McWhorter Scores Hole-in-One, Wins Pot

McWhorter picks his HIO ball out of the hole

    Travis McWhorter selected his club and took his place on the 12th tee box as the lead-off man for his group of golfing companions and proceeded to nail a five-iron to the green of the 125-yard hole. The ball landed 20 feet short of the hole and continued to roll the remaining distance into the hole for McWhorter's second career hole-in-one.
     McWhorter's feat came at the two-man team ASGA tournament held on Tuesday. Along with the HIO accomplishment he also won the pot of approximately $375. McWhorter shared his time in the spotlight by buying several golfers their choice of liquid refreshment after the round.
     The hole-in-one was witnessed by his golfing partner, Don Visness, and his fellow golfers, Sam Jenkins and Don Pratt. McWhorter, understandably happy, when asked about the use of  a five-iron on a 125-yard hole,  laughingly noted that the shot,"was a knock-down five-iron."

ASGA Memberships

New ASGA memberships dues are $15.00 for the calendar year and expire on December 31 each year.  Current members may renew for $10.00 during the renewal period extending from the date of the annual banquet event until December 31.  Members who choose to not renew during the renewal period may rejoin the organization at any time for the new member fee of $15.00.

A reminder: Only ASGA active members may signup and participate in ASGA tournaments.

In-Person Renewal Opportunity

A setup at Morris Williams at the last ASGA tournament of 2018 on December 18 will provide means for membership renewals to be completed before and after member rounds are completed.

Other Membership Renewal Options

 Membership renewal options can be accessed from the "Member Programs" tab on the ASGA website home page and selecting the "Renew Membership" button.  A direct link is available HERE

Review Rules for Tuesday says TD Jenkins

     Tournament Director Sam Jenkins offers two rules to follow for players participating in Tuesday's Two Best Net scores of the four-player team format. The first rule is to put the gross score for each player on the official scorecard and the second rule is follow the first rule.
     The official scorecard that is to be turned in to the office must have all four scores for all players on each hole. The computer will adjust the scores when they are tabulated and select the two best NET scores so that a team score can be determined.
     All players' scores are required as they will be used for handicap purposes. Players may keep another unofficial scorecard for their own use but the official one needs only the gross hole scores of the players. Think of the format as an individual format for all four players and scores should reflect that.

Election of ASGA Board of Directors

The following ASGA Board of Directors officers were confirmed at the ASGA Annual Meeting on November 8, 2018:

• President Paul Redden
• Vice President Travis McWhorter
• Past President Shawn Higgins
•  Secretary-Treasurer Sam Mihalik
• Tournament Director Sam Jenkins
• Handicap Chairman Bill Burke
• Parks and Recreation Representative Jack Scruggs
• Delegate-at-Large Don Greenway
• Delegate-at-Large Lewis Howell

Their term of office is from November 8, 2018 until November 14, 2019.

Preliminary minutes of the Annual Meeting are posted on THIS LINK.

Riverside Tee Time Information

The tee time assignments at Riverside for the tournament on Tuesday, November 20 resulted in large gaps with empty assignments. As a result the earlier tee times before the gaps will be adjusted upward to eliminate those gaps while maintaining the  assigned order.  Foursomes who have a need to play early can still do so by informing the course. Additional tee times are still being accepted.

CLICK HERE to view the initial assignments; check the Tournament Schedule page for the updated listing.

President's Cup, What's That?

By Sammy Charles

As a serious journalist who always keeps his nose close to the ground, I have sniffed out a story that is indeed strange. What is this thing called the “President's Cup” that is supposed to be played at the Annual Banquet in the Fall of 2019? Yea, yea, I know, that's so far in the future (October, 2019) we have more important things to worry about.......like the state of the nation after an election......or should I put out the garbage tonight or in the morning......or is it too cold today to play golf.....you know, important things. But I digress!

The President's Cup, some new format dreamed up by that upstart tournament director, Sam Jenkins, is a match play event! Match play! Well, nobody plays match play anymore. That went out of style when golf came to America, right? No, you say, it is still being played? Like it is the format for the USGA Amateur Championship.....it is the way the NCAA determines it's champions.....and, it is still one of the features of the …...(gulp)...Ryder Cup?

Ok, ok, so it is still a major part of golf, so now we have to have it in the ASGA? Well, Mr. Jenkins says yes it will be part of our schedule next year. Ok, so what is this all about?

My expert reporting has found out that the President's Cup is a format where the players who sign up for the annual banquet tournament will be divided into two teams and lined up to play each other in a match play format. Something called a draft will be held where two captains will choose their teams on an alternate basis and line-ups will be set up similar to the Ryder Cup. And who are those so-called captains? According to my astute and nose to the grindstone reporting, the current ASGA President, uh....uh...what's his name.......oh, yea, Paul Redden, will choose the two captains early next year.

Soooo, Jenkins has tentatively named the two teams, Blue and White, according to a secret email that I was able to get from a hacker friend of mine. How mundane! I could think of two better names than that off the top of my head, like North and South teams.....nooo....maybe not, we'd have 118 players on one side and 2 on the other, besides we know how that competition turned out! Maybe East vs West? … ..no, if you were on the East team people might end up calling you a Yankee from New York and if you were on the West team you'd be associated with California and everybody knows that Texas and California are rivals. Since it is the “President's” Cup, we could call one team Junior and the other Eric....no, forget that! Senators and Judges? Representatives(too long)! How about Democrats and Republicans? Oh gosh, NO! Enough is enough!

