Rancho Bernardo Inn Men’s Golf Club
Minutes of the Meeting of the RBIMGC Board of Directors
September 17th, 2026
The meeting was held in the Veranda Bar. In attendance were Tom Dubuque, Dave Schwartz, Joe Walkington, Bryan Murphy, Gregg Gattuso, Tom Christopher, and Jeff Bondesson.
Absences: Bob Lohneiss, Jerry Canning, Mike McKinnis, Scott Hamelin
The meeting was called to order at 9:00 AM by President Dave Schwartz
Report from Pro Shop – Matt Loflen
Matt reported that sod work was being done on the collars around the greens on several holes. Those holes had some bare spots and the greens crew felt that this was the last opportunity to lay sod and have it take before the fall and winter seasons. Several more holes will be done this coming week. Those sodded areas or the bare areas where the new sod has not yet been laid should be treated as ground under repair.
Aerification is scheduled for October 12. Play for the Monday Tournament that day will not be impacted because the grounds crew will work behind our tournament.
Matt was asked why some areas of the fairways are browned out. He speculated that it might be from mowing when the grass is too long where the roots are partially pulled up. He also mentioned “haystacking”, where the clippings sit too long on top of the grass and it browns out. It is a seasonal condition and will improve.
Secretary’s Report – Gregg Gattuso
The minutes for the August meeting were posted to the Web Site and Google sheets with the changes recommended by the Board. A motion was made, seconded, and approved to accept the minutes as posted.
Treasurer’s Report – Dave Schwartz
Bob was unable to attend the meeting but submitted his report. Dave noted that the club remains in good financial shape.
Membership Report – Dave Schwartz for Jerry Canning
Jerry Canning was not able to attend the meeting but submitted his report. There were two new members added since the August 20 Board meeting to September 17th, Frank Martin and Stan Richardson.
There were 11 non-December renewals and one member did not renew his membership.
There are three applicants in the pipeline.
Currently, there are 181 members, 175 Full members and 6 Comp and Courtesy Comp.
Handicap Chairman – Tom Dubuque:
Tom submitted a sheet designed to clarify the language regarding our maximum allowable index to become, and remain, a member of RBIMGC. The existing verbiage was inconsistent. It was voted on and approved that the maximum allowable index is 36. If a member exceeds this number, he will be allowed to play in our Monday tournaments, but he will not pay the sweeps fee, and his score will not count; his team will receive a blind draw. This policy will remain in place until his index falls to 36 or below.
Tournament Chairman – Joe Walkington:
The combination of moving our Labor Day tournament to Wednesday and the recent excessive heat hurt our participation numbers during the past month. Joe will put out an email to the membership highlighting the major events which are upcoming including the Walkington Cup, Golf Day, and the Annual dinner.
Rules: Scott Hamelin was not in attendance.
There was a short discussion about how to treat balls which are either against the maintenance fence to the left of hole 4, or within the fenced maintenance area. Discussion was tabled until Rules Chair Scott Hamelin returns.
Website – Tom Christopher
Tom will look into the roughly $700 bi-annual fee we pay for Web Site maintenance to determine if we need all the features we pay for. He will report his findings at the next meeting.
Open Discussion:
Walkington Cup Format:
The format for the October 26th Walkington Cup tournament will be 6,6,6. 6 holes Better Ball, 6 holes alternate shot, and 6 holes match play. The tournament originally scheduled for October 21st was moved to avoid possible confusion. The participants will tee off via tee times in front of the regular Monday tournament. The trophy has been ordered.
Reviving the Member-Guest Tournament:
The Board was in favor of having a scaled down Member-Guest tournament where members can invite outside guests. Details will be worked out with a target date of Spring, 2027.
Golf Genius meeting.
Dave and Joe attended a meeting with Evan Biundo, representatives of the Women’s Club, and a Golf Genius representative about purchasing the full version of the program. Presently, there is no cost for us to use the basic version. Dave summarized the costs and the perceived benefit to the Men’s Club. After much discussion, it was agreed that the significant annual cost is not worth the few additional benefits we would receive.
Nominating Committee:
A nominating committee will be formed to create a slate of prospective board members for 2027. That slate, as stated in our by-laws, must be posted to the Web Site by the end of October.
Golf Day and Annual Meeting:
Matt Loflen gave us the amount the Inn will charge us for the Golf Day Dinner. The cost is about $5.00 more than last year. With that in mind, the Board recommended raising the cost of golf and dinner by $5.00. Last year members were charged $100. This year, it will be $105.
As has been the case for the past several years, there will be NO GOLF ONLY OPTION. All golfers that day will pay $105 and that price will include dinner. There will, however, be a dinner only option. Those members who do not play golf on Golf Day will be able to attend the dinner. The charge for that dinner will be $45 and will include 2 drinks.
Due to a scheduling conflict, Dave Schwartz asked that the October Board Meeting be moved from the 15th to the 22nd. All in attendance said they were able to make the change.
There being no other new business, the meeting was adjourned at 10:15.
Respectfully submitted, Gregg Gattuso, Secretary
Rancho Bernardo Inn Men’s Golf Club
Minutes of the Meeting of the RBIMGC Board of Directors
August 20th, 2026
The meeting was held in the Veranda Bar. In attendance were Tom Dubuque, Dave Schwartz, Joe Walkington, Scott Hamelin, Bryan Murphy, Bob Lohneiss, Tom Christopher, Jeff Bondesson and Mike McKinnis.
Absences: Gregg Gattuso, Jerry Canning
The meeting was called to order at 9:00 AM by President Dave Schwartz
Report from Pro Shop –
Pro Shop representatives were not available to attend the August Board Meeting
Secretary’s Report –
The minutes for the July meeting were not posted to the web site due to an issue with the web site. Tom Christopher corrected the issue and the July minutes, approved by the board, have been posted to the web site and Google sheets.
