Last month, Bay Club members were invited to view the New Bedford Whaling Museum’s exhibition of America’s longest painting, The Grand Panorama of a Whaling Voyage ‘Round the World.  The painting was on display for a short time in the nearby historic Kilburn textile mill.  Painted in 1848 by New Bedford artists, Caleb Purrington and Benjamin Russell, the 1,275-foot painting is longer than the Empire State Building is tall, and depicts a nineteenth century whaling voyage originating from a New Bedford port to the Azores, Cape Verde, Rio de Janeiro and beyond.

It was initially designed as a moving panorama (a form of entertainment during that time, preceding the age of cinema) with multiple scrolls moving across a stage.  Though after many years on display, the wear and tear on the painting was so extensive, it was believed to be impossible to conserve and therefore, worthless.  It was donated to the Whaling Museum in 1918 and following decades of conservation planning and research, the 170-year-old painting was brought back to life and displayed for the public to enjoy (not in its original moving form.)

More than 30 members made the trip to the museum and enjoyed learning about this national treasure and historical depiction of the prominent New Bedford industry.

To view photos of the painting being brought to life in the mill, please click here.

Deserted Island Wines from the Bay Club Wine List

by Nick Lisotto, Food and Beverage Manager and Sommelier

 It’s an age-old question: If you were stranded on a deserted island, what wines would you want to have in your possession?

Over the course of the last two seasons, we have been fortunate to build a wine cellar that our membership can be proud to present to guests and family alike.  While choosing a favorite wine can be difficult for some, at the end of the day, we all have our preferences.  And I am happy to share mine with you.

Because of the immense challenge in pairing down a wine list, I hand selected a few wines to break down into the following categories for exploratory purposes:  Value White, Value Red, Favorite Sparkling, Favorite White and Favorite Red.

• Value White:  Semillon, Esporao, Private Selection, Alentejano, Portugal 2014
  • Semillon is a white grape originally from France, made popular in Australia and, I believe, done best in Portugal.  Esporao showcases bright fruit with the subtlety of oak aging to balance it on the palate, along with a deeper depth of maturity coming from bottle aging.

• Value Red:  Chianti Classico, Castellare, Castellina, Chianti Classico, Tuscany, Italy 2016
  • Castellare’s commune in Casetllina crafts arguably the very best Chianti at its price point.  By blending 95% local Sangioveto and 5% Canoilio for extra depth, body and intensity, it creates an outstanding wine suitable to drink every day; or every meal for that matter.

• Favorite Sparkling:  Brut Rose, Billecart-Salmon, Epernay, Champagne, France NV
  • There is sparkling wine, there is Champagne and then there is Billecart-Salmon Brut Rose.  A masterful blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier from Grand Cru vineyards, aged on its lees for 3 years before bottling, it’s the essence of romance in the bottle.  Its visual appeal of roses and gold is only surpassed by the intoxicating experience on the palate of soft fruit coupled with vivacious bubbles and a lingering essence of brioche.

• Favorite White:  Riesling, Carl Lowen, 1896, Herrenberg, Mosel, Germany 2015
  • There are not many people who like to age Riesling, though one of the premier importers in America and the expert on Riesling, Terry Thiese happens to share this affinity with me.  The 2015 vintage of Riesling was fantastic and this bottling of ungrafted 100+ year old vines was head of the class.  For those who like dry white wine, this one is epic; and worthy of a final meal.

• Favorite Red Wine:  Amarone della Valpolicella, Dal Forno Ramano, Monte Lodoletta 2009
  • This is not just a favorite wine that we have, it is my favorite Red Wine – period.  It’s huge; but worth the attempt to extract the appreciation for the wines that have spent over 100 years crafting.  Native grapes Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella, Oseleta and Croatina are handpicked and dried for months until the flavors have intensified.  The wine then ferments completely dry, ages in oak and then even further in the bottle; until the final product is a wine that far exceeds anything most people have ever tried.  And Dal Forno Amarone is an experience you will want to have at least once in your lifetime.

