April Notes

Fill the Divot Day!

Hopefully not Mo Willy!

First up, Morris Williams Course is planning a “Fill the Divot” Day on April 14, their monthly Monday when they are closed. Nobody likes to see multiple divots in the fairway—this is how we can help. The plan is to start about 7:30-8:00 a.m. for maybe two hours—the more the merrier.  If you have a small bucket and hand trowel, bring that so we don’t drain every last sand bottle! 

Contact Scott Stewart, one of our group who helps out at Morris Williams, to sign up. Just text him and he will follow up with you. 

He can be reached at (512) 577-4741.

Thanks!

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A couple of short notes—yesterday I saw someone hitting from a drop zone on #3 at Morris Williams—but he was across the bridge!  Our drop zone is next to the Red Tees. Please use the correct one when we play our Spring Partner Event in a couple of weeks. 

A reminder that beginning with the first Tuesday in June, we will be using two courses for the three months of summer, A big thank you to Austin GTX. For details on which courses, you can find it on the Austinsga.org website under “Event Schedule”. 

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The next two events (the second one is actually a Tuesday/Thursday double event), are partner events. If you don’t have a partner but DEFINITELY want to play REGARDLESS of Tee time, sign up. At our ABCD Scramble we had 14 dropouts AFTER the schedule was posted, which left a lot of people hanging. 

Be courteous and don’t do the late dropout routine.

See you on the course,

ASGA Webmaster

Notes from the 10th Tee

 From our Pace of Play Captain (and Past President) Greg Marshall:

Unfortunately, after all the improvements in our Pace of Play, we have regressed so far in 2025.  The average round this year is now almost 10 minutes longer and a lot less players are finishing in less than 4 hours and 15 minutes. We’ve even had a few 5 hour rounds creep back in.  Not the direction I think we want to be headed.  

We have already provided tips and support and you can refer back to them in the Pace of Play section of the website.  So for now… let’s just keep it simple. 

Keep up with the group in front of you!!

If you’re doing so…. you’re good.  If you’re not keeping up, then refer back to all the tips and tools we’ve provided and use them to help you and your group catch up and stay on pace.  Our membership has grown 20% since 2022.  So a group playing slowly affects a lot more players.

If we continue on this pace, we’ll probably need to look at limiting our entries to a max number of players on a first come - first serve basis.  Not something we want to do!!!!

And finally, we need everyone to take a moment and fill in your start/finish times for your rounds.  Last week, more than ⅓ of groups did not do so.  This makes it difficult to determine our actual pace of play.  Remember…your times determine if your group is restricted to later tee times.  So give us the correct info so we don’t have to guess.

Questions?  Let us know.  We want your Tuesdays to be fun and have you home waaaayyy before dinner!!!

Greg

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And hints from your Tee Time Scheduler:

Remember when you sign up--check to see that it went through. We had another "signup" this week that had the potential to disappoint four members because the signup did not go through. How to check that it went through? Easy, just click on



which is located under Member Programs, Tee Time Registration. If you don't see your signup...you haven't signed up.

Lastly remember that if you do the Tee Time Signup, The period you choose is first priority over the optional "ideal tee time". For example, say our first tee time is 7:00.  If you pick period 2 and 9:00, and 80 other players have picked period 1, that's 20 tee times minimum before we get to yours, i.e. you just signed up for 11:20 at the EARLIEST!  Please pay attention so as not to disappoint your teammates when you get that very late tee time you didn't want.

Each week we are now having 130+ people sign up which means the last tee time will continue to be after 12:30 until we get to June when our split courses will take effect.

Regards,

Bruce Jones
ASGA Web Admin

 

Winter Weather is Coming!

Always a good lie with snow!

The upcoming week of January 19 looks to be a cold one. A very cold one--which means ASGA will be cancelling our Tuesday January 21 event. Here are some of the details regarding why--from our partners at GolfATX (edited).

"Due to the current forecast, GOLFATX will deploy putting green covers beginning Saturday the 18th at Jimmy Clay, Roy Kizer, Morris Williams and the Balander Short course.  Kizer and Morris Williams will be closed for play, we will have availability at Jimmy Clay until 10:00 AM on Saturday.  Lions, Hancock and the practice ranges will be unaffected on Saturday.  We anticipate greens covers remaining in place thru Wednesday the 22nd but the situation could change based on weather.  Lions and Hancock will be opened intermittently with the approval of our agronomy staff during this weather event.  

"We do not know exactly how long it will take to cover the greens but we know we have over 8 acres in the 64 greens we are covering and the task will be significant.  The reason for deployment early Saturday is to get in front of the north winds arriving early Saturday afternoon.  We appreciate your understanding during this necessary disruption.  The only way this plan changes from Saturday morning is a major change in the forecast.