I got it! Longhorns and ….and.....dare I say it...Aggies? That would be a one-sided choice so no to that. What about the Texans and the Cowboys! Now we're getting somewhere. Who would refuse to be on either team, right? Still. Not great. Maybe Blue and White wasn't so bad after all.

Do you have a preference or two new names? Send them to Mr Jenkins. I'll alert him your choices are coming. I have his secret email address, scjenkins29@gmail.com.

Urgent Request to Complete Golf Survey

     Golfers' needed! Not to play golf but to assist in giving the game of golf a boost in the Austin area. How? The city of Austin has a large land area called the Walter E. Long Metropolitan Park located in east Austin just west of State Highway 130. The property includes over 3,500 acres of parkland and over 1,100 acre lake and the city is conducting a survey to get help in deciding whether golf should be part of their master plan.
     At the most recent meeting of the city planners in which the public was invited for comment, fewer than a dozen golfers showed up while the audience was well populated with disc golfers, fisherman, and other partisan citizens. But golfers have a second chance to try to influence the thinking and the planning of the city officials. This comes in the form of a new survey that the ASGA is urging its members to complete.
     This is urgent and necessary if golfers wish to have a new course available to them for future use. Fishermen were there in mass and they look at the golf courses as poisoning the fish with the runoff from watering the course. Although Kevin Gomillion, an official with the city golf department, set this issue straight there are numerous other harmful myths out there that people believe about golf.
     Therefore it is essential that golfers respond and complete the survey before November 14th.
Here are a few tips when filling out the survey.
1) One of the first golf questions is about the 36 hole course, with one of them PGA quality course. Select VERY IMPORTANT
2) A later question asks about GolfATX public course and how important that is to you. Select VERY IMPORTANT.
3) Use the comments section to list any other thoughts you feel are important.  They are reading each of the comments.

     Here is the link (click on the address below and then on the URL that pops up):http://www.austintexas.gov/department/walter-e-long-park-master-plan. 
     Scroll down to middle of page to "Take Survey #3”

    Please spread the word, so we get more than 70 golfers to respond.  Get your spouse, relatives, and friends to complete a survey as well. We need to have the survey reflect our desire for another golf course in Austin.

New Formats Added, 2019 Event Schedule Released

Tournament Director Samuel Jenkins has released a 2019 event schedule with a variety of formats for individuals, two and four player teams.  The event formats include those in the 2018 schedule and two new formats are introduced: Total Net (2 of 4 players) that is  similar to the 2018 format, Total Net (3 of 4 players), but in the new format only the two lowest total net scores are used;  Presidents Cup (Team Match Play), a brand new format pitting two teams of players at the annual banquet in match play competition.  Details on this competition will be announced as the schedule unfolds in the coming year.

In summary, the schedule includes: Individual:  16 events (includes the two-day annual tournament); Two-Player Team: 16 events; Four-Player Team: 20 events (including the Presidents Cup).  The schedule is linked on the ASGA website Tournament Schedule page and can be accessed directly HERE. 

Annual ASGA Election and Meeting, 1:00 PM, Thursday at Lions

     President Shawn Higgins issued an important announcement today concerning the election of the 2019 new board members. All ASGA members are urged to attend the Lions conference room to vote for their choices for the new board. After the vote, the new president will conduct a general meeting concerning any business before the board. 

     The following is Higgins' official statement:

Election of New Board/Officers on November 8, 2018, 1:00 PM in the big meeting room at Lions.

     ASGA Bylaws require an annual meeting. As your president it is my responsibility to set up this meeting. As a current member of ASGA it is your responsibility to attend and vote in person. Only those in attendance will  have a vote. Please come a few minutes early as we plan to start the meeting promptly. 

     The nominating committee plans to announce the following candidates at the meeting and place their names in nomination. Please remember that in addition to the two Delegates-at-Large put forth by the committee, members can place any name for any position by nominating them from the floor. 

Nominees for 2019 ASGA Board

President: Paul Redden

Vice President: Travis McWhorter

Past President: Shawn Higgins (Not to be voted on)