From our cellar, these would be my Deserted Island Wines and we are honored to have them for members and their guests to enjoy at the Golf House Restaurant.

Last month, Bay Club members welcomed Molecular Geneticist, Nicole Faulkner, Ph.D., FAMCG as she presented, “How to Make a Perfect Human in the 21st Century.”  Nicole trained at WPI, UMASS Medical and Harvard Medical School and is currently a Clinical Molecular Geneticist at the Invitae Clinical Testing Laboratory in Cambridge.  She shared her more than 20 years of experience in the field of human genetics in clinical testing of genetic diseases, prenatal diagnosis, identity testing, and pharmacogenetic profiling of cancer tumors.  In her presentation, Nicole spoke about the examples of DNA variants that cause inherited disease, the modern science of embryo selection for couples in fertility treatments and the future of curing genetic-based disease by fixing the “typos in the instructions of life.”

Members raved about and were fascinated by Dr. Faulkner’s lecture and her captivating approach to presenting the complex subject matter.

Congratulations to Bay Club General Manager and Director of Golf, Greg Yeomans as he captured his third Cape Cod PGA Championship Wednesday, August 29.  The 36-hole event took place at LeBaron Hills Country Club in Lakeville, MA in extreme conditions, where temperatures climbed to the upper 90s and winds whipped at 20 mph at times.

Greg opened with a 1-under par score of 71 and followed up with an afternoon round of even par 72.  For more on the tournament, please click here.

Great job Greg!

The Bay Club recently added some new Life Fitness cardio and strength equipment to the state-of-the-art Fitness Center.  The new Ellipticals, Treadmills and MJ4 have seen a great deal of use by the membership.  The MJ4 is a multi-faceted piece of equipment that enables  four members to train simultaneously with exercises including lat pull-down, tricep extension and seated row.

Bay Club Fitness Trainer, Matt Beatty suggests these particular exercises for golfers and tennis enthusiasts alike to help strengthen the upper body.

Lat Pull-down

The lat pull-down is a strength training exercise to develop the latissimus dorsi, rhomboid and trapezius muscles.  It performs the functions of downward rotation and depression of the scapulae, combined with adduction and extension of the shoulder joint.  This is a great exercise for posture and upper body strength.

Tricep Extension

The tricep extension, an isolation exercise, targets one muscle group with movement occurring at only one joint.  This allows exercisers to focus efforts on just the tricep muscle.  Other exercises work the triceps as secondary muscles, such as the chest press or push-up.

Seated Row

For beginners, the seated row develops muscles of the back and forearms.  It is an excellent all-round compound exercise for developing the middle back while offering useful arm work as well.

And lastly, the seated cable row works the back muscles in general, particularly the latissimus dorsi.  This pulling exercise also works the forearm and upper arm muscles, as the biceps and triceps are dynamic stabilizers for this exercise.  The hamstrings and gluteus maximus, also stabilizing muscles, come into play with this exercise as well.

Activity levels at the Fitness Center are a good indicator that the new equipment has been met with great enthusiasm from members looking to up their fitness game.

The summer is a fun time of year for our young members at the Bay Club!  Each year, our summer program, Club Seahorse, is offered to children and grandchildren of Bay Club members.  The five-day weekly program is available for Pee Wees (half days for 4 and 5 year olds) and Juniors (full days for 6-10 year olds).  While mainly a sports-oriented program providing golf, tennis and swimming, participants also enjoy traditional club activities such as arts and crafts, games and outdoor sports.

Each week features a different theme which is carried out through special guest visits as well as crafts and games.  This year, the children will enjoy visits from Buttonwood Park Zoo and the Boston Museum of Science, as well as Bay Club Chefs for hands-on cooking demonstrations.  The last week of the program will feature the ever popular “Bay Club Olympics,” where the competitive spirit comes out in everyone.

The applications are already coming in and we are working on creating another memorable season for the Bay Club youth.

