Kalamazoo, MI - American Singles Golf Association October 2008

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1 CELEBRATING 16 YEARS OF SINGLES GOLF IN AMERICA Kalamazoo, MI - American Singles Golf Association October 2008 Message From The President Wow! It doesn't seem possible that our golf season is almost at an end. Always keep in mind though - that most of us like to take advantage of any day that presents itself as a good, or even just ok, golf day, right up until the snow flies. As the 2008 season ends, we begin making plans for the 2009 season, traditionally this starts with the election of our 2009 president, at our October meeting, followed by the election of four board members, during our November meeting. ASGA suggests forming a nominating committee to find those who may be interested in running for the various chairs, which we have done. The committee members who may be approaching you include Pat, Keith, and myself. Regardless of whether you have been approached by one, or all of us, you (any member) can nominate any other member, or yourself, for any Board position. This year we would like to include as many members as possible in the election process, so we will be doing things a little differently, and breaking with tradition. In addition to nominations gained at the meetings, we will go on line to find any others who may be interested in becoming a candidate. Once the list is complete, we'll be voting online, as well. There are two very important officer positions, Secretary, and Treasurer, which are not elected, but are appointed by the President elect. These are also "up for grabs" so if you're interested in either of these let us (the Nominating Committee) know. To help you, a little, in deciding which position you might like to hold, the following is a list of officers, and chairpersons needed, and a very brief description of their responsibilities. The President: presides over all meetings, supervises the affairs of the Association, appoints board approved committees, is an ex-officio member of all committees, acts as a liaison with ASGA, writes a monthly message for the newsletter, and any other duties assigned to him/her by the Board. The Social Chair: is responsible for all socials, securing membership meeting facilities, and temporarily fills in as President, should that position become vacant The Golf Chair: is responsible for golf outings, and other related golf activities. The Membership Chair: is responsible for membership growth, activation of new members, member retention, and maintaining the roster. The Communications Chair: is responsible for all matters relating to communications, and the monthly newsletter. The Secretary: keeps all meeting minutes, gets the minutes published in the newsletter, and performs any other duties assigned by the President or Board of Directors. The Treasurer: is in charge and custody of, and is responsible for all funds of the Association. He/She is also in charge of 50/50 drawings Other Considerations: The President is barred for a period of one year thereafter from holding any office except that of Chairman of the Board. Elected officers and appointed officers serve for one year. January-December. The President and Treasurer are not eligible to serve two consecutive terms in the same office, and committee chairpersons are not eligible to serve more than two consecutive terms, in the same office. Happy Golfing! ~Carol Leigh, (Lame Duck) President NEXT BIG NATIONAL EVENT: New Year s in Orlando **** Stay at 4-Star Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate Info at Other Multi-Chapter Events: SinglesGolf.com/events National Website: ASGANational@aol.com New Office Hours: 8:00am to 4:00pm, M-F (Eastern) National Office: or GOLFMATE To join ASGA or renew your dues, contact the National Office at above number or go to Regular Meeting Date: Second Friday of each month Next Meeting: Wednesday, October 8th, 2008 Meeting Location: McGinnis Landing Our Website: (See next page for list of officers and board members.) To join, renew dues, make a change of address, phone, etc., call National Hotline at left.

