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!

The ASGA Championship Is (almost) Complete and a Well-known Member Passes

 Member Passing

Sadly we announce that longtime Austin Senior Golf Association member William Miller, age 70, passed on September 16, 2024 just after finishing a round with the (in)famous “Hudgens Group” at Mo Willie. It happened as he was beginning his shift with Golf ATX, with whom he had a long association. 

As an ASGA member since 2017, Will played in over 100 events, many with Shawn Higgins.

“Will was a former partner of mine and one of the really good guys.  I always enjoyed his company and will miss him dearly.”--Shawn

The memorial service for William will be held Wednesday 09/25/2024 at the Corinth Missionary Baptist Church at 1:30 PM.  It is currently planned to gather at Mo' Willie after the funeral for food, music and to hit a few range balls.  Your challenge will be to beat Will’s longest drive.

ASGA Championship

After two weeks on the new, impressive greens at Jimmy Clay and Roy Kizer, we have ended up with a very tight finish for Champion. Barkley Edwards and Mark Dungey tied with 128 for Net Champion. In accordance with our rules, starting at #18, looking for the lower score—Mark Dungey took the prize with a net “three”.

For the Gross Championship, Jeff Brown (71-72) and Gabe Padilla(70-73) ended up tied at 143. Their playoff has been delayed, but will be played soon.  

Hats off to all our participants—the prizes for Closest To the Pin and Longest Drive will be handed out to the various winners at our Annual Match Play/Annual Meeting and Banquet coming up next month. Stay tuned--lots of info coming soon!

ASGA CTP/LD Finishes

Hole-In-One Last Tuesday at Lions!

 

Congratulations to Turner Lewis who aced the 15th hole at Lions!  This was the 2nd ace at that hole this year!  Turner pulled out his trusty gap wedge and landed his shot a few inches from the cup.  The ball hopped up slightly and landed in the jar!  And in more good news (to everyone but Turner), the HIO Jackpot is safe because Turner wasn't in the pool.   This was Turner's second hole-in-one.  

The jackpot currently stands at $410.  And as Turner would say later that day....."Ya gotta pay if ya wanna win!"

ASGA Championship Next Two Weeks!

Our 2024 ASGA Championship event happens next week. Over two weeks we will determine the ASGA Champions, one based on gross scores, and one on net scores. Here's your chance to join the list of past winners--a tradition since 1976! On September 10th  we will play the first day at Jimmy Clay golf course. The second day of competition will happen the following Tuesday on September 17th at Roy Kizer.

You only sign up one time for both days. On day one at the Clay golf course, members will play with the groups they sign up with. Tee times are distributed and assigned as we normally do. The second day grouping process at Kizer will be a little different. Participants will be placed into flights based on your handicaps and grouped with competitors that shot similar scores as you on day one.

If you have a bad day one, you may be asking why bother to play on day two. One answer is the $450 of additional prize money you can win.  Each day of this annual event we will have closest to the pin and longest drive competitions.  Participants will be divided into three groups so you will compete against members with similar handicaps. On day one at Clay, winners of the competitions will receive $25 each. On day two, that amount doubles to $50 each. Winnings will be distributed at our Annual Banquet Meeting on October 22nd after the President’s Cup Competition at Morris Williams. 

In addition to the winnings above, you also can win via the flight competitions.  Our Low Gross ASGA Champion receives $100.  We also pay $100 to the member who achieves the lowest NET score for the two-day competition. All flight payouts are doubled.  Since this is a two-day event, you will pay two event fees. Let’s say you win your flight which would normally pay $20. Being a two-day event, that amount would grow to $40. For the ASGA championship, that amount doubles to $80.

There is plenty to play for. The event is a lot of fun and we hope to see everyone there. In years past, we played the Championship on Tuesday and Thursday of the same week on the same course.  Since we will be playing on different courses in 2 separate weeks, you may be paying for both days on day one of the event.

We hope to see you there!

Latest Courses Info from Golf ATX

Good Friday ATXers,

Before we complain too much about the heat, we will remind you last year we had about 60 consecutive days of 100+ degree temperatures with many of those being close to 105.  With that being said, pay attention to your bodies and listen to your cautious inner voice...heat related illnesses come at us in a hurry and early detection is the best way to turn it around.  According to the 10-day, this is our last day over 100!!

