Newsletter Naval Academy Golf Association August 2017

Transcription

1 Newsletter Naval Academy Golf Association August 2017 FROM THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE The summer is flying by. Before too long the Brigade of Midshipmen will return to the Yard and kids will be returning to school. While it has been a wet summer, we have so far escaped the brutal heat we experienced last summer. Let's hope our luck holds. Eric David, our new Golf Course Superintendent, is solidly at the helm and the transition has gone very smoothly. Again, we welcome to the USNA GC family and wish him great success. FROM THE PRO SHOP This month we would like to spotlight assistant golf professional Drew Linder. Drew has been affiliated with our staff for many years, having started working here while he was a student at Broadneck High School. Drew graduated from Towson University where he played on the Men s Golf Team and competed in the NCAA Championship. Drew brings a great deal of energy and enthusiasm to our staff, and has been instrumental in starting up our PGA Junior League Team. He has also been the driving force behind the scenes for the Billy Hurley and the Brave Junior Championship, which is making its debut at Navy this month. Thanks to Drew for all of his contributions to our club! Late last month the USGA Girls Junior Amateur was contested in Augusta, Missouri, with Erika Sheperd emerging as the champion. An interesting rules question arose in the semifinal match. Sheperd and Elizabeth Moon were even after eighteen holes, and went into overtime to determine a winner. On the nineteenth hole, Moon had a short birdie putt to win the match. She missed the putt, and her ball ended up just inches past the hole. Before Sheperd could say anything, Moon raked the ball back to herself, assuming that the second putt was conceded. Unfortunately for her, Sheperd had not had a chance to give her the putt. She incurred a one stroke penalty for moving a ball at rest, and Sheperd won the match. Below is a full explanation of the rule.

2 Rule 2-4. Concession of a Match, Hole or Next Stroke A summary of this rule tells us that a player may concede a hole at any time prior to the start or conclusion of that hole. A player may concede his opponent s next stroke at any time, provided the opponent s ball is at rest. A concession may not be declined or withdrawn. The last statement could be the most important thing to remember about this rule. It refers strictly to Match Play events, as a putt may not be conceded in Stroke Play. In Match Play, if your opponent concedes your putt, you are considered to have holed out with your next stroke. At that point, you can scoop your ball up, you can putt it one handed, you can backhand it towards the hole, or tap it between your legs. As soon as your opponent conceded the putt, it was good, and you no longer have to hole the ball. Having said that, if you are playing in a Match, and you putt your ball up to six inches from the cup, you may not just assume that it is good and pick it up. By the rules, you must either wait to see if your opponent will concede your next stroke, or, if your opponent is away, you must mark and wait for him to putt. You must them complete the hole properly. Your opponent may putt first and then have a change of heart and concede your putt. He may decide to have you mark and wait because he wants you to overthink your next putt. There are all kinds of strategies involved, but just remember, your ball is never good until your opponent concedes your shot, and the person whose ball is away controls the sequence of play. And, one of the most famous 'gimmees' in the history of golf Please continue to repair ball marks and sand in divots during the month of August. We appreciate our members who help preserve the golf course! Upcoming Events Sat, 5 August August Medal AM Tee Times Thur, 10 August 18 Holers Club Championship AM Tee Times Mon, 14 August 18 Holers Club Championship AM Tee Times Tue, 15 August 9 Holers Tournament AM Shotgun Wed, 16 August Seniors MISGA Mixer AM Shotgun Thur, 17 August 18 Holers Club Championship AM Tee Times Thur, 24 August 18 Holers Tournament PM Shotgun Sat, 26 August President s Cup AM Tee Times Sun, 27 August President s Cup AM Tee Times Sat, 2 September Senior Amateur-Amateur AM Tee Times Mon, 4 Sept Labor Day Holiday We hope to see you soon, Pat Owen and Staff

