CELEBRATING 19 YEARS OF SINGLES GOLF IN AMERICA Hartford, CT Chapter - American Singles Golf Association November 2011 General Meeting HASGA's next General Meeting will be November 15, 2011, at the Whinstone Tavern at the Stanley Golf Course in New Britain, CT. The meeting will start at 6:00pm. In addition to conversation, food, and drink; there will be a short business meeting, and those present will have the opportunity to vote for HASGA's 2012 Communications, Golf, Membership, and Social committee's chairpersons. that winning the trophy was secondary to the golf played and the good time everybody had. (It was perhaps, a little easier for the Central Mass players to make that statement.) Judging from the chatter and noise in the clubhouse by the players, it really did seem that everybody had a great time. West Hartford got almost two inches of rain on Friday; and there was a chance that course would not be open on Saturday, and the match would again be a rainout, as The Ryder Cup Match October 15, 2011 If your glass is always half-full, then be happy because we came in second. If your glass tends to be half-empty, well then, we lost again. This win was a three-peat for the Central Mass Chapter, as they've won the match in 2009, 2010, and 2011. This year we lost by only 2 points. As the point difference was announced, you could see our team members thinking about the chips and putts that they miss hit and could have done better with. I know I did. But, as we left Rockledge in the cool Saturday night air, both teams commented Upcoming Events Include (see SinglesGolf.com/events) New Year's Weekend Event 2011/2012 - December 29, 2011January 1, 2012. Two Locations - Palm Springs & Florida Details at www.singlesgolf.com/newyearsinflorida & www.singlesgolf.com/newyearsinthedesert Golf Cruise to the Caribbean - Details at www.singlesgolf.com/ Cruise - February 25, 2012 for 7 nights Office Hours: 9:00am to 2:00pm, M-F (Eastern) National Office: 704-889-4600 or 1-888-GOLFMATE The HASGA Team (Photo - Rockledge Pro) Regular Meeting Date: The Board Meetings will normally be held the FIRST Tuesday every-other-month. General Meetings will normally be on the THIRD Tuesday of each month. Please check our Website calendar to see if a meeting is scheduled for a specific month. Our Website: www.hartfordsinglesgolf.org Our (National) Hotline: 1-888-465-3628 (See next page for list of officers and board members.) To join, renew dues, make a change of address, phone, etc., call National Hotline above or go to www.singlesgolf.com/join
Hartford, CT Chapter of the American Singles Golf Association TM President Mary LeBel 860-225-4571 m.lebel@comcast.net Communications Chair Martey Rhine 860-313-0348 msrhine@att.net Communications Assistant Jerry Maxwell kardon17@comcast.net 860-956-4807 Golf Chair Jerry Maxwell kardon17@comcast.net 860-956-4807 Golf Handicaps JoAnn Bryant bryantjdb@comcast.net 860-875-3261 Membership Chair Tom Woods 860-643-4477 twoods1231@aol.com Social Co-chair Susan Ammann 860-647-1191 Suz39@cox.net Social Co-chair Linda Carillo 860-683-2335 ljpage@comcast.net Secretary Ellen Gregory 860-673-1706 eegregory3@sbcglobal.net Treasurer Diana Swenhall 860-620-0808 dswenhall@yahoo.com Webmaster Jerry Maxwell 860-956-4807 kardon17@comcast.net it was in August. But Rockledge did open, and we played. Considering the amount of rain we'd received, the course was in great shape except for the pond size puddles in some of the bunkers and along some of the fairways. A few trees were starting to turn color, and against the gray clouds the orange leaves really glowed. Many of the Central Mass players liked the course a lot, and are planning on returning to Rockledge to play the course under drier conditions. Dinner after golf was in the clubhouse, and everyone ordered their own meal from the Angelo's on Main Rockledge menu. This kept the cost down and gave greater variety to the meal selection. Prior to the start of the Match, all players received goody bags with a Ryder Cup Match golf towel and golf ball, and snacks and bottled water. And all players received raffle tickets for the plethora of prizes that were given out during the post-round meal. The goodies and the prizes were funded by a $425 contribution from HASGA's treasury, and there also were some items donated by Linda Carillo, Ellen Gregory, Nancy Hammond, Harry Mackenstein, Jerry Maxwell, and Barbara Wysocki. THANK YOU TO ALL! And a gigantic thank you to Mary LeBel for obtaining the Post Match Food, Drink, Warmth (Photo - S. Roy) goodies and prizes, and doing the coordination and organizing of the items. Accolades should also go to the golf committee, for putting together great teams, coordinating the matches and verifying the Ryder Cup Match's unique handicap calculations. A special thanks goes to Kim Tartarini of the Central Mass chapter for entering the player's course handicaps into her Excel worksheet, and producing the team handicaps. And a BIG thanks goes to Harry Mackenstein for filling out and "dotting" two sets of scorecards, one for each team. A threesome of Les McCoy, Pat Sullivan, and Dave Walstrom teed-off and played 18-holes following the final Ryder Cup group, and then joined us for dinner and drinks. Our 2011 Ryder Cup teams were: JoAnn Bryant and Joe Fasi, Pat Rondinone and George Duffy, Margaret Doyle and Jerry Maxwell, Sue Roy and Harry Mackenstein, Patty Landry and Russ Avery, Linda Carillo and Bill Reilly, and last but not least, myself and Paul Silverio. There is always next year!!! ~Nancy Hammond Captain, 2011 Ryder Cup Team
