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President's Messages
The most recent messages from our President can be found here...
April 2025
Dear Members,
“An April golf saying is Swing into Spring! This phrase captures the excitement and energy of the season while also referencing the golf swing. It’s a fun and lighthearted way to welcome the warmer weather and the return of golf season.” Leave it up to AI to come up with golf- isms. However, this also says and puts into perspective what excites all of us. The beginning of the 2025 GVWGA Tournament Season!
Our Spring Banquet is right around the corner, Tuesday April 29th at Ontario Golf Club at Pub On The Green in Ontario, N.Y. Deadline for registration is this Friday, April 18th. You still have time to get your check for $45.00 (payable to GVWGA) mailed to Kim Montrois, 1200 Shoecraft Road, Webster, N.Y. 14580. During the business portion of the evening, minutes from the Fall Awards Banquet, October 2024, will be reviewed by membership, and formally approved. The minutes have been posted to the GVWGA website, and I have attached them here for your convenience. We will also be discussing our new tournament this year – The GVWGA Team Challenge at Brook-Lea Country Club (2 Person Team, Multi-Format). Come and catch up with friends at this year’s banquet and meet new members. I guarantee it to be a wonderful evening with good food, and of course a birthday cake celebrating 90 years of GVWGA!
The Official 2025 GVWGA Tournament Schedule (finalized with pricing) has posted to our website, and is and attached to this newsletter. This year we will begin a new sign-up feature for tournaments powered by Golf Genius. Thank you Liz Prescod and Judy Hazelden, our GVWGA “Golf Geniuses” for implementing this feature designed to reduce manual work for our GVWGA Genius Team. The sign-up instructions that Liz sent will help you easily navigate tournament participation. Once you receive the tournament announcement, simply by clicking Playing starts the process. Remember, you still have to print the registration form, and send this in with your check . We appreciate your patience as our organization “boldly goes” where it needs to go to improve processes for our GVWGA Volunteer Golf Genius Team. If you find you have additional questions or concerns regarding this or need other technical support, please email: gvwga.webteam@gmail.com.
By now you have received information regarding our first tournament of the season; Get Acquainted at Island Oaks on Saturday, May 10th. Registration closes for this tournament on April 26th. And don’t forget (extra plus reminder), to print the registration form along with payment to be mailed to the tournament chair.
With the email that was sent to you regarding Golf Genius Sign-Up Instructions, Liz included the new password to access our website. At the Genesee Valley Womens Golf Association website, click the Members Only tab, and enter the new password. This Members Only page gives Members access to the Constitution and ByLaws (Revised 8/27/2024), 2025 Membership Roster (please do not share with nonmembers), Tournament Information/Results, and topics of interest including Common Golf Rules & Situations (something I need to refresh my memory now that the season is starting!).
Two tournaments of interest you may want to pencil in on your calendars. The first is a fundraiser tournament for Friends of Deaf Women of Rochester (DWR) on Friday, July 18, 2025 at the Lima Golf & Country Club. DWR is a non-profit organization dedicated to serving and uniting Deaf Women in the greater Rochester, N.Y. area by providing accessible networking opportunities, professional development and promoting personal growth. This 4 Person Team (Shotgun/Scramble) event tournament is being chaired by GVWGA member, Mindy Hopper. The registration form for this event will be available, April 18th. For more information and to sign up your team, please go to:
https://www.deafwomenrochester.org/friendsofdwrgolf
The second tournament of interest is the 23rd Annual Tee’d Off at Breast Cancer Golf Tournament, Monday, July 28th at Midvale Country Club. This event continues their mission to provide free programs and services to anyone who has received breast or a gynecologic cancer diagnosis. Registration for this tournament is currently open. For more information, please visit their website:
https://bccr.org/teed-off-at-breast-cancer/
Looking forward to our Spring Banquet and swinging into our 2025 GVWGA tournament season!
Happy Spring! Happy Easter!
Golf Funny: Golf is a lot like taxes. You go for the green and wind up in the hole! : ~ )
Take care and see you all soon!
Cindy Keller
March 2025
Dear Members,
This month we celebrate and give recognition to Women’s History Month; March 1st – March 31st. How fitting to celebrate a group of women who were called the “guiding spirits,” and who came together at the Genesee Valley Golf Course on June 5, 1935 to form the Genesee Valley Women’s Golf Association.
We celebrate our first GVWGA Champion Cora Moore, who went on to win back to back championships in 1935 and 1936, and once again in 1938. You can check out all the Champions on our GVWGA website.
