Happenings at Carolina Trace Country Club

New Perks for CTCC Golfers

2010-11-09T13:19:00.001-05:00

In addition to two world-class Robert Trent Jones, Sr. golf courses at CTCC, our golfers have automatic membership in the Markers Club Golf Network--the largest reciprocal Golf Network in America.

As a golfer of Carolina Trace CC you can:

Play at over 4000 other private country clubs in the United States at a discounted rate.
Play at more than 166+ private courses for $35 (includes cart).
Receive a 50% discount at over 100 TOUR GCX member clubs throughout the United States. For example, this includes Trump National in Los Angeles, or any of the 50+ private country clubs in the greater New York City area.
Request a discounted golf experience at any of the Markers Club residence locations and the ability to attend member events.
Membership to the Payne-Mason Cigar Society.
Membership to Destination Cellars Wine Club ($10,000 value). This gives you the ability to have access to over 100 different wines experiences all over the world and purchase wine at discounted prices.
The first ever Network-Wide Club Championship taking place in Phoenix, Arizona in April, 2011. Each club champion will have the opportunity to attend this 3-day event to vie for the title of Ultimate Club Champion of the new The Markers Club Golf Network Championship.

This is just one more reason why Carolina Trace CC is unlike any club membership available. At CTCC, we cater to our members, not to tourists, or a distant developer; we are a member-owned Club that operates in the direction for the success and enjoyment of our members

All Dressed in Pink

2010-10-05T14:06:00.003-04:00

The Ladies 9-hole Golf Association held their annual Rally for the Cure Fund Raiser and Awareness Luncheon on October 5th for the Susan G. Komen Foundation. They were joined by guest speaker Gwyn Sandlin, RN the Breast Health Navigator with Sanford's Central Carolina Hospital. Gwyn is certified by EduCare and by MammaCare as an instructor for breast self exam classes.

All dressed in pink the ladies released Breast Health Awareness balloons at the Breast Health Garden located behind the Clubhouse. This Garden was created this year and all of the flowers bloom pink.

2010 Club Champions

2010-07-31T22:30:00.003-04:00

Pictured left to right: Women’s Champion, Candi Bloedorn, Senior Club Champion, Bill Guwang, Men’s Club Champion, Keith Reeves, Super Senior Club Champion, Gene Pasztor and, Head Golf Professional, Mike Krick. The Women’s Club championship was a stroke play event over three rounds, July 29-31. The field consisted of Marie Inzerillo, Phyllis Stone, Tina Drew (defending champion) and Candi Bloedorn. After the first round Candi had a nine stroke lead. This lead increased over the three rounds. Candi’s scores were 76-75-78 for a three day total of 229. 229 was good enough for first place and the Women’s Club championship. The Men’s Club championship has three divisions-- the open, senior and super senior. The format for the men’s is match play with flights of sixteen. The finals where played on July 31. Winning the super senior division was Gene Pasztor, the senior club champion was Bill Guwang and winning for the second time in the open division was Keith Reeves.

Going Green--Electric Golf Carts

2010-06-30T14:30:00.011-04:00

New Electric Carts are available to rent in the Pro Shop.

We are happy to introduce 30 new 2011 Yamaha golf carts to the CTCC fleet. The electric powered golf carts run off six 8-volt Trojan T875 batteries and will hold a charge like any other electric car. The golf carts run on a powerful 48-volt electric motor, which is high quality, highly efficient, whisper quiet, and with 3.5 horsepower. The battery charger is compact and light, uses less power out of the wall, and doesn't hum. These new golf carts hold a longer charge and re-charge in faster time. One charge lasts approximately 3 golf rounds. Thanks to Head Pro Mike Krick who led this effort to ensure we are getting the most cost-efficient golf carts for our courses and the most enjoyable golf carts for our golfers.

Why Aerating Greens Is Vital?

2010-06-20T14:21:00.008-04:00

Do You Hate Aerated Greens? Do You Think the Superintendent Intentionally Punches Holes in the Greens to Mess Up Your Scores? By Jim Moore, agronomist, USGA Green Section Although it may be hard for some golfers to believe, superintendents don't like to aerate greens any more than players like to putt on them. It is a hard job that not only aggravates the golfer, but also dulls mowers, wears out the staff, and costs plenty for topdressing sand to fill the holes. So why do superintendents insist on performing this maintenance task? It's simple - aerating promotes healthier turf and helps ensure the greens drain properly. The link below to a short video will help golfers better understand why this temporarily disruptive process is so important. Watch this video There will be a Member Information Meeting next week on a Greens and Grounds Committee study about possibly changing our greens from Bentgrass Greens to Ultra Dwarf Bermuda on June 29 at 7:00PM.

U.S Women Open Qualifier 2010

2010-06-04T14:15:00.003-04:00

Sectional Qualifier--On June 3rd all eyes were on Sixty-seven (67) talented ladies playing 36 holes on the Robert Trent Jones, Sr. Championship designs at Carolina Trace Country Club in Sanford. Nine players playing in the qualifier are on the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour. All of the ladies are vying for three spots for the U.S. Women's Open Championship, which will be held at Oakmont Country Club in Oakmont, Pennsylvania from July 5 through 11.

The three ladies that qualified are Hsiao-Ching Lu of China (69-70-139), Gwladys Nocera of France (74-68-142) and Joomi Kim of Korea (72-71-143). We wish these ladies the best of luck at the U.S. Women's Open.

Creek 3 - Dream 18 Magazine

2010-06-01T14:33:00.006-04:00

Carolina Trace Country Club has received national attention in the premiere issue of Golf Course Home magazine. The third hole on the Creek Course at Carolina Trace was selected as the leadoff hole in the magazine Dream 18. The third hole is a par-5, which has nice elevation changes and a water hazard that cuts across the fairway. The hole plays 519 yards from the black tees. The editors construct the Dream 18 by making their selections of the best residential golf holes from the more than 325 golf courses featured on GolfCourseHome.net and the GolfCourseHome® Network. These courses represent more than 5,800 golf holes in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. It is truly a unique collection and a great honor to be recognized.

Special Thanks from Steve Conley

2010-05-28T14:49:00.001-04:00

Methodist University's Men's Golf Team Wins NCAA Division III Championship! Head coach Steve Conley wrapped up an amazing season with nine tournament wins capped off by two of the biggest, USA South Championship and NCAA Championship. "It has been an awesome year," Conley said. "We won my 20th conference title and my 10th national title in the year 2010." Conley wants to thank the CTCC members for their part in the national championship. Thank you Tracers!

WGA Member-Member

2010-05-21T14:31:00.007-04:00

Our WGA played their second Major of the year, the WGA Member-Member Championship on May 11th, 18th and 20th. They played five matches of nine holes per match and accumulated points. The overall winners were Milly Weaver and Mary Ann Pruchnick.

The flight winners were as follows:
Flight One: Marcia Connor and Mim Markowitz
Flight Two: Pat Mohnal & Joyce Gilliam
Flight Three: Mary Lynn Riddle & Carol Burgess
Flight Four: Donna Frangipane & Cass Balant
Flight Five: Barbara Berman & Carolyn Schaeffer

Tarheel Junior Championship

2010-05-05T17:47:00.009-04:00

The Robert Trent Jones Championship presented by the Tarheel Junior Golf Foundation was played on the Lake Course at Carolina Trace Country Club on Saturday and Sunday, April 24 & 25. The field consisted of middle school and high school boys and girls, a total of sixty-nine players from NC, SC, OH, FL, and Sweden and South Africa. Day one weather conditions were ideal for scoring and the leaders did just that. The winners of each division will go on to play in the Callaway World Junior Championship in San Diego, CA.

Mat NeSmith (pictured first) of North Augusta, SC took the first round lead with a 69 over Carter Jenkins who shot 70. NeSmith credited his opening round with his putting and said "he really liked the greens on the Lake Course." Leading after day one in the middle school division was Danny Gleeson (pictured second) of Raleigh, NC with a 68. Danny only used twenty-seven putts in route to his great score. In second after round one was Ben Griffin (pictured second) with 70. Griffin, from Chapel Hill relied on a strong driver and good iron play to shoot his opening round score. The high school girl’s bright spot in the first round was Kaitlin Matheson from Easley, SC who shot 73. She hit 17 out of 18 greens. “The round could’ve been a lot better if a few more putts would have gone in,” stated Matheson. Mathew NeSmith continued his strong play in tough conditions to post a second round 71 for a two day total of 140. NeSmith wins the high school boys division and will make his second trip to the Callaway World Junior Championship. Carter Jenkins finished second with adding a 75 to total 145 for two rounds.

Day two provided some crazy wind and it affected some of the play. Middle school first round leader, Danny Gleeson had nines of 43-33 to shot 76. Ben Griffin took advantage of his strong ball striking to shoot a great round of 66 to go with his first day round of 70 for a two day total of 136. In the girls division, Kaitlin Matheson (pictured third) with honors with a second 76 and a two day total of 149. Carolina Trace CC also had a special young lady playing in her first event. Shoomee Siranon, age 12, shot rounds of 91-90 for a two round total of 181. She shot 41 on the back nine of the Lake Course under high winds and tournament competition. This is a wonderful accomplishment and we are all very proud of her, especially her coach.

