Scott Woerner (left), Pat Hodgson with the Flea Flicker Pass painting (center), and George Patton (right) will all be attending the Celebrity Golf Tournament at The Georgia Club Saturday, July 31

Pop Warner, Fran Tarkenton, Buck Belue, Herschel Walker, Terry Hoage and other University of Georgia football greats are all “hanging out” at The Georgia Club this week in preparation of The Georgia Club Foundation’s Celebrity Golf Tournament & Auction this Saturday. These players and others are all part of an art exhibit featuring more than 25 scenes as depicted in Vince Dooley’s book “Dooley’s Playbook: The 34 Most Memorable Plays in Georgia Football History.” The art is painted by well-known international artist Steve Penley, who is a UGA graduate.

While some of the football greats hanging out are doing so just in one-dimension, others will be there in person on Saturday, July 31, as just a few of the celebrities playing with the golf foursomes. Scott Woerner (Scott Woerner versus Clemson University), Andy Johnson (Andy Johnson versus University of Tennessee) and George Patton (George Patton versus University of Alabama) will all be on hand playing. Even The Georgia Club’s own resident celebrity, Pat Hodgson (Kirby Moore to Pat Hodgson to Bob Taylor versus University of Alabama) will be on hand greeting the golfers.

In addition to oils of single football players, several collages are also included in the exhibit including memorable plays such as Buck Belue’s pass to Lindsay Scott during the 1980 game versus the University of Florida and a collage of notable UGA kickers.

The Celebrity Golf Tournament is a fundraiser of The Georgia Club Foundation and raises money through the tournament, a live and silent auction, and the Yoculan Ball Drop (named for Master of Ceremonies, former UGA Gymnastics Coach Suzanne Yoculan). All proceeds go to the Foundation and the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia. Last year’s tournament raised more than $15,000 for the Food Bank and this year’s tournament is expected to exceed that amount. Steve Penley has painted a commissioned floral, too, that will be sold during the live auction.

Other celebrities expected to attend the Celebrity Golf Tournament and Auction include Matt Stinchcomb, Kelley Hester, David Chandley, O’Neill Williams and Morten Anderson just to name a few.

The art exhibit can be viewed in The Georgia Club’s Lobby, Board Room and Lounge now through Sunday, August 1 from 8:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. daily. There is no charge to view the exhibit. All of the original works of art are available for purchase.

For more information about the art exhibit or The Celebrity Golf Tournament, please visit www.TheGeorgiaClubFoundation.com or call 770-725-8100.

A beautiful floral arrangement painted by Steve Penley will be auctioned off at the Celebrity Golf Tournament Saturday.

Steve Penley is a celebrated, nationally-renowned artist. He is a graduate of the University of Georgia and studies at the school of the Visual Arts in New York. His work is widely shown and collected internationally. He lives in Carrollton, GA. For more details, please visit www.StevePenley.com.

The golf course gets a woman’s touch this June as we celebrate Women’s Golf during the month of June.  Part of American Express Women’s Golf Month, The Georgia Club will offer special play rates and clinics for ladies.

The goal of  American Express Women’s Golf Month is to create a more women-friendly environment around the golf course.  While activities take place throughout the year, June is specifically recognized as a month to encourage ladies to hit the course and represent Women’s Golf.

As a host facility, The Georgia Club will offer a special rate for ladies during the month of June.  Georgia Club ladies may bring up to three accompanied guests at a price of $35 plus tax.  Unaccompanied female guests may play at a rate of $40 plus tax.  This offer is valid Monday through Thursdays, until June 31.

We look forward to seeing you and your friends at The Georgia Club to help promote and celebrate Women’s Golf Month.  Please visit the Women’s Golf Month page at the PGA Play Golf America Site.

For tee times, call 770-725.8101.  If you have any questions about Women’s Golf Month, call Head Golf Professional at   770-725-4908  .