Jimmy Clay is back and we are very happy to have the full layout back into our inventory.  Over a 10 week period, the crew has grown in 38 greens and still have 5 growing on the short course.  That is not exactly a record we wanted to set but this was a really impressive feat of agronomic excellence.  We are very proud of the crew for pulling this off and getting the courses back to you as soon as possible.  We have also noticed significant improvements on the Roy Kizer "roll" 10 days after opening and expect Jimmy Clay to be really good very soon.

The sod work at Morris Williams is going well and we should have it finished by the end of next week.  You will see continued improvements over there as we hand-dress and roll the new sod.

The Save Muny Conservancy along with the Save Muny Historical District have funded a re-grassing project of the old putting green area at Lions.  The entire surround (north of the asphalt road) has been resurfaced with a Stadium Zoysia and the putting green has increased in size by 1500ft.  We are always grateful for their ideas and contributions.

Registration has begun for the 2024 Senior Men's City Championship and will be capped at 144 and is filling up fast. The tournament contested at Roy Kizer, information can be found at:  Austin Senior Championship - Tournament Information Page | Golf ATX (bluegolf.com)

The 2024 Austin City Junior Championship will be played at Jimmy Clay--Registration begins on August 28th.  More information can be found at: Austin City Junior Championship - Tournament Information Page | Golf ATX (bluegolf.com)

Tournaments of note:

Aug 27--MW--Seniors

Sept 3--Lions--Seniors

Sept 10--Clay--Seniors

Sept 10--Lions--High School Event (Open by 1:00)

Sept 11--Clay--High School Event (Open by 1:00)

Sept 14-15--Kizer--Senior City Champ

Sept 19--Roy Kizer--Shotgun

Sept 20--Lions--Charity Shotgun

Sept 21-22--Clay--Junior City

Maint Closures:

Aug 26--Kizer--Solid Tine Aerification

Sept 4--Clay--General Maint

Sept 9--MW--General Clousre

Spet 11--Kizer--General Closure

Sept 16--Lions--General Closure

Have great weekend and we look forward to having you out.

Stay Cool!

GOLFATX

August Speedy Play Tips

 The dog days of summer are here...and like most things in August, our pace of play has slowed dramatically.  In the last 2 weeks, barely 40% of groups are finishing in less than 4 hrs 15 minutes. 5 hour rounds have reappeared.  No one likes that.

So...it's a perfect time for this general reminder.  Just keep up with the group in front of you.  It's as simple as that.  But here's a few more tips for you:

• Honors aren't honorable when it's 105 degrees.Everyone hates taking honors away from someone who just made birdie, but if they are lolly-gagging, seize that tee box!

• Put your glove on while you’re walking to your ball, not when you get to it.  

• What if, and I know this sounds insane, you put your phone on airplane mode during the round?

• Kizer and Clay's bermuda rough are making balls disappear. Watch your partner's shot. Remember to limit your lost ball search to 3 minutes.

Let's all do our part to make everyone's round more enjoyable!

 

Greg Marshall
ASGA Pres. 

HOLE IN ONE WINNER LAST TUESDAY AT LIONS!

107 members who signed up for the Hole-in-One jackpot are about to be disappointed as member #108 hit his iron on #15 last Tuesday at Lions Muny into the hole, and this time he had paid his entry, so Gabe Padilla will be taking home $540!

A new Hole-In-One contest starts next Tuesday. Get your $5 to Bill Burke (who’s substituting for Shawn Higgins) to be in the next go-round.

Good Luck to Everyone!

Member Goodbyes & A Couple of Speedy Play Tips

 Member Passings 

 

 James Evans (1940-2024)

James

A long-time active member (James was playing since before we kept computer records), James logged in over 300 rounds of golf with the ASGA, before he ended his playing in 2015. 

He worked at Morris Williams for some time. A definite golf fan, an excerpt from his obituary states "...He impressively had five holes in one". 

Here is a link to his recent obituary.

