Welcome to the Whispering LakesSaturday Men's Club Web Site
Scheduling Reminder: Next week is a tournament week and everything remains as normal. The following week, May 16th, the city of Ontario will play their annual tournament. To help accommodate this, the men's club will have a shotgun start that morning at 8:00am. To help in the effort, all players MUST let me know that they are playing by Wednesday, May 13th that week. For helping the course by changing our tee times, they will provide lunch for all of our participants that day following the round. Thank you in advance for your assistance!
Kent Gurney and Matt Smith Victorious in Blind Holes Tournament
In this flighted low net event with tournament scores based on nine random holes drawn, it was Kent Gurney in the A flight and Matt Smith in the B flight that captured the victories. Kent shot a four-under par 32 for the drawn holes that included a birdie for net eagle on #2 to secure the win. Close behind Kent in second place was Mark Harrison, a 15 handicapper, who finished just a single shot behind the winner. Craig Whitehead finished third with a net 34 and rounding out the top five in a tie for fourth with net 35's were Colby Gurney, Lonie Galarpe, and John Hennes.
The B flight was a much tighter competition with three players shooting net three-under par 33. But it was Matt Smith who won the cardoff on the six handicap 3rd hole to come out on top. In a tie for second also with net 33's were Tony Ratkovic and Mike Johnson. Finishing in a tie for fourth just a single stroke out of the top spot were Lann Hamilton, Jim Green, and John Jakobcic. Congratulations to all who cashed in this month's event!
Two-Man Best Ball Up Next in June
The June tournament is a standard two-man best ball played from the white tees. Each player plays his own ball through the hole and the team score is the lower net score of the pair for the hole. The date is June 6th so mark your calendars and pick a good partner Hope to see everyone there!
Renew Memberships or Join Our Club Online
All existing members needing to renew their memberships or any new members wishing to join our crazy group can now do it all online as a part of the SCGA website by clicking here. This is a new and completely optional way to pay your annual dues. Existing members and those wishing to join may still pay in person either in cash or by check if you prefer. If you have any questions, feel free to either email us or track down on Saturday morning and we'll do our best to answer them.
Join The Hole-In-One Pot
Congratulations go out to John Hennes for his hole-in-one on the seventh hole and becoming the third member to capture the hole-in-one pot! The previous winners were Bill Barry on #3 and Mark Carlton on #16. On this one, John's playing partners raved at the perfect shot that took one hop and disappeared into the hole. What this means for the rest of us is that it's time to re-enter with the hopes that we can join that elite group.
If interested, contact Bruce Wilder to get signed up. The $10 entry is a one-time payment good until another ace wins the pot. The hole-in-one must be scored at Whispering Lakes on a Saturday morning during regular men's club play. Click here to see who's already on board.
New Guest Guidelines
With the club growth we have experienced in the last year along with the limitation of required tee times, it has become necessary to establish some guidelines on bringing guests to join us on Saturdays. First, guests can only be accommodated on a space-available basis. The first priority for tee times must be for club members. Second, no guests should be brought on any tournament day. Tournament days have bigger draws and especially with different tournament formats, it is not the opportune time to bring non-members. Finally, we are going to begin limiting the number of guests to one per member on any given week. If any member wishes to bring multiple guests, a guaranteed tee time cannot be determined until Friday morning when the groups are established and shared. If there is space available at that point, the multiple guests will be welcomed. If you have multiple guests and require a guaranteed tee time, it is suggested that you contact the pro shop and get a time outside of the men's club set tee time reservations. Thank you to all for your understanding and cooperation in this. It is appreciated.
Net Double Bogey to Replace Equitable Stroke Control!
Handicap index calculation for members is changing beginning January 1st as the new Rules of Handicapping are introduced and implemented in the United States. First, your index will be based on the 8 best scores out of the past 20 posted scores rather than the lowest 10 scores out of the last 20 as it currently does. This change should be minor but you may see a change in your index after the 1st of the year even if you haven't played.
Additionally, the maximum score for each hole will now be limited to a Net Double Bogey. This can be calculated as par + 2 + the number of handicap strokes you receive on that hole. This calculation will be the same for all golfers and there are no longer different maximum scores based on a range of values that an individual's current handicap fits within.
Finally, beginning January 1st, handicap index updates will be made daily so your handicap will change the day after you post a score. On days you don't play, obviously no update will take place. As for player handicaps used for weekly and club competitions, our Men's Club will continue to update and post players' indexes twice a month on the 1st and 15th of each month. So for side games within your foursome, it will be up to you whether you use each player's current index or their posted index. But for participation in our group side game and tournaments, all players will play to the handicap posted in the pro shop. If you have any questions, please feel free to speak with Bruce Wilder, our handicap chairman and resident expert on these changes!