Trace Motoring Club

2010-04-30T17:43:00.000-04:00

The Trace Motoring Club held its first event on April 22nd. The weather was superb, the people were friendly, and the vehicles were spectacular. Who knew all these wonderful machines were hidden within the garages of Trace? There were 35 vehicles of various ages (1930 to 2010), colors, and styles. There was plenty of car talk and obvious passion for each vehicle. The event ended with an enjoyable lunch at the Clubhouse. We hope everyone enjoyed the "garage queens" of Trace.

Member-Member

2010-04-20T13:58:00.004-04:00

Another successful Member-Member Tournament was held at CTCC. Pictured first, Frank Buczny and Bob Werner were the tournament champions. On the first shot of the day, Ed Aman had a Hole-in-One during the competition on Creek #4 on Friday, April 16, 2010. Congratulations to Buczny, Werner and Aman.

Trace Classic-WGA

2010-04-15T13:42:00.000-04:00

Twenty-seven two lady teams competed in the Trace Classic, the first major of the year for the WGA. The format was better ball of two stroke play. The teams were divided into three flights. The field played both courses and the scoring was great. The first flight results, Jeanette Bloedorn & Karen Towson finished in fourth place, the team of Sally Grocott and Colleen Hayes tied with the team of Diane Conti and Ginny Breuer for second place. Marcia Connor and Marie Inzerillo (pictured first) were the winners of the first flight. The results of the second flight go as follows: Sue Palmer and Marie Carhart finished in fourth place. The team of Millie Weaver and Cass Balant were the third place team. Ginny Seeger and Connie Puklavetz finished in second place and the team of Ann Ashton and Jane Riordan (pictured second) were the winners of the second flight with a score of 118. For the third flight there was a tie of fourth place between the team of Sharon Morris, Jan Heins and the team of Bobby Burnham and Phyllis Gray. The third place team was Carolyn Schaeffer and Louisa Heffelfinger. The team of Joan Gustavson and Gloria Martin finished in second place. The winners of the third flight were the team of Mary Lynn Riddle and Diane Thorndike.

CTCC Mid-Carolina 1st Match Recap

2010-04-13T11:13:00.003-04:00

GREAT JOB BY THE TEAM for the first match of 2010. The CTCC team finished in 2nd place to the host club, Pinewild, also defending Champions. This year all ten players' scores counted with a finish of 728, just 27 behind Pinewild. We had two players cash--Joe Danek with second low net (65) and Gary Peterson with a net 68. The next match is set for May 3rd at Foxfire. Check the home page for Mid Carolina for additional info (www.mid-carolinagolf.com.)

Ace Spotlight-McGaughey

2010-03-31T14:08:00.004-04:00

Karen McGaughey has decided to welcome Spring with an ace on #7 Creek on March 27th. Please congratulate Karen on her hole-in-one.

Trace Dog is Top 10 Finalist

2010-03-05T15:14:00.005-05:00

Voting opened today for Sanford, North Carolina's Prozac! Voting ends on March 12th and the Top Dog will be announced on March 15th. Click to Vote Prozac is the hero dog of Fred and Barbara Berman who live at Carolina Trace. Prozac has been nominated by the Humane Society of the U.S. as a Top Ten finalist for the Dogs of Valor Award. Prozie as he’s often called, is the only dog in North Carolina to be nominated for this national award. Prozie has helped save the lives of three women at Carolina Trace. Most recently, Carol Spade was dog-sitting for the Bermans. At 2:00AM, Prozie alerted Spade and her granddaughter of the noises in her attic. Unfortunately, those noises were the start of a tragic fire that burned Spade’s home to the ground. Spade and her granddaughter are doing just fine now. Also in 2009, Prozie was visiting Fred’s 94 year-old Aunt Dorothy who lives with cousin Lee and Max Amcher in the Golf East neighborhood at Trace, and she was also saved. Prozac was barking crazily in Aunt Dorothy’s room and Max sought out the dog to discover the reason for the barking. It turned out that Aunt Dorothy was gasping for breath. All is well now, thanks to the special talents of this hero dog. The public is invited to vote for their top Dog of Valor. Go Prozac!

CTCC Head Pro sworn in as Carolinas PGA Area V Director

2010-03-03T12:11:00.005-05:00

The Carolinas PGA held its annual meeting and education forum on February 22nd and 23rd. CTCC Head Pro, Mike Krick was sworn in as a new Board Member and Area V Director. Area V covers all of Pinehurst to Fayetteville and as far east as Trace. His duties and responsibilities include serving as a direct line to the Executive Committee of the CPGA, conduct educational seminars and golf tournaments. Hank Haney was the educational speaker at their recent meeting. Haney provides the Carolinas Golf Professional insight on his teaching philosophy and how he got started in the golf industry. At the end of the meeting Haney conducted an open forum for questions. He said, “You can ask me any question you like, except the question you know you can’t ask” (Haney is the swing coach for Tiger Woods.) A highlight of the educational program was Haney's view on fundamentals. Last year, after the second round of the Wachovia Championship in Charlotte Haney gave Tiger a new grip. He viewed “point of contact” on the golf ball to be a critical factor on the ball flight. The players swing plane greatly influenced the direction of the ball. The notes from the seminar are available in the Pro Shop and Krick will be happy to discuss them with you. Congratulations Mike!

Ace Spotlight-McDonald

2010-01-20T13:39:00.003-05:00

Let’s get it started—Holes-in-One Spotlights! Jan McDonald stepped up and made the first hole in one of the 2010 season on Creek #4 on January 19. Congratulations Jan.

Carolinas Golf Association-Rules Seminar

2010-01-15T13:28:00.002-05:00

More than fifty (50) members took advantage of the golf rules seminar conducted by the Carolinas Golf Association. Tiffany Priest, Director of Women’s Golf and Member Services provided valuable information to get our members ready for the 2010 season. Specific CTCC golf holes were identified and clearly defined on how to proceed for dropping if a ball is hit in the hazard. Rule books were given to those who attended also.

Fall 2009 Highlights

2009-12-31T16:38:00.008-05:00

The last few months of 2009 have been very exciting for members of Carolina Trace CC. A recap on some of the highlights this fall: In October, we moved into the new clubhouse and began setting up operations. We launched a three month membership campaign and have added more than 50 new memberships. Our membership numbers are the highest in more than fifteen years+. In November, we conducted two member openings and one community opening with more than 1,000 people who celebrated its Grand Opening. We served more than 400 members for a Thanksgiving Feast sure to satisfy any appetite. Our first wedding was celebrated in the new Clubhouse. Also, Col. Dick Kuehl was the guest speaker for our Veteran’s Day Remembrance and buffet dinner. And our new Fitness Center opened. In December, we held our annual Get Happy Chorus performance, Santa Claus visited the new clubhouse bearing treats and gifts, we hosted the Lee County Career and Technical Education Gala—the largest school fundraiser, members enjoyed a new event with the Fashion Show luncheon featuring styles and designs from the 1920s to today. We held our Annual Meeting and elected three new Board members. We participated in the Toys for Tots program. Our New Year’s Eve Celebration will be like no other New Year’s Party we’ve ever held as we toast to the New Year with friends and family. To look forward to in the New Year: the Fitness Center is open seven days a week and group fitness classes begin in January—offering morning, afternoon and evening classes—from light stretching to intense cardio workouts. Members can join the Wine of the Month Club, new Tuesday Night specials include Family Buffets offering new menu items each week, Wednesday Night specials include Mussels and Martinis for $5, two winter golf seminars, new Fantasy Golf league, updated video golf swing software where members can compare their swing side by side to a large library of PGA and LPGA Tour players, and new One Golfer membership levels. Art classes are back, Genealogy classes, Bingo, Scraping Booking club, and holiday celebrations and parties—first starting with a romantic Valentines Dinner and Dance. The Trace Players return to the clubhouse and will perform in the spring, Camp Trace returns this summer, and so much more… . The entire Staff of CTCC would like to thank and wish a Happy New Year to our dedicated and wonderful members who are the heart of our club.

Ace Spotlight

2009-12-31T16:00:00.000-05:00

The last ace for 2009 goes to Larry Mintz who took down Creek #16 on December 21st. There were a total of eighteen holes-in-one for 2009. Holes #10 and #16 Creek each had four, which was the most on any one hole.

Sunday Couples Championship

2009-10-25T22:56:00.003-04:00

The Sunday Couples Championship was played on October 24th and 25th. Day one format was a Modified Pinehurst and day two, a Better Ball of Two. Nearly forty-eight couples competed for gross and net honors. Ron and Diane Conti (pictured below) shot a two day total 150 to edge out Lee and Marcia Connor’s 153. Ron and Marie Carhart (pictured above) squeaked by Bob and Pat Mohnal, 128.2 to 128.6. Great job all year by Bill and Sheila Fox and Ron and Chris Heppell, the chair couples.

Tennis Club Champions/Mixed Doubles

2009-10-21T16:05:00.004-04:00

Congratulations to the 2009 Tennis Club Champions/Mixed Doubles. After four vigorous rounds of mixed doubles played by eleven teams, the champions are Don Cameron and partner Cynthia Wicker (pictured on the left). The runner-up partners were Larry Aiken and Jane Johnson (pictured right). The score for the almost two-hour final round was 6-4, 7-6 (tie breaker 7-4).Out of the four rounds of tournament there were 4 tie breakers played - exceptionally close and good tennis. If you are new to the Club, you are welcome to check out and consider joining the CT Tennis Association.