Kelsey Duttlinger and Emily Radcliffe of North Oconee High School were two of The Georgia Club Foundation's Scholarship Winners

The Georgia Club Foundation is pleased to present its second annual scholarships for graduating high school seniors. The Scholarship committee sought nominations from graduating seniors and awarded the scholarships based on several factors including community service, academic integrity and recommendations. The following are the 2010 recipients:

North Oconee High School:

Emily Radcliffe ($1,000 Recipient)
Attending University of Alabama
Valedictorian
Initiated a fund raiser for Relay for Life called “Cuties for a Cure”
Active in honors programs, athletics and community service

Kelsey Duttlinger ($500 Recipient)
Attending Lee University in Tennessee
High GPA with 5 AP classes
Strong involvement with Special Olympics
Involved with Performing Arts since she was a child

Apalachee High School:

Kymberly Ervin ($1000 Recipient)
Attending UGA
Valedictorian
Strong Leadership and Community Service

Mons Tyson ($500 Recipient)
Attending Reinhardt — ultimately wants a Masters in Music Education
Very active in Band, Student Advisory Board for Community Bank and Trust, as well as involvement with Atlanta Homeless Shelter

The scholarships were funded with proceeds from The Georgia Club Foundation’s Annual Christmas Tour of Homes.

Each week, visit The Georgia Club Blog for a new recipe from The Georgia Club Foundation’s Cookbook, Cooking With Panache: Favorites from The Georgia Club.  With over 400 food and drink recipes, Cooking with Panache makes the perfect gift for special occasions, like Mother’s Day.

The weather is ideal for evenings sitting outside or on the front porch.  Unwind with a refreshing dessert.  Lemonade never tasted so good!

Refreshing Lemonade Pie

 1 quart good-quality vanilla ice cream, softened

1 (6-ounce) can frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed

1 graham cracker pie crust

Fresh Berries of choice

Whipped Cream 

Directions:  Combine Mix softened ice cream and lemonade concentrate and pour into pie crust. Freeze until ready to serve. To serve, top with fresh berries and whipped cream.

This is just one of the many delicious recipes you will find in Cooking With Panache. The cookbook features all types of recipes from appetizers, tailgating recipes, side dishes, main entrées and desserts to a section titled “Additions with Panache” featuring sauces, salsas and more. Cooking With Panache also features a sidebar with each recipe, which showcases research-based nutritional information, fun facts and cooking tips. Each entrée recipe comes with “Vine Advice”, a suggested wine pairing, courtesy of Georgia Crown Distributing.

All cookbook sales will go directly to The Georgia Club Foundation.  To purchase your cookbook, visit our online store.  Cookbooks are also available in The Georgia Club Membership and Administration Office and the Pro Shop. 

If you have never seen an episode of Dancing with the Stars, the premise is simple: a celebrity, with little or no dance experience, is paired with a professional dancer.  Each week, the couples learn a new dance style and then perform in front of a live audience.  The show is a thrilling spectacle, displaying different types of dance choreographed to popular songs. 

Project Safe, a local non-profit that provides services for victims of domestic abuse, saw an opportunity to produce a Dancing with the Stars-esque show that could raise thousands and thousands of dollars to benefit the organization.  After raising over $95,000 in 2009, the 2010 Dancing with the Athens Stars is bound to surpass that number.

This year, the ballroom dance competition features local stars including chef Hugh Acheson (Five & Ten), Clarke County Sheriff Ira Edwards and our very own CEO Jim Vanden Berg.  Jim and his partner Michelle Collin have been practicing for several months to prepare for the big show on Sunday, March 21 at 7 p.m. at the Classic Center. 

Jim makes the perfect candidate for the dancing competition.  He has no previous dance experience.  

“I am not a professional dancer,” Jim emphatically explained, ”so I am going to have as much fun as I can.”  While he admitted it was a struggle at first, he knew he was in good hands with his partner Michelle Collin.

“Michelle said ‘one day it will become clear,” Jim recalled.  Michelle, a dance instructor at the Studio Dance Academy, found a willing student in Jim.

“He catches on pretty well,” Michelle explained, “the more he does it, the more he gets it.” 

While there were many challenges that faced Jim and Michelle, one challenge stuck out the most.  Jim is 6′5 and Michelle is 5′4.  The height difference presented some problems when the couple first started their training.  They tried three or four styles from salsa to rumba before settling on the East Coast Swing.  Even then, some modifications needed to be made.

