Annual Myrtle Beach Golf Outing

The following provides an overview of our Annual Myrtle Beach Golf Outing and specifics for 2007. Please seriously consider joining us for this fabulous event. WE CAN RELATE with being overwhelmed at times with personal and professional responsibilities, so knowing all the specifics for an event such as this is a must before one commits dollars and precious time away from family and work. The days of only having to decide which frat party to attend and whether or not to skip a particular class are long gone! As a young Sig Tau, you were part of a special group at a special time in your life. So why not escape your daily "grind" for a few days, relive some old memories, and golf with friends you made from your undergraduate days at Cal State?

This Golf Outing began in March, 1997 when just four of us decided to get away over a long weekend at Jekyll Island, Georgia. We had such an awesome time that we decided to invite others, and relocate to the more accommodating site of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Little did we realize in '97 how this event would become so popular. It is truly a fantastic event that we hope to continue indefinitely. The event also has been the catalyst for recolonizing our suspended Beta Iota Chapter. That is a story in itself, but golf is the primary focus here! Numerous golf groups ranging in size and origin gather yearly at Myrtle Beach, Hilton Head, and elsewhere to rekindle and solidify old friendships. The high demand motivates most of these groups to plan nearly a year out in reserving optimum tee times at select courses and locking in other amenities, so the onus for efficiencies rests with Group Planner(s). As our group continues to grow, the event becomes more of a challenge to manage. Therefore, guidelines have been developed to facilitate event planning with the goal of making our time together as enjoyable as possible. Note: If you have yet to attend this event, one option (and it's just an option!) is for you to identify a 4-some for which you can share a condo and rental car, and be paired for golf daily. So...contact those "old lost" fraternity friends of yours! Jeff is the Group Organizer; all YOU really have to do is obtain a "Kitchen Pass," phone in your payment, coordinate your travel plans, and expect a Great Time! Specifics for 2007:

a. WHEN: Wednesday, March 28th - Sunday, April 1st 2007. Arrive anytime that Wednesday and depart Sunday (by 11:00AM). For those who need advance time to plan time away from work or home, coordinate frequent flyer flight plans, save some cash, etc., you can focus on this timeframe.