Treasurer’s Report – Bob Lohneiss:
Go Daddy was paid in the past month with money budgeted for this expense. One of two CDs was renewed as well. We are slightly over budget for Hole- in- Ones this year, but money coming in from new members has helped offset this. The finances of RBIMGC remain healthy.
Membership Report – Dave Schwartz for Jerry Canning
Jerry’s report shows that from the July 16th Board Meeting until August 20th, there were 3 new members added; Drumm McNaughton, Rob Peabody, and Jeff Smith.
During the period there were 12 non-December 31st renewals. There was one non-renewal, Adair Warren who was a comp member no longer employed at RBI.
There are 3 applicants in the pipeline: Neil Sjoholm, Lou Zucconi, and Stan Richardson. Stan Richardson is scheduled to play his evaluation round on August 24.
There are 10 renewals due by the September Board meeting.
The membership numbers are now:181 total members, 175 full, 6 Comp and Courtesy.
Handicap Chairman – Tom Dubuque:
There was discussion on the maximum allowable index to become a member of RBIMGC. That number is 32. The maximum index to remain a member is 36.4. Tom will work on verbiage to clarify this on our web site and membership application.
Tournament Chairman – Joe Walkington:
Our Monday numbers continue at about 80 each week which, is excellent participation.
Joe sent a survey asking members if they would consider playing The Lakehouse course in San Marcos on Labor Day. Only 34 members said they would participate so we move our tournament for that week to Wednesday, September 9th.
Rules: Scott Hamelin:
There was discussion about the ruling when a tee ball on hole #4 lands in the maintenance yard or against the fence surrounding that maintenance yard. Scott felt that a ball against the fence would fall under rule 16.1 regarding that internal boundary fence and free relief should be granted from what is an immovable obstruction. Dave Schwartz will look into this to see if we have a local rule in place which covers this situation.
Website – Tom Christopher
Nothing new to report.
Open Discussion:
Hole Handicap Allocation;
Joe ran an analysis on the current handicap allocation to see if adjustments to our current Men’ Club scorecards are warranted. He analyzed 1670 rounds during his analysis. After discussion, it was suggested that on the front 9 we flip the handicap position between holes 2 and 9 reflecting that the stats show that 2 is a slightly easier hole. On the back nine it was suggested that we flip the handicap position between holes 10 and 18 reflecting that the stats show that of the two, 10 is slightly easier.
Joe will review the adjustments with Evan who will submit them to the SCGA to change the stroke allocation.
Weekly printing of scorecards:
It was suggested by Joe that we might have RBI print the scorecards for our Monday tournaments. After much discussion, it was decided to proceed on a trial basis to ensure that this is feasible.
Trophies:
The trophies have been ordered for distribution at the Annual Dinner. Dave looked at a trophy for the Walkington Cup. It is a one-time purchase, and the Board agreed to have him order one to arrive in time for the match in October.
There being no other new business, the meeting was adjourned at 10:05.
Respectfully submitted, Gregg Gattuso, Secretary
Rancho Bernardo Inn Men’s Golf Club
Minutes of the Meeting of the RBIMGC Board of Directors
July 16th, 2026
The meeting was held in the Veranda Bar. In attendance were Jerry Canning, Gregg Gattuso, Tom Dubuque, Dave Schwartz, Joe Walkington, Scott Hamelin, Bryan Murphy, Bob Lohneiss, and Tom Christopher.
Absences: Mike McKinnis, Jeff Bondesson
The meeting was called to order at 9:00 AM by President Dave Schwartz
Report from Pro Shop – Matt Loflen:
Matt said that work continues on holes 12 and 16. The grounds crews are aerifying these fairways and taking the plugs and placing them in the bare areas. The plugs have mature grass growing in them and hopefully will rapidly fill in these difficult areas.
Dave Schwartz thanked Matt for getting the ground under repair areas circled in white paint.
Matt said that the grass is growing rapidly and some of the rough areas are getting very long and thick. He will talk to Lupe about trying to get some of these areas mowed. He also said that while the grass is growing so well, they will be spot sodding on some areas of 6 and 14.
Matt said that now that the hot weather has arrived, the water containers on 7 and 13 need to be filled daily. Matt will meet with the team to make sure this is done.
Secretary’s Report – Gregg Gattuso:
Gregg noted that the minutes of the June 18th, 2026 Board Meeting have been distributed and posted to the web site and the Google Drive with the additions and corrections suggested. Copies were also sent to past Presidents. He asked for a motion and second. The minutes were approved unanimously.
Treasurer’s Report – Bob Lohneiss:
Bob said we are ahead in income thanks to the more than anticipated number of new members. Bob upped the projection for the hole in one expense seeing as we have had more than normal. Bob renewed our CD’s which provide some additional income. He stated that the Club is on sound financial footing.
Membership Report – Jerry Canning:
Jerry reported that from the June 18th Board Meeting until July 16th, there were 2 new members added; Mark Elwell and Greg Bublitz. Greg is working on getting enough rounds posted to be able to participate for prizes in the sweeps tournaments.
During the period there were 10 non-December 31st renewals. There were also two members who did not renew due to health issues.
There are 3 applicants in the pipeline. Jeff Smith will play his evaluation round on August 3. Lou Zucconi has no GHIN index, so Jerry has requested that he submit at least 3 scorecards before he can schedule his evaluation round. Neil Sjoholm continues to deal with family issues.
8 renewals are due by the August Board Meeting. The membership numbers remain unchanged since last month’s meeting: 178 total members, 171 full, 7 Comp and Courtesy.
