ArOUND the CLUB

TheUnicornUnicorn

Needless to say there is a lot to talk about in this month’s article. First and foremost, let’s all congratulate Clubhouse Manager Chris Banner on his promotion to General Manager of South Hills Country Club. Mr. Banner, or “Banner” as we have all fondly come to know him, has been instrumental to the Club having so many successful member events. I can remember my first Unicorn Member Guest tournament which took place before Banner came on board. That event was nothing short of a complete disaster from a food and beverage standpoint to the point I wasn’t sure I wanted to ever be part of another one in my life. Then came Banner. The following year thanks to his planning, organizing and communicating, the Unicorn went off without a hitch and has done so ever since. Banner’s willingness to take suggestions from the Social committee and turn them into successful events is why FHCC has built the reputation in the local private club community of having the best

social calendar going. Good luck Banner!

Mr. Banner’s departure has opened the door for Aaron Castaneda to come on board as the Club’s Food and Beverage Director. Aaron comes to us with experience at several high volume and highly successful private clubs. Aaron is very enthusiastic and excited to become part of the FHCC family.

Also new to the Club is Jessica Magdosku who has been hired as the Club’s Membership, Marketing and Communications Director. As her title implies, Jessica will be responsible for membership sales, marketing all facets of the Club and all member communications. Both Aaron and Jessica are Whittier residents so please join me in welcoming them to FHCC.

The much needed rain has been a godsend to California and our golf course. Wet conditions do, however, present the potential for damage caused by golf carts driving on wet and soggy turf. It is very important that all players abide by the cart operating guidelines whether that means staying on cart paths for the entire course or just a few holes. Let’s all respect the game and our wonderful course.

Happy New Year!

Dave

JANUArY 2015

2 JANUARY 2015

Friendly Hills Country Club8500 South Villaverde Drive • Whittier, CA 90605-1398

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN

President Rick McGill1st Vice President Larry Holbrook2nd Vice President Kristine ChungSecretary Allen BrownTreasurer Corey FordDirector Eric ChengDirector Dave EsgroDirector David GomezDirector Tim MetroDirector Luis MichelDirector Jim Osborn

Finance Chair Corey FordGreens Chair Jim OsbornGolf Shop & Tournament Chair Allen BrownHouse Chair Tim MetroMembership Chair Kristine ChungSocial Chair Eric ChengLong Range Planning Chair Larry HolbrookLegal & Bylaws Chair Corey Ford

JANUARYEMPLOYEE ANNIVERSARIES

Silvestre Carrillo 15 years

Matt Figueroa 8 years

Bob Heins 2 years

CONGRATULATIONSto

David Gomez for being elected to the Board of Directors

Aaron Castaneda is the new Food and Beverage Director for Friendly Hills Country Club. He was raised in Whittier and feels blessed to be a part of the new family of staff. Aaron comes to FHCC from the California Yacht Club in Marina Del Rey, but began his journey in the service industry at California Country Club in 1997 as a banquet server. Shortly thereafter he was promoted to Banquet Captain and has never looked back. He was teaching computers at Nativity Catholic School

in El Monte while working at CCC, but continued the path of serving those who desire a great experience. Aaron values a strong work ethic; which he states was passed down by his father working alongside him with his photography business as a child.

Aaron graduated from CSULB in 2002. He loves to golf and can say has finished the LA Marathon six times with competitive running times.

“I look forward to serving all families and guests of Friendly Hills Country Club and continue to provide legendary service to all guests and members. Thank you for welcoming me aboard.”

Jessica Magdosku is a longtime resident of Whittier. She graduated from La Serna High School in 1997 and now lives locally with her husband, Christopher, daughter Savanna (LSHS Class of 2018), and their two Labrador’s Lola and Lucy. Jessica’s passion for people and exceptional customer service is what makes her a great fit as the new Membership and Marketing Director for Friendly Hills Country Club. Her creativity to promote FHCC will shine through the various

avenues we use to communicate to our members. “I am beyond elated to be a part of the team here at FHCC and look forward to building more relationships, serving existing members, and bringing in new members to showcase Friendly Hills Country Club as the most desired Private Club in Southern California.”

WELCOME TO FHCCq

by Jay Prestella

NOVEMBER SMOKERPoint Par was the game for last month’s Smoker event. Each player received 1 point for net par, 2 points for net birdie and 3 points for net eagle or better. At the conclusion of play here is how the top teams finished.