“We had to change a few things in the swing dance to fit the height,” Michelle explained.  Jim and Michelle will perform to the song ”Footloose.”  Their dance will include “a little bit of fun from the movie.”

As inspiration for their upcoming performance, the real Dancing with the Stars provided a bit of guidance for the eager dancers. 

“It’s amazing how they take dancers like me and turn it into something,” Jim related.  As for their favorite DWTS performers, Jim enjoyed following Donnie Osmond while Michelle was inspired by former dancer Julianne Hough.

“She always tried to make it fun.  You see personality added.  That’s part of the reason we went with ‘Footloose,’” Michelle explained.

Jim and Michelle are well on their way to becoming the 2010 People’s Choice Winner.  They are currently in second place in voting.  However, they are ready to walk away with the other trophy, the Judges’ Choice Award, as well.

“They call it a competition.  We have a competitive mindset.  We want to win,” Michelle revealed. 

With only two weeks away from the big show, Jim and Michelle are ready to hit the dance floor and claim the Judges’ Choice Trophy and the People’s Choice Trophy.  Be there to cheer them on and congratulate them on their victory! Tickets are on sale for $15 in The Georgia Club Administration Office and the Pro Shop.  Tickets are also available online at the Classic Center Web site and you can cast your votes for Couple #3 online at Project Safe.

Get ready to cut loose!

The Georgia Club invites you to breakfast! Join us every Saturday morning beginning March 6 for an ala carte breakfast that is certain to take strokes off your golf game.  We will be offering breakfast each Saturday morning from 8 to 10 a.m. The menu includes omelettes, croissants and eggs to order with all your favorite breakfast accompaniments. 

Not playing golf?  What better way to jumpstart your weekend than a wonderful breakfast created by the dynamic culinary team at The Georgia Club.  Enjoy your first meal of the day at the Club!

While reservations are not required, they are recommended.  Please call the Clubhouse at    770-725-8100    with your reservations! 

To view more dining options at The Georgia Club, please visit our Web site.

Are you ready for an entertaining and exciting event?  Get your tickets now for Dancing with the Athens Stars featuring TGC CEO Jim Vanden Berg.  The show will take place on Sunday, March 21 at 7 p.m. at  The Classic Center in Downtown Athens. 

A spectacular event, Dancing with the Athens Stars will feature 12 couples made up of well-known Athens’ figures and professional dancers, who will take to the dance floor to show off their preferred style of ballroom dance. 

All ticket sales will go directly to Project Safe.  Project Safe is a local 501 (c) 3 nonprofit organization working to end domestic violence through crisis intervention, prevention education and ongoing supportive services.  Last year’s show raised $95,000.  Help Project Safe double that number!

Don’t miss once and a lifetime opportunity to see Jim sashay across the dance floor doing to the East Coast Swing!  Tickets are available in The Georgia Club Membership and Administration Office and The Georgia Club Pro Shop.  Tickets are $15 and general admission.  Tickets can also be purchased at  The Classic Center (a $5 convenience charge will be added to online purchases.)  The show is sure to be a sell-out so get your tickets early! 

Don’t forget to “place” your votes for Jim and his partner Michelle.  Each dollar donated equals one vote.  Jim and Michelle are currently in third place! Help them take the lead by visiting Project Safe or mailing in your votes to Project Safe at P.O. Box 7532 Athens, GA 30604. (Please designate your donation for Jim and Michelle.)

The majority of weeds in turf are controlled simply by execution of a well-planned, effective turfgrass cultural system.  Unfortunately, Mother Nature still dictates the final results. 

We have taken extra steps here at The Georgia Club to ensure the golf course is virtually free from weeds.  Our obligation is to apply herbicides accurately and with good judgment to protect our environment. 

Typically, we treat our golf course with an herbicide application between the last week of November and the second week of December.  However, we did not make this application in the final months of 2009.  Dennis Echols, Director of Golf Course Management, decided not to make this application because the ground was too saturated from excessive rainfall.