Handicap Chairman – Tom Dubuque:
Tom reported that, as mentioned in the membership report, he is tracking Greg Bublitz’s rounds and will notify him and the TD’s when he is eligible to participate for prizes in the sweeps portion of our Monday tournaments.
Tournament Chairman – Joe Walkington:
Our numbers continue to be strong with 89 signed up for Monday’s scramble tournament. There was a bit of a drop off with the recent pick your partner tournament. That is normally a very popular tournament; it was suggested that the reason might have been summer travel, but Joe also thought it might be that we didn’t emphasize in the invitation that if you don’t have a partner, one will be assigned to you. We will do that going forward for the next pick your partner.
Rules: Scott Hamelin:
Scott said he was very happy to see Buck marking ground under repair on the course and hopes it will continue going forward. No other rules items to report.
Website – Tom Christopher
Tom completed updating the web site and asked for us to review them to make sure he did not miss anything.
Open Discussion:
Forward tee players;
The settings in Golf Genius have been adjusted to use members playing handicap as opposed to their handicap index in creating flights. This change eliminates the unintentional advantage which gold tee players were receiving particularly in low gross tournaments.
Meeting with the Ladies Club and a Golf Genius representative.
Sharon Council, the President of the Ladies club contacted Dave about a meeting which is being set up by the director of sales at Golf Genius to discuss moving to the premium version. Dave agreed to attend this meeting and will ask Joe Walkington and Jeff Bondesson to attend. She will also invite Evan or Matt to attend. Dave will report at the August meeting what Golf Genius is offering in the way of pricing.
Our maximum handicap index policy.
We have rules in place for the maximum handicap index allowable for new members. Dave Schwartz asked if we have a policy in place for an existing member whose index over time exceeds that maximum. Such a policy is not in our bylaws. There were a few suggestions from the Board on how to proceed should that happen. The discussion was tabled until the August meeting.
Men’s and Ladies Club Special Menu:
Dave was contacted by Kathy Christopher, Vice-President of the Ladies Club, about meeting with the Food and Beverage manager about updating the menu to possibly include a cold sandwich, chicken tenders, etc. He will report the results of that meeting.
There being no other new business, the meeting was adjourned at 9:54.
Respectfully submitted, Gregg Gattuso, Secretary
Rancho Bernardo Inn Men’s Golf Club
Minutes of the Meeting of the RBIMGC Board of Directors
June 18th, 2026
The meeting was held in the Veranda Bar. In attendance were Jerry Canning, Gregg Gattuso, Tom Dubuque, Dave Schwartz, Joe Walkington, Jeff Bondesson, Bryan Murphy, Bob Lohneiss, and Tom Christopher.
Absences: Mike McKinnis, Scott Hamelin
The meeting was called to order at 9:00 AM by President Dave Schwartz
Report from Pro Shop – Evan Biundo
Evan reported that the course is in very good shape. Board members agreed that the fairways are looking better than they have in years. Work will continue with spot sodding and spot sprigging. Work continues on the bunkers but only within the normal maintenance time, not as a separate project. The goal is good playability for both greenside and fairway bunkers. The walking bridge between 12 and 14 has been repaired and now matches the other bridges on the course.
Evan said some bunkers might be eliminated in the interests of playability. For example, being in the first bunker on right just over the ditch on #1 leaves no direct shot to the green because of the large tree to the right of the green. This bunker might be eliminated going forward.
It was mentioned that none of the bare spots in the fairways are marked ground under repair. Previously, the issue was that there were so many of bare spots, the job would be overwhelming but with the vastly improved fairways, there are far fewer. Evan will check with Buck and Lupe to see what they can do.
It was asked if the fairway on 15 can be released to cart traffic. Evan said he will look into it and see if they can do what they did on 16 with ropes protecting the landing areas.
Schwartz reminded Evan that we need the tee box on #14 to be behind the bridge. Three weeks in a row it was in front of the bridge. Evan will bring this to the attention of Buck and Lupe.
Secretary’s Report – Gregg Gattuso:
Gregg noted that the minutes of the May 21st, 2026 Board Meeting have been distributed and posted to the web site and Google Sheets with the additions and corrections suggested. Copies were also sent to past Presidents. He asked for a motion and second. The minutes were approved unanimously.
Treasurer’s Report – Bob Lohneiss:
Bob reported that our income has been helped by a number of new members paying their membership fee. Jeff Bondesson noted that the cost of the annual dinner will be going up, but Bob felt we should have the funds in place to cover it without a too significant increase in the cost to members. There have also been more holes in one this year than in the past, but our budget can handle it. Bob reported that we are in very good financial shape.
Membership Report – Jerry Canning:
Jerry reported that from the May Board Meeting until June 18th, there were no new members, but also no non-renewals, so our membership is holding at 178 compared to 171 this time last year.
Of the 4 applicants in the pipeline, Mark Elwell will play his evaluation round on June 22nd. Greg Bublitz is working on getting 3 scorecards to Jerry so his evaluation round can be scheduled. Bob Lakes is still working on getting his index down below the club maximum, and Neil Sjoholm is still dealing with health issues.
Of the 8 renewals due before the July meeting, so far only Bruce Keenan is known not to be renewing.
Handicap Chairman – Tom Dubuque:
Nothing to report
Tournament Chairman – Joe Walkington:
Attendance remains strong with 85 signed up for Monday, June 22nd. Because there is a group ahead of us starting on #7, we can only go back to hole 8. Because of this, on the 22nd, we will have 3 groups starting on #1 which will allow us to go up to 88 players. If we reach 88 players, anyone signing up beyond that number will be placed on a wait list.
