New Executive Chef Michelle Cusmina
Bay Creek is excited to announce that Shelly Cusmina has been appointed Executive Chef at the Coach House Tavern!  Shelly comes to the Tavern with 25 years of experience in the restaurant industry and will be overseeing all the kitchen’s culinary operations. Touting a BA in Political Science and Russian from Rutgers University, Shelly also graduated from Johnson & Wales culinary school.

An authentic local food scene celebrity, Shelly was the Sous Chef at Lucky Star Restaurant and worked at Bay Creek's AQUA from 2004-2016 as Executive Sous and then Executive Chef. She mentored under Chef Amy Brandt for nine years at the beginning of her career and was most recently Executive Chef at Cherrystone Campground.

“Food is not only my career, it’s my passion,” said Chef Cusmina. “I look forward to returning to Bay Creek and collaborating with the team to take the Coach House Tavern to new heights.”  Shelly begins her new position this month.

5th Annual Big Hole Tournament
Saturday, March 30, 11:00 Shotgun Start on the Palmer Course
Sunday, March 31, 11:00 Shotgun Start on the Palmer Course
Sign up now for our 5th Annual Bay Creek Big Hole Tournament! Again this year, due to popular demand, we will be hosting two Big Hole Tournaments on consecutive days. Play on Saturday, March 30 or Sunday, March 31 (or play in both tournaments). There will be separate winners and prizes each day.  We will be playing the Palmer course this year.

What's it like playing 18 holes with a massive, 15-inch cup in each green instead of the usual 4.25 -inch model? "Absolute fun!" Truth is, you can often recover from a couple of wayward shots on a hole by chipping in. Three-putting is next to impossible. Separate tees for Juniors under 9, Juniors under 13, Seniors and Women. Call or stop by the Golf Shop to register or print an Entry Form for Saturday here or for Sunday here. The entry fee of $45 for members, $65 for guests and $55 for junior guests includes carts and lunch.  Lunch will be served in the Tavern each day as your make the turn. 

2019 Tournament Schedule
The 2019 Tournament Schedule is shaping up with five major tournaments that are open to Members and to the public. In addition to the Big Hole Tournament, the Bay Creek Amateur, the Ladies Invitational and the King & Bear Two-Man return this year. These four always sell out pretty quickly so please get your entries in early.  A new Junior Invitational is planned for August and a full slate of Members Only tournaments will be announced soon.  Registration begins February 1st for our first event of the year, the Nicklaus Cup Match Play, contact the Golf Shop to sign up. View the  Tournament Schedule here.

New Junior Invitational
New to our tournament schedule for 2019 is the inaugural Bay Creek Junior Invitational on August 10 and 11!   Our Junior Event will be staged on Jack Nicklaus' Signature Course the week after the annual Bay Creek Amateur so the course will be in top shape for a competition. Regarded by good players as a true test, the Nicklaus Course is always highly ranked in Virginia and is a spectacular setting for a premier junior tournament.  This event is open to all junior golfers, boys and girls, with a valid USGA Handicap Index who are at least 10 years old by the first day of the tournament, and no older than 18 years old by the final day of the tournament.  We are currently looking for Members who may want to contribute as volunteers, rules officials or sponsors.  For more information, call Joe or Zach in the Golf Shop at 757-331-8623.  Entry forms will be available online soon. 

U.S.G.A. Rules Changes
The U.S. Golf Association has announced several significant changes to the Rules of Golf for 2019.  A full list of the changes can be found here, check it out before you tee it up in a tournament this season. Here's a quick look at some of the new rules that could have an impact on your game.

-Fixing spike marks. Repairing damage on the greens is now allowed without penalty, meaning that you can repair anything from spike marks to animal damage.
-Dropping when taking relief. The shoulder-height drop is a thing of the past. Now when you have to take a drop, be it for free relief or after hitting into a hazard, the procedure is to drop from knee height.
-Grounding the club in a hazard. Gone, too, is the penalty for grounding your club or removing loose impediments in a hazard. Whether you're facing a shot from the dry bank of a lake or trying to hit it back into play from the edge of the water, you can ground your club just like you would in the middle of the fairway.
-Removing loose impediments in a bunker ... or your ball. The rules are a little different in the sand, where loose impediments and stones in bunkers are now fair game. Players can remove loose impediments like leaves from around their ball, although touching the sand with the club during a practice swing or back swing of an actual stroke in the bunker will still be prohibited. Players also have the option of not playing from a bunker and incurring a two-stroke penalty.
-Removing the flagstick. Whether you're facing a putt of 3 feet or 30 feet, you now have the option to leave the flagstick in unattended without penalty.
-Looking for a ball. While the old rules allotted five minutes for players to search for a lost ball, that window has now been trimmed to three minutes. After that point, a ball is officially deemed lost.