2 Kalamazoo Chapter of American Singles Golf Association President Carolyn Leigh (269) Golf Chairperson Keith Milhiem (269) Social Chairperson Judy Claflin (269) Membership Chairperson Mary Burress Newsletter Editor Mike Diljak Chairman of the Board Christine Ferguson (269) Treasurer Marcia Kolinske (269) Secretary Patricia Whittaker (269) A Hot Time At Angels Crossing Several of us met at Angels Crossing to celebrate the Labor Day Weekend by doing one of our favorite things, golfing! The day was nearly perfect, with not a cloud in the sky, and the course, though beautiful, had very little shade, so we had "lots of fun in the hot sun". Winners for the day included: Bonnie, and Bonnie! First for her prediction, and then for the ladies longest drive. The team of Ken, Carol and Val did alright for themselves, too, by winning the Scramble. Marcia K. had the longest putt! We found the 19th hole, and some much needed liquid refreshment at Bud's Bar. ~Carol. Outing at the Riverside Country Club The outing at Riverside Country Club was enjoyed by 11 members and one guest on July 27th. The weather was beautiful and so was the course. Many thanks to Rob who arranged the outing, games, and prizes. Prior to playing the 1st nine, one had to guess their score. George and Rob were both successful and George won by a coin toss. Congrats to both of them. George had only played the course once, about four years ago and Rob had never played the course before. The prize awarded to George was two rounds of golf and one night lodging at Shanty Creek Resort, complimentary of Cumulus Broadcasting. Bonnie won closest to the pin for the women and the longest putt. Ken won closest to the pin for the men. They both won movie passes to the Rave, also complimentary of Cumulus Broadcasting. The prize money was awarded to the team of Keith, Ken, Pat, and Diane for winning two events. One event was using the best cumulative score of three players on the 1st nine, and the 2nd event was a scramble on the 2nd nine. Dinner was enjoyed by all at Clara's on the River in Battle Creek. Thanks again, Rob, for arranging this event. It gave many of us our only chance of playing at this Club. ~Chris Ferguson Golf Chair Report Happy fall to all! It has been a fun golf season despite the weather conflicts. Our outing scheduled for Sept. 13th at Lake Doster has been rescheduled for October. Judy Claflin is the host. Friday night dropin will continue as long as the weather will allow. I am very excited about our chapter trip to Treetops resort Sept The weather forecast looks great for our time in Gaylord. I hope it will be a great golfing experience for everyone. ~Golf Chair, Keith Milhiem Picnic Picnic report- On labor day weekend ten members attended the 1st annual chapter picnic We had nice weather and everyone had a wonderful time. The food was delicious and we all were very full. Thank you to those who participated. There were some fun activities including golf games, a boatride, kayaking and cards. Congrats to Bruce for mastering the TicTac Putt. Thank you to Pat for taking photos. It was strongly suggested to have the picnic again next year. ~Picnic Host, Keith Milhiem Minutes For September Meeting The meeting of the Kalamazoo chapter was held on Friday, September 12th at Main Street Pub. The minutes were approved as read. Marcia Kolinske reported that we have $ in the Treasury as well as $41.50 in petty cash. She sold 50/50 tickets and Keith won the drawing. It was decided we would vote on-line for the President and Committee Chairpersons as meetings held outside of golf season are not well attended. The election of President will take place in October. Keith and Pat volunteered to be the Nominating Committee. Drop in golf will last as long as the weather holds up. Tee times will start at 5:15 and we will still draw for four- Do you want to update your personal information on our chapter s roster? You can now do this yourself. Simply click on the MY ACCOUNT link at the national website (SinglesGolf.com). You can update your address, phone, add your cell phone, change handicap, etc. Doing it yourself takes the burden off of your chapter leaders so they can spend more time on the golf course and less time on the computer!

