CELEBRATING 27 YEARS OF SINGLES GOLF IN AMERICA. Pinehurst Chapter - American Singles Golf Association February 2019

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1 CELEBRATING 27 YEARS OF SINGLES GOLF IN AMERICA Pinehurst Chapter - American Singles Golf Association February 2019 From the Prez February is upon us and the weather is as erratic as our golf games. This shortest month does have some days of significance: Ground Hog Day (C mon Punxatawny Phil, ignore that shadow!!), Valentine s Day, Presidents Day, and, of course Chinese New Year, the Year of the Brown Pig. The Brown Pig represents Wisdom, Initiative and Energy. A quick word the A.S.G.A. will be raising the dues from $79 to $89 in March. So, if you wish to extend your membership this month, for a year or two, you can save the extra $$. With Mother Nature in mind we have scheduled an event for each of the next 5 weekends knowing that we may have benevolent conditions or not. Several of the area courses will shut down periodically due to the cold. Hopefully, we ll get most of our outings in, but, if not, we ll have plenty of opportunity to take advantage of those days that are pleasant. Merely because it s cold doesn t mean that our preparation to play isn t important. Stretch before you play. Stay hydrated. Eat a healthy breakfast before heading out to the course (After all, you may not be playing with Picnic Basket Patty.). Think about bringing an energy bar along. Please, keep an eye on your playing companions for signs of fatigue and/or under hydration. As we saw in the January Newsletter, we are in the midst of a transition in our invitation system. Please exercise some patience and give us feedback where appropriate. With your input we have much better chances for success. And take some time to thank Kathy Slotter, Jim High and Jim Legg who are spearheading our efforts. Our Monthly Dinner Meeting will take place on Valentine s Day at Vito s on Broad Street please remember that Vito s does not take credit cards so bring cash or a personal local check. The U.S.G.A. and The R. & A. have instituted several new rules this year. If you have the opportunity, please attend a seminar, most of them are free. Most of the local clubs will be hosting seminars soon. Call the Carolina Golf Association and they can let you know when and where they are. At most of them there will be free rules books available. Let s look at a couple of them that we shall be implementing. The flagstick can be left unattended and in the cup at the player s discretion. We shall allow this. Several studies have been done and all of them reflect that more putts are made with the stick in and the putts that miss, but touch the flagstick, are closer to the cup than if they hadn t touched the stick. Also, it will allow us the opportunity to line up our own putts rather than attending the stick. So we can both improve our chances of scoring and speed up play simultaneously. Personally, I have found that the flagstick helps with my Upcoming Multi-Chapter Events (see SinglesGolf.com/events) Cabo San Lucas - April 7-14, 2019 (dates are very tentative). We're looking at staying 7 days, playing 3 rounds of golf (with optional rounds if you choose) and exploring what the area has to offer. Deposit necessary. Go to cabo for more details. ASGA's Annual Memorial Day Weekend Event - May 23-26, Location TBD. ASGA Denver's Rocky Mountain High Weekend - August 9-11, Stay at The Academy Hotel in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Tentative info posted here with additional details and registration form to be posted on this site soon. Please check back. Regular Meeting Date Second Thursday of each month Next Meeting Thursday, February 14th, 2019 Location Vito s on Broad Street Our Chapter Website: Our Hotline: (See next page for list of officers and board members.) National Office Office Hours: 9:00am to 2:00pm, M-F (Eastern) National Office: or GOLFMATE Go to to make changes to your address, phone, etc. To join or renew your dues, go to Singles Golf is a registered trademark of ASGA, Inc.

