H.A.G.A. Newsletter No. 10 June 1998
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@ www.haga.org
August 15, 16, 22,
& 23.
The biggest tournament of the year is one
month away, sign up early and do not be shut out. The prize fund will be
the biggest for any event this year. There will be two closest to the pin
contest per round, complements of the HAGA. There will be a membership
gift for each participant, and a full meal served after the last round
August 23 compliments of the HAGA.
The Club Championship this year begins with two rounds at Lake Houston G.C. August 15 & 16. The last two rounds are to be played at Southwyck G.C. August 22 & 23. The aggregate score for the four rounds will determine the winners in each flight. . There will be four flights with six (6) places in each flight.
To qualify for entry you must have played in six (6) tournaments in 1998 or eight (8) tournaments since the 1997 Club Championship. The qualifying tournaments must be regular HAGA events. As I mentioned before; a meal will be served after the last round August 23, and the annual meeting will be held with a brief report from each of the officers for the 1997-98 tournament year. The results of the election for members to the Board of Directors will also be announced.
| First Flight | Second Flight | Third Flight | Fourth Flight | ||
| 1. $325.00 | 1. $325.00 | 1. $325.00 | 1. $325.00 | ||
| 2. $275.00 | 2. $275.00 | 2. $275.00 | 2. $275.00 | ||
| 3. $225.00 | 3. $225.00 | 3. $225.00 | 3. $225.00 | ||
| 4. $175.00 | 4. $175.00 | 4. $175.00 | 4. $175.00 | ||
| 5. $125.00 | 5. $125.00 | 5. $125.00 | 5. $125.00 | ||
| 6. $ 75.00 | 6. $ 75.00 | 6. $ 75.00 | 6. $ 75.00 |
Low Gross Low Net
Winners:
Lancaster - 240 Geary -
- 216
Runner Ups: Phillips - - 241
Eisen - - 218
Howard - 243
Barnes - - 218
Lemmon - - 246 Girouard
- - 219
Edwards - - 247 McMahan
221
McMahan - 248 Mullet - - 221
Fourth Round: Jones - Tuma
Kelly - Sharma
The final round match to determine the 1998 Match Play Champion must be completed by July 26, 1998
The ballot for the next Board of Directors is enclosed in this newsletter. The election committee was able to complete the ballot as shown, and I would ask that you mail the ballots to Election Committee Chairman; Dennis Wood at the address shown on the ballot.
If you so elect, you may return the completed ballot at the Club Championship August 15, 16, 22, or 23. The Tournament Director will take the ballots when you register. The election committee will count the ballots and announce the winners at the annual meeting after the last round of the Club Championship on August 23.
As you will note on the ballot, all candidates for officers on the Board are running uncontested. You may write in a member for any of these positions and vote for this person.
For the Board Members at large please check (13) names of the (16) listed for your vote. If anyone wishes to add his or her names to the ballot for officer or board member please contact Dennis Wood or me (Bob Jones).
What are Masters Points and how do you accumulate these points?
For each event throughout the year you earn:
Three points for First
in Flight
Two points for Second
in Flight
One point for Third in
Flight
One point for participation
One bonus point for Low
Net
One bonus point for Low
Gross
Special Flight participants
get participation points only.
Participation points
are awarded for the Two Man Best Ball Tournaments.
Participation points
are awarded for Match Play.
Participation points
are awarded for sanctioned rounds in the Memorial Day Tournaments.
These points are used to qualify players for the Masters Tournament in October. The top sixty (60) players & ties are granted entry in the Masters Tournament. At the end of the Master Tournament, the player with the most points is named "Player of the Year"
Past Winners: William Condra - Phil Perot
- Roger Reid - Wes Bear -
Jim Mathews - Mac Hairston - John Johnson - Dennis Wood.
The criteria for the award is that the tournament event must have at least forty players participating and the course must have a minimum rating of 69.0.