Great Review for Chef Michael

2009-10-16T12:42:00.002-04:00

At Lake Fest, Bob and Betsy Anderson were thrilled to win the dinner for four prepared in their house by Chef Michael and served by Jenny. They summarized the evening for an insight into what is to come with the new Executive Chef. We had the dinner recently, and if it’s any indication of things to come, I guarantee you’re going to be very impressed by Chef Michael’s talents! After talking to us about our food likes and dislikes, here’s what Chef Michael did for the Losquadros and us: We started with an appetizer of crab dip done two ways (spinach with crab and Cajun crab) served with spiced pita chips. We then had a lovely salad of veggies and baby lettuce with fresh, made-to-order citrus vinaigrette. The main course was Seafood Pescatore which was ½ lobster, scallops, shrimps, clams, mussels and calamari, sautéed with leeks, celery and carrots and then tossed with fresh fettuccini pasta and saffron lobster broth, garnished with parmesan cheese, crushed red pepper and green onions. The last course was a chocolate and raspberry Triffle which was layers of crushed raspberries, chocolate marble cake, whipped cream and chocolate custard, topped with fresh raspberries. Yes, it was wonderful! I think club members will have lots of fabulous meals to look forward to with our charming, new chef. Many thanks, Michael!

Sunday Couples Championship

2009-09-30T18:58:00.002-04:00

The final tune up before the Sunday Couples Championship produced a lot of great golf. The format was one best ball on holes 1-6, two best balls on holes 7-12, and three best balls on holes 13-18. The team of Don and Joyce Gilliam (pictured left) and Ray and Lalia Nuzzolo won convincingly by three shots with a 125.

MGA Pinehurst Tournament

2009-09-30T18:53:00.001-04:00

Four flights filled another great MGA tournament on September 25th. The format was a Pinehurst, two person teams alternating the shots after the tee ball and second shot. The following were the flight winners. First Flight – Rich Pruchnik & Lee Connor – 64.4; Second Flight – Al Frangipane & Mike Washington – 68; Third Flight Len Tulio & John Fancher – 62.8; Fourth Flight- John Gloeckler & Ray Rahn – 65.8. Closest to the pin honors went to Bob Salasko Creek #6, Ed Kirk Creek #8, Lee Connor Creek #10 and Ralph Newberry Creek #16.

NC WGA Tournament

2009-09-30T18:46:00.004-04:00

The Carolina Trace CC WGA was represented by 8 ladies as two foursomes playing 2 Best Balls in each foursome in the North Carolina WGA tournament. One foursome came in tied for 2nd place and the other came in 5th place. It was a great showing for the WGA of Carolina Trace CC. Pictured from left to right – Arlene Gilbert, Marcia Connor, Carole Philbin, Joyce Wells, Marie Inzerillo, Mim Markowitz, Kathy Schlagel, and Lalia Nuzzolo. Congratulations!

Ace Spotlight

2009-09-27T11:04:00.000-04:00

September finally had its ace--Lisa Roberts stepped up and nailed the 16th hole on Creek on September 27th. Great shot Lisa!

Lake Fest!

2009-09-17T14:53:00.012-04:00

Another fun community event, was the 2nd Annual Lake Fest. 332 people enjoyed free pontoon boat rides. Others explored Lake Trace on kayaks, took fly fishing lessons, entered a fishing derby, took a swing at the floating pirate ship, watched Head Pro Mike Krick's 'Trick Shot" demonstrations, shopped with local vendors selling their wares, and kids enjoyed the bounce house, face painting and more than 40 activities.The food court was also packed with Yarboroughs ice cream, Bud’s Barbeque and Two Brothers Catering and a beer tent with music. The Temple Teens and Get Happy Chorus performed. Honored this year was 'lady of the lake' Libby Bibb for her many tireless efforts in educational programs for lake preservation. CTCC President Hersman and CTA President Harry Undy honored Lee and Max Amcher as king and queen of Lake Fest. The Amchers have chaired this event for two years, and have volunteered hours of their time to making Lake Fest a big success. There were 220 volunteers to help make this festival run smoothly with leadership from Chairpeople, Carol Abbey, Betsy Anderson, Barbara Berman, Fred Berman, Libby Bibb, Jeanne Colwell, Kendall Crawford, Jackqui Danek, Evie Dooley, Bill and Marie Inzerillo, Janice Matthews, Jenna Miller, Georgann Roberts, and David Feavel.

Labor Day Golf tournament

2009-09-17T14:51:00.000-04:00

Eighty players participated in the Labor Day golf outing on September 7th. The format was a scramble and each team had to use two drives per person. The winning team was Scott Schaeffer, Ken Garrett, Carol Burgess and Nancy Remington (pictured). Closest to the pin honors went to Tina Drew, Ray Nuzzolo, Monty Rowe and Neil Rotter.

The Rant, 90.5 FM-Wednesdays

2009-09-16T10:42:00.005-04:00

Do you know about this radio program? Director of Marketing, Sara O'Leary was a guest on their September 16th show to talk about the new grand clubhouse set to be completed in 14 days. The Rant airs Wednesdays on 90.5 FM, WDCC in Sanford, on a signal that reaches into Moore, Harnett, Chatham and lower Wake couties in addition to Lee County. Hosted by Sanford Herald Editor Billy Liggett, the views expressed on the Rant do not represent the views of The Sanford Herald or WDCC FM, but "aims to bring intelligent discussion about issues important to Lee County, North Carolina, mixed with what we believe to be humor. Co-hosts include Herald cohorts Jonathan Owens and Gordon Anderson, who are merely [there] for their looks," according to their web site. If you're interested in the latest current events in Lee County or other 'pop culture' happenings, give them a listen. "O'Leary appreciates the opportunity and would like to thank Liggett, Owens and Anderson. Keep up the fine work!"

Carolinas PGA Board- Pro Krick

2009-09-05T02:45:00.000-04:00

Head Golf Pro Mike Krick was elected to the Carolinas PGA Board as Area V. Director. He is pictured with Ron Schmid, Executive Director accepting the position.

2009 Club Champions

2009-09-04T00:06:00.001-04:00

The semi final and finals of the Men’s and Ladies Club Championship were played on the 28th and 29th. The men had three divisions, the super senior, senior and open champions. The ladies had a full field of sixteen players playing match play to decide their winner. The semi final in the super senior featured two matches. Match one was Wally Harris vs. Jack Morgan and the second match was Gene Pasztor vs. Harry Evans. Jack Morgan and Gene Pasztor won their matches and faced off on the 29th for the finals. Gene Pasztor played lights out, winning his match handily. He continued to his play and shot one stroke over his age. The semi finals of the senior club champion featured Rich Pruchnik vs. Pete Goldberg and Tom Boerger vs. Frank Buczny. Pruchnik and Boerger faced off in the finals. A well played match by both with Tom Boerger coming out on top. The Open division for the men’s club championship had some great golf as well. Tony Bloedorn played well enough to get by Ron Smith. Defending champion, Keith Reeves played strong against Bob Mohnal to get to the finals. Tony played exceptionally well and claimed his first Carolina Trace Club Championship. The ladies had an exciting final four and finals match. Mulitlple time winner and “ace machine” Diane Conti played well to beat Sue Palmer. While Tina Drew, a past champion, passed Marcia Connor in the semi finals. Two past champions went head to head in the finals. Tina Drew outlasted Diane Conti to win. “This time it is really special to win because Diane was in the tournament,” Drew said. Diane Conti was not in the field on Drew’s first Club Championship victory. The Championship produced some great golf and all that played are to be congratulated. Pictured are Mike Krick, Head Golf Professional, Tony Bloedorn, Men’s Club Champion, Tina Drew, Ladies Club Champion, Tom Boerger, Senior Club Champion and Gene Pasztor, Super Senior Club Champion.

Within weeks of Clubhouse completion!

2009-09-03T23:58:00.005-04:00

MGA Better Ball of Two

2009-08-25T09:00:00.000-04:00

The MGA played a better ball of two golf tournament. There were three flights. The teams were also qualifying for the Governor’s Trophy tournament, which is a two man better ball match play event. Flight One winners were Fran Remington and Bill White with 63. Flight Two winners were Pete Goldberg and Joe Danek with a score of 62. The Third Flight winners were Bobby Felicio and Ken Garrett with a 54.

Ace Spotlight

2009-08-24T13:23:00.004-04:00

The month of August has heated up with two aces within a couple of days. Jim Bonti (pictured below) scored his ace on Lake #6 on Saturday, August 15th. And, possibly the youngest golfer to have a hole in one at Carolina Trace is Rocco Fancher. He made an ace on Creek #7 on Friday, August 21st. Rocco is pictured with his sister Makayla.

WGA Championship

2009-08-20T09:54:00.003-04:00

The ladies played their third major of the year on the 11th & 18th of August. The format was individual stroke play, net scores, within flights. The overall winner could come out of any flight. The 2009 Overall WGA Handicap Champion is Sharon Venice with a score of 66-66 for a total of 132. The flight winners were Carole Philbin, first flight with a score of 134. The second flight champion is Jeanne Colwell with a score of 138. The third flight winner is Chris Jussaume with a score of 140.

