New Year Message From ASGA President Travis McWhorter

PRESIDENT'S PONDER

Sam Mihalik, ASGA Secretary/Treasurer, advises that as of December 28^th nearly 70% of our current membership has renewed their membership for 2020. If you have been procrastinating, please go to our website and renew quickly. The price will go to $15 after the 1^st. Get it done online or in the mail in order to be eligible for  the 1^st tournament of 2020.

Shawn Higgins, ASGA Tournament Chairman, reports that the Lions' staff will be ready to take your calls for reservations Wednesday January 1^st at the usual 7:00 AM beginning time. So if you plan to party hardy New Year's Eve, have a designator caller for your foursome. Happy New Year!

Sam Jenkins, long time very active board member, is planning to contribute in 2020 in a fun and interesting way. He will be looking for stories about golf and our ASGA members. He will be working with the president to bring updates, info and interesting stories to the News on our website.

Travis McWhorter, ASGA 2020 President. It will be my plan to let you know what your ASGA Board is planning and doing on a regular basis. As we set up our board meetings, you will be advised and always welcome. At our first meeting late last year I asked the Board to focus on 3 goals:

1. Grow membership by at least 25 total with a focus on the age 70 and younger men and women. 
2. Develop and implement an improved sign up system.
3. Have at least one tournament that includes high school age kids playing with ASGA members. 

 

2020 will be fun! After all that is our main reason for growing golf and we should all do our part.

Happy New Year! I am looking forward to serving you.

Travis

Miller Earns Newest HIO and Takes Pot of Money

     Maury Miller, a relatively newcomer to the ASGA, has gotten right into the action by knocking in a hole in one shot last week at the best-ball tournament held at the Morris Williams Golf Course. Miller used a "knock-down" seven-iron to hole his shot on the par 3, 130 yard, 8th hole at MoWillie. Miller carries a 4.0 handicap index adding to his credentials as a top ASGA golfer.
     Miller's shot is the fourth HIO this year and again opens up the sign-up for another HIO jackpot. Shawn Higgins, the new Tournament Chairman, is also the HIO chairperson and will have signup sheets available at the next tournament, the four-man select shot event at Jimmy Clay. Don't forget,  a $5 bill and your signature will again give you a chance at several hundred dollars. Sign Up!

Kenneth C. Yoder

One of the friendliest members of the Austin Senior Golf Association passed away Thursday, November 7, 2019.  Ken Yoder probably knew most of the organization’s members on a first-name basis and played golf with many of us.  Ken’s smile will be sorely missed. The organization wishes to express its sincere condolences to all of his family and friends.

His obituary is linked HERE

Final Grand Prix Standings

The 2019 final Grand Prix standings as announced at the fish fry are available from the Member Programs tab.  (Click Here For Direct Link)

Membership Renewal Open

Membership renewal for 2020 in now available including online renewal via PayPal/Credit Card.  Renewal options are listed in the Renew Membership link accessed via the Member Programs tab on  the ASGA website home page.

NOTE:  Active memberships must be renewed by January 1, 2020 to obtain the $10.00 renewal fee.

Latest News Delivery

The ASGA website will be undergoing transformation as maintenance of the site is migrated to new Website Director Gene Payne in the coming months.  As such, news headlines and links will no longer be listed on the ASGA website home page unless there is an emergency (e.g.,  late event  cancellation notice).  The latest news items can be accessed from the NEWS tab on the home page.  Daily email delivery of news items can be set up by submitting an email address in the box to  the right of this blog page.

McWhorter's Red Team Runs Away for Inaugural Win

    It was close at the beginning but Travis McWhorter and assistant captain, Don Pratt had drafted a solid team and they came through in the end. McWhorter's Red Team won the first time event, the President's Cup, by a hefty 24-16 score.
     The match play tournament, the first of its kind for the ASGA, proved to be a successful and fun tournament as evidenced by the comments of many of the participants. Early results, mostly from the low handicap foursomes, showed the teams jostling for the lead but as the middle and higher handicap players started coming in the results changed dramatically. While this indicated that the two captains, McWhorter and Blue Captain Shawn Higgins, had selected an equally talented number of low handicappers, the drafting of better middle and high handicappers proved to be the difference for McWhorter's Red Team.
    The winning team members are listed below. Each team member will receive $10 credit to their city account.

