This year we could only fit eight events into the storm-damaged season–our first tourney wasn’t until May,17th, our last was December, 9th. But we still managed to attract 442 entrants, about 50 per event.
46 Member/Guest Teams played in this year’s Roundup and many enjoyed the Alisal’s Famous Saturday Night Grand BBQ as part of the two and a half day event.
Special Additions;
Two thank-you BBQs for Elliot Webber’s maintenance crew for their amazing work keeping the Course in play;
A mid-summer’s wine tasting event featuring two member-owned wineries;
Personalized bag tags for all members
$17,700 raised in Christmas Bonuses for our dedicated Grounds Crew, Ranch Grill Staff and Pro Shop team.
Of the $85 Club Membership fee, $35 (41%) goes to the SCGA for the GHIN Handicap System
As the Men’s Club Board, our primary task is managing all tournaments and club championships for Ranch Course members and their guests. We also support or manage Team Play, the handicapping system for tournaments, Club trophy maintenance, and hosting social events. A special thanks goes to Frank Kelsey for his years of service as the USGA-trained Handicap supervisor and manager of our Team Play events. Along with the Women’s club, we raise funds and then administer the Annual Employee Christmas Fund. We meet in person 10-12 times a year but the majority of our work is done by our Board members outside of our meetings on their own time. Dave Hartley, Rick Russell and Elliot Webber often attend our meetings to act as an interface between the Club and the Alisal and to keep us informed of any changing situations. We collect and manage the Club Membership Dues and, along with the help of the Pro Shop, pay each member’s dues to the SCGA which allows our members to use the GHIN handicapping system. Finally, we try to communicate with members, along with the Pro Shop, in a timely manner. This Annual Report is a new part of that function that replaces an Annual Meeting previously connected with November’s Turkey Shoot Tourney.
To say that 2023 was an eventful year at the Ranch Course would be an understatement! As a Men’s Club, our year changed for good right out of the gate when our region was hit by a series of Pacific storms that forever changed the look of our beloved golf course. As you know, flooding from the storms carved away much of the 18th fairway, dangerously widened the creek bed on the 3rd fairway and cleared out dozens of trees and foliage all over the course. Recently renovated bunkers were badly contaminated. Most significantly, the swollen creek undermined the footings on both 8th Hole bridges, making the front nine unplayable for several weeks. All totaled, the Alisal Ranch and the Ranch Course sustained millions of dollars in damages. We are grateful for all the efforts Alisal Ownership and Management has made to help keep our Ranch Course afloat. 😉
Tournaments
In a normal year, we usually offer 13 tournaments—three being club championships and two our traditional special events, the Roundup and the Stampede. This year we could only fit nine events into the storm-damaged season–our first tourney wasn’t until May,17th, our last was December, 9th.
We had 442 total entrants (55 per tourney). We offered “cash” prizes for both Gross and Net winners in multiple flights (prize money is paid as store credit in the Pro Shop). This year, we paid out $19,130 in prize money ($2126 per tourney) to 186 winners (21 per tourney). Most of the prize money comes from the $35 entry per player per tourney but this year, the Mens Club committed to adding $10 per entrant to each tournament’s prize fund as well. This year’s average winning was $114 each.
This year, a total of 94 players participated in the President’s Cup, the Club Championship and the Senior Club Championship. This year’s Roundup (a two and a half day event) was once again very successful! We fielded 46 member/guest teams. This year, teams and their significant others were able to experience the Alisal Grand Barbecue on Saturday night as an add-on in the entry fee. Our thanks goes out to our tournament chair, John Harness and his assistant Oscar Andrade for all their hard work putting the 2023 season together. And as a Board, we are forever grateful to Dave Hartley, Rick Russell and the Pro Shop staff for how well organized and fun they help make our competitions.
Special Projects and Events
- In order to thank Elliot Webber and his incredible course maintenance crew for going above and beyond throughout the storm season and its consequent repairs, we sponsored two Thank-You BBQs for he and his team. The second event in December was produced by Board member John Harness, who happens to also be a Chef extraordinaire. It was a great experience to be able to thank them in person for their extraordinary efforts.
- The Mens Club offered a wine tasting event in July where two of our club members; Mark Horvath of Crawford Family Wines and Mikael Sigoun of Kaena Wines offered tastings and cheerfully answered questions about their products. The Alisal provided complimentary hors d’oeuvres for the Friday afternoon event. Our thanks to club Vice President Micah Brady and Kelsey Bengoa for arranging this event.
- In what we hope will become a regular gift to new members, we had personalized engraved bag tags made up for all current members last summer that were distributed through the Pro Shop. A special thanks goes out to Bob Scarpati, our trophy and tee-prize Chairman for all his efforts on this extra project.
Christmas Fund
Thanks to our member’s incredible support, we were able to raise $17,700 to distribute as special thank-you bonuses to the Grounds Crew, the Ranch Grill staff, and the Pro Shop staff in early December. As Board members, it’s very special to experience the gratitude our awesome Ranch Course/Grill employees express when they receive their checks. A special thanks goes to our venerable Treasurer, Duane Serritslev, for his ability to gather the dozens of donations and get the checks produced right when we need them. Our thanks to new Board member, Bill Sweeny who will be taking on the Treasurer duties going forward.
Income and Expenses
Our fiscal calendar goes from November to November so these numbers reflect the 2022-23 period.
Income
We received $24,271 in membership dues ($85 per member) and we took in $34,769 in tournament entry fees for a total of $59,031.
Expenses
We paid $10,440 to the SCGA for membership fees and the GHIN system. 41% of your $85 membership fee goes to this expense.
Tournament costs, including food/beverage, prizes, tee prizes, trophies and cart fees were $47,786. We paid $1075 for Team Play, $740 for the Employee BBQs, and $2475 for the Bag Tags. Miscellaneous and Fixed Costs totaled $801. All expenses totaled $63,317.
Our General Fund Balance at the end of 2023 was $6820 thanks to a carried forward balance from the previous year.
Submitted February, 2024.
Bill Schoneberger President/Secretary