This is the electronic newsletter for March! 
Included is a message from the President, Fred Bradley; the Director of Golf, Greg Milligan; Head Greenskeeper, Mike Gleason; Rules Discussion Board Director, Paul Gaff; and Handicap Information Board Director, Roger McKee.  There is also a calendar of events, special announcements, and some miscellaneous information.
Enjoy this new updated system with monthly need-to-know info!  Here goes...  
 


President's Message

    As I reflect back on 2005, I am very proud of the achievements of the Board of Directors.  There were several events that went well and were very successful.  These include the match play events, the eclectic, the member guest tournament, the hot August nights, and the flighted weekly tournaments.  However, I am disappointed in the lack of overall support for our quarterly scrambles.  They were truly fun days of golf with very little participation.  This year we will have two additional scramble events (June and December) with March and September being some kind of all all club tournament.  Please try and give us your total participation and support!
    In the last newletter I asked for suggestions to improve our tournament schedules by sending an email to Roger McKee (
roger@tfb.com) or myself (cynthia@ixpres.com) and believe it or not, we had no response!  The invitation is still open, so please feel free to give us your comments.  
    Now, I want to congratulate Glenn Torrez and Stephen Eckel for being elected to the Board of Directors.  A special thank you goes out to our past directors for all their hard work and efforts to make our club better.  Another thank you goes to Bob Benac and Gordy Myers for a great job on the Handicap Audit Committee - their goal is to make golf a gentleman's game!  
    In other news, the SCGA Team Play ended with some great results.  The Thursday Team, led by Captain of the Year, Bob Phillips, made the playoffs with a 4 win - 2 loss record - we wish them well! The Saturday Team also had a 4 win - 2 loss record, but they unfortunately did not make the playoffs.  Good try guys!  After voting, a congratulations to the Player of the Year for the Thursday team - Jim Lau and Saturday team - Scott Haines.  The seniors also began play in the San Diego County Senior Team Play matches.  However, after 5 matches, it looks like another rebuilding year for the downs.  For those of you interested in following the San Diego County Seniors League, click on the following link. 
WWW.SDCSGOLFLEAGUE.COM
    Lastly, I want everyone to make an individual goal to speed up play, to care about replacing divots (especially in roped off areas), and to replace ball marks on the green.  Other than these few requests, have a great year.  Thanks, Fred Bradley - El Presidente


 

Director of Golf and Greenskeeper's Message

It will soon be that time of year again and the course will be closed for green airification.  These dates will be April 3 and 4.  You have one month to prepare...


 

A Calendar of Events for March

Sun

Mon

Tues

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

 

 

 

1
Match Play
versus Par

2

3
SLRD at
Castle Creek

4
1-2-3

5

6

7

8
St. Patrick's Day
Tournament!

2 BB of 4'some
9:00AM Horserace
11:00AM Shotgun

9

10
Castle Creek
at SLRD
(8:15 start)

11
Flighted Low Net/
Low Gross

12

13

14

15
Flighted Low Net/
Low Gross

16

17
Miramar at SLRD
(8:07 start)
ST. PATRICK'S PARTY
w/ Live Entertainment 
(read special below!)

18
Best Ball Partners

19

20

21

22
1-2-3

23
SLRD at
Miramar
(7:30 start)

24

25
Match Play
versus Par

26

27

28

29
Best Ball Partners

30

31
San Vicente
at SLRD
(8:15 start)

 


 

Special Announcments - There is a St. Patrick's Day Party on March 17th.  The Downs is the place to be for an evening of fun, laughs, green beer, and Irish spirit!  There will be live entertainment and a $10 cover charge; pre-purchase your ticket at our hotel front desk, so you don't miss out.  Dinner and drink specials include: Corn Beef & Cabbage with Red Potatoes Special for $9.95, 25% off all appetizers all night, and if this doesn't do, there will also be regular menu options.  20oz Guiness will be $3.00 and Green Domestic Pints will be $2.00.  Come and join us!


Know the Rules
I have been asked by several members to review Rule 18 "Ball at Rest Moved" as it relates to play on the putting surface.  
"If a ball at rest on putting surface is moved by an outside agency, there is no penalty and the ball must be replaced."
An outside agency is defined as any agency not part of the match.  Neither wind nor water is an outside agency.
    Example: A tumbleweed blowing across the green strikes a ball at rest and knocks it in the hole.
    
What is the ruling?
                    
A tumbleweed is an outside agency.  The ball must be replaced without penalty.  Wind is 
                    not an outside agency, however, an object being moved by the wind is an outside agency.
    
"Ball moving after address" 
                    
If a player's ball in play moves after he has addressed it (other than as a result of stroke), 
                    the player is deemed to have moved the ball and incurs a penalty of one stroke.
 
                    
The ball must be replaced unless the movement of the ball occurs after the player 

                    began the stroke or backward movement of the club for the stroke and the stroke is 
                   
made.
    
    
Examples:

    18-1/12 Ball Replaced and at Rest Is Thereafter Moved by Wind
    A player replaced his ball on the putting green and the ball is at rest.  Before the player 
    addresses the ball, a sudden gust of wind blows the ball farther from the hole.  The player plays the 
    ball from the new position.  Is this correct?
    A: Yes. Wind is not an outside agency.

