The weekday rate of $75 was a bargain and food was also reasonably priced – and very good!  There were seven restaurants in the hotel, in addition to a multiplex cinema, a large bowling alley and all the gambling outlets you could imagine. From penny slot machines to big stakes craps tables, anyone can find a level they’re comfortable at; or you can just watch the people who actually have money, dispose of it.

Around 230 GCS members gathered for the Annual Meeting—a good turn out considering the bulk of our membership is East coast based—but slightly shy of what would have made it a rousing financial success (and you could have made the difference). The easterners who usually attend were replaced by westerners who never have before; plus a strong Canadian and overseas contingent. Old friends found each other on Sunday night and dined at the hotel or made the pilgrimage to the Strip where a multitude of shows received rave reviews.

Monday morning started with 101 golfers assembled for the quick trip across the street to the Angel Park Golf Course, a facility that features two 18-hole courses, 12 holes of par three golf, and an 18-hole natural grass putting course. Turf quality was excellent throughout the entire facility and the course provided plenty of challenge for all categories of players from junior to senior, hickory hacker to steel shaft hold out.  As usual, Randy Jensen was the overall champion, but many enjoyed the scramble division that allows a few good shots to be rewarded in a convivial atmosphere.

Education is always part of our gatherings, and continues to increase.  Dick Donovan and Philip Truett offered their expertise at a panel discussion about book collecting, moderated by David Johnson. Donovan related how he bought his first golf book in 1948, Herb Wind’s The Story of American Golf, after coming home from caddying one day and seeing the book for sale in a bookstore window. A dozen years later he was a book scout and then owner of two bookstores; but it wasn’t until an epiphany at the Binghamton Country Club (fueled by a birdie on a long par-four) that he turned his attention to golf books only.

Truett answered an inquiry about rebinding, saying that it was better to have a book in pieces and buy a box to contain it, than it was to rebind it. Both answered questions about the Internet, book values and different pathways and reasons to collect books. Other insights included: Don’t confuse investment with interest or profit with passion: collect because you value the book, not because of the book’s alleged value; and don’t discount the extras you might find inside a book’s pages, including money, letters, newspaper articles and even other pamphlets sown into the binding.  Donovan recounted how a one-of-a-kind piece of ephemera was found in a book owned by the R&A—after it had hidden there undetected for 140 years.

The Annual General Meeting that followed was devoid of the controversy that has characterized some meetings in the past. President Andrew Crewe led the proceedings.  Executive Director Karen Bednarski reviewed the administrative year and our heaven-sent treasurer Phil Kostolnik detailed the finances. Mike Brown reported on the lack of candidates for Board elections and the willingness of directors to stay on in their roles and continue to donate their time and energy for the general good.

Bob Gettis reported on future meeting sites. Next year we’re headed to Pine Needles and Mid-Pines in Southern Pines, North Carolina—a site steeped in tradition and golf activity. Roger Hill talked about the website and his efforts to bring members to it. Marketing Committee Chair Lee Crist and his committee outlined a wide variety of initiatives to promote our organization.

The Monday evening banquet started with delicious minestrone and ended with an excellent carrot cake - with plenty of food in between. First-time attendees were invited to stand and receive the appreciation of all the old timers who applauded them for making the trek to Vegas. The GCS Founders Award was bestowed upon Fred Smith, our first president and one of the saviors of the organization who stepped in when things were tenuous in the 1980s. Then, as now, he was ably assisted and supported by his wife Shirlee, who also graced the head table.

Dinner speaker Jack Sheehan, a Vegas resident and writer for 31 years entertained us with facts and anecdotes, bringing the unique quality of Las Vegas into light. “In Vegas we don’t honor history, we implode it,” cracked Sheehan, who noted the number of implosion parties he has attended to discard 20-year-old hotels.  When Sheehan arrived in Vegas there were five golf courses; today there are 54. When Sheehan detailed golf bets that scaled the $350,000 mark in the 1970s, even the high rollers among us paid attention.

At the heart of a GCS Annual is the trade show; and even if you removed everything else, indulging yourself among some 100 tables of golf stuff would still justify the pilgrimage. Many of the Eastern dealers did not bring their complete inventory—a luxury reserved for shows within driving distance. But there was still plenty to look at, and at prices a little more consumer friendly than in the past. The room was well lit with ample aisle room; and the education sessions were in one corner, meaning attendees did not have to leave the floor.

Ed Woeckener spoke about why we play hickory clubs and how to get started in the pursuit, a topic covered in detail in the December Bulletin. Then Dennis Hucul elaborated on golf club patents—a topic you will see in a future issue of The Bulletin.

If you didn’t make the trek to Las Vegas, we missed you and you missed a good one.  Mark your calendar for November 4-7, 2007 when we gather in Southern Pines, NC.  Although the setting will be a world apart from Las Vegas, the camaraderie will be just as pleasurable; the trading just as spirited and the golf just as much fun. Maybe even more so.  And, there’s only one way to find out!