VISIT THE GOLF ASSOCIATION OF PHILADELPHIA WEB SITE AT WWW.GAPGOLF.ORG FOR ALL THE LATEST NEWS AND NOTES September/October 2009 Volume 3 • Issue 4 Stars shine in 2009 L to R: Association heralds Players of Year Gary Daniels, James Kania, Jr., Edward McCrossen, Jr., Jay Howson, Jr. Inside: Pllayyerr off tthe Yearr pprrooffiilleess GGrreeaattee BBaayy 1122 yyeeaarr oolldd,, MMaarrkk BBeenneevventtoo,, JJrr..,, aaccccepttss Tiigerr’’ss cchallllenge Cedarrbrrookk ccellebrrattess ccenttenniiall Cllub cchampiionss rrollll ccallll 8 5 1 1 . o N t i m r e P J N , r w a m l l e B D I A P e g a t s o P S . U D T S T R S R P President’s Letter Golf Association of Philadelphia A YEAR IN REVIEW Executive Committee ––––––––––––––––––– In 2009 , the Golf Association of Philadelphia continued President: on a course set by its founders in 1897 to promote, protect and Mr. Richard P. Meehan, Jr. preserve the game we love. Since its inception, the Association Huntingdon Valley Country Club has conducted championships and monitored compliance with Vice-President: the Rules of Golf. Over the years, we have expanded the tourna - Mr. J. Clark O’Donoghue ment schedule, provided educational seminars, offered handicap Riverton Country Club services, conducted course ratings and collected memorabilia to Treasurer: preserve our history. Mr. Frank E. Rutan, IV Just as we have since our very first year, the Association Philadelphia Cricket Club GAP President Rich Meehan started its 113th golf season with our GAP Team Matches. A Secretary: total of 312 teams from 127 member clubs with 3,744 players competed on three week - Mr. Christopher J. Terebesi ends in late April and early May this year. The GAP Team Matches or Interclub Matches, as Chester Valley Golf Club they originally were named, appeared to be the primary reason that representatives of General Counsel: Merion Cricket Club, Aronimink Golf Club, Philadelphia Country Club and Philadelphia Mr. A. Fred Ruttenberg Cricket Club formed the Association. The matches are unique among golf associations and Woodcrest Country Club are believed to be the largest team match competition of its type. Executive Committee: Education continues to be a priority for the Association. Stephen Koytek, our Caddie- Mr. J. Kenneth Croney Scholar of the Year, confirmed our commitment to scholarships for caddies when he told Sunnybrook Golf Club fellow caddie-scholars at our Annual Brunch that he would not have been able to attend Mr. John C. Holsten college without a scholarship. North Hills Country Club responded to the educational needs Aronimink Golf Club of caddies and the desires of the Trust by hosting the inaugural J. Wood Platt Invitational. Mr. Andy M. Karff Philmont Country Club Golf in Philadelphia received a boost from the USGA this year. Association volunteers Mr. John M. LeBoeuf and Member Clubs were in the spotlight when the USGA held the Walker Cup at Merion Philadelphia Country Club Golf Club and the U.S. Women's Open Championship at Saucon Valley Country Club. Mr. Steven D. Lucas National championship golf is fun to watch on television, but it is much more exciting when Concord Country Club walking the fairways of courses we have played in our area. Mr. Chip Lutz Our volunteer drive fell short of its mark. We added 20 volunteers but are still working LedgeRock Golf Club to achieve our goal of at least one volunteer at every Member Club. Our volunteer ranks Mr. Robin S. McCool represent 67 of our 133 Member Clubs. Sandy Run Country Club, which increased its num - Saucon Valley Country Club ber of volunteers to 18, continues to pass along the secret that volunteering gives back to Mr. Robert M. Morey the game, gets you outside in the fresh air, is a lot of fun and comes with lunch. Merion Golf Club Dan Burton, the Association’s Immediate Past President, has finished his term on the Mr. J. Stacey Redican Sandy Run Country Club GAP Executive Committee and he will be missed. However, we are excited that Dan is tak - Mr. Terrence J. Sawyer ing his love of the game and unmatched energy to the USGA Executive Committee. Dan Commonwealth National Golf Club follows in the footsteps of Craig Ammerman and O. Gordon Brewer, Jr., who have repre - Mr. W. Garth Sprecher sented Philadelphia on the USGA Executive Committee. Best of luck, Dan! Lancaster Country Club With help from a grant to get us started, the Association has begun to catalog our his - Mr. W. Scott Yard torical archives. John Capers, Merion Golf Club's archivist was right: we have discovered Whitford Country Club interesting, rare and valuable treasures of our 113-year history as an Association. Generous Ex-Officio Association members have made wonderful contributions to