THE MOST-ASKED QUESTIONS

Transcription

1 Working Women s Golf Association 2018 Handbook

2 THE MOST-ASKED QUESTIONS Welcome to the Working Women s Golf Association (WWGA)! The WWGA is a league of amateur women golfers who play tournament golf one Sunday per month, rotating among Aguila Golf Course, Papago Golf Course, Grand Canyon University Golf Course and Dobson Ranch Golf Course. The season for the WWGA is January through December. It is an 18-hole group approved by the City of Phoenix Parks and Recreation Department and Grand Canyon University Golf Course is our home course. It includes a USGA GHIN handicap administered by the Arizona Women s Golf Association (AWGA) (5 scores are needed to establish a handicap). The cost to join is $60 ($30 goes to WWGA and $30 goes to the AWGA for their membership, fees, services and handicap) if you join from January through June, or $45 from July through September due to a prorating in the cost of an AWGA membership. If you join in October, November, or December, you are actually joining for the following year at $60 with some free months thrown in. We feel that an informed member is a much happier one and that when you have some basic knowledge of our procedures, you ll be much more comfortable playing with us. Below are answers to some of our most frequently asked questions. Please feel free to ask us any questions, via at phxwwga@gmail.com. Most of our information is found at: What is a typical WWGA tournament? The WWGA, run by volunteers, organizes one golf tournament per month, played on a Sunday morning, at one of the 4 courses in our rotation (Aguila Golf Course, Papago Golf Course, Grand Canyon University Golf Course and Dobson Ranch Golf Course. WWGA members (and guests) prepay $10 to the prize fund at least eight days prior to the Sunday play date, and all the prize fund is paid out to the winners in certificate credit good for pro shop merchandise at Grand Canyon University Golf Course. Each tournament is divided into four flights, determined by handicap and as evenly distributed as possible, with approximately half of each flight winning. Each monthly tournament may have a different format, such as Low Gross, Ghost Holes, Even Holes, Ts&Fs, Best Nine, etc., plus each offers a chance at a Closest to the Hole prize and Longest Putt prize. How do I sign up for a WWGA tournament? Each WWGA tournament requires a prepayment of the $10 prize fund. There are THREE ways to sign up for a WWGA tournament: 1) You can PREPAY for the entire year by the December event of the previous year. You are then automatically signed up for all 12 tournaments. 2) You can PREPAY (cash or check) for next month s tournament at the end of the current tournament. At the end of each tournament a sign-up sheet is available for the next scheduled tournament. The prepay list is then posted on the website. 3) You can wait and send in the tournament registration coupon (which is ed to each member approximately five days before it is due), plus a $10 check (payable to WWGA), to the contact listed to sign up for that month s tournament. Green fees, cart fees, and range balls are all paid to the golf course pro shop by you the day of the tournament.

3 How do I cancel if I cannot play in the WWGA tournament? You need to call or the Tournament Contact (who changes monthly, and is always listed on the tournament registration coupon, plus listed on the website under Tournaments, Registration) by the TUESDAY evening before the Sunday tournament to be officially cancelled. You (and your $10 prize fund) will then automatically be CARRIED OVER to the next month s tournament. Please save the corresponding until you are sure that you have been carried over. How do I find out my tee time? Tee times and pairings will be listed on the website by Friday prior to the Sunday tournament; alternately, it is occasionally ed to the group playing. How do I obtain a handicap? If you do not have a handicap, you need 5 scores to establish one in the USAG s GHIN handicap system. When you join WWGA, the Handicap Chair will make sure you have been entered into the GHIN system and that you have a GHIN number, which you will then use to enter scores into the system (you can enter any prior scores to get started, but will not get a handicap index until there are at least 5 scores and a revision updated has been processed). Updated handicaps are distributed (via ) on the 1 st and 15 th of each month. You can play in WWGA tournaments while your handicap is getting established; the Tournament Contact can calculate your temporary handicap for that round. How do I post a score from a WWGA tournament? How do I post a score any other time? 1) You can post your score right away after any non-wwga rounds via the computer found at each golf course, or on your mobile phone. You will need your GHIN number to log on to post a score. Or, download the free GHIN app onto your phone and post. DO NOT POST WWGA SCORES THEY WILL BE POSTED FOR YOU! The WWGA has four State Medallion rounds during the year (check our tournament schedule at for more details), and two Club Championship rounds. Again, the WWGA will post all scores for you. How do I know if I won any prize, how do I get it, and how do I use it? Results of our WWGA Sunday tournaments are usually posted on the website by the following week, under Tournament, Results. Listed with the winners names are the amount that can be redeemed at Grand Canyon University Golf Course for pro shop merchandise. These winnings are good for ONE YEAR from date of issue, and you just need to give your name at checkout to redeem for merchandise. How do I get in contact with WWGA officers and other members? You will be issued a Membership Roster each year, which lists each member, their address, telephone number(s), and addresses. Please keep this handy! This roster is NOT kept on the website, for privacy reasons, and is not to be used for any type of individual promotion nor shared with non-wwga members. Any question can also be directed to phxwwga@gmail.com which the WWGA president checks regularly. HAVE FUN!! Questions?? Write us at phxwwga@gmail.com! Visit our website:

