By Matt Considine
During the first week of October, our newest chapter in Northeast Ohio held two events on golf courses that could hardly have been more different.
Our inaugural member-member (we lovingly call The Rumble) took us to the upper echelon of private country club golf, a day of two-person team stableford across an elite Donald Ross design.
Our first Intraclub team match (fittingly named Steel vs. Rubber) took us to Washington, a nine-hole public course in Newburgh Heights and home to The First Tee of Cleveland.
The venues were different. The spirit of the people playing them was very much the same. And that sums up a lot of what I love about NewClub.
Washington Learning Center and Golf Course in NewBurgh Heights, OH — Home of The First Tee of Cleveland
At the Rumble, Ross’s contours and a few “patience-testing” pin placements gave us all we could handle.
We mostly kept our egos intact, crowned two deserving champions (congrats to Paul Catania and Jim Peel), and enjoyed an excellent patio meal.
The club professionals and staff welcomed us with open arms; members stopped to hear what we thought of their course. Our members carpooled, took care of the course, played briskly, and lived up to something I’ve proudly told our partners for years:
Our members are the best guests you’ll see all year.
Our gracious host and one of Donald Ross’ more revered designs by students of 1920’s Golden-Age Golf Course Architecture
Washington’s forecast looked atrocious.
We had an indoor backup, but almost nobody canceled. People were willing to risk a cold, wet morning to compete, win a point for their side, and spend a few extra minutes learning more about The First Tee and its programs supporting Cleveland’s kids.
The weather never came, and we had just as much fun for about a quarter of the cost of our day at The Rumble. We raised $1,800—$900 from each team contributed to First Tee in Cleveland and Akron—and even had a little left over for pizza and beer to enjoy during the first half of the Browns game.
That range in both cost and experience is part of the point of NewClub. There was plenty to love about both days, and I hope we keep giving ourselves the chance to appreciate the full breadth of all this incredible game offers — from its humble haunts to its most vaulted venues.
Golfers Giveth, Golfers Taketh
I recently read Adam Grant’s Give and Take, and it put words to something I’ve watched happen in this club for years.
The giving that makes a golf day better usually happens quietly. A vice captain rearranges plans at home to welcome a few new members. A 15-handicap shares her hand warmers with her opponents on a chilly morning. A long-time member picks up their new fourball partner with hot coffees ready. And a scratch player freely shares his knowledge of the course and the game with the group.
Most people probably don’t even think of those things as giving. The person on the receiving end certainly appreciates them, and they add intangibles to the round- the shared experience- that never make the post-round recap.
The more I see it, the more I believe golf is simply more enjoyable as a giver.
I see that same care in our staff, beginning with my co-founder, Mark Colwell. A small group does an outsized amount for this club, much of it behind the scenes. Mark and our team care deeply about the people they’re doing it all for.
Northeast Ohio’s inaugural Steel Vs. Rubber Matches - Team Steel (Left) vs. Team Rubber (Right)
Delivering a worthwhile membership is our responsibility. You should expect us to organize good golf, communicate clearly, and listen when something falls short. That candid communication, guided by respect, sincerity, and our shared values, has shaped our club for nearly a decade and will be needed more than ever for the decade ahead.
Protecting your experience is part of that responsibility, too. Respect for fellow members, our staff, and the people who host us is a standard we will uphold, including ending a membership when necessary, when those standards are not met. We need you with us in maintaining that kind of club, and what I saw that first week in October was encouraging: people quietly setting the example for one another.
Yank and Jeff
Those of you who listen to The Bag Drop will know that I recently set out on a research project with The Professor, studying the great clubs in golf. The further we go, the more I realize how we, as humans, instinctively carry the influence of those who came before us—the people we admired and the examples they set.
Founding Northeast Ohio member Jeff Heisler captained Team Steel at Washington, representing those north of I-80 (Cleveland). I led Team Rubber and those to the south (Akron/Canton). I’ve known Jeff since I could swing a club, thanks to our fathers’ decades-long friendship.
My dad, Bill Considine, is my golf role model. Some of you know him as “Birdie Bill.” Others have benefited from “Mr. Concession’s” more-than-generous gimme zone in a Founders Cup match or two. Seeing him still enjoy the game regularly is a gift, and his example on and off the course has a lot to do with what NewClub is.
Jeff’s dad, Yank Heisler, was another of my earliest role models in golf. He was taken from us too soon, passing away in April of 2017. That same month, I started NewClub in Chicago with a handful of golfers who agreed to be my “Beta Members.” Several of them reminded me of my friend Yank, and none more than his son, Jeff.
Yank was a terrific player and an early supporter of First Tee in Cleveland. I remember hearing about him and his wife, Lynn, donating their children’s old bags and clubs so other kids could play and pick up the game. I honestly think it was the first time I’d heard of The First Tee and what they were doing to get kids in the game.
Yank and Bill played a lot of golf together. Both came from humble beginnings and found success, but what they shared most was their kindness and generosity. They wanted others to enjoy the good things they’d found for themselves.
Jeff carried that example forward. The day before his wedding in Cleveland, he and his wife Abbey welcomed friends and out-of-towners with a nine-hole scramble at Washington and a chance to learn about First Tee. The same course where we were now playing our match and NewClub Northeast Ohio’s first turf battle, Steel Vs. Rubber.
So Jeff agreeing to lead a team of Clevelanders in support of First Tee was probably the least surprising development in the fifth month of our newest chapter.
And if you’ve competed with Jeff, you know what came next: voice-cracking pep talks, a lot of "ya gotta dig deep!" and his team's successful rally to a back-nine comeback and a one-point victory.
My formal apology to Team Rubber centered on my 0–2 performance. We’ll run it back next year on southern turf at The First Tee of Greater Akron HQ, Mud Run!
Afterward, I watched the winners drink Great Lakes Oktoberfest from our remarkable new trophy (shout-out to Sean Rigby on one of the coolest cups maybe in golf). And as the sting of their winning smiles faded, my gaze drifted to the wall behind them, which featured the names of past and present First Tee supporters.
One name looked right back at me: Yank Heisler.
Then I looked back at Jeff, cup in hand, smiling and laughing with his team.
Days like that Sunday at Washington, and weeks like that first week of October, remind me what I want this club to be. A place for people like Yank and Bill, like Mark and Jeff. People who love golf for the joy it brings them, and who understand how much it can do for somebody else.
See you at the next one.
More photos below from NewClub member and Professional Photographer, RJ Gilbert - @rj_gilbert