2 Pinehurst Chapter of the American Singles Golf Association President/Golf Committee Mike Young Golf Committee Kathy Slotter Handicap/Pairings Earl Quam Asst. Golf Chair Membership Committee Patty Allan Pat Hruska Promotions Communications Lynn Walker Jim High Social Committees Ray Druss Pat Koubek Bobbi Amato Treasurer Jim Legg depth perception. Another rule deals with shots that go out of bounds. It is up to the courses whether or not they will implement this rule. We shall permit it regardless of the courses decisions. The new rule states that a ball that goes out of bounds can be moved INTO THE FAIRWAY parallel to the spot where it went out of bound with a two stroke penalty. Under the old rule, the player would be playing his/her third stroke from the tee and then the subsequent (fourth) stroke from wherever that ball is struck to. We ll let you play your fourth shot from the fairway. Aren t we thoughtful and nice? One other that is different is the method for dropping a ball. Henceforth we shall drop from knee length. This may not seem like a significant deal, but the further from the ground a ball is dropped the faster it is going and the harder it lands. If you want to see a real benefit, go to a sand trap and drop two balls from different heights. If the sand is soft the ball will end up in a fried egg lie from a shoulder length drop. But a softer landing will result in a better lie. The same is generally true in the rough. There is another rule which is not in the official rules book but is in our minds. It s known as the Root Rule or the Sticks and Stones Rule. We are not playing in highly competitive events and we shall not take the opportunity to injure ourselves by striking a shot from rocks or near roots. We permit, nay encourage, our players to move the ball from a spot where the player can injure her/himself be hitting rocks or roots. Move the ball, just keep it within the spirit of the game. Reminder: Our monthly dinner meeting is at Vito's in Southern Pines on February 14. Vito's accepts cash or local check only. They do NOT take credit cards. ~Mike Young Words From The Links Stay hydrated. There. Aren t you glad we ve got that out of the way? Me too. Do it. We d like to thank everyone who filled out the questionnaire and we are trying to act on your requests and suggestions. We have outings booked at Sanford, Fort Bragg s Stryker course and Bayonet at Puppy Creek. We are checking out Prestonwood CC, Carolina Lakes GC and Asheboro CC. Stay tuned. Additionally, the Charlotte Chapter wants to organize an overnight trip this Summer to Olde Mill GC, just across the Virginia border with us and the Asheville Chapter. A side trip to the Pete Dye course at Virginia Tech would be an option. Again stay tuned. We re glad to see that the U.S.G.A. and The R. & A. are finally catching up with us by making some rules adjustments. We ll be reviewing some of them and implementing them ing now. Please, upon completion of a hole, move to the next tee to write the scores down as opposed to waiting around an area where golf balls may come flying in. Not only can golf balls cause pain, they can be directly related to injuries. I have had entirely too many experiences in this area and I would hope that you can learn from my unpleasant accidents. The Winter weather is here and we can have some hard ground to give us extra roll or some sloppy ground to give us biting powers to make the pros jealous. Our Annual Hangover Invitational was a resounding success as Susan Thomee ed 2019 year off with our first par. At that point Susan was leading scorer for the year. That can t be taken away from you, Susan. No trophy though. Charlie Davis made our first birdie of the year on the 15th hole, and Norm, playing in the same foursome, followed up with the second birdie just a few seconds later. On the very next hole Jamie came within inches of joining the Eagle Club barely missing a 40 footer. In the team competition Susan, Pat Koubek, Paul Mago and Robert Doerr jumped out to an early lead, going 9 under par on the first 4 holes and never were challenged as they finished at 27 under. Second place went to Jamie, Charlie, Norm and yours truly as we charged through the back nine to close at 23 under. Tied for third were Kim, Joy, Bob and Jim Legg at 20 under with Ira, Lynn, Donna and Tom also 20 under. Closest to the Pin honors went to Jamie and Mike Young. There were many individual highlights - Pat Koubek had a strong outgoing nine, Paul was solid all day, Kim had a solid stretch in the middle of her round, Bob did well on the par

