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Get to Know Your VSWGA
The first
thirty years were devoted to anything but golf.
My youth was spent on the back of a horse attempting to grow up on Long
Island. I got my first pony for
my fifth birthday. My parents had a great home on Long Island Sound.
Fishing, sailing and equestrian sports were in, school sports were big
but no golf. We spent every
summer in Marlboro, VT. We would
get picked up on the last day of school in June and head straight to Vermont.
School always started the Wednesday after Labor Day but we never got
back to LI until a week later. Summers were carefree spent swimming, biking and
horseback riding. I spent my teen
years going to a horseback camp in South Royalton and many a time in Woodstock
at GMHA. No Golf!
My first degree was an A.S. in Veterinary Technology.
A few years later I went to work for a major NY bank.
While working at the Bank I earned a B.S. Degree majoring in Finance
with a minor in Economics. I
spent 8 years commuting to NYC from L.I.
In the spring
of 1986 I purchased a sailboat. I
thought since I was working and not getting away from LI so much I should
pursue sailing. I had a great summer with that boat. Things were about to change.
Late that summer I spent my vacation in Canada with my cousins.
Picked up my first golf club and the rest was history.
In fact they had a large sailboat and we went out for five days sailing
and every day we would dock, grab our clubs and hoof it to a new course.
After golf we would set sail, swim and move on to a new location.
I’ve not done that since.
Shortly
thereafter I left the bank and took an extended summer in VT playing golf.
I was hooked. I spent
another 5 years living on LI and working, as a VP of finance for a firm that
serviced the financial/insurance needs of the Thoroughbred Breeding Industry
worldwide. I traveled extensively
and a lot of us played golf. In
1992 when that position ended I made the decision to relocate to Vermont on a
permanent basis.
Golf has
become a major part of my life. It
offers two very important things to me. First,
I love to compete. I can go out
by myself and just be competing against the course.
There is always a drive in me to get better at whatever I’m doing. Second, golf is great for meeting people.
You spend four hours playing with people; you are going to learn
something about them. Maybe they
will become a good friend and lots of four-hour rounds happen or you may learn
never to play with them again.
The game of
golf has offered me a chance to travel not only throughout Vermont but also
New England and beyond. I have played the VT Amateur for about twenty years and the
mid-amateur since its inception. In
2012 I will have aged enough to play in the VT Seniors.
I have competed in NEWGA and Tri-States for several years.
I have been a playing Captain on two USGA State Team Championships.
I’ve also had the good fortune to play in Scotland and Ireland.
I’m always looking for somewhere else to travel and play golf.
There are several good prospects on “The Bucket List”, with Bandon
Dunes at the top.
The biggest
proponent of my golf has been the VSWGA.
Playing in State Championships and the Tri-State is a great way to meet
fellow VSWGA members and really get to know them.
There have been many motels, diners, restaurants and bars.
AND WOW, THE STORIES THAT ARE TOLD!
I have had the
opportunity to serve the VSWGA in the capacities of Tournament Chair,
Director, Vice President and President. Everyone
leaves a little mark on the organization.
I was always thankful for those who came before me for organizing and
running such a wonderful organization. I
am just as grateful for those who continue to volunteer to serve today.
The goal should always be to promote the game of golf to Ladies of all
ages. The junior girls program
was taking off during my Presidency.
In the nineties we rarely had a junior in the State Amateur. And for
about the last 10 years we have had many juniors and they have been strong
players. In the last few years we
have seen both a college student and a senior win our State Championship.
I am always amazed to hear so many famous people. Particularly
athletes, say, “ I am going to retire and play more golf”.
Upon
completion of my six years on the VSWGA Board Jim Farrell appointed me a USGA
Committee Member. I am very proud
to serve the USGA and hope that in that capacity I can offer some further
assistance to the VSWGA.
This Bio is due to be on our web site during early May, or the beginning of our Golf season. I wish you all a good golf; good health and may the Golf Gods present you with more birdies than bogeys.