Hickory Chapter of ASGA – 2005 in Review



Hickory Chapter of ASGA – 2005 in Review

The Hickory Chapter of the American Singles Golf Association (ASGA) began the year, 2005, with the following newly elected/appointed officers:

Chairman of the Board – Dana Biehler

President/Newsletter – Judy Elmore

VP/Membership Chairperson/Webmaster – Bill Lautzenheiser

Golf Chairperson – Peggy Laughridge

Secretary/Communications Chairperson – Brenda Haupt

Socials Chairperson – Richard Elrod

One of the first tasks of the Board of Directors was to formulate a Calendar of Events for the year. Each month included a general meeting, Saturday golf, Sunday golf, a board meeting, a Nine and Dine (seasonal), and a social(s). The calendar was also designed to avoid conflicts with multi-chapter events and holidays, as well as enable members to participate in local couples tournaments and other area chapter events.

Board meetings were held monthly at the Round Wheels Lounge (located in the Holiday Inn Select at the intersection of I-40 and Lenoir-Rhyne Blvd.) at 6:00 pm. Free hors d’oeuvres were served from 5:00-7:00 pm. Members-at-large were also encouraged to attend. Also, several board members – Peggy, Brenda, Bill L., and Judy – graciously hosted the meetings in their homes. The “board meeting” was a valuable tool in generating ideas, developing marketing packages, and fine-tuning the monthly meetings.

The Oyster Bar (located in the Ramada Inn at the intersection of I-40 and Fairgrove Church Rd.) was designated as the location for the regular monthly meetings, which began at 6:30 pm on the second Thursday of each month. Typically, members/guests began gathering at 6:00 pm to order drinks/snacks prior to the meeting. An agenda was prepared for each meeting, which consisted of the following: greeting members/guests; announcing birthdays; distributing MCE information, membership forms, & fliers; reviewing the past month’s activities, outlining the upcoming months activities, and conducting a raffle (with the winner and the treasury splitting the pot). After dinner, participants enjoyed dancing to the music of entertainers, Mike Caldwell and Debbie Mitchum. The manager and staff of the Oyster Bar were very accommodating to the Hickory ASGA and the restaurant was a great place for recruiting new members.

With few exceptions, Saturday golf was played on the Saturday immediately following the regular monthly meeting - usually held on the second Saturday of each month, but occasionally held on the third Saturday. Twelve (12) different members volunteered to “host” Saturday golf and were each assigned to a particular month. “Hosting” Saturday golf involved scheduling the outing with a golf club, contacting members/friends by email/phone, purchasing prizes, choosing a format, pairing the golfers, coordinating the event from start to finish, and usually making dinner reservations for after play. This year’s hosts did a fantastic job in being versatile with their choices of golf clubs and restaurants.

Typically, Sunday golf was scheduled exactly eight (8) days after Saturday golf; although, efforts were made to coordinate these outings with several area clubs, who hosted couples tournaments monthly during the seasonal months. The Hickory ASGA joined Brushy Mountain Golf Club (golf pro, Joey) for four (4) couples tournaments and River Crest Golf Club (golf pro, Dave), for one (1). Otherwise, most of the Sunday golf was played locally at River Crest after church hours.

The Nine & Dine was a new addition to the Hickory ASGA calendar in 2005 and proved to be a whopping success! From late April to mid-October, members/guests played nine (9) holes on one (1) Thursday per month at the designated “home course”, River Crest Golf Club, at 5:30 pm. The golf pro, Dave, also provided free clinics at 5:00 pm – prior to play. After each round, the golfers proceeded to local restaurants to enjoy dinner and drinks together. These outings were so successful that members have suggested the scheduling of two (2) Nine & Dines during next year’s seasonal months.

One (1) - day Joint-Chapter outings were hosted by the Hickory Chapter at Silver Creek Golf Club in Morganton, Rock Barn Golf & Spa in Conover, Lake Hickory Country Club in Hickory, and Lincolnton Country Club in Lincolnton. Depending on the locale, a combination of the neighboring chapters - Asheville, UpState SC, Columbia, Augusta, and Charlotte - were invited to attend. As a result, those same chapters began reciprocating with invitations and are equally interested in “blending” all of our calendars in 2006 – encouraging more activity among chapters.

The Hickory Chapter of ASGA made (and continues to make) great strides in its marketing/recruiting efforts through the following methods:

▪ Fliers and Membership Applications were distributed to members at each regular meeting for easy access at all times. The “flier” is specific to the Hickory area and bears the phone number of the Membership Chairperson.

▪ Packages (cover letter, newsletter, & flier) were sent to approximately thirty (30) golf clubs in a six-county area.