New Members
We are pleased to welcome the following new Bay Creek Members!
--Debra, Joseph and Jonah Facciolli of Cape Charles.
--Jon, Kristin, Hayden and Ian Thornbrugh of Chester, VA.

More Jack Nicklaus Golf Tips
With eighteen professional major championships, two U.S. Amateurs and eight senior majors, Mr. Nicklaus is the all-time greatest champion in golf.  Below are some of his most enduring words and a few of his favorite tips that may help your game. 
I've always believed the club should dominate you instead of you dominating the club.
Aim and alignment are by far the most important elements of the act of moving a golf ball from A to B.  Rub the magic lamp, get the genie to give you any golf swing of your choice from history, and if you don't direct it correctly from the beginning, it still won't reduce your present score by even one measly stroke.
Your first have to see the trouble, then think positively about playing away from it.  Some players might say they just "let it happen."  Well, you don't ever just let it happen.
More next month...

BodyStretch Class
Please join us for BodyStretch Class on Tuesday mornings in February at 9:00am at the Beach Club.
This class combines light calesthenics (no jumping) with basic stretches and simple movements from Yoga, Pilates and the Titleist Performance Institute for a FUN and effective workout for Members of all ages and fitness levels. There is no charge for members, your guests are welcome to pay a Guest fee and join in.  Stretch your way to fitness and better golf!

February Hours and Schedule
Golf Shop
The first tee time every day in February will be 8:00am on Nicklaus and 8:05am on Palmer. The Golf Shop opens at 7:30am.  For more information or to make tee time reservations, please call the Golf Shop at 331-8620 or Book Online.
Beach Club
The Fitness Club and Lounge will be open from 7:00am until 7:00pm for the remainder of the off-season.
Coach House Tavern
The Tavern serves Breakfast and Lunch every day in February along with Brunch on Sunday. Dinner will be served on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday evenings. Surf & Turf Dinners are offered on Fridays and Saturdays along with fresh seafood and rotating specials. Italian Night continues on Monday evenings.  Please phone the Tavern at 331-8630 to place carryout orders or to make a dinner reservation.
Tavern Hours
Monday 7:30am - 8:00pm
Tuesday 7:30am - 5:00pm
Wednesday 7:30am - 5:00pm
Thursday 7:30am - 5:00pm
Friday 7:30am - 9:00pm
Saturday 7:30am - 9:00pm
Sunday 7:30am - 8:00pm

The Palmer and Nicklaus Rivalry
By Doug Ferguson - Golf Channel
Jack Nicklaus says if he were in a high-stakes match in Las Vegas in his prime, the most compelling opponent would be Arnold Palmer.  With apologies to the super-hyped exhibition between Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson on pay-per-view, any talk of rivalries in golf starts with Nicklaus and Palmer. 

He said the rivalry started in 1958 when Nicklaus, an 18-year-old amateur, was invited to take part in a day honoring Dow Finsterwald.  "On the first tee we had a driving contest,'' Mr. Nicklaus said. ''Arnold drove it on the green. I drove it 30 yards over the green. I never let Arnold forget that. I'd say, 'Hey AP, we had one driving contest, I hit it 30 yards by you.' He'd say, 'Yeah, but I shot 63 that day and you shot 67.' To me, that was the start of our rivalry. Ever since we played, we always had fun with that. 

''I'd say, if I hadn't shot 39 on the last nine holes at Cherry Hills, no one would have ever heard of you.' And he'd say to me, 'If I hadn't three-putted nine times in '62, nobody would have ever heard of you.' That was our banter.''

Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer at the U.S. Open at Cherry Hills in 1962

 Bay Creek Phone Directory
Golf Shop 331-8620 or 331-8623
Coach House Tavern 331-8630
Beach Club 331-8730
Bay Creek Rentals 331-8750
Bay Creek Real Estate 331-8742
Joe Burbee, PGA 331-8624
Zach Pfingst, PGA 331-8625
Tom Stevenson, PGA, TPI 331-8633
Kristin Aigner 331-8635
Christine LeVick 331-8704
Julie Pruitt 331-8738
Susan Linfert 331-8626
Sally Stamper, PMA 646-6247 ext 117

If you have Bay Creek news for the Member Insider, please contact tom.stevenson@baycreek.net.  To view past issues of the Member Insider, visit our Archives .