It’s no secret New England experienced a rather long and cold winter.  However, now that May is here and the weather seems to be turning in our favor, we can begin to focus on our favorite outdoor activities.

The Bay Club has great opportunities for the younger generation looking to get involved with golf and tennis.  Pricing discounts are available for active members of the Old Rochester Regional High School or Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical High School golf and tennis teams, as well as those affiliated with a current Bay Club member.

Junior Golf memberships are available to youth between the ages of 13 and 23.  In addition to access to the golf course, practice facilities and Golf House restaurant, Junior Golf members can take advantage of professional golf instruction and certified Titleist Performance Institute instruction.  Other benefits include eligibility to play on the Bay Club’s Junior Inter-Club and Junior PGA League Teams and to join the Bay Club Junior Academy.

Our Junior Tennis memberships are for those aged between 10 and 23.  This membership offers access to the tennis courts, practice facilities and Golf House restaurant.  Members can also take advantage of professional tennis instruction through private lessons and group clinics.

These memberships are limited so if interested, please don’t hesitate to contact Head Golf Professional, Ben Egan at 508-207-9231 in regards to Junior Golf, or Bay Club General Manager, Greg Yeomans at 508-207-9216 in regards to Junior Tennis.

Now in its 7^th year, the Bay Club’s Winter Golf Center is better than ever.  Following the closing of the golf course each year in December, the Golf Cart Barn is transformed into a Winter Golf Center; perfect for members looking to work on their golf game during the off-season.  The Center is complete with hitting bays, putting green, launch monitor and simulator.

The Center’s newest addition of Foresight Golf’s GCQuad provides multiple ways members can practice their swing indoors.  The system challenges golfers of all abilities with golf courses, a practice range, contests, and last but not least, ZOMBIE hunting. The GCQuad also takes our staff’s club fitting ability to the next level, allowing for the most professional fitting technology the Club has ever utilized.

How can members utilize the Winter Golf Center to its fullest potential? Bay Club Head Golf Professional, Ben Egan notes that one of his favorite benefits of practicing indoors is that distance doesn’t play a factor in your training, making it easier to focus on fundamentals and mechanics. If you don’t have a pre-shot routine, it’s a great time to make one. Ben suggests using the time indoors to focus on set up, posture and ball position. Members can also expect weekly tips, occasional drills and a suggested warm-up routine.  Ben notes, “we warm up for every other sport we play and golf should be no different – and hitting balls at the range doesn’t count!”

The Winter Golf Center is open daily for members and Ben is available throughout the winter to assist with club fittings, private lessons and additional tips.

View a video tour of the Bay Club Winter Golf Center:

In 2016, the Bay Club became home to two hives of honey bees thanks to the efforts of beekeeper and Bay Club member, Jeannie Smith.   Throughout the year, Jeannie routinely checks on the hives, which are located on the 11th hole.

During the spring and summer months, the bees are busy foraging for food, building and protecting the hive and producing honey.  However, the winter months present many challenges from now until the queens start laying in late March. The major challenges are to protect the hives from bitter winds, keep out rodents searching for a warm nest, and prevent starvation, as both hives are rapidly eating through their honey stores.  Jeannie has stapled black tarpaper wraps directly on to the hives, which will not only shield them, but also absorb warmth on sunny days. To protect the hives from unwanted, four-legged visitors, each hive has a metal mouse guard, with openings too small for a chilly mouse to sneak through.  And finally, to supplement their dwindling food supplies, the bees are provided blocks of sugar fondant, a sugar/essential oil patty slipped into place just below the inner cover.

Honey bees are necessary to our ecosystem because they are important pollinators for flowers, fruits and vegetables.   As the only Audubon International Silver Certified Sanctuary in Massachusetts, the bees have been a welcomed addition to our property as they help to reinforce our commitment to protect and promote ecological diversity.  And we also benefit by being able to use the harvested honey in recipes at the Golf House restaurant.

We’re hoping for another season of plentiful honey for members to enjoy in 2018!

