Albany Country Club N EWSLETTER April, 2023
Upcoming Events
Board of Governors and Officers
President James Harris, Jr.
Vice - President David Suozzo
P RIME R IB N IGHTS Fridays: April 14, 21 & 28
M EN ’ S O PENING D AY Saturday, May 6
Treasurer James Lozano
Secretary Christine Caputo Granich
W OMEN ’ S B OOK C LUB Thursday, May 11
W INE D INNER Saturday, April 15
Dr. Peter Fisk Jennifer Bergeron Jeffrey Bryant Jeff Buley
Dr. Mark Fleck Chris Levy James Lozano Trevor Morison
Adam Neary Terence Seery
W INE L OCKER K ICK -O FF Friday, May 12
A LL W OMEN ’ S K ICK -O FF C OCKTAIL P ARTY Wednesday, April 26
M OTHER ’ S D AY B RUNCH Sunday, May 14
Staff
P RESIDENT ’ S P LAQUE BEGINS Wednesday, May 3
M IXED T ULIP T OURNAMENT Sunday, May 21
General Manager Rocky Staples rstaples@albanycc.cc
Director of Golf Glenn A. Davis gdavispga@albanycc.cc
ACC M EN ’ S M EMBER -G UEST S IGN - UP Online: May 24 6:00 pm W OMEN ’ S S PRING H ANDICAP Sat. & Sun., May 27 & 28 W ILLIAM W ALSH M EMORIAL D AY F OUR B ALL Sat. & Sun., May 27 & 28
R OBERT T RENT J ONES C UP B EGINS Saturday, May 3
Golf Course Superintendent Derek Suparmanto dsuparmanto@albanycc.cc
Assistant General Manager Kimberly Aperance kaperance@albanycc.cc
Tennis Professional Shannon O ’ Sullivan tennis@albanycc.cc Aquatics Professional Eliana Wallock pool@albanycc.cc
Controller Jennifer Reohr jreohr@albanycc.cc
C INCO DE M AYO Friday, May 5
Director of Membership Sara - Becca Smith sbsmith@albanycc.cc
W OMEN ’ S O PENING D AY Saturday, May 6
Albany Country Club
President’s Message
Dear Members,
Welcome back for another great year at Albany Country Club! 2022 turned out to be a good year at ACC; the club had high participation numbers in all areas. Our new tennis courts were busy last season, and improved our beautiful view overlooking the city. The course weathered the winter well and is expected to open tomorrow! We have had an excellent start to 2023, the Grille, although limited in its schedule, has been very busy most nights, and weather permitting, will begin opening for lunch. The new menu has received rave reviews. We are fortunate that nearly our entire kitchen staff, wait staff, golf staff, golf course staff, and leadership teams are returning for another season. This experienced team helps to ensure the smooth running of our assets and keep our experience strong in the future. Membership has started out strong with a retention rate above 95% and 11 new members elected in or pending election. These strong numbers show the positive impact of the social aspect and the first-class facilities and high service level. We need your help to stay strong, as the best new members are referrals from all of us. In February, while the club was set up for our cabin fever event, the board had its annual all-day retreat to review last year's results and plan. We welcomed Jennifer Bergeron as our newest board member, filling a vacant seat we had. As we look ahead at our challenges of rising costs and our responsibility to provide sound financial stewardship to your club, we plan to meet these objectives and create a great experience every time you are here. We have been incredibly fortunate to have a loyal, effective board and massive support from outstanding committee heads. We are creating pathways with a positive impact on governance and increased skills by changing committee heads that have served the past few years in their role and, in some cases, had outside pressures on continuing forward. We do appreciate your volunteering and commitment to enhancing the club. Our greens committee has been working over the winter with the long term golf course plan and will be working on improving many of the forward tees as well as a major renovation of the 13 th green. Plans call for a 2024 fall renovation to be ready for play in 2025, more details will be announced soon. The land sale is moving forward; Tom Cullinan continues to head up this project, and we have had numerous public meetings with feedback from the town. Included in the plans is a multi-use path that will start on Relyea Rd. and run along the South side of 14 (no visibility to or from the golf course) and run through the planned community, across Wormer Rd., run along the West side of the pool and continue down the hill to a bridge (to be built) over the Normanskill creek, linking to Nott Rd. Park and connecting to a path which connects to the Guilderland library and YMCA. This will be a tremendous future benefit many will enjoy and has no visual impact on our course. Maps are in the living room at the clubhouse. Our commitment to you is to have a safe and enjoyable place for you and your family to relax, socialize and play. Thank you for making ACC a special place we all enjoy; please get in touch with me at president@albanycc.cc with any questions, concerns, or compliments.