1st 70 pts RJ Sackley, Dave Wright, Byron Gabinger gst. Rich Hughes gst.2nd 68 pts John Antonelli, Gib Wiggam, Danny Garcia, Allen Brown3rd 65 pts Ray Yang, Woo Lee, Edward Tien, Tom Liu

HOT SHOTSLloyd Toda eagle on #18

Hole in One

LESSONS FROM THE PROUse more than one club to chip.

One of the worst mistakes I see members make is chipping with their 60 degree wedge through the entire round of golf. Here is what I want you to do to cut some strokes off your scorecard. Take three clubs to chip including an 8 iron, pitching wedge and a sand wedge. Keep in mind the formula I am about to give you is when we are chipping on a relatively flat surface.

8 iron: when there is a lot of green to work with and the pin is back. Land the ball between you and the hole 1/4 of the way

OFF THE TEE

Men’s Golf

and roll 3/4 to the hole.

Pitching Wedge: When there is not a lot but a fair amount of green to work with land the ball 1/3 of the way and roll 2/3 to the hole.

Sand Wedge: When there is little green to work with use the SW landing the ball 1/2 way between the ball and the hole hav-ing the ball roll out the other half.

I guarantee you that with a little practice, using this method it will cut down your strokes around the green.

JANUARY 2015

MOST IMPROVED Old New % Decrease Vic Lowinger 3.1 2.7 12.90Chris Chen 4.2 3.7 11.90Peter Kang 6.2 5.5 11.29Allen Brown 8.7 7.9 9.20Alex Mendez 6.7 6.1 8.96Ralph Rudd 15.2 14.3 5.92 Dennis Kazarian 7.4 6.9 6.76

Allen BrownHole #13 on October 22nd

Ken BarnoskiHole #8 on November 1st

Eli ChenHole #8 on November 18th

PRESIDENTS CUPThis year’s final is bound to be an exciting one. In the semi finals Dave Esgro def. Nick Donovan and Doug Kellogg def. John Wuo in the other bracket. I will announce the champion for you next month.

PARTNERS CHAMPIONSHIPFirst round matches were played in a timely manner. Here is how it went.

Cabral / Nordbak def Pineda / Gomez Truong / Wiggam def Gilboy / Diminyatz Gibbons / T. Williams def Antonelli / Borowsky Johns / Sandler def Liotta / O ‘ ConnerM.Williams / Rudd def Skapik / ParkWu / Leelin def Zhang / SchorkDe la Rocha / Buckner def Holbrook / Bobier

TURKEY SHOOT TOURNAMENTOn Tuesday, November 18th, the FHWGA had its annual Turkey Shoot Tournament. Nancy Bobier and Sarah Samayoa organized this wonderful day, which was also our monthly meeting day. After playing golf in the morning, Nancy and Sarah hosted a fantastic lunch that included all the fixings needed for a great Thanksgiving feast. There was turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, and cranberry sauce. Everyone went home with a full stomach and a sense of happiness on this day of giving thanks. Nancy 4 JANUARY 2015

by Nancy Cobau

MOST IMPROVED GOLFERS Under 20 Division: Michi Yoshida is our most improved golfer in the under 20 Division. Michi had an index of 13.8 and lowered it to 12.9. Michi’s handicap went from 17 to 16. Congratulations on lowering your handicap and keep up the good work!

20 and Over Division: Karin James won the award again for the second month. Karin lowered her index from 17.1 to 16.1. Karin’s handicap went from 22 to 20. Congratulations for your low scores on the course and being the most improved golfer in your division for two consecutive months!

THE MEMBER/MEMBER TOURNAMENTOn Tuesday, November 4th and November 11th the women of Friend-ly Hills Country held their Member/Member Tournament. Robin Cass and Keiko Yoshida organized this event and it was a huge success. We had a large number of ladies turnout for this two-day event and need-ed two flights to accommodate all the participants. Robin and Keiko ensured that every detail was taken care of and that everyone had a won-derful time. They even distributed gift bags to everyone and - as always - the ladies went home happy. Robin announced the winners at the monthly meeting, which are as follows:

FROM TEE TO GREEN

Keiko Yoshida and Robin Cass organizers of the Member / Member Tournament.

