¶ Outing Coordinator/Tournament Planner
Curt Balcerzak and Scott O'Hare
email: curt.balcerzak@usa.net, r.scott.ohare@gmail.com
call or text: Curt - +1 (719) 930-5934 Scott - +1 (719) 310-5670
payment info: Paypal to Curt's number
Please contact Curt or Scott with any questions, comments or concerns.
¶ Overall League Championship Weekend Information
The fifth annual Club Championship will be played August 14-16, 2026 at three courses in Castle Rock, Denver, and Colorado Springs, CO.
Summary: The HAF League Club Championship is played as a three day event. Anyone trying to win the club championship must play all three days. Otherwise, League members and guests may play with the club on any or all of the days. Anyone may play in the daily competitions on those days. Please see the description of each day's event for more details.
Those not playing in the Club Championship may scroll down to the descriptions of the outings and competitions on the days they choose to play.
There will be a different competition format each day of the Championship tournament running in parallel with the Club Championship. Participants in the Club Championship will participate in those competitions as they would for a normal League outing. However, the Championship itself is a 3-day stroke play tournament. Stroke play scores will be kept for each player each day in addition to any other format used. The lowest 3-day stroke total (adjusted for handicap, of course) will determine the League's Club Champion. Because this is an official competition, all players must strictly adhere to the USGA Rules of Golf. This entails the following differences from normal club competitions:
- No breakfast balls on the first tee
- All putts must be holed - no "inside the leather" rule
- All holes must be completed - no picking up after a max score
Only those that regularly play with the club will be eligible to participate in the Club Championship and overall prizes. Accordingly, only those that are eligible and competing for the Club Championship need pay the overall entry fee. In addition to prize money, this year's winner will receive the coveted HAF League Championship Trophy! It will be present at all 3 weekend events so people can see what they're playing for (or what they're missing!).
A handicap index is required to participate in the Club Championship. The club is willing to accept a USGA handicap index from another club for participation in the HAF League Club Championship. Many members of the League are members of other clubs and their handicap indexes will be used. 18Birdies handicaps are also acceptable for those that play with the League regularly and enter their scores. Unfortunately, those that do NOT yet have USGA or 18Birdies handicaps may NOT play for the Club Championship but are welcome to particpate in daily competitions. The simplest way to get a handicap index is to join the HAF League. There is a $43 fee for this, the entirety of which goes to the Colorado Golf Association, the USGA Allied Golf Association for the state of Colorado.
The entry fee for the Club Championship is $20. This is in addition to the entry fee for each daily competition. The prizes for placing in the Club Championship are separate from the daily competitons and will be awarded separately at the conclusion of the tournament. Prizes will be awarded as follows:
| Participants | 1st | 2nd | 3rd |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2-4 | 100% | - | - |
| 5-8 | 70% | 30% | - |
| 9 or more | 55% | 30% | 15% |
¶ Daily Event Information
¶ Friday
The first round of the weekend will be played at Plum Creek Golf Club in Castle Rock, CO.
Their address is:
331 Players Club Drive
Castle Rock, CO 80104
Their phone number is (303) 660-2200
¶ Notes
Plum Creek is a Pete Dye design. It's a fun, challenging course with Dye's typical design features, including long par 3s over hazards, sharp doglegs, railroad ties around greens complexes and firm, quick greens. It is managed by the same company that manages Bear Dance. It is almost always in top notch shape. The League has played it once and thoroughly enjoyed it.
They have a grass range with about 20 stations. There's a very large putting green and a separate chipping area. Information about the clubhouse and beverage service will be updated shortly.
¶ Rates
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Greens Fees | $149 |
| Riding Cart | included |
|Range balls|$7 (small), $12 (medium), $17 (large)|
¶ Weather
¶ Competition Format - Modified Stableford
The Friday competition will use a modified Stableford format. As always, participation in these competitions during a HAF League event is optional. Members and guests are welcome to just come play alongside those competing. Please let the outing coordinator know whether or not you intend to play by August 14th so there is time to print a scoresheet for your use in advance of the competitiion.
