MWGA News

Please read the Purpose of the MWGA written directly below the name of our newsletter. “Our purpose…is to promote knowledge and enjoyment of the game…by conducting tournaments, educational clinics and other events…and actively supporting events sponsored by organizations in which we are a member, such as the USGA and GAM.” It’s a broad statement appropriate for our diverse membership. Our members belong and play golf for many reasons. We have players extraordinaire, beginners and everyone in between. We have youths and very experienced (I wouldn’t want to say old because anyone who plays golf is youthful) players. We have students, career women, homemakers, mothers, grandmothers, great-grandmothers and retirees. Our members are involved in golf on many levels — some are girls and boys golf coaches, some are in the golf business in many aspects, some are volunteers in charitable events or as rules officials. Nine percent of us are members of a private club and involved in their club as well as in our organization. Altogether we form a very powerful group of women, who, I’m very proud to say, have made a huge impact on women’s golf in Michigan .

We, as a Board, try to have something for everyone. We promote golf from the social and recreational events all the way to the GAM and USGA Championships. We have supported the US WAPL Sectionals from our inception. We have supported the Michigan Golf Foundation and the Michigan Golf Hall of Fame to assure that our outstanding women golfers get the recognition they deserve. Recently we joined forces with the Men’s Publinx Association to share the expenses and responsibilities with GAM to continue to hold the Atlas Cup Matches on an annual basis. You will be hearing more about the Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and the Atlas Cup and how you can participate.

We are proud of our members and appreciate your support. We want you to participate in as many events as you can. We want you to become a more skillful and knowledgeable player so you will enjoy the game more. Bring a friend and introduce her to the joy of golfing with a great group of gals. If you need a team or a partner, the tournament chair will help you find one. Don’t be shy because there is always somebody looking for somebody to play with. We look forward to seeing you at our events. Very soon, we will be hearing, “Play away, Please!”

THE POSITIVE GOLFER
by Dr. Jackie Odom, Ph.D. and Janina Parrott Jacobs

Continued from January/February 2005 NEWSLINX

6. Repetition is a winning proposition. Ben Hogan was a golf swing genius. He would try technique after technique and practice until his hands bled. No. 1 ranked Vijay Singh is also a swing genius and is renowned to be the most prolific player on the practice tee. Beethoven consistently wrote tons of music. As a starving author, Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling kept writing Harry-type material until the box it was in began to overflow. Even though she had no market for it she just kept doing it, adventure after adventure. Imagine what a mere scant amount of practice could do for your game.

Don’t underestimate the power of pondering. In today’s busy world, if you aren’t constantly producing you aren’t cutting it. That school of thinking is ill advised. A genius knows that a good amount of thinking and imaging, properly placed, can alleviate many hours of useless toiling. The next time you are tempted to hit the practice dome and pay by the hour, don’t. Instead, choose to hit by the bucket and take the time to think things through, analyze what you did, visualize the shot and determine what you will do to the next shot. Genius of any kind cannot be rushed. The kid lying prone under a tree on a beautiful summer’s day with his or her eyes closed may not be as lazy as you think.

8. Retention matters: Work on your memory. It is very easy to remember the bad experiences you have had in life and in golf. But file those along with the good experiences and pay more attention to that side of the equation. It is important to remember what has worked — and not worked — in the past. Good swing thoughts should be written down in a notebook. Instructional genius Harvey Penick did exactly that with his dog-eared spiral notebooks that were literally falling apart with anecdotes, comparison and words of wisdom. A friend suggested he compile them all into a book; and thus was born ‘The Little Red Book’ series.

9. Don’t forget to have fun. Remember when you were a kid and all you did was play? Did you know that many forms of play and recreation are vital elements in the development of motor skills and other brain functions as we are growing up? So, why do we assume anything changes as we age? Are we ever too old to stop playing? Geniuses know better.