Similarly, The Georgia Club experienced a very wet season during the winter of 1995.  Dennis conducted trials on one particular golf hole, spraying the same herbicide we were scheduled to use last year at rates up to four times the prescribed rate.  The experimental hole showed no effective control of weed growth and therefore confirmed the effects of excessive rainfall.

During the last four months of 2009, we received more than 32 inches of rain.  This led Dennis to postpone the treatment.  Dennis explained, “I had little confidence that we would benefit from an herbicide application last November.”

Dennis and his ground team plan on making a dual-purpose application to the golf course by the end of February.  Obviously, the weather will still dictate when the sprayers can be driven on the golf course.  The treatment will consist of a non-selective herbicide that will kill all the existing weeds, and a pre-emergent herbicide that should allow weed control through the spring and early summer. 

Existing weeds will not begin to die until about six weeks after the application.  Please be patient with us, as you will see more weeds than normal until this application has taken effect. 

Dennis will be glad to discuss this matter in more detail.  Comments to the blog will receive responses promptly, or you may contact Dennis directly at     770-725-4914     or at DEchols@TheGeorgiaClub.Com

This March, The Georgia Club CEO Jim Vanden Berg will be trading the boardroom for the ballroom as he heads to the dance floor for the Third Annual Dancing with the Athens Stars.  An event benefitting Project Safe, Dancing with the Athens Stars will take place at the Classic Center on Sunday, March 21.

Before you place your votes or purchase your tickets, think about where your money is going.  Project Safe is a local 501 (c) 3 nonprofit organization working to end domestic violence through crisis intervention, prevention education and ongoing supportive services.  In 2009, Project Safe provided 18,587 services to clients in need in the local community.  Those services include a safe shelter, a 24-hour hotline, support groups and emergency financial assistance. 

Jim Vanden Berg and Partner Michelle Collin

A spectacular event, Dancing with the Athens Stars will feature 12 couples made up of well-known Athens’ figures and professional dancers, who will take to the dance floor to show off their preferred style of ballroom dance.  After several months of rehearsals, Jim and his partner Michelle Collin will perform the East Coast Swing.  Two trophies will be awarded at the end of the night, one for the Judges’ Favorite and the other for the couple with the most votes.

The “Dancing with the Stars”-esque show is an exciting event for all Athenians.  The event, which will take place in the heart of Downtown Athens at the Classic Center, is a  major source of funds for Project Safe.  Last year’s event raised $95,000!  With the strengthening support and star power, the 2010 event is bound to surpass that number.

The easiest way you can help is to vote! Show your support for both Jim and Michelle and Project Safe.  One dollar donated equals one vote per couple ($50 = 50 votes.) Votes can be placed at www.Project-Safe.org or can be mailed to Project Safe at P.O. Box 7532 Athens, GA 30604.  Votes will be counted until the last intermission of the show.

Secondly, you can support Project Safe by attending the show on Sunday, March 21 at the Classic Center.  Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 the night of the show.  All ticket sales will go directly to Project Safe.  Tickets will be available for purchase beginning in March.  Tickets can be purchased online at www.ClassicCenter.com or at the Classic Center.

Join us on Thursday, January 28 at 7 p.m. for the next installment of our Expanding Horizons Series with featured speaker Horace Newcomb, Director of the George Foster Peabody Awards Program. He holds the Lambdin Kay Chair for the Peabody Awards in the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of Georgia.

As professor, author, editor, columnist and lecturer, Newcomb has contributed to the field of telecommunications through numerous venues. He is the author of the book TV: The Most Popular Art and editor of seven editions of Television: The Critical View.  Newcomb served as Curator for the Museum of Broadcast Communications in Chicago where he was editor of The Museum of Broadcast Communications Encyclopedia of Television, a four volume, 2,000 page reference work containing more than 1,200 entries related to television in the United States.

Newcomb has traveled around the globe to speak on his media interests and he will join us at The Georgia Club for a special lecture which will focus on the Peabody Awards and their significance in the media industries.

The event is free and will take place in the Dawgwood II Ballroom.  Light appetizers and a cash bar will be available.  Reservations are required and can be made by calling   770-725-8100  .