Gross A Flight:First Place: Laura Holbrook / Kim Shanaham

Second Place: Mabel Tien / Vicky Ma

Third Place: Shirley Berres / Ching Chen

Gross B Flight:First Place: Susan Shimizu/ Lanis Peterson

Net A Flight:First Place: Keiko Yoshida / Sun Park

Second Place: Kay Wimer / Kathy Kow

Third Place: Barbara Carty/ Robin Cass

Net B Flight:First Place: Jocelyn Lin/ Michelle Ho

Second Place: Karin James/Fumiko Kumoda

Third Place: Linda Sarnecki/ Betty Toda

Closest To The Pin November 4th:Handicap 0 to 20: Ching ChenHandicap 21 and over: Keiko Yoshida

Closest To The Pin November 11th:Handicap 0 to 20: Yin Bihr Handicap 21 and over: Mary Campbell

Keiko Yoshida and Ching Chen > Winners of closest to the pin

Second Place: Adrianna Messick/Dominga Hong

Third Place: Louise Wong/ Joanne Leong

Ladies’ GolfJANUARY 2015

announced the winners, which included: Sarah Samayoa and Nancy Bobier organizers for the monthly meeting day

Turkey Shoot Results:A Flight Gross: A Flight Net:First Place: Laura Holbrook First Place: Michi Yoshida Second Place: Vicky Ma Second Place: Marilyn AmpudiaThird Place: Shirley Berres Third Place: Sun ParkFourth Place: Nancy Sheals Fourth place: Robin Cass

B Flight Gross: B Flight Net:First Place: Susan Shimizu First Place: Linda SandlerSecond Place: Fumiko Kumoda Second Place: Sarah SamayoaThird Place: Lenore Garman Third Place: Linda SarneckiFourth Place: Janet Osborn Fourth Place: Michelle Ho

HOLIDAY HACKERSOn Tuesday, December 2nd FHWGA held their annual Holiday Hackers Golf Tournament. The women all came with their best holiday spirit and everyone was dressed in a festive holiday cos-tumes. The tournament was organized by Lanis Peterson and Robin Cass. Every detail was taken care by Robin and Lanis. The tables had beautiful block glass with blue ribbon that lite up as centerpieces. The menu was wonderful with turkey, dressing, mash potatoes and gravy with a fantastic dessert to follow. No one went home hungry. The only thing not cooperating was the weather. The morning started out with light rain with heavy rain soon following. The ladies had a shotgun at 8:30am with only two groups making it till the end of nine holes. Barbara Carty and Linda Sarnecki with their guests along with Laura Holbrook with her guests. The women all came in for a gift draw then a hot lunch. Even with the miserable weather this was one of the best Holiday Hackers Tournament that the FHWGA has ever had. Thanks Lanis and Robin for showing everyone such a wonderful time.

Lanis Peterson and Robin Cass organizers for the Holiday Hackers Tournament with a centerpiece

Linda Sarnecki and Barbara Carty with their guests. One of two groups to finish nineholes.

Laura Holbrook and Lisa Esgrowith their guests. One of two groups to finish nine holes.

Susan Ly and Fran Brant with their guests wearing festive holiday wear.

Everyone having fun and not letting the weather destroy the day!

UPCOMING EVENTSTuesday, January 6th, will be our Installation Day organized by Karin James. Don’t miss this fantastic event. Sign up in the ladies locker room for a scramble tee time of 8:30 a.m.

Tuesday, January 13th, FHWGA starts their Eclectic golf games. Game one on January 13th, of six games every Tuesday thru February 17th. Hope everyone shows up to improve their game weekly!

Tuesday, January 20th, Meeting Day. Sign up in the ladies locker room to be put into a foursome with a fantastic lunch to follow. Golf time 8:30 a.m. scramble.

Tuesday, January 27th, our first Guest Day of the year. Look for the signup sheet in the ladies locker room and find a guest to share our wonderful course with!

6 JANUARY 2015

Hello and Happy Holidays from the Golf Course Maintenance Team! Winter is here and it has started out with a nice set of precipitation events in Southern California. As I write this article, the outlook for the next week is very promising as it pertains to rain. As we are all acutely aware, the drought in California has been affecting all of us and while the current forecast will help, we are a long way off from recovering from the drought. If you would like timely information regarding the drought and other water conservation news, I urge you to follow Mike Huck on Twitter @IrrTurfSvcs he truly has his fingers

on the pulse of this issue.

With the forthcoming rain comes many benefits and a few negatives. On the positive side, there is nothing that flushes salts through the soil profile like rainfall does. The turf has already responded to the first event with a good flush of growth. This flush of growth leads into a negative of the rainfall. As the turf stays moister throughout the shorter days, it be-comes more difficult to mow the fairways without clippings being left behind in clumps. At every opportunity, we will be blowing the fairways in the afternoon following our mowing to help disperse the clippings. Also, as the moisture builds and continues to fall from the sky, we will be keeping carts on paths only to help protect the turf from damage that may take until April or May to fully recover.

