Well, it's time to reflect on and celebrate a great season. The best way to do that is to come to the banquet (SIGN UP & MENU DETAILS BELOW) and have some great food and drink and hang out with your favorite golfers. You can reminisce about how if only you hadn't four putted #18, you would have won the Better Ball championship. Or how if you had only averaged 20 strokes fewer per round you might have contended for President's Cup against Ryan. Anyway, the banquet is December 4th at 7pm (but the pre-banquet starts at the bar at 6 - a must-attend part of the experience). It is at Aldo's where we have had it many times in recent years. Important matters will be addressed like the selection of officers for 2019 and handing out of awards.
Speaking of officer selection, most of the officers are willing to stay on for another term. However, most are also willing to "give someone else a chance" in order to "bring in some new blood". We don't have enough members to have frequent board turnover. On the other hand, there is no reason that the same individuals have to run the show year after year after year. If you haven't served before, please consider giving it a shot. None of the positions require a huge commitment of time. They just require that you be responsible!
The NCGA is encouraging that each Associate Club select an ambassador that maintains a relationship between the NCGA and the club. We have decided to add this person as an additional full board member, bringing the total number of board members to 7. We currently have the following positions:
President: General oversight, newsletter, trophy engraving Vice President: Handles NCGA event signups and arranges banquet Treasurer: Collects dues, green fees, etc and pays courses, NCGA, etc Handicap Chair: Sets up pairings, selects tees, collects and checks results, enforces posting Web Master: Manages the website Tournament Director: Sets up the next year's tournament schedule Ambassador: Maintain relationship with NCGA
Speaking of President, I have decided after 4 years serving as President (and many more before that as Vice President) that I will be stepping down and allowing someone else to take the reins. I will however be throwing my hat in the ring for the Ambassador position. The board consensus was that this would be a good role for an ex-President.
At this year's board meeting we discussed the matter of tee selection. The decision was that the handicap chairman would make every effort to select what is normally considered for men to be the "men's tees" plus one back as an alternative. This would typically be white and blue tees. In cases where it is not clear which set of tees qualifies, the handicap chairmen will check with the club to see what they recommend. This all arose because of our Moffett Field tournament where the men played red or white. Even though the red tees were as long or longer than other courses' men's tees, that still brought little comfort to many of the guys who grew up thinking "red is only for women". Even though it is 2018, some notions still die hard. Additionally, a decision was made that gross skins can only be played from the back tees.
Like every year, we are looking for new members so if you have a golfing friend who is looking for convenient Saturday tee times and great camaraderie, introduce them to the club.
The club is in good financial health and we look forward to another great year next year. See you at the banquet!
The Prez
(ALSO SEE SOME NEW RULE CHANGES BELOW)
ROLMEX GOLF CLUB SUMMARY OF RULE CHANGES EFFECTIVE JANUARY 1, 2019
The new Rules of Golf effective on January 1, 2019 include a number of significant changes from the previous rules. This document is an attempt to summarize some of the more significant changes. Any questions should be resolved by referring to the Rules of Golf.
DEFINITIONS General area—formerly “through the green.” The entire area of the course except the teeing area of the hole being played, all penalty areas, all bunkers and the putting green of the hole being played.
Penalty area—formerly “water hazard.” Any body of water on the course, whether or not marked by the committee, and any other part of the course defined as a penalty area. Yellow penalty areas have two options for relief. Red penalty areas have three options.
Animal hole—no longer limited to a “burrowing animal.” For example, a hole dug by a raccoon or a dog is included.
Relief area—depending on the relief afforded, one or two club lengths measured from a “reference point” (as defined; could be the point the ball crossed the edge of a penalty area or the closest point of relief or the chosen point on a line back from the hole, etc.). When dropped, the ball must first land within the relief area and must stay within the relief area.
SIGNIFICANT CHANGES
The time to search for a lost ball is reduced to three minutes.
Must drop a ball from knee height, not shoulder height.
May substitute a different ball any time the ball is to be dropped or placed.
Loose impediments (stones, leaves, etc.) may be removed in bunkers or in penalty areas.
A club may be grounded in a penalty area but not in a bunker.
The flagstick may be left in the hole when putting.
The line of putt may be touched.
No penalty for accidental movement of a ball or ball marker on the putting green.
A player’s caddie or partner may not be positioned behind the player when the player begins to take his stance anywhere on the course.
No penalty if a ball is moved while searching for it.
No penalty if the ball hits the player after he has struck it.
No penalty for double-hitting a ball.
There is a two-stroke penalty option to get out of a bunker.
OTHER NOTEABLE CHANGES
No penalty for reporting a wrong score because of un unknown penalty is incorporated into the rules. This was previously a local rule.