Rules: Scott Hamelin:
Scott was not in attendance and did not present us with any discussion topics. Nothing to report.
Website – Tom Christopher
Tom updated the web page to list the 2026 President’s Cup winners.
Open Discussion:
Presidents Cup:
The President’s Cup winners were Marty Mullins in the A flight. Marty defeated Dan Chmielnik in the final match. Gregg Gattuso won the B flight defeating Rob Helin.
Dave was approached by a couple of members suggesting that the A flight winner and the B flight winner play a match to determine the overall club champion. After discussion it was decided that the format we have now has worked well for a number of years and we won’t be changing it.
Moving to the forward tees:
It was brought up by a few members that they would like to move to the forward tees to increase their enjoyment of the game. One of these members narrowly misses the current criteria of being 75 years of age or older and having a handicap index of 25 or more.
After much discussion, a motion was made to allow players to move to the forward tees if their age plus their handicap index equals or exceeds a total of 100. The motion was seconded and approved unanimously. Dave Schwartz will send an email to the membership offering them this option if they qualify. The email will include letting the members know that if they elect to move to the forward tees, they will lose 5-7 handicap points. They should contact Joe Walkington if interested.
Walkington Cup tournament:
Dave Schwartz will select a trophy to be awarded to the winning team of the Walkington Cup tournament featuring foreign-born members vs. the USA born members. This year the captains are Gus Harriott for the foreign-born team and Dave Bachert for the USA born team.
If we have two 8 man teams, the tournament could be held as a tournament within a tournament on a Monday. If we went to 12 man teams, we would hold it on a different day. Dave Schwartz will meet with the 2 captains and the Pro Shop to work out details.
There being no other new business, the meeting was adjourned at 10:02.
Respectfully submitted, Gregg Gattuso, Secretary
Rancho Bernardo Inn Men’s Golf Club
Minutes of the Meeting of the RBIMGC Board of Directors
May 21st, 2026
The meeting was held in the Veranda Bar. In attendance were Jerry Canning, Gregg Gattuso, Tom Dubuque, Dave Schwartz, Joe Walkington, Scott Hamelin, Mike McKinnis, Jeff Bondesson, Bryan Murphy, and Tom Christopher
Absences: Bob Lohneiss
The meeting was called to order at 9:00 AM by President Dave Schwartz
Report from Pro Shop – Matt Loflen
The maintenance crew has been taking down ropes allowing more access to the fairways on several holes. It was asked when the ropes will come down on 15. Matt will check with the Superintendent.
It was also mentioned that in some of the sand traps, there is an abundance of sand on the sides of the traps, but very little in the bottom of the traps resulting in hard ground and difficulty getting out of the trap cleanly. Matt will look into this as well.
A board member brought up marking with white paint as ground under repair the bare spots in the fairway in the forward part of 12. This will be suggested by Matt to the Superintendent.
The robot mowers are doing a great job in the rough on 10, 18, 1, and 2. There are 4 more mowers being ordered to handle areas like the rough left of #1 and #3 which are hard for the large mowers to get to. The mowers can also go under barrier ropes so there won’t be tall grass in those areas.
Matt also suggested it might be a good idea to periodically have a representative from the Superintendent’s staff attend the Men’s Club meeting to give updates on upcoming projects and to answer our questions.
Secretary’s Report – Gregg Gattuso:
Gregg noted that the minutes of the April 16th, 2026 Board Meeting have been distributed and posted to the web site and Google Sheets with the additions and corrections suggested. Copies were also sent to past Presidents. He asked for a motion and second. The minutes were approved unanimously.
Treasurer’s Report – Bob Lohneiss:
Bob was not present but submitted his Treasurer’s Report. Dave Schwartz noted that there have been more holes in one this year than in the recent past, but overall, the club is on sound financial footing.
Membership Report – Jerry Canning:
Since the last Board meeting the Club added four new Full members – Henry DeMatteis, Dave Walton, Marty Benjamin, and Mike Bouvier.
There were 4 membership renewals (non-December 31st) and one non-renewal, Brent Greenwood.
3 members are due for renewal by the June Board Meeting.
The Club has two applicants for membership in the pipeline: Bob Lakes, Neil Sjoholm.
As of May 21st, the Club has 178 members: 171 Full, 7 Comp and courtesy comp members. Last year at this time there were 170 total members.
Handicap Chairman – Tom Dubuque:
Tom reported that all new members have enough rounds in their record to allow them to compete for prizes in the weekly sweeps tournaments.
Tournament Chairman – Joe Walkington:
Joe noted that attendance is up; we averaged 78 in March, 84 in April, and so far, 75 in May. With the larger number of players weekly, we have more money in the prize pool to pay out. Joe discussed raising the amount we pay out for low gross and low net by flight from $18 to $20. A motion was made and unanimously approved to make this change.
Rules: Scott Hamelin:
Scott reiterated that those using range finders with a slope feature must turn this feature off during our Weekly Tournaments.
Website – Tom Christopher
It was brought up that many items on our web site are very out of date. Tom asked Board Members to review the site and make suggestions for updating. Tom will them make the changes.
Open Discussion:
The finals of the President’s Cup will be held on June 15. The A flight final will be Marty Mullins vs Dan Chmielnik and the B flight final will be Gregg Gattuso vs Rob Helin.
It was brought up that a few members inquired about moving to the forward tees for our weekly tournaments. Presently, our rules dictate that a player who is 75 or older and has a handicap index of 25 or more can move to the forward tees. That does result in a loss of 6 to 7 handicap strokes.
After much discussion, it was decided to table this item until the June Board Meeting
President Schwartz was approached by several foreign-born members who suggested our holding an international tournament pitting some of our foreign-born members against American born members. Dave would assign 2 team captains and the tournament would be held in conjunction with one of our regular Monday tournaments.