Secretary/Treasurer: Sam Mihalik

Tournament Chairman: Sam Jenkins

Handicap Chairman: Bill Burke

PARD City Board Rep: Jack Scruggs

Recommended from the floor

Delegate-at-Large: Gene Payne

Delegate-at-Large: Don Greenway

Mark your calendars and be there,

Shawn Higgins

ASGA President

Grand Prix Individual and Team Champions Named

ASGA President Shawn Higgins (left) presents
Grand Prix award to Barkely Edwards

   The Grand Prix winners were awarded prizes at the Fish Fry held after the Morris Williams Select Shot Tournament on Tuesday. Barkley Edwards and Alton Stewart won the Team Championship and $50 each for their pro shop credit. They also had their names installed on the Grand Prix plaque that will hang in the hallway of the Lions Course pro shop.
     Jerry Horton also had his name added to the plaque for winning the Individual Championship. He earned $50 of credit as well for his season-long effort. Jim Milan won $25 for his second place finish in the individual race with Don Visness picking up the $15 for third place. Paul Redden was the fourth place finisher picking up $10 in the process.
    Following Edwards and Stewart in the team championship was Don Greenway and Victor Edwards who pocketed $25 each for their second place finish. Vic Loar and Curtis Higgs fought to a third place finish and $15 while Jim Millan, a double winner, and Lee Lambert took fourth and added $10 to their city bank account.
    The 2019 Grand Prix started with Tuesday's select shot tournament. All players will again start with zero points and the race continues from the Tuesday tournament through the rest of 2018 (November and December) and end the week before 2019 Annual BBQ (Fish Fry).
     Due to the need for more individual scores in the individual championship race (the points were approximately twice as much as in the team race), the 2019 schedule will be using some team events as individual tournaments as well. For example, the team event, 2-person total net, will be used as a team and as an individual Grand Prix event. Both the 2 of 4-person total net (NEW) and the 3 of 4-person total net, which have not been Grand Prix events in the past, will now be counted as individual Grand Prix events.

Game On..

And So Is The Fish Fry

Some Key Information

• Tournament And Fish Fry Rain Or Shine
• Worst Case, Fish Fry Moved Into Snack Bar
• Several $25 Door Prizes Drawn From Fish Fry Tickets
• Grand Prix Winners Announced
• 2019 Board of Director Recommended Slate of Candidates Announced
• Registration For 2019 Membership Renewal Available 
• Announcement of 2019 Tournament Schedule Availability
• Don't Forget To Bring Your Own Water!!!

Attend Tournament, Fish Fry Or Both

Water Issues at Morris Williams; Bring Your Own

     Due to the extreme weather conditions lately in Austin, Morris Williams will not be providing water on the course for Tuesday's ASGA tournament. Players must provide for themselves with their own container of water. Bottled water will still be sold in the clubhouse at Morris Williams.

Fish Fry Tickets

Tickets are still available for the fish fry banquet and may be purchased or reserved for Tuesday pickup from the ASGA Board of Directors.

ASGA members that have purchased or reserved tickets to the banquet when it was scheduled for October 13 who are unable to attend on Tuesday can get a refund by sending an email to President Shawn Higgins.  Anyone who made a reservation to purchase a ticket with the same issue can do the same.

Deadline for the above actions is 8:00 Monday morning.

Morris Williams Tournament Changed to Shotgun Start

The Select-Shot tournament on October 23rd at Morris Williams Golf Course preceding the Fish Fry will be a shotgun start..  Everyone is again asked to sign up their team or foursome starting  Wednesday at 7:00 AM.  Tee times will not be assigned; groups will be assigned a specific starting hole by the Morris Williams staff.  That information will be posted to the website on Sunday, October 21.

Key Points to Remember

• As with other shotgun starts, players are required to purchase and ride carts.
• Morris Williams has only one sign-in register.  Players need to show up to sign-in and pay their fees  by 7:00 AM to accommodate the process and get the shotgun start off on time.
• The tournament will start at 8:00 AM;  carts will be released to go to their assigned holes at about 7:45 AM after staff instructions.

  

Roy Kizer Event Status

Monday Update--9:00AM

The Roy Kizer tournament has been cancelled.  Notify your friends and playing partners.

The 2-M Select Shot  at Morris Williams on  October 23 will be a Shotgun Start at 8:00.  Check the website for additional details later today.

Fish Fry Rescheduled

The weather forecast is for significant rainfall leading up to Tuesday, October 16, with rain and cool, blustery weather that day.  In anticipation of  possible cancellation of the golf event the fish fry has been rescheduled  to October 23 at Morris Williams GC.

The Roy Kizer GC toournament has not been cancelled to date and hole assignments for  the shotgun start will be published today.  Players should monitor the website for further developments. 

Fish Fry Ticket Sales Extended

Contact any ASGA Board of Directors officer and reserve your tickets to be picked up Tuesday morning prior to starting the event at Roy Kizer.  BOD contact information is available here. Alternately, special arrangements could possibly be made for ticket purchase prior to Tuesday if the parties could so decide. Ticket reservations are a commitment by the member to complete the purchase.

Baring unforeseen circumstances the Fish Fry will be held rain or shine on Tuesday, October 16, 2018.

Catfish Banquet Tournament Rules for Kizer Event

     The October 16th tournament at Kizer is a shotgun start and will require that all participants use carts. It will also require that players show up at least 30 minutes early so that everyone can pay their fees and have time to ride to their assigned hole.
     The course officials will assign holes after each group calls in on Wednesday to register. Early calling will not be of great importance as teams will all start at 8:00 AM.

ASGA Annual Banquet

October 16 Following Kizer Event 

* Location: Clay/Kizer Pavilion

* Menu (Catered By The Catfish Parlour)

•  CATFISH, SPICY OR REGULAR
•  CHICKEN TENDERS
• THREE VEGETABLES
• HUSHPUPPIES
• TARTER SAUCE AND TEA.