3 FROM THE GREEN SECTION The month of July has come and gone quickly, at least for me. My transition from Baltimore Country Club to the Naval Academy Golf Club has been smooth, but quick. The hospitality from both the staff and members here at Navy has made me feel incredibly welcomed from the moment I arrived. I am looking forward to the opportunity to make the golf course the best it can be and improve upon the beautiful layout designed by William Flynn. The staff has begun to make changes to our maintenance program which I think reflects well upon our ability to embrace change and learn new techniques, even in the middle of the season. Our maintenance team has started to walk mow greens and tees, which I believe is the best way to mow the playing surfaces if you have the staff size to accommodate this practice. This change will improve the turf in front and back of the tees where the riding mower would turn. Some of the existing tees are small and narrow causing the machine to make a tight turn and damage the turf. On the greens, we have Turf damage and a hole created from tri-plex tee mowing. started a more aggressive rolling program to smooth the surface and get a better ball roll. The roller also allows us to skip mowing at times during the week to give the turf a break during the warm periods of the summer. Most of the greens have handled the high heat well during the middle of July. The reduction of water usage on the greens by using our new TDR 300 moisture meter has helped the staff significantly to create good playing conditions. You may have noticed the maintenance staff using these purple tools. Soil based greens such as the ones here at Navy are particularly susceptible to overwatering, which shortens roots and causes turf death. We try to keep the greens as dry as possible for good playing conditions, as well as always ready for any unexpected thunderstorms. Our last change of note is the use of 50 inch fans on the greens that have the least amount of air movement. Air movement has a direct impact on turf health by cooling the canopy and creating good growing conditions. Although the generator powered fan is loud, benefits to turf health more than outweigh the noise inconvenience. The screen that we read gives us a percent of moisture content in the soil. its

4 Finally, I would like to recognize Jamie Galvin and Chris Thayer for their hard work through our recent transition. Management changes can be difficult at times, especially during the middle of the season. They were able to keep the course in great shape through the month of July which set us up for a good August. The hard work they put in demonstrates their dedication to the Naval Academy Golf Club. August can be a tough month for growing grass in the Mid-Atlantic, but the staff will work daily to achieve the best course conditions possible. We are looking forward to finishing the season strong. Eric David Golf Course Superintendent - USNA Golf Club Please note some links below for additional information. Information on Turf Fans Information on TDR Moisture Meters FROM THE MEN'S ASSOCIATION Congratulations to Kevin Peterson, our 2017 Club Champio n who defeated Adam Dodson, on the 31st hole of the scheduled 36 hole match. Kevin and Adam played superior golf with Kevin about 7 under par for the 31 holes. Other flight winners were 1 st : Bob Buckley, 2 nd : Rob Brilliant, and 3 rd : Phil Allison. Congratulations to all! The next big event is the President's Cup on August 26 th and 27 th. This is a two-man stroke play tournament with prizes for both gross and net. Quarter-final Gold Tee Knockout matches need to be completed by 31 August. The Grandparent-Parent-Child Championship has been rescheduled for Saturday, 19 August after being rained out in July. This event is a modified foursomes event using the Callaway scoring system and is open to all annual members of the Naval Academy Golf Association. This means a member (man or woman) of the club could play with a child, parent, or grandparent or grandchild. Green fees will be required for non-members. Bill Matton, President FROM THE WOMEN S ASSOCIATION 9-Holers: The ladies 9 hole league played on some very hot July days. Thanks to Cacky Janssens and Carol Davignon for being our July monthly managers. We are looking forward to playing with the USNA Women's team on August 15 in a shotgun start. Stay cool and hydrate. Pam McNallen, President 18-Holers: Between the heat and humidity and one rain-out, we have certainly experienced the dog days of summer weather-wise. Here s hoping August treats us a little better. We have two special events to look forward to in August: our Club Championship and our annual Community Service Day. As a reminder, the Club Championship is played over three days: August 10, 14, and 17. To be eligible, one must play in at least two of those days. Best 2 (two) of 3 (three) rounds of stroke play. Participants will play in flights. The Club Champion is the player with the lowest gross strokes over 2 rounds. Awards will be given in each flight. Our Community Service Day is 24 August and will benefit Annapolis Womenade. As in the past, this will be an afternoon shotgun and we encourage you to bring a guest. No handicaps will be needed as it will simply be a fun play day! See you on the course! Trish Jones, President

5 FROM THE SENIOR MEN'S GROUP Seniors play continues this month with regular Wednesday golf beginning at We host a MISGA mixer tournament on Wednesday AUG 16 with friends from Chartwell, Prospect Bay and Chester River. The travel schedule includes trips to Prospect Bay (Aug 8), Bay Hills (Aug 22), Hobbits Glenn (Aug 24) and National-Tantallon (Aug 30). Announcements will be forthcoming. We also have a Monday match play event at National-Tantallon that will be scheduled soon. Anticipate an announcement for this from Tournament Chairman Dave Ehemann. (dehemann@comcast.net ) Russ Smith, President (rampsmith@verizon.net) SHOTS OF THE MONTH Bravo Zulu to Dick Klepper for his hole-in-one on No. 7 during the July 19 Wednesday Senior tournament. NAGA Newsletter - August Go Navy!