10. Connect the dots. Sometimes in the quest for the perfect swing, you may be given many swing thoughts to achieve a certain move. None of them may work. If you are having a swing boo-boo and the first or second or third swing guru you visit does not help you solve the problem, keep going until you find the one who does. Remember, I said earlier that it took me over 30 years (and many bad shots) to finally learn the proper relationship between the lower body and the upper body in order to produce a more powerful, sound swing. One good visualization tip from professional swing genius Brad Dean at Crystal Mountain Resort and the swing picture was Crystal clear. The dots were finally connected. And if you want to know what that tip was, you’ll have to e-mail me and ask.

Well, do you think it’s almost time for golf season to begin? At least it is getting closer to that time. I know the snow is still on the ground and as I’m writing this it is still cold, but with the way time is flying by, the start of the season is at least just around the corner. So here are a few things to remember for the season start.

If you played out of state over this winter and it was in a state with an active golf season, those scores are to be posted. If you are using the online method of posting, post those scores at the beginning of the season. If you mail your cards to me, go to the MWGA website, www.mwgolf.org, and print off the posting sheet. Complete the sheet and send it to me as early as possible. You may send those scores anytime before the first posting period. The scores will not show up in your record before the first transmission; however, it will give me some extra time to get them entered into your record. Again, as with last year, you are to post all 9-hole and 18-hole scores.

Posting schedule for this year. The season this year for posting is as follows: Scores for rounds played in Michigan are to be posted from March 29, 2005 through October 25, 2005 . First date to report Michigan scores is TUESDAY APRIL 5. If you have not received your membership packet, you can pull the form from the MWGA website. The rest of the dates for sending scores are the following Tuesdays: April 26, May 17, May 31, June 14, July 5, July 19, July 26, August 9, August 23, September 6, September 20, October 18 and October 25. Internet posting is to be completed by the following Sundays: April 10, May 1, May 22, June 5, June 19, July 10, July 24, July 31, August 14, August 28, September 11, September 25, October 23 and October 30.

For our members who will be using the online posting system, please do not send me a posting card with the same scores on it. If you feel that you wish to inform me that you are posting online, just send me an email stating what you have done. Also if it is an MWGA tournament DO NOT POST IT online. All MWGA tournament scores are to be posted by the handicap chair.

As always if there are any questions regarding the handicap process feel free to contact me at golfcentral@123.net anytime, or by phone at 248-391-4587 after 7pm Monday thru Thursday and anytime on Friday, Saturday or Sunday.

Girls’ Junior Tournament Information

The tournament department of the GAM is excited about the junior schedule this year. We have secured challenging courses for our championships. Please check out the information and requirements on our website: gam.org.

The Girls’ Junior Championship will be hosted by Lakelands Golf and Country Club in Brighton , June 27-29. Bill Wright, a big supporter of juniors and a member of Lakelands, was instrumental in securing the club. Lakelands is a nice track with a little of everything, uphill downhill lies, a short par three over water and some straightforward holes. They have a nice size driving range and practice area. Their new clubhouse is open and ready after being completely destroyed by fire.

The GAM Junior Team Championship will be hosted by Metamora Golf and Country Club in Metamora, July 5. This is a fun course to play with a very unique layout that will test your golf course management skills. Your team can consist of two girls, two boys, or a boy and a girl. This is a tournament most often requested by juniors. It allows players the opportunity to play with other juniors they meet at various tournaments but never have a chance play on the same team or side.

The U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship is July 18-23 at Banbury Golf Club in Idaho . This is the first time a USGA championship will be played on a course in Idaho . Information about the U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship is available on the USGA web site, usga.org, or by contacting Linda Lester, (313) 886-6416 . The Michigan qualifying site is:

The two young ladies who qualified to represent Michigan last year were Laura Kueny from Whitehall and Austin Mc Dermaid from Grand Blanc. They had a wonderful experience at Mira Vista GC in Fort Worth , Texas , the home of Kathy Withworth, the guest speaker and their best spectator.

Other tournaments open to girls are listed below. A full list of junior tournaments will be listed on the GAM website when all of the information has been complied.

REMINDER: All EXEMPT players must file an application to be included in any tournament they are exempt to play in.

HANDICAP — It is time to start finding courses in your area where you will be able to sign-up for a handicap. Handicaps are free for junior players under the age of 18. However, some courses do charge a fee to cover costs to run and maintain the program. Another option is to join the MWGA. See the back page of this newsletter for the Student membership and its benefits or visit www.mwgolf.org.