Jim Harris, Jr. President
Albany Country Club
Manager’s Message
I hope 2023 is off to a successful start for you! While we have enjoyed our quiet time of winter here at the Club planning and preparing for an amazing season for you, it has been great seeing so many of you socializing and enjoying your Club! Cabin Fever, Trivia & Karaoke Night, St. Patrick’s Day Party, Kids in the Kitchen and our Gourmet Burger & Craft Beer night were all great successes! We look forward to welcoming even more members back full time as we head into Spring! Starting Friday, April 14 we will be offering Prime Rib Specials for dinner, along with our regular menu, on the rest of the Fridays in April. We turn right around the next night with a Taste of Italy Wine Dinner on Saturday, April 15, featuring our favorite sommelier Jonathan Stewart from Frederick Wildman. We will also be having a our Women’s Kick -Off Cocktail Reception on Wednesday, April 26. May will bring a Cinco de Mayo party on May 5, Women’s Book Club on 11, and our ever popular Mother’s Day Brunch on May 14. You can visit our website 24/7 to view and make reservations for all our events.
An exciting new addition debuting this year is our Wine Lockers. These have just been installed and will be ready for member use shortly. Read more about these and our new Wine Program on page 15. We will be having a Wine Locker Kick-Off party on May 12 for those who have purchased a wine locker. It’s not too late to purchase one! This is a great way for our members who love wine to enjoy their favorite labels while dining at the Club, and to learn more about new wines and tastings throughout the year. Tennis lovers have enjoyed not worrying about the weather this winter while they’ve been playing on the refurbished platform tennis courts. We were excited to see an increase in platform tennis this year, with four teams playing compared to just one last year. As Spring is quickly approaching we will be able to start playing tennis on the new asphalt courts and get a jump on our regular season. I’m pleased to announce that we have promoted Derek Suparmanto to be our new Golf Course Superintendent. He did an excellent job transitioning from Marcus when he moved out of state, and after a thorough search and interview process we felt Derek’s experience with our golf course and commitment to its success made him the best candidate. Be sure to congratulate him when you see him working hard to get our course ready to open! The golf maintenance crew are using our new stump grinder and wood chipper to remove exposed roots and small stumps from the course and make wood chips for mulching, saving us labor and money. We are trimming trees throughout the course and improving the aesthetics of the wood lines. Derek is working with Lewis Sharpe, a celebrated national agronomist who specializes in growing bentgrass, on our green aeration process, scheduled for April 10. We’ll follow up with the annual DryJect injection on the greens on April 27 to prepare the course for our upcoming season. Membership is starting off strong this year with 11 new members since the beginning of the year. We can keep this momentum going with member’s referring their friends and colleagues. We do not have a time frame for when you can start referring – even our newest members can start referring their friends to Sara-Becca. Use the refer a new member form on the website or email her directly. When you see the new members, be sure to welcome them to the club! We are pleased to continue to offer the Premier Pricing Program that allows members to purchase merchandise in our shop at cost plus 10%. Rather than instituting a fee for the program as other clubs do to offset the costs, we will continue our advertising opportunities on our GPS screens on the golf carts. These are tasteful, discreet ads that reach members without being overwhelming, and limited spots are available. Contact Glenn Davis for information on pricing and availability.
As usual my door is always open and I welcome your suggestions and ideas to make our Club the best it can be. I look forward to seeing you at the Club again soon!
Rocky Staples General Manager
Albany Country Club
Join us in welcoming our newest members Marc Isaacs Golf Individual Marc joined Albany Country Club in November. He has lived in Glenmont since 2007 with his wife, Mary, and their children, Molly, and Jack (who is now away at school). Marc has always greatly enjoyed playing golf and socializing at the club as a guest over the years. He looks forward to spending more time with his friends, making new ones, the league, and playing as much golf as possible. Albany Black Chamber of Commerce and Social Club Corporate ACCess The Albany Black Chamber of Commerce & Social Club (ABCC) provides a hyper focus on the development, promotion, and growth of the Capital Region’s Black and minority owned businesses by creating and cultivating equitable business support, advocacy, and advisory services. The Chamber has four representatives: • Deshanna Wiggins, CEO, Albany Black Chamber of Commerce & Social Club
Platform Tennis
This cold-weather activity is played on our heated and lighted courts. Windscreens were added last year to the courts to make the experience even better for our members.