* Tickets Now On Sale: $10.00

• AVAILABLE FROM ASGA BOARD MEMBERS

DEADLINE FOR PURCHASE: Tuesday, October 9

Tournament Credit Access Delayed for Software Update

     Steve Hammond, PGA professional at Clay/Kizer wanted to make ASGA members aware of a software update scheduled for the week encompassing our tournament at Jimmy Clay on Sept 25th. Quoting a recent email from his department, "The Parks Department and Golf Division are undergoing a major software migration during the week of Sept 22-Sept 28th. We are not going to have access to our credit book at this time and this will largely affect the tournament scheduled at Jimmy Clay on Sept 25th."
     Obviously this will prevent anyone from using credit to pay for their cart fee or other items associated with registering. It also eliminates the access to pro shop items bought with credit. Please be aware of this and notify your fellow members of such temporary interruption in city services.

Procedures for Annual Championship at Morris Williams

The procedures for the Annual Championship Tournament have been announced by ASGA Tournament Director Sam Jenkins. They are listed below:

• Members will sign up by calling the course beginning at 7:00 on Wednesday, September 12. Callers can enter additional players but cannot sign up as a group. 
• The course will assign flights per the process defined in the ASGA General Tournament Information (9 minimum flight entries with all handicaps the same as the 9th in the same flight).
• Tee times will be assigned by course personnel according to flight order, with the first tee times assigned to the lowest number flight and continuing in order to the highest number flight. This will be in effect both days of the tournament. 
• Tee times on the second day will be modified within flights to group like scores for the same tee time; e.g., players with the two lowest scores in the flights will have the same tee time. 
• The full ASGA handicap listing will be provided to the course on Monday, September 10. Handicaps will be updated to include the September 4 and September 11 events and a listing of any changes, along with the final list of eligible members will be provided to the course by Friday, September 14. 
• The tournament fees (entry fee, both first and second day green fees, and the cart fee for the first day) will be assessed at sign-in on the first day of the tournament. Members riding the second day will pay their cart fee on that second day.

Revision To Jimmy Clay Results

The results for the August 28 event at Jimmy Clay have been revised to correct an error in flight placement.  The correction resulted in a change to the payouts for 3rd/4th place in flight #4.  The changes have been made to the online posting.

2018 Annual Tournament Eligibility

"All contestants must be a paid up member of the ASGA and have a handicap established with ASGA based on a minimum of five (5) complete ASGA scoring rounds, including the most recent annual tournament rounds. These rounds must have been played during the period from the beginning of the last annual tournament and the beginning of the current year annual tournament" (ASGA General Tournament Information, Section 7).

A listing of 2018 members and their number of counting events as noted above is LINKED HERE .

WRONG! Results From July 17 Jimmy Clay Two-man Best Ball in Error

     According to Sam Jenkins, ASGA Tournament Director, the results of the Jimmy Clay two-man best ball tournament two weeks ago are in error!
     "The results were hand-scored initially but a second scoring by the hole-by-hole computer program exposed many errors that will have profound effects on the payouts. In fact, any player listed as having won place money for that tournament should refrain from spending the money until the results can be corrected and the payouts transmitted to the city finance department," said Jenkins.
     The previous results are being blocked on the website until a correction can be made and verified with the city. Please check the website periodically for the notice that the corrections have been made and the results posted.
     Jenkins is now compiling a list of those teams who may have been credited with place money in error. Notice to those individuals will be processed through the email system to one or more of the team members. Those that may be elevated to a higher place must wait for the posted changes where they can view the results. A website headline notice will alert players of the new results.

Don Steussy Shoots Hole-in-One at Jimmy Clay, Wins HIO Pot

     Ok, fellow members, we have to renew our expectations since Don Steussy one-stroked his way to the HIO prize money at the most recent tournament at Jimmy Clay. His feat erased the money in the pot and now requires that those seeking a chance at glory put up another $5.
     The next opportunity to hit the jackpot is this Tuesday at Riverside. Travis McWhorter will be setting up a box, with instructions, for members to sign up, once again, so they will be eligible for the Riverside tournament. Look for the sign and the box at the Pro Shop.

     Don't forget this is a cash arrangement both for the $5 HIO pot and the $5 fee for entry. Course fees can be paid using a credit card.

Violation: Tournament Tee Markers Moved Up During Event

     In the most recent tournament at Morris Williams the tee markers on #11 tee box were moved erroneously and in violation of our procedures. The officials of the ASGA received notice from the professionals at Morris Williams that the tee markers on the hole had been moved up to the front tee boxes from their original and official position. This apparently happened in the middle of the morning after some players had already teed off from the proper tee. It was corrected and the tee markers were moved back to their original position for the rest of the tournament but not before several teams had used the fraudulent tee boxes.
     This is an unprecedented violation and one that begs for a proper ruling and a measure of discipline or/and punishment. However, a ruling, i.e., disqualifying players who played from the wrong tee, would seem unjust since many of those individuals were simply unaware of what was happening. There are no ASGA rules that cover this situation.
     We are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the violation in the hope that no ASGA member will be found to have participated in this affair. We call on any ASGA member who may have seen the actions of moving the tees or may have any information about this matter to step forward. You may send an email to Sam Jenkins, ASGA Tournament Director at scjenkins29@gmail.com. All correspondence will be confidential.