Arnold Palmer--Arnie's Army Battle of Prostate Cancer

2009-08-09T21:48:00.004-04:00

Mike Krick, Head Pro, his staff and 105 members of the Carolina Trace Country Club Men’s Golf Association joined the fight towards cancer in its annual outing supporting the program of “Arnie’s Army Battle of Prostate Cancer.” Just over $1300 was raised by the participating players. Winners of the event, pictured, were John Kirkman, Dave Marble, Bobby Felicio and Ken Garrett. Also recognized was Ray Nuzzolo who received a Callaway gift card for closest to the pin at 1’4.” Visit www.arniesarmybattles.com-- "Arnie’s Army Battles Prostate Cancer is a unique fundraising and awareness campaign of the Prostate Cancer Foundation. The program is designed to help organizers and participants use golf as a fundraising tool to raise money for better treatments and a cure for prostate cancer. Every dollar raised by Arnie’s Army tournaments goes directly to the Prostate Cancer Foundation where is it deployed rapidly to support advanced prostate cancer research for the development of better treatments and, ultimately, a cure for this disease that strikes 1 out of every 6 American men."

A look inside the Clubhouse...

2009-08-06T14:30:00.006-04:00

Book Sale at Lake Fest

2009-07-07T08:45:00.000-04:00

The Carolina Trace Ladies 9 Hole Golf Association will sponsor our annual used book sale at the Lake Fest on Saturday, September 5th from 10:00 to 3:00 in the Clubhouse parking lot. We hope you will support our efforts again this year and save lots of money on our low-priced books. We would appreciate the donation of hardback, paperback, and audio books in good condition (except no textbooks, please). Cookbooks, children’s books and recent novels are, especially, in demand. Please bring your books anytime after July 15th to the front porch of Marsha Davis (571 Broadmoor Court in Trentwood) or Nancy Aman (1355 Virginia Circle in Hidden Lake). If you have any questions, please call Nancy Aman (498-3043), Marsha Davis (498-0141) or Donna Heidinger (498-3056).

A day in Margaritaville

2009-07-02T18:25:00.006-04:00

More than just golf...competition, laughter and fun at the Ladies' Member-Guest Tournament. They enjoyed a great day on the golf course, then headed to the Marathon Bar for further festivities. Thank you Sharon Morris and Linda Decsi for doing a great job with planning and decorating for this event.

(Head Pro, Mike Krick and GM, Brad Bourret)

MGA 3 T Tourney

2009-07-02T18:16:00.003-04:00

The MGA had another great turn out for the 3 T tourney. The field was divided into two flights and the teams rotated through the Blue, White and Gold tees. The format was two best balls of four. Winning the second flight was the team of Scott Schilz, George Keep, Monty Rowe and Charlie Duttweiler with a score of 114 (pictured first). The first flight winners were the team of Rich Pruchnik, Ed Aman, Gene Pasztor and Joe Danek with 115. Closest to the pin honors were as follows: #4 Wendel Dance – 5’ 3 ¾”, #7 Rich Pruchnik – 4’ 10”, #10 Ralph Lamparter – 1’ 10” and #16 David Taylor 3’ 7”. A great day was had by all.

Ace Spotlight

2009-07-02T18:11:00.001-04:00

48 days separated our last hole in one from the latest by Connie Puklavetz-- our longest ace drought of the year. Puklavetz broke through on Creek #4 and nailed one Saturday, June 27th. We could hear the cheers all the way back to the Pro Shop. Great shot!

Ladies' Member-Guest Results

2009-07-02T15:13:00.009-04:00

Tournament Winners:

Low Gross - Dee Register, Karen Towson, Lyona Beck, Paula Bennett 1st Low Net - Tess Wright, Linda Decsi, Linda Zimmer, Colleen Hayes 2nd Low Net - Gloria Nassar, Carol Abbey, Judy Colwell, Millie Weaver 3rd Low Net - Kathy Krupp, Polly Scalise, Peg Garrett, Judy Blaylock 4th Low Net - Diane Keep, Helen Holdridge, Susan Walley, Sue Hodges

Low Gross 1st Low Net 2nd Low Net 3rd Low Net 4th Low Net

President's Cup

2009-06-24T14:35:00.004-04:00

The MGA President’s Cup is the second major event of the year. On Friday, June 12th, players qualified for match play. There were two flights, one played Blue Tees and the other played the White Tees. The finals of the First Flight were played between Tom Boerger and Jim Morris. Tom Boerger outlasted Jim Morris with a hot putter to take the championship (pictured first). The Second Flight match was just as good. John Fancher was victorious over Ralph Martin.

Cindy Feng and Pro Krick Recap

2009-06-24T14:26:00.005-04:00

The Women’s US Open Sectional Qualifying was a huge success. I had the privilege to spend a lot of time with a remarkable young lady. Yueer Cindy Feng is just thirteen years old and was one of the six girls that qualified for the Women’s US Open. The story started about a week before the qualifying round. Her Uncle called the Pro Shop and asked for the Head Golf Professional. He wanted me to show her the best way to play the golf course. We set up a time on Tuesday the 9th and Wednesday the 10th. I first met Cindy late Monday afternoon. She had come early to start to practice and become familiar with the greens. I was surprised as anyone to see how young she was. We briefly talked about the practice round and what I thought it would take to qualify. My guess was a few strokes over par. I knew how the course was set up and felt it was going to play long and very challenging for the ladies. Tuesday had arrived and when we got to the first tee I asked her exactly what she was wanting from me. She said she wanted to know what the best way to play the golf course was. We went through each hole and each shot. Example, I told her to always check the hole location before playing certain holes. Like #1, if the pin was in the back or the middle she needed to hit down the left side of the fairway to have a good angle at the pin. We talked about how certain holes will play longer or shorter than the yardage because of elevation changes. We spent most of our time around the greens. I showed her which would be a better side to miss on. I encourage her to always land her chips or pitches on the green so she would get a true bounce. A few of greens have a false front. We talked about the ball rolling out after it passed the cup. On Tuesday we didn’t know the hole locations so we had to look at the whole green instead of just the section where the flag would be. She hit the ball great, not very far, but very straight. Also one of the best short games I have ever seen. Cindy plays out of Champions Gate in Orlando Florida and her golf coach is David Leadbetter. Cindy and her father spoke back and forth to each other in Chinese the entire day. Cindy speaks very good English. I had in my mind I was going to keep my mouth shut on swing tips because I didn’t want give her a different thought just before the qualifying round. On Tuesday’s round she struggled on holes 11, 12 and 13. She would either miss it left or block it right. I finally said something to her on 13 tee box. Her stance was too open and the ball too far forward. If she made her normal release she would hit left or hold off the pull and keep the face open then the ball would go right. She made the change and hits some really good shots. On 14 her dad asked me to give her a routine to ensure consistency in her set-up. With her feet close together, I had her place the club face at the target, and then align her feet. This really helps with both ball position and alignment. She stayed with this routine throughout the reminder of the tournament. Her dad wrote down everything I said. We discussed in detail the greens, par 3’s and approach angles. I told her to always look back down the fairway before she would read a putt. Most of our greens will run in the same direction as the hole. Number 9 green breaks down toward the range, just as the hole plays. Wednesday we knew where the hole locations for the qualifying round would be. The committee will mark them with a small paint dot. This helped a lot; we could narrow the area to study on the greens down a bit. We talked about number six. I told her to feel the wind on five and it would be the opposite on number six. If the wind is blowing I told her to keep it below the tree line or take an extra club and hit it into the bank. During her first round she hit it off the bank, the ball bounced back onto the green to about eight feet and she made birdie. When we were finishing the practiced round we talked about getting off to a good start. She said she always plays better once the round gets going. I told her that six spots were plenty and she had a very good chance to qualify based on what I watched the last two days. I told her, out of the 39 girls, half didn’t belong there. Out of the other 19 girls about one third won’t play well and she really just had to finish in sixth place out of about 12 to 14 girls. Psychologically it is a good way to approach a qualifying round. She shot 76 in the morning round. As we looked at the score there were only about 12 girls in front of her. She told me she really only had one bad hole. She made a double bogey six on number 11. I encouraged her to stick with her game plan. She started the afternoon round on number 10 again. I watched her tee off and then didn’t have a chance to check on her until number 6. Her dad was very excited to see me. He pointed two fingers down. This meant she was two under for the round. She hit it to about three feet on six and made birdie. She made pars on 7 & 8. I watched her play the 9th hole. She hit her second shot to within two feet. Tapped it in for 68 and now had to wait to see if that would get her entry into the Women’s US Open. The scores came in and as each one went up her chances looked better and better. Cindy finished with a score of 144, even par and was third in the qualifier. The Women’s US Open is at Saucon Valley in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania July 9-12. I have decided to go and watch her play in the first round. The entire event was enjoyed by the players and the members. The ladies praised the quality and condition of the course. A great job was done by Tim Hart and his staff. At the end of the tournament, Tiffany Priest, CGA Director of Women’s Golf, asked if we would like to host it again next year. I said absolutely yes! I hope to hear from her in the fall on scheduling a date. I’ll keep you all posted.

US Women's Open Craze

2009-06-12T17:15:00.004-04:00

Sectional Qualifier--On June 11th all eyes were on 39 talented ladies playing 36 holes of competitive golf on the CTCC Lake Course. Vying for 6 spots for the U.S. Women's Open Championship. With talents like Rosie Jones, who has 13 LPGA victories, Campbell University graduate, Brandi Underwood, and 13-year old Cindy Feng-- the players were first-class and a true testament to the perfection and passion of the game of golf. Head Pro Mike Krick will provide a detailed wrap-up coming soon to the Blog.

