2019 Cape Fear National Men’s Golf Association
Golf is the closest game to the game we call life. You get bad breaks from good shots; you get good breaks from bad shots – but you have to play the ball where it lies.” – Bobby Jones
If you are new to Brunswick Forest or considering joining the Men’s Golf Association (MGA), the 2019 season for the Cape Fear National MGA will soon be here. The MGA will kick start its season on March 13th with a fun, but challenging, competition followed by a keg and lunch sponsored by the MGA. Play continues Wednesday mornings through November 20th. The full schedule of dates and games will be completed soon.
The MGA was organized in 2010 to encourage enjoyment of the game of golf. It will also assist in familiarizing players with the rules, good sportsmanship and golf etiquette. This is also a great way to meet your neighbors from all over Brunswick Forest.
Membership in the MGA is open to any male, regardless of golf ability and experience, who is at least 21 years of age and who is a property owner or resident of Brunswick Forest. The annual membership fee in 2018 was $50. In addition, each week $5 is collected from each player signed up for that week; $4 goes to the Prize Pool (awarded in pro shop credit) for that day’s competition, and $1 goes to the MGA treasury to fund MGA activities for the benefit of its members throughout the season. Activities included are: food and drink; keg days; planned contests; annual year-end awards dinner.
The annual dinner is a standout event hosted at The Forest at Cape Fear National. A multitude of accolades are awarded from all different facets of the league and everyone enjoys the player stats posted along the walls. Joe Rychalski, a member on the Board of Directors, exclaimed, “Everyone at The Forest and the Pro Shop of Cape Fear National are so accommodating to our league and go above and beyond to make it enjoyable for the members.”
All MGA members must maintain an official USGA handicap through CFN, who registers member handicaps with the Carolinas Golf Association and GHIN. CFN includes this yearly handicap fee in its memberships. Talk to a CFN pro for current membership offerings. For Privilege Pass holders, an additional fee will be assessed to get your handicap through CFN.
The CFN Pro Shop staff supports the MGA by: enabling weekly registration via an online system (Golf Genius); forming the weekly teams; organizing and officiating games; preparing and validating scorecards; collecting prize fees; recording scores in the GHIN system; determining weekly winners and awarding prizes.
The MGA plays a different golf format each Wednesday. Shotgun starts begin at 8:30am at the start and end of the season, and 8:00am in the late spring and summer. We also organize special events, such as: a single-elimination Match Play tournament; a two-day Ryder Cup or President’s Cup Tournament; monthly “Away Golf” trips to other courses in the area and a season-long Ringer Tournament.
The “Away Golf” trips are optional and organized by those who are interested. Players car pool and typically take day trips to courses an hour from Wilmington, in any direction. In the MGA, you can make many friends and plan longer, more serious golf trips. Hint hint: Pinehurst.
In addition, we participate with other premier clubs in the local area in a monthly interclub tournament. In 2017, we were the overall points leader and won the season! We also help organize and field a team for the annual 3-day North Brunswick Cup against archrivals Magnolia Greens and Compass Pointe, each May.
MGA members can also choose to participate in the season-long MGA Cup competition. This is a flighted, individual handicapped tournament modeled after the PGA Tour FedEx Cup. The MGA Cup has two flights (by handicap) and two Champions. In addition to a substantial cash prize, each Champion will have his name inscribed on the MGA Cup Trophy which remains on display in the clubhouse. The MGA Cup Championship is open to all MGA members in good standing who register by paying an entry fee. All fees paid are returned in the form of cash prizes. If you are interested, please fill out the membership form available at the CFN pro shop and return it with your check.
We asked Joseph Rychalski what his most memorable moment was since being a part of the MGA. Joe spoke so highly about the first annual CFN Member/Guest tournament hosted in 2018. The event was three days long and was organized by Billy Casper Golf and the MGA. Joe elaborated on the pride that he felt, stating that the guests were extremely impressed with the organization, professionalism and amount of fun the tournament was. The success of the first tournament has Joe excited for the years to come.
If you have any questions about the MGA, please feel free to contact any of the members of the 2019 Board of Directors:
Gary Cassista | President | garycassista@sbcglobal.net |
Ed Kosteva | Vice President | ekosteva@yahoo.com |
John Lane | Treasurer | john.lane54@gmail.com |
Richie LaBarbera | Secretary | rlabarbera@live.com |
Bill Hagel | Games & Rules | wah213@gmail.com |
Joe Rychalski | Membership & Publicity | jrychalski@gmail.com |
Keith Blankenbicker | Past President | rkb1950x@gmail.com |
In addition, the following members have agreed to perform additional responsibilities as assigned by the board:
Bob Axelrod | Statistician | axelrodb@gmail.com |
Dave McKee | Social Director | dcmckee8@gmail.com |
Jim Payne | Handicap/Rules | Jimpayne01@comcast.net |
Paul Zarnetske | Away Golf Coordinator | pzarnetske@gmail.com |
Dave Will | Inter-Club and North Brunswick Cup Coordinator | dwill830@gmail.com |