BMGA’s bravest take on Gross in Metro Seniors

On Friday with winds, rain and temps in the mid 40’s and falling the Valley and Golden teams travelled to Gross to take on Hiawatha (vs Valley) and Greenhaven (vs Golden).
The conditions were the worst many golfers have ever seen. Not only did we have the weather, but the course was so wet that the greens had to be cleared of worms before putting. It was, in a word, frickin miserable (ok 2 words). After the scores were all posted, the USGA Playing Condition Calculation (PCC) came in at +3. +3 is the maximum allowable. What is amazing is that of 56 golfers, there were no no-shows.

The Valley Team teed off first with newcomers Greg Donahue & Steve Susich joined stalwarts Ramiro Sifuentes and Chuck Bernardy. Unfortunately there were not able to garner a single point and were swept, led by co-medalist Peach Larsen of Columbia that shot a 79 against Donahue.

The Golden Team had 4 old hands playing, with Tom Hansen, returning after a one year sabbatical, Steve Shellenbaum, Roger Hamm and Stan Hop. Hansen & Shellenbaum were able to split their matches down the middle to a 6-6 tie. Stan won the front side on the 9th hole then dropped the back (Heard on the 15th hole was “I just want this to end”.) and the overall to go 2-4. Roger Hamm was lucky enough to sweep his opponent 6-0. The final total was 14-10 good guys.

The standings after week 1 have Valley in last place with 0 points and Golden tied 4th with 14. Individual results are here

Next week we play at Bunker Hills where the the two teams will face each other in the first ever televised cage grudge golf match. Check your listings.

Week 1 Results (04.26)

We had a good start to the season! Welcome to our 20+ new members. Some notes from the first night of league play:

  • Pace of play continues to be an on-going issue so we need everyone to follow our guidelines (see below.)
  • If you are not scheduled to golf on any particular night, we can use you as a spotter. It can help with pace of play.   To spot, just report to the pro shop and let them know, you’ll get a cart and flags for marking where a ball is. Common holes for spotting are #2, #3, #14, and #16.
  • Many of you were surprised that the “members” tees are now identified as Blue/White combo tees on the GHIN App and website.
  • On the back, #14 playing from the 265 tee box is the shortened course.  That one change can impact your course handicap.  Based on the water there last night and the forecast, we will be shortened for a while.

A big Thank You to Roger Hamm for filling in for me collecting the score cards, answering questions and entering the data. He did such a good job he is going to do it again next week!

Standings

**Full Standings and Stats Posted Here**: https://www.dropbox.com/s/egd85hvygokq5bq/WNL2023-Stats.xlsx?dl=0

Prize Winners (Paid in BMGA “Chits”)

Low Gross & Low Net ($10.00 per category)

  1. Low Gross – Erik Swanson with a 34. $10.00 to Erik.
  2. Low Net – Roger Hamm, Kevin Monogue and Dylan Johnson with 33’s. $3.34 to each.

Skins ($50.00 per side)

  1. Front 9 (Skin Fest on the Front!)– Robert Boufford – 4 (net 3) on #2, Kevin Hearnen – 2 (net 1) on #4, Dylan Johnson – 3 (net 1) on #7. $16.67 to each.
  2. Back 9  – Kevin Stoner – 3 (net 2) on #11 and Michael White – 4 (net 2) on #10 $25 to each winner.

Nearies ($10.00 per winner)

  1. Hole 1 – Closest to Pin in Two – Perry Jacobsen (Result:Par)
  2. Hole 4 – Closest to Pin – Kevin Hearnen (Birdie)
  3. Hole 8 – Closest to Pin –Tyler Nelson (Birdie)
  4. Hole 9 – Longest Putt – Jake Waletzki (Birdie)
  5. Hole 11 – Closest to Pin in Two – Erik Swanson (Birdie)
  6. Hole 12 – Closest to Pin – Phil Berndt (Par)
  7. Hole 17 – Closest to Pin – Erik Swanson (Birdie)
  8. Hole 18 – Longest Putt – Brad Soderling (Bogey)

The Weekly Rant  

  • All cards were turned into the BMGA Bucket on time – nice job everyone!
  • Tee times were missing on a dozen of the 32 matches. A couple of teams failed to enter their team numbers. Missing data like this makes the data entry more difficult than it needs to be.
  • All the cards were pretty legible – great job! Make sure you enter first and last names or I have to guess. A couple had incorrect math. Please check your work before turning in your card. I have the option of forfeiting any card with mistakes on it. Don’t make me!

Future Events

  1. Greek Scramble – May 6, mid-morning tee times. Entry deadline is 4/28/23.

Reminders

  1. Pace of Play is critical. Here are some examples of how everyone can play a little faster:
    • Be early to your tee time.
    • Do not exceed time limit to search for a lost ball. The time limit is three (3) minutes!
    • Putting out after missing a putt vs. remarking a one footer.
    • Giving your opponent that six inch putt.
    • Max strokes on a hole is 9. Pick up after 8 attempts and record an “X”.
    • Playing ready golf vs. strictly following the “honors” system.
    • Everyone in the foursome is responsible for the pace of your foursome. Help each other keep moving.
  2. If an issue arises on the course during WNL play that may impact the result of a match, please bring the matter to the WNL Director’s (or other BMGA Board Member) attention so we can try to resolve it right away.

Handicaps

  • If you are not entering your scores (or accurate scores) you are hurting yourself, your team and the people you are playing against. This includes WNL scores and “Away” scores.
  • All players are responsible for entering a correct course handicap per USGA Rule 3.2c (1). Post your scores for WNL as they are not entered by the BMGA or Brookview. 
  • The WNL Director is not responsible for checking the accuracy of the player’s handicap on the scorecards. Check the GHIN App before teeing off to get your current handicap and adjust it to the Side (Front or Back) and Tees (Member or Gold).

Scorecards  

  • Please enter both the match start time and end time in the space provided.
  • Scorecards should be signed by at least one player from each team.
  • If someone concedes a hole, please mark an “X.”  This is especially important when both players score a 9 but the hole is conceded by the player who picks up their ball first.

WNL Reminders

For each match, remember to:

  • Check your scores
  • Verify the tee played
  • Check the point total
  • Sign your card
  • Share with your team
  • Turn the Card into the scoring table

Also remember to post your scores, the BMGA does not post your scores. For posting, remember these USGA rules: