. We have a new purveyor of and the cigar dinner & poker night 15 Chef is bringing out all the great fl avors in the beef with expert grilling techniques and amazing seasoning options. Also, Chef John wants you to know that the kitchen staff is excited to make movie night 16 your Membership Experience great so if you have a special request or you don’t see something on the menu just ask and they will fi nd a way to achieve your request. magic show & game night 17 (SEE MENU ON PAGES 4 AND 5.)

memorial weekend 18 itinerary From the Membership Committee ridgewood cc book club 19 warm Ridgewood welcome to our new members! A We look forward to seeing you in and around the Club. Matthew Bartelme & Kelly Dielsi Michael & Dawn DeCosta from the gm news from the green

pring has arrived and the snow is fi nally melting as the grounds crew racking the weather in New England reminds me of a ride on the prepares the golf course to soon open. Hopefully, we will enjoy beautiful “Monster Mouse” roller coaster at Rye Playland when I was a kid ... T no doubt some of you might remember it. Th e coaster would scale a S spring weather that will continue until summer. steep incline, level out, take a 90 degree turn at the edge of a precipice, and Th e clubhouse and restaurant reopened in March and we have received so suddenly rocket downhill — leaving your stomach 20 yards behind you. much positive feedback on the food and service. Th e staff is all energized and Scared me to death, but I loved it. Well, the weather these past few months looks forward to providing an exceptional member experience this season has scared me to death, but as the coaster glides to a stop, we are all good ! throughout the Club. With 70 degree temperatures marking February out as the warmest February on record, followed by a deep chill and 18” inches of snow in mid-March, We have many events planned over this season. Be sure to reserve for the which lingered on the greens for almost two weeks, I was beginning to feel following upcoming events: a little queasy. Th e danger of turf that breaks dormancy in February instead of late March is the speed at which it re-enters dormancy before the next • April 1 – NCAA Happy Hour rain / snow event accompanied by frigid night temperatures. Th e greens • April 7 – Pub Night Junior transitioned smoothly and I have full confi dence that we will emerge from • April 9 – Children’s Easter Party under the current snow cover unscathed. Because of our aggressive thermal • April 16 – Easter Buff et protection measures, the greens should emerge emerald green the 1st week of • April 21 – Family Pizza Night April ready to be cut and rolled for play! • May 6 – Kentucky Derby Unfortunately, the snow cover has not allowed us to build on the un Our Membership Initiative is in place. Please share information about the anticipated construction progress made during the remarkable February thaw, program with family friends and associates. It is a great time to join Ridgewood but we are still well ahead of the game with fi ll in place for the 1st forward with all of the new initiatives created. Before you know it, Memorial Day and rear tees, the 9th green side bunker 75% complete, the 12th cart path weekend will arrive and the pool will be open for the summer. Hopefully, we 95% complete, the 14th silt pond and adjacent meadow completed, and all will have many new members enjoying the Ridgewood experience with us. tree work wrapped up for the season. We look forward to warmer days and seeing everyone return for the season. You will notice brand new tee yardage plaques at each tee station with — Fred Del Percio, CCM “accurate” yardage indicators. All CSG distance indicators on tees, youth General Manager markers on fairways and tees, and color coded tee markers will “ALL” refl ect accurate distances for the hole. With many years of course construction and associated changes to hole yardages, many of the distances have changed and do not agree with our score card. With no changes anticipated in the near future, we felt it was time to review and refresh all course markings to agree with our updated score card. Hats off to both Todd Stites and Tim Cicchese for a huge eff ort in bringing us an accurate golf course set-up tee to green as well as more fl exibility when deciding what skill level to play from.

Looking forward to a great start to another great year at the Ridgewood.