New Entranceway

2009-06-12T17:01:00.004-04:00

The Commemorative Fund worked on a two-year project for new signs for the entrance to Country Club Drive. This project was spearheaded by Chair, Judy Colwell. The new entrance is a wonderful first impression when heading to the clubhouse. Other key leaders involved in the two-year project include, Brad Bourret, Tim Hart, Tana Boerger and Pam Iceman. Thank you to all who have contributed to this fund, which focuses on permanent projects in loving memory of past friends forever part of the Trace family.

Tracer Member-Guest

2009-06-12T15:04:00.021-04:00

The 2009 Tracer Member-Guest was a huge success. We dodged the forecasted rain and the golf course was in spectacular shape. Seven flights competed in the five nine hole match format. The tournament finished with the flight winners competing against each other in a shoot out that took place on the Lake Course. The shoot out provided plenty of drama with the overall champions winning the chip off. Dick Brown and Robert Groben(pictured first) won the 2009 Tracer Member-Guest. The flight winners were as follows: Flight One-Jeff Pecor and Luke Scala; Flight Two- Bill Guwang and Bill Gernhardt; Flight Three- Glen and Greg McGivney; Flight Four- Len Tulio and Jim Waas; Flight Five-Lew Andersen and Trent Crosby; Flight Six- Bobby Felicio and Joe Matties; Flight Seven- Arnold Mullings and Chuck Calhoun III. (Gernhardt & Guwang) (Pecor & Scala) (Waas & Tulio) (Andersen & Crosby) (Felicio & Mattis) (Mullings & Calhoun) (McGivney & McGivney)

Trace Cup Championship

2009-05-27T06:00:00.000-04:00

The Trace Cup was another successful member event. One hundred players played in the two-day match play event. After the first day the Blue Angels were up 38 to 37. The Red Devils came storming back on the second to take back the cup with a narrow margin of victory.

Memorial Day Celebration 2009

2009-05-26T11:34:00.003-04:00

116 players played in the Memorial Day Golf Tournament. The format was one best ball of four. The team of Hugh and Ginny Pembleton and Harold and Karen McGaughey tied Scott and Carolyn Schaeffer and Don and Joyce Gilliam for first place with a net score of 54. The sharp shooters for the day were BiBi Brown #6, Jim Morris #8, Frank Buczny #13 and Lalia Nuzzolo #15. In addition to the annual Memorial Day Golf Tournament, the weekend celebration included a tennis tournament on Saturday, a morning ceremony saluting our Armed Forces and an American BBQ at the pool that evening.

(Schaeffer's & Gilliam's)

(Pembleton's & McGaughey's)

WGA Member-Member

2009-05-26T11:14:00.004-04:00

The WGA played their Member-Member Championship on May 12th, 19th and 21st. They played five nine hole matches. The overall winners were Gladys Noel & Christine Jussaume. The flight winners were as follows: Flight One: Lalia Nuzzolo & Marie Inzerillo; Flight Two: Lyona Beck & Pat Mohnal; Flight Three: Jane Johnson & Judy Reeder; Flight Four: Ann Ashton & Joyce Doelp; Flight Five: Carolyn Schaeffer & Louisa Heffelfinger.

(Heffelfinger & Schaeffer)

(Noel & Jussaume)

Brick!

2009-05-15T09:46:00.001-04:00

Ace Spotlight

2009-05-13T17:31:00.004-04:00

Terry Riddle continued Tracer sharp shooting into the month of May. On May 10th he aced the hole on 16 Creek. This is two years in a row with a hole in one for Terry and his third ace at Trace (look out Diane!)

Sadie Hawkins

2009-05-13T17:16:00.004-04:00

The Sadie Hawkins Golf Tournament was a huge success. Thirty-two teams competed over two golf courses playing two best balls of four formats. The tournament required a female golfer to ask three male golfers to join her team. A husband was NOT allowed to join his wife’s team, but could play on another female golfers’ team. Half of the field played the Lake course and the other played the Creek course. Many great scores where shot. The winning team, pictured first, on the Lake course was Polly Scalise, John Altenburger, John Siara and Jerry Venice with an outstanding 114. The winning team, pictured second, on the Creek course was Carolyn Schaeffer, Tim Bloedorn and Jim Morris with a 116. Congratulations to all the winners… and look forward to this tournament next year.

Kentucky Derby

2009-05-05T15:37:00.002-04:00

The Marathon Bar was home to the CTCC Kentucky Derby Celebration. About 50+ members were cheering for their favorite horse to win with all bets in. The ladies came decked out with special hats for the occasion.

Ace Spotlight

2009-05-05T15:28:00.004-04:00

Congratulations to Vince Roy for his ace on Lake #6 on April 25th. There were 5 aces recorded at CTCC in the month of April.

MGA May 1st Tournament

2009-05-05T15:22:00.002-04:00

The MGA had another fun and successful tournament for the year on Friday, May 1st. The format for the tournament was best ball for the men playing the blue tees and best ball for the men playing the white tees. There were twenty teams of four players, where two players from each team played from the blue tees and two players played from the white tees. The team of Bill Guwang, Don Karrer, Hugh Whelan and Gary McEntee (pictured) were the winners with a score of 123. Lew Andersen, Al Frangipane, Ken Miller and Dave Marble came in second place with a score of 126. There were three teams that came in with a score of 127, so there was a scorecard playoff to determine third, fourth and fifth place. Rich Pruchnik, David Taylor, Ken Fein and Steve Huepper came out on top in the scorecard playoff to get third place. The team of Richard Brown, Ralph Martin, Dick Philbin and Paul Garver ended up in fourth place and the team of Ted Breuer, Jack Hooper, John Stevens and Rosi Lomas came in fifth place. Sixth and seventh place also had to go to a scorecard playoff between the teams of Fred Heins, Ron Elder, Tom Magyar and Dick McNamara, and the team of Glen McGivney, Dale Roberts, Dale Johnson, and Scott Schilz. Finishing in the money at 8th place was the team of Ron Carhart, Neal Jensen, Dean Thorndike and Mel Cunningham. There was closest to the pin (CTP) contests on the par 3’s during the tournament. Ed Colwell was the CTP winner on hole #6 hitting to 10’4”. On hole #8 with the distance of 8’5” from the hole was Dale Johnson. Also on hole #13 Gene Pasztor hit it to 6’7”. Ken Fein was the closest to the pin winner for hole # 15 with a distance of 26’3”.

Clubhouse- Roof is on; Windows are in...

2009-05-01T05:00:00.001-04:00

In the last week of April, the roof is on, the windows are in and the construction of the porch and patio are underway.

Sunday Couples Tournament

2009-04-30T14:28:00.004-04:00

It was a beautiful day for the Sunday Couples Tournament on the 26th. The field consisted of twenty-one four person teams. Each team had two couples where the team would count the best ball for the men and the best ball for the ladies. The team of Ron and Diane Conti (pictured right) and John and Connie Puklavetz (pictured left) were the winners, with a score of 119. Second place with a score of 120, was the team of Bill and Marie Inzerillo and Jerry and Sharon Venice. Mike and Jan McDonald and Dale and Lisa Roberts tied for third place with the team of Harold and Karen McGaughey and David and Penny Turner-- shooting a score of 126. Three teams tied for fifth place with a score of 127. The teams consisted of Ted and Virginia Breuer and Ken and Judi Mills; Jerry and Linda Decsi and Jim and Coleen Hayes; John and Lyona Beck and John and Pat Kirkman. The team of Al and Gladys Noel and Denny and Tina Drew finished tied for eighth place with the team of Dean and Diane Thorndike and Gary Peterson and Marcia Connor--with a score of 128.

Ace Spotlight

2009-04-27T14:22:00.002-04:00

The spring is heating up and Creek #10 stands no chance. Jane Riordan scored the eighth hole in one of the year on Tuesday, April 21st during the Rally for a Cure event. Just three days later on April 24th, Dave Marble scored another ace on Creek #10. If you are in the “Hole in One Club,” men receive $500.00 in shop credit and the ladies, $250.00. Check with the Pro Shop to see if you’re in the hole in one club.

Clubhouse Construction Photos

2009-04-24T10:44:00.005-04:00

2009 Rally for The Cure-$1801.00

2009-04-22T17:17:00.004-04:00

Our 18-Hole Ladies came decked out in their pink outfits on Tuesday, April 21st, for their annual Rally For The Cure tournament to raise contributions for breast cancer awareness and research. Mim Markowitz (pictured below) won the Closest-to-the Pin on Creek 16 for the grand prize of a golf bag. Sixteen ladies also won a golf ball for staying on the 16th green with their tee shots. Many thanks go to the 65 participants in this year’s event who contributed $1,300 with their entry fees. A special thank you goes out to all of the women and MGA members who purchased raffle tickets as well as Lyona Beck, Barbara Berman, Marcia Connor, Molly Higgins, Sue Hodges, Florence Kaisen, Pat Kirkman, Jan McDonald, Polly Scalise, Marjorie Schmidt, and Sharon Venice for their wonderful raffle donations. This year’s raffle raised $501 which will be directed to the Susan G. Komen Foundation. Thanks everyone for making our Rally such a success.

