WPGA TIMES
VOLUME #3, ISSUE #1 - April 08, 2009
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Welcome to the first issue, "2009 Season Preview," of the third volume of the WPGA
Times. The purpose of this electronic newsletter is to update
the golf community on events and happenings of the Western
Pennsylvania Golf Association. Readers are welcome to suggest
articles, photos, and other other materials for upcoming
editions. |
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2009 Season Preview
Jeff Rivard, Executive Director (contact) |
Casual Golf Days
The Association will
begin a series of informal golf days, four or five, this season.
One is scheduled for July 6 at Willowbrook, and the remaining
should be finalized by mid-April. The fees will be in the
$60-$75 range, and entries will be accepted both in the office
and on-line. Golfers may enter individually or with others in a
group. Consult the Association’s web-site,
www.wpga.org,
for more details. |
Championships
The 2009 schedule is
complete with the following new developments.
The
Interstate Challenge Match (with Northern Ohio GA), Women’s
Amateur, and Senior Inter-Club have been discontinued.
In the
Fred Brand Foursomes, at Longue Vue on May 7, teams with
partners from different clubs will be accepted for the first
time. Both players must be affiliated with WPGA Member Clubs.
Teams with players from the same club will be given priority.
The
Tournament of Champions, at Williams on May 11, has been renamed
the Spring Invitational. More players will be eligible. Check
the entry link for details.
The
WPGA Four-Ball, at New Castle on August 24, will have a Senior
Division, age 55 for both players. |
College Golf
Penn State University will
host the Big Ten Championships at the Blue Course, May 1-3.
This is the second time for the Big Ten at PSU since the
university joined the conference, the other being in 1996.
California University, PA,
will host an NCAA Women’s Division II Regional at Cedarbrook GC,
Belle Vernon, May 4-6.
The
WPGA’s championship officials will serve as the Rules of Golf
Committee for both of these prestigious competitions.
Mike
VanSickle, Wexford, a senior at Marquette University, continued
his strong play with a 3rd place finish at the USF
Invitational (South Florida) in early March. VanSickle recorded
four victories last Fall, and he is on the short list for the
Ben Hogan Award (outstanding collegiate player) and the USGA’s
Walker Cup team. This year’s Walker Cup Match will be played
at Merion GC, Ardmore, PA, site of numerous USGA championships,
and the 2013 US Open. |
Executive Committee
Members of the Executive
Committee, Norma Efremenko, Wildwood, and Michael Foster, Fox
Chapel, have submitted their resignations this winter, with the
roster now at seventeen members. The minimum is sixteen.
Efremenko, a former Handicap Committee Chair, was first
nominated to the Executive Committee in 2004.
Foster,
who served on the Championship and Finance Committees, joined
the committee in 2005.
The
Association expresses its thanks to both Norma and Mike for
their faithful service. Both resigned because the “couldn’t
devote enough time” to their duties, a good sign of their
interest and commitment. |
Committee Reorganization
Although the WPGA’s primary
activities haven’t changed the following revisions in committee
structure were approved at the Executive Committee’s winter
meeting of February 12.
The Inter-Club Competitions
Committee will be assumed by the Membership Committee.
The
Membership Development & Services Committee has been renamed the
Membership Committee.
The
Long Range Planning Committee has been renamed the Governance
Committee.
The
Rules of Golf Education Committee’s activities will be assumed
by the Championship Committee. |
Governance Committee
The new Governance Committee, formerly the Long Range Planning
Committee, has a new mission. Its primary purpose will be to
explore the activities and purpose of the Executive Committee,
as in “building a better board.” The Executive Committee has
provided excellent leadership over the years, but in developing
a Governance Committee, the Executive Committee authorized a
group that will make recommendations to the Executive
Committee. Issues include committee orientation and education,
frequency of meetings, guidelines and manuals, meetings agendas
and activities, number of members, performance evaluation,
relationships with employees, recruitment, responsibilities, and
term limits.
The Governance Committee is
a mix of former and current Executive Committee members and
other interested persons with background in association
management. Those interested in service are encouraged to
contact the WPGA office. Meetings are expected to occur twice
per year. |
Green
The annual Green Operations
Survey is available. It has already been sent to Member Clubs,
senior staff, volunteers and others in the course management
community. Others who wish copies can contact the Association’s
office. |
Membership
David Axson’s presentation
at Pittsburgh Field Club, a return appearance, on January 17,
drew thirty clubs and ninety persons, a combination of senior
staff and elected officials, for a morning session followed by
lunch. The topic was “Navigating Uncertain Times: Tools for
Effectively Planning and Managing Club Operations.”
Also on the program was
Larry Hirsh, Harrisburg, from Golf Property Analysts. |
Rules of Golf Education
The Association
regularly receives Rules of Golf inquiries on the phone. This
winter the WPGA added a question link on the home page of its
web-site,
www.wpga.org,
for Rules of Golf inquiries. This feature can be found on many
state and regional golf association web-sites around the
country, and we encourage participation. |
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HANDICAPPING
Terry Teasdale, Handicap Director
(contact)
Blog -
Handicapping Corner |
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Course Rating
The Association's Course Rating Program has started. On February
26, 2009 we rated Valley Brook Country Club. Please
click here for an updated list of USGA Course Ratings and
Slope Ratings released by the Association in 2009. Twenty-five
courses are presently scheduled to be rated in 2009. Below is a
list.
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Aubrey's Dubbs Dred GC |
Ebensburg CC |
Punxsutawney CC |
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Beaver Valley GC |
Glengarry GL |
Rohanna's GC |
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Butler CC |
Greene County CC |
Sinking Valley CC |
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Castle Hills GC |
Grove City CC |
South Hills CC |
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Chartiers CC |
Jackson Valley GC |
St. Clair CC - Terrace Nine |
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Connoquenessing CC |
Lake Shore CC |
Treasure Lake - Gold Course |
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Culbertson Hills Resort |
Laurel Valley GC |
Treasure Lake - Silver Course |
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Del Mar GC |
Mt. Odin Park GC |
Willowbrook CC |
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Handicapping
Score posting for the 2009 active season started on Wednesday,
April 01, 2009. All scores played in western Pennsylvania until
October 31, 2009 are to be posted for handicap purposes. The
Association has scheduled 26 handicap revisions throughout the
calendar year. Each Handicap Index will be updated every other
Wednesday beginning with the January 06 revision. Please
click here to review
the 2009 WPGA Revision Schedule. |
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