4 WORKING WOMEN S GOLF ASSOCIATION Table of Contents Description of Events... 1 WWGA Officers for the 2018 Season... 2 City of Phoenix Golf Course Contact Information... 3 Tee Times... 3 Prize Money... 3 Phoenix Golf Card... 3 The Club Championship... 4 The AWGA State Medallion... 4 Tournament Information... 5 Entering the Tournament... 5 Tournament Contact... 6 Registration... 6 Pre-Registration... 6 Tournament Day... 6 Tee Times... 6 Rain Policy... 6 Handicaps... 6 Flights... 7 The First Tee... 7 Scoring... 7 Maximum Stroke Allowance... 7 Equitable Stroke Control... 7 Local Rules... 8 Measuring Devices... 8 Definitions of WWGA Tournament Extra Contests... 8 Guest Policy... 8 Handicap Information... 9 GHIN Number... 9 Know Your Handicap Index and What It Means!... 9 AWGA... 9 Post Your Scores... 9 Duplicate Membership Information..10 Privacy Please i

5 DESCRIPTIONS OF EVENTS A,B,C,D Four-person mixer, one from each flight; special game instructions to be explained before start. Best Nine Best 9-hole score either the front 9 or the back 9. Handicap on the holes where they would be given. Low Gross 18-hole score. No handicap Low Net 18-hole score less full handicap. Criss Cross Score of hole 1 or 10, hole 2 or 11, hole 3 or 12, etc. Handicap on the holes where they would be given. Criers Throw out 3 worst holes; take par. Full handicap. Even Holes Combine the gross scores for the even-numbered holes. Handicap on the holes where they would be given. Odd Holes Combine the gross scores for the odd-numbered holes. Handicap on the holes where they would be given. Any Nine Best score any 9 holes. Handicap on the holes where they would be given. O-N-E-S Combine the scores from all the holes that start with O, N, E, or S. Handicap on the holes where they would be given. Stableford Score 3 pts. for birdie, 2 pts. for par, and 1 pt. for bogie. Total points. Ghost Holes Tournament Contact chooses nine random holes that will count. Handicap on the holes where they would be given. Hard Nine Gross score on the nine lowest handicap holes. Handicap on the holes where they would be given. No Putts The winner is determined by all strokes other than putts. Keep count of your putts and subtract from final score Partners 6 holes scotch, 6 holes scramble and 6 holes better ball of partner. Four-Ball Pick a partner, both play own ball; use best score on each hole. Sweet n Sour Each player counts her best eight and one worst hole. Total all scores. Ts and Fs Combine the scores from all the holes that start with a T or an F. Handicap on the holes where they would be given. 1

6 President Vice President WORKING WOMEN S GOLF ASSOCIATION OFFICERS FOR THE 2018 SEASON AWGA State Representative Treasurer Tournament Chairman Website Coordinator/Assistant Tournament Chair Membership Chairman Handicap Chairman Central District Liaison Rules Committee Tournament Contacts Vicky Scott Beth Bartholow Julie Fenn Odette Rose Mary Jo Slunder Ann White-Watkins Martha French Julie Fenn Mary Jo Slunder Current Board Beth, Julie, Martha, Mary Jo, Odette, Vicky 2