— Dave Kerr, Superintendent golf shop news

ith our late snow gone we are all anxiously awaiting Golf Season to begin! I am pleased to update you on Max Th eodorakis our 2014 & 2015 Club Our anticipating opening is Master’s Friday –April 7th. Champion. Max recently had an 11th place individual fi nish representing W Campbell University in the Texas Border Olympics, set up by shooting a 68 in Despite the late start, we will quickly kick into high gear with Golf activities for the opening round! all members! I look forward to keeping you posted on Max’s progress and feel honored to Opening Lady 9, Lady 18, Men and Jr events are not far away so please take have worked with Max on the lesson tee in recent years. advantage of our driving range, Demo Days {please see schedule} and of course advice from our Ridgewood Golf Professionals to start your season off on the Our current Club Champion Jack Woods continues to work on his game with right foot. Bill Flood and we all look forward to Jack’s progress and his future college golfi ng days! Going over the basic Swing Fundamentals of Grip, Stance, Alignment and Weight Shift are an invaluable way to your season off and enjoy our great sport! Once again, please take advantage of Demo Days on our Driving Range as you As we all know our Devereaux Emmet designed course is one of the best and can try out all of the major golf company’s new and innovative equipment this most challenging courses in Connecticut and beyond so please don’t hesitate to year! Callaway’s Epic model, Taylor made new and improved M2 products, take advantage of the knowledge and coaching abilities of our Pro’s! Ping’s new Eye series, Titleist and Mizuno’s products all will be represented during our Spring Demo days. I encourage all members to look at our calendar for Golf Activities on our Ridgewood website. I look forward to seeing you soon, Th ank you, your Pro, Bob G 2 2017 Signature Experience Please Mark Your Calendars For These Signature Experience Events in 2017

Saturday, May 27 Our President Presents: Hollywood Our annual gala to kick off the 2017 season will entertain you with references to old and new Hollywood. Be sure to keep this date open as we are going back to Cali.

Saturday, June 10 Founders Day Soiree Our first annual Founders Day event the Saturday night during our Men’s Member-Member golf tournament. This event is to celebrate our membership and honor our heritage members and our newest members in the same evening.

Sunday, July 2 Independence Day Fireworks Show Bring your friends and join us for our second annual 4th of July Fireworks Celebration. This party is fun for the 2017 whole family and your friends!

Sunday, September 3 End of Season White Party No better way to close out the season and summer than with a Signature Experience Party at Ridgewood! Last day to wear your summer whites—so make them look great for this party!

Sunday, December 31 New Year’s Eve Gala Ring in the New Year with your Ridgewood family and guests at our First Class Dinner Dance.

3 Dinner

Appetizers Menu GulfGu Shrimp Cocktail 16 TunaTu Tartare a la Puttanesca 15 Classic Cocktail Sauce, Lemon, Horseradish Line Caught Tuna, House-Made Olive & Tomato (120 Calories) Marinade (110 Calories) Meatballs al Forno 12 Sliced Tomatoes & Iceberg Wedge 10 Pork, , and Beef with Melted Fresh Mozzarella Vine Ripe Tomatoes, Onions, Crisp Iceberg, and Pomodoro Bacon, Blue Cheese Dressing Crab Cake Duo 13 Oysters Rockefeller 15 Classic Tartar, Remoulade, Lemon Dill Sauce Roasted Oysters with Spinach, Bacon, Crème Fraiche & Anisette Mushroom Bruschetta 11 Panko Dusted Calamari 12 Wild & Domestic Mushrooms, New England Style Herb Parmesan Gratin, Arthur Ave Crostini with Marinara and Lemon Aioli

Starter Pastas 8

Appetizer Portion of Penne or Linguine alla Vodka with Choice of Sauce Vodka, Pancetta, Parmesan, Tomato & Cream

Doc’s Marinara alla Alfredo San Marzano Tomato, Onion, Cream, Butter & Parmesan Garlic, Basil, Olive Oil Aglio e Oglio alla Genovese Virgin Olive Oil, Garlic, Pepper Flakes Basil, Parmesan, Garlic, Olive Oil

Starter Salads 7

Mixed Green Greek Salad Carrot, Cucumber, Tomato, Radish Greens, Cucumber, Tomato, Onion, Olives, Choice of Dressing Feta, Herb Vinaigrette Ridgewood KaleKa Detox (v)(gf) Mesclun, Blue Cheese, Glazed Walnuts, Shredded Kale, Spinach, Sunflower Seeds, Dried Cranberries, Vinaigrette Blueberries, Pomegranate Vinaigrette (140 Calories) Caesar Chophouse Romaine Hearts, Croutons, Chopped Iceberg, Vine Tomato, Red Onion, Classic Romano Dressing Italian Dressing

4 Entrées All Entrées Come with Choice of Starter Pasta or Starter Salad

From the Grill

Prepared with Simple Salt & Pepper or Upon Request Blackened, Montreal Seasoned, or Umami Rubbed Served with Choice of Cabernet Demi Glace, au Poivre, Chimichurri, Béarnaise, Butter, or our own House Steak Sauce

Pair with Seasonal Vegetable and Choice of Mashed Potato, Baked Potato, au Gratin Potato, , or Lemon-Herb Rice