With every opportunity presented by these rain events we will be proactively applying fer-tilizers and fungicides to help improve our soil conditions while also helping to prevent the onslaught of Brown Patch in the fairways. In conjunction with some of these applications we will also be continuing to vent the putting surfaces to help move water out of the upper three inches as quickly as possible.

We are also working on some significant improvements to our equipment repair facility. We will be adding an office/parts storage room, eliminating parts that no longer have a place in our inventory, improving the floor, updating our parts storage and organization. These improvements will clearly help our Equipment Technician become more efficient in both his repair and preventative maintenance program as well as his inventory control. Once again, have a wonderful Holiday Season!

Michael WolpoffGolf Course Superintendent

OF COURSEq

Duplicate Bridge Thursdays at 6:30 PM

During November, Joel and Judy Sandberg placed 1st and 2nd, Carolyn and Mac McFarland placed 1st and 3rd, Michi Yoshida placed 2nd and 3rd and Fran and John Brant placed 3rd.

Bridge Tip: Make a mental note of declarer’s likely shape during the bidding.

Stephen F. Sturm , Bridge Director714-223-9948 • momsturm@gmail.com

Lunar New Year 2015

“Year of the Goat”

February 27th, 2015

6:30 p.m

7:00 p.m.

Hors d’Oeuvres

Dinner Buffet

Live Musical Entertainment

& Magic Performance

Chinese Raffle with Fantastic

Prizes Throughout the Evening

$40 per person (plus tax)

Special Entertainment

562.698.0331 for reservations

This will be a unique event you

will not want to miss!

COURTSIDEby Missy Reyna

Our December Ladies Day was nostalgically called “Mistletoe and Holly”. Because this was the only scheduled tennis for December, it was disappoint-ing that play was washed out by a much needed, drought busting deluge of rain. Though this put a damper on our tennis playing, it did not stop us from partying away the day! The likes of Perry Como, Frank Sinatra and BingCrosby crooned away on an old-fashioned record player, elevating our spirits and our laughter. We enjoyed a delicious Holiday comfort food lunch of meatloaf and mashed potatoes prepared by Chef Joe and staff. We had a hilarious gift exchange complete with gift “stealing”. Everyone went home full of Christmas Cheer, hearts warmed from visiting with friends old and new, and a gift. We look forward to 2015 as being a year to play lots of tennis, improve our game and especially the opportunity to make new friends and add them to our tennis circle.

JANUARY 2015

Tennis

FROM THE TENNIS PROHow To Return a Serve:1. The separation of you feet should not be wider than your shoulders.2. Hold your racquet in front of you with your free hand lightly holding the throat. 3. Bend your knees.4. Lean slightly forward.5. Focus on your opponent’s rhythm.6. As he tosses the ball, take some split steps and move forward.7. Shorten the swing accordingly to the speed of the serve.8. Hold the racquet steady as you go through the ball.

I hope this helps!

See you on the courts!

Carolann Malkasian is happy with her giftCarole Macaulay considers which gift to select

Hostesses Carol Day and Maria Fuhrman

A vintage tennis racquet for Melissa Lopez

Clubhouse Hours

Lower Level Dining Breakfast Tuesday - Friday 8:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. Saturday - Sunday 6:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. Omelet Bar Sunday 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Lunch Tuesday - Sunday 10:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Terrace Tuesday - Friday & Sun. 3:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. Saturday 3:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. Upper Level Dining Thursday - Friday 6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. Snack Bar Wednesday - Friday 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Saturday - Sunday 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Golf Shop Tuesday - Sunday closes at 6:00 p.m. Administration Office Tuesday - Friday 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Accounting Office Tuesday- Friday 9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Administrative StaffDave Goodrich.............................................General Manager, COO dgoodrich@friendlyhillscc.comChristine Bobadilla................................................Catering Director cabobadilla@friendlyhillscc.comJoseph Flores..............................................................Executive Chef jaflores@friendlyhillscc.comGail Heins.........................................................................Controller geheins@friendlyhillscc.comBrian Ricketts............................ Membership & Marketing Director bricketts@friendlyhillscc.comMichael Wolpoff, CGCS...........................Golf Course Superintendent mwwolpoff@friendlyhillscc.comJay Prestella, PGA..........................................Head Golf Professional jjprestella@friendlyhillscc.comCharles Reeves..............................................Maintenance Supervisor cmreeves@friendlyhillscc.comJorge Schneider, USPTA.......................................Tennis Professional jnschneider@friendlyhillscc.com

Friendly Hills Country Club8500 South Villaverde Drive

Whittier, California 90605-1398

Office: 562.698.0331 • Golf Shop: 562.693.3623www.friendlyhillscc.com

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PAIDWhittier, CA

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