Letter from the President

Happy Holidays,

As we close this year…and another great golf season…your board is already hard at work, looking to improve the membership experience for next year. Our club had another successful year financially and with that…your board has decided NOT to raise dues for next year. You should have already received your dues notice and we look forward to seeing you back at the club next year.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Jeff Moesch for all the years he spent at Cazenovia Golf Club as our Superintendent. He has moved on to a new position and we wish him well in his new position.  

Our new golf course Superintendent is Brent Carroll…who comes to us from the Yahnundasis Club. Brent has jumped in with both feet and is starting to make his mark on our course. Some of you who have played late-season golf may have noticed some changes on the greens and in the bunkers. We are happy to have Brent and look forward to supporting his efforts to improve the membership experience on the course. Look for Brent’s full bio in this edition of the Flagstick.

• Central New York PGA Players Championship 2023 Winner
• Central New York PGA M. Lemp Jewelers 2023 Player of the Year
• Central New York PGA M. Lemp Jewelers 2023 Senior Player of the Year

Congratulations to Dennis. We are lucky to have such an accomplished Professional as our Club Pro. Dennis and his staff have always provided service over and above what is required of them to support our club and enhance the membership experience.

This past season several improvements were made to the clubhouse and course. Some by design and some by unforeseen circumstances. In the kitchen…we added a new fryer, new freezer, two new ice machines, and repaired our dishwasher. We also trimmed the tree over the clubhouse and over this Winter/Spring will prep the clubhouse, cart barn, and maintenance barn for painting. We added an electric garage door opener to the cart barn which has facilitated shoulder season use of carts. Thanks to all the members who took care to use carts in the shoulder season only when the course could handle such use. On the course we purchased a new green roller and a top dresser…two items that the club desperately needed. All told the board authorized over $23,000 for these clubhouse and course improvements.

Our membership is strong, and our member dues account for 65% of our total revenue dollars. Your board has taken great care to approve a budget for 2024 that will keep the finances of our club strong as long as long as membership remains strong.

Thank you to our staff, the board, and our members for making our club such a special place to play golf, have a meal or just have a drink at. Happy New Year to all of you and I hope to see you on February 3^rd for our Mid-Winter Party at Caz Sports Bowl.

Sincerely,
Eric Burrell
Club President

Finance Committee

The Board has decided that there will be no dues increases for this season. The projected revenue for this year is $601,600 compared to budgeted expenses of $587,051. Our budgeting process has evolved over the past five years as the numbers are watched by each committee overseeing their specific area. The numbers are analyzed every month so that we can catch a problem before it spirals out of control. There are some unforeseen expenses, such as the freezer and ice machines expiring within a couple of months of each other! The Club has no debt other than one more year on our cart lease, and then we will own the carts outright.

So in conclusion, the club is in a strong fiscal position and the only way to continue our fortunate circumstance is to keep membership strong. Membership dues comprise 60-65% of our total revenue, so please bring in new members.

Thanks!

Membership Committee

Myself and two non-board members, Bryan Howles and Nick Marsella, are tasked to accept and evaluate all applications for CGC membership.  Both eligibility and suitability, per our by-laws, are considered, and qualified candidates are recommended to the full Board for approval.  Contact me for questions and/or further info.

Peter Tynan
Chairperson, Membership Committee
ptynan@fayettevillefd.com

2023 Tournament Winners

• Men’s Club Champion – Jim Sessler
• Women’s Club Champion – Kalin Merkley
• Senior Club Champion – Jim Sessler
• Member/Member – Mike Byrnes & Jack Byrnes
• Member/Guest – Tom Cooney & Mark Hass
• Pro Cup – Brian Robinson & Brian Lee
• President’s Cup – Mike Byrnes
• Men’s Twilight League – George Schaffner
• Ladies Twilight League – Debbie McCullough & Katie Franz
• Monday Night Men’s League – Phil Byrnes & Tim Byrnes

Congrats to all our winners!

Meet Our New Superintendent

I have been in the golf course maintenance profession for over 18 years now. I started at Turning Stone Resort and Casino on the Atunyote Golf Course as an entry-level seasonal greens technician. In just under one year I was promoted to an irrigation technician full-time employee. As an irrigation technician, I attended several Toro irrigation schools and instructions and became a certified irrigation specialist with Toro. With my promotion, I was transferred to Shenandoah Golf Club where I worked for seven and a half years as an irrigation specialist and helped on all five courses with irrigation diagnostics and repairs. Then I was promoted to a second assistant superintendent position and put in charge of Sandstone Hollow Golf Club where I spent around a year. Then I took a short break from golf where I became an executive chef at a couple of restaurants. I enjoyed being a chef, but the golf course was calling me back. So, I went to the Yahnundasis Golf Club as an assistant superintendent for just over eight years. While at the Yahnundasis I decided it was time to take my career seriously, and that is when I enrolled at Penn State to take me to the next level. 

Some hobbies I enjoy are playing golf, bowling, and making beer and wine. I am also a volunteer firefighter, which I have been for over 23 years now. I was a paramedic for 10 of those years. 

I have been married to my wonderful wife Hilary for 4 years. I have three children; my son Justin is 25, my daughter Kayla is 21, and my youngest daughter Ireland is 8. I have a wonderful dog named Pixie who is 11.

My skills are complete when it comes to golf course maintenance. My focus is always on turf health and the scientific approach to attaining the best results. My daily focus is always on detail-orientated tasks that make the course more aesthetically pleasing as well as increasing playability. My knowledge of sound agronomic practices from years of experience will allow me to take the course to the next level.