If you are like most MWGA members, balancing your golf in relationship to your finances is a priority. Believe it or not, as your Course Coordinator for the last several years, I, also, am very cognizant of the issue of money when it comes to booking a course for an event. Not only is there the cost of the golf, but I need to add our tournament costs to each event. And, as the MWGA plays on weekends, it is getting more difficult to negotiate price as everyone wants to play on the weekends. Consequently, I try my hardest to achieve some sort of balance between all the courses for the season.

The MWGA is a statistic crazed organization. I’m sure many of you look at the schedule and think the prices have skyrocketed. Oh contraire, my fellow golfers. According to our statistics, the average price for the 2005 season is $66.00, which is within 6% of the lowest figure for the last five seasons.

Don’t you wish your gas bills would be this consistent? (I apologize to those who work for a gas company). I think you get my message.

Anyway, every course has a “value” and I try to disseminate this figure against all the events for the season. I just want all of our members to realize that we do try to have their best interest in mind and we would appreciate any suggestions. Do not be apprehensive about voicing your opinion! In the meantime, start your calculations for the 2005 season and budget accordingly as we want you to attend our events! Thanks for your support!

In reading the course surveys, one of the reoccurring comments is, “This course is too far,” to which I always manage a grin. “Too far” is rather subjective, don’t you think? Given our current membership demographics, a course may be some distance for one member to travel yet in another member’s backyard.

According to the oil experts, the price of a gallon of gasoline is expected to go up this summer. No surprise in that statement; however, it might impact our tournament entries as it adds to the price of our events. Consequently, the 2005 tournament entry flyers have a space where you can indicate if you are interested in car pooling. Our top notch membership chair, Jane Kersjes, has made it possible for each tournament chair to download entrants according to city, which will facilitate assisting players in car pooling to our events.

So, when reviewing the MWGA 2005 Tournaments, if you think to yourself, “That course is too far,” consider the above option. Your Board appreciates your support and we will continue to strive to make it easier for everyone to enter our events. Now, if we could only find a sponsor with enough financial backing to pay for all of our events…….

OK ladies, for those of you who have not signed up for 2005 membership, NOW is the time. As mentioned previously, we are having a CONTEST TO WIN A $50 GIFT CERTIFICATE for the member who brings in the most new members by the Annual Meeting in May. The Board has also voted to offer a one-year, introductory membership, at $30 for new members. This would carry all regular membership benefits which include: Tournaments and clinics at the member rate, newsletters and voting rights.

Currently, we have 48 seniors, 17 regulars, 1 new, 15 board and 2 ad-hoc members for a total of 83 members. We also have 6 sponsored males. This tracks lower than last year at this time, so let’s get going and sign up this year if you haven’t yet and get your friends to join.

I’ve entered everyone’s indexes, as of the end of last year, into our database. Unfortunately, we don’t get these electronically for input. I have compiled the results into groupings of 5 so you can see how our membership follows a bell-curve. It’s interesting that 102 members fall 0-20 and 106 members fall 21-40+.

As you can see, we have quite a mix of talent, and I’m sure we’re all thinking we need to improve our handicaps. It’s interesting, though, that the things we each believe we need to work on are so diverse across these ranges. The folks with the lower handicaps, generally, have spent more time honing their game (unless you have more natural talent than the rest of us, like Pam Kurtz). Everyone will tell you it takes time and effort. So, if we don’t have either, well, I guess we need to just enjoy where we’re at.

Please welcome our new member Smita Bhatt of Orchard Lake when you see her at one of our events!

We are starting a column on Women’s Leagues in Michigan . Even though MWGA only offers the Match Play league, we felt it would benefit women’s golf if we provided information on available women’s leagues. I’ve gotten calls past and present from members (and non-members) wanting to join a league. I will be sending an email to those courses listed in the GAM course directory publishing an email address to ask if they can provide this information for publication in our NEWSLINX and on our website, www.mwgolf.org. The Board hopes this information will be beneficial to our members.