Our latest winner of this award is David Phillips who shot a Gross score of 77 and a Net score of 72 at Wedgewood.
Congratulations to David Phillips for winning The "Bobby Jones Award"
Pick up your trophy at the next tournament, David.
I recently had an opportunity to play some golf in the southern part of France, I also feel that I must explain that this opportunity presented itself due to a business trip to France. The area in southern France borders the Meditterian Sea and is hilly with mountains close by. The courses were immaculate and the fairways were thick and lush. Everytime I was privileged to find a fairway, I noticed there was almost no divots to be seen, I sometimes wondered "is no one else out here", or maybe no one dares take a divots from the fairways. The golf ball sat up nicely in the fairways and every shot produced a large divot to be retrieved and replaced. A small problem for me was to get the correct distance to the hole, everything was in meters, and my card read: "Les distances en meters sont calculees horizontalement des back tee jusgu'ay milieu du green", ….Everything is to the middle of the green…I guess. Somehow, in my warped sense of the metric system, I determined that the 135-meter posts were 150 yards, therefore I stepped everything off from these markers. The other problem was trying to do a quick calculation on the par 3 tee boxes, while everyone is waiting for you to tee it up….Go ahead and hit; its 178 meters what is the problem.
The course green fees ranged from $40.00 to $60.00. I felt as thought I was stealing; by paying less than $60.00 to play courses that would cost $100.00 plus in some areas of the U.S. Although I walked all of the courses, play was fast, with a few marshals…..In addition, all of the courses offered electric or gasoline carts. I believe golf has yet, to become an obsession with the French, but they have built some great golf courses.
The first course we played was "Pont Royal", designed by Seve Ballesteros, and built in 1992, the course measures 6245 meters from the back tees. Par 72, with a rating of 73.1. This was a resort type course with lots of tourist hanging around, but not necessarily playing golf.. The course was very hilly with a number of large trees and water hazards, undulating and sloped greens, which were very fast. The grass was similar to bent. There were a number of blind shots to greens that were either uphill, downhill, or hidden from the fairways, mainly it was hit and hope. The second course was "Saint Donat", designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr., and built in 1993. The course measured 6031 meters from the back tees. Par 71, with a rating of 71.8. This was a country club type of course with a lot of members milling around. A small stream meanders through many of the holes, with lots of bunkers and large and very old and beautiful oak trees lining the course. The scenic beauty of the course makes it difficult to keep ones concentration.
The third course was " Sainte Maxime" designed by Donald & Peter Herradine, and built in 1991. The course measures 6155 meters from the back tees. Par 71, with a rating of 77.9. A number of the holes provided a great view of Saint Tropez Bay with a background of the Maures Mountains. The course was very hilly and the fairways severely sloped. It was difficult to keep your shots in the fairways because of the slope. When we completed the 10th hole and proceeded to the 11th tee, we were greeted with about 500 yards of pathway straight up...to the 11th tee. A small note on the card indicated a cable car link was available, but no such thing was found. We bribed a marshal in a motorized cart to haul us up the mountain to the 11th tee. Trees and water hazards abound on the course and the tees were elevated well above the fairways, so you got a great view of every hole from the tee box.