Modified Stableford is a format the club has used before. Stableford encourages people to be aggressive because it rewards good play more than it penalizes bad play. That's particularly true in this modified version that disproportionately rewards low scores. In Stableford, everyone competes individually. Points are awarded based on the gross score for each hole as follows.
| Score | Points |
|---|---|
| Ace/Albatross | 1000 |
| Eagle | 8 |
| Birdie | 4 |
| Par | 2 |
| Bogey | 1 |
| Double bogey | 0 |
| Triple bogey | -1 |
Once a player has reached triple bogey, that player's ball should be picked up. Triple bogey is the maximum hole score. If a player is keeping their score for handicap purposes but reaches triple bogey, the player can use the USGA's "most likely score" rule to estimate the number of strokes to record for the hole.
It is necessary to have a handicap index to partiate in the competition. USGA (GHIN) and 18Birdies handicaps (for those that play regularly) are acceptable. For those that want to partipate and don't have either of those, please contact the outing coordinator to discuss a way to set a handicap index.
Handicaps are incorporated in this competition in a way that is easier to manage. Each player will be required to achieve a point total based on the difference between 36 and their playing handicap (calculated based on handicap index, tees and course difficulty). This difference is a given player's target point total. Players that achieve more points than their target will receive a negative score. Lowest score wins.
For example, suppose four golfers are competing in this format with handicap indexes as follows:
| Player | Handicap Index |
Playing Handicap (PH) |
Target points (36 - PH) |
Stableford Total |
Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amanda | 21.2 | 19 | 17 | 16 | 1 |
| Bob | 39.0 | 37 | -1 | -3 | 2 |
| Carol | 5.4 | 5 | 31 | 34 | -3 |
| Dan | 11.3 | 10 | 26 | 27 | -1 |
Carol would come out on top with the lowest score, followed by Dan and Amanda. Bob (who started with a negative target because his playing handicap was higher than 36) didn't play especially well and ended up with a positive score to bring up the rear.
The outing coordinator will assign initial tees according to handicap indexes and knowledge of each participant's abilities. Players may play any tee they choose and should discuss changes with the outing coordinator. The choice must be made by the participation deadline, though, because scoresheets will be made in advance to be available for the competitiion. The target score will reflect the course's slope rating and course ratings of the tees assigned.
We will also play Longest Putt competitions on each of the par 3s. After a participant's whole group is on the green, each participating player marks their ball, then putts. If one or more of those putts goes in, the name of the player that made the longest putt is written on a marker provided by the outing coordinator and placed on that spot. If no participant makes their first putt, the process repeats until the longest putt among participants in the group is determined. When the next group comes along, if someone in that group makes a longer putt, they move the marker and change the name on the marker to that person's name. The last group repeats that process, then collects the markers. There will be a winner for each par 3 hole.
Buy-in for the competition is $20. 60% of the prize pool will be awarded for the Stableford competition and 40% divided among those that sink longest putts (10% each). Prizes for the Stableford competition will be awarded depending on the number of participants as follows. Ties will be split.
| Participants | 1st | 2nd | 3rd |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2-4 | 100% | - | - |
| 5-8 | 70% | 30% | - |
| 9 or more | 55% | 30% | 15% |
¶ Saturday
The Saturday round of the tournament will be played at Green Valley Ranch Golf Course in Denver, CO.
Their address is:
4900 Himalaya Rd.
Denver, CO 80249
Their phone number is (303) 371-3131
¶ Notes
The League last played Green Valley Ranch in 2022
¶ Rates
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Greens Fees | $145 |
| Riding Cart | included |
| Walking Cart | N/A |
| Club Rental | $20 |
| Range balls | included |
¶ Weather
¶ Competition Format - Peoria
We'll play a stroke play competition using the Peoria one-day handicapping system. Buy-in will be $20. In Peoria, 6 holes are chosen at random. Two par 3s, two par 4s and two par 5s will be chosen, one of each from the front 9 and the others from the back 9. The holes will be chosen by random draw after the round. Each player's score to par on those six holes will be totaled and multiplied by 3 to arrive at a Peoria handicap for each player. Max score for any given hole is double par. Players may pick up their ball once they take a number strokes totaling double par except for those participating in the Club Championship who must hole out. The Peoria handicap will be subtracted from each player's total number of strokes to determine their final scores. Lowest score wins.