3 somes. The golf outing at Doster for tomorrow has been cancelled due to the weather forecast of 100% chance of rain. Weather permitting, we'll try for October 5th. Everyone agreed that the party at Keith's and the weather were great! Keith passed out maps and directions for our fall golf trip to northern Michigan. Sunday's tee time at Treetops Resort is 2:20. Carol presented information about the New Year's Event. Several people are contemplating making the trip. Pat mentioned a new air line to fly directly into Orlando and an article regarding this will appear elsewhere in this newsletter. The next meeting will be held on Wednesday, October 8th at McGinnis Landing at 6:00 P.M. ~Pat Whittaker, Secretary New Air Service to Florida For those of you interested in the New Year's Event there will soon be new nonstop flights from the Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport to Orlando's Sanford International Airport (and also Charlotte County Airport) in Florida. The flights will begin November 29th and will be on Sundays and Thursdays (at least to begin with). The airline is called Direct Air. (There are similar flights by Allegiant Air out of Lansing which fly on Wednesdays and Saturdays and these are much LESS expensive than the better known carriers). The newspaper article didn't say these were discounted prices by Direct Air, but I think I heard on the news that these are also less expensive. You could go online and see what you can find. Also Liz Prom of Adventure Travel may have more information. Diane Kolodziej, Allegiant Air also goes out of South Bend! Hopefully this will be helpful to you. ~Pat ABOUT OUR MEMBERS Happy Birthday to these members: Mike Diljak - 11/10 Welcome newest members: Amy Baumann - Joined 09/17/2008 These members did not renew their dues: (date shown is date membership expired) Rob Wagley - 08/31/2008 Our chapter currently has 20 members. Rules and More Rules Hapless Larry managed to get in another golf predicament. On his approach to the green, he thought he would cut the corner with his "famous" draw shot. Yes, I saw it work a couple of times this year. But, not this time. As he frequently does, he struck a tree. Usually it is a 50/50 on if the ball will bounce into the fairway or stay in the pine straw under the trees. In this case, it was neither. It appeared the ball stuck in the tree. What is the correct ruling/requirement? 1. Play ball as it lies. Larry could climb the tree taking a club with him or having me pass it to him and then after verifying that it was his ball, he could take a swing at it. 2. Declare a lost ball. Even if Larry sees a ball is in the tree, if he can not shake it lose to check the ball or otherwise positively see his logo or other identifying mark on the ball, he must declare a lost ball. The penalty is stroke and distance. Larry must take a one stoke penalty and return to the spot of the previous stroke. 3. Assuming Larry can verify the ball in the tree is his ball, he could declare the ball unplayable. Take a one stroke penalty. Drop the ball within two club lengths of a point directly under where the ball was in the tree, but not nearer the hole. 4. Assuming Larry can verify the ball in the tree is his ball, he could declare the ball unplayable. Take a one stroke penalty. Play his next ball as nearly as possible to the spot from which the original ball was last played 5. Assuming Larry can verify the ball in the tree is his ball, He could declare the ball unplayable. Take a one stroke penalty. Drop a ball behind the point directly under where the ball was in the tree, keeping that point directly between the hole and the spot on which the ball is dropped, with no limit to how far behind that point the ball may be dropped And the answer is... The answer is 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 are all correct. In reality there are 3 options. Option 1: Play ball as it lies, pretty simple from a rules perspective, but not so easy for the typical golfer to execute. Option 2: Declare a lost ball. Again this is pretty straight forward, even if you can see a ball in the tree, if you can not shake it lose to verify that it is your ball, or if you can not climb the tree or otherwise positively verify that the ball seen is yours, you must proceed under the lost ball rule which is stroke and distance. Option 3: Declare the ball unplayable. Note, you must be able to positively confirm that the ball you see in the tree is yours. You can do this by shaking the tree, throwing your club at the ball, climbing the tree, etc. to get a look at the ball. Before you try to get at or dislodge the ball, announce that you intend to treat the ball as unplayable. If you move the ball without declaring your intent to continue under the unplayable rule, you will get a penalty stroke under the Ball at Rest Moved ruling and would be required to put the ball back in the tree! Failure to replace a ball moved results in an additional 1-stroke penalty. You must make sure you identify your ball before continuing under the unplayable option rule, and you must announce your intentions before retrieving or dislodging the ball from the tree. Option 3, the declare your ball unplayable option has three drop possibilities. All of them require a one stroke penalty. But with an unplayable ball, you may 1. Drop the ball within two club lengths of the balls position (in this case within two club lengths of the spot directly under where the ball was lodged in the tree). 