Notes from the 10th Tee

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

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

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

Keep up with the group in front of you!!

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

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

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

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

Greg

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And hints from your Tee Time Scheduler:

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



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

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

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

Regards,

Bruce Jones
ASGA Web Admin

 

Winter Weather is Coming!

Always a good lie with snow!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Steve Hammond

"GolfATX Division Manager"

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

Bruce Jones
ASGA Admin