 Ronnie Morgan (1952-2024)

It is with great sadness that I report the passing of ASGA member Ronnie L. Morgan on June 9, 2024. Ronnie has been a member of ASGA for the last couple of years and enjoyed golf outing with various members of the association.

Ronnie is a native of Rockdale, Texas, had a childhood upbringing in Fort Worth, after which he joined the US Air Force and served for many years before retiring to Austin.

He is survived by his wife Carolyn, children, and siblings.

Gone but not forgotten Ronnie Morgan, rest in peace my dear friend.

Speedy Play Tips

So we'll be sharing tips regularly on keeping pace, but the one simple goal to keep in mind is this....

Keep Up with the group in front of you!!!!  

Your correct position on the course is immediately behind the group in front of you, not immediately in front of the group behind you. Arrive at your next shot just before the group in front leaves the area in front of you. If you are consistently not able to keep up and a gap opens in front of you, invite the group behind you to play through.

Another small time saver is leaving the driver head cover in the cart until the last hole.

Taking the head cover on and off on every tee box is a time suck. You’re not really protecting anything—take it from the equipment editor of Golf Digest. The driver sits well above your irons, and your fairways and hybrids have covers, so you’re good. I’ve gone without a driver head cover the last few months and my driver is never dinged and certainly never busted. Put it back on before you shove the clubs in the trunk—that’s it.

Thanks!!!!

 

Greg
President

Summer Scramble and Other Notes

Riverside! Awesome!

Riverside Next Tuesday

Two-person scramble next Tuesday at Riverside. Be sure to sign up by Friday as Riverside wants a 72 hour notice for our lineup, so we will be closing Tee Time Registration late Friday night.

Also with our first tee time to be scheduled for 8:00 a.m., please show up early so more members can beat the heat.

(Update 6/20: First tee time will be 7:40 and we've been approved for 48 hr. notice, i.e. Tee Time Registration will stay open Saturday as usual).

(Update 6/22: First tee time will now be 6:40.)

Member Passing

Lino

Longtime member Lino Oballo passed away May 20, at the age of 84. Lino joined us in 2016, playing in over 200 events, retiring just last year. 

An excellent golfer (usual handicap of 6), Lino almost always played in the 1^st flight, racking up more than 55 first place finishes, many with his usual partner Mike Sobremonte. Even more important he served as our Vice-President for two years during Covid, leading us through that unique period.

A memorial service for Lino was scheduled June 17th at St. Vincent DePaul Catholic Church. 

An obituary for Lino may be found here:

 

Pace of Play Update

Last week at Lions, groups improved their speed significantly. Late starting foursomes finished 20-30 minutes faster than prior 2024 averages.  Please Keep It Up!

Say "No" to Slow Play

 

Here are some tips as shown in our Pace of Play Video.
 

Thanks as always for your support,

 

Bruce Jones
Admin/Webmaster

 

ATX Temp Greens Update

From Golf ATX:

Preparations are in full swing to resurface the greens at Clay/Kizer, things are going as planned so far and we are super eager to put this chapter behind us. The temp greens are surprisingly decent but I am not going to overstate what they are...they are still temp greens. Below you will find some important dates over the next month that will help you plan your visits to the courses.

Maintenance Closures:
June 24-25 -- Kizer
June 3-4 -- Jimmy Clay
June 10-11 -- Morris Williams -- Aerification
June 17 -- Lions

Events of note:
Monday June 3--8 AM Shotgun--Lions
Thursday June 6--11:00 AM--STPGA Lil Linksters -- Morris Williams
Monday June 10--8AM Shotgun -- Lions
Thursday June 13--11:00 AM - STPGA Junior Tour--Morris Williams
Wednesday/Thursday June 12-13 -- AWPLGA Event-Should open by 1:00 -- Lions
Monday-June 20--11:00 AM -- STPGA Junior Tour -- Lions
Saturday June 22--Firecracker Qualifier -- Lions
Thursday June 25--11:00 AM-STPGA Junior Tour--Morris Williams
Tuesday June 25--Firecracker Qualifier--Lions

Play Well!!

