Second Annual R.A. Schiavone Memorial Cup Slated for April 30 – May 1 at Forsgate Country Club

MONROE TOWNSHIP, N.J. (March 25, 2013)—Forsgate Country Club, the award winning, central New Jersey private golf club operated by RDC Golf Group, Inc., proudly announces the second annual R.A. Schiavone Memorial Cup, April 30 – May 1, 2013.  This two-day, pro-senior scratch tournament, to be staged on Forsgate’s renowned 6,844-yard, par-71 Banks Course, is sanctioned by both the New Jersey section of the PGA and the New Jersey State Golf Association. 

The Cup is named in honor of longtime Garden State golf course owner/investor Ronald A. Schiavone.

“As the R.A. Schiavone Cup continues on a path to becoming a great annual tradition, we look forward to greeting a field of top senior amateurs and club pros at Forsgate,” said RDC President Christopher Schiavone. “The Banks Course will be ready to challenge some of the area’s best at our second annual event.”

Open to senior (50+) scratch amateur players and club pros, the event begins on April 30, with a skills competition followed by a welcome luncheon. The action on the course will then take off with a two-man team, aggregate scorePro/Senior Scratch Championship. While competing as a team, the pros will also be competing in an Individual Pro Medal Play Championship, featuring a $5000 purse ($2,000 first place) and the amateurs will be carding the first 18-holes of their 36-hole Senior Scratch Individual Medal Play Championship.  A steak and lobster dinner and awards presentation will cap off the day’s activities.

  

The following day on May 1, the senior amateurs will return to the club for the final round of the Senior Scratch Individual Medal Play Championship.  First place will be a $600 gift certificate and gift cards in various denominations will be awarded to second place – fifth place finishers.

Last year, Metuchen’s Ron Venelli shot 143 in the 36-hole senior amateur competition capturing the top prize and the “Cup.”  Venelli and his partner pro Andy Brock joined forces to also claim first place in the team division. Brooklake pro Frank Esposito carded a 69 on the Banks Course to win the pro division.

The entry fee for each pro and amateur team is only $295 and the field is limited to 60 teams.  For more information or to register your team, contact either Forsgate Director of Golf Carolyn McKenzie Andrews at (732) 656-8959 or Forsgate Head Golf Professional Mark Mazzola at (732) 656-8953.  To learn more about Forsgate Country Club and the venerable Banks Course visit www.forsgatecc.com or the club’s Facebook page.

ABOUT FORSGATE COUNTRY CLUB

Forsgate Country Club ( www.forsgatecc.com ) is an exclusive, full service, family-oriented private country club located in the heart of New Jersey.  Forsgate offers permanent golf, sports, and social memberships for individuals, families, and corporations.  Established in 1931, Forsgate Country Club features 36 holes of world-class golf, including the renowned Banks Course, designed to recreate historic holes throughout Europe, and the Palmer Course, is a traditional American design with challenging water hazards on ten of its scenic holes.  The country club also offers facilities for banquet events and corporate meetings as well as a new state-of-the-art sports complex that includes a fitness center, pool and cabana cafe.  Forsgate Country Club, which is located midway between New York City and Philadelphia at Exit 8A of the NJ Turnpike, is owned and operated by RDC Golf Group, Inc.      For more information on Forsgate, visit the club’s page on Facebook, follow the club on Twitter or visit www.forsgatecc.com.

Some Words About Golf Chris Schiavone

Some “Words” About Golf…

By Christopher Schiavone

This column first appeard in the Spring 2012 issue of Golfer's Tee Times

Being both a cruciverbalist (a lover of crossword puzzles) and a “golf-o-phile” (or perhaps “golfaholic” is better), I was pleasantly surprised recently when the Sunday New York Times crossword puzzle contained a golfer’s theme, mostly of double entendres using common golf terms.


It caused me to look into the some of the more interesting words and terms in the game of golf. For example, did you know that …

“Sabbath Sticks” were golf clubs designed to look like walking sticks, so that players could surreptitiously play on Sundays, when the Church frowned upon engaging in sport.