7 WWGA GOLF COURSE CONTACT INFORMATION AGUILA GOLF COURSE 7858 South 35th Avenue Laveen, AZ Phone: GRAND CANYON UNIV. GOLF COURSE 5902 West Indian School Road Phoenix, AZ Phone: DOBSON RANCH GOLF COURSE 2155 South Dobson Road Mesa, AZ Phone: PAPAGO GOLF COURSE 5995 East Moreland Street Phoenix, AZ Phone: TEE TIMES Tee times and pairings will be posted on the website ( by Friday before the tournament. (Check the website again on Saturday, as some pairings may have changed with late cancellations.) Please make every effort to show up to play, on time, in any weather, as each golf course counts on us to fill our allotted tee times. The golf course loses money for every tee time we do not fill, and we lose credibility with the course. PRIZE MONEY Prize money will go on the Grand Canyon University Golf Course computer system. Prize money will stay in the computer system for one year from the date of the win. It is each member s responsibility to track her winnings. Contact Vicky Scott if there are any questions. PHOENIX GOLF CARD The City of Phoenix Parks and Recreation Department issues Phoenix Golf Cards, and they can be purchased at any of the golf courses ($50 to purchase and $30 for yearly renewal). This golf card entitles you to reduced green fees, 9-day advance tee times, notification of Pro Shop sales and events, frequent player discounts and specials, etc. at Aguila, Papago, Encanto, Cave Creek, Grand Canyon University and Palo Verde. Visit the website at: 3

8 THE CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP The Club Championship is a 2-day, both-scores-count event. The club championship could rotate to a different course each year. The club championship will consist of an overall low gross winner, overall low net winner and one flight winner from flights A-D. You must o play both days to be eligible for club championship awards, which will be separate from the tournaments regular game, and o you must have played in at least 4 WWGA monthly tournaments. THE AWGA STATE MEDALLION A player s two lowest gross and net scores on the four State Medallion play days will be combined for a 36-hole total. Those persons playing in at least two of the four will be eligible. The winners will be the player with the lowest total gross score and the player with the lowest total net score. If any of the State Medallion tournaments are canceled, the competition will be reduced as necessary. They will not be rescheduled. A State Medallion Leaderboard will be maintained on our website. Winners of the State Medallion get to represent WWGA at the AWGA State Medallion Tournament in January, and WWGA will pay their entry fee for this tournament. 4

9 TOURNAMENT INFORMATION 2018 WWGA TOURNAMENT REGISTRATION PROCEDURE ENTERING THE TOURNAMENT: 1. All monthly tournament information will be available on the website ( (please add this website to your favorites or bookmarks ). The Tournament Contact name only will be given on the website at the Registration link, but her address, telephone number(s), and address will be ed to members approximately 10 days before each tournament. (You may also look up her address, telephone number, and address on the membership list which is ed to all members annually.) 2. IMPORTANT! The Prize Fund Fee of $10 is due to the designated contact person 8 DAYS BEFORE SUNDAY PLAY to be eligible (make checks payable to WWGA). After this date, a reservation cannot be guaranteed for you. Registration will not be accepted unless the fee is paid in advance. If you must cancel after sending in your registration, notify the Tournament Contact by TUESDAY evening prior to play and the $10 prize fund will be CARRIED OVER to the following month s tournament. THERE WILL BE NO CARRY-OVERS AFTER TUESDAY! All other cases of failure to show will mean forfeiture of your $10 prize fund. CARRY-OVER POLICY: You are automatically registered for next month s tournament if you carry over. If you are unable to play that month, you must contact the Tournament Contact by or telephone. If you fail to do so, you will forfeit your fee. If you cannot play the following month, it is your responsibility to notify the Tournament Contact by Tuesday before the tournament in order to carry over your fee again. Carry-over (CO) players are listed on the Prepaid list on the website each month. PREPAID PLAYERS: WWGA members have an option to prepay $120 (by the December event of the prior year) for the entire year. It is your responsibility to cancel by Tuesday if you cannot play. You will be rebated at the end of the year for properly canceled tournaments. (You will not be carried over as you are already registered for next month.) Properly canceled tournaments means that you contacted the Tournament Contact for that month (not just the WWGA gmail account), either via or telephone. This information is attached to the ereminder that is sent each month. As a backup, prepaid players should keep track of those tournaments that they canceled and save their sent with Tournament Contact replies. 3. Please note on your registration coupon whether you plan to ride or walk. If you fail to do so, it will be assumed you are RIDING. This is done for pairing purposes only carts cannot be reserved. 4. The $10 prize fund fee only covers the prize money fund! Green fees and cart fees are extra and are paid directly to the Pro Shop when you check in for the tournament. 5