Best,

GOLFATX Staff

Temp Greens Coming to Clay/Kizer

New Grass is Planned for Clay/Kizer!

Golf ATX has recently announced the planned replanting of all 18 greens at Clay and Kizer. Below are some details as recently disseminated.

We want to provide an announcement regarding the conditions at Clay/Kizer of the plan going forward for the next couple of months.  The reason this has taken so long is due to planning, sourcing and weather.

We have been in discussions with our grass farms and it has been decided we will replant all 45 greens at the Clay/Kizer Golf Complex.  From the beginning of our communications, we have pained over this decision and we are to a point where this is the quickest way to get a resolution to the situation.  Not a single thing we have done is a result of neglect or incompetence. If we have lost your trust, I understand and that is regrettable.  Here is what our timeline looks like.

• Week of May 13th-Begin preparation of the greens surfaces
• Week of May 13th--Begin preparation of the temporary greens surfaces
• First week of June--Transition to temporary greens (highly discounted rates)
• 2nd-3rd week of June--Sprig all 45 greens (5 day process)
• June-July--Continue play on temporary greens
• Middle August--Fully re-open better than ever.

Items of note:

• We will not be closing and will have the best temp putting surfaces we can on as many holes as possible.
• We will be adding 120 days to full golf memberships and 60 days to half golf memberships
• Range grinders and $5.00 resident cards will not see an increase in time.
• This plan is still fluid but as solid as we can get it right now.
• 45 Greens? 5 short course, 2 Practice Greens, 2 Nurseries, 36 playing greens.
• Sodding is not an option because our supplier does not have 8 acres of sod.
• The practice range will be unaffected.
  
  

Play Well!
Steve Hammond
Golf Division Manager

We will advise the membership on any effects this may have on our events at Clay/Kizer.

April Updates

 Annual Spring Event Update

Results are posted—we have a tight race among the six flights—all but one twosome signing up braved the 70° weather to put up some great scores! Thursday is the two-person Scramble—flights were created using Total Team Handicaps. Scheduling for Thursday will be low-handicap flights first, and within each flight, highest scores from Tuesday are scheduled earliest. Remember there are Grand Prix bonus points for this event, as well as an ASGA 50% match to payouts!

Member Passing

Member Clifford Rierson recently passed away on April 14^th, at the age of 84. A long-time member, Cliff joined sometime before we started keeping computer records,i.e. prior to 2006. He played in over 350 ASGA events since that time. He won his flight in the 2010 Annual Championship, tied with Ken Eppright, another long-time member of that period. He remained an active member through 2024.

President Greg Marshall recalls: “I played many times with Cliff.  He loved the game and always had a smile.  He was really smart, and really curious.  He was a huge fan of the NFL and cosmology and could hold court equally well on the Big Bang or the West Coast offense.  A renaissance man if ever there was one.”

A memorial service for Cliff is scheduled for May 17^th at St. Theresa Catholic church at 10:00 a.m. An obituary for Cliff may be found here:

Recent Golf ATX Update (4/18)

“Soil Testing from Clay/Kizer yielded two active ingredients from in the crab and goose grass application.  Although those two ingredients were well within the tolerable thresholds, we are confident in saying that application contributed to our conditions.  We don't know why and neither does the manufacturer because as stated previously, all application labels, rates, post application watering schedule and time of application suggestions were followed.  It is just too peculiar that we went south shortly after the application.  

“Winter damage and Poa annua are both significant factors in our conditions.

“With the above, I am pleased to report that we are seeing significant growth at Morris Williams and Kizer and we are seeing growth at Clay.  Growth does not mean immediate improvement but it does mean hope.”

Steve Hammond
Golf Division Manager

No-Shows at 2-Person Events

We have lots of members who like to play with different members each week. If you are assigned a partner in a 2-person event, don't have his/her email, and are not planning to play, please advise the webmaster (email preferred) so he can pass along that information to your partner. Let’s not leave anyone “high and dry” in future events.

Thanks for your support,

 

Bruce Jones
Webmaster

March ASGA News from the Prez

 Greetings all!!!!!! March is here!!!  That means running both the heat and the AC…. sometimes on the same day.  March Madness and the Masters are right around the corner (best four weeks in sports!).  And we’re enjoying the moderate temps while we can!