3 threes, as did Joy who threw in a couple extra pars, Jim parred the 5th, Lynn scored back-to-back pars on 9 & 10, Ed was his usual steady self, and Picnic Basket Patty made pars on the initial par threes, Frank ed with a par, while Butch played the last 10 holes at 4 over par. The Highlight of the Day had to be Jamie s blind shot on #16 across the wetlands and swamp to about 40 feet, setting up her opportunity for an eagle. Off to Pinehurst #1, which we hope will be a new addition to our Rota. The course resisted most of our efforts at scoring but Kim played a steady round and led her team of Dan and Tom to victory at 16 under par. Second place accolades were captured by Susan, Paul, Norm and Jan Stewart, just a single swing back. Another two shots further back were Kathy Eaton, who was a net two under on her own ball for the front nine, Brian Harpster and Robert. Closest to the Pin for the Gents went to Paul with an honorable mention to Charlie who would have won had his ball stayed on the green. Ditto to Patty Allan who was scant inches off the putting surface. We had a good turnout and there were a multitude of incidents for bragging rights Brian birdied the final hole, Gary Shannon had an excellent 81 with a birdie on 13, Rita had a net 68 (I m impressed) Patty made par on the 9th, Martez had a couple of pars, Butch had a net 67, Ira had a net 69, Lynn unveiled her new driver to good effect, Ray had his team laughing (at his wit, not his game). The best bragging would have to go to Paul with a net 64. Momma Mia!!! It was good to see the Sheriff back in the saddle. Ditto to Brian who has relocated to the Greensboro area. A special welcome back after a few years to Jan Stewart and her winning smile. Midland CC hosted our first 9 & Dine of 2019 where Eagle Earl and Ray tied for first with Ed in solo third. Closest to the Pin went to Eagle Earl and Pat Koubek. Accolades to Kathy Slotter who ed with a par and added another on the 6th hole. Pat also made pars on the same two holes. Eagle Earl didn t leave the fairways all day except to go onto the greens. Eddie was steady. (Sorry) Patty played consistently while Bobbi was in 7th Heaven, well, she made a lot of 7 s. A warm welcome to Peggy who has been travelling and visiting grandchildren good to see you again. Once again we had an event scheduled for Pinehurst #8. Last December Mother Nature squelched our efforts to play #8 as only 4 of us braved the elements. Mother Nature decided to play along again but this time She was early, still leaving left us a mess. Conditions were sloppy but 8 of us took on the challenge nonetheless. We ll be trying to play #8 again, and I ve already spoken to the Head Pro, and we ll see what we can work out. If we can find a date it may be very soon and on short notice, probably in February. Stay tuned. Our next event saw us tackling 7 Lakes GC. Maybe it would be more accurate to say that 7 Lakes abused us. Most of you know that I endeavor to play whenever we have an event scheduled. I was tested here. I have not played a course this sloppy since I moved to Pinehurst. This fine course was so wet that we had balls landing and plugging in the fairways, the rough and even the water. Sometimes it was tough to tell the difference as we saw more than our share of rooster tails and splashes. Eagle Earl came out and had to decline to play when the course management wouldn t bend on their Cart Path Only policy. Our undaunted golfers had some measure of success nonetheless. Ed DeWitt drove the ball well and had an inward nine to be jealous of with a birdie, and a couple of pars, including one on the nasty 18th in leading his team to a whopping victory. Ray defied the odds, playing very well despite having just taken a lesson, while Mike and Mike pitched in at timely moments. The runner up spot was captured by Martez, Butch, The Sheriff and Dan, all of whom parred the 10th hole, a not insignificant feat. Patty Allan, Ira, Norm and Robert also fared very well on the 10th hole with three pars and a bogey. Closest to the Pin The Sheriff he s back in town. The shot of the day had Ray holing out a putt as tough as an IRS auditor from 50 feet above the hole and off the green on number 11. After a couple of freezing days we headed out to Longleaf s Bottlebrush par three course for a 12 & Dine. Patty Allan walked away with first place and Closest to the pin bragging rights, but not by much as she nosed out Nancy Vaitkevicius by a mere 3 inches. Patty ed the second 6 with pars on 4 of the first 5 holes. That s more than impressive. Second place went to Jim Legg who struck many a solid shot on a windy day. Nancy was playing fairly well until the third hole when her wheels fell off. Well, actually, only one of them fell off from her pull cart. Eagle Earl had a couple of pars in a 4 hole stretch. Jim hit a wonderful pitch shot to the first green, but, unfortunately, was playing the second hole. The Shot of the day easily went to Patty on the 4th hole when she smacked her ball over the green and into a tarp folded up behind the green. Despite much encouragement, Patty elected to take the free drop and played on from there. As always, we encourage your feedback. We re constantly looking for new courses, new restaurants, new games and new members. Share your thoughts and ideas, please. Words of Wisdom The easiest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings. HELP GROW OUR CHAPTER! New Members Are Our Lifeblood. Please print-out the Single? Play Golf? sign and post it where our future members will see it. Sign is on the last page of this newsletter and remember to cut the tabs at the bottom. (Try to post one sign each month and use bright yellow or colored paper if you have it.)