To give an example, suppose for a given round holes 3, 4, 5, 12, 13 and 14 are chosen for the Peoria (unbeknownst to anyone ahead of time - more on this in a minute). The four golfers from the previous group have a card that looks like this:
| Player | ... | 3 | 4 | 5 | ... | 12 | 13 | 14 | ... | Total | Peoria | Net |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Par | ... | 4 | 5 | 3 | ... | 3 | 4 | 5 | ... | 72 | ||
| Amanda | ... | 4 | 6 | 5 | ... | 4 | 4 | 6 | ... | 93 | 15 | 78 |
| Bob | ... | 3 | 6 | 5 | ... | 6 | 6 | 6 | ... | 101 | 21 | 80 |
| Carol | ... | 3 | 5 | 3 | ... | 3 | 5 | 5 | ... | 77 | 0 | 77 |
| Dan | ... | 4 | 4 | 3 | ... | 4 | 4 | 5 | ... | 81 | 0 | 81 |
Bob is a total of 7 over on those six holes - -1 on 3, +1 on 4, +2 on 5, +2 on 12 (double bogey max), +2 on 13 and +1 on 121. Multiplying by 3 gives him a Peoria handicap of 21. Carol's Peoria comes in at 0 - her birdie on 3 is cancelled by her bogey on 13 and 0 x 3 = 0. The same holds for Dan, whose birdie on 4 is cancelled by his bogey on 12. Amanda is a total of 5 over for bogeys on 4, 12 and 14 and a double on 5, giving her a Peoria handicap of 15. Carol edges out Amanda.
There will also be a Par 3/Closest to the Pin competition going on in parallel. Closest to the Pin is contested on each par 3 hole. To win, a player's tee shot must come to rest on the putting green and the player must make natural/gross par or better. The player that meets these criteria and whose tee shot winds up closest to the pin wins that hole. Markers will be give out to everyone to mark the closest tee shot in their group with the name of the person that landed closest. Subsequent groups will move that marker if someone in their group is closer. The last group through each par 3 will pick up the markers and give them to the outing coordinator. If no one wins a given par 3, the prize money for that hole will be divided among the other par 3 holes.
The buy-in for the competition is $20. 40% of the prize pool will be divided among players that win Closest to the Pin holes. The remaining 60% of the kitty will be awarded based on the number of participants as follows. Ties will be split.
| Participants | 1st | 2nd | 3rd |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2-4 | 100% | - | - |
| 5-8 | 70% | 30% | - |
| 9 or more | 55% | 30% | 15% |
¶ 18Birdies Info
Tournament Code: TBD
See the 18Birdies section for more information about the League's use of the app
¶ Sunday
The final round of the Championship will be played at Eisenhower National in Colorado Springs, CO on the US Air Force Academy.
The course doesn't really have an address in a traditional sense. You can find it in any mapping software by looking up Eisenhower Golf Course. You can use the map below to find it, too.
Their phone number is (719) 333-2606 option 2, then option 2
¶ Notes
Eisenhower Golf Club Silver course first opened for play in 1975. The course was designed by Frank Hummel, who designed over 20 outstanding courses in the mountain west states. Widely regarded as the more scenic course of the two, the silver is a demanding golf course with a premium placed on accuracy rather than length. The course measures 6,519 yards from the championship tees and 5,215 from the forward tee.
The facility has a good sized driving range and a putting green near the first hole. There is also a chipping area and practice bunker that are in weird place (between the left side of the driving range and the 10th fairway). They've got a restaurant with American staples and a spartan beer and spirits collection where we'll gather after the round to tally scores.
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Greens Fees | Civilians $110 Military/vets: Retirees (E5–E9) $40 (O1–O3) $49 (O4+) $55 Veterans with a VHIC card $55 |
| Riding Cart | Included |
| Push Cart | $12 |
| Club Rental | $50 |
| Range balls | $6 (small), $9 (medium), $12 (large) |
¶ Weather
¶ Competition Format
On Sunday, we'll do a conventional stroke play competition. The lowest 18 hole score after subtracting a player's playing handicap wins. See the link for more details.
The buy-in will be $20. As always, folks are welcome to just come and play and not participate in the competition. Participants may feel free to play any tee they like - they just need to tell the outing coordinator which they choose before the competition starts and play the same tee throughout. Since this is a handicapped competition, as is the case for the other competitions through the weekend, a USGA or 18Birdies handicap is required to participate. Players without one of those should contact the outing coordinator to agree on a handicap index prior to the beginning of the tournament.