If you could provide us updated information on the leagues you play on, we could add this information to the next publication. As well, you could show this article to the course you play at and ask if they could provide the information to us to be published. Your help would be very beneficial in providing accurate and encompassing information. Thanks in advance.

We have compiled the information provided from the course surveys you’ve filled out, membership form and Executive Women’s Golf Association leagues (you must be a member to be a regular but subs don’t have to join).

If there is interest, we could also publish mixed league information for those looking for play with their husbands. Not that the guys don’t have a handle on this already, but every little bit helps.

TRAVEL DESTINATIONS

Can Golf in Cancun

By Sara Wold

January and February are perfect months to head to Mexico because you are assured of warm weather and beautiful sugar sand beaches. There are 4 courses in or near Cancun . I played 3. The RTJ Jr. course is easy to get to and is on the strip with some holes bordering the ocean and some, the lagoon. It is fairly flat with bunkers, but no forced carries. It is 5244 yds. with a slope of 120 from the forward tees. It cost $100 for golf and cart.

The other 2 courses were cut through the jungle. One could encounter crocodiles, snakes, iguanas, coatis and exotic birds. The Jack Nicklaus Course at Moon Palace is a 27-hole layout in great condition. The original 18 is 5278 yds. with a slope of 123 from the forward tees. I played with a couple from Paw Paw who play at Heritage Glen. It cost $140 for golf and cart.

The Golf Club at Playacar is for the brave at heart! It is a Robert Van Hagge course with a slope of 138 and 5697 yds. from the forward tees. It features tight fairways with large and small limestone pits and a couple of carries over limestone crevices and water. I recommend you take a caddy because you can’t always see the pits and want to have the right yardages to make the carries. It cost $185, all inclusive, meaning golf, cart, range balls, snacks on the course and lunch. I made tee times for all three courses over the Internet under Cancun Golf.

While you are there, be sure to take the tours to the Mayan ruins at Chichen Itza and Tulum. The Mayan culture had a strange way of honoring their sports heroes — they beheaded them!

Silver jewelry and brightly painted pottery are good buys.

RULES R US
by Kris Bennett

Rules — Up Close and Personal

In this article you will be surprised to see how many rules were applied in one simple attempt to hit my ball into the hole.

To assess a penalty stroke or not? Over the holidays I was playing golf with my family. My ball hit and moved my brother’s ball. Do either he or I have to add a penalty stroke? Of course not, we were playing “social golf!” But, if we were playing golf the way it is meant to be played, did a USGA Rules infraction occur? Plus how does each of us proceed to finish the hole according to the USGA Rules of Golf?

First of all, when you are playing golf and a situation arises in which you are not sure how to proceed by the Rules of Golf in order complete the hole, you have to gather the facts by asking these questions: What? Who? When? Where? Why?

Q: What were we playing – Stoke Play (Rule 3) or Match Play (Rule 2)?

A: Stroke Play

Q: Who or whose ball(s) is/are involved?

A: The player’s ball (me) and her fellow-competitor’s ball (my brother, Steve).

Q: Where was each of our balls before and after (when) the balls collided?

A: Steve’s ball was at rest on the putting green lying between my ball and the hole. My ball, before I made a stroke, was at rest off of the putting green. After I made a stroke, my ball hit and moved his ball closer to the hole and prevented my ball from rolling closer to the hole (which, by the way, would have left me with an easy “tap-in” Par; instead I took a Bogie).

Q: What were Steve’s intentions and what were my intentions? (Why?)

A: This is where a Rules Official may need to be a mind reader. That’s why so many questions are asked when you ask someone on the Rules Committee for a ruling during a tournament. My intention was to hit my ball past Steve’s ball, and into the hole. Was Steve trying to use his ball to prevent my ball from getting into the hole? Of course not, he was just too exhausted to walk all the way to his ball and bend over to mark it before I took my stroke. Obviously, his ball was not assisting play of my ball.

Now that we have all of the facts, we can find out if any USGA Rules infractions took place.

Rule 10: Order of Play – it was my turn to hit my ball because my ball was further from the hole than Steve’s ball.

Rule 14: Striking the Ball – I fairly made a stroke at my ball that was not moving.