Shennecossett, Down by the Sea, the Finale for 2011 Sunday, October 23rd, 2011 was the date for HASGA s final official golfing event of the season. The 18-hole Play Your Own Ball event was at the Shennecossett Golf course, located on the shore, at the mouth of the Thames River in Groton, CT. Sunny weather was forecast, but the day turned out to be mostly cloudy and breezy with occasional bursts of sunlight peeking through the clouds. Eleven golfers showed up to play the tough, but fair, course with its many sand traps, and its fairways lined with knee high fescue and scrub brush hazards. Starting at the first tee, a unique challenge in itself, (the fairway for the first hole is located across Plant Street from the first tee, which is at street level). So, you must hit your tee shot over Plant Street and over any cars passing in front of the tee at the time you re hitting your shot; in order for the shot to reach the first fairway. If you don t get the ball up into the air and some unlucky motorist is passing in front of the first tee when your tee shot is a low line drive; it's crash, tinkle, tinkle, and you re on the phone with your insurance agent. The HASGA players used all of their skills to navigate the course and to try to avoid the many sand traps that surrounded the greens and the additional sand traps located along fairways. You had to be careful to select the right club for shots especially approach shots from the fairway. If you used one club length too much, chances are when your ball landed on the very fast greens; it would roll off the back of the greens, and continue rolling down into one of the hidden sand bunkers located behind many of the greens. Never the less, all of the golfers survived and enjoyed a fun round of golf, especially when playing the 16th hole, where golfers can enjoy some nice sea views where the Thames River meets Long Island Sound, and views of New London, CT, located across the Thames River. At the end of the round, most all the golfers retired to the Par 4 restaurant for food and drinks and the awarding of prizes. Finishing in 1st place, ($4 per player prize money) was the team of Joe Fasi, Bill Reilly, Linda Carillo, and Nancy Hammond. 2nd place prize money of $3 per player went to the team of Terry Mason, Paul Silverio, Pat Sullivan, and Jerry Maxwell. 3th place and its prize of $2 per player went to the team of Les McCoy, JoAnn Bryant, and Joe Pacheco. For the individual skill contests, Nancy Hammond won Closest to the Line on hole number 10, Bill Reilly won Closest to the Pin on hole number 9 and JoAnn Bryant won Closest to the Pin on hole number 12, 7 of 11 (Photo - J. Maxwell) Sand, Sand, and More Sand (Photo - L. McCoy) each receiving $5 HASGA Bucks coupons. Other highlights of the day were a fine round of golf shot by Terry Mason, and a birdie by Joe Pacheco on the long, 565 yard, par 5, 5th hole. One of the nicest golf courses in the state, Shennecossett is a must play course for every avid golfer, especially in
the warmer summer weather when you can also enjoy some nice sea breezes, salty air, and some pretty views of the Thames River where it meets with Long Island Sound. The players were Joe Fasi, Linda Carillo, Nancy Hammond, Bill Reilly, Les McCoy, Joe Pacheco, JoAnn Bryant, Terry Mason, Paul Silverio, Jerry Maxwell, and Pat Sullivan. ~Paul Silverio Handicaps In golf, "handicap" is a common term; but with the USGA handicapping system, we actually have a Handicap Index and a Course Handicap. Your Handicap Index is computed by the handicapping system used by your golf group. The handicapping system uses the best 10 of the last 20 scores that you turned in, to calculate your handicap index. USGA approved handicapping systems require a minimum of 5 scores to calculate a handicap index. A handicap index will frequently be a decimal number: 7.4, 19.6, 28.1, 39.2, etc. A Course Handicap is determined by; using your handicap index with a Course Handicap Chart, or Course Handicap Calculator (you must know the slope of the tees you'll be playing), or doing the calculation manually using the following formula: Handicap Index multiplied by Slope Rating of the tees you'll play, divided by the Standard Slope Rating (113) = Answer. Then round the Answer to the nearest whole number;.4 or less rounds down and.5 or more rounds up, and the result is the Course Handicap that you play to for that course. Connecticut Golf Season The Connecticut "active" golf season for 2011 started on April 1 and ends on November 14. If the weather is favorable, and you are able to play Connecticut courses after November 14, those scores are not entered into your handicap system. From the USGA website: An "active season" is the period during which scores made in an area will be accepted for handicap purposes determined by the authorized golf association having jurisdiction in a given area. GHIN Handicaps GHIN is pronounced "jin" and stands for the Golf Handicap and Information Network. It's a golf handicap system that's in use in 41 states (including Connecticut), and it's also used in Puerto Rico, Bermuda, Dominican Republic, Guam, and India. GHIN handicap service is frequently offered as an add-in when a golfer joins a country club, golf club, golf league, or golf association. Some golf clubs/courses offer an auxiliary form of membership which includes the GHIN handicap service. Typically the cost of this type of membership is in the $40 to $90 range per year. Any golfer who has a GHIN handicap, i.e. Pat dewolfe and Joe Fasi (Photo - J. Bryant) Down By The Shining Sea (Photo - L. McCoy) membership, is responsible for entering his or her golfing scores into the GHIN system. The GHIN system accepts 18-hole and 9- hole round scores, and combines the scores entered for two 9-hole rounds to create an 18-hole score. 2011 - HASGA Event Schedule Please keep in mind that HASGA's upcoming events are posted on our website, http://www.hartfordsinglesgolf.org. Note - HASGA's website calendar shows all of the currently scheduled events. Going there is a quick, easy way to view HASGA happenings for any given month.
