Dennis Olbrich

This week's Board Member Spotlight belongs to Dennis Olbrich. Dennis is also one of the newest RDGA board members and he is looking to be a part of the impact the RDGA makes on golf in Rochester. Dennis is currently a member at The Brookwoods C.C. as well as Durand Eastman G.C. Although he claims to not be a great golfer, Dennis has won some tournaments, and he is most proud of his 2003 Match Play Championship at Durand Eastman.

Dennis has seen all of the great work the RDGA has done over the years throughout the community and he decided he wanted to give back to the golf community he loves by becoming more involved with the RDGA. Dennis sees the RDGA continuing their success in promoting amateur golf in the Rochester area for years to come, and Dennis aims to help the RDGA continue to exceed expectations of local golfers. One of Dennis' main goals is to better promote RDGA events and Rochester golf in general to women, and he has already been working with other board members to put his ideas in-motion.

Everyone at the RDGA welcomes Dennis to our organization and we look forward to utilizing his ideas and experience to bring the RDGA to even greater levels of service to our local players and clubs!

Jules Chiavaroli

This week's Board Member Spotlight is on a first-year Board Member: Jules Chiavaroli. Jules is a very active member at Wild Wood Country Club, where he is the captain of his Men's League as well as the three-time defending champion. In addition to his league dominance, Jules won Wild Wood's A-Flight Club Championship in 2011, B-Flight Club Championship in 2006, and the A-Flight Senior Championship in 2006. He is also proud to announce that after 45 years of golf, he secured his first hole-in-one in the 2010 season.

Jules has finally accomplished his goal of becoming involved with the RDGA. Becoming a Board Member is Jules' way of being able to give back to the golf community he has came to love over the years, and his participation in the RDGA Senior Championship a few years ago allowed him to begin this chapter in his golf career.

Jules is very aware of all the facets of golf the RDGA is involved in locally, and though he is impressed with all we do, he believes his involvement will help propel the RDGA into a brighter future. Currently, the RDGA lacks a diverse group of involved participants, and Jules seeks to help the RDGA better represent the true diversity of the Rochester golf community by getting men and women of all ages involved with the RDGA. All of us at the RDGA are excited for this trend to continue, and we know Jules' involvement will help us better accomplish this goal.

In addition to this goal, Jules also plans on assisting the RDGA at its most basic levels by assisting with RDGA events, handicapping duties, and course rating. Jules' previous experience working with other not-for-profit organizations have given him considerable knowledge in dealing with challenges the RDGA is likely to face. We at the RDGA welcome Jules and look forward to utilizing his wealth of experience!

Mark Battle

This week's Board Member Spotlight brings one of our newest Board Members: Mark Battle. Mark is currently a member at Ravenwood Golf Club and Durand Eastman Golf Club; where he has been a member most of his life. Mark has been involved in golf since he was a young kid and playing competitively for over 35 years.

Mark has a very impressive list of golf accomplishments as well: Club Champion at Ravenwood, Brook Lea, and Durand Eastman. He also won the RDGA Senior Championship in 2010, has been the Ravenwood Senior Champion three times, and was the alternate for the USGA Senior Amateur in 2011.

Mark's interest in working with the RDGA came from playing on RDGA events and experiencing the growth the RDGA is also experiencing. Mark was impressed by how much the RDGA actually is involved in to keep Rochester Golf running, and he wanted to be a part of it. In the future, any rules knowledge Mark gains with the RDGA may prompt him to become a USGA Rules Official.

While involved with the RDGA, Mark wants to see the RDGA adopt more innovative golf technology and encourage younger men and women to get involved to better secure the future of the RDGA. Mark wants to get involved in expanding the RDGA Junior Golf Program and facilitating junior golf growth throughout the Rochester Area. In addition, Mark wants to increase awareness of the women's golf opportunities within the RDGA.

Mark states that only time will tell whether or not his involvement in the RDGA will make an impact, but we are confident he will!

New Additions to the RDGA Board of Directors for 2012!

The RDGA is proud to announce three new members to our Board of Directors: Mark Battle of Ravenwood GC, Dennis Olbrich of The Brookwoods CC, and Jules Chiavaroli of Wild Wood CC.
Mark and Dennis are working with other Board members and the local community on offering more opportunities for Women's golf in the RDGA and RDGA events. This is an area all members of our organization are looking forward to expanding, and both Mark and Dennis bring fresh perspectives and new ideas to the table that better help us accomplish our goals.
Mark, Dennis, and Jules will be involved in the very active tournament committee who is in charge of arranging the yearly schedule and working with local courses to ensure RDGA events are fully prepared.

Mark and Jules will also be involved on the long-range planning portion of the RDGA. This involves making macro decisions that will help set goals and guide the RDGA to achieving those goals over the next several years. 

We are excited to have the input of our three new board members. the knowledge and experience they have will go far towards making the RDGA even better. We look forward to a great year!

The 2012 Board of Directors are as follows:

Mike Sorce, Fred Lapple, Dan Overbeck, Joe Valvo, Dave Knauss, Wilson Fitch, Richard Wood, Larry Faulkner, Mark Little, Jim Cook, Mark Battle, Jules Chiavaroli, and Dennis Olbrich. Tim Vangellow will be the Administrative Director and Kyle Ricketts and Kevin Lewis will be staying on as PJ Boatwright Interns.

Cobblestone Creek Country Club hosts 2012 District Championship

The RDGA is pleased to announce that the 2012 District Championship will be held at Cobblestone Creek Country Club located in Victor, NY. The Championship will be held July 11-14. The challenging 6866 yard par 72 golf course is a great venue for this year's Rochester District Golf Association John H. Ryan Jr. Memorial District Championship. Mike Surtel, general manager and Neil Reidy, head golf professional have both shown great interest and enthusiasm in hosting the 2012 championship. The last time the Championship was held at Cobblestone Creek C.C. was back in 2005 where Jim Scorse was the champion.  We are really looking forward to a great championship and hope for a great turnout this July at Cobblstone Creek Country Club!