There will also be a Skins competition going on in parallel. In a Skins competition, the net score for all players on each hole is compared. If one player has a lower score on that hole than all other players, that player wins a "skin." A prize fund will be allocated for skins. The monetary value of the skins will be the total prize fund divided by the number of skins won. For instance, given the players from the previous example, if their net scores on the front 9 were as follows:
| Player | Hole | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | |
| Amanda | 4 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 5 | ¶ |
4 |
| Bob | 4 | 5 | 5 | ¶ |
5 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 3 |
| Carol | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 |
| Dan | ¶ |
4 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 4 |
Dan would win a skin for the first hole as the only player with the lowest net hole score of 3. No skin would be awarded on #2 because two players tied for the lowest score or 4. Following the same logic, Bob would win a skin on #4 and Amanda a skin on #8. If the prize fund for skins was $60 and these were the only 3 skins for the round, Dan, Bob and Amanda would each win $20.
Each participating player's full handicap will be used for the stroke play competition. However, the maximum handicap allowed for the skins competition will be 36 (two strokes per hole).
40% of the prize pool will be divided among the players that win skins. The remaining 60% of the prize pool will be awarded as follows prizes as a percentage of the prize pool is as follows:
| Participants | 1st | 2nd | 3rd |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2-4 | 100% | - | - |
| 5-8 | 70% | 30% | - |
| 9 or more | 55% | 30% | 15% |
At the conclusion of the Sunday round, the net stroke play scores from all three rounds will be added. The lowest 3 day total score will win the Club Championship!
¶ General Rules for All Three Rounds
¶ Rules for all players
- Play ready golf. The USGA and R&A (golf's rulemaking bodies) encourage it for stroke play. Safety comes first, so use judgment when making a stroke to avoid potentially hurting someone. When you get to your ball, immediately begin assessing your lie, figuring out your distance, pulling your club, etc. Don't wait for everyone behind you to hit to get ready - be ready to hit when it is your turn. You may play out of turn if you are at your ball and ready as long as no player behind you is also ready to play. If you get ready to play but see another player in front of you already over their ball, in their stance with their club, let them go ahead and hit first. This also applies to the tee box - if the player with honors is taking a bathroom break or buying something from the beverage cart, everyone else should feel free to hit. Try to make sure someone is always playing unless it would mean hitting into a group in front.
- Tee It Forward. Players that don't hit the ball as far others or that don't play very well (yet) will not play from the same tees as the longer hitters or lower handicappers in this tournament. For those interested in the rationale, the USGA has a whole marketing campaign on "Tee It Forward" with the aim of making golf more fun and less time consuming. Helping the more golf-challenged by playing closer to the hole should speed up play. Players may feel free to play from any tees they like. For those in the daily competitions, the USGA playing handicap formula accounts for playing from different tees and grants different numbers of handicap strokes. Players in competitions must inform the outing coordinator of the tees they plan to play in advance and must play the same tees throughout each round.
- The USGA's alternate role for a ball lost or out of bounds will be in effect. If one loses a ball or it goes out of bounds (on the other side of a boundary marked by white stakes or white paint), the only relief option is to take a stroke and distance penalty, meaning losing the distance and dropping/teeing from the spot of the previous stroke while taking a one stroke penalty. The USGA introduced an alternative to speed play that allows a player to estimate where their ball was lost or went out of bounds, mark the nearest point on the edge of the fairway parallel to that spot and drop a ball within two club lengths of that spot no nearer the hole. A player incurs a two stroke penalty for doing so. More information may be found on the League main page.
- Be safe around wild animals. Wild animals happen in Colorado. One relevant example happened at Arrowhead where the League played in August 2023. The rules of golf generally permit replacement of the ball on its original spot if the animals are gone or penalty area relief if they're still present. The HAF League amendment to this rule is to drop one club length from nearest spot where you feel safe from the animals no closer to the hole. Don't take unnecessary chances and use your best judgment to drop in a spot that doesn't give you an advantage.
¶ Rules for players NOT participating in the Club Championship
NOTE: These rules are for friendly competition among League members but are outside the Rules of Golf. Violations could result in assessments of penalty strokes or even disqualification from the tournament. For those competing for the Championship, please be conscious not to break these rules and notify the Outing Coordinator immediately if you do accidentally break them.
