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Volunteer of the Year– Greg Johnstone
Club of the Year– Torrington Country Club
Distinguished Service Award– Nick Pahoulis
Dick Tettelbach Player of the Year– Cody Paladino
Dick Siderowf Senior Player of the Year– Dave Szewczul
Hall of Fame Induction– Bruce Guthrie
Volunteer of the Year- Greg Johnstone
During the course of the season, the CSGA conducts over seventy days of competition. With a full-time staff of only five people who conduct the tournaments throughout the season, it is truly the core of nearly one hundred CSGA volunteers that help make the championship season possible. At each tournament, there are anywhere from three to thirty volunteers who work long hours to ensure the success of the event.
Greg Johnstone of Heritage Village Country Club has been selected as the CSGA Volunteer of the Year for his contributions to the CSGA over the course of the 2013 season. Greg worked a total of thirty-two days of competition, logging more than three hundred hours during his time. On average, that’s over nine hours per day spent volunteering, longer than a normal work-day for most.
One of the new things that was implemented in the 2013 season was a live shot-by-shot tracking of the finals of both the Connecticut Amateur and Connecticut Junior. This involved plotting the player’s shots in real time on tablets, which would update immediately on the CSGA website. One of Greg’s many roles throughout the year was helping implement this new and complex system.
“One of my favorite moments in 2013 was being a part of the ShowMeGolfers live shot tracking,” said Greg. “For me, it was great to be able to see and experience how the data was charted, reported and delivered to the website for the public to see.”
“Having Greg as a volunteer at our events this year was a tremendous asset for our staff,” said Brent Paladino, Manager of Communications and Competitions. “We tackled a number of new projects at our championships with regards to live scoring and shot tracking, and Greg was a huge help in making sure they ran smoothly. From troubleshooting tablets to tracking tee shots, the success of the 2013 season would not have been possible without him.”
For Greg, the award is a culmination of the long hours spent helping to make the CSGA events special for the players.
“To be recognized as Volunteer of the Year makes me appreciative and grateful that my efforts and contributions were seen by the Executive Committee and the staff of the CSGA,” said Greg. “Every volunteer of the CSGA has an integral part and together, we make the tournaments some of the best in the nation. I try to go above and beyond at every tournament, lend a hand wherever it is needed, make any aspect of the tournament go even smoother, stay quietly behind the scenes, but have an impact on the event.”
“When I joined the CSGA, I wanted to learn what it takes to put on an event, what tasks are performed in the days/weeks/months before the actual date and give back to the golfing community with my time and efforts. I knew, going in, that the CSGA was a great organization and now I know what a great family the CSGA is as well.”
Greg was born in Altoona, Pennsylvania and grew up in Southern New Jersey. He moved to Connecticut in 1989 and began playing golf shortly thereafter. He is currently a member at Heritage Village Country Club in Southbury, Conn., where he formally worked as a Club Assistant. He has two teenage daughters, one of whom entered her freshman year of college at Post University this fall, and the other is a sophomore at Nonnewaug High School.
For the 2014 season, Greg is planning on attending the USGA Rules Workshop in January at Port Saint Lucie, Florida, where he hopes to pass the rigorous Rules test and become a certified Rules Official. In addition to volunteering at CSGA events, he also helps the CWGA run their series of championships throughout the year.
Club of the Year- Torrington Country Club
Torrington Country Club first hosted the Connecticut Open in 1946 when it was won by amateur F.J. Torza of Wethersfield CC with a 72 hole total 293. Frank Staszowski in his first of 40 years as Head Professional of the club finished fifth that year. He would go on to win the Connecticut Open in 1948 at Race Brook CC and 1949 at New Haven CC. The club hosted the Open again in 1962 when professional Bob Cloughen of Ridgewood CC and amateur Robert Allen of Wampanoag CC tied with a 36 hole total 207.
More recently, Torrington Country Club has hosted two Connecticut Amateur Championships. The first, in 1994, was highlighted by PGA Tour Champion J.J. Henry of The Patterson Club capturing his first of three Connecticut Amateur titles. In 2006, Tommy McDonagh of Shorehaven GC captured his first Connecticut Amateur title in dramatic fashion, winning the final match in 39 holes over 2006, and this year’s, Player of the Year Cody Paladino. Over the years, Torrington CC has hosted many other events including a US Senior Amateur Qualifier in 2012.
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| CSGA Executive Director Mike Moraghan and Torrington CC’s Dick Weigold |
Playing in his first Connecticut Open in 1962 was Dick Weigold, the current Greens Chairman of Torrington Country Club. The winner of the 1974 Connecticut Amateur Championship, nine-time Torrington Country Club championships, holder of the course record 63 for 49 years and a stalwart at CSGA and regional competition, Weigold was the driving force behind the return of the Connecticut Open to the club.
“It was a real honor to be chosen to host the state open championship and we have a great group of people here who are proud of having done so”, said Weigold. “It was a real thrill for the club.” The club is set to host the event again in 2019.
The seeds of Torrington Country Club were sown in August of 1926 by Dr. H. E. Bartle, D. F. Hildreth and thirty five others. One hundred and eighty acres of farmland in Goshen were acquired and the contract for building the first nine holes was awarded to Orrin Smith, a New Britain golf architect and contractor who developed his skills as a construction superintendent to Willie Park, Jr and was a regular field supervisor on a number of Donald Ross designed projects. The nine hole course was completed in the fall of 1928 and opened officially for play in the spring of 1929.
The clubhouse was built in the summer of 1929 and the putting green was installed in the fall of the same year. All eighteen holes were completed by 1932. In the mid 1990’s, noted golf architect Ron Forse assisted the club in the development of a master renovation plan to restore many of the original course features.
Congratulations to Torrington Country Club for joining the list of distinguished CSGA member clubs!
Distinguished Service Award- Nick Pahoulis
In appreciation for his years of outstanding service, Nick Pahoulis, a long time Tallwood Country Club and CSGA committee member has been awarded a CSGA Distinguished Service Award in 2013. Known to all for his gregarious demeanor and great sense of humor, Nick has been uniquely dedicated to the CSGA and to junior golf in Connecticut in particular.
Nick began volunteering for the association in 1999 and served as a Regional Vice President from 2002 until 2006 when he joined the Executive Committee. As a CSGA Vice President, Nick chaired the Competitions Committee through 2012 and remains co-chair of the Junior Golf Committee.
A fixture at many CSGA competitions as a Rules Official, Nick’s real passion is the Connecticut State Junior Team. The CSGA selects a seven person team of junior golfers each year to compete against those from the other New England States. Nick is known to dozens of junior golfers, and their parents, as he has tirelessly tracked their progress in state and regional competitions. As chair of the Junior Golf Committee, he led the junior team to a winning record that includes four out of six titles between 2007 and 2012.
When asked about Nick and his involvement with the CSGA, former Executive Director Ron Drapeau had the following to say. “I have known Nick since I joined the CSGA in 2006. He was easy to befriend as we share a love for the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Boston Red Sox as well as the great game of golf. He is as devoted to the CSGA as anyone and I love him dearly.”