Winter is officially here in New England, which for some golfers is a time to head south to warmer temperatures.  However, for those who remain here, it’s important to stay in shape during the off season to keep your golf game in tip-top shape.

Bay Club Fitness Trainer, Matt Beatty shares a few exercises golfers can incorporate into their gym routines to help stay in peak physical condition during these winter months.

Yoga

Yoga is a great exercise option for golfers as it helps with flexibility and core stability.  It also helps to lengthen muscles to improve the range of motion.  These qualities can aid in creating a stronger swing.  Yoga can be especially helpful for senior golfers since flexibility tends to decrease as we age.

Here are a few basic yoga poses that are beneficial for golfers:

• Triangle Pose
  • Firms your sides and thighs
  • Streamlines waist
  • Relieves tightness in shoulders
• Seated Twist
  • Relieves back pain
  • Promotes flexibility in spine and hip joints
• Chest Expansions
  • Relieves tension in spine, neck and shoulders
  • Improves posture

High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)

Golf uses many muscles in the body and is considered a “burst sport;” generating a lot of energy in a short period, followed by a period of rest.  Enter HIIT! During interval training, you work at high intensities followed by lower intensities.

• Applying HIIT elements to your workout can be as simple as adding bursts of energy during your normal cardio routine at a 1:2 (work:rest) ratio.
• You can also perform more complex moves such as mountain climbers, plank jacks, burpees or high knees.

Resistance and Weight Training

Resistance and weight training can be particularly valuable to golfers by improving stability and range of motion, as well as helping to create a powerful, more controlled swing.

Here are a couple of Matt’s favorite exercises for golfers:

• Glute Bridge
  • Increases core and back strength which is the foundation for a strong drive
• Side Plank with a Leg Lift
  • Increases strength through obliques, thighs and knees and helps improve balance
  • Improves hip control, vital to your golf swing

Keeping active and fit is so important this time of year to make sure you’re ready for golf in the spring!

Earlier this month, the Bay Club welcomed Terry Wolkowicz, Education Director for the New Bedford Symphony Orchestra, as she presented “Gravity in Space and Sound.”  Along with the accompaniment of cellist Peter, oboist Laura and violinist Travis, three talented musicians from the orchestra, Ms. Wolkowicz discussed the meaningful connections between musical chord progressions and the movement of objects in space.  Members thoroughly enjoyed the musical pieces played that exemplified the gravitational forces between the planets and the sun.

Terry shared that the presentation is representative of the Orchestra’s “Learning in Concert” program, an in-school partnership program with the NBSO and over fifty local elementary schools in southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island.  In 2016-2017, more than 50 schools partnered with the NBSO for their “Gravity in Space and Sound” program.  During this project, Terry aided the students in demonstrating the idea of gravity through astronomy, physics and music; through studying gravitational forces working within our solar system; and by performing classical music that shares these same forces within a musical system.

A graduate of the New England Conservatory of Music and Harvard University, Terry is in her seventh season with the NBSO, and continues to create innovative programming that connects classical music to our South Coast children’s lives and learning by exploring concepts that are authentically shared between classical music, the arts and academics.

For more information about the New Bedford Symphony Orchestra, please click here.

Each week, members at the Bay Club enjoy a special dinner deal at the Golf House restaurant with a Dinner for Two on Sunday evenings.

Executive Chef, Jim Mercer and his culinary team create a different prix fixe menu weekly, featuring a choice of soup or salad, two entrée options and a delicious, homemade dessert to cap off the evening.  Some of the entrees featured this season include Chicken Paprikash, Veal Meatloaf, Lamb Ragu and Seared Scallops. A complimentary glass of wine to highlight the chosen entree is paired by Food and Beverage Manager and Sommelier, Nick Lisotto.

This popular event finds members enjoying themselves for a night out, whether it be with the family, friends, or date night.

