September Newsletter final

SEPTEMBER 2018 • WWW.TCC-CLUB.COM • ST.PAUL, MN

TOWN &
COUNTRY

SEPTEMBER 2018

2018 BOARD OF DIRECTORS

TCC_CLUB HAROLD BEND
st.paul_townandcountryclub
facebook.com/TownCountryClub MGA HALL OF FAME

Club Information

Front Desk: 651-646-7121

www.tcc-club.com

Club Hours of Operation Direct Dial Numbers Executive Management

Clubhouse Closed on Mondays Accounting 651-659-2544 Robert K. White
Breakfast General Manager
Catering 651-659-2556 rwhite@tcc-club.com
Tuesday-Sunday 7:00am-11:00am
Lunch The Pro Shop 651-659-2549 Taybin Tushaus
Food & Beverage Director
Tuesday-Sunday 11:00am -2:00pm Kitchen-To-Go 651-646-7121
Casual Menu ttushaus@tcc-club.com
Main Clubhouse 651-646-7121
Tuesday-Saturday 2:00pm-9:00pm Tom Skoglund
Dinner Men’s Locker Room 651-659-2546 Director of Golf
tskoglund@tcc-club.com
Tuesday-Sunday 5:00pm-9:00pm Pool Desk 651-659-2554
William Larson, CGCS
Tennis Pro Shop 651-659-2551 Turfgrass Director
tcturf@comcast.net
Turfgrass Director 651-646-6743 tcturf @ twitter.com

Please note that last call for alcohol Board of Directors Tim Traynor
in the Clubhouse is 12:30am as the Controller
Club’s liquor license ends at 1:00am
ttraynor@tcc-club.com
The Pro Shop Officers
7:00am- 8:00pm Tregg Hagen
Membership & Communications
Locker Room/Fitness Center Christine Meuers President
Brad Kahley Vice President Director
Tuesday-Sunday 5:00am-9:00pm Jeff DeYoung Treasurer thagen@tcc-club.com
Philip C. Haan Secretary membership@tcc-club.com
Monday 5:00am-2:00pm Daniel McGrath Ex-Officio
Megan Nash
Locker Room Attendant Directors Events & Catering Manager
Tuesday-Saturday 10:00am-4:00pm
Erin Delaney catering@tcc-club.com
Halfway House Linda M. Heuer 2018
Saturday-Sunday 8:00am-6:00pm Mark Sexton 2018 Pat Sorensen
Megan Tucci 2018 Head of Housekeeping
Tennis Courts 2018 psorensen@tcc-club.com
Charles Callahan
Monday-Sunday 7:00 am-Dusk Patrick Hickey 2019 John Koury
Nicole Lettner 2019 Chief Engineer
Tennis Pro Shop Lars Runquist 2019 jkoury@tcc-club.com
2019
Tuesday-Friday 10:00am-Dusk Tiffany Anderson 1
Piper Kenney-Wold 2020
Swimming Pool Matt Winkel 2020
Don Woessner 2020
Monday-Sunday Closed 2020

Porch Bar (At Pool)
Saturday-Sunday 11:00 am - Dusk

THE PRESIDENT 

Christine Meuers

“Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower” — Camus

Welcome to September and the beginning of a beautiful time of year at Town & Country Club.  While we said
good-bye to the pool and swimming activities as of Labor Day, golf and tennis will continue as long as the
weather cooperates.  An added bonus this fall is the new porch bar, which will have special hours and will be
used for programming events overlooking the beautiful Mississippi River.

It is my hope that our members have been reading the newsletter columns and e-mails that have addressed the
need for continued vigilance around our various Club rules and policies. As I have noted in previous columns, this
Club is a community and it operates more smoothly when the community adheres to shared norms and values.
Our management team, with the support of your board of directors, has committed to fostering a culture that
delivers a premier member experience and makes Town & Country a great place to work. Yet they cannot do it
alone: we members must do our part to treat our staff – which I would argue is one of our most valuable assets –
with utmost respect, and to speak and act appropriately and with decorum at all times.

As the golf season winds down, we are pleased that our golf course architect, Jeff Mingay will be onsite and
presenting the membership with the history of our course, the master plan, progress to date and future work
efforts. Please join the Golf and Green Committee in the President’s Room on Wednesday September 12 at 6 pm
for this important event.  And, as you are cleaning summer gear out of those garages and closets, please don’t
forget our “Clubs for Caddies” drive.  Just drop off your gently used shoes, bags and clubs and they will be put
to good use in our caddie program.  

August was another busy month at the Club. Derby Days weekend was a huge success – those attending the Par
3 event and opening Party on the Hill were treated to a picture-perfect sunset and delicious food stations.
Congratulations to both the women’s and men’s member-member tournament winners. The entire staff deserves
our appreciation for facilitating member enjoyment of numerous rounds of golf, tennis matches, lazy pool
afternoons and patio meals this summer.