The No. 8 hole at "Grand Avignon" is a par 5 that requires a tee shot, that must carry a lake in front of the tee box. I managed a spectacular heel shot that carried the lake and landed in the middle of the fairway, and to my amazement a giant tractor mower came barreling down the middle of the fairway, and gobbled up my Titelist and spit out the remains. By the time I got around the lake to the victim, the mower had turned and was going in the other direction. I dropped another ball and finished the hole. I approached the mower person, and showed him the mangled ball; and he shrugged, said something in French, which was a clear indication for me to take the matter up with someone else. I put the ball in my pocket and finished the round. I took the victim into the pro shop, handed the ball to a young lady behind the counter, and asked in my best impersonation of French, for a new golf ball. The young lady calmly examined my ball; then dropped it in the trashcan, and walked away. I guess something was lost in the translation. ------ Bob Jones -------
The Qualifiers from the Houston Section were: Jamie Nickelson and Brandt Kiewchinik. Both play for Sam Houston State University in Huntsville. Jamie is from Franklin, Texas and Brandt is from Bay City, Texas. Brandt qualified last year and went to Kentucky. Jamie shot 72 69 (141) and Brandt shot 69 73 (142). James Edmonson was first alternate and shot 73 72 (145). James plays for the University of Houston. Brandon Turner was second alternate and shot 147, Brandon plays for the Bearcats of Sam Houston State. The last alternate, Bob Reeve, shot 147. Bob is an ex HAGA player from several years ago. Had it not been for a triple on the par three 15th hole the last day, Bob may have qualified.
The National begins July 13th in San Diego, California at Torrey Pines South Course. I will attend the business meeting that'll be held the Sunday before the championship starts. The meeting will include discussions on several issues. Those issues of particular interest are future site selection and a handicap limit for entries into the championship. The committee has already approved San Antonio's Pecan Valley for the year 2001. Memorial Park in Houston has a bid in to host the championship in 2004. I have recently talked with the Houston Parks Director and he very much wants the championship here. ------Dennis Wood ------
Rule 14-3 expressly prohibits the use of "any artificial device or unusual equipment for the purpose of gauging or measuring distance", and an EDM device certainly falls under this category. The problem with the device in not in the information (yardage) being obtained, but rather the means (electronic device) by which it is gathered
Contrary to popular belief, there has been no amendment to the Rules of Golf that allows the use of EDM devices or authorizes a Local Rule to permit such use. So where is the confusion? It stems from the posting of scores for handicap purposes when an EDM device has been used during the round. In 1994 the USGA Rules of Golf and Handicap Committees determined that rounds played using EDM devices must be posted for handicap computation purposes as long as the device only measured distance and/or provided an illustration of the layout of the hole. The purpose of this position is to capture as many scores as possible for an individual so as to ensure a handicap index that accurately reflects the person's potential ability.
The manufactures of EDM's promote the handicap angel without mentioning the Rules position. Advertisement for a laser rangefinder states that this device has been approved by the USGA for daily play and for handicapping purposes, but cannot be used in a tournament. The Rules of Golf make no distinction between competitive and recreational golf. One unique aspect of the game is that the Rules apply whenever the game is played, be it a competitive environment or during a casual round. Abiding by the Rules of Golf and the USGA Handicap System is something golfers do because it is expected of them. The bottom-line? If your are going to play golf as it is intended to be played, by the Rules, don't use an EDM device.
The HAGA Dress Code is straight forward; No
Cut off Shorts, No Collarless or Sleeveless Tee Shirts, No Tank Tops. It
is the
responsibility of players to present themselves
in accordance with Golf Course Policy.
Remember we are guests
of all courses.
PRESIDENT
1. Bruce Tuma
2.
TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR
1. Jody Garrett
2.
MEMBERSHIP CHAIRMAN
1. Martin Noyola
2.
HANDICAP CHAIRMAN
1. William Condra
2.
SECRETARY
1. Rob Boland
2.
TREASURER
1. Jamie Diaz-Granadas
2.
MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS CHECK ONLY (13)
John Johnson
David Phillips
Chris Champion
Greg Dascomb
Larry Bartee
David Geary
Barry Maltz
Ralph Edwards
George Lamb
Mike Cirrincione
Gary Krenzler
Brad McMahan
Deryl Howard
Cliff Brooks
Henry Luna
Dennis Wood
Jim Milby
***Candidates for Officers of the Board are running uncontested. If you wish to write in a vote, write the name of the person in beside the office and put a check beside their name.
Ballots may also be turned in at the HAGA Club Championship August 15, 16, 22 & 23, 1998.