There is no penalty for carrying a non-conforming club. Penalty applies only if it is used.
Devices that measure distance only are allowed, but may be prohibited by local rule.
Not necessary to inform another player when lifting the ball to identify it.
Virtually all damage to a putting green may be repaired.
If a ball on the putting green moves for any reason after being lifted and replaced, it must be replaced on that spot.
Any procedure that requires dropping will always require dropping in a relief area. There are no procedures that require the player to drop on a specific spot, line or reference point.
Embedded ball rule applies to the general area.
Relief on the opposite side of a red penalty area is available only by local rule.
August Newsletter
Well, I have to admit, I have been asleep at the switch. Last newsletter was in May! Okay. We have a lot to cover. I will start with tournament pairings. These are done by the Handicap Chairperson. Currently that is the role of Maureen. If you have an issue with pairings, please contact her at [email protected]. Also, if you are signing up late, don't expect to get your pairing requests fulfilled. In general, you will be squeezed in wherever there is space.
Next let's talk about tournament signups. It seems to be a recurring situation that tournament deadlines approach and the officers are panicking because we don't have enough signups. In the end, we generally get enough participants to make a tournament. So, please sign up before the deadline so that we can all rest easy. Deadlines are clearly listed in the tournament schedule on the website. Put them on your calendar!
Payment for tournaments is preferred via PayPal. This is the least hassle way for the treasurer. And if you can put up a chunk of money in advance and run a credit, that is the best way for all involved. Just sign up on the website and you're ready to go.
If you have any suggestions about how to improve the club or the web site, you can submit them here, or talk to an officer.
There was talk at the beginning of the year about a merger with Bayview Club but it seems that the Bayview Club is not really interested in an actual merger and so we will continue with the shared schedule approach for the foreseeable future. I honestly don't think it is gaining a lot of transaction (we had one Bayview foursome so far this year play in one of our tournaments).
It's not too soon to start thinking about next year. We will choose officers at the next annual banquet in December. Let me know if you are interested in serving as some of the officers are approaching their term limits .
And then there are the NCGA tournaments. Recently the Associate Club Championship qualifying team consisting of Clem Cooper, Kevin McPartlan, Jerry Tooley and Chris Feetham put up an impressive effort at Poppy Ridge to try to make it to the finals. Unfortunately, 3 of the 4 put up triple bogeys on the last hole to not make it by just a couple strokes. Please give them a pat on the back at the next tournament!
On the other hand, the Senior Four-Ball team of Des Rochers/Riley qualified for the finals with a net 60 at Coyote Creek Valley. Helping matters immensely was the fact that we played the senior tees and thus the par 5s that were normally hard to reach from the blue tees (for all but Carbo) were now reachable. An eagle net albatross on the second hole put the team into a great starting position and they had an easy time of it from there. Wish the team luck at Poppy Ridge in September. Dave Horwitz and Phil LoPresti (likely) will be representing us in the Net Amateur. Wish them luck as well.
And finally there is the Ryder Cup coming up at the end of September. We do have a Rolmex event that Saturday (Sept 29) so plan to record it and watch it after our tournament. Everyone is saying Tiger is a lock as a captain's pick. What do you think? I say yes!
The Prez
May Newsletter
Well in addition to several recent fine tournaments , we had several recent fine controversies, Here they are:
1) Impromptu Agreements - At Crystal Springs, two of our veteran members tied for fewest putts and decided between themselves that they weren't going to do a putt-off and would instead split the points. This kind of impromptu agreement is frowned upon and not allowed. We recovered in this case by having them do the putt-off at San Juan Oaks. Please refrain from this kind of thing.
2) Cart Path Relief - This particular infraction has occurred innumerable times over the years and warrants a periodic refresher course. The basic thing to remember is that relief from a cart path is based on "nearest point of relief", not "nicest point of relief"! So, if you are on a cart path and the nearest point of relief is not in a hazard but is completely not playable (like in knee high grass or weeds or in a bush or between two trees or on a steep dirt slope), then tough toe nails. Your other options are to play off the cart path or declare it unplayable. Golf isn't always fair.
The NCGA tournament season is coming into full swing. In general the tournaments are played during the week so keep that in mind before you sign up. But, if you do sign up, we appreciate your representing the club and good luck to you. We have a tradition of success at the Associate Club Championship, having come in second place 3 times over the years. They are a lot of fun and it is a great character building experience.
The new 2019 rules of golf are coming! One rule change is that while the old rules kind of make ready golf seem wrong, the new rules have no such wording. So, this is one rule we can adopt right of way. Don't feel like you are violating etiquette or anything like that when you use ready golf.