Missing Scorecards -- Bluebonnet Event June 12, 2018

Members sometimes fail to complete an event for various reasons such as illness or weather, among others.  It is important when this occurs that the member's scorecard is turned in for scoring by either course or ASGA personnel.  The tournament credit payout must match the total for the event entry fees and if there are missing scorecards it is difficult to complete the results posting.  This causes a delay on posting the results to the ASGA website as happened on the posting of the Bluebonnet results.

"IT IS IMPORTANT THAT ALL SCORECARDS ARE TURNED"

Member Handicap Information

The Handicap Lookup page on the ASGA Status web page now allows viewing of the handicap records of active members by anyone, similar to that of the handicap lookup operation of the GHIN service of the USGA.  The ASGA Handicap Lookup operation is accessed from the Handicaps tab on the ASGA Status home page by clicking option 3 (Direct Link).

Use the lookup to monitor your own data, review your playing partners record, check out suspected sandbaggers!  Click here for more information on handicaps, including the likelihood of shooting your handicap.

Additional information on the ASGA handicapping process is located here.  External links at the bottom of that page offer detailed handicapping procedure information.

(Comments welcomed: Paul Redden, vicepresident@austinsga.org)

Jimmy Clay Handicap Issues

Several members have questioned their posted team scores versus their self-scored results for the 4-M Two Best Ball Net scores.  There could have been errors in recording the hole-by-hole scores for each team member but another issue is more likely the cause for most of the scoring questions.  An error was made in the delivery of the handicaps that were sent to Jimmy Clay.

To summarize the normal handicap distribution process:

• Handicaps for the next month are updated near the end of the current month to include all counting scores for the current month (four events for May 2018).
•  Course handicaps are sent to the courses on Monday for use in the Wednesday signup for the next Tuesday event.
• Distribution of member handicaps is completed on the first of the month with the latest data for the courses with events for the month (delayed until June 3 this month).

Events on the first Tuesday of the new month require that the new month handicaps be sent to the course before the end of the current month.  Updating of the member handicaps then follows on the first of the month.  This process has normally worked well but in this instance the May handicaps were sent to Jimmy Clay and that is what was used on the scorecard stroke indicators (dots).  This was an error that was corrected to use the June handicaps for the June 5 event for the event scoring.

In summary, there was no "changing" of handicaps after the event and any differences in the self-scored results and the posted results were due to either changes in  member handicaps from May to June, or errors in entering the data (unlikely).

Note:  Most handicaps differences from May to June were up or down a single stroke but changes were as much as a decrease of five strokes.

Members needing details on their handicap status can contact Handicap Chairman Bill Burke.

New Rule Changes Go into Effect Tuesday at Jimmy Clay

    The Tuesday tournament at Jimmy Clay will be the debut of the new golf rules as adopted by the ASGA based on the rule changes anticipated for 2019 by the USGA. The most important rules are the Maximum Score Rule (Rule #7) and the change allowing that all hazard stakes are now red stakes with lateral relief allowed (Rule #12). 
     Starting with the Jimmy Clay tournament these and other rules (see below) will go into effect. Rule #7 provides for a maximum score of four (4) over par for any particular hole. To be exact, this means a player reaching the score of four over par (7 on a par 3, 8 on a par 4, and 9 on a par 5) would be able to pick up and record the appropriate score. This was an effort by the ASGA Board to speed up play by allowing a player to pick up when having a very bad scoring hole and with almost no chance of getting a better score than the maximum of four over.
     Rule #12 says the ASGA Board is allowed and has changed the rules governing yellow and red hazard stakes. Starting June 1, 2018 all hazard stakes are now red stakes with lateral relief allowed. Red stake hazard rules still apply, i.e., placing the ball no more that two club lengths (80 inches) NEAREST THE POINT OF ENTRY into the hazard. In the case of hitting over a water hazard where yellow stakes were applicable, the ball MUST make it over the hazard in order to use the lateral hazard relief rule. This may happen after hitting a tree on the other side and rebounded back into the hazard. This rule does not allow a player to hit the ball in the water and then take relief on the other (green side) side of the hazard.

Other New Rules 

Adoption Date: June 1, 2018

(This is not an exhaustive list.  A link (*) below is provided to a summary of the new USGA rules.)

1.  Ball is lost if not found within 3 minutes (was 5).

2.  No penalty if ball strikes flagstick when putting.
3.  Pace of play: Strike the ball within 40 seconds of when ready or reasonably should be ready.
4.  No penalty for playing out of turn.  Encourages 'ready golf'.
5.  Unplayable ball in bunker.  Player can declare a ball unplayable in a bunker, take relief outside the bunker on a line with the hole.  2 stroke penalty.
6.  Dropping the ball shall be not less than 1” above the ground.
7.  Maximum score:  Par plus 4 strokes. (7 on a par 3, 8 on a par 4, and 9 on a par 5)
8.  Distance measuring devices are now allowed unless prohibited by local rule.
9.  Player may repair damage to the green.  (It appears this includes repairing the hole itself).
10.  It is no longer a penalty if a player touches the ground or moves loose impediments in a penalty area.
11.  It is no longer a penalty if a player touches the sand or removes a loose impediment in a bunker, unless it is done to test the surface, or is done during a stroke or practice stroke.
12. Committees (the ASGA Board) have been given the discretion to mark all penalty areas as red so that lateral relief is always allowed.

Don't Forget Your $5 Dollars!