4 Upcoming Events February 3rd 18 holes at Foxfire, Red course, $25, 11:00 5th 9 & Dine at The Legacy, $20, 2:00 shotgun 10th 18 holes at Mid South, $55, 11:00 17th 18 holes at Pin Needles, $60, 12:30 20th 9 & Dine at Pinewild s Holly course, $25, 2:00 shotgun 24th 18 holes at Sanford GC, $29, 11:00 26th 9 & Dine at Foxfire; Grey course, $15, 2:00 shotgun March 3rd 18 holes at Hyland GC, $40, 11:03 12th 9 & Dine at Whispering Pines CC, $20, 3:00 shotgun 17th 18 holes at Longleaf G&FC, $40, 11:30 26th 9 & Dine at Whispering Woods GC, Back nine, $15, 4:00 shotgun 31st 18 holes at Pinewild s Holly course, $50, Noon April 1st 18 holes at The Pit, $TBD, Noon 9th 9 & Dine at Pinewild s Azalea par three course, $20, 3:00 shotgun 13th 18 holes at Whispering Pines CC, Pines course, 11:00 23rd 9 & Dine at The Legacy, $20, 3:30 shotgun 28th 18 holes at Fort Bragg s Stryker course, $30, 9:00 Special events 14 July Dave Courtright Memorial at Tillery Tradition GC, $40, 10:00 August 31st & September 1st Pinehurst Cup at Mid Pines and Pine Needles 12:30 each day. About Our Members (THIS REPORT RAN 01/27/2019) Happy Birthday to these members: Frank Anton - 03/03 Sandra Dally - 03/08 Norm Farnham - 02/04 Jamie Fisher - 02/18 Bob Flesca - 03/07 Larry Knott - 02/28 David Myers - 02/07 Ann Sacco - 02/19 Gary Shannon - 02/25 Tanya Young - 02/23 These members are up for renewal: (date shown is last day of membership) Norm Farnham - 02/28/2019 Earl Quam - 02/28/2019 Shelley Rhone - 02/28/2019 Sook Shin - 02/28/2019 Dean Sterling - 02/28/2019 Tanya Young - 02/28/2019 Welcome newest members: LeeAnn McDowell - Joined 01/25/2019 These members recently renewed: Kathy Schlagel These members did not renew their dues: (date shown is date membership expired) Mercer Hicks - 12/31/2018 To renew your dues today, go to SinglesGolf.com/renew If you wish to renew over the phone, call , M-F, 9-2 Eastern Time. Our chapter currently has 76 members. Golf Tip An Easy Accuracy Tip For Consistency Stare down the ball: Not with your eyes, with your clubface Every bad result in golf can be traced back to a root cause. If you're struggling to hit accurate drives, the issue is a lack of clubface control. Many amateurs their backswings by whipping the driver way inside the target line and opening the face. From there, they re-route the club on a looping path that comes into the ball from outside the target line the classic over-the-top move with an open face in relation to the path. You can guess what happens next. The ball slices right of the target. If by some luck or last-second adjustment they can close the face, the ball flies on a straight line but left of the target. How many times have you heard another golfer get frustrated after setting up to hit a drive that flies left to right and presumably in the fairway only to see the ball go dead left and into the trees? If a round of golf for you is constant guesswork of where the ball might end up, you can improve your accuracy if you fix the cause and control the clubface better through impact. It s by making a better takeaway. No more whipping the club inside. Instead, pretend the clubface has vision, and its job is to swing back while keeping its eyes on the ball. In the photos above, my club s squarely behind the ball and does not rotate open in the takeaway. Copy this move. I want you to keep it staring at the ball as long as you can when you take it back. What you'll find is that this gets you to make a backswing where your club, hands, arms and body all turn together. This is the type of synchronized movement that allows you to control the clubface. Ideally, it should return to the ball facing your target, and your shot will fly straight. Even marginal improvements in clubface control will reduce the dispersion of your off-line hits. You'll be in play a lot more often. ~David Leadbetter, golfdigest.com