The Paddle Tennis season is off and running at the Bay Club!  The weekly drop-ins along with various clinics, tournaments and events have seen great attendance to date.  Perhaps one of our most popular paddle events is the Chili Social.  Held monthly during the paddle season, these socials bring members and guests of all abilities together to enjoy Executive Chef, Jim Mercer’s beloved Turkey Chili along with some fun, social paddle.

Even the coldest temperatures experienced this winter have not deterred players from attending.  The patio next to the courts offers a place to warm up adorned with a fire pit and heaters.  And if needed, there is always the heated Racquets Hut to duck into for the especially frosty evenings.

We expect to see a great turnout from our growing paddle community for the next Chili Social being held on January 19.

For more information on the game of paddle, click here to read a previous blog post on the topic.

A group of members recently braved the chilly temps and embarked on a unique mushroom foraging hike.  Local mycophile, Garett Stuck led the curious group through the trails of Dunham Brook Conservation Area in Westport, in search of mushrooms.  Participants spent the morning foraging and learning about many variations of mushrooms.  Unfortunately, they were unable to find any edible varieties.  That didn’t stop them from having a great time, however, as they enjoyed many laughs and gained a greater knowledge and appreciation for native mushrooms during the walk.

Many mushrooms are poisonous and potentially dangerous if consumed – please do not eat mushrooms you find in the wild without proper training or an expert with you.

Dunham’s Brook Conservation Area crosses a small meadow before entering an extensive wet forest, a portion of which is on a beautiful boardwalk and provides excellent bird watching.  The trail then rises onto a gentle ridge with both a corn field and oak-holly forests.  One trail spur is maintained through the corn field, creating a very unique summertime trail experience.  The easternmost trail follows near the edge of an extensive forested wetland/vernal pool community that boasts a loud spring chorus of mating frogs.  Pending expansion of DBCA will add another 60 acres and nearly double the size of the trail network.  Creation of DBCA was made possible by generous land gifts from the Julia Krapf family and Susan Bush family as well as the cooperative efforts of the WLCT, the Trustees of Reservations, the Town of Westport’s Community Preservation Fund and the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy & Environmental Affairs.  More information about Wesport Land Conservation Trust can be found by clicking here.

Having a golf course in tip-top shape is one of the most important attributes to a golf club.  While it takes a lot of effort throughout the year to maintain conditions, aerification is one process that’s imperative to ensuring the health of our course throughout the season and off-season.

Why is it so important?

The main reason golf courses aerify is to alleviate soil compaction, which prevents proper circulation of air, water, and nutrients.  Excess thatch or heavy organic debris buried under the surface of the grass can also starve the roots from essential elements. If the layer of organic matter becomes too thick, it becomes like a sponge and holds water at the surface of the grass after watering.  Too much organic matter also produces soft surfaces prone to ball marks, foot printing and inconsistent playing conditions.

The frequency and type of aeration needed is course specific, based on factors such as soil conditions and requirements, as well as climate/weather.

The Bay Club typically aerifies twice a year, in the spring and fall; and uses a 3-step process:

Step 1: Verticutting

• Verticutting helps to remove thatch buildup.  Thatch is a layer of dead stems and roots that forms between grass and soil.  Removing the thatch helps turf breathe easier, better absorb nutrients and soak in much needed moisture.

Step 2: Solid Tine Aerification

• Solid tine makes a hole in the turf but does not extract any material (unlike core aeration which removes small cores from the soil).  This process creates more space in the soil for sand, water, air, and other nutrients which allow for deeper rooting and promotes growth.

Step 3: Top Dressing 

• A top dressing of sand is then applied, filling the holes to help the soil retain air space and make it easier for roots to grow downward.  Over time, it also reduces thatch, creating a firmer playing surface in addition to amending soil structure and proper drainage.

We have concluded our fall aerification and have already seen positive results on some of the greens that were completed early in the process.

Although it can be a frustrating time for golfers, aerifying is a necessary and beneficial practice to help protect the course and maintain the best possible playing conditions.

Just think of it as a short-term disruption that has long-term benefits for the golf course.