     The next event, an individual formated tournament at Riverside, will require each player to bring their entry fee in the form of  five dollars in cash when they pay for entry into the ASGA tournament. The following week we will be playing at Bluebonnet and, again, players will need to pay their entry fee in cash. The reason for this is that Riverside and Bluebonnet are not city courses and not with the central computer system which we use and we have to make different arrangements with these two courses. Remember your $5 cash entry fee for these two courses!

New USGA (ASGA) Rule Changes Effective June 1, 2018

     The current Board of Directors led by President Shawn Higgins voted to adopt the new changes in the USGA Rules of Golf, slated to go in effect in 2019, but moved the effective date for the ASGA to June 1, 2018.
     Don't look for extreme changes on that date, however, in fact, the changes will be so minor as to appear to not have changed at all. The exceptions to this are the Maximum Score Rule and rule #12 (see below). The Maximum Score Rule is Rule #7 in the list below. Starting with the June tournaments this rule will go into effect providing for a maximum score of four (4) over par for any particular hole. To be exact, this means a player getting to the score of four over par (7 on a par 3, 8 on a par 4, and 9 on a par 5) would be able to pick up and record the proper score. This was an effort by the ASGA Board to speed up play by allowing a player to pick when having a very bad scoring hole with no end in sight.
     Rule #12 says the the ASGA Board is allowed and has changed the rules governing yellow and red hazard stakes. Starting June 1, 2018 all hazard stakes are now red stakes with lateral relief allowed.
     This list is the only ones adopted by the board while it is only a portion of the rules changed by the USGA.

New Rules 

Adoption Date: June 1, 2018

(This is not an exhaustive list.  A link (*) below is provided to a summary of the new USGA rules.)

1.  Ball is lost if not found within 3 minutes (was 5).

2.  No penalty if ball strikes flagstick when putting.
3.  Pace of play: Strike the ball within 40 seconds of when ready or reasonably should be ready.
4.  No penalty for playing out of turn.  Encourages 'ready golf'.
5.  Unplayable ball in bunker.  Player can declare a ball unplayable in a bunker, take relief outside the bunker on a line with the hole.  2 stroke penalty.
6.  Dropping the ball shall be not less than 1” above the ground.
7.  Maximum score:  Par plus 4 strokes. (7 on a par 3, 8 on a par 4, and 9 on a par 5)
8.  Distance measuring devices are now allowed unless prohibited by local rule.
9.  Player may repair damage to the green.  (It appears this includes repairing the hole itself).
10.  It is no longer a penalty if a player touches the ground or moves loose impediments in a penalty area.
11.  It is no longer a penalty if a player touches the sand or removes a loose impediment in a bunker, unless it is done to test the surface, or is done during a stroke or practice stroke.
12. Committees (the ASGA Board) have been given the discretion to mark all penalty areas as red so that lateral relief is always allowed.

*
 Http://www.usga.org/content/dam/usga/pdf/2017/rules-modernization/full-list-changes-chart.pdf

4-M Team Net Event Scoring

The ASGA tournament schedule for 2018 has introduced new 4-M team formats: 4-M Best 3 Total Net (Pick Partners) and 4-M Two Best Balls Net (Pick Partners).  These formats allow all participants of the foursome to contribute to the team score and are becoming popular with the members.

Scoring for the 4-M Best 3 Total Net event is done by recording the gross scores for each player and subtracting each player's course handicap from their total gross score as done for the Total Net (2-M) events.  The team score is the total of the three lowest net scores.

Scoring for the 4-M Two Best Ball Net event is accomplished as follows:

• Teams Enter Gross Hole-By-Hole Scores For Each Player On The Scorecard
• Gross Hole-By-Hole Scores Are Entered (By ASGA Volunteers) Into The ASGA Scoring Program
• The Program Operates On Hole-By-Hole Gross Scores To:

1. Define Player Handicap Strokes For Each Hole
2. Calculate Hole-By-Hole Net Scores For Each Player
3. Determine Two Lowest Scores For Each Hole
4. Calculate Team Hole-By-Hole Net Score From Two Lowest Net Scores For Each Hole
5. Calculate The Team Two Best Ball Net Scores By Adding The Team Hole_by-Hole Net Scores
6. Include The Team Score In The Event Results

An example of the scoring is linked here: austinsga.org/PDF/TeamNetExample.pdf

In the example, the top line in bold is the hole handicaps for the course as listed on the scorecard (and loaded into the scoring program); the other lines list the player handicap and gross hole scores, their handicap strokes per hole, and their calculated net hole scores.  The highlighted scores are the two low scores for each hole and the Team 2 BB Net line is the calculated sum of the  highlighted scores for each hole, with the team score on the right the sum of the two best  ball net hole scores.

Website Posting Schedule

This is the first of postings that are intended to better explain the operation of the website and what members can expect and/or gain from it.

The goal of getting tournament information out on the website is to do so in a manner that meets the needs of most of the members while not requiring a full time web administrator.  This schedule is dependent somewhat on the receipt of the relevant information from the source (mainly the city golf course personnel).  Once received the source information has to be checked for accuracy and formatted for posting on the website.  There are additional requirements to provide information to course personnel for their use in setting up the events.