He will further research to see if it is feasible.
There being no other new business, the meeting was adjourned at 10:08.
Respectfully submitted,
Gregg Gattuso, Secretary
Rancho Bernardo Inn Men’s Golf Club
Minutes of the Meeting of the RBIMGC Board of Directors
April 16th, 2026
The meeting was held in the Veranda Bar. In attendance were Jerry Canning, Gregg Gattuso, Tom Dubuque, Dave Schwartz, Joe Walkington, Scott Hamelin, Mike McKinnis, and Jeff Bondesson.
Absences: Bryan Murphy, Bob Lohneiss, Tom Christopher
The meeting was called to order at 9:00 AM by President Dave Schwartz
Report from Pro Shop – Evan Biundo
Evan reported that course conditions are very good. No major projects at this time. There will be some spot aerification in the problem areas of several fairways, and there will be a little bit of sodding. That sod will not come from sod farms; it was determined that our growing conditions are different than those at the sod farms and it was a challenge getting new sod to thrive. We will utilize sod from areas on the course as we have done in the past, for example in the areas behind the 16th tee and 17th green.
President’s Cup hats are coming soon after a short delay.
With regard to the cards on which prize money is credited each week, Jeff Baz is working to make sure all money winners have an active JC membership which is a JC Golf requirement for participation in the RBIMGC.
It was brought up that during the recent hot days there has been no water in the water containers on holes 13 and 7. Evan said that it is a staffing issue; the superintendent is having a hard time keeping fully staffed and some services such as replenishing the water containers suffer. Evan did state that is one of the reasons they added ice and water stations on holes 4 and 17. Those stations are situated so golfers are never too far from fresh water.
Two battery operated remote mowers are now operating to trim the grass on parts of 10, 18, 1, and 2.
Secretary’s Report – Gregg Gattuso:
Gregg noted that the minutes of the March 19th, 2026 Board Meeting have been distributed and posted to the web site and Google Sheets with the additions and corrections suggested. He asked for a motion and second. The minutes were approved unanimously.
Treasurer’s Report – Bob Lohneiss:
Bob was not present. Dave Schwartz noted that in Bob’s Treasurer’s Report, we seem to be in good shape with some money in reserve for contingencies. Overall, the club is on sound financial footing.
Membership Report – Jerry Canning:
Since the last Board meeting the Club added four new Full members – Scott Hall, Larry Jones, Joon Kim, and Dale Rieger
There were 8 membership renewals (non-December 31st) and one non-renewal, Bart Volen
The Club has four applicants for membership in the pipeline: Bob Lakes, Neil Sjoholm, David Walton, and Henry DeMatteis.
As of April 16th, the Club has 175 members: 168 Full, 7 Comp and courtesy comp members. Last year at this time there were 171 total members.
Handicap Chairman – Tom Dubuque:
Tom did a handicap review on the whole club as suggested by the USGA. Tom noted that for 34 of our members, we are not their home club. For this group, should any handicap adjustments be indicated, we could not do it. It would have to be referred to the handicap chairman at their home club.
Tom noted that for our entire club, the USGA recommended adjustments for only 20 of our golfers, and most were by only one point.
Tom explained that the review looks at how many of a golfer’s scores are above and below the standard deviation. Too many low scores well below the standard deviation, for example net 66 vs. a net 70 or 71 show a golfer is actually better than his index and a downward adjustment is indicated.
With only 20 guys with any adjustment at all and the vast majority of those adjustments being only one stroke, Tom reported that our membership is in good shape in that regard.
Tournament Chairman – Joe Walkington:
Joe noted that attendance is up; we averaged 78 in March and 83 in April. It appears that our new members are playing more regularly than the guys who have left the club.
Evan said they have booked the course for June 1 and we will have to find an alternate location on that day.
Rules: Scott Hamelin:
Nothing to report.
Website – Tom Christopher
Tom was not in attendance
Open Discussion:
The club has a Facebook page, and although we are not aware of anyone posting to it, posts and photos appear regularly. Dave will check to see if Tom Christopher can explain how this is happening. We can then decide if we want to continue it or close it down.
There being no other new business, the meeting was adjourned at 9:48.
Respectfully submitted,
Gregg Gattuso, Secretary
Rancho Bernardo Inn Men’s Golf Club
Minutes of the Meeting of the RBIMGC Board of Directors
March 12th, 2026
The meeting was held in the Veranda Bar. In attendance were Jerry Canning, Gregg Gattuso, Tom Dubuque, Jeff Bondesson, Bryan Murphy, Dave Schwartz, Joe Walkington, Bob Lohneiss and Tom Christopher, and Mike McKinnis
Absences: Scott Hamelin
The meeting was called to order at 9:00 AM by President Dave Schwartz
Report from Pro Shop – Matt Loflen:
Matt reported that the aeration went welll with the Superintendent trying some new methods to avoid the green damage which occurred during last October’s aeration. The greens are just about fully healed.
The ropes on 16 were moved to allow players access to the fairway down the right side. 15 still remains cart path only. The maintenance crew still is not setting up the tees on 4 and 14 to the Men’s Club requirements based on our Men’s Club Course Rating which differs from the Course Rating from the white tees. Matt will meet with Lupe and Dave to make sure Monday tees are properly set and asked the TD’s in their weekly email to the Superintendent to remind them to make sure we get the Men’s Club setup.
Secretary’s Report – Gregg Gattuso:
Gregg noted that the minutes of the February 2026 Board Meeting have been distributed and posted to the web site and Google Sheets with the additions and corrections suggested. He asked for a motion and second. The minutes were approved unanimously.