Par Eagle

6oz. Squire Cut Choice Beef 22 14oz. Greater Omaha Boneless Grilled Berkshire Pork Chop New York Strip 34 With House Apple Sauce 26 18oz. Prime, Bone-In, 35-Day Dry-Aged Grilled Faroe Island Salmon Kansas City Strip 49 With Mango Salsa 27 9o9oz. Greater Omaha Turf & Tail: 6oz. Squire Cut and 6oz. (490 calories) 32 Broiled Cold Water Lobster Tail 31

Tagliatelle alla Bolognese 19 Fresh Pasta, House , Pancetta & Veal Ragu with Tomato, Cream & Parmesan

Shrimp Scampi Linguine 23 Garlic, White Wine, Lemon & Olive Oil, Diced Tomato, Bronze Die-Cut Pasta

Chicken Marsala 19 Mushroom & Cream Pan Sauce, Mashed Potatoes, Pancetta Green Beans

Veal Milanese alla Piccata 27 Breaded , Lemon & Caper Pan Sauce, Risotto, Sautéed Spinach

Sesame Seared Yellowfin Tuna 28 Wasabi Sauce, Sesame Noodles, Baby Bok Choy

John Reynolds, Executive Chef

*Consuming raw or undercooked meats, poultry, seafood, shellfish, eggs or unpasteurized milk may increase your risk of foodborne illness 5 from the chef

he Club’s opening social event, St. Patrick’s Day, is all but a fond memory as we move deeper into spring and the promise of warmer days and busy season to come. With the approach of Jr. Pub Night with Kids T Movie Night, Easter (an event enjoyed by some 300++ members, their families and guests last year), and Family Pizza Night toward the end of the month bring varied and crowd pleasing events to the forefront of the season. Th e Club’s website off ers great information about these and upcoming events, and ease of use options for making reservations and notifying myself and the kitchen of any special needs or requests for your enjoyment of the events.

With snow melting on the ground, it seems early to be thinking about golf, but, strong and dedicated ladies golf programs are looking to warm things up. With plans to enhance and add more variety to the Ladies Locker Room Continental Breakfasts, I am reaching out for new suggestions and additions to some of the favorite and long-standing selections. Our ladies can look forward to seeing these new items added into the mix on a weekly and rotating basis. For any of the cooks and bakers on their numbers, who are willing to share a recipe, we would love to add yours to our repertoire and give you the credit and praise that comes along with sharing great food.

Keeping this short and simple, we hope to see more of you now that the winter has passed. Th e new a la carte menus that started up in March have been well received, and the input of members over the winter started is evident in their popularity. As a culinary arts instructor, I took advantage of the club being closed to teach and work one-on-one with the kitchen staff . Th is has not just improved their culinary skills, but has also helped to build a stronger team in the kitchen. Th e club’s commitment to invest in employees, teaching them new and improved skills and giving them autonomy in what they do while holding them accountable for how they perform is an approach that works…come in and taste the diff erence that these actions have made.

See you soon. — Best, Chef John

RIDGEWOOD CC YOUR C U L I N A R Y M O N T H L Y CLASSES & LINE UP Whiskeys of the World Thursday or Friday Happy Hour 5PM-7PM Father’s Day class incudes a tasting of 6 different whiskeys What better way to wind down the day with a much from America, Scotland and Japan. Price supplemental to needed libation and some tasty snacks? Enjoy your Father’s Day BBQ. RESERVATIONS favorite adult beverage with some complimentary snacks. Select Thursdays and Fridays throughout the month (see Wine Tasting REQUIRED master calendar). See, swirl, smell, sip and savor in this interactive wine tasting PLEASE CONTACT experience! Tasting of 6 different wines and cheeses. THE CLUB Wednesday | B.Y.O.P. Join us on select Wednesdays each month for a special Craft & Crust ONLINE OR Join us for an interactive class that includes pizza making, Build Your Own Pasta menu featuring four different types VIA PHONE flipping, fun facts and of course, beer tasting! Chefs will teach of pastas, 4 sauces, and proteins to mix and match to your you how to make specialty . Taste and pair beers with preferences. DATES AND TIMES your favorite slices. Kids are welcome to join in the fun, Wine Down Wednesdays TO BE making their own pizzas and enjoying craft soda and fresh Enjoy cellar select wine specials with purchase of an entrée or juices. DETERMINED bring your own bottle of wine and pay no corkage fee. Cooking Classes Weekend SOCIAL Brunch Create a specialty course from our very own top chef. This A la carte brunch featuring our favorite combination of hands on class will focus on local and organic ingredients. breakfast and lunch items. Post a picture on social media, tag You’ll love the kitchen confidence and take-home recipes. us, and receive a complimentary glass of house, sparkling, red or white wine (1 glass per person) @RCCDanbury #RCCDan