Another 2019 rule change that will be welcomed with open arms by those of us with chipping yips is the elimination of a penalty for the old double hit. It almost brought tears to my eyes when I saw that. Here is the wording:
"The penalty stroke for accidentally striking the ball more than once in the course of a stroke has been removed. Golfers will simply count the one stroke they made to strike the ball."
No more fear over the chip!
March Newsletter
The 2018 tournament year has started off quite successfully. We have had 3 or 4 groups for each of the first 3 tournaments. Ryan Carbonetti put Clem on notice with a blistering 73 at Cinnabar that the President's Cup may no longer be his personal property. The match play tournament is also in full swing with Jeff, Ryan C and Clem all easily advancing past their beleaguered opponents. Tournament winners so far are Kevin, The Fee, David Beebe and Jeff. Well done!
We had a situation at Coyote Creek that needs discussing. There were two issues. The first is that Coyote Creek has a local rule that says if you hit into an environmentally sensitive area, you cannot enter the area and instead get to drop using the hazard rule without penalty. In general when a course has a local rule including drop areas and areas played as hazards that are not so marked, we play them during the tournament. Coyote's rule is pretty extreme but yet we still play it. However, not all players were aware. This can make a huge difference in one's score, especially if you're having a tough day. Anyway, by the time this was discovered, it was considered intractable and the results were left to stand as posted.
The second issue was that there was a lot of turf damage, apparently from wild pigs. There was also a local rule that even though it wasn't marked as GUR, it could be played as such. Again, some were aware of this and others were not. Again, intractable.
It would be good if the tournament chairperson would check in with the pro shop and inquire about any such local rules and if there is anything unusual, such as at Coyote, please either mention them on the pairing sheet left on the first tee or make sure someone in each group is informed and asked to spread the word.
We are still trying to work out an arrangement with the Bayview Golf Club where we can attend each other's tournaments. Their season doesn't start until April so they are not yet in a golf frame of mind it appears. Will keep you posted.
The Prez
January Newsletter
We had a wonderful year-end banquet at the Feetham residence in December. The prime rib was outstanding. It was fun to meet some of the member's latest and greatest significant others.
The annual meeting produced a variety of outcomes as follows:
1) Officers - all officers were re-instated. Glen - President. Jeff - VP. Kevin - Treasurer. Maureen - Handicap Chair. Ryan - Secretary. Matt - Tournament Director. There was only a weak challenge put up by Herman for president but he withdrew once he realized you actually had to do something.
2) Tournament Pairings - once the pairings are published, any late signups will be accommodated in a way that is most easy for the Handicap Chairman to set up. So, you can occupy open spots but we will not re-arrange foursomes.
3) Merger - there was much discussion about a potential merger with the Bayview Club. The biggest concern was about what happens to our legacy trophies including President's Trophy, Club Champion and Match Play Champion. Unfortunately the president of Bayview has been unavailable and no discussions with their officers have occurred. So, the whole merger thing is up in the air.
We all look forward to a great year of golf and I hope we will have a long series of well attended tournaments. Sign up early and often!
The Prez
Updated 01/15/18 - 12pm
Signed Up (using website) for 2018 :
Louie Des Rochers (Renewal & Matchplay) Maureen Earley (Renewal & Matchplay) Clem Cooper (Renewal & Matchplay) Ryan Peralta (Renewal & Matchplay) Herman Girn (Renewal & Matchplay) Ryan Carbonetti (Renewal & Matchplay) Jeff Kahn (Renewal & Matchplay) Glen Riley (Renewal) Matt Willis (Renewal & Matchplay) Naib Girn (Renewal) Herman Girn (Renewal & Matchplay) David Starr (Renewal & Matchplay) Rey Gerona (Renewal & Matchplay) Carlos Siqueiros (Renewal & Matchplay) R'nel Hernandez (Renewal & Matchplay) Jerry Tooley (Renewal) Chuck Lau (Renewal) Dave Horwitz (Renewal & Matchplay) Vicki Hembree (Renewal) Phil LoPresti (Renewal & Matchplay) Michael Adams (Renewal) Walter Downey (New Membership & Matchplay)
Notes...
Kevin is the Treasurer. Please send all sign-ups, checks, PayPal payments and anything else to Kevin. His contact info is now posted on the tournaments page on this website.
A few tips that will make Kevin’s job a little easier:
Be aware of sign up deadlines. Sign up well in advance whenever possible.
Submit payment for green fees at the time that you sign up rather than bringing a check to the course. This helps with the club’s cash flow and also keeps Kevin from having to be a collection agent on the day of play.
Use PayPal, if possible. Designate the payment as being “to a friend.” Not everyone has or wants a PayPal account, but if you have one, use it for payment. You save on postage, the money gets into the club’s account faster and Kevin doesn’t have to keep track of, and remember to deposit, all those pieces of paper.