CELEBRATING 19 YEARS OF SINGLESGOLF IN AMERICA AMERICAN SINGLES GOLF ASSOCIATION NOVEMBER 2011 Do You Want High Class or... High Class? ASGA members will again be treated with two choices as to where to go for New Year s this year. These options will no doubt satisfy all of your dreams and desires to celebrate 2012 in grand fashion. West Coast New Years: Our Palm Springs chapter will host New Year s at the Hyatt Grand Champions and will treat you to some great golf at Indian Wells on our traditional celebration dates of December 29- January 1. West Coast: Hyatt Grand Champions East Coast New Years: The ASGA National Office will host New Year s a tad late. With 80% of those polled responding favorably, the decision was made to head to Florida a few days after the new year begins in order to save on airline costs East Coast: Ritz-Carlton / Sarasota and airport hassles during the holidays. The East Coast / Sarasota event will be at the Ritz-Carlton Sarasota. We ll play golf at the Ritz-Carlton Member s Club. Each foursome on this golf day will have its own caddie. Then we ll play Legacy, one of the area s top-rated courses. We ve got a phenomenal rate at the Ritz-Carlton. Deluxe rooms have a rack rate of $379 per day this time of the year, but the ASGA rate will only be $149. The event begins Wednesday, January 4 and normal group departure will be Saturday, January 7, however, there will be optional rounds for those who wish to come early or stay late. Book Your Airline Ticket Now! The further out you book, the better your rate, generally speaking. If you have any questions, please review the registration information then contact the event coordinator for answers. Details on both events are at this website: www.singlesgolf.com/newyears 65+ Signed-Up for Caribbean Cruise Dates: February 25-March 3 Departure City: Miami Never been on a cruise before? Have you been on one and simply not put on the weight you d like to put on? Now s the time. Now s your chance to become a world traveler. No matter what you eat, you ll lose it playing some great golf at two fantastic layouts: St. Kitts Golf Course and the Greg Norman-designed Temenos. But best of yet, we ll cruise on the beautiful Celebrity Eclipse ship parting out of Miami, FL. Sue Eliasberg of our DC chapter, who works with Cruise Web, is your contact. She ll answer any questions you have, but first, we ask that you check out the flyer on the website. A mass e- mail went out on September 25 announcing the event in full detail with a request to get your registration and deposit for this event in by September 30. Beyond that date, we will continue to accept registrations although there could be some slight variations of the package based on changes the cruise line may make. So for all the deets, go to www.singlesgolf.com/cruise Ireland Summer of 2012 We ve been closely watching the Dollar / Euro exchange rate and there is current trend favoring the dollar. So the trip is still on and details should be viewable at www.singlesgolf.com/ireland by late November (yes, I know we said October last month!). About 200 members have shown interest in this event. 201 of our members visited Scotland in August, 2010. Denver Chapter Looks to Host Colorado Event Recently, we surveyed our membership to determine if there was sufficient interest in our Denver ASGA chapter hosting an event in Colorado in 2012. Here s the result of the survey, as reported by Connie Stevens, event chair: Your information to our questions has been very helpful as our committee plans the event for 2012. We are moving forward on getting the best prices and value for your trip to Colorado next year, and we will be sure to keep you updated on our progress based on your choices and responses. Stay tuned for more updates in upcoming newsletters and thank you. We look forward to welcoming you to Colorado! - - Tom Alsop, President / Founder, ASGA Phone 704-889-4600 or 1-888-GOLFMATE GolfASGA@aol.com