• Jahkeen Hoke, CEO, Business for Good
• Corey Ellis, Upstate Political Director NYS Nurses Association & Albany Common Council President
• Lola Brabham, President of the Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities
Glenn Clark and Cassie Wun-Clark and their children Taggart, Grady, Bennett and Sutter Golf Individual/Family House The Clark family moved to Clifton Park in September 2022 from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Glenn is General Manager and Head Coach of the Albany Firewolves Lacrosse Club and their two
younger children, daughter Bennett and son Sutter are in the Shenendehowa school system in the 7th and 4th grades, respectively. The family looks forward to meeting new people and joining in with all the activities provided at the club. Glenn is especially excited for the golf season to start!
Kevin Harp and his children Madison and Kaden Golf Individual/Family House
Kevin Harp and his children, Madison and Kaden, are recent transplants to Albany County from New Paltz. Daughter Madison is a sophomore at the
Newhouse School at Syracuse University and son Kaden is freshman at Albany Academy. Kevin is a Partner in the law firm O’Connor & Partners, PLLC which has offices in Ulster, Dutchess, and Orange counties. The family now resides in Ravena and is excited to enjoy the facilities and meet members of the club.
Albany Country Club
Join us in welcoming our newest members Peter Scalise & Patricia Capitani Golf Individual/Spouse House
Turkey Raffle Fun
Patti and Pete both grew up in Utica, NY and have been lifelong friends since grammar school. They attended the same church and shared all the same friends. Patti's mom even was Pete's grammar school gym teacher. Pete moved to the area 6 years ago and Patti currently resides in Buffalo NY. Patti, and Pete have children from previous marriages and pets,
Giada their 1 ½ year old black lab mix and Lincoln their 1 ½ year old yellow lab. Patti is in the healthcare field and is a highly successful Vice President of Respiratory Services in Western NY. Currently Pete works as Chief of Investigations at a NY State Agency. Patti and Pete are excited and looking forward to everything the club has to offer. Pete is looking forward to playing more golf and Patti is looking forward to enjoying her time by the pool. What they are most looking forward to is their long-awaited wedding scheduled at ACC this September 2023.
Andrew Ayala Jr. Golf Individual
Andrew Ayala is originally from East Longmeadow, Massachusetts, but moved to Guilderland in the summer of 2022. He is a graduate of Union College (Class of 2020) and is currently employed at CVS Health in Mergers and Acquisitions. Being new to the area, he is very excited to join the ACC community
and meet new people. He has played the course many times as a guest and now looks forward to enjoying the full suite of amenities as a member.
Ryan & Heather Manikas And Their Children Maia & Cameron Jr. Golf Family
Ryan and Heather are originally from Little Falls in Herkimer County. They have been Guilderland residents for 17 years. Ryan graduated from Pace
University. Heather attended Siena College and Albany Law School. They permanently relocated to the area in 2006. Ryan works as a Vice President with BBL Companies and Heather is an attorney with the State of New York. They have two young children. They look forward to being part of the ACC community, meeting new people and enjoying the many events and amenities offered for their family.
Troy & Linda Miller And Their Children Madison, Christian & Sadie Golf Individual/Family House
Albany Country Club
Join us in welcoming our newest members
Holiday Fun R.O.B. League
Robert & Simone Milos And Their Sons Nicholas & Zachary Jr. Golf Family
Emmy Ingalsbe & Josh Wisniowski And Their Son Nolan Jr. Golf Family
Emmy and Josh joined Albany Country Club in March. Both grew up in Columbia County and first met while attending grade school at Ichabod Crane. Emmy graduated from Siena College with a finance degree, and currently manages EMI Guide Rail, a
ACC Holiday Party
Heavy Highway Construction firm that has been in the family for 25 years. Josh attended the New School of Radio and Television, and now works for the United States Postal Service as a rural carrier in the town of Kinderhook. Since moving to Guilderland where Nolan goes to Lynnwood Elementary school, we have made many friends and have enjoyed being involved in the community. We appreciate the family friendly environment at ACC and are really looking forward to participating in the activities and social events this summer.
Adam & Lorraine Silverman And Their Son Benny Jr. Golf Family
Adam and Lorraine Silverman re-joined the club at the end of March and, along with their 13-year-old son Benny, are eager to get back to enjoying ACC. Adam is a Judge who presides over cases in State Supreme Court in both Albany and Rensselaer counties and Lorraine is a founding partner of Copps DiPaola Silverman, PLLC, which provides legal representation in the area of family law. While they are working hard to sway Benny back to golf, he is currently captivated by Lacrosse. But do not worry, they are confident that ACC's beautiful course is sure to lure him back to the game we all love.