the collection. Mr. Jack C. Endicott Numbers do not tell the whole story. While the Association completed a year with Manufacturers Golf & Country Club increased tournament participation over last year, our Member Clubs are feeling the effects of the economy. Average memberships at clubs in the Association fell by 5.5 percent. Dues increased, guest rounds are down, member play is down and restaurant activity is off at many clubs. This is a challenging time for golf but many member clubs are offering more creative membership categories at less cost in order to attract the next generation of golfers. Communication to Member Clubs is a daily activity at the Association and continues through our magazine, Web site and handicap newsletter emails (Erevisions). We strive to Executive Offices: provide best practice information as well as Association news and tournament results on a 1974 Sproul Road, Suite 400, Broomall, PA 19008 timely basis. We fine tuned our course rating capabilities by adding GPS technology to verify tee to Mailing address: P.O. Box 808 • Southeastern, PA 19399-0808 Continued on page 5 Telephone: 610-687-2340 • Fax: 610-687-2082 Web site: www.gapgolf.org VISIT THE GOLF ASSOCIATION OF PHILADELPHIA WEB SITE AT WWW.GAPGOLF.ORG FOR ALL THE LATEST NEWS AND NOTES 2 Golf Association of Philadelphia News & Notes Zachary Herr of Jericho National GC, the 205. Jordan Steinfelder of Woodholme CC 2009 Junior Boys’ Champion, won the and Ira Cohen of Chestnut Ridge CC closed AJGA Northeast Open at Richter Park GC in with a 69 to finish one shot back at 206. In Danbury, Conn., Aug. 17-20. He defeated the senior division, Chris Lange of Geoff Vartelas of Lyman Orchards GC in Overbrook GC and Pat Tallent of Middlefield, Conn., in a sudden-death play - Congressional CC finished with a 2-under- off for the title. Both players carded 54-hole par 68 for a three-shot victory. Ben totals of 4-under-par 212 in regulation. Brundred and Bill Murphy of Congressional Greg Jarmas of Philadelphia Publinks GA, CC placed second. The better-ball event the 2009 Junior Sportsman of the Year, fin - featured teams from as distant as Chicago. ished tied for eighth with a 4-over-par 220. The first and third rounds were played at Additionally, Herr is ranked 44th in the Polo Aronimink GC and the second round was Golf Rankings, a select system that grades contested at nearby Applebrook GC. The the top junior players in the nation. He and Zachary Herr Eastern Four Ball, which started in 1970, is Nicholas Reach of the CC of Scranton, who is ranked 34th, were selected to typically held at Congressional CC, but Moose Brown, P. Chet Walsh the AJGA 2009 Rolex Junior All-American team as honorable mentions… moved this year due to course renovations. Peter Eiler of Commonwealth National GC and Brandon Dalinka of Jericho National GC finished second and third, respectively, in the AJGA Junior at PIAA CHAMPIONSHIPS Kingsmill Resort & Spa in Williamsburg, Va. Aug. 24-27. Eiler, of Holland, Pa., carded a 54-hole total of 4-under-par 209. Dalinka, of Newtown, Pa., registered Jarmas places second; Calamaro takes title a 2-under-par 211… Gary Daniels of Saucon Valley CC, the 2009 Senior Player Greg Jarmas of Lower Merion High School, the 2009 Golf Association of of the Year, qualified for match play in the USGA Senior Amateur Championship Philadelphia Junior Sportsman Award winner, placed second in the PIAA at Beverly CC in Chicago, Ill., Sept. 12-17. Daniels, who won this year’s Frank state boys golf championship at the Heritage Hills Golf Resort in York, Pa. H. Chapman Memorial (Gross) at Philadelphia CC, carded a pair of 3-over-par Jarmas of the Philadelphia Publinks GA posted a final-round 75 to finish 74s in the qualifying rounds. He fell to Robert Morris of Virginia Oaks GC in the alone in second place with a 145 total. Garrett Browning of West Round of 64… Michael Brown of Philadelphia Publinks GA, the 2009 Middle- Allegheny High School edged Jarmas for the title with a 36-hole total of Amateur Champion, and George “Buddy” Marucci, Jr. of Merion GC, captain 2-over-par 144. of the triumphant 2009 Walker Cup team, both qualified for match play in the USGA Middle-Amateur Championship at The Kiawah Island Club (Cassique) in Brandon Dalinka of Council Rock North (Jericho National GC) shot a Kiawah Island, S.C., Oct. 3-8. Brown, of Cheltenham, Pa., registered a 36-hole remarkable 70 in the difficult conditions to finish at 146; he wound up in a three-way tie for third with Bo Lustig of Belle Vernon and Nicholas total 6-over-par 149 in the qualifying round. He lost to Patrick Carter of Guyan Reach of Scranton Prep (Glenmaura National GC). G&CC in West Virginia, 7&6, in the Round of 64.