5 The Pinehurst Chapter of the American Singles Golf Association WANTS YOU! We re 3,000 members in 75 cities and we re ALL ABOUT HAVING FUN! So if you re single (i.e. divorced, widowed, legally separated or never married) and enjoy meeting others through the game of golf, you re invited to inquire about membership by calling the American Singles Golf Association directly at (1-TRIPLE-EIGHT-GOLFMATE) or visit our website at SinglesGolf.com

6 TM Call Us Toll Free Fax This Toll Free Mail This To Us Online (SinglesGolf.com/join) Note: Meeting locations may vary. Upon joining, you will receive a monthly newsletter telling you about monthly meetings, outings, etc. If you have any questions, contact your local chapter leader or call GOLFMATE or Please complete information box at right. PRINT CLEARLY - THE INFO BELOW SHOWS HOW IT WILL APPEAR ON YOUR CHAPTER S ROSTER. (*SEE OPT-OUT CLAUSE BELOW) HOW DID YOU HEAR ABOUT US? CHAPTER YOU ARE JOINING OR RENEWING IN: NAME ADDR: ADDRESS CITY ST ZIP HOME ( ) WORK/CELL ( ) EMPL. BY POSITION MONTH & DAY BORN YOUR USGA HANDICAP or AVERAGE GOLF SCORE Dues are $79.00 per year (full 12 months) OR $ for two years (includes free ASGA logo d shirt when joining for two years!) and can be paid by check or credit card. Credit card users: JOIN BY PHONE: or FAX COMPLETED FORM to Your membership kit will be mailed upon receipt of payment. No shipping charge if ASGA shirt ordered with application. LEGAL STUFF RELEASE FROM LIABILITY AND EXPRESS ASSUMPTION OF RISK: I, the undersigned Applicant (hereinafter referred to as Releasor ), in consideration of being permitted to participate in golf activities organized or sponsored by ASGA, Inc., d/b/a American Singles Golf Association, a Delaware Corporation, or its affiliate chapters in the United States and Canada, (the Releasees ) and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency is hereby acknowledged, hereby on behalf of myself and my heirs, distributees, guardians, and legal representatives agree to fully indemnify, defend, hold harmless, and not to sue Releasees and/or Releasee s directors, officers, employees, agents, and affiliates from and on account of any and all past, present, and future claims, debts, causes of action, damages, personal injuries, wrongful deaths, property loss, and property damage (including attorney s fees and costs relative thereto), whether due or not, direct or contingent, liquidated or unliquidated, latent or patent, known or unknown, which in any way concern or relate to any act or omission of Releasees. Except in the event of any gross and willful negligence, I shall bring no claims, demands, actions and causes of action, and/or litigation, against Releasees for any economic and non-economic losses due to bodily injury, death, property damage, sustained by me in relation to the premises and operations of the golf course, including riding on golf carts or playing the game of golf. I am aware that participation in and/or observance of the golf activities and/or other activities sponsored by Releasees is or may be an inherently dangerous activity and may have health-related risks, and agree that I am voluntarily participating in and/or observing such activities with full knowledge of all dangers and risks involved. In addition, I hereby expressly assume all risks of injury, death, property loss, property damage, and other loss and damage which my occur relative to the participation in and/or observance of such activities. I understand and agree that this Release includes any and all claims based on the past, present and future ordinary negligence, action, and/or inaction of Releasees and/or Releasee s directors, officers, employees, agents, and affiliates. I acknowledge that I have read this Release, have been fully and completely advised of the potential dangers incidental and inherent to the