Speaking of meals, I trust you saw the announcement that our new chef, Francisco Gonzalez, will be joining the
club in mid-September. Chef’s passion for food and hospitality is absolutely contagious and we are thrilled for
the membership to have access to his great culinary talents. While we conducted the search for Chef, our team
in the kitchen, under Bob White’s leadership, has delivered excellent banquet and member dining meals for
several months.  Their dedication exemplifies the best of Town & Country Club. Please join me in thanking
Julie Riel, Nick Blasing and John Henning.

I look forward to seeing you all around the Club this fall.  2

THE GM

Robert K. White

I can’t believe that it has already been a year since I have joined the Town & Country
Club team. To say the least it has been an interesting year but very rewarding.  We
had several wonderful events this year such as Annual Meeting Holiday Party, 3rd of
July, Party on the Hill and the multiple Pop Up Parties. The drive to provide a better
club experience for the membership by building a new Porch Bar is a sign of the Club
continued recovery. I also found that the club had some adversities to overcome. I
believe that the Board of Directors, Membership, Club Management and Staff have
joined together to put most of the issues behind us. What I have been most impressed
by is the quality and caring people that make up our membership.

I have noticed that occasionally the members get frustrated with the service at the
club which is understandable.  If you find yourself in this situation please ask for a
manager.  Do not berate the staff. The staff is trying very hard to make your
experience at the club a positive one and at times they may make mistakes. I guess
what I’m trying to suggest is “treat the staff the way you would want your own
children treated.”    
   
Lastly, as we start up the Tuesday Family Nights I need to remind everyone about
clubhouse etiquette. In the past the Club has received several comments about
children romping through the hallways and dining rooms. Even though we have Family
Night on Tuesday, we also have other members dining and entertaining guests. We
also have wait staff carrying hot food and we do not want them spilling anything on
the children that are playing in the hallways. Please do not let the children use the
hallways as a place to play. I believe this will make the dining experience much more
enjoyable for everyone.    

Thank you for the opportunity to be your General Manager and I look forward to
seeing you at the club.

Robert K. White, General Manager  3

THE PRO SHOP

Tee Times

Please continue to make tee times throughout the month, this helps us with
having your clubs ready when you get here.

Derby Days

Derby Days started out on Thursday night with the traditional par 3 contest.

 We had great participation with 166 golfers. The ladies kicked off Friday

morning with a Stableford format.  The Winners tied for first at a

Stableford score of 77. GINGER GIEFER & TERI VANNELLI-MARTHA BOGIE
& KATIE GUYER. The men's event started Friday afternoon with 14 flights
(114 players). Congratulations to the winners KYLE MOORE & RICHARD
INGEMAN.

STEVE WEBERCongratulations to for his win at the Men’s League

Shootout.

PETER RATHMANNER  finished 2nd with DAVE BOGIE finishing 3rd.

6

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SAVE THE DATE

Monday, September 10th  Outside Event
Course Closed All Day

Sunday, September 16th   Women’s River Cup
12:30 pm Shotgun

Monday, September 17th   Outside Event Course
Closed All Day

Tuesday, September 20th  9/18 Hole ladies
4:30 pm Shotgun

  Men’s Derby
Saturday, September 22nd 10:00 am Shotgun

Superintendent's  Revenge

Wednesday, September 28th   Women 9:00 am

Men 1:00 pm Shotgun

Thursday, October 11th  Fall Festival
10:45 am t-times

7

Minnesota Golf Association induction of Former Town &
Country Member to MGA Hall of Fame

In October the Minnesota Golf Association will induct Harold P. Bend into the MGA Golf Hall of Fame. He will join prior inductees
Jock Hendry (1988), Jan Calin (2010), Nora McGuire (2011) and George Carroll (2012) all of T&C, into this exclusive club. 

Harold was born in New York in 1870 and moved to Minnesota with his parents and siblings when he was eight. In 1898, at the age
of 28, he gave up a sports career avocation as a member of the Minnesota Boat Club rowing crew then headquartered on
Raspberry Island on the Mississippi River in St. Paul, to take up the new popular sport of golf. His first rounds of golf were played
at Roadside Golf Club, a new course on Summit Avenue between Lexington and Hamline Avenues. Before the end of 1898 he and
his father joined T&C. He won the T&C Championship in 1902. Because the club's records are incomplete he may have also won it
one or more times between 1907 and 1926.

More importantly, he has earned his Hall of Fame stature by winning the Minnesota State Amateur in 1902 and 1904. He was the
finalist in 1903 and 1906. In 1915 he had the "Best Low Gross" in the Minnesota State Golf Association tournament. He won the
MGA's second annual Senior Championship in 1923 and again in 1924. As a result, he became the first Minnesota golfer to win
both the MGA Amateur and the Senior Amateur Championships twice. In 1904 the Trans-Mississippi was held at Minikahda. After
eight nine hole qualifying rounds ( at the time Minikahda was only a nine hole course) he won the tournament following his
victories in five matches. He described his 1904 clubs this way: "Driver, Cleek, midiron, lofter (with a long blade) and putter."

The 1904 Olympic Golf events (a recently revived Olympic sport) were held at the Glen Echo Country Club in St. Louis (designed
and constructed under the supervision of Robert Foulis, the first T&C Pro, and his brother, James). Harold and C.T. Jaffray,
another T&C member, were the only two Minnesotans to be invited to participate. Neither of them made it out of the qualifying
round. In 1935 Harold left T&C and joined the recently formed Somerset Golf Club where he remained until his death and playing
well into his 90s usually walking nine holes.

