I’ve been around The Democrat Golf Tourney since it started in 1982 and I played as a 19-year-old. I haven’t competed in all of them (only person has, see ‘I’ below) as there were conflicts, company and cancer to keep me away from several of them. 

But I’ve seen the tournament evolve from a novel idea to the pre-eminent golf event in Sullivan County. That evolution has engendered an entire history that is a big part of the tournament’s enduring success. Here’s my summary of 41 years of Democrats, A-Z:

A – Action

Over the past 41 years, The Democrat has provided some of the best golf action this area has ever seen. Incredible shots, nail-biting matches and illustrious champions. But it also has provided great action for those who like to wager a few bucks. Auctions, pari-mutuel betting and countless side bets have been a big part of The Democrat.

B – Brothers Kaufman

I’ve had a few first firsts in this tournament, but this one was a low point. At Grossinger’s in 1986, Mel Kaufman and his brother Stu became the first No. 16 seed to defeat a No. 1 seed in the first round of the Championship flight. Yes, that No. 1 seed was myself and Jack Jordan. We shot a scorching 65 in the qualifier (a Grossinger record) to easily become the No. 1 seed but Mel and Stu made all kinds of putts on us to register the upset. It wasn’t that shocking when you consider that Mel and Stu were very good players – Mel qualified for the U.S. Senior Amateur in his day.

C – Calcutta

See D.

D – Discussion

Can’t really say a lot more about this except that it has gotten longer and more robust over the years.

E – Etess

The first two champions of The Democrat (in dominating fashion) were the Etess brothers, Mark and Mitchell. As part of the Grossinger family, they were also two of the main cogs in launching the tournament and hosting it at Grossinger’s for the first seven years. Quite simply, the tournament doesn’t exist without them.

F – Fred Stabbert Jr. and III

The tournament also doesn’t exist without Fred Stabbert Jr. and Fred Stabbert III, publishers of the Sullivan County Democrat newspaper. Fred Jr. was willing to roll the dice and sponsor the tournament with a unique team format back in 1982 and Fred III has infused a passion and spirit into hosting the tournament that cannot be rivaled. 

G – Grossinger’s

The original host course for the Democrat, Grossinger’s was a special treat for all players as it was one of the top 20 courses in New York State at the time. It was hard to beat the entry fee of something like $100 per team in 1982 which included at least three rounds of golf at the Big G and a dinner reception.

H – Handicaps

Or lack of. The true beauty of the Democrat and what separates it from every other local tournament and outing is that there are no handicaps (real or fake) involved. This is pure golf played at scratch and the various flights (determined by the Friday qualifier) level out of the playing field. There is hardly any sandbagging to speak of. Have there been instances of very good teams having very bad rounds on Friday and ending up in a lower flight – yes. But that is by far the exception.

I – Iron Horse

Marvin Newberg is the only person to play in all 41 Democrats dating back to 1982. While Iron Horse was the nickname given to Lou Gehrig for his consecutive game streak, Marvin probably is not crazy about being compared to a Columbia man – he went to Penn.

J – Josephers

New York attorney and longtime Smallwood resident Myron Josepher played more golf than anyone. One year he logged more than 150 rounds on the MGA Handicap chart – in just the six months Grossinger’s was open. He was an avid supporter of The Democrat from its inception and mainly played with his son Michael. 

On one memorable occasion at Grossinger’s, the Josephers were in a playoff for the Championship Flight and Michael topped his tee shot off the first tee. With a nice crowd around the tee to watch the playoff, Myron offered these words of encourgagement to his son: “Very bad Michael.”

K – Kleiners

Since the tournament moved to the Villa Roma in 1989, the Kleiner name has been closely associated with it. From Director of Golf Matt Kleiner, who has enthusiastically and efficiently run the tournament for all of those years, to the cousin combo of Ben and Maxx Kleiner, who were the first team to appear in three consecutive finals from 2005-2007.

L – Levine, Charles

There is no offical record for most partners, but Charlie Levine certainly had it at one point. During one 15-year stretch, Charlie played with 10 different partners. He was also in three finals in the tournament’s first 10 years, of course with three different partners. At Grossinger’s, Charlie also introduced a very festive scramble for invited friends the night before the Democrat.

