Sussex Pines Times

As many of you know the term for three of our Board Members has run out and we will be holding elections to replace them. Your president,Frank Gordy, Vice-President, Ralph Harrison and Treasurer, Sonny Macklin will be resigning their posts this year. We have eight ladies and gentlemen running to fill these positions. Please take the time to read their resumes and also please take the time to vote. The decisions you make will chart the course of this club for many years to follow.

A proxy mailing will be sent out to all shareholder members on September 8th, 2003. Also take the time to thank each of the Board Members leaving service this year as they all put a lot of time and effort into your club.

This will be my last message to the membership before you have an opportunity to vote for new Board Members and our new by-laws. It was felt the by-laws should be up-dated, and the committee presented to the Board new ones that were approved unanimously at the August Board meeting. We were assisted by legal counsel Buck Smith and believe the update is important to the future of Sussex Pines. There will be a new Board in October and there will be at least three new officers October 13th. It has been my honor to Chair the Board meetings these past two years and I want to publically thank the Board and the Members I have served with for their dedication and service to Sussex Pines Country Club. Thanks for the many volunteer hours spent to make our club the wonderful place it is. Frank Gordy

August was another stellar month here in the clubhouse. It is so great to see so many of you coming in more frequently to enjoy your clubhouse. I have had the pleasure of talking to many of you this past month and I am happy to say that the majority of the feedback has been positive. I even got a letter from a member on how great their food and service was when they came in for dinner. We still have many challenges to overcome but we are finally heading in the right direction. I would also like to remind all our members to please use the comment box on the copy room door. I look forward to hearing your input on the operations of the club. I would like to report that the financial situation of the club has been improving steadily, thanks to the hard work of the staff here at Sussex Pines. They have been working hard to make your visits the best they can be while ensuring the financial stability of the club. Please take the time to thank them for all of their hard work. Many thanks to Jim King for his rousing "Thank You" at the annual Employees Pool Party. Your thoughtfulness was appreciated by everone present. We are also working on some way to control the flies in the Grill Room withour locking the Pro Shop side entrance. We will be trying out a few ideas in the near future. I look forward to seeing you all in the coming months. Thanks Again and Happy Eating. Charles Dolson IV.

Congratulations to TOMMY ELLISON, our 2003 Sussex Pines Junior Champion who shot a 76 on Aug.11th. CLAYTON BUNTING was runner-up with an 83 Great scores guys.Our Junior Golf Camp champion for the second year is JASON HASTINGS whose name is engraved on the Nelson Megee bowl in our lobby. Jason was followed by TREVOR ABBOTT in the 18 Hold group. Our 9 Hold champion is JORDAN CHAMPLIN with KYLE PLUSCH as runner up. Our 5 hole champion is NICK ORTOLANO with EMILY ORTOLANO winning second in a match of cards against MORGAN CHAMPLIN. Our First Swing putting champion was KATHERINE ECKRICH and our chipping champion was SAMANTHA HUDSON. It was a great year thanks to all the volunteers we had. Tim did a great job. A special thanks to my husband Bob who filled in wherever I needed him for three years! Trena Kelly

In recent weeks there have been many questions and concerns about our smoking policy. I hope this article will clear all of them up. First and foremost, we are a private club and we do not fall under the new no-smoking laws passed in the state. Therefore smoking is allowed in our clubhouse. To create an environment where smokers and non-smokers can co-exist is a formidable challenge and the Board of Directors adopted a policy which fairly addresses both sides's concerns. We have four designated smoking tables in the Grille Room, these are located next to the windows by the pro-shop. All other tables are designated as non-smoking. In addition we would encourage our cigar and pipe smoking members to abstain from doing so after 6:00pm. If you are smoking at a non-smoking table you will be asked to move to the smoking area. If there are no availabe tables you may use the bar or wait for a smoking table. Please adhere to these policies so we can attempt to keep everone happy on both sides of the fence. Thank You

We had a fun season so far despite the rain-only 3-mixers were cancelled. Hope you all can enjoy the remainder of the season. Most away MISGA scores are posted in the pro shop. Individual qualification for the finale requires a minimum participation of (3) home MISGA matches. Check with Joe Hall if you are not sure of the number of home MISGA mixers you have attended. Remainder of MISGA schedule is posted elswhere on this web site.

Elaine Frey has made a darling handbag from a wooden cigar box with brass fittings. You really have to see this. It is on display in the clubhouse. Chances are 3 for $5.00. All proceeds are going to the Greens and Beautification Committee. How can you resist. Men, this would make a lovely gift for a special someone. Raffle tickets can be purchased from any of the 9-Holers, or call Elaine Frey at 855-0963.

MEMBERS!!! If any friends have resigned in good standing, they can join back by buying back their stock at the price they paid for it with no initiation fee. ATTENTION LOA MEMBERS: Take advantage of a one time offer. Return to the club at pro-rated dues. Call Gary Allison at 856-7824. Effective March 1st 2002, Waiver of initiation fee. Waiver of initiation fee for children and grandchildren of Sussex Pines members who have 15 continuous years of membership, in good standing is still in effect.