We know that Mrs. Elmore Taylor was the first GVWGA President in 1935, and again in 1938. Newspapers back then would list the full married name, and not their given first name. With a little research, I was able to find that Mrs. Elmore Taylor is Mrs. Edith Taylor. Yes, she did have her own first name! Many of the past presidents of GVWGA were in their positions not once, but even more than twice. Mabel M. Smith, GVWGA President from 1957 to 1960. She would also meet Mr. James F. O’Connell on the golf course, and soon they became Mr. and Mrs! And then more currently, we have former presidents like Georgia Rush, GVWGA President from 2002 to 2005, and then again 2008 to 2010, and then from 2023 to 2024. Other GVWGA President notables include Lisa Valbergs 2006-2007, Judy Hazelden 2011-2013, Liz Prescod 2014-2017, Lissa Schaefer 2020-2022 (managing and navigating our organization through the nightmare of COVID). We also recognize past GVWGA Board members and respective GVWGA Committee Chairs. Without their love of golf and their drive (excuse the pun) to lead in this capacity, there would be no GVWGA.
Looking forward as we start the 2025 season, I would ask all of you as members to consider volunteering at the different events that we have; whether it be selling 50/50 tickets, assisting at the check-in table at tournaments, coordinating the Spring or Fall Banquet, and even consider serving on the GVWGA Board or Committees. You can check out the GVWGA website for information on the Board and the Committees contacts, as well as our GVWGA Constitution listing the Duties of Officers and Duties of Committees.
Since 1935, GVWGA has been the longest running tournament organization in Rochester, N.Y. Volunteer and/or become part of the GVWGA Board or Committees, and take an active role in its history!
Happy St. Patrick’s Day! And, don’t forget to send in your check for the Spring Banquet being held on Tuesday, April 29th at the Pub On The Green at Ontario Golf Club. Deadline for payment is April 18th! Please make checks payable to GVWGA for $45.00. Mail your check to Kim Montrois, 1200 Shoecraft Road, Webster, N.Y. 14580. Reg form attached to this newsletter : ~ )
March Funny: Why can’t Irish Golfers finish their game on St. Patrick’s Day? Because they refuse to leave the Green.
Ouch!
Talk to you soon!
Cindy Keller
January 2025
Dear Members,
I just about fell off my chair when I did a search through Newspapers.com and found this: “Mrs. E. W. Taylor, President; Mrs. E. L. Miller, Vice President; Miss Dorothy Ryan, Secretary; Miss Francis Whiting, Treasurer, Miss Hilda Barry, Tournaments; Miss Ada Munger, Golf Committee Chairman. The Genesee Valley Women’s Golf Association was organized last night (June 5, 1935) at the Genesee Valley course. Newly organized and determined to stage an active golf season;” in what seemingly was a gentleman’s sport in 1935. This year, 2025, GVWGA is celebrates 90 years of women’s golf! When you have a beginning as strong as these ladies in 1935, it’s no wonder that we have endured and enjoyed these many years together in a sport we all love.
We had our first Board meeting on January 9th, and, rest assured we have hit the fairway planning and scheduling for our upcoming 2025 golf season. Save The Date - for our Spring Banquet, Tuesday, April 29th, at Ontario Golf Club. GVWGA tournament dates for 2025 are coming soon. The RDGA Tournament schedule came out January 15th . RDGA tournaments are great opportunities to play at courses you may never have played…- Stafford CC, Brook-Lea CC, Wayne Hills CC…, all beauties! Cathy Smith will be our new liaison to Penn Fair Golf. If you’re looking to get fitted for new clubs (recommend!), or just wanting to replace those worn out grips, please check out Penn Fair Golf in East-Rochester, and mention GVWGA. They continue to support GVWGA, and their staff provide great advice and service. To our snow bird ladies, enjoy the weather and the golf. For the rest of us, golf simulators and dreams for an early spring!
January Golf Funny: Heather knew her boss lady, Sandy, was out for the day and decided to sneak in a round of golf. She took her office cell phone with her just in case there was an office call. Sandy, boss lady, called Heather and asked how everything was going. Trying to keep her composure, and muffle the golf sounds, Heather said, “All under control Sandy! Is there anything you need?” To which Sandy, boss lady replied, “Could you move a little faster? I’m in the foursome behind you!”
Stay safe and warm ladies. So long…for now.
