The year 1998 witnessed the departure of many of our key members and friends, including Alan Ashworth, Mark Maurer, Horst Decker, Peter O’Brien and Kyff Roberts. New and welcomed joiners consisted of Mike Panovich, Jack Thornton, Yutaka Sano. Shane Torr, Walter Puls and Alexei Zorin rounded out the talent that contributed to the many successes during the year.

The main challenge in 1999 will be filling key slots on the committee. David Wilson, Ernst & Young, will join us. We do, however, need to attract more members from the Asian and Russian communities to adequately represent the membership. The ongoing economic crisis may negatively impact the membership roster in 1999.

Nigel Roscoe remains a guiding force through the difficulties of meeting the expectations of the membership. His continued leadership in 1999 is a welcome relief.

Igor Ivashin and Andrei Chevrachenko, golf professionals, and Dmirty Butiry, superintendent of greens, continue to support the membership and consistently work hard to improve under less than ideal organizational constraints.

In general the course was in good condition for the most of the year. Wet conditions predominated through the season. Ample supply of seed/fungicides/ fertilizers at the start of the season provided for quick response to treatment of the greens early so that they were rolling fine by June. Very little disease and fungi was present on the greens after winter. We must replenish these critical supplies at the end of 1998 for the upcoming season.

The main priorities for 1998 were not met: drainage system improvements and work on the bunkers. In general, the bunkers were in poor condition for most of the season and needs attention in 1999.

A new chipping green was built behind the scoreboard that will be ready at the start of the 1999 season. This addition will save the putting green from wear and help putters avoid those bladed flop shots and injury.

A new tee for the professionals was added to the 15^th hole. Although ready for the Russian Open in August, it was not used due to wet and soft conditions. The new professional tee for the 18^th was started, but then abandoned.

New practice areas (wings) with mats were added to the driving range and were a welcome addition for those new to the game.

The driving range tee area took tremendous stress during the year. The front half of the tee will be re-seeded for 1999. Management of the practice area is a concern, since groomed areas are sorely needed for membership usage on weekends and holidays, as well as space for the visiting professionals in the Russian Open. A balance has not yet been found. A fast growing, hardy annual grass may be an answer. Suggestions were implemented such as moving the tees in front during the week and having the juniors use only the mats.

Repair of pitch marks on the greens and replacement of divots on the fairways continue to add to the general course deterioration and if left unchecked will have a long-term impact. Several tees (2,3,4,7) continue to have problems with turf development. Frequent movement of the markers is an inadequate long-term solution, but a needed action, nonetheless.

Ponds and waterways have continued plant growth problems which need addressed. Reports of deaths of fish were overstated after a scientific investigation proved the areas ecologically clean.

Unfortunately, constant reminders by the membership are the only effective way to address problems. A meeting held with management in July addressed the recurring problems on course conditions, facilities and registration controls. Simple tasks such as moving pin positions, replacing sand in the boxes on the tees, and emptying trash bins require constant reminders.

Much progress was made in this area in 1998. New carpet was installed in the clubhouse and locker rooms and the pro shop remodeled to better facilitate the merchandise and traffic flow. The honors board was completed and prominently displayed in the lobby of the clubhouse. Customs problems not withstanding, the pro shop was amply stocked through the year with quality clothing, clubs and accessories.

The halfway house issue was resolved. Coca-Cola donated two food and beverage carts, which were welcomed. Stationed at the 6^th and 14^th tee areas, they helped to satisfy the thirst and hunger on the course.

Speaking of food and beverage, a new menu was introduced at the start of the season. Lower prices on food and beer coupled with free snacks, allowed more conspicuous consumption. The new F&B manager, Parvis Kankr, came and went during the year.

A shoe cleaning service was intended, but not established. Soft spikes, also planned, did not make the program. These items can be on next year’s agenda.

The range ball machine ran out of tokens early on and we resorted to a manual system. Of the 8000 new range balls at the start of the season, reportedly 2000 disappeared.

Better controls and access were instrumental in minimizing problems in the club storage room.

Caddie guidelines were made available in Russian and English. A reporting and feedback system started, but due to lack of control, was not as effectively envisioned. A system to easily identify the staff, juniors and caddies is also lacking.