▪ These packages were also sent immediately to new prospects and their names, addresses, etc., were forwarded very quickly to ASGA National.

▪ A “postcard” of events was mailed/emailed to members, prospects, and other chapters at the beginning of each month – perfect for placing on the refrigerator with a magnet – with the appropriate contact information.

▪ Two (2) newspaper articles were published in the area - at no charge, with another planned for mid-December.

▪ Meetings/socials were usually held in highly visible, public places.

▪ The Hickory ASGA website was created and updated in an accurate and timely manner – hickory..

▪ The Hickory ASGA newsletter became all-inclusive - featuring more photos and human-interest articles – such as the FOCUS, a monthly biography of one (1) member – and contained the 2005 Event Calendar.

▪ All “prospect” information was shared with Board of Directors for additional recruiting via phone, email, or US mail.

▪ An electronic Address Book of members, prospects, and other chapters was generated, regularly updated, and made available to all members.

▪ Criteria for “social only” single members were established.

▪ Members readily volunteered to assist new and/or struggling golfers.

▪ One (1) day joint-chapter outings increased public awareness of ASGA.

▪ The Hickory ASGA shared its recruiting success with other chapters and vice versa.

▪ Members participated as volunteers in the Greater Hickory Classic – a Senior Champions Tour Event held locally at Rock Barn Golf & Spa.

At the end of last year, the Hickory chapter claimed a membership of twelve (12) people – knowing that it would soon drop to a mere eight (8), with some members not committed to rejoining. With this core group working very hard in 2005 to promote ASGA, Hickory now boasts a membership of thirty-one (31) – almost a 300% increase (in early December)! The new members (including former members, who have rejoined) are Gary Ikerd (Newton), Larry Hollifield (Taylorsville), Charlie Hagar (Hickory), Bill Suttie (Granite Falls), John Lawlor (Granite Falls), Ella Rae Matthews (Hickory), Ron Williams (Morganton), Ann Decker (Hickory), Tom Keever (Taylorsville), Diane Laney (Newton), Betty Moore (Icard), Virginia Parham (Hickory), Ann Burgin (Conover), William Honeycutt (Morganton), Steve Ward (Hickory), Kim Welch (Mooresville), Claudetta Potts (Taylorsville), Anne Spivey (Hickory), John Setzer (Claremont), Patty Pope (Claremont), Dale Richards (Hickory), Priscilla Faucette (Conover), and Alan Johnson (Statesville). With its membership now representative of five (5) counties – Catawba, Caldwell, Alexander, Burke, and Iredell – the Hickory Chapter of ASGA expects its growth to continue at the same and/or greater rate in the coming year.

As expected, the treasury also reflects a “maintained” increase of approximately 150% - despite an increase in expenditures for marketing materials, postage, golf prizes, etc. Efforts have been made to conduct “raffles” at as many times/places as possible during the year and this revenue has been consistently profitable. The organization also claims a portion of golf “antes”, which are the major sources for awarding “prize” monies. Finally, the club receives a $10 per member “kickback” from ASGA National dues each year. The Board of Directors approved the purchase of a digital camera this year for use by the membership at local golf outings and socials, as well as multi-chapter and national events. The Board also approved and is investigating types/prices of a Hickory ASGA banner to display at outings, which will most likely be ordered/purchased early next year.

Recently, the handicaps of members/guests have been updated with the use of “handicap software”, which allows scores to be entered after nine (9) or eighteen (18) hole rounds. This is an area in which the Hickory Chapter has probably been the weakest - for several reasons. First, the scores, which are entered, should be based on a “play your own ball” format. Many times the ASGA formats are Captain’s Choice, Shamble, etc. To “counter” this issue, the Handicap Chairperson will begin to enter ALL SCORES, adding 5% to the those scores resulting from games, which were not a “play your own ball” format. The “play your own ball” format is used for some Sunday golf and for all Nine & Dines. Second, participants must remember to hand in their scorecards (from non-ASGA rounds) on a regular basis – no matter where they play golf. When these two (2) functions occur on a more consistent basis, then more accurate handicaps will be established for members.

