RAFFLING OFF THE MASTERS

By John Craig

Unless you have a winter golf trip planned, most look at Masters Week as the official start of the golfing season. It’s all about Spring and new beginnings and dusting off the clubs and powering through your first bucket of balls at the range – and being sore the next day.

Locally, Masters talk came much earlier than the first week of April. A couple of area charities were banking on golf fans and the Masters long before anyone even knew if Tiger Woods would be there.

(photo provided by Mark Bolles www.photoandgraphic.com)

“This year is better than last year,” said Marc Denofio of the Schenectady ARC, the organization that works with people with developmental disabilities. Its motto is “Advocacy, Resources, Choices.”

It’s the second year they’ve done a Masters Raffle. They sold 500 tickets this year and raised $6,800. It sends two people to Augusta, Georgia for the Thursday round at the Masters on a private plane. “When you’re a golfer it really means something,” said Denofio, the charity’s Public Relations Director. “When it is a golfer and they purchase it and perhaps win it, it carries so much more weight.”

ANONYMOUS DONORS

This year’s winner is Ron Roedell of Scotia. He’s taking his wife on the trip. They are going on a plane with other winners from around the state from an anonymous donor at Relph Benefit Advisors, an insurance company in Rochester, who came up with the idea.

Relph offers healthcare plans for employees of ARC regions, said Heather Varney of Saratoga Bridges, the other ARC offering the raffle in the Capital Area for the second year in a row. Winners fly down Wednesday, stay in a hotel near the course, are on the grounds all day Thursday and fly back that same night.

“I thought she was going to give him a heart attack,” Denofio said when they called the Roedell home.
Saratoga Bridges was thrilled they were able to offer it again this year. “It was pretty much a success for us,” Varney said.

Saratoga was given 300 tickets and offered them for $100 apiece. It sold about 100, Varney said. “Most of them buy it online or sell through an e-mail notification list,” Varney said. “Some want to support us but our golf enthusiasts bring in new donors.” This is just one source of fundraising for Saratoga Bridges, which has an annual appeal and special events throughout the year, including a golf tournament July 19 at the Edison Club. “Not only have we seen donors who are brand new to the organization, we’ve also seen donors who may not necessarily be golfers but the name ‘Masters’ draws them in.”

CIULLA STILL THRILLED

John Ciulla of Mechanicville won the Saratoga Bridges 2009 Raffle. He remembers it like it was an hour ago – from the undulations on the greens to the concession stands. “At the Masters, there are no tents,” he said. “They are all buildings – the restrooms and concession stands. They are all over the golf course and you never see any of them on TV.”

Ciulla and his wife Linda went. He has been the Saratoga County Public Defender since 1989 and in the office since 1978. Linda bought the ticket for him for a Christmas present. The day they drew his name, he was on the train back from Manhattan.

“I go to New York City for one day a year,” said Ciulla. “On the train, she calls me.” Now, she used to run his private practice office in Mechanicville and she had a serious voice. He was on his way home and trying to make it for dinner. After 33 years of marriage, “What now?” he thought. She explained that she had one more Christmas present to give him. It was the end of January. “They just called and you won,” Linda told John. “My attitude completely changed. What? I’m going to the Masters?!?”

Ciulla has been golfing since he was 28 years old. Now 61, he’s watched the Masters every year but now will see it very differently. “It really gives you a completely different perspective on the course,” he said. “The elevation change, until you walk on that golf course, you cannot believe how tremendous those elevation changes are. “I don’t think there’s a flat lie on the golf course.”

The Ciulla’s spent quite a bit of time walking the course backwards, from the 18th to the first. They spent an hour in the bleachers behind the 8th hole. They spent “a lot” in the gift shop: hats, ball markers, a set of wine glasses, a Masters sweatshirt Linda wears “all the time,” John said.

“Golf is my diversion and I don’t like to play with people with cell phones,” Ciulla said. He was struck by the course, the players, and the menu board. “The most expensive thing on the menu is a $3.50 can of imported beer,” he said.

THIS YEAR

Neither Roedell from Schenectady ARC nor “Paul” from Clifton Park, Saratoga Bridges’ winner have returned calls from capitalareagolf.com. The PR people joke that they might be nervous and won’t think it’s real till it’s over. “He is so ecstatic,” Denofio said of Roedell. “You’ll get to walk outside, side-by-side with Tiger Woods and Ernie Els. When the announcement came that Tiger was going to play, we had a little spike [in sales],” Denofio said.

“It’s the experience, every time I talk to somebody,” Varney said. “It’s Saratoga. The community is so giving. We thought donations would be down because of the economy, but we didn’t see that. We saw the donors still coming through.”

Schenectady offered two other prizes: second place a foursome at Stadium Golf Course and third, a twosome with cart at Western Turnpike. Tickets for Schenectady were $25 apiece. “One great way to connect on something they can enjoy,” Denofio said. “It’s a win-win for everybody. “It opens the door to a tremendous amount of community connections you wouldn’t reach in your daily job. It lets them in and lets you talk about what you do.” Maybe Ron and Paul will share their stories when they return.

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.