6 health & wellness Less Procrastination = Less Stress

ne of the greatest miracles of this time of year is how everything is renewed. With the melting of the snow and the receding of the bitter cold, we see the signs of O spring; bulbs breaking through the ground, green color returning to the grass, birds singing and buds on the trees. Th e cycle of renewal is as old as time yet never ceases to feel like a new lease on life each year. And though we have had months to prepare for the coming of spring golf, tennis and social activities, we often fi nd ourselves scrambling to be prepared. Are your clubs ready or do they still have the same grips as two years ago with bits of mud and grass from last fall’s fi nal rounds? Does your racket need to be restrung? Have you started your pre-golf season Pilates program so when the time to hit the links arrives, you don’t throw something out on the fi rst swing? Perhaps… We knew these things needed to be taken care of and yet… we procrastinate.

What is it that makes us procrastinate? Most of us are very successful people. We are members at RCC! Yet most of us procrastinate in one way, shape or form. Procrastination may be a form of energy conservation and therefore self-preservation. Our brains have been trained over evolution’s long lessons to protect us and keep us from harm. Everything we do has an internal risk assessment performed to evaluate all the possible outcomes of our endeavors. Sometimes this is good as it helps us prepare to avoid any pain & suff ering. And sometimes not so much. We can become paralyzed by fears that ultimately never come to pass. Our supercomputer brain working to analyze and calculate all possible outcomes can leave us feeling overwhelmed. One Spicy Tuna Wraps internal adaption to counter act this is to delay acting (procrastination) until the last possible moment. Procrastination can also be harmful in leaving us ill prepared to Prep time accomplish our goals. Th is ultimately results in increased stress levels. So how do we 10 mins stop procrastinating? One of the best ways is to become more organized. In doing so, we calm our brains limbic fears and avoid triggering the procrastination defense Total time mechanism. Th e solution: work on improving your organizational skills. You will have 10 mins less stress and enjoy the spring more! Start your preseason preparation now so you’re ready to go when Dave Kerr puts in the pins. Author: Goodie Godmother Serves: 2 servings Or you can probably wait another couple of weeks, as there’s still some snow on the ground…. Ingredients — Dr. Keith Zuccala • 1 4 oz can Wild Selections® Tuna • 1½ - 2 tbsp mayonnaise (adjust based on your preferred level of creaminess) • 1 tsp soy sauce • 2 tsp Sriracha • 2 wraps • ⅔ cup matchstick carrots • ½ Hass avocado, sliced • ½ cucumber, peeled and sliced into long sticks

Instructions 1. In a small bowl, mix together the tuna, mayonnaise, soy sauce, and sriracha. 2. Divide the tuna salad between the two wraps. 3. Divide the vegetables between the two wraps. 4. Wrap and enjoy!

7 8 9 10 11 This page is intentionally blank. 12 13 Hat Contest, Great Food and a Little Betting May 6th Festivities Begin 4PM

Hat Contest Happy Hour 4PM Post Time During Happy Hour Dinner 6PM 6:34PM

14 15 16 17 Memorial Weekend Itinerary Let us make a great membership experience for you and your family this Memorial Weekend.

Saturday, May 27 Event Location

2:00 – 3:00 PM Live animal show Pool 3:00 – 6:00 PM Live DJ Pool 7:00 PM President’s Dinner: Hollywood Banquet Room and Patio

Sunday, May 28

4:00 – 8:00 PM Inflatable Rides Pool 5:00 – 8:00 PM Family BBQ Pool

Monday, May 29

12:00 – 6:00 PM Inflatable Rides Pool 5:00 – 7:00 PM Family Putting Clinic Practice Green 7:00 – 9:00 PM Smores Patio Fire Pit Of course our premiere golf and tennis facilities will be open for great membership experiences too!

18 April to August 2017

Please join us! Book Club meets on the 3rd Wednesday of every month at 12:00pm. Guests are welcome.

