So, this week between Christmas and New Year’s is all about your “New Years Resolution.” Like all of you, we had that conversation around the table this week and while I like to plan out everything in life, I was stumped for a plan for 2024. Sure, to play more golf, get into better shape, and eat healthier would all be nice resolutions. However, anyone who knows me, knows I like to dig deeper into the roots.

Digging into the roots, I’ll share my resolution with all of you. I want to appreciate life’s simplest moments more. I want to value the time spent with my family, friends, members, teammates, and even pets more. I want to celebrate every good golf shot and learn a lesson from the ones that don’t go as planned. I want to savor every meal I eat and absorb the music around us. Most of all, I want to appreciate all of the blessings that we have in our lives—the new friends that we’ve made in 2023, and the sweetest memories of life.

On that note, we appreciate our members! I experienced two stories just this week that brought a smile and warmed my heart. One was about a social member who decided earlier this year to take up the game of golf as a young 63-year-old. He and his wife upgraded their membership to Full Family Golf as he was ready to dive in with both feet. As a Marine, he made it a mission to learn the game and work at this new challenge. He picked up his first golf club and hit his first shot in March 2023. I had been watching him on the range, working diligently on what he’d learned in his golf lessons. Then, earlier this week he came into the Clubhouse Grill for dinner with the smile of a hero. He had made his first birdie! He was over the moon with excitement as his love for the game grew exponentially that day. His family and friends were at the Clubhouse Grill bar; they celebrated his “victory” as if he had sunk the winning putt at the Ryder Cup. A great memory for life!

Then just today, I was speaking to a member about the upcoming New Year’s Day Bloodies and Bagels tournament. He mentioned how excited he and his wife were to be playing this week’s golf tournament with their new CIC friends. When he and his wife moved to Beaufort last year, they didn’t know anyone in the area. They attended a social event at the pool Cabana and met another couple and became fast friends—friends for life in fact!

While these two stories are blips on the radar of the year, they represent the realization of goals that we set out more than two years ago. Let’s not build a golf course and clubhouse, let’s build a lifestyle; a place where families celebrate together, where people come together with common interests a place where people grow their lives together. Let’s bring people together!

That’s what membership is all about. If your New Year’s Resolution includes doing something special for yourself and your family; try appreciating life more, you may want to reach out to me and discuss a lifestyle at Cat Island Club. You won’t be disappointed. Happy New Year everyone!

With warmest regards,
Tim Mervosh
General Manager