Treasurer’s Report – Bob Lohneiss:
Bob went over some projections on expenses which during the year can vary from the budgeted amount. He reported that financially, the club is in very sound shape.
Membership Report – Jerry Canning:
Since the last Board meeting the Club added three new Full members – Karl Johanson, Tom Stoddard, and Del Richhart. Del was a reinstatement.
There were 5 membership renewals (non-December 31st) and no non-renewals.
The Club has five applicants for membership in the pipeline: Bob Lakes, Neil Sjoholm. Scott Hall, Larry Jones, and Henry DeMatteis.
As of March 12th, the Club has 172 members: 165 Full, 7 Comp and courtesy comp members. Last year at this time there were 171 total members.
Handicap Chairman – Tom Dubuque:
Tom completed a required club assessment which lets the SCGA know we are doing everything according to their standards. This included sending contact information for the Handicap Chairman.
Tournament Chairman – Joe Walkington:
Joe reported that through 13 tournaments our average attendance was 79, significantly higher than last year. It was speculated that this is probably because the course is in much better condition than last year and many of our new members are playing more often than those members who did not renew and were not playing much before they left.
Disappointingly, there are only 18 members signed up for the President’s Cup. Several reminders will be sent out to hopefully generate sign-ups.
Rules: Scott Hamelin:
Scott was not in attendance.
Website – Tom Christopher
Nothing new to report.
Open Discussion:
A member asked President Schwartz if, because we play on a public course which sees a lot of play, whether we can institute a local rule that a ball in the fairway can be moved. The suggested length of that movement would be no more than the length of a scorecard. It was discussed and the conclusion was that we would not institute that rule as it violates the rules of golf. Occasional bad lies in the fairway occur and should be viewed as “The Rub of the Green.” Play it as it lies.
Dave also asked that we be consistent in how we report the breaking of ties on the results page in Golf Genius. Traditionally we have listed who won and lost card offs, This is cumbersome especially when there are 4 and 5 teams tied. After some discussion, it was decided to not list the card off details and instead put something in the weekly instructions explaining that ties are broken according to USGA tie break rules.
There being no further discussions, the meeting was adjourned.
Respectfully submitted,
Gregg Gattuso, Secretary
Rancho Bernardo Inn Men’s Golf Club
Minutes of the Meeting of the RBIMGC Board of Directors
February 19th, 2026
The meeting was held in the Veranda Bar. In attendance were Jerry Canning, Gregg Gattuso, Tom Dubuque, Jeff Bondesson, Bryan Murphy, Dave Schwartz, Joe Walkington, Bob Lohneiss and Tom Christopher,
Absences: Scott Hamelin, Mike McKinnis
The meeting was called to order at 9:00 AM by President Dave Schwartz
Report from Pro Shop – Matt Loflen:
Matt reported that our gift cards onto which sweeps winnings are loaded have been restored after RBI underwent a security breach. No sensitive data was lost.
Evan Biundo will be on paternity leave for the next few weeks. In his absence, Paul and Matt will be handling Pro Shop duties and any requests we have will be routed through them.
Aerification will take place on March 2nd. On that day, the Men’s Club will be playing at CCRB. We will also be at CCRB on May 4th due to an outside event at RBI. After the punching of the greens, they will be verticut several times to maintain good health of the turf and to help the holes heal.
Secretary’s Report – Gregg Gattuso:
Gregg noted that the minutes of the January 2026 Board Meeting have been distributed and posted to the web site and Google Sheets with the additions and corrections suggested. He asked for a motion and second. The minutes were approved unanimously.
Treasurer’s Report – Bob Lohneiss:
$200 was paid to Ken Hoisington for his hole in one. He reported that we are on budget and the club is financially sound.
Membership Report – Jerry Canning:
Since the last Board meeting the Club added three new Full members – Vern Linnell, Stephen Smith, and Alan Reinicke.
There were 17 membership renewals (non-December 31st)
There were 2 non-renewals (non-December 31st): Wally Dutton and Terry Conant.
The Club has four applicants for membership in the pipeline: Bob Lakes, Karl Johanson, Tom Stoddard, and Neil Sjoholm. Lakes is working to get his handicap down to our max level and the other 3 have not yet scheduled their evaluation round.
As of February 19th, the Club has 169 members: 162 Full, 7 Comp and courtesy comp members. Last year at this time there were 173 total members.
Handicap Chairman – Tom Dubuque:
New member Alan Reinicke is working to get 10 scores posted so he can compete to win money in our tournaments.
Tournament Chairman – Joe Walkington:
Joe reported that participation numbers are up which is a great sign. Excluding 2 rainy days, the last 6 tournament participation numbers are 75, 77, 87, 72, and 83 with 78 signed up for February 23rd. Hopefully, it is a trend.
Joe brought up our policy for allowing players to play from the forward tees. Such a move does result in their handicap being 6-8 strokes lower from those tees. Our current policy states that a player may request to move up to the forward tees if his index is at least 25 and he is at least 75 years of age. Apparently, queries were made by several players who do not meet those requirements but wish to move up to the forward tees.
It was decided to not change our requirements at this time, but Joe will send the membership an email reminding them that this option is available if a golfer qualifies. If they are interested, they should contact Joe.
Joe noted that a number of members do not respond at all to our Monday invitations to play. If they don’t want to or can’t play, they should respond “Not Playing”. By not responding at all, it makes it more difficult for the TD to report an accurate number of participants to the Pro Shop. Joe will send an email to the 40 or so members who generally do not respond at all, encouraging them to respond one way or the other.
Rules: Scott Hamelin:
Scott was not in attendance. One rules issue will be covered under new business.