WGA Trace Classic

2009-04-21T14:55:00.006-04:00

The annual WGA Trace Classic consisted of twenty-six two person teams with the format being a better net score of the partners. The teams were broken down to four flights with flights one through three paying out two places and flight four paid out three places. The winners for flight one were Marie Inzerillo and Marcia Connor with a score of 132 pictured with Head Pro Mike Krick. Tina Drew and Chris Heppell came in at 134 to get second place in flight one. For Flight two, the winners were Ginny Seeger and Mary Ann Feavel with a score of 133; Ann Ashton and Jane Riordan came in second firing a score of 135. Sue Palmer and Jeannette Bloedorn won the third flight with a wonderful score of 128 and Connie Puklavtz and Bibi Brown were second with a 132. The fourth flight was very competitive with Polly Scalise and Sharon Venice shooting a score of 134 to edge out Gladys Noel and Louisa Hefflefinger to win the flight by one shot. Dottie Gall and Bobby Burnham shot 137 to finish in third place in the fourth flight.

(Palmer and Bloedorn)

(Feavel and Seeger)

(Venice and Scalise)

MGA Member-Member

2009-04-21T14:46:00.004-04:00

The 2009 MGA Member-Member was two great days of competitive and fun golf. With seven flights, eighty-four players played five nine-hole matches on both golf courses. The format was match play, each team earning points for the holes that were won. Coming out on top as overall champions was the team of Al Frangipane (pictured right) and Mike Washington (pictured left).

Clubhouse Construction Photos

2009-04-21T13:32:00.006-04:00

Pictures taken on 4/16 and 4/19.

4/16

4/19

Ace Spotlight

2009-04-06T11:52:00.004-04:00

We have two more to add to 2009's Ace Award. Jim Anabel (pictured first) starts off the spring with a hole in one on Lake #8. Even though it was on April 1st, this was no joke. He trusted his hybrid club to score the ace. Nice job Jim. Jack Zellner wasted no time to follow up the April 1st hole in one with one of his own. Jack's ace was on April 3rd on Creek #7. His shot never left the flag. This is the seventh ace of the year for CTCC members. Diane Conti's trip to the PGA show really got something started.

Continual Progress--Grand Clubhouse

2009-03-30T14:26:00.008-04:00

Members are impressed with the progress of the clubhouse construction.

Sunday Couples Winning Team

2009-03-26T15:45:00.002-04:00

Seventy-six players enjoyed an exciting day of Sunday Couples Golf. A large group of couples compete one Sunday per month. The format for March's tournament was one best ball on par 3s, two best balls on par 4s and three best balls on par 5s. The winning team (pictured left) was Ron and Diane Conti and Ken and Ginny Seeger (pictured right) with a score of 132. After competitors finished golf, they all gathered around the Marathon Bar for drinks and good times. Congrats to all that played.

Clubhouse Ahead of Schedule

2009-03-25T06:00:00.002-04:00

The progress of the new grand 30,000 sq. ft. clubhouse is ahead of schedule. The Building crew is working 6 days a week, and our Building Committee is working 7 days a week. By mid-March we have steel beams up and a lot of the framing completed on the lower level. Also, Tim Hart and his ground crew relocated the scoreboard near the Marathon Bar, Pool and Tennis complex area. Our future is very bright! Now is the time to upgrade your membership or consider joining, before expected increases in the initiation fees nearing clubhouse completion.

(scoreboard)

St. Patty's Bash

2009-03-24T23:30:00.012-04:00

Announce a St. Patrick's Day Party, and the event fills up in less than a day. The St. Patty's celebrations at CTCC are always filled with the luck of the Irish, good friends and fun, green beer and Irish food; an annual event the members always look forward to attending!

Dinner with Friends

2009-03-13T17:08:00.007-04:00

Each month members can look forward to a new social activity at the Marathon Bar. The Dinner with Friends series offers a great buffet and dessert and a chance for greeting and meeting new and old friends. April's Dinner with Friends, "April Fling," is on the 9th with cocktails at 5:30 and dinner at 6:30.

Marathon Bar Opens

2009-03-05T14:59:00.003-05:00

Ace Spotlight

2009-03-05T00:02:00.007-05:00

FORE! Here we go again. Saturday, February 21, 2009, Joe Turak (pictured first) aced the tenth hole on Creek. “Most solid shot I hit all day. It never left the flagstick, landed three feet short of the pin and rolled right in.” This is Joe’s second hole in one. Congrats Joe!

Tracer’s you’re on FIRE! Ron Heppell (pictured second) makes it four holes in one for the month of February. He took down #13 Lake from the blue tees on Thursday February 26. His fellow competitors said the six iron was “dead solid perfect” and never left the flag stick. This is Ron’s second ace. Nice job!

Construction Photos

2009-02-26T13:38:00.004-05:00

Terrific Kid

2009-02-23T16:57:00.003-05:00

In an effort to promote golf and increase attendance in the junior golf clinics, Head Pro Mike Krick got involved with the “Terrific Kid” program. Each semester a few select children are chosen to be “Terrific Kids.” The children exemplify good attendance, great behavior, helpfulness and leadership in their classroom. They are recognized in a general assembly forum that consists of their peers, teachers and parents. Lee County Kiwanis Club sponsors the program and distributed bumper stickers. Mike gave a short speech, presented the honor students with a coupon for them and a parent to come to Trace and hit a bag of range balls. A PGA Golf Professional’s first responsibility is to promote their Club and the game of golf. Both were achieved at the J Glenn Edward assembly. Great Job Mike!

Ace Spotlight

2009-02-20T11:31:00.005-05:00

2009 we will celebrate your hole in one on the “blog.” Before we recognize this year’s ace shooters, let’s review the ones that nailed one in 2008. Red Davis 1-15-08 Creek #10 – Terry Riddle 2-7-08 Lake #6 – Bill Inzerillo 3-9-08 Creek #10 – John Puklavetz 3-22-08 Lake #13 – Sheila Fox 4-22-08 Creek #7 – Bill Inzerillo 5-5-08 Creek #4 – Ralph Martin 5-21-08 Lake #15 – Bob Salasko 5-22-08 Creek #4 – Linda Decsi 6-4-08 Lake #8 – Joyce Gilliam 7-4-08 Creek #10 – Ted Breuer 7-20-08 Lake #15 – Jack Steer 8-22-08 Creek #7 – Bob Lake 9-20-08 Creek #16 – Ray Rahn 11-3-08 Lake #6 - Barry Markowitz 12-28-08 Creek #16. If we have missed anyone please let us know. First Ace of 2009 was by Donna Fancher on February 2, 2009. She nailed it on Lake #6 with a 3 hybrid. This was her first Hole in one. Nice shot! Dave Sandberg, possibly inspired by a chance to meet Paula Creamer, scored his first hole in one on Creek #7. The 6 iron never left the flag stick on February 10, 2009, so all that played in the group that day helped “Sandy” celebrate. Cheers!

Paula Creamer, Nancy Lopez, Dottie Pepper and Diane Conti

2009-02-19T21:56:00.014-05:00

(click on the play button to watch the video)

Paula Creamer and Bridgestone Golf/Precept Golf presented an outstanding achievement award for unprecedented golf success with Precept golf balls to longtime member Diane Conti and a one-year's supply of Precept golf balls.

Conti has an amazing golf record. She started golf when she was 31 years old at the urging of her husband Ron who has been her only teacher. Over thirty plus years playing golf, Conti has scored 15 holes-in-one--all sanctioned by golf professionals and two or more witnesses. She has also won 2 club championships at Fox Bend Club in Illinois and 12 championships at CTCC. Conti is one of the most humble players and a true ambassador of the game. Remarkably, she has made these accomplishments with the aid of a prosthetic right leg she was fitted for when she was ten years old. Conti also met Nancy Lopez and Dottie Pepper at the PGA show in Orlando, Florida.

(Nancy Lopez and Diane Conti)

(Diane Conti and Dottie Pepper)

PGA Show Head Pro Recap

2009-02-19T21:15:00.009-05:00

Mike’s Trip to the PGA Merchandise Show:

I thought the members would like an insight to my recent trip to Florida and the PGA Merchandise Show. The trip consisted of three goals, first and most important was to support Diane Conti’s wonderful achievement and recognition from Paula Creamer and Precept golf. Second, find an Assistant Golf Professional to join Brock and myself to better serve the membership. Lastly, to sit down with golf shop interior design companies to get their input on the best way to lay out your Pro Shop.

Day 1: This is the Demo Day; all the major golf companies are out in full force with the newest and greatest in equipment for 2009. Orange County Golf Club has an amazing driving range. It is a big full circle where the golfers hit into the middle. Each company set up with their tents and launch monitors to allow all the PGA members to test out what is new for 2009. My hot list and top five drivers based on performance and price are the following. Number one, Callaway’s Big Bertha Diablo, number two, Ping G-10, number three Cleveland’s ’09 Launcher, number four ( a little pricy) Callaway FT-9 and number five (also pricey) Ping Rapture. We will soon be scheduling all these companies to come to the Trace for Demo Days so you can try each of these products. Remember the members own the Pro Shop and I will be happy to match any price you find on new product somewhere else. It only makes sense to support you own shop. In addition, Masters champion Trevor Immelman, performed a clinic for Nike Golf. He demonstrated how to drive the ball straight and far and provided some great tips for improving your short game.