2. Drop a ball behind the balls position (in this case directly under where the ball was in the tree), keeping that point directly between the hole and the spot on which the ball is dropped, with no limit to how far behind that point the ball may be dropped. 3. Play the next ball as nearly as possible to the spot from which the original ball was last played

4 CELEBRATING 16 YEARS OF SINGLESGOLF IN AMERICA AMERICAN SINGLES GOLF ASSOCIATION OCTOBER 2008 Four-Star Resort Awaits You... Open to all ASGA members. Yes, you are invited to the largest gathering of singles who golf in the world! Here are the basics: Who: Open to all ASGA Members When: Monday, December 29, Thursday, January 1, 2009 Where: Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate, 1500 Masters Blvd., ChampionsGate, Florida Phone What: 3-Night Stay - 6 Food functions - 2 Rounds of Golf with Optional Day-of-Arrival and Day-of-Departure Golf Why: To meet friends you didn t know you had and to have the time of your life! Standard Package Rate is $ PER PERSON, DOUBLE OCCUPANCY, IF PAYING BY CHECK and $ if paying by a major credit card. Our annual trip for warm climates in the winter have landed us back in Orlando once again. It s really tough to beat what this city offers to golfers. Yes, we could have chosen a venue less expensive but a vacation should feel like a vacation. This hotel will make you feel like you have arrived. It is four-star from the rooms to the pools to the on-site golf courses, quality of food, etc. Check out the hotel s website (OmniOrlandoResort.com) and you ll see what we mean. We know gas prices are high, but you ll easily make-up for high gas prices with the savings you ll get on this one. If you and a friend visited this resort as a non-asga member at the same time, the two of you would easily spend $400 more for the same things you ll receive under our standard package. The standard package includes: 4-days, 3-night s stay at the Omni Orlando Resort at Champions- Gate, based on double occupancy (you ll have a roommate) Breakfast at Trevi s Restaurant at the Omni each day 2 rounds of golf, one at the National Course, one at the Int l. courses (site of annual PGA Father-Son Event) Cart, range balls and prizes for winner 6 food functions: Cocktail Party / Welcoming Reception with hors d oeuvres, buffet dinner after first round of golf, 3 breakfasts and New Year s Eve plated dinner. Dancing with the DJ at the Omni on first and third nights Welcoming Gift, spa and David Leadbetter group discounts Registration Form Included In This Newsletter. Details and online registration at SinglesGolf.com/newyears New Year s Day falls on a Thursday this time around and this event actually beings on a Monday. (We tried to get them to change it but it hasn t happened yet!) The beauty of this arrangement is that you can arrive as many as three (3) days early and stay up to three (3) days late and it will only cost you $64 per person (based on dlb. occ.) to stay an additional night, or $128 to room by yourself. Orlando offers so much more and our online website can give you links to other things to do while there, such as visit Mickey, SeaWorld, MGM, etc. And, with all of ASGA National events, there are no hidden charges. Resort fees and taxes are all included in all of the package prices. Resort fee even includes local phone calls, newspaper and wireless internet if you care to bring your laptop! They ll even turndown your bed for you each night! So check out all the details at SinglesGolf.com/newyears and get your registration form to us early. Register by October 31st and you ll receive two (2) free drink tickets! See you there! Post-dated Checks Okay If you wish to post-date your check for November 24, you may do so. Please attach a note with the check so we will surely be notified. Upcoming Multi-Chapter Events Details and registration forms of all events are at Mountain Fall Weekend at Lake Lure, NC October 17-19, Hosted by the Asheville chapter. Details can be found at or contact Hank Parish (hyparish@msn.com) for more info. Note: Event is sold out. New Year s at Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate December 29-January 1, Hosted by ASGA National Office. Registration form enclosed with this newsletter or online at Hilton Head Weekend Hosted by the Hilton Head and Orlando chapters. For more info, contact Al Amore at AlOrlando@aol.com Dates: March 13-16, Tom Alsop President / Founder American Singles Golf Association

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