Active in Multi-Chapter and National Events in 2005, members of the Hickory ASGA were well represented at the following regional or national outings:

▪ New Years Celebration at Orlando, FL;

▪ Spring Event at Palm Coast, FL;

▪ Tennessee/Carolinas Challenge at Kodak, TN;

▪ North Carolina/South Carolina Challenge at Southern Pines, NC;

▪ Labor Day Weekend at Santee, SC;

▪ Myrtle Beach Shootout at Little River, SC

Golfing more locally, Hickory ASGA members/guests enjoyed outings at these courses during Hickory-sponsored events, optional tournaments, or with other area chapters:

▪ Orchard Hills Golf Club, Granite Falls, NC

▪ River Crest Golf Club, Bethlehem, NC

▪ North Carolina National Golf Club, Stony Point, NC

▪ Silver Creek Plantation Golf Club, Morganton, NC

▪ Brushy Mountain Golf Club, Taylorsville, NC

▪ Lake Hickory Country Club/Catawba Springs, Hickory, NC

▪ Rock Barn Golf & Spa, Conover, NC

▪ Hampton Heights Golf Club, Hickory, NC

▪ Lincolnton Country Club, Lincolnton, NC

▪ Mallard Head Golf Club, Mooresville, NC

▪ Glen Oaks Golf Club, Maiden, NC

▪ Fox Den Golf & Country Club, Troutman, NC

▪ Granada Farms Golf Club, Granite Falls, NC

▪ Lakewood Golf Club, Statesville, NC

▪ Wildewood Country Club, Columbia, SC

▪ Deer Brooke Country Club, Shelby, NC

▪ Rock at Jocassee Golf Club, Pickens, SC

▪ Cedar Rock Country Club, Lenoir, NC

▪ Lenoir Country Club, Lenoir, NC

Several Hickory ASGA members have very generously hosted socials at their homes this year. Richard – encouraged on numerous occasions by the membership – held three (3) pool party/cookouts at his residence (Memorial Day, Independence Day, and the End of Summer Fling); Lib & Charlene had a pool party/cookout at Lib’s house after the Saturday golf outing in August; Bill L. treated the board/members-at-large to a feast at his lake home in August; and Judy & her father, John S., entertained a “houseful” with a flounder fish fry at her home after a brief board meeting in October. Peggy and Brenda also hosted board meetings (with meals) in their homes. In mid-December, Claudetta hosted a Christmas party at her Taylorsville home, which featured an old- fashioned pig pickin’.

Members and friends have also enjoyed numerous impromptu gatherings around town for any number of reasons (after work, after play, for sports functions, for dancing, music, etc.). These have occurred primarily at Backstreets, Godfrey’s, Dino’s, the Oyster Bar, Iron Thunder, and the Zodiac Club.

Golfers are certainly not shy when it comes to eating and drinking; therefore, dining has become synonymous with the phrase – “that Hickory ASGA group” – and following are restaurants, which have been frequented in 2005, usually after golf outings:

▪ Sagebrush Steak House and Saloon, Conover, NC

▪ Boxcar Grille, Claremont, NC

▪ Backstreets Bar & Grill, Hickory, NC

▪ Sgt. Pepper’s Restaurant & Bar, Hickory, NC

▪ River Crest Golf Club, Bethlehem, NC

▪ Giovanni’s Italian Restaurant, Hickory, NC

▪ Dos Amigos Mexican Restaurant, Conover, NC

▪ Godfrey’s Steak & Seafood Restaurant, Hickory, NC

▪ Oyster Bar and Seafood Restaurant, Conover, NC

▪ Rock Barn Golf & Spa, Conover, NC

▪ BB’s Steak House, Statesville, NC

▪ Fatz, Lincolnton, NC

▪ Big Daddy’s Seafood Restaurant, Mooresville, NC

▪ 10th Street Bar & Grille, Conover, NC

▪ O’Charley’s, Hickory, NC

▪ Silver Creek Plantation Golf Club, Morganton, NC

▪ Buffalo Wild Wings Grill & Bar, Hickory, NC

Members and guests of the Hickory Chapter of ASGA celebrated its success in 2005 at their annual Christmas Party on December 8, 2005, at its regular meeting place, the Oyster Bar, with over thirty (30) people in attendance, including Bobbi Haskins (the founder of the chapter in 2000) and her husband, Jerry. Bobbi was honored with an appreciative plaque. A computer driven, electronic slide show of the year’s events was on hand for viewing during the festivities.

Elected or appointed as officers of the Hickory Chapter of ASGA for the ensuing year, 2006, are the following:

Chairman of the Board – Judy Elmore

President/Webmaster – Bill Lautzenheiser

VP/Membership Chairperson – Betty Moore

Communications Chairperson/Newsletter – Judy Elmore

Golf Co-Chairpersons – Peggy Laughridge & Larry Hollifield

Socials Co-Chairpersons – Richard Elrod & Claudetta Potts

Treasurer – Dana Biehler

Respectfully submitted,

Judy Elmore, 2005 President

Hickory Chapter of ASGA

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