Registration Controls:

A full time marshal and starters on the tenth and first tees alleviated many concerns of the members. A planned computerized system was not implemented (Fairway Boss). In general, however, a much tighter control was witnessed. Slow play on the weekends continues to be a concern.

"Permanent" guests were an issue and this was addressed on an individual basis.

Tee times became very difficult to obtain. Two balls between 7 and 8 a.m. were implemented after much internal debate among the members of the committee. However, a fair and equitable system is required for 1999, along with the discipline to penalize those not making booked times. A stopgap measure late in the 1998 season was to allow a tee time with a minimum of two members required.

An opening day shotgun competition (May 16) was a success and should be repeated in 1999.

Club competitions, including the monthly medals, stableford format, better balls, etc. were generally oversubscribed and normally drew 60-70 players on the weekend. We do not know if that was due to the competition itself or the fact that you would be guaranteed a tee time. A larger percentage of the entry fee (80%) was made available for pro shop merchandise vouchers for the winners. J&B again sponsored the monthly medal competitions.

The club championship and associated dinner dance was a successful weekend. The three-flight format for men and a single women’s division worked well. The event will be a highlight again on the 1999 calendar. Thanks to DeBeers for the sponsorship, which we hope will become a tradition for them and us. The social committee, or lack thereof, continues to be a concern, since the responsibility for events needs additional manpower.

The President’s Cup, sponsored by General Motors, continued as an annual showpiece for GlavUpdK and the club.

The Russian Open, without major sponsorship, proceeded to display the best of MCC for the visiting professionals. The membership provided volunteer duties that facilitated a great, but wet weekend. Plans continue to have this event return in 1999. Ernst & Young sponsored the pro-am that was unfortunately cancelled due to wet conditions.

The many corporate days were again a success and provided much entertainment for members and guests. However, a trend due to the economic crisis late in the season resulted in a number of the planned events to be cancelled. This makes these events for 1999 anything but unpredictable as organizations pare budgets, costs and staff.

The Autumn Four Ball was over subscribed and an enjoyable competition. The format continues to be appreciated by the competitors and constantly improves year to year.

The matches with Tumba, Moscow City Club, continue the traditional rivalry. Unfortunately it is getting hard to differentiate who is on which side. Although there is some controversy on whether this should be a "friendly" match or not, it will remain on the golf calendar. Even though our men’s team did dominate at home, we continue to get trounced overall.

A new tournament, the "Golf Directors Day", ended the season on October 14. This was coupled with a black tie, charity dinner dance. We hope that this becomes an annual event.

Kyff Roberts continued to do a wonderful job at keeping us honest. His departure at the end of the year will be sorely missed and we need a new leader on this item. The question of a fully computerized system remains open. The Fairway Boss system proposed in 1997 was not installed. With the new economic realities, it is not clear if this will be part of the budget for next year. Mike Panovich has volunteered much effort in this direction, and it is a budget issue for the management of MCC to resolve. The golf committee at the end of the season approved Mike’s proposal for the computerized system.

Secondary to this issue is the subject of a course rating. We must have the course surveyed and permanent markers installed to meet the course rating requirements of the R&A.

Three newsletters were issued during the year and greatly facilitated communications with the membership. As with handicaps, the departure of members requires new members to fill the gap next year.

The bulletin board helped general announcements.

Staff photos were posted outside the pro shop. The suggestion that staff wear nametags was rejected.

Two golf committee members were elected to the board of governors.

Distance Book- discussed at length during the year and is to be placed in the 199 budget.

Affiliate Clubs- The board of governors established a policy.

Disciplinary Committee- Established consisting of four members, two from the golf committee and two from the board of governors. This committee functioned and took quick and effective action on several infractions of club rules.

Golf Director Succession- Addressed with the board of governors and management. At last report Nigel agreed to return in 1999, and warmly welcomed by the membership.

The chairman would like to express his gratitude to the efforts of the committee members and sincere congratulations for a fine season, which will remain memorable.

Jim Balaschak

October 29, 1998

Moscow, Russia