Earl Klattenhoff

Former ASGA Champion Passes

Earl Klattenhoff, long-time ASGA member, passed away last November at age 86.  He was a good golfer and a great competitor.  Earl was our 2004 Champion and was runner-up in 1999, 2003, 2006, and 2010, as well as claiming the ASGA Hole-In-One Jackpot back in 2015. He remained active in ASGA through 2018.

Our hearts go out to his family and friends.  You can click here to read more about Earl’s life and accomplishments.

 

 Lions Muny Maintenance

A  liner leak was recently discovered in the irrigation reservoir on the 13th hole.  This is going to require sludge pumping out of that pond which should begin shortly  If it is not safe for crews to be in the pond during work, hole #13 will be closed and regular rates will be modified down to evening rates during closures, but since most of us have senior memberships, the rates won’t change.  Lions is at the mercy of the contractor with regards to scheduling so they can't give a firm start and end date yet.  

Also, the Save Muny Conservancy in partnership with Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore have begun a maintenance project which will reshape the #1 tee complex, expand the upper putting green and provide a larger practice area.   No doubt you've noticed the large change at #1 tee where they are enlarging the practice putting area. The #10 teeing ground will also be resurfaced. Much of the sand will be replaced with soil.  Planting is scheduled for April 1 and those areas will be re-opened as soon as possible.  

Playing Lions on April 2nd

Scoring for hole #13 if closed will be an automatic 3 for handicaps 17 and under, and a 4 for 18 and over. In the event a flight contains both 17 and 18 handicaps, those scores on #13 will all be 3.

Start/Finish times on your Scorecards

Please take a minute before you turn in your scorecards to make sure you’ve entered the start and finish times for your group’s round.  And make them as legible as you can.  Times are recorded and entered weekly, so your help is needed and appreciated!!

An example of what TO do

An example of what NOT to do!

 

 

 

Speedy Play Tip

Sharing a cart should be like a game of leap frog, not a three-legged sack race. Often, I see a golf cart stop at one ball, the first player hits, then they drive diagonally 20 yards to the other player’s ball before moving up the fairway together.
Instead, try parking the cart between your balls and you can both get ready at the same time. If your balls are farther apart, there is no shame in dropping off the first player and then going to yours. After that first player hits, they can walk up the fairway and meet you after you hit. The passenger of a cart should always be aware of when they should get behind the wheel.  

Did you know…..?

The original Augusta National was intended to have a 19th hole, giving losing golfers a chance to win their money back on a quick round of double-or-nothing. It was indefinitely tabled because the hole would ruin the flow of the golf course.

That’s it for now.  See ya in the short grass!!!

Greg

February ASGA News

 ASGA Long-Time Member Passes

Many of you may remember Robert Amaro, who passed away earlier this month. A long-time member (our first recorded finish for him was July 2009), Robert was our last winner of the Hole-In-One pot last June.

Robert retrieves his hole-in-one
golf ball at Morris Williams #14

As a senior member of the ASGA, Robert took part in over 400 tournaments, finishing first in his flight over 20 times. He usually led off on tournament day, as he and his group would consistently finish in under 3 hours, 45 minutes. Oh that we could all be this quick on the course!

Our hearts and prayers go out to Robert's family.

Further information regarding Robert’s life and funeral arrangements may be found here. 

 

No Fee Increases at Austin Courses for 2024

At the latest Parks & Recreation Board Meeting it was announced that there will be no fee increases for 2024. If you play the Austin city courses more than once a week, consider an Annual Senior Membership to save money. Look for "Annual Card: Senior" on this city website page for more details.

Let's Get Rid of the Poa Annua Grass on the Greens!

As each of us plays a round of golf this Tuesday at Morris Williams, use your divot tool to take up one piece of poa annua grass each green when you putt. You know this grass--it's the one that causes all the bumps in the greens. For each usual tournament of ours, that would be more than 1,800 pieces of grass removed!

Here's what you're looking for!

See you all at the course,

Bruce Jones
ASGA Webmaster