b. WHERE: Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

c. COSTS. 1) Golfers: $365. Includes condo for four nights (with basic daily maid service), three rounds of golf with cart, breakfast (Saturday only), and all taxes; an additional $20 will be requested for incidentals (Iron City beer, prizes, more Iron City beer, etc.) upon arrival. 2) Non-Golfers: $135. If you don't care to golf, so what? Myrtle Beach has much to offer. You’re welcome to just hang out! Price covers condo for four nights (with basic maid service) and the $20 incidentals request.	"Yo, 'Holmes,' have you seen any good gladiator movies lately?" (The Sandherr triplets: Jimmy, Mike, and Tom)
3) Payment Procedure: Pay the FULL AMOUNT by Phone with Credit/Debit Card NLT March 7th, 2007. (a) (Golfers - $365 (or adjusted golf package price - SEE "Options" below) or Non-Golfers - $135 -- Call "Myrtle Beach Trips" (our Vacation Management Company) at 800.819.2282; (b) Ask for Carolyn, if she is available (although any Agent may assist). . FULL PAYMENT must be made NLT March 7th, 2007. Options: OPTION 1. Extra round of golf (Wednesday, March 28th; stacked tee times begin at 12:44; cost = $63). If you opt to play on Wednesday, ensure you ADD $63 to the $365 cost when calling or forwarding your payment. Most of us do arrive early and golf Wednesday. For those of you who do, suggest you plan on arriving Myrtle Beach by 10:30AM on Wednesday (March 28th) to ensure you comfortably meet the 12:44 tee time. OPTION 2. Extra night's stay at the condo (Tuesday night, March 27th); cost = $25). This allows you to sleep-in Wednesday morning rather than risk being rushed for golf (Rushed for Golf = Bad!). Again, ensure you also ADD $25 if you exercise this option. NOTE: Friends, please make the March 7th no-later-than date! We care to finalize the event by early March. Most other golf groups have much more stringent rules than ours. Because of the effect on planning and the size of our group, coordinating payments and identifying all attendees can be "challenging." "Myrtle Beach Trips" imposes restrictive timelines and suspenses that the Group Organizer has to comply with. [For example, we reserve 8 prime-time (mid-morning) stacked tee times at selected golf courses for each day, in which the respective golf course managers demand confirmed numbers (i.e., cash-in-hand) of golfers. This means any extra tee times (reserved because of the uncertainty of how many folks will attend) can be reserved for only so long.] Out of respect for the Group Organizer, please be proactive and work closely with him in a timely manner. Thanks! It is understood that some of you cannot easily predict your work schedule; however, we urge you to do your best (like, promise your boss you'll work twice as hard!) and make a commitment NLT Mar 7th. 4) Cancellation Procedures. Jeff will handle all cancellations on a case-by-case basis. NOTE: You can attend a portion of this event if your schedule dictates or your desires are such. This applies both for golfers and non-golfers. Contact Jeff to discuss.
d. GENERAL POINTS: 1) Condo’s: "Myrtle Beach Trips" provides both condo and golf accommodations. Each modern 1, 2, or 3 bedroom condo has a kitchenette (w/ utensils, etc.), bedrooms with twin beds, same-number bathrooms, a spacious living room, washer/dryer, and we have arranged for limited daily maid service (towels, etc.). We are less than 2 miles from the beach.	Whether it's the Sig Tau basement or a luxury condo in Myrtle Beach... some things just don't change.
2) Golf: There are 125 golf courses to choose from! Criteria in our course selection include cost, proximity to our condos, course condition, golf complex’s having 2 or more 18-hole courses (to afford a different 18-hole course to those desiring to play additional golf without having to drive elsewhere upon completing the morning round), minority hiring practices (ya, right), and overall challenge. Courses for 2007 are: (Click on each golf course to view course specifics):
(a) Wednesday (OPTIONAL): Myrtle Wood (Pine Hills Course); Note: Myrtle Wood GC is located within our condominium complex.). (b) Thursday: Arcadian Shores. (c) Friday: Legends (Heathland Course). (d) Saturday: Myrtle Wood (Palmetto Course). Note: Included in the overall package price is a group "all-you-can-eat" breakfast at the Myrtle Wood clubhouse this day only.	Look at that technique! (Rich, Karp, and Cuban)
3) Travel: Travel to/from Myrtle Beach is your responsibility. (a) Air: For most flights out of Pittsburgh, you can expect a stop-over (Atlanta, DC, or Charlotte). However, click: Myrtle Beach Direct Air which has limited direct flights ($99 each way) in/out of Pitt to Myrtle Beach. Since the Myrtle Beach "Jetport" is quite small and this event is during "peak" season, flights are usually booked to capacity well in advance. Frequent Flyers: take note! Plan early! Note: suggest your ETD on Sunday be NLT 11:00AM; we are all usually enroute home NLT 9:00AM. Directions (from Myrtle Beach Airport to condos): Depart airport exit, drive approx. 2 miles to "T" intersection, turn right onto the by-pass (US 17) going north, go thru approx. 6 stop lights (approx. 3 miles), turn left on 48th Ave. (stop light), then go approx. 100 yards to first right. The "Myrtle Beach Trips" office is the first building on the right (1410 48th Avenue North Extension, Myrtle Beach, SC 29577; 1.800.819.2282). (b) Driving Directions (from your home). Click: Directions to compute a precise route from your location to our Myrtle Beach condo's (Note: 1410 48th Avenue North Extension, Myrtle Beach, SC 29577). (c) Ground Transportation. A few of us will have personal vehicles, however we suggest you join a small group, in advance, in reserving a rental car (1-800-Thrifty offers very competitive deals). 4) Meals. You will need to budget for all meals (except for Wednesday's dinner and breakfast on Saturday). Restaurants are plentiful, and a Winn-Dixie is a mile away. For Wednesday night, Jeff will again prepare his 5-alarm venison chili (bring your Pepcid AC!). 