10 TOURNAMENT CONTACT This is the volunteer who makes tee times and pairings, and receives the scorecards after play. The Tournament Contact changes monthly. The website will tell you who the contacts are for the tournaments. Your monthly reminder will indicate the Tournament Contact s name, and e- mail address, along with where to send your registration. All fees must be sent to the person designated in the monthly announcement. REGISTERING Please help keep the Tournament Contact s job manageable: Remit correct prize fund fee with the Registration Coupon ($10 check made out to WWGA). Mail prize fund check and coupon in plenty of time for the person designated to receive it by the due date. Always indicate whether riding or walking. You may request to be paired with a player of your choice, and that pairing request will be honored if possible. PRE-REGISTRATION Pre-registration is available after each tournament for the following month s tournament. See the Tournament Contact. Fee payment is required to pre-register. You will not be reminded of your pre-registration, but the prepaid list will be posted on the website. Members who prepaid for the entire year are automatically registered for each tournament. TOURNAMENT DAY: TEE TIMES Tee times and pairings will be posted on the website by Friday before the tournament. (Check the website on Saturday also as pairings may change with late cancellations.) RAIN POLICY IN CASE OF INCLEMENT WEATHER: Call the Pro Shop the morning of the tournament. They will let you know if the tournament has been officially canceled. Tournaments are not rescheduled. If play has been canceled, your registration fee will automatically be CARRIED OVER (see Policy) to the next month (or REBATED at the end of the year if applicable). If play has NOT been canceled, but you choose not to play, your fee will be forfeited and you will not be carried over. Remember that it can be raining in one part of the Valley and not another. HANDICAPS On tournament day, a listing of all members handicaps (converted from their Index) will be on the first tee box. Be sure to check your handicap before playing. For those of you who do not have handicaps, it takes 5 scores to establish a handicap. Scores prior to joining our group may be used. There is not a separate division in our tournaments for those players not having a USGA handicap. Until a member has an established handicap, a temporary handicap will be figured for each tournament day, and she will be placed in the appropriate flight. A maximum handicap index of 40.0 will be used for all WWGA tournaments. 6

11 FLIGHTS 1. There are four flights (A, B, C, and D). 2. They are determined by evenly dividing players by their handicap index. All players with the same course handicap will be in the same flight, so the final size of flights may not be the same. They may be revised after a tournament if there were too many no-shows. 3. Flights are used in all tournaments. THE FIRST TEE Posted on the first tee will be: The Day s Event Closest to the Hole hole number and Longest Putt hole number Players handicaps for the day SCORING Two score cards for each group should be kept. Be sure to spell the players names correctly (at a minimum, have their first initial and their last name). If you are not sure how to spell their name, please ask. After each hole, inform your fellow players of your score; don t wait for them to ask you. At the end of the round, the two cards should be compared to be sure they are the same. Always record all strokes actually taken on the score card up to the Maximum Stroke Allowance (defined below). MAXIMUM STROKE ALLOWANCE: In order to lower player frustration and speed up play, the WWGA enforces a Maximum Stroke Allowance. The most a player may take on any hole is 10! Therefore, if your ninth shot did not go in the hole, pick up your ball and record an X10 for your score on that hole. THIS IS MANDATORY! (This is not the same as Equitable Stroke Control all players record up to 10!) For 9-hole scoring tournaments, players will receive the handicap for each hole as it would have been allocated should we have been playing an 18-hole event. BE FAMILIAR WITH THE RULES OF GOLF. Know when and how to drop a ball, the proper way to play from a hazard, when to hit a provisional ball, and what to do if your ball is lost or out of bounds. Invest in a USGA Rules of Golf booklet and carry it with you for quick resolution of disputes. If in doubt, you can play two balls, keep the two scores, and then ask the Rules Committee or Pro Shop on the proper ruling (and then take that score). Do not sign your scorecard until the ruling is resolved. AFTER YOUR ROUND IS OVER: First, compare your scores HOLE BY HOLE and make sure both cards agree. You may add up the total scores, but it is not required. The cards must be signed, dated, and attested. Turn in your cards to the Tournament Contact. Ties for the month s event will be broken by the USGA s recommended procedure for a scorecard playoff. Rules of Golf, Appendix I Section 10 EQUITABLE STROKE CONTROL: Equitable Stroke Control (ESC) is the downward adjustment of individual hole scores for handicap purposes in order to make handicaps more representative of a player s potential ability. ESC sets a maximum number that a player can post on any hole 7

