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.

   

Presidents's Cup Important Information

The Presidents' Cup tournament, banquet and followup activities should provide an interesting fun-filled day for participating members.  The following must be observed in order to get the tournament underway by the scheduled 8:00 AM start time and complete the day's activities in a timely manner.

• Arrive Early To Allow All Members To Sign In  By 7:30
• Cart  Usage is Required By All Players
• Opposing Players Will Share Cart

The Fish Fry Banquet will begin after players complete their rounds.  As the  meal is completed a formal meeting of the Austin Senior Golf Association will be convened with the objective of completing an election of the Board of Directors for 2020.  After the election is completed the following activities will be completed:

• Announcement Of Newly Appointed Super Seniors
• Announcement Of 2019 Grand Prix Champions
• Announcement Of Presidents' Cup Winning Team
• Drawing For Door Prizes, Including Premium Golf Balls and CASH (Must Be Present To Win)

The team captains, Travis McWhorter, RED, and Shawn Higgins, BLUE, have requested that players wear shirts and/or other apparel the color of their team.

President's Cup: Rules for Match Play

     For the President's Cup match play coming up following this next tournament at Morris Williams, the ASGA will be using specific rules to determine the team winner. Just to reiterate, a NFL style draft of players signing up will be held at the end of the registration period (Friday, Noon) over the weekend with two Captains and co-captains of considerable skill doing the selections. 

    The two teams , Blue and Red, will square off in a match play format similar to the Ryder and Solheim Cup. It  would be effectively clear who is who if Red team players wore red shirts while the Blue team players showed up with Blue shirts. Use your credit money and buy a colored shirt, let's have some spirit!

     The following rules will be in effect.  

1. The USGA format for match play will be used (The difference between the handicaps will determine how many holes in which the higher handicap player will have the advantage). Example: Player A has a 6 handicap; Player B has a 9 handicap; Player B has a stroke on handicap holes 1, 2, & 3. Player A will play as a zero (0) handicapper.
2. Players of similar handicaps will be paired meaning that no player will play anyone that has a handicap greater than 3 above or 3 below their own. Exception: Limited number of players may cause this rule to be lifted.
3. The better net score between the two players on each hole will constitute a win for that hole.
4. If both players have the same net score, the hole is tied.
5. At any point after the tee shot on a hole, either player may concede the hole to the other player.
6. The player furthermost from the hole ALWAYS plays first unless waived by their opponent.
7. The players flip a coin to decide who tees off first. This order continues until one player has scored a net score better than their opponent. The player with the better score will tee off first until another better score changes this order.
8. Players may give putts to their opponent but this must be verbalized or otherwise indicated with a mutually agreed procedure by the player giving the putt, i. e., a thumbs up motion. Distance from the hole has no bearing on whether a player gives a putt BUT it is certainly not obligatory.
9. The match is over when one player holds a lead greater than the number of holes remaining in the match (example: Player B is 2 up with only one hole to play). The score is recorded as 2 & 1.
10. Par or total score is not a consideration in this format. A player is strictly playing their opponent and not the course. The objective is on a hole by hole basis with the lowest net score winning the hole. There is no maximum score but rule 5 above can be invoked.
11. A player wins one point for their team  by winning the match. Each player earns ½ point for a tie at the end of the match.
12. The players on the winning team, either Red or Blue, will receive $10 regardless of the results  of their individual match,

Morris Williams Tournament Last Chance to Buy Fish Fry Ticket!

     The Picnic Committee of Shawn Higgins and Travis McWhorter urge you to buy your ticket for the Picnic. The last chance to buy is the 8th at Morris Williams.
      We must finalize our head count. The election and picnic is scheduled with the President's Cup tourney October 15th at Jimmy Clay.Travis McWhorter plans to see half of you before you tee off and the other half as you come off 18 to sell you a ticket. I believe Paul Redden, your President, and many other board members will be available as well. The cost is only $10 per ticket. 
     Come on, get involved, have fun and play hard. GET YOUR TICKET AT MORRIS WILLIAMS  NEXT TUESDAY 10-08-2019 and join the fun Tuesday the 15th at Jimmy Clay.