M – Markowski, Walt

The early years of the Democrat were accented by a very healthy rivalry between players from Sullivan County and Honesdale, PA. The best of the Honesdale players was the late Walt Markowski, who won two of the first 10 Democrats and lost in the finals another time. Walt was a meticulous and calibrated player who would grind out par after par. In match play, especially at Grossinger’s, that was a winning formula. Definitely one of the 10 best players to ever compete in the Democrat.

N – Nine

A record nine champ-ionship titles for Sean Semenetz and myself. Wouldn’t you know when we teamed together in 2014, we didn’t win. 

O – Ones

There have been several hole-in-ones in The Democrat (that I’m aware of): Robert Friedman (No. 14 at Grossinger’s); Marvin Newberg (No. 17 at Villa Roma); Richie Abrams (No. 13 at Villa Roma); Sean Semenetz (No. 13 at Villa Roma). 

P – Passante, Marty

When the tournament could no longer be held at Grossinger’s in 1989, Villa Roma owner Marty Passante stepped up in a big way. Not only did he offer to host The Democrat, he embraced it and looked forward to it every year. He loved everything about the tournament – the golf, the food, the camaraderie, the action and the overall environment. I know I made him feel even better about the tournament with a few championship titles that provided a nice return on investment.  

Q – Quality

No amateur tournament in Sullivan County has ever boasted the quality of field like the Democrat. Over the years, New York and New Jersey, Metropolitan Golf Association (MGA), Golf Association of Philadelphia (GAP) and Westchester Golf Association (WGA) champions have all competed. That’s not to mention winners of other highly reputable tournaments and invitationals as well as qualifiers for the U.S. Amateur, U.S. Mid-Amateur, U.S. Senior Amateurs, U.S. Four-Ball and U.S. Publinx.  

R – Remembering Dad

I have many golf-related memories with my Dad – it was a huge part of our life together. As far as The Democrat, I remember an early Democrat when he and Dick Benton actually qualified for the Championship Flight (they were two 7 handicaps at best) as the 16th seed. They played Glenn Sonnenschein and Tom Drobysh in the first round and got hammered. To which my Dad said, “we just couldn’t keep up with them – two beers a hole!”

And of course I’ll never forget him handing me $200 after I won my first Democrat with Jimmy Grossinger in 1984. I said what’s this for? He said, “That’s the 10% jockey fee. We rode you and Jimmy to win the Calcutta.” If he only knew what 10% would be today!

S – Semenetz

The Democrat’s most dominant family, with an incredible 13 victories and 19 finals appearances in the last 24 years. Youngest son Sean leads the way with nine wins, while dad Gregg Semenetz Sr. has two titles and oldest son Gregg Jr. has one. If you bet on a Semenetz, chances are you will cash.

T – Tom Slick

Tom delivered one of the more memorable lines in Democrat history after a qualifying round at Grossinger’s. When asked by someone in the bar how he and partner Guy Baker played, he responded: “Baker played so bad, I shot 79 on my own ball and we shot 80 as a team!”

U – Up and in/down 

There have been two incredicle shots from off the green to outright win or lead to a win in Democrat history. Perhaps the most memorable came in 2001 at The Villa Roma when Gregg Semenetz Sr. sank a curling, downhill 25-foot putt from about a yard off the 3rd green to win the championship in sudden death. He was partnering with Bill Phillips for the first time and the two would repeat in 2002. 

In 1986, Don Winters showed off his delicate touch with a near impossible shot from over the 17th green at Grossinger’s to salvage par and keep the championship match all even. He was playing with Tom Drobysh against Robert Friedman and Charlie Levine. Drobysh would make a par on the 18th hole to clinch the victory.

V – Villa Roma

The host course for 33 of the 41 Democrats has proven to be a great match play venue and the perfect fit for the two-man best-ball format. 

W – Winski, Winters and Winter

If your last name starts with WIN, that’s what you will do at The Democrat. Joe Winski, Barry Winter and Don Winters have combined for 13 championships! 

X – X Halves the Hole

At an early Democrat in one of the lower flights, two teams halved a hole with X’s. True story.

Y – Yauns

A legendary name in Sullivan County golf, the Yaun family is represented on the The Democrat Past Champions board with two titles, Rad in 1990 and Nick in 2003.

Z – Zintel

Simply put there is no Democrat without Paul Zintel, one of the founders back in 1982 and the tournament director for many of the early years.