April 19 Presenter: TBD salt crystals, a white hair—she begins to unlock the book’s mysteries. LIGHT YEARS The reader is ushered into an exquisitely detailed and atmospheric past, James Salter, 308 pps tracing the book’s journey from its salvation back to its creation. This exquisite, resonant novel by PEN/Faulkner winner James In Bosnia during World War II, a Muslim risks his life to protect it Salter is a brilliant portrait of a marriage by a contemporary American from the Nazis. In the hedonistic salons of fi n-de-siècle Vienna, the book master. It is the story of Nedra and Viri, whose favored life is centered becomes a pawn in the struggle against the city’s rising anti-Semitism. around dinners, ingenious games with their children, enviable friends, In inquisition-era Venice, a Catholic priest saves it from burning. In and near-perfect days passed skating on a frozen river or sunning on Barcelona in 1492, the scribe who wrote the text sees his family destroyed the beach. But even as he lingers over the surface of their marriage, by the agonies of enforced exile. And in Seville in 1480, the reason for Salter lets us see the fi ne cracks that are spreading through it, fl aws the Haggadah’s extraordinary illuminations is fi nally disclosed. Hanna’s that will eventually mar the lovely picture beyond repair. Seductive, investigation unexpectedly plunges her into the intrigues of fi ne art witty, and elegantly nuanced, Light Years is a classic novel of an entire forgers and ultra-nationalist fanatics. Her experiences will test her belief generation that discovered the limits of its own happiness—and then in herself and the man she has come to love. felt compelled to destroy it. Inspired by a true story, People of the Book is at once a novel of sweeping historical grandeur and intimate emotional intensity, an May 17 Presenter: Terri Stramiello ambitious, electrifying work by an acclaimed and beloved author. A MAN CALLED OVE Fredrick Backman 337pages A grumpy yet loveable man fi nds his solitary world turned on its MARK YOUR CALENDAR! head when a boisterous young family moves in next door. Meet Ove. He’s a curmudgeon, the kind of man who points at people July 19; Presenter: Kathleen Azzariti. Two books, read one or both. he dislikes as if they were burglars caught outside his bedroom window. HAMILTON: THE REVOLUTION, Lin-MM and Jeremy He has staunch principles, strict routines, and a short fuse. People call McCarter, 288pp him the bitter neighbor from hell, but must Ove be bitter just because ALEXANDER HAMILTON, Ron Chernow, 818pp he doesn’t walk around with a smile plastered to his face all the time? Behind the cranky exterior there is a story and a sadness. So when August16; Presenter: Amy Dent one November morning a chatty young couple with two chatty young EMPTY MANSIONS: THE MYSTERIOUS LIFE OF daughters move in next door and accidentally fl atten Ove’s mailbox, HUGUETTE CLARK AND THE SPENDING OF A GREAT it is the lead-in to a comical and heartwarming tale of unkempt cats, AMERICAN FORTUNE, Bill Dedman & Paul Clark Newell, 359pp ■ unexpected friendship, and the ancient art of backing up a U-Haul. All of which will change one cranky old man and a local residents’ association to their very foundations.

June 21 Presenter: Roberta Berger PEOPLE OF THE BOOK Geraldine Brooks, 372pp From the Pulitzer Prize–winning author of March, the journey of a rare illuminated manuscript through centuries of exile and war. In 1996, Hanna Heath, an Australian rare-book expert, is offered the job of a lifetime: analysis and conservation of the famed Sarajevo Haggadah, which has been rescued from Serb shelling during the Bosnian war. Priceless and beautiful, the book is one of the earliest Jewish volumes ever to be illuminated with images. When Hanna, a caustic loner with a passion for her work, discovers a series of tiny artifacts in its ancient binding—an insect wing fragment, wine stains,

19 Ridgewood COUNTRY CLUB P.O. Box 947 Danbury, CT 06813-0947

A CALL FOR PHOTOS AND NEWS! If you have engaging photos or exciting member news that you would like to share in this newsletter, please send information and digital photos to Nilda Perez at: [email protected] apr ’17 sunday monday tuesday wednesday thursday friday saturday 1

Lunch: Wednesday- Sunday 11:30am – 3:00pm NCWA Finals Dinner: Thursday-Saturday 6:00pm – 9:00pm Happy Hour

23456 78 Mah jongg

Pub Night Kids Movie Night 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

Children’s Easter Ladies’ 9-Hole Ladies’ 18-hole Good Friday Party First Day of 9:30am Shotgun 9am Shotgun Mah jongg Passover 16 17 18Ladies’ 9-Hole 19 20 21 22

9:30am Shotgun Easter Buffet Ladies’ 18-hole Mah jongg Book Club Last Day of 9am Shotgun Family Pizza Night Easter Sunday Passover 23 24 25 26 27 28 29

Ladies’ 9-Hole Ladies’ 18-hole Mah jongg Shotgun 9:30am 9am Shotgun

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RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED: Ridgewood Country Club • P.O. Box 947 • Danbury, CT 06813-0947

RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED: Ridgewood Country Club • P.O. Box 947 • Danbury, CT 06813-0947