Day 2: The first day of the PGA show started with continuing education for me. My 8:00 class was a teaching class on how to improve your club head speed. The class provided ways outside of golf to teach you to swing the club faster and hit it longer. The speakers where from the Titleist Performance Institute and there specific goal is to combine fitness and golf. Great class very well attended. My 9:15 class was on Pro Shop renovation. This was taught by AGM (Association of Golf Shop Merchandisers) and provide many ideas and direction on how to create a lay out for the new Pro Shop. My 10:30 class was taught by Andrew Wood and was about how to bring more members to the club. Very interesting seminar, I learned how important our website is to prospective members. I was very proud to see that Sara O’Leary, our Marketing Director, is doing many of these programs now. During the show I took Sara to the booth of the speaker and soon new members will be knocking down the door to join your club. My last class was on Special Orders. This gave me some new ideas on how to efficiently order, track and turn over special orders in a quicker manner. This means better products and service to the members. I spent the remainder of the day visiting several PGM schools to drop off a job description and visited Pro Shop fixture and display companies. I interviewed three wonderful young men and hope to have someone working by the first week in March. The Pro Shop design and display companies where very helpful. I found three companies which gratefully will design the interior of the new Pro Shop at no cost. This is normally a charge of $3.00 to $4.00 per square foot. Since I have been home I have emailed them the blue prints and can’t wait to see their ideas.

Day 3: This day was all about Diane Conti. Close to 100 people gathered around the Precept booth to see Paula Creamer present her with an achievement award. Diane was recognized for all the holes in one she has made over the years. She plays with Precept golf balls. Several present and past Trace members made the trip to support Diane. This was a truly remarkable moment for Diane and Carolina Trace County Club. Diane, Sara O’Leary and I spent the rest of the day visiting different booths. We were very fortunate to see Nancy Lopez and get her autograph. The size of the PGA show is overwhelming, just ask those who visited. I hope this gives you an idea what happens at the PGA show. Please feel free to stop in and talk with me about the whole experience.

Clubhouse Groundbreaking!

2009-02-18T12:27:00.023-05:00

About 80 local dignitaries, business leaders, and members gathered in the pouring rain under roof in the Marathon Bar for the groundbreaking of an approximately 30,000 square-foot grand clubhouse expected to be completed no later than December 1, 2009. CTCC President, Walt Hersman was the Master of Ceremonies. Additional speakers included, Sanford Mayor Cornelia Olive, Chairman of Lee County Commissioners, Richard Hayes, NC House Representative, Jimmy Love, Sanford Area Chamber of Commerce President, Bob Joyce, CTA President, Harry Undy and Fidelity Bank executives. Following their speeches, attendees met at the site of the clubhouse foundation to officially commemorate the groundbreaking. (Walt Hersman) (Richard Hayes) (Mayor Olive) (Bob Joyce) (Jimmy Love)

Artist Barbara Berman

2009-01-15T20:04:00.004-05:00

Local Artist and Club Member Barbara Berman offered one of her award-winning art classes as a social activity for club members. Berman and her husband Fred, are very active members in the Club and community. Berman donated the art tuition and talents to the CTCC Building Fund. Many members and social organizations have donated to the CTCC Building Fund and all proceeds will be utilized for furnishings in the new clubhouse.

Group plays at Tobacco Road

2008-12-19T15:10:00.005-05:00

More than fifty members made the trip to play the very challenging Tobacco Road. Everyone had a great time and there was excellent golf played as well. The format for the day was best ball gross and best ball net. Closest to the pin prizes were awarded. The winners for the day are as follows: Closest to the Pin winners were Ron Carhart, John Marston, Joyce Gilliam and Brian Mathis. 1st place gross with a score of 64 was the team of Bill Fox, Bill Guwang, Richard Daniel and Head Pro, Mike Krick. 1st place net was the team of Dave and Penny Turner and Fred and Barbara Brown with a 49, 2nd place was the team of Ginny Seeger, Bibi Brown, Sue Palmer and Laila Nuzzolo with a 54, 3rd place was the team of Ray Nuzzolo, Gary Peterson, Jim Morris and Scott Schaeffer with 56. The 4th place team of GM Brad Bourret, Director of Golf Course Maintenance,Tim Hart, Ron Carhart and Bob Carlson also shot 56 but lost on match of cards. Thanks to Tobacco Road for a great day.

A visit from Santa

2008-12-15T15:30:00.010-05:00

94 members came out to the Holiday Potluck at the Marathon Bar on Sunday. They enjoyed a crackling fire, caroling, great food and drink specials, and a special visit from Santa "Brock" Claus.

Top Ranked Private Golf Course

2008-12-12T22:32:00.007-05:00

The Triangle Business Journal recently ranked Carolina Trace Country Club in the Top 25 best private golf course list. Arguably, one of the biggest attractions to CTCC is the two golf courses, Lake and Creek, designed by legendary architect Robert Trent Jones, Sr. During his career, Jones, Sr. designed or re-designed nearly 500 courses in at least 40 states in the U.S. and 35 countries around the world. At Carolina Trace Country Club, members are fortunate to have two courses designed by such a world renowned architect. Jones, Sr. worked with golf legend Bobby Jones on the Peachtree course in Atlanta and again on the Augusta National course, the home of the annual Masters Tournament. Robert Trent Jones, Sr. became a national celebrity with his complete re-design of the Oakland Hills South course for the U.S. Open Tournament in 1951. He immediately became the "Open Doctor" and in quick succession re-designed such major venues as Baltusrol-Lower course, Olympic-Lake course, Southern Hills, Oak Hill and Congressional Country Club. Among the many courses Jones, Sr. designed are: Dorado Beach in Puerto Rico, Bellerive in Missouri, Hazeltine in Minnesota, Shady Oaks in Texas, Upper Montclair in New Jersey and Spyglass in California. In addition to these accomplishments, Jones, Sr. helped found the American Society of Golf Course Architects, and was the first golf course architect inducted into the Golf World Hall of Fame.

MGA Year-End Event & Major Winners

2008-11-14T14:05:00.004-05:00

The Year-End Championship has come to a close. The top 38 MGA players and Mike & Brock from the Professional staff played their hearts out for two days of match play, Ryder Cup Style. Day one format was fourball match play (better ball of two vs. better ball of two) on the front nine. Back nine was foursomes match play (alternate shot vs. alternate shot). Day two we played singles. Each match was worth three points, one for the front, one for the back and one for the overall match. The Trace Legends were down by two points to the Carolina Outlaws going into the second day. The Outlaws put the hammer down and won 51.5 to 38.5. Representing the Carolina Outlaws: Brock White, CTCC Assistant Golf Professional, Ron Elder, MGA Tournament Chairman, Roger Brown, Jim Morris, Rich Pruchnik, Fred Heins, Jacques Miller, Tony Palmer, Phil Kirol, Frank Buczny, Gene Pasztor, Mike Losquadro, Ray Rahn, Lou Gobeille, Don Nedza, Bob Salasko, Jerry Venice, Denny Drew, Fred Brown and John Gloeckler.

Major Winners: left to right Norm McVicker, Presidents Cup Winner Paul Garver, MGA Championship Flight 3 Winner Rich Pruchnik, MGA Championship Flight 1 Winner Gene Pasztor, MGA Championship Flight 2 Winner Ed Colwell, President’s Cup First Flight Runner-Up Not Pictured: John Kopta, President’s Cup First Flight Winner Frank Buczny, President’s Cup Runner-Up

MGA Annual Event

2008-11-07T15:40:00.005-05:00

The MGA held their final event before the Year-End Matches. The weather and the golf course was spectacular—sunny skies at 75 degrees while playing golf in the peak of vivid fall colors. Recap from Pro Krick: Eighty players participated in the scramble format and many great scores were turned in. Among the best was the team of Dale Roberts, John Puklavetz, Jerry Venice and George Keep (pictured). They scored a 59.5 which won first place honors. Closest to the pin honors went to Scott Schilz, #6, 11’ 10”; Ralph Martin #8, 6’ 5”; Dick Brown #13, 6’ 11.5” and Al Frangipane #15, 8’ 7”. The staff jumped in and played as well. The team of Brad Bourret, Mike Krick, Brock White and Adam Gordon carded a smooth 58. Another perfect day at Carolina Trace Country Club.

Sunday Couples Championship

2008-10-28T11:57:00.003-04:00

The Sunday Couples Championship was conducted on October 25th & 26th. The first day couples played a modified Pinehurst format. Each person drives, hit each others' drive, select the best shot and alternate until the ball is holed out. The weather had light showers on-and-off with comfortable temperatures. After a few “I am sorry’s,” the field turned in some great scores. Leading the first day in the gross division was Ron and Chris Heppell with a 74 (pictured on the right). The first day net was lead by Tim and Jeanette Bloedorn (pictured on the left) and Ed and Margaret Arnold with a 64.6. Players enjoyed beautiful fall weather on day two of the tournament and the scores were just as good. The format for the second day was better ball of two. The Heppell’s hung on to their lead and shot a second round 76, total 150 to win the gross division. The Conti’s finished second with a two day total of 162. The Bloedorn’s continued their great play and won the net division with a two day total of 127.6. Finishing just out of the lead was Russ Bosch and Chris Jussume with a 127.8. The total championship event included forty couples. Nice job by the Fox’s and the Hodge’s for chairing the season-long events.