    18-2a/7 Ball Moved by Wind Replaced
    
In stroke play, a competitor's ball was moved by wind.  Since wind is not an outside 
    agency, he should have played it from where it came to rest, but he replaced it.  What is the ruling?
    A: The competitor incurred one penalty stroke under Rule 18-2a, and, before playing his next 
         stroke, he should have replaced the ball on the spot where it came to rest after being moved by 
         the wind.  If he did not do so, he incurred a total penalty of two strokes.  

    18-2a/6 Oscillating Ball Pressed into Surface of Putting Green
    
A ball lying on the putting green was oscillating due to wind.  The player firmly pressed the ball into 
    the surface of the
green and the ball stopped oscillating.  The player then holed out.  Was the player 
    in breach of the rules?
    A: Yes. The player incurred a penalty stroke under Rule 18-2a when he moved his ball by pressing 
         on it. Since the original lie of the ball was altered when the ball was firmly pressed down, the 
         player was obliged to proceed under Rule 20-3b. Since he did not do so, he lost the hole in 
         match play and incurred a total penalty of two strokes in stroke play.

    
18-2a/33 Rotating Ball on Putting Green Without Marking Position
    
A player rotates his ball on the putting green to line up the trademark with the hole. He
did not lift 
    the ball, mark its position or change its position. Is there a penalty?
    
A:
Yes, one stroke for touching the ball other than as provided for in the Rules- Rule 18-2a. 
         Under Rules 16-1b and 20-1, a ball on the putting green may be lifted (or touched and 
         rotated) after its position has been marked. If the player had marked the position of the ball 
         before rotating it, there would have been no penalty.

    
18-2b/10 Ball Falls into Hole After Being Addressed
    
A player’s ball overhangs the lip of the hole. He addresses the ball and it falls into the hole. What is 
    the ruling?
    A: The ball is not holed. The player incurs a penalty stroke and the ball must be replaced. Although 
         Rule 16-2 applies when a player’s ball overhangs the lip of the hole, Rule 18-2b, which 
         specifically applies when a player’s ball moves after he has addressed it, overrides Rule 16-2 in 
         this case.  If the player does not replace the ball and hole out, in stroke play he is disqualified 
         under Rule 3-2. (Revised)

Hopefully the preceding examples will clear up some of the confusion concerning ball at rest moved on the putting surface.


To Post or Not to Post
During our recent SCGA Thursday Team Play competition, the Handicap committee was contacted by the SCGA regarding the lack of posting by five of the players on our team.  While there were valid reasons for the lack of posting, the SCGA stated that it is always suspect when there is a significant gap in a players posting record and that they reserve the right to disqualify a player due to an improper handicap.

Under the U.S. Golf Association Hndicap System you must post every score that you make, whether it is a casual round or a tournament round, whether or not you're playing with a partner, and even if you pick up on some holes.  Generally you should post all scores no matter where you play.  But there are a few specific rules to follow in particular cases:
    1. Post your score when you play at least 13 holes on an 18-hole course and 7 holes when playing 
        a 9 hole round.  On the holes you didn't play, record a par plus any handicap strokes you 
        would have received for that hole.
    2. "If a player starts but does not complete a hole or is conceded a stroke, he shall record for 
        handicap purposes the score he most likely would have made".  The most likely score consists 
        of the number of strokes already taken plus, in his best judgement, the number of strokes that the 
        player would need to complete the hole from the position more than half the time.  "There is no 
        limit to the number of unfinished holes a player must have in a round provided that failure to finish 
        is not for the purposes of handicap manipulation."  This especially applies when playing a Skins 
        Game. 
    3. If you play a mulligan, you aren't playing a hole under the Rules of Golf, so treat it as a hole not 
        played and record par plus any handicap strokes you would have received (net par).
    4. When you "pick up" on a hole, how do you score it?  Answer - Record the most likely score you 
        would have had if you finished the hole.

SCGA Audit Requirements
The SCGA requires that each club audit 20% of the members posted scores each month to verify the accuracy of the data being transmitted to the SCGA Computer Service Center.  SLRD accomplishes this by auditing Wednesday and Saturday Tournament scores.  As a result, over 600 rounds are audited each month.  The errors identified by those audits are corrected in the SCGA computer prior to submitting to SCGA.  The audit reports contain the SCGA#, Name, posted score, adjusted score, and reason for adjustment.  The reasons typically are: "did not adjust", "adjusted incorrectly", and "did not post".  Of the three, the most serious is "did not post".  The Audit Report is posted on the club bulletin board after each tournament and can be reviewed by the members. 

The Board of Directors has directed that any player not posting after a Wednesday or Saturday tournament be disqualified from that tournament.  The Handicap Committee will continue to correct the posting with the proper score.  In the future, penalty rounds may be issued for players who regularly do not post.


Miscellaneous Information
We would like to remind you about our new referral program.  When you bring in a new member, you receive a complimentary round of golf (value $38.00) which can also be applied to Saturday and Sunday rounds!  Some recent members who have enjoyed this benefit include:
Bob Gentles with 5 FREE ROUNDS! 
Scott Haines
Ernie Ortiz
Vince Lombardi
Mike Daniel
Dan Bullock
Dan Martino
Craig Wulfmeyer
Mike Clarke
Werner Richter
Lou Bosch
(Hope we didn't forget anyone!)
With that said, our referral program can really benefit you!

Lastly, we have been asked about member rates for the hotel.  They are as follows:
Standard room - Weekday $80, Weekend $95
King room - Weekday $90, Weekend $105
Suite - Weekday $100, Weekend $115
Condo - Weekday $160, Weekend $175


Well guys, we have come to the end of the newsletter and we just want to say have a great day, week, and month!!  See you around!!