12 depending on the player s Course Handicap. ESC is used only when a player s actual or most likely score exceeds her maximum number based on the table below but is applied to all scores for handicap purposes, including tournament scores. There is no limit to the number of holes on which a player may adjust her score. A Handicap Index determined from scores to which ESC has not been applied may not be termed a USGA Handicap Index. Maximum Number Course Handicap on Any Hole 9 or less Double Bogey 10 through through through or more 10 LOCAL RULES The ball is always played as it lies except where local rules apply. Consult your rules book for relief procedure. MEASURING DEVICES Measuring devices MAY be used during WWGA tournaments, if they are used for yardage only. This information may be shared among your foursome. DEFINITIONS OF WWGA TOURNAMENT EXTRA CONTESTS CLOSEST TO HOLE: A shot is only closest to the hole if it is on the green and the first shot, and closer than the previous marked location. LONGEST PUTT: A longest putt must originate on the putting green (not the fringe) and settle at the bottom of the cup, and be farther from the hole than the previous marked location. It does not have to be the first putt. GUEST POLICY Anyone can play as a guest. There is no limit on the number of times they can play as a guest. However, guests are still responsible to pay the $10 prize money fee but they are not eligible to win any prize money unless they join WWGA the day of the tournament. (Our policy is that only members may win prize money; however, since we have to pay the prize money for all players, including guests, to the Pro Shop, they must pay also.) The easy, on-line application is available through the AWGA website. 8

13 HANDICAP INFORMATION The WWGA receives its members handicaps from the USGA using the Golf Handicap Information Network (GHIN) system. Our Handicap Chair can answer any questions. You must have five 18-hole scores to establish a handicap, but that initial handicap will not be calculated until a handicap revision date. GHIN NUMBER In order to have a handicap, you must have a GHIN number. Each golfer should have only one GHIN number even though she may be a member at more than one club. Her scores from all clubs are combined into one scoring history on the GHIN system, therefore eliminating having more than one handicap. The GHIN Number may be used as a reference at other clubs. For example, when signing up for a golf tournament at any golf course, you must list your club (Working Women s Golf Association) and GHIN Number. KNOW YOUR HANDICAP INDEX AND WHAT IT MEANS! Your Handicap Index is NOT your handicap; it simply leads you to the Course Handicap table where you will find your Course Handicap from the set of tees and/or the course you are playing. A Course Handicap Table is posted at every golf course or could be calculated using the GHIN app on your smart phone. AWGA WWGA gets its handicap service through the Arizona Women s Golf Association (AWGA). A major benefit of this affiliation is that WWGA members are eligible to participate in several tournaments sponsored by the AWGA throughout the year. The AWGA also sponsors the State Medallion Competition. Visit the AWGA website at for information on upcoming AWGA and USGA tournaments, fun days, entry forms, participant lists, list of winners, your current handicap index, and available discounts. POST YOUR SCORES! Be sure to post EVERY score from EVERY non-wwga round of golf! Your handicap should be based on all scores, not just your WWGA scores. This is the only way your handicap will be accurate. See page 8 for making ESC adjustments to your score. For non-wwga rounds, when posting a score, post an A for Away. The WWGA and AWGA will post your scores from any of their tournaments. If you play a round where you do not play by the rules on a few holes (no more than 5), you should use par plus your allocated handicap for that hole as your score for any holes not played under the rules of golf. 9

14 What if I am also a member of another club? The AWGA allows a duplicate club rebate. You may apply for it electronically at by going to the Member Services tab and selecting Duplicate Club Rebate Form. PLEASE RESPECT OTHER MEMBERS PRIVACY PLEASE DO NOT DISTRIBUTE THE WWGA LISTING TO NON-WWGA MEMBERS THANK YOU AND HAPPY GOLFING! Please us at: phxwwga@gmail.com with any questions or suggestions Visit us at: 15