CTCC wins 1st place in Mid-Carolina MGA

2008-10-25T22:13:00.008-04:00

[Pictured, center, President Ed Zieglar presented the winner’s plaque to CTCC representative Fran Remington (right) and CTCC Assistant Representative Ron Carhart (left).] The Mid-Carolina Men’s Golf Association ended its season at Bayonet on October 20th. A very tight race concluded with Carolina Trace Country Club emerging as the winning team, breaking the stronghold that Pinewild had on first place for the past two seasons. Richard Bago, Anderson Creek, took Net honors with a 63. A four-way tie for the low Gross of 75 was held by Cliff Hickey, Pinewild; Rodney Koons, Foxfire; Dick Skobo, Beacon Ridge and Bob Watt, Pinewild. Congratulations to the CTCC MGA golfers for winning first place.

Couples Member Guest

2008-10-16T19:05:00.004-04:00

The Twentieth Couples Member Guest Tournament was played on October 2-4 under warm sunny skies. Both members and guests expressed delight with the relaxed informal social gatherings around the pool and enjoyed the fun, but competitive golf. The participants gathered for food and drinks on Thursday night for the mixer-cocktail party; on Friday after play for a grilled lunch; and on Saturday after play for an awards social. Everyone stayed to talk and enjoy the sunshine long after the planned events. Special thanks to Chaircouple Ed and Judy Colwell.

(pictured from left to right, Judy Colwell, Ted and Ginny Breuer)

CT Street Fair

2008-09-28T20:15:00.005-04:00

Sales are final, and many of the 2008 Street Fair vendors made more money than ever before. 2008 CT Street Fair was held in the parking lot of the Club with 30 booths and 6 boot sale vendors. Street Fair is an annual event open to all Trace residents to enjoy a fall festival with unique items on display for purchase. Perfect Carolina weather contributed to the large crowds and CTCC's outdoor grill cooked-up Trace hamburgers and hot dogs too. The CT volunteer fire department was on-site providing residents with educational material. 103.1 FM radio station provided easy listening music all day long adding to the carnival atmosphere. The most popular booths were the women's 9-hole book sale and "Just a Growin' Produce" with their tasty strawberry cider. Also, local artists had several pieces available to purchase, as well as, Longaberger, Mary Kay, Sterling Silver, hand made bird houses, hand crafted wooden items and floral arrangements, the WGA sold lost and found items from the Pro Shop, Shoppes of Steel Street and Sanford Antique Mall were some of the highlighted vendors. Another community-focused festival for all Trace residents sponsored by the CT Country Club added to the treasured sense of community.Special thanks John and Susan Thorn for organizing the Street Fair this year.

1st Annual Lake Fest

2008-09-15T11:44:00.022-04:00

2008 Lake Fest was a fun and festive event for all Carolina Trace residents. Carolina Trace Country Club and the CTA-CTCC Joint-Lake Committee (JLC) sponsored the event. Tracers could enjoy pontoon rides, kayak rides, a performance by the Temple Teens from Temple Theatre, face painting, water balloon contests, take your best shot to hit the pirate ship, watch a remote control boat reach 60 miles per hour, fishing contests, darts, Trace Jeopardy, Head Pro Trick Shot demonstrations, putting contests, hit balls at the driving range, swim in the Club pool, purchase CT cookbooks, commemorative tile, CT history, aquatic plants for Lake Trace, a 50/50 drawing and many prizes were given away every 30 minutes. There were also information tables throughout the venue where residents could learn about the exciting projects of T.U.F.F. and the JLC, wellness efforts, meet the on-site brokers and landscaping team at Carolina Trace Gated Properties, receive a special membership offer from the Club, and enjoy a cook out on the Country Club outdoor grill--to name a few activities.

Special thanks goes to Lee and Max Mortensen Amcher, Libby Bibb, Tim Hart, local corporate sponsors, and more than 200 volunteers to make this event possible.

Club Champions

2008-09-01T22:27:00.008-04:00

(Pictured from left to right: Keith Reeves, Diane Conti, and Head Pro Mike Krick)

Men’s Club Championship: The men played Match Play over the past month with the Semi- finals and Final being played on August 29th and 30th. A Semi-finals match was between Ron Heppell and Keith Reeves. The other Semi-finals match was between Fred Berman and Jim Morris. The match between Heppell and Reeves went all the way to the 20th hole, and Reeves won. Berman finished his match against Morris on the 18th hole. The Finals were set: Reeves vs. Berman. The match went back and forth, Berman in the lead, Reeves in the lead... and after twelve holes Berman was one-up. Then, Reeves came storming on to win the next four holes and win the match 3 & 2. Heppell won the consolation match.

Ladies Club Championship: Solid play year-after-year wins championships and that is exactly how "Consistent Conti" plays. Diane Conti has now won her 12th Ladies Club Championship at CTCC. Of the twelve times Conti has played in the CTCC Ladies Club Championship, she has won all of them (12/12). The ladies played three rounds of stroke play to decide their championship on August 28th, 29th and 30th. Conti was challenged early by Tina Drew and Marie Inzerillo. In the end, Conti stayed strong and won the three day event by 17 shots. Tina Drew was runner-up with a three day total of 265 and Marie Inzerillo finished third with a three day total of 270.

Competitive golf on two world-class championship courses designed by Robert Trent Jones, Sr. is one of the many features that sets CTCC apart from many other communities.

(Keith Reeves and Fred Berman)

(Ron Heppell and Jim Morris)

(Tina Drew, Diane Conti, Marie Inzerillo)

Tennis is Thriving

2008-08-25T22:34:00.005-04:00

CTCC has many active tennis programs, pictured are some of the core players. The CT Tennis Association sponsors tennis tournaments on holiday weekends and also club championships for mixed doubles, women’s doubles and men’s doubles. Beginners-to-experienced players are welcome to join the Association. Women’s drop-in tennis is held on Monday's and Friday's and men’s drop-in tennis is held on Tuesday's and Thursday's. View your copy of the Member Directory and contact Women's Coordinator, Debi Skibitsky or Men's Coordinator, Pepe Correlo for more information. Our members play on four, lighted Har-Tru courts that are the envy of many larger tennis facilities in North Carolina.

WGA Championship

2008-08-19T20:15:00.015-04:00

The Women’s Golf Association Championship was held on Tuesday August 12th & 19th. The tournament was a thirty-six hole individual low net. The ladies were split up into four flights of nine-to-ten players per flight. The first day of the tournament players played the Lake Course and the second day, the Creek Course. The overall champion for the event was Diane Keep with a two round total of 133.

First Flight winners: Marie Inzerillo with a score of 139 took first place, 2nd place went to Marcia Connor who scored 140, 3rd place went to Chris Heppell with 140 and a tie for 44th place between Carole Philbin and Sue Palmer at 143.

Second Flight winners: 1st place went to Polly Scalice with a score of 144, a tie for 2nd place between Phyliss Gray and Mary Ann Pruchnik with 147 and 4th place belonged to Karen Towson who finished with a score of150.

Third Flight winners: BiBi Brown with 147 took first place, 2nd place was a tie with Kathy Salasko and Lyona Beck with 149, and 4th place was Helen Woodside at 150.

Fourth Flight winners: 1st place went to Janice Daniel at 145, 2nd place was Judy Colwell with 146, 3rd place went to Dottie Gall at 150, and 4th place was Joan Gustavson with 151.

Head PGA Golf Professional, Mike Krick and Assistant PGA Golf Professional Brock White enjoyed organizing one the WGA’s major annual tournaments. Many flight winners had very close scores, “we all enjoyed watching two very competitive days of women’s golf at Trace” stated Krick.

ESPN Radio Spotlight

2008-08-08T15:24:00.003-04:00

Head Pro Mike Krick will once again be featured on ESPN Radio. For more than a decade, Krick has been featured on many radio and TV programs talking about the industry, professional and rising amateur players, and the latest happenings at Carolina Trace Country Club. Krick's 8/8/08 radio spot will feature news about the PGA Championship, the progress of the new Carolina Trace CC clubhouse, and our incredible membership offer to join the Club before the clubhouse is completed. It is certainly an asset to have a talented golf professional work for so many years at our Club, but it is even more treasured when you have a golf professional that loves the game as much as Krick does.

Summer Short Game School

2008-07-16T11:50:00.006-04:00

Head Pro Mike Krick and Assistant Pro Brock White coached the first of four classes for our Summer Short Game School. The classes incorporate individual and group instruction for chipping, pitching, putting and bunker play. Women are scheduled on the first two days and men are scheduled next week for days 3 and 4 of the summer school. One of many qualities you find in both Krick and White is the keen ability to work with beginning and experienced golfers. Both Pro's enjoy interacting with members on specified techniques, no matter the level of game-- and that is not an industry standard. In addition to many other amenities, CTCC is well-known for our two world-class courses, full-length driving range, and short game practice area all complimented by a friendly and talented professional staff. Our Pro Shop is open 364 days of the year, and it is a CTCC standard to have a professional staff so accessible to our strong and growing membership. We encourage all members to sign up for individual lessons or enjoy a series of concentrated lessons.

Demo Completed

2008-07-15T16:54:00.004-04:00

Demo of the clubhouse has been completed. Architectural drawings of the new clubhouse exterior have been released to the members, as well as Phase 1- the temporary dining facility.

Demo progress

2008-07-07T13:53:00.005-04:00

Progress of the demolition of the clubhouse is ahead of schedule.

WGA Member-Member Photos

2008-07-02T11:40:00.005-04:00

Overall Winners were Carol Burgess and Mary Lynn Riddle. Flight Winners are pictured below.

Demo continues

2008-06-30T14:33:00.004-04:00