In 1895 Harold established a sugar brokerage firm in St. Paul with Edina Country Club members Ben McBranrnic and Britton
Goetze, Jr. Seventy-one years later he was still there. He walked to the office daily, 2 1/2 miles, however, in his later years his
chauffeur drove him home because it was uphill to his home a few blocks south of Summit Avenue. Harold and his wife, Glen, had
no children. When Harold died in 1974 he left his estate of $32 million to the St. Paul Foundation. He also established other
charitable funds that continue to this day annually providing benefits to residents of the St. Paul area.

Harold's wealth may have started with the sugar brokerage business, but that is not the end of his business acumen. Sometime
prior to WWI he was persuaded by Edgar Ober, president of what is now known as 3M, to loan the company $5,000 he had saved
and intended to use to purchase a car. His loan was needed to help meet 3M payroll. Later that loan was converted to 3M shares.
When Harold died at 103 those shares had been split 192 times.

Attribution: Nomination of Harold Bend to the MGA Hall of Fame by Joe Gladke;

The First Hundred Years at Town & Country Club by John Pfaender;

Ramsey Country Historical Society Magazine Fall 2001 article about Lucius Pond Ordway by Virginia Kunz and John Lindley; and

The 1966 Trans-Mississippi Tournament Program ( held at Edina Country Club) 5
Rick Wilhoit, History Committee Chair

Bill Larson, CGCS @tcturf

Certified Golf Course Superintendent
@ Town and Country Club, St. Paul,
Minnesota. Established 1888
@PSUTurf Alum

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Mixed Doubles

Tennis

Sunday, September 16, 2018

$15.00 Per Person 
Drills and games
10:00 AM - 11:30 AM

No Tennis experience required!

Tennis will be followed by
socializing in the Porch Bar for

the Vikings-Packers game

Call the Tennis Shop
at 651-659-2551 to register!

Programming Committee 

It has been wonderful seeing so many of you enjoying the last days of summer at the Club!  As summer turns
to fall, we plan to take advantage of the great fall weather with several fun activities happening outside,
including at the popular new Porch Bar.

Paws at the Pool is September 8 from 9:00 am – 1:00 pm.  There will be a bloody mary bar and food to enjoy
while your family’s four legged members get a chance to enjoy the pool!

Come and experience a “tailgate party” done Town and Country Club style at the Porch Bar and watch the
big Vikings vs. Packers game on September 16.  Festivities get underway with a noon kickoff.   Also, at the
Porch Bar you won’t want to miss the epic rivals Johnny vs. Tommy Game and the Minnesota Gophers vs. Ohio
State games which will both be shown on October 10.  The party begins at noon.  Both “tailgate parties” will
feature firepits, cornhole games and plenty of tailgate food and drinks!

Looking to eat dinner as a family and spend some time reconnecting?  Then please come and check the new
and improved “Family Night” on select Tuesdays this Fall.  Families can dine together and then kids can enjoy
a family friendly movie.  A children’s buffet will be available and adults can order from the full menu.  Check
out the Fall Events Preview for additional pricing information and details on the dates and movies.

Mom and Dads – we didn’t forget about you!  On Friday, September 21 and Friday, October 19 enjoy an
evening at the Club while we entertain the kids.   Dinner and a double feature movie for the kids will be in
the River Room supervised by professional nannies.  Parents must stay at the Club.  Kids must be at least 3 or
older to attend.

Also new this fall is the Hayrides and Pumpkin Decorating on October 23 from 5:30  pm – 8:00 pm.  Kids and
parents will take hayrides to our pumpkin patch and then return to the River Room to decorate their pumpkin.
 There will also be a dinner buffet available for the whole family to enjoy while watching a Halloween feature
movie.  

Back by popular demand is the Farm to Table dinner on October 5 which will feature a four-course dinner
with wine pairings highlighting the best of the season’s local harvest prepared by our new Chef Francisco
Gonzalez.  It will be an elegant evening under the stars that you won’t want to miss!  Seating is limited to 40
Members so get your reservation early!

Be sure to check out the Fall Events Preview for more details on these upcoming events plus many more
coming soon!  

We look forward to seeing you around the clubhouse!

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September, 2018

S F TWTMS
30 1

23 45 6 7 8

Labor Day Pool Party Aerification Adult Day at the Pool Aerification Paws at the Pool
Aerification
15
9 10 11 12 13 14
22
Outside Event 18-Hole League (8:30 SG) 9-Hole League 
12:30 pm SG Kid's Night (9:00 SG) F Men's Derby (10:00am SG)

16 17 18 19 20 21 29

Women's River Cup  Kelly Michel Event 9 & 18-Hole League
 12:30pm Shotgun  Closing
25
23 24 Golf/Dinner/Awards
 (4:30 SG) F

26 27 28

Kid's Night Superintendent's Revenge 
 Women-9:00 SG F
1:00pm Shotgun