"We have another irrigation pond project scheduled for Lions at the end of January bleeding into February.  The pipe going from the pond into the irrigation house needs to be repaired requiring some excavation work in the pond itself.  We do not know exactly what we are going to find nor the impact on play but we will do our best to communicate those disruptions and adjust fees accordingly when they occur.  

"Materials for the lighted driving range at the Clay/Kizer should be arriving next week and work will start shortly thereafter.  We look forward to having a wonderful "after-hours" spot for you to continue working on your game.  Operation hours on that driving range will be communicated at the end of the month.

"In our last communication, our par threes (and all other holes) are getting pitted with pitch marks, cleaning up your marks is a vital ingredient to the healthy future of the turf, please enjoy this short video on proper pitch mark repair.  

"An additional way to limit visible damage to the course is thru cart traffic.  When you are entering fairways from the path and see a worn spot, avoid it and take another route.  If we all take the same entrance point, we create roads.  Roads on golf courses are not good.  When around tees and greens, all 4 tires on the path will limit those nasty ruts that we all see, traveling carts can go around you.

"Steve Hammond

"GolfATX Division Manager"

Hopefully this will be the worst of the winter weather--

Bruce Jones
ASGA Admin

December News

Mo Willie at Dawn

Have you renewed for 2025? If you’re late (after 12/31) it’s $5 extra and frankly causes headaches to manually insert you back into current status, unless you’d like to wait a week to become current once again. See the notice on our home page where you can check to see if you’ve renewed. Your webmaster thanks you.

Using our Tee Times as a guideline (PLEASE READ)

We continue to have conflict where players roll in according to the “Pace of Play” initiative, and their fourth drops in 10 minutes before published Tee Time with disappointment for all.

Most of us wish to play early rather than late, and teeing off ahead of our tee times, allows a 10 a.m. player to tee off up to 30 minutes or more earlier, avoiding summer heat and drive-home Austin traffic. This information is posted in our “Pace of Play” item at the top of the home page of our website. If you show up 15 minutes before your 9am tee time, and check in for the event, you may find the rest of your group has already left, thinking you are a “no-show” (which actually occurs every week). If you plan your arrival and Tee Time using the Pace of Play initiative, it will make for a better day for all of us.

Show up early, tee off early. 

Member Passing

Stacy

Many of us knew Stacy Holt, who joined us in 2021. Typically in a group with Karen Walsh, Joe Noon, and usual partner Grady Morris, Stacy actively participated in over 80 events with us, enjoying the golf and the fellowship. Thanks to Mike Dodson for letting us know.

 A link to Stacy’s obituary.

 

Please Don’t Abuse The Cart Privilege

Please keep carts on path in and around tees & greens.  Avoid any puddles or wet areas within fairways & roughs.  As a rule of thumb, use the 90 degree rule when entering and exiting fairways.  Allow maintenance & beverage carts to pass on cart path if possible.  During the winter months, grass is slow to grow, and we’ve all seen the “paths” taking off from the pavement to cut a corner. Don’t take the short cut. Use the cart path. 

And a note to those who have handicap signs for our carts. Remember to stay 30 ft. from the greens AT A MINIMUM. If it’s Cart Path Only due to winter weather, you too need to stay on the cart path. Thanks.

Remember your correct position on the course is immediately behind the group in front of you, not immediately in front of the group behind you.

 

And lastly, a bit of humor…

Golfer's dilemma (stolen from Bob Anderson) 

You're playing a match for the club championship. After 17 holes, it's all even.  You have the honor and hit a perfect drive 250 yds down the middle.  Your opponent hits his ball dead right into the woods.  You help him look for the ball and finally he says "Why don't you go hit your ball and I'll keep looking for mine for a couple of minutes.  If I don't find it, I'll head back to the tee and hit my 3rd shot.  You head back to the fairway and hit your 2nd shot.  It's perfect!  Lands 10 feet from the pin.  Just as your ball lands on the green, you hear...."Found it!!!"  A minute later....the ball comes flying out of the woods.  It hits the green and nestles 5 inches from the cup for a gimme. 

Here's the dilemma...do you take the cheating SOB's ball out of your pocket and confront him with it...or do you just keep your mouth shut???😀

 

Happy Holidays!

Gabe Padilla Wins Another One!

Gabe (courtesy of V. Padilla)

Congratulations to Gabe Padilla, who won this year's ASGA Championship. Gabe led the first day with a score of 70 for the two-day annual event, but Jeff Brown pulled even after the second day with a 71-72 to equal Gabe's 70-73. 

The usual playoff did not occur directly after the second day, so it was played the following Tuesday, with Gabe securing the win and a $100 credit at GolfATX. This was not the first time Gabe took the prize. He also won in 2023, 2015, and 2013, thus becoming the first four-time winner of this prestigious event!

View all the ASGA champions at this link.

Well done Gabe!