Website – Tom Christopher
Within a few months we will give up the Post Office box to which, currently, new member applications are sent. Anticipating this, Jerry will update the membership application and put in his home address as the location to which membership applications should be sent.
Open Discussion:
Budget Modification:
A few years ago it was voted upon to take the weekly tips for the staff out of the treasury rather than out of the sweeps receipts for that particular tournament. With the raise in the sweeps entry from 8 to 10 dollars, it was brought up returning to the previous policy where all expenses for any tournament, including staff tips, come out of the sweeps collected for that tournament. A motion was made and seconded to make this change. It was approved unanimously.
Proposed local rule change:
Presently, balls entering the culvert, which crosses 18, 1, and 2, must be dropped without penalty not from where they entered the culvert, but from where they ended up. It was brought up to create a local rule which allows balls to be dropped not from where they ended up, but from where they entered the culvert. After much discussion, it was concluded that because this proposed local rule would violate the rules of golf, the board will not make the change.
Td Deadlines:
Joe presented a list of deadlines for TD’s to follow when running a tournament. Dave noted that although those deadlines are already in the TD Manual, they are not being followed. Jeff Bondesson will take Joe’s deadlines and put them at the beginning of the TD manual and explain why TD’s must meet these deadlines. If they feel they will miss a deadline, they must let Joe know right away. Jeff will also make some changes to the manual to reflect some recent changes to Golf Genius
There being no further discussions, the meeting was adjourned.
Respectfully submitted,
Gregg Gattuso, Secretary
Rancho Bernardo Inn Men’s Golf Club
Minutes of the Meeting of the RBIMGC Board of Directors
January 15, 2026
The meeting was held in the Veranda Bar. In attendance were Jerry Canning, Gregg Gattuso, Tom Dubuque, Jeff Bondesson, Bryan Murphy, Mike McKinnis, Scott Hamelin, Dave Schwartz, and Tom Christopher.
Absences: Joe Walkington. Bob Lohneiss was not in attendance, but presented his report over the telephone.
The meeting was called to order at 9:00 AM by President Dave Schwartz
Report from Pro Shop – Evan Biundo:
President Dave Schwartz asked why on holes 4 and 14, the tees for our Monday tournaments have been the forward tees. The Men’s Club course rating was calculated from the back tees on those holes. Evan said he would check with Buck and Lupe to see if there was a reason for that and if not, have them move the tees back in the future
Evan mentioned that starting with hole 5 and proceeding forward with 1- 2 fairways per week, fairway aeration and the sprigging of kikuyu grass would proceed. Sprigging worked well in the past and it is felt that it works better than sodding which, when it does not take, has to be torn up. It is being done at this time of year so the sprigs will have established themselves by the time the growing season starts. The fairways have about 90% coverage and it is hoped that sprigging will get us to the goal of 100% kikuyu coverage.
Jerry Canning mentioned that sprigging did not work well on hole 16. Evan said that 15 and 16 are difficult because of the flooding that occurs during heavy rains and the sediment which flows in from the surrounding areas contains containments. He hopes in the future to have the drain between 15 and 16 reworked, but when is not certain.
Evan mentioned a program where employees from other departments spend some time filling in divots on 15 and 16 which has helped greatly.
Team play begins today and the Pro Shop is ready for this year’s team schedule.
Secretary’s Report – Gregg Gattuso:
Gregg noted that the minutes of the December 2025 Board Meeting and Organizational meeting have been distributed and posted to the web site with the additions and corrections suggested. He asked for a motion and second. The minutes were approved unanimously.
Treasurer’s Report – Bob Lohneiss:
Bob presented his report via telephone. He presented the 2026 budget. After much discussion, the budget for 2026 was approved unanimously.
Bob suggested that in 2027 there should be a Budget Committee to assist the treasurer in preparation of the 2027 budget. Dave Schwartz agreed and tasked the probable 2027 President, Jeff Bondesson, with setting this up.
Bob reported that the club is financially sound.
Membership Report – Jerry Canning:
Since the last Board meeting the Club added three new Full members – Kerry McQuade, Randy Howell, and Peter Woodward.
There were 8 membership renewals (non-December 31st)
There were 3 non-renewals (non-December 31st): John Letteri, Doug Lancaster, and Del Ritchhart.
The Club has four applicants for membership in the pipeline: Bob Lakes, Stephen Smith, Vern Linnell, and Alan Reinicke.
As of January 15th, the Club has 168 members: 161 Full, 7 Comp and courtesy comp members.
Jerry presented the final yearend renewal update. 8 members with December 31 renewal dates did not renew: Frank Cambou, Don Glover, Chuck Hurley, John Roe, Tom Smith, Warren Strumfa, Paul Wohlgemuth and Joe Zesbaugh.
Handicap Chairman – Tom Dubuque:
Tom will attend a required Handicap webinar on February 10.
Tournament Chairman – Joe Walkington:
Joe was not in attendance. Dave Schwartz noted that the January 19 Men’s Club Tournament will be held at CCRB.
Rules: Scott Hamelin:
Nothing to report
Website – Tom Christopher
There was discussion on how members can find the tournament schedule. It is no longer on the web site. Tom Christopher will get together with Joe Walkington to send a message to the membership on how to access Golf Genius where they can see the schedule, pairings, results, etc.
Presently only the TD’s initials are on the Golf Genius schedule. Dave will ask Joe to add the TD’s name and number so members can contact them if need be.
Tom asked the TD’s to go to the website and look for items which have to be updated for the year 2026.
Open Discussion:
Team Play Hats:
There was some discussion about providing hats for the RBIMGC team which participates in Team Play against other clubs. Because it would be too late to order them if approved for 2026, the topic was tabled until the August Board meeting.
