May 9, 2011

BARNESVILLE, PA — The Captains Club formally announced in December the tournament player's meeting will return in 2011, but no longer be held on the same day as first round of tournament golf. The 11-year old event will hold its first player meeting 15 minutes after the traditional practice round and initial bag storage.

The next 60-minute meeting will be held in conjunction with dinner on the clubhouse deck at Mountain Valley Golf Course. Dinner (cheesesteaks, chicken wings, and perogies) is included in the golf trip fee. A cash bar will also be open on the deck.

"The event has offically grown to 4 full days and nearly 100 golfers," says Greg Long, Chairman of the Captains Club. "The meeting is no longer holding sufficient value when held in the morning of Day 2. The importance of communicating verbally and collectively on Day 1 has enormous value and the right direction moving forward."

The practice round is scheduled to begin at 2:15PM EST on June 9. The player meeting will follow the shotgun start and initial bag storage. The traditional meeting is expected to start at 8:30PM EST.

"Every venue is different," says Long. "Having a chance to explain the details surrounding each venue before participants board the first bus or check-into a hotel will make future events more organized."

The annual meeting is a chance for players to get to know one-another, discuss a quick itinerary, provide contest and award explanations, chair a rule discussion, and provide player expectations surrounding ground transportation, entertainment, and hotel.

The daily pairing sheet for the optional practice round will be available in the hotel lobby sometime Wednesday night. The traditional practice round pairing sheet will be available from the registration table at Mountain Valley.

Senior member Matt Mogel asked, "It sounds like this meeting will be cutting into the traditional Welcome Party. Is this accurate?" Long replied, "Yes sir. At least this year. The future might see a shotgun start at 1:00PM, but we have 36 holes to consider this year. I would expect everyone to be checked-into the hotel by 10:30PM. The Welcome Party will be held inside Timber's Lounge, which is inside the Comfort Inn.

There are many advantages to the player meeting being held after the practice round as indicated, however it will also clear the itinerary for Day 2. This will open the door for future non-golf entertainment options.

The shift in itinerary at Mountain Valley will provide substantial time on Friday for the Yeungling Brewery Tour (or sleeping in) and 4-hour deck party."

The Carl Spackler Open will begin in 31 days. Reportedly, Jeff Tatum and Dave Nickles ran into each other in a Virginia Kmart trying to buying up the last pocket-size notebook for course notes.