Jeff & Theresa Fiori And Their Sons Benjamin & William Golf Family
Jeff and Theresa joined Albany Country Club in April 2023. As long-time Capital Region residents, they have made Guilderland their home for the past 20 years. They have twin boys, Ben and Will, who recently graduated from Guilderland High School. Jeff is a graduate of Binghamton University and is the President of OneConnect - a Trusted IT and Technology Sales Advisor for hundreds of businesses throughout the Capital Region. Theresa is a certified personal trainer at Vent Fitness and works part time at a medical practice in Latham. She is a graduate of Siena College. While they are friends with many current members, they look forward to playing golf at ACC and making new friends through the social events offered.
Albany Country Club
GPS Advertising Opportunity
Holiday Fun Women’s Book Club
2023 Albany Premier Pricing Plan Full screen ads have sold out for the season. There are static inserts still available.
STATIC INSERTS Appear on the 14 non-par-3 holes $1,500 each for the entire season!
Santa Brunch
Insert image size: 314 pixels wide by 141 pixels tall One company advertises on one of the 14 non-par-3 holes for the entire season. This is a static insert at the bottom right of the screen which plays continuously from tee to green.
This plan allows any member of Albany Country Club to purchase in stock merchandise or special-order merchandise at 10% over wholesale cost + shipping charges. This is an incredible deal that you wouldn’t be able to get anywhere else.
Click here to purchase an advertising spot.
If you have any questions, please contact Glenn Davis at gdavispga@aol.com, Jen Reohr at jreohr@albanycc.cc,
Albany Firewolves Tickets
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The Albany Firewolves Lacrosse team has invited our members to attend their remaining home games. Discounted tickets can be purchased through our dedicated link.
Albany Country Club
Holiday Fun Gingerbread House Party
Albany Country Club
Holiday Fun Family First Night
Albany Country Club
Winter Fun Cabin Fever
Albany Country Club
Kids in the Kitchen
Albany Country Club
Mobile App O UR MOBILE APP IS AVAILABLE IN THE APP STORE !
iPhones: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/ albany-country-club/ id1607173901 Androids: https://play.google.com/store/ apps/details? id=com.membersfirst.albanycc Please make sure to have notifications turned on to receive important updates from the Club! (Go to Settings: then Notifications: then select the Albany CC app: then make sure allow notifications is turned on)
Your login information will be the same as the website.
Albany Country Club
Grille Hours
A PRIL 12 - A PRIL 16
Wednesday Lunch only: 11 am-4 pm
Thursday, Friday & Saturday lunch & dinner: 11 am - 8 pm
Sunday lunch only: 11 am - 4 pm
A PRIL 19 – A PRIL 22
Wednesday-Saturday lunch & dinner : 11 am - 8 pm
S UNDAY , A PRIL 23
lunch only: 11 am - 4 pm
A PRIL 25 AND ON
Tuesday-Sunday lunch & dinner: 11 am - 8 pm
Days and hours are subject to change depending on weather and when the course will open.
Albany Country Club
It’s League Sign -Up Time!
T UESDAY M ORNING L ADIES ’ 9 -H OLE G OLF L EAGUE TML is the one to join for golf! League begins May 2 nd
T UESDAY M EN ’ S TNT L EAGUE The 37 th season of the ACC Men’s Tuesday Night Golf League (TNT) will start on Tuesday, April 25, 2023 if all goes as planned. The goal of TNT is to promote camaraderie while enjoying a comfortable, competitive atmosphere in which to play the game we love. The format will remain the same as the last three years. It is individual based (PGA Tour FedEx Cup Format). Individual points will be earned based on weekly performance. Points will vary from week to week and be weighted towards the end of the year (four weeks of play off at the end of the season) and other “major” events. In addition to the individual play, the Pro Shop will randomly form teams from those who played for the given week. There will be a weekly payout for the top three “teams” based on the format for the week (i.e. two low net scores, one gross-one net, aggregate, etc). The cost to enter is $10 (This is optional) per individual per week. THIS IS SEPARATE FROM THE YEARLY FEE . The league is open to all male golfing members of the Club. All play will start after 2:00 p.m. unless previously approved. The first day of play will be on Tuesday, April 25 th . The last schedule day of play is September 26 th. Register on-line through Fore Tees C OSTS PER MEMBER : $100 charged to your account., used for the yearlong payouts (in Pro Shop credit) (Skins optional) C OSTS PER MEMBER : $100 charged to your account by the club used for the yearlong payouts (in Pro Shop credit) (Skins optional)
Come join us if you are: • New to golf • Want to learn about golf • Have been playing for years
• Want to play with an inclusive group of women • Want to experience team vs individual play. Each player is a contributor. • Want to have fun • Have the time to come out most Tuesday mornings for a 9 am start The league is for new and experienced women golfers who want to play a fun, friendship building 9-hole, and occasionally an optional 18-hole, team event. Our opening day is May 2 nd . A welcome back luncheon will be held on May 23rd when more members will be back in the area. TML league registration is done on-line thru Fore Tees. Season long fee of $90 will be billed to your account. Contact Kathleen Fetissoff kafe51@yahoo.com or Jill Doyle jillane.doyle@me.com
W EDNESDAY E VENING W OMEN ’ S L EAGUE
ROB L EAGUE
On behalf of the 60+ members of the current ROB’s (Retired Ol’ Boys) I invite you to join our Thursday morning group. (You need not be retired, just 55 or older this year.) The purpose of your group is to enjoy our beautiful Club, enjoy each other’s company, have lunch together if time allows, and sprinkle in a little competition without going overboard. Special events throughout the year with the US Open, July 4th, and this year – Ryder Cup playing a part in our weekly events. We are a small enough Club that I’m certain you know someone or many who are current ROB’s. I encourage you to contact them with any questions you may have.