A “Biarritz Green” is a putting surface with a large gully through the middle of it, named after the Biarritz Golf Club in France, from where the original green of this style is copied.

“Caddie” likely comes from the French word “cadet” -- a boy or youngest member of the family.  (It is not surprising that the Scots derive words from the French, as the two countries were often allies, including at the time golf first came into “vogue” in the 16th century.  Mary, Queen of Scots was both a golfer and fluent in French.)

“Dormie” – the term used to describe the status of a match-play contest, when one is leading by as many holes as are left to play – also comes from the French.  “Dormir” is French for “sleep,” and the leading player can rest knowing he can’t lose when the match is dormie.

“Fore” probably came from “fore-caddie” – the boys (usually male, anyway) often sent before the golfers to track golf balls.  Calling to these helpers likely shortened from “Fore-caddy!” to just “Fore!”

The term “Birdie” for a score of one under par is said to have its origin locally.  Players at the Atlantic City Country Club apparently coined the term.

While there is no definitive story about how “Mulligan” came to mean a “do-over” in golf, but some believe it is also of Garden State origin.  A gentleman named Mulligan was said to be known for his errant and often-replayed tee shots at Essex Fells Country Club.

The “Nassau” – probably the most common form of golf match played by average golfers – is said to have originated at the Nassau Country Club on Long Island.

And in case you are playing a round one afternoon with your old high school English teacher, remember that in bragging about your multiple aces, say “holes-in-one” and not “hole-in-ones.”  (If it’s your old civics teacher, remember “Attorneys-General”…)

Of course, with my game, cross words – the kind not suitable for print -- and golf often go together.

Christopher Schiavone is the President and Chief Executive Officer of RDC Golf Group Inc.

Turf Talk With Tom Saunders

Tom Saunders

The weather has been very mild for late December and early January due to the position of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NOA).  Last year the NOA was sitting over Greenland and we were getting hammered with snow storms and frigid cold weather.  This year it is positioned farther South, so the clockwise circulation of the NOA is keeping the cold air and storms in Northern Canada. 

YEA !!!!!  The last thing the crew and I are looking for after working long hours all golf season is having to come in before dawn and on weekends to plow and shovel snow in the winter. Believe me we are very happy working a 40 hour work week.

Due to the temperate winter we have done some unusual maintenance on the course.  We hand mowed greens on the Banks course last week, we mowed 1 and 18 fairways on the Banks course also and we finished trimming all the sprinkler heads on both courses. 

Incredible!  Last year as you recall, we got snow cover by the middle of December and a blizzard the day after Christmas that dumped 18 inches on us.

The forecast for, January 6^th, is clear with a high around 48.  (Believe it or not we mowed the clubhouse lawns that day.)  Saturday, January 7^th, they are predicting a daytime high of 53.  Wow.  It sounds like a great day to break in those new sticks you received for Christmas.  We are going to try and cut new cup locations today if we can break through the frost layer in the ground.

When you are on the course check out the bunker renovations we completed on:

• 1 green left bunker
• 3 green back bunker
• 4 green both bunkers
• 5 tee bank
• 8 green left bunker and partial right bunker
• 11 fairway bunker and adjoining rough
• 16 green all 4 bunkers
• 18 green left bunker

We will continue with a few more bunker renovations in the early spring as soon as our supplier can resume cutting sod.  We also cut down some of the natural areas on the course.  We do leave some areas that you can see from the club until spring because I think it adds a little visual winter interest. We also left the large areas behind 2 green and right of 7 for our local wild life. 

Speaking of wildlife keep your eyes open when on the course to see our resident foxes, I saw 2 on the range tee this morning, which seem to be flourishing and our winter migrant raptors who have made FCC there winter residence.  I have seen Redtail Hawk, Sharpshin Hawk and Coopers Hawk so far. 

Unfortunately, we have our “not so welcome migrant Canada Geese as well”.  We will do our best to clean up their debris and harass them so they move on.

I look forward to sharing our experiences with you so check back as often as you can.

CONTACT INFO: Tom Saunders