RED TEAM MEMBERS
Nunez, Eddie                Jenkins, Samuel                 Rodriguez, Terry         
Miller, Maury               Pratt, Don                           French, Dale                 
Padilla, Gabriel             Edwards, Victor                 Barreda, Bill               
Brader, David                Hays, Jesse                        Longoria, Tony             
Gamboa, Mario             Jefferson, Lee                    Newton, Jerry               
Howell, Lewis               King, Charles                    Mang, Frank                 
McWhorter, Travis        Marshall, Greg                  Yousef, Wally               
Ortiz, Carlos                 Osgood, John                    Bieck, Mike                   
Horton, Jerry                 Matthews, Sam                 Garrett, Ken                 
Van Burkleo, Lee          Mihalik, Samuel               Walther, Wil               

Jones, Jack                    Brown, Alex                      Akers, Don                 

Hirsch, John                  Dubuque, Louis                Stanton, Rufus

Donovan, Terence         Patterson, Wayne             Redden, Paul

Winn, Thelton

Some Do's and Don't's and Questions and Answers

     I was mulling over some issues the other day and decided that other members may also been wondering about them too. So, after consulting with Sam Jenkins, the ASGA Tournament Director and Paul Redden, the ASGA President and guru of all things digital, I decided to pose some do's and don't's as well as a few questions and answers.
     First, let's talk about scorecards, the official ones and the unofficial ones. The unofficial ones are easy. You know. the ones found in a stack in the pro shop or attached to the steering wheel of your cart. These don't have your name or the title of the tournament or your handicap, its just a blank course card. These you can do anything with, i.e., keeping everybody's score, recording what you think is the proper format of the tournament, and maybe even the bets and debts that you make during the round. Go for it, have fun!
     Then there are the official cards, you know, the ones with your name(s) and handicap. These are ones that have to be turned in with the proper recorded score for the proper format of the tournament. Yea, yea, yea, I know, why is this so important. Well, it determines whether you are a potential winner and it is the official result of your play. Hmmmm.....it may also be about how knowledgeable you are of the real format rather than some preconceived notion of what you think it is. According to our tournament director, Sam Jenkins, this is the most common fault for being disqualified, trying to use the official scorecard as you see the format, not using it as it should be.
     How is the safest way to avoid this trap? Simple, put the gross scores of all players listed on the card for each hole they played regardless of the format!  You can't go wrong! Let the course officials or the ASGA computer figure out the proper format. Admittedly, the ASGA has a large number of formats, some even have names that are confusing. Don't risk screwing up, put only gross scores down.
     Another reason for recording only gross scores is that they are used to maintain your handicap. So finish out that hole with a completed score regardless of whether it matters for that particular tournament! Neatness would help too!
     Some do's and don't's: Consult the ASGA website often, especially the NEWS site. Yea, go ahead, click on it, yea, really. you might be surprised at what you might find. Maybe you'll find an article about you and your Hole-in-One that you have or have not paid for;Do speed up! Everyone likes a unhurried but undelayed round. I'm slow, but I know I'm slow. So what do I do to keep me from being a drag on my team and the other groups? I try to putt continuously once I start. The damage from stepping on somebody's line is a fallacy (unless it rains). I start walking to my cart after I putt out until I am at least half way to my cart. I take one practice swing, really, just one. I need to save those swings for when I really need them. I'm out of my cart with club in hand before it is my time to hit. I don't wait to be driven to my ball if my cart mate is hitting his ball within quick walking distance of mine. If you are driving, drop him/her off and drive half way to your ball and begin walking. He can catch up after hitting and you can walk back. I don't spend more than three minutes looking for a ball while I have a barrel full at home. It's just a ball, not your wife's diamond ring!
     Oh, and by the way, wear sunscreen to protect your pretty face, okay, your face. Find shade to park, even if there is a little walking involved. It's nice to come back to a cool seat.
     Gosh, I'm exhausted, I may have gotten carried away but I need some rest for a mind that has many gripes.........I mean do's and don't's left. I'll continue this line at another time.