Cindy Keller
Februrary 2025
Dear Members,
In the cold of the winter, it’s great to get our GVWGA 2025 Membership Renewal email from our Membership Chair, Luisa. Membership fees have not increased for 2025. April 1st is the deadline for membership renewal to avoid a $10.00 late fee.
And, more good news, Barbie, our Tournament Chair, has posted the GVWGA 2025 Tournament Schedule (preliminary) to our website. The same member password from last year can be used to access our member's only page. If you don’t remember the password, you can contact me in reply to this message.
Pennfair Golf is extending to us a free club fitting during the month of February. They are located at 349 West Commercial Street (The Piano Works) in East Rochester. In addition to owner Steve Allen’s 10% donation to our Fall Awards Banquet, he is expanding the Pennfair Golf donation to friends and family of GVWGA members. This means anyone who purchases an item from the store and mentions GVWGA, Steve will add their purchase to our total. Steve is also planning to organize a couple of Demo Days at cooperating courses before the start of our tournaments, with the addition of a putting analysis machine. All great things coming from our favorite local place to shop for golf equipment and accessories. Thank you to GVWGA Member Michele, our Pennfair Golf connection!
RDGA has opened their registration for the RDGA Women’s Open on Monday, September 22nd at the beautiful Stafford Country Club in Stafford, New York. You can go directly to their website to sign up, as well as see the 2025 RDGA Tournament Schedule for upcoming events.
February Golf Joke: What does a golfer’s diet consist of?
A lot of greens and water. (Ouch!)
Happy Valentines’s Day!
Talk to you…soon.
Cindy Keller
November 2024
Greetings everyone!
Bet you were expecting a letter from our new GVWGA President, Cindy Keller, but you’re stuck with her understudy. (Thank God there’s no singing or dancing involved!) Cindy has asked me to draft this letter to let you know how much she appreciates being elected President and how she's very much looking forward to working with all of us! Currently, she is helping her mom transition to an assisted living facility. Things are not going as smoothly as she hoped, so please say a prayer that she and Mom make it through the stormy waters. I believe we can all agree that family should be our foremost priority, and asking for an assist occasionally is a healthy option.
As for me, I’m also thankful for your support in giving me another two-year VP run representing an awesome group of kick-ass ladies (who happen to play golf.) I believe we have an amazing Board in place and together, with your valuable input, we will strive to make GVWGA one of the most sought-after memberships in town.
In closing, I leave you with a joke. What's the best way to keep a turkey in suspense? You'll find out at Thanksgiving dinner! (Hmmm, maybe I would do better with the singing or dancing.) Wishing you a safe and happy Thanksgiving from the entire GVWGA Board!
Best regards,
Cathy Smith
December 2024
Hello GVWGA Members,
My first newsletter as your new GVWGA President! First off, I want to thank you for giving me the “honors” for serving in this capacity. I am looking forward to listening to your ideas and concerns. I also have a fantastic Board to work with! I want to particularly thank outgoing President, Georgia Rush, for her attention to details as president, not just in the past two years, but her long lasting work/experience in years before. I also would like to thank Donna Lashbrook for her many years (too many to count but a lot!) of service as our Secretary. Not an easy task, and Donna did a great job in communicating through the taking of minutes from meetings both at the Spring and Fall banquets, and also the Board minutes, as well as working with our Treasurer, Jill Reichhart. Our new Secretary, Judy Gagnier, will more than likely be just as successful in completing the task at hand for our association, and like myself, working with a great Board to ensure a smooth transition into our new positions. The GVWGA Board will have its first meeting of the year in January, 2025. I cannot wait for our first Board meeting, and to jump into all that comes with our great association.
And so missing golf already, and with the colder months here, I will probably join some friends and head over to Glacier Ridge Sports in Spencerport. For $25.00 unlimited golf balls, I can tune up, learn, correct, and have fun. I also want to check out some of the simulators like the ones at Ontario Golf Club and Webster Golf Club. I know some of you lucky beans will be traveling to warmer weather; have fun and stay away from those water hazards! With December being here, I think we can all agree that no matter where you are, it’s a great time to be with family and friends as we celebrate the holiday. I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. And now to close, since Cathy Smith left you with a joke (ha ha) in November’s newsletter, I will continue with this month’s funny here: “Santa played a round of golf on Christmas day to relax, and hit a birdie. It was a Partridge on a Par 3.” Oh brother that’s the best I could do?! So long…for now.
Cindy Keller