A  listing of the target deadline for posting key informational elements follows:

• Tournament Results: 24 Hours After Receipt Of The Source Material
• Tee Times:  Monday Before The Event
• Handicap Updates: First Day Of The Month
• Emergency Announcements: As Soon As Received
• General Information Topics: As Needed

Another key item is delivery of the latest course handicaps to the course on the Monday preceding the Wednesday signup for the next week event.

These targets are generally met or beat but may sometimes be delayed for problems with the source material or in dire cases a need for personal time by the website volunteers.  Questions on the process or those needing immediate information on the listed topics can contact Paul Redden by email at asga_admin@austinsga.org.

April 3 Results Revision

Flight #5 of the April 3 Individual Net event at Lions Municipal GC has been revised as shown in the graphic below.  The revision was necessary because of errors in the scores for Jim Millan and Larry Smith as reported by the course.

NOTE 1: Joe Noon won the scorecard tie-breaker for 5th place on hole #18.
NOTE 2: A revision was previously made to the results for the March 6 Individual Net event at  Lions Municipal GC.  Updated results are available on the ASGA Status website.

Format Changes

The following format changes have been made to the ASGA 2018 tournament schedule.

• 4/24  Jimmy Clay     Best Ball Net(2m)    to   SS (2m)
• 5/01    Lions             9SS/9BB(2m)           to   BB Net (2m)
• 6/26    MW               BB Net(2m)              to  9SS/9BB(2m)
• 7/17    Jimmy Clay   SS(2m)                     to   BB Net (2m)
• 7/31    Lions             Total Net(2m)           to   SS (2m)
• 8/14    Jimmy Clay   9SS/9BB(2m)          to  2/4 BB net (4m)
• 8/28    Jimmy Clay   BB Net(2m)             to  SS (2m)
• 9/25    Jimmy Clay   2/4 BB Net(4m)       to  9SS/9BB (2m)
• 10/09  Lions             SS(2m)                    to  Total Net (2m)

Purpose of the changes is to better facilitate the handicap update schedule (the mix of event formats is essentially unchanged).

The online tournament schedule here now reflects the above changes

ABCD Tee Times

Tee times are posted and available on the schedule page link (and my apologies for the lateness: PR).

A note on the procedure for those who have a three-person team (following from the ASGA General Golf Information:

If a player on a 4-person team is absent:

1. Player "A" absent - Player "B" takes two shots but not in succession 
2. Player "B" absent - Player "C" takes two shots but not in succession 
3. Player "C" absent - Player "D" takes two shots but not in succession 
4. Player "D" absent - Player "C" takes two shots but not in succession

More information on the tee time listing:

The times are in flight order; #1, 7:04-7:36; #2, 7:44-8:24; #3, 8:32-9:04; #4, 9:12-9:44.  The teams are listed in ABCD order across the page left to right.

ASGA Member Pictures Requested

      The ASGA website would like to get more personal with the members by having everyone that's willing to send a portrait of themselves and maybe another picture of their golf stance, swing, or putting style.

     This is optional of course, but this would allow the editors and writers for this website to be more creative and more informative for their fellow members. Almost everyone with an iPhone or a similar device can take instant pictures and send them by email. Send them to scjenkins29@gmail.com in care of Sammy Charles.

     Don't forget to identify the individual(s) in your picture(s) by their first and last name. Any comments about the pictures would also be appreciated. Do this and then tell your friends to do it as well and we will build up a image library that we can use when these individuals win tournaments, lead the Grand Prix race, or do something good. Group or team photo or video is also welcome.

The 2018 Grand Prix is Off and Running

The 2018 Grand Prix Individual and Team race is on and players are racking up the points with the new scoring system adopted by the ASGA Board of Directors. 

Jerry Horton has taken the lead in the Individual standing with 308.5 points holding off Paul Redden who sits in second place with a close 298.2 point collection. In third place is Randy Alexis with 287.8 points while Michael Cahoon has 283.2 points.  Rounding out the top five in the Individual race is Dehart McMillan with 277.6 points.  

Although he holds down the sixth position in the Individual standings, Don Akers is one of the players to watch. Akers is averaging 85.5 points per tournament which leads all other players in the top ten. The other one getting noticed is Charles Kelley. Kelley is averaging 97.1 but has played only two tournaments and has accumulated 194.1 points. 

In the Team standings, LD Washington and Troy Collins are running away with the points race with 672.6 and averaging 84.1 points per tournament. Washington and Collins are followed by Vic Loar and Curtis Higgs with 543.2 points while Michael Cahoon and Jerry Horton follow closely with 536.3 points. In fourth, Jim Abercrombie and his partner Kenneth Lauber have rolled up 519.7 points. In the fifth spot is the team of Larry Frazer and Randy Alexis with 491.1 points.
The races are far from being over as it is early in the schedule but this snapshot will determined who to watch and how far others have to go to catch up. 

Spring Tournament Set for Jimmy Clay

     The Spring Tournament is set to roll at Jimmy Clay next Tuesday with a shot-gun start at 8:00 AM.   Participants should plan to be at the course approximately 45-60 minutes before tee off time so that everyone can pay and be assigned to their starting hole. Reporting in any later than that will cause long lines and possibly cause the tournament to get off to a late start.
     This tournament is a two-day event starting on Tuesday and finishing on Thursday. Players will be required to pay for their cart and two rounds initially and then only their cart fee on Thursday. Players should plan on using a cart as they will be required to move to their starting holes right away which may be quite a distance from the clubhouse.

