Hello! This Week's Meeting Recap:
Rang the Bell: 12:10 PM
Pledge by Don Cotton
4-way Test recited by all
Thought of the Day: Jim Fritzsche said, "Greatness in golf is measured by the number of major championships won." Jack Nicholas is #1 with 18 wins. Tiger Woods is #2 with 15 wins. At 11 wins, Walter Haggin is #3. The most famous of Mr. Haggin's quotes is "You're only here for a short visit. Don't hurry, don't worry, and be sure to smell the flowers along the way."
Introduction of Visiting Rotarians and Guests: Our speaker today is Mike Woods from the Haggin Oaks Golf Complex, and a leader in the Morton Foundation. We also enjoyed the company of Mike Soto and his nieces Bianca and Mia who were here to receive their Paul Harris Fellow awards.
Tax and Accounting Minute: Jim Fritzsche introduced the Cohan Rule. George M Cohan went on a long tour in Europe and came back with no receipts for his expenses. At court, he petitioned the judge to accept his playbills and newspaper columns. He allowed Cohan expenses with no receipts, but Cohan was not allowed 1st class, he was limited to steerage travel. Cohan deducted about 20% of the expenses with no receipts. This is now called the Cohan Rule at the IRS.
No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: Carroll Dudley shared his experiences about his trip to Portugal. Near a landmark, there was a Rotary monument from the Rotary Club of Centra. After taking his own photo, other Rotarians visiting the site wanted to borrow Carroll's Rotary hat to take their pictures too. He lent his hat for 5 euros each and donated 20 euros to the club today. He will bring his photo next time.
Paul Harris Fellows: Bob Deering introduced Mike Soto, who donated $2,000 to the Rotary Foundation, designating his nieces Bianca and Mia as Paul Harris Fellows in recognition of the many service projects they do in our community.
News:
- Amy Ruggles introduced our next social - The BrewBoat. There are 16 spots available for Sunday, August 20th at 1:40 pm at the Front Street dock in Old Sacramento at $45 each. Those who come to the party should expect water fights, snacks, and drinks. See details below.
- Previous fun: The Day at the Races was a great time. We won every race and cashed tickets. John Brown and Keith McBride put in $50 each, and Amy put in $40. John Brown rang the bell as he donated the $100 won for the club. Jim said he won $167 on a $20 bet but listed many many many deductions including the cost of parking at CalExpo, eventually donating $10.
Bell Ringers for 23-24 year at $100 with no immunity given: Kevin Wilcox, Don Brodeur, Randy Smith, Bob Deering, Jack Kimmel, Tim Hayes, and John Brown.
Speaker Today: Mike Woods of the Morton Foundation talked about the golf industry. Jim Fritzsche introduced him, starting with a pictoral overview of some famous golf course greens and fairways, asking for a show of hands of those in the room who knew where it was or had golfed there.
- New Interest. From 2007 up to the pandemic, golf was shrinking in popularity, with golf courses closing. Also, golf courses were not investing in their facilities. When the pandemic hit, the Sacramento County Health Department contacted Haggin Oaks to request that they stay open, since it was outdoors, and one of the only ways people could exercise and enjoy safe recreation. Haggin Oaks didn't close even one day. Only Sacramento and San Luis Obispo County golf courses stayed open in California. People drove to Sacramento from far away to play golf here. Golf entered a new boom. Now golf is up 30% across the country, with younger people playing, and a more diverse population enjoying the sport. Off-course golfing has become popular. At places like Top Golf, players use simulators to play at Pebble Beach and other famous courses. Thirty-five million people in the USA are excited about off-course golfing. The average player age for outdoor golfers is 44, but for off-course, the average age is 24, and 45% of those players are women. Haggin Oaks is bringing that off-course vibe with late-night driving range time and food trucks, providing a party atmosphere for a large fan base. The golf brand that used to be stuffy is giving way to a cool vibe with relaxed dress codes. While country clubs struggle with this change, other golf courses are embracing the new idea with music, fun games, and food trucks.
- Water use is a concern in the community because turf requires a great deal of water to keep the course beautiful and safe. Courses are moving away from rye grass to Bermuda grass which takes much less water. Already at Northridge, the fairways are Bermuda, not rye grass.
- Insurance has become difficult to get, and the cost has risen astronomically since the California wildfires. Many big insurance carriers are leaving California, while those that are still here have designated golf courses as rural areas similar to foothill areas with high fire risk. Many golf courses are implementing NO SMOKING rules so the "rough" doesn't catch fire from a tossed cigarette.
- Politics. There's been a recent push to change municipal golf courses into affordable housing. The state will pay millions to the city to make that change. In Sacramento, this effort was shut down at the last hour, but it's expected we will see this come up again soon.
- Investment is happening again in golf courses; Haggin Oaks just put in $2 million each year for the last 2 years to upgrade their course and buildings. Many courses in this area have done major renovations. It's a good time for golf right now.
- Foundation. Mike is one of the partners in the Morton Golf Foundation, which raised $2 million each year to benefit Special Olympics and Boy's & Girl's Clubs.
Raffle was won by Carroll Dudley who gifted the bottle of wine to Mike Soto.
Meeting Concluded at 1:03
Upcoming Events:
August 16: Noon lunch meeting at Old Spathetti Factory (OSF): Kurtis Burmeister, "Geology of the Sierra Nevada"
August 20: BrewBoat. See details below
August 22: Breakfast @ Ettore's 7 AM
August 23: Noon lunch meeting at OSF: Ray Ward, "Marketing Membership For Your Club"
August 30: Noon lunch meeting at OSF: Club Assembly
September 6: Noon lunch meeting at OSF: Carolyn Curtis, "My Recovery from Multiple Myloma Cancer."
September 13: Noon lunch meeting at OSF: District Governor Sidney Smith, Annual Governor Visit
Attendance: Jim Shaw, Amy Ruggles, Jerry Wright, Dave Jones, Lewie Donhost, Maria Mengotti, Jim Fritzsche, Bob Deering, Chris Deering, Allison Hamaker, Don Cotton, Jack Kimmel, John Brown, Kipp Johnson, Lew Wahl, Carroll Dudley, on Zoom: Former DG Clarence Perkins and our own Sandi Sava.
ESR BEER PADDLE BOAT CRUISE!!!!!
Sunday, August 20th, $45.00 per person. Arrive 1:40 PM at 1206 Front Street. The ramp is next to Joe’s Crab Shack in Old Sacramento. Liability waiver signed at dock. Parking near the Old School.
The cruise is 90 minutes long. ESR will supply snacks and beer. Bring anything else you want to enjoy. We will be on a covered boat. Hat wearing is optional; sunglasses highly recommended! We can stop at the Virgin Sturgeon bar.
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