There being no further discussions, the meeting was adjourned.
Respectfully submitted,
Gregg Gattuso, Secretary
Rancho Bernardo Inn Men’s Golf Club
Minutes of the Organizational Meeting of the 2026 RBIMGC Board of Directors
December 18, 2025 in the Veranda
In attendance were Dave Schwartz, Jerry Canning, Jeff Bondesson, Joe Walkington, Tom Dubuque, Tom Christopher,
Mike McKinnis, Bryan Murphy, and Scott Hamelin. Gregg Gattuso and Bob Lohneiss were absent.
The meeting was called to order by President Dave Schwartz.
New Business
President Dave Schwartz announced the slate of officers for the 2026 Board of Directors. They are:
President Dave Schwartz
Vice-President Jeff Bondesson
Secretary Gregg Gattuso
Treasurer Bob Lohneiss
After a motion and second, the new board officers were unanimously approved.
Dave Schwartz then presented the list of Board member committee assignments for 2026.
Joe Walkington TD Director Dave Schwartz, Committee
Jerry Canning Membership
Tom Dubuque Handicap Jeff Bondesson, Committee
Jeff Bondesson Nominating Committee
Scott Hamelin Rules Joe Walkington, Committee
Dave Schwartz SCGA Representative and Special projects
Tom Christopher Website
The next board meeting will be January 15, 2026 at 9:00 am in the Veranda Bar
TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION:
President Dave Schwartz put forth for discussion the option of raising the sweeps for 2026 from $8 to $9 or $10. The
Inn has raised the number of players required for a free round from 25 to 30 meaning we will need to purchase more
rounds to be able to award 4 free rounds in foursome events.
After much discussion President Dave Schwartz made a motion to raise the sweeps to $10 which will assure we have
the funds to maintain the current payout goal of 40% and purchase rounds as required. The motion was seconded and
passed with one member abstaining. President Schwartz will send a Christmas greeting to the membership detailing
the change in sweeps and also announcing the raise in the price of Monday rounds for the membership from $60 to
$64. He will also announce the new 2026 start time of 8:00.
President Schwartz asked Jerry to review the comp memberships we offer to select individuals each year.
The SCGA gives us 4 free memberships for Inn employees. Currently those 4 are Jamie Lemon, Evan Biundo, Matt
Loflen, and Paul Kipfstuhl, Additionally, the Men’s Club, as a courtesy, pays for 3 additional memberships for certain
employees. Currently, these 3 are Adair Warren, Jeff Baz, and Dave Buckles. After some discussion, a motion was
made, seconded, and unanimously approved to maintain the same 7 current comp memberships for 2026.
President Schwartz mentioned that a new log in password for our website will be required for 2026. Tom Christopher
will create and distribute it after the first of the year. Joe will also invite the new board members so they will be able to
log into Golf Genius.
Joe Walkington will create a schedule for 2026 incorporating the input he received when he polled the membership on
what tournaments they would like to see in the coming year.
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned.
Respectfully submitted,
Gregg Gattuso, Secretary
Rancho Bernardo Inn Men’s Golf Club
Minutes of the Meeting of the 2025 RBIMGC Board of Directors
December 18, 2025
The meeting was held in the RBI Veranda Bar. In attendance were: David Schwartz, Jeff Bondesson, Johnny Watson, Joe Walkington, Bryan Murphy, Tom Christopher,
Jerry Canning, Scott Hamelin. Mike McKinnis, Brad Standstrom.
The following board members were absent: Bob Lohneiss
The meeting was called to order at 9:00 AM by President David Schwartz.
Director of Golf’s Report – Evan Biundo:
Evan thanked the board for a good year. He said there was nothing major to report. Team play for 2026 is set. 2026 improvements include work on the channel on holes 1 and 2. Work will continue on the fairway bunkers. The concrete work around hole #4 is about finished. Greens are in good shape. There will be spot sodding in the summer.
Secretary’s Report – Johnny Watson:
Johnny noted that the minutes of the November 20th meeting had been circulated for comment, revised and posted on the website. Johnny asked for a motion to approve the minutes.
MSUA.
Treasurer’s Report – David Schwartz:
In Bob’s absence President David summarized the Treasurer’s report Bob had circulated to the board for the period ending November 30, 2025 and reported that the Club was financially sound.
Membership Report – Jerry Canning:
Jerry reported on activity from November 20, to December 18, 2025. We have 1 new member, 2 renewals, 1 non-renewals and 5 applicants in the pipeline. Total membership is now 176 vs. 181 at this time last year. The December 31 update has 42 out of 56 full members with 12/31 renewal dates having renewed their membership for 2026. Of the remaining 14 members, 2 have said they will not renew (due to health issues) and Jerry is waiting to hear from the other 12 .
Handicap Chairman – Brad Sandstrom:
Brad had nothing new to report.
Tournament Chairman – Joe Walkington:
Joe reported that the Anniversary Cup went well with 83 members participating. We congratulated the winner Jerry Canning for his fine play. The survey that Joe had distributed showed those responding favored 2 and 4 man tournaments, 8 ILN tournaments and 8 scrambles for 2026. Joe will use the results as a guide to plan the 2026 tournaments for 2026.
Rules Committee Chairman – Scott Hamelin:
Scott said we will continue the LCP rule on the fairway.
Web site – Tom Christopher:
Tom said there were two links now on our web site, one for 2025 scores and another for 2026 year scores which began with the Dec. 15 tournament.
Open Discussion:
President David thanked the departing board members Brad Sandstrom and Johnny Watson for their service.
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 9:25 AM.
Respectfully submitted,
Johnny Watson, Secretary