participation in and/or observance of the activities organized and/or sponsored by Releasees, and am fully aware of the legal consequences of signing the Application Form acknowledging this Release. I agree that this Release, waiver and indemnity agreement is intended to be as broad and inclusive as permitted by the laws of the State of my residency, and that if any portion of this Release is held invalid, it is agreed that the balance shall, notwithstanding continue in full force and effect. TERMS AND CONDITIONS: Membership in the American Singles Golf Association (ASGA) becomes effective upon receipt of dues and is valid for the period of time requested as indicated on the application form, subject to these TERMS AND CONDITIONS. I am 21 years or older, single (i.e. never married OR divorced OR legally separated OR widowed), and have read and accept, as a condition of joining, the RELEASE FROM LIABILITY AND EXPRESS ASSUMPTION OF RISK shown above. I understand that dues are non-refundable and are subject to change. I agree that all rosters, membership lists, addresses, or any other information provided to him/her as a result of their membership in ASGA are the property of ASGA and shall not be used for any purpose other than ASGA. I understand that the information provided on the Application for Membership may be reproduced on the chapter s roster and distributed to other ASGA members and published on otherwise, I will note on the Application Form for certain info not to be published. OPT-OUT CLAUSE: I understand that I may, at any time, request any information not be reprinted, reproduced or distributed, such as home phone, address, etc. in or on any newsletter, roster, website, etc. Such request to be sent to info@singlesgolf.com. ASGA may not be held liable for inadvertent publishing of opt-out information. AGREEMENT TO POLICIES OF THE NATIONAL ORGANIZATION AND LOCAL CHAPTER: I agree to abide by the ASGA Policies as outlined in the Policy section of as well as my local chapter s bylaws and policies. For more information, call ASGA at GOLFMATE or ( ) AVAILABLE FOR WEEKDAY GOLF ( ) WILLING TO VOLUNTEER FOR CHAPTER NOTE: ASGA DOES NOT CONDUCT BACKGROUND CHECKS ON APPLICANTS FOR MEMBERSHIP OR MEMBERS OF THE ASSOCIATION. Golf can be a dangerous sport. Accidents can occur by you or another party striking a golf ball, by a golf cart turning over, or simply falling down steps. PLEASE TAKE ADEQUATE PRECAUTION when playing in ASGA events. Chapters and individuals running golf tournaments are not professionals but are volunteers, and therefore, you must assume additional responsibility for your own safety. Please abide by the safety rules posted inside your golf cart, at the golf course, as well as the official website of the United States Golf Association ( If you have a safety concern, please bring it to the attention of the person(s) running an event, your chapter president or golf course management personnel. DUES - 24 Months - $158 (includes free ASGA logo d shirt - Most Popular!) DUES (Join for 3 years, 4th year free - $237 (incl. free shirt - best value) DUES - 12 Months + ASGA logo d golf shirt - $109 (includes shipping) DUES - 12 Months - $79 If a shirt is included with your order indicate ( ) Male ( ) Female Size: Check Paid To ASGA, Inc. Enclosed* TOTAL $ Please charge my card indicated below ow: VISA MASTER CARD AMEX DISCOVER No. Exp. By checking this box, I authorize ASGA, Inc. to charge the card indicated. By checking this box, I agree to the Terms, Condition and Release ( Legal Stuff ) as set forth on the left side of this page. Signature Date Credit Card Users Can Join By Calling Join By Fax: Fax to (toll free) REFERRED BY: Mail: ASGA, 1122 Industrial Dr. #107, Matthews, NC * There is a $25 charge for any check returned from your bank. SinglesGolf is a registered trademark of ASGA, Inc. Rev. 01/20/ ASGA, Inc.