Rule 22: Ball Assisting or Interfering with Play – neither one of us broke this Rule, but I could have asked Steve to mark or putt his ball before I made my stroke.

Rule 19: Ball in Motion Deflected or Stopped – my ball was in motion and was accidentally deflected by my brother’s ball that was at rest. I must play my ball from where it came to rest, and since my ball was originally off of the putting green, there is no penalty.

Rule 18: Ball at Rest Moved – Steve’s ball was at rest and moved by and outside agency (my ball). He must replace his ball before he makes his next stroke. (Specifically, this is Rule 18-5.)

Rule 20: Lifting, Dropping and Placing; Playing from a Wrong Place – Steve must place his ball because his ball was originally at rest on the putting green. (Specifically, this Rule is 20-3c.)

Rule 1: The Game and Rule 3: Stroke Play – no Rules infractions occurred because we did not agree to Waive Rules as suggested above regarding playing “social golf” and neither refused to comply with a Rule affecting the rights of another competitor, which is Rule 22.

Now, are you surprised by how many rules you have been using out there playing friendly rounds of golf on your favorite courses?

Note: The italicized words are Definitions of Rules of Golf terms found in Section II on pages 5-16 in the Rules of Golf book.

Remember, feel free to call or email me, Kris Bennett, if you have questions or situations you would like covered in a future rules column: 734-676-5074 or wentgolfing@comcast.net.

NEWS & UPDATES

Report from the Michigan Golf Show

By Joan Cleland

Just packed up and left our VERY successful booth at the Golf Show at the Novi Expo Center . First I need to thank all of our wonderful volunteers: Sara Wold, Pam Kurtz, Pat Shelton, Barb Coury, Patti DeMaire, Martha MacIntosh, Barb Porter, Marg Willis, Deb Horning, Yvette Gagnon, Monica Oliver, Sue Merrick, Sonia Pysh-Dennison, Sam Greaves, unpublish_name, Cynthia Pinkard, Nancy Abbeg, Penny Irwin and Connie Driscoll. I’d also like to thank all of the members that offered to help but we weren’t able to use them because all of the time slots were filled! That has to be a first! Please try again next year.

This year MWGA shared space with Motor City Golf of Dearborn. Motor City Golf is owned by Dave and Betty Vandeputte, both members of MWGA. Our location was terrific and this year we sold visor and cap clip-on magnetic ball markers as well as golf cart seat covers that Nancy Serra painstakingly hand made. These were a great hit and $10 of each sale is being donated to the Michigan Golf Hall of Fame.

Even better news, we added 13 new members who signed up at the Golf Show with our Introductory Rate. Talk about a membership drive! Our volunteers did a great job selling memberships and merchandise and had a great time doing it! There is something about the Golf Show each March that energizes everyone that attends, and inspires them to spend, spend, spend in anticipation of the coming golf season!

Michigan Golf Hall of Fame

2005 Golf Outing and Induction Ceremony

Sunday, May 15, Indianwood Golf & Country Club

Schedule of Events

7:30 to 8:45 a.m. Registration and Breakfast

9:00 a.m. Shotgun start on New Course at Indianwood and Lunch

2:30 to 4:00 p.m. Reception and Dinner

4:00 p.m. Induction Ceremony

Honorees: Stan Aldridge, Joan Garety, Jerry Matthews and Jeff Roth

Event Fee $175 per person

$50 without golf ($25 under age of 21)

Format for Golf Shambles

For more information contact: Loretta Larkin, (248) 719-0650, llarkin@michigan-golf-foundation.com

USGA and GAM May Tournament Deadlines and Changes

US Women’s Open — Although the entry form is not yet on the USGA website, the US Women’s Open is being held earlier this year and the deadline is likely to be Wed., May 4^th. Check the USGA website for the entry form.

US WAPL Championship — The deadline for the US Women’s Amateur Public Links Championship is Wed., May 25^th. A handicap limit of 18.4 is required this year. Check the USGA website after the second week in March for the entry form and to enter online. The West Michigan Sectional is Mon., June 6^th at the Meadows in Allendale at Grand Valley State . Call Lori Stinson for information at (616) 331-3082. The Detroit Area Sectional is Wed., June 8^th at Stonebridge in Ann Arbor . Call Sara Wold at (734) 668-8571 for information.