Among the things to consider are: • We play Thursday mornings at 8:30 am • Weekly events are followed by lunch for those who can stay. Weekly fees are $5.00 • We have a Home in Home series against the ROB‘s from Wolferts Roost and Shaker Ridge. They play at our club, and we play at their club. These events are terrific, I promise! • Annual dues are $60, which pays for weekly prizes as well as the steak bake and Holiday party. Those that were ROBs last year will be automatically re- enrolled and billed in April. Register online through ForeTees. Please reach out to any current member, or me if you have any questions .
An opportunity to meet other members! The Pro Shop can assist with pairings. Golfing ladies of all abilities are welcome! Teams are made up of 8-10 players providing for a low pressure league! Tee off between 3:00 and 6:00 pm. Play 9 holes off of either tee. League runs from May 3 rd through September 13 th . Opening scramble play followed by a special dinner meeting for new rules, schedule and team names scheduled for Wednesday, May 3 rd at 4:00 p.m. Please register on-line through ForeTees by April 28 th . Season Long fee of $110 (charged to your account) will include prizes for all weekly events (including team events) and for all placed in the Season Long Team contest. After play, stay and enjoy dinner in the Grille. If you have any questions, contact Stephanie Suozzo at ssuozzo1@gmail.com.
Jim Bettini: Cell: 518-423-9504 Email: jimbettini@verizon.net
Albany Country Club
Wine Lockers
Wine Program
Wine lockers are currently being built and will be ready for use soon! Each locker will be non-conditioned and have a brass plate bearing your name. By purchasing a locker, you will be enrolled in the club's Wine Program for three (3) years for free and be able to purchase bottles of wine at substantial savings. Bottles purchased will be placed in the members' wine lockers when they arrive and stored there until they are ready to drink them. Members may call ahead to have a wine removed from their locker to allow it to breathe or to have it chilled for their arrival. There is only a $10.00 corkage fee charge per bottle. Wine stored in wine lockers that are not purchased through the club or Wine Program will be subject to a $30.00 corkage fee per bottle.
Our very first wine program has begun! Join now for only $100/year! As a member of the Wine Program, you will be informed about wines that will be featured quarterly including seasonal, Reserve and pre-release wines. You will be able to purchase bottles of featured wines or cases of wine at 20% above cost. You will be notified of special and promotional wine offers. You may also purchase wines of your own choosing based on availability at 20% above cost. In addition, you will be invited to complimentary tastings and receive priority for wine tasting dinners and other wine events. Members will be notified when their wine orders arrive. For Members who have wine lockers, their wine orders will be placed in their lockers. You are not required to have a wine locker to participate in the Wine Program. Wines purchased through the Wine Program may be served at the Club subject to a corkage fee of $10 per bottle.
The fee for a wine locker is a one-time fee of $750.00. Members will own their lockers for the duration of their membership.
To purchase a wine locker, please email Jen
In the News
All questions may be addressed to House Chair Christine Caputo Granich by emailing Membership Director Sara-Becca Smith at sbsmith@albanycc.cc
Albany Country Club has been in the newspapers from the capital region and beyond since the first whispers of the club's planning in 1890. Below is a small collection of articles that have been found through NYS Historic Newspapers and the New York Times TimesMachine.
An Albany Country Club Reported on November 2, 1890
Full Article
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