- Pick up when reaching the max score set for the competition round. Each round has a maximum hole score as defined in the description of the competition for each day. Once a player reaches that score, the player will write that score for the hole and pick up their ball. For example, the max hole score is net double bogey, if a player is getting one handicap stroke on a par 3, they should pick up their ball once they make six strokes (3 for par plus 2 for double bogey plus 1 for handicap). The USGAs rule for arriving at a "most likely score" may be used in this case for writing down a score for the hole for handicap score posting purposes. Extending the example, if this player was six feet from the hole when picking up, they would take one additional stroke according to the "most likely score" rule and enter a 7 for the hole in GHIN.
- "Breakfast Ball" allowed on the first tee ONLY. A player may choose to hit a second drive on the first hole of each round ONLY and play the better of the two drives.
- Putts "inside the leather" are considered holed for one additional stroke. If a player is on the green and the distance between their ball and the hole is less than the distance from the top of the putter head to the bottom of the grip, the player may pick up their ball and count the putt that would have been made as good. For example, a player on a par 4 hits their third shot within a foot of the hole. The player places their putter head inside the cup and lays the handle next to their ball. The ball is closer to the hole than the bottom of the putter grip. The player picks up their ball and adds a stroke for the assumed holed putt, writing down a 4 for their hole score. If it doesn't slow down play, players may attempt the putt anyway for practice but need not record any additional strokes if the putt is missed.
¶ Tee Times and Pairings
¶ Friday - Plum Creek
1:09
Curt Balcerzak
Ryan K
Dave Robey
John Allen
1:18
Scott O'Hare
Ryan Sagastume
Jonathan Holden
Chris Cortaniz
¶ Saturday - Green Valley Ranch
10:20
John Allen
Pete Friesen
Jonathan Holden
Chris Cortaniz
10:30
Scott O'Hare
Kelly O'Hare
Curt Balcerzak
Ryan Sagastume
¶ Sunday - Eisenhower
12:06
Kenny Moon
Ryan Sagastume
Jerry Ohu
Spencer Ohu
12:15
Marcus Fast
Jonathan Holden
Ryan K
Dave Robey
12:23
Scott O'Hare
Bryan Russel
Chris Cortaniz
Curt Balcerzak
¶ 18Birdies Tournament Information
Tournament Code: See daily course information
Our league uses 18Birdies to allow us to manage scores during and after a round. We can also communicate with one another before (to RSVP or ask questions), during (trash talk!) and after the round through the app, upload pictures of our outing and other good things. We can see an ongoing leaderboard of how our fellow members are doing. Oh, and just for keeping track of scores, it's free! We highly encourage it. If you're viewing this on an iOS device, click the icon above to download the app!
Use the Tournament Code in the Play section of the app to join the tournament and follow how your fellow golfers are doing on the course. There will be different 18Birdies tournament codes for each day of the event. Check each day's course/competition info to find them.
¶ Attendance
Please validate your attendance and notify John Allen by text at (719) 337-6349 of any changes. We encourage bringing guests! If you would like to invite someone, please send John their cell phone number so he can communicate information with them and share this Web site with them for more information.
| Player | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Allen | Y | Y | Y |
| Curt Balcerzak | Y | Y | Y |
| Parker Beller | ? | ||
| Mike Bull | ? | ||
| Patrick Calhoun | ? | ||
| Tyler Carroll | ? | ||
| Chris Cortinaz | N | N | Y |
| Marcus Fast | N | N | N |
| Elisabeth Fast | ? | ||
| Dawn Ferris | ? | ||
| Sam Ferris | ? | ||
| Rob Franco | ? | ||
| Pete Friesen | N | Y | N |
| Jonathan Holden | Y | Y | Y |
| Travis Hubbard | ? | ||
| Chris Kim | ? | ||
| Dante Kobek | ? | ||
| Ryan Kreymborg | Y | N | Y |
| Chris Lundhagen | ? | ||
| Sam Martella | ? | ||
| Will Martin | ? | ||
| Ken Moon | N | N | Y |
| Scott O'Hare | Y | Y | Y |
| Kelly O'Hare | N | Y | Y |
| Jerry Ohu | N | N | Y |
| Spencer Ohu | N | N | Y |
| Dave Robey | Y | N | N |
| Jacob Skorka | ? | ||
| Jago Smith | N | N | N |
| Ryan Sagastume | Y | Y | Y |
| Bryan Russell | N | N | Y |