GAM Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship — The deadline for the GAM Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship is Wed., May 25^th. The entry form is on the GAM website. The Championship is at the Battle Creek Country Club Mon. – Tues., June 13 – 14.

Michigan Women’s Amateur Championship — The deadline for the Michigan Women’s Amateur

Championship is Wed., June 15. The format has been changed to 36-hole stroke play in both the Chmapionship and Senior Divisions. Thirty-two will go into match play in the Championship Division and sixteen in the Senior Division on Wednesday. The Sweet Sixteen Dinner will be held at the Washtenaw Country Club on Wednesday evening. The fee for the Championship is $120. It will be held at Radrick Farms in Ann Arbor Mon. – Fri., July 11 – 15. The handicap limit is 15.4 for the Championship Division and 20.4 for the Senior Division. The entry form will not be sent out by the WMGA but is on the GAM website or can be obtained by calling the GAM office.

Chrysler Club Championship — The GAM Tournament of Club Champions is now sponsored by Chrysler and is called the Chrysler Club Championship. The date has been changed to Monday, October 10^th and it will be held at Indianwood Golf and Country Club. The entry deadline is Fri., September 28^th.

The FUTURES Golf Tour, the official developmental tour of the LPGA, will return to Ann Arbor for the 5^th consecutive year June 22 – June 26. The Bank of Ann Arbor FUTURES Golf Classic is one of 18 national events on the FUTURES Tour. 144 players will compete over a three-day period at Lake Forest Golf Club for $65,000 in prize money, a $5000 increase over last year. There are many opportunities to get involved.

To receive volunteer or host family forms, and/or pro-am information, please contact Gilda Johnson at (734) 994-8580 or gilda@lkforest.com.

Laura Olin, Amy Schmucker and the U of M Women’s Golf Team Laura Olin was medallist with a 3 round score of 218 to lead the U of M Women’s Golf team to a first place finish in the 18 team East/West Rio Verde Invitational in AZ. Toledo was 9^th, WMU was 11^th and EMU was 12^th.

Amy shot a 70 in the final round of the Central District Invitational in Parrish, FL to grab medallist honors at 216 and lead her team to a 5^th place finish in the 15 team field, which included 9^th ranked OSU, who placed 7^th. MSU was 8^th.

Allison Fouch, former MSU player, was 3^rd with a 70-72-72 – 214 (one stroke out of 1^st) at the West Coast Ladies Saddle Club Classic in Phoenix , AZ. She also tied for 14^th in the West Coast Ladies Valentine Classic at Longbow in Mesa , AZ with a 78-71-72 – 222.

Due to lack of women participants in GAM’S Net Team Championship and in the Net Amateur, these events are in jeopardy of being eliminated for women. It has taken women golfers a long time to build the number of events in the state of Michigan in which we can participate. Let us not regress to find ourselves taking two steps forward and three steps back.

I’ve listed below the qualifying sites for these two tournaments and also where the final will be held. Don’t assume that you are not eligible. These are NET tournaments. If you need more info, just click on gam.org. Please mark these dates on your calendar and plan to play!

The Net Team Event allows women handicappers up to 36.4 to play in tournament settings on great courses. The Net Amateur allows women handicappers up to 34.4.

Entry deadline: Wed, June 29
Qualifying Sites:
Tanglewood GC, July 18
Flushing Valley G&CC, July 25
Arbor Hills CC, August 2

Entry deadline: Wed, July 20
Qualifying Sites:
Polo Fields CC, August 8
St. Clair River CC, August 22
The Pines @ Lake Isabella , August 23
Pontiac CC, August 26

2000	$63.00	2003	$62.50
2001	$67.00	2004	$66.50
2002	$66.00	2005	$66.00

Index	Count	Index	Count
0 – 5.1	15	21 – 25	56
6 – 10.1	16	26 – 30.1	26
11 – 15.1	42	31 – 35.1	17
16 – 20.1	39	36 – 40+	7