How the March 20 Tournament Will be Scored

     The Tuesday (March 20) tournament should be played and scored as if each player is playing as an individual with his own ball and his own score at the end of eighteen holes. The net score FOR 18 HOLES will be calculated using the net totals for three individual players to determine a winner. The fourth net score will be used as a tie-breaker. It is NOT a hole by hole best ball format.
Example:   
     Player Tom nets a 73, player Bob nets a 68, player Sam nets a 77, player John nets a 63. The team's score is 73+68+63=204 with Sam's score of 77 used as a tiebreaker. In the case of the fourth player's score also being tied, the best scoring player's (John) scorecard will be used as a tiebreaker in the usual way.

Three of Four Net Score Tournament New to ASGA Schedule

     The 4-Man 3 Best Total Net Scores Tournament which ASGA members will be playing on Tuesday (March 20) will be new to the schedule this year. It is a simple format with the winner being the team with the best total net for three players of the four-man team. The fourth score is important as it will be used as a tiebreaker. The individual scores will be used for handicapping purposes since each player will be playing his/her own ball.
     Even though a three-man team can play and win without a fourth player they would lose in the event of a tie with a four-man team. All the scoring for all four players should be maintained as usual and the course pros will determine the flights and winners.

Revised Lions March 6 Results

A math error in the previously posted results for the March 6, 2018 Individual Net event has been corrected and the revised results are available from the Tournament Results tab of the ASGA Status website.  Flight #8 was the only flight affected.

Grand Prix results have been updated for the changes.

Nike 7-Iron Found at Clay Tournament

     Gabe Padilla found a Nike 7-iron at the most recent ASGA tournament held at Jimmy Clay last Tuesday and would like to return it to the rightful owner. Padilla is playing at the next tournament at Lions on Tuesday with a starting time of 8:15 AM and will bring the club. If anyone is missing this club you can contact the Lions pro shop and ask that they pass a message on to Padilla to leave it at the pro shop for pickup. Otherwise, if you know Padilla, you should get in touch with him if you wish to pick up the club earlier than next Tuesday.

Grand Prix Scoring System

The Grand Prix standings now reflect the new scoring system previously announced by Grand Prix Administrator Samuel Jenkins in the blog post Grand Prix Changes Near Completion
The scoring system is  documented in the Program Description link  from the Grand Prix Championship tab under  Member Programs section of the ASGA Status website. (Direct link HERE)

Website Address Change

The address change will be announced on the current ASGA Status home page with a link to the new address; the target for the changeover (pending final testing) is Wednesday, February 14💖, 2018.

Grand Prix Changes Near Completion

     The new point system for the Grand Prix is presently being tested under tournament scoring conditions and should be ready for implementation in the near future, possibly by the middle of this month(February). At that time all tournament results from the week following last October's BBQ until the most recent tournament in February will be updated to reflect the leaders of the Grand Prix. 

     The new system of GP points will make the tournaments more competitive and more fair across flights. The new system is based on a formula that uses a maximum of 100 points available for the winner of

UT Golf Club Asking for Volunteers for Junior Tournament

The University of Texas Golf Club is currently looking for Volunteers for the AJGA Sergio Garcia Golf Tournament. The tournament will be held March 15th – 18th. Please reply to  Emily Kvinta, Assistant Golf

For Best Ball Tournament at MoWillie Use ONLY Gross Scores

    For the upcoming Best Ball tournament at Morris Williams on Tuesday, players are to put ONLY their gross score on each hole. The ASGA computer will be adjusting all scores for the net best ball score for each team and using the scores for each individual for handicap purposes. Putting down anything other than your gross score on the holes will distort your handicap. Please inform you teammates.

Registration for January 23rd Tournament at Morris Williams Changed

Due to the extreme weather conditions expected in the next two days, the registration for the Best Ball Tournament at Morris Williams on the 23rd has been changed to Thursday, January 18, at 7:00 AM. City golf courses are expected to be closed all or part of the next two days necessitating a change in the usual Wednesday registration. Beginning at 7:00 AM on Thursday, members will be able to call or walk in and register for the MoWillie event on January 23rd. Please inform your teammates of this change.

January 16th Tournament Canceled Due to Extreme Weather

Tournament Director, Sam Jenkins, has decided to cancel tomorrow's tournament (January 16) because of extreme weather and poor road conditions because of possible snow. Jenkins is looking for better conditions for the next tournament (Best Ball- 2 man teams) at Morris Williams.

Grand Prix Championships Now Worth Credit Money!

    At the most recent and the first meeting of the new ASGA Board of Directors, new President Shawn Higgins entertained a motion that would reward, with prize money, the winners as well as second, third, and fourth places in the annual race for the Grand Prix championships.  Both the Individual and the Team point leaders will receive prize money which will be credited to them with the city pro shops at the Annual BBQ in October, 2018.
      Beginning this year, 2018, the winner of the Individual Championship will win $50 as will each of the members of the winning Team Championship. Second place individual and team members will get credit for $25 while third place holders will pull in $15. Fourth place will finish up with $10 credit each.