5) Guests. By no means is this trip limited to "Sig Tau’s"!!! Friends and relatives are absolutely invited! The inviting member is asked to ensure their invitee(s) adheres to our basic rules. Expect to be paired with your guest(s) for golf and share the same condo. 6) Suggested Packing List: Golf clubs/shoes/gloves/attire/umbrella, hat, sunglasses, flask, cigars, cigar lighter, business cards, old college pictures, wind breaker, chap-stick, sunscreen, aspirin, Band-Aids, camera, "Altoids," postcard stamps, flak vest, etc. SOFT SPIKES ARE MANDATORY! ABSOLUTELY NO METAL SPIKES! Golf courses prohibit personal coolers; however, foursomes can ice down drinks in a plastic bag, pre-mix Bloody Mary's in containers, take half-pints of other "refreshments," etc. and discreetly pack them for golf. NOTE OF CAUTION: Anyone caught conducting business at the Golf Course via a cell phone, pager, laptop with wireless internet, or "Palm Pilot," will be severely beaten! Hey man, this is a vacation! e. OTHER EVENTS. 1) Non-Golf Event. Myrtle Beach has much to offer. Although golf is the primary attraction for this event, we are open to expanding our options - if enough folk are interested. We are searching for a volunteer to lead an effort for planning a non-golf event (chartered fishing, e.g.) during this timeframe. If interested, contact Jeff ASAP for coordination and assistance. 2) A Welcome/Golf Meeting will be held Wednesday night at 7:30 to discuss the finer points. A Golf Trip Daily Schedule will be prepared for use as a guide. Pairings will be pre-made based on old friendships, golf ability, &/or your requests (if possible) - and will remain flexible. Daily Tee Times (except for the optional round on Wednesday) will be stacked and scheduled between 8:45 and 9:45. Time will be allotted for practice range/putting/chipping and breakfast. Your daily round should end by 2:30 at the latest. Afterwards, options include 1) a "Replay" (additional round), if available); 2) watch the NCAA Basketball Tournament from the clubhouse or condo; 3) play cards back at the condo; 4) visit the Factory Outlets; or 5) for our "senior" members - take an afternoon nap!
3) Sig Tau Meeting. We will convene our semi-annual Sigma Tau Gamma Fraternity, Beta Iota Chapter, Alumni Association Corporate Meeting Friday evening. Our Alumni Association President, Joe Karpa, will moderate the meeting in which we will review our Chapter’s current developments. One hour max!	Thank God the walls couldn't talk!
4) California University of PA Alumni Association Briefing. We hope to again have a CUP Alumni Association staff member travel to Myrtle Beach and conduct an informative briefing (during a CUP Alumni Assoc.-sponsored lunch or dinner) on current CUP initiatives.
5) Group Dinner. We will have a Group Dinner at a fine restaurant ("T-Bonz," Carolina Roadhouse, e.g.) on Saturday night. Cost is approximately $35.	Good food, Good friends, Good times!
6) Awards. A series of "Awards" will be presented at the Group Dinner, including: Low Golf Score, High Golf Score, Ridiculously High Golf Score, Most Incredible Golf Shot, Dumbest Act (aka "Kordell" Award), and the prestigious Western PA White Trash Award. Valued prizes will be presented for each! 7) Group Picture. Vito will take a digitized Group Picture Thursday morning at the Arcadian Shores G.C. #1 tee; electronic copies will be made available to all. Frank Catalano, our Alumni "Web Master," will post the event's pictures to our Sig Tau website's "Golf Outing" hyper-link. Suggest you bring a disposable camera. f. MISCELLANEOUS. 1) Why Myrtle Beach and Why mid-March? Myrtle Beach is the golf Mecca of the world. It has plenty of golf courses to choose from, offers reasonable golf packages, and is relatively close to Pennsylvania where the majority of our brothers and friends reside. We contemplated relocating to Florida, but the general consensus was to retain Myrtle Beach as the site. Mid-March, although the "peak" period for golf groups to meet, was chosen due to: "March Madness," is the time period between kids’ basketball and baseball/soccer seasons, and has moderate risk of poor weather. 2) Factory Outlets. Myrtle Beach is famous for them and they have plenty. You can purchase fine gifts for your wife and mother-in-law such as a shellacked shark jaw, engraved ash tray, or 12-pack of tube socks. Hey, it's the least you could do to show your appreciation! However, Karp really made it difficult for all of us by setting the standard: he bought a beautifully adorned, ceramic "Beach Scene" fridge magnet for his lovely wife. Now all our wives will expect one! Thanks for nothing, Joe! 3) Weather. It’s always a hit-or-miss thing with the weather along the southeast coast in late March. We are truly at the mercy of the Weather Gods, but have been mostly fortunate over the years. Jimmy Sandherr was in charge of the weather last year, which resulted in near-perfect weather for the week. Way to go, Holmes! Obviously, Jimmy lucked out and therefore is invited back, for now. Jim's younger brother and Slippery Rock grad, Bill Sandherr has been elected (i.e., coerced) to fulfill this responsibility. Ah, suggest you bring your rubbers, Army parka, and K-Mart brand mittens! Seriously, bring proper wet-weather gear. If we are rained out, the respective golf course "may" issue Rain Checks to be applied in the future. OK, that about covers it! Please check this link periodically for updates. We hope you'll join us at Myrtle Beach this year. If not this year, then next. Again, at Cal we had a unique group of quality, special individuals that, be honest now – you think of on occasion, right? Absolutely! Life is too short, and our incredible time spent together years ago was too valuable to let go of. Therefore, we shouldn’t. Please make every effort to join us in March at Myrtle Beach. You owe it to yourself to be there!