¶ Notes
Heritage Eagle Bend was a recommendation by two of the League's members. It did not disappoint. It has a bunch of interesting holes. It doesn't have very many trees in play and not many doglegs. It does have lots of elevation changes and well-protected greens. The course would have allowed us to walk but it would be a very hard walk. Like a lot of Colorado Front Range courses, it has lots of pretty views. The course was in very good shape for the time of year, probably owing to the unseasonably warm weather in the fall of 2021. Greens rolled perfectly and the fairways still had green grass. The feedback from the League members that attended was very positive. The course is also very affordable compared to many courses that are available to the public in the Denver area. We'll definitely play this course again.
For a December outing in Colorado the weather was perfect - temperatures in the high 40s, no wind and sunny.
The driving range only allowed hitting off mats - typical for this time of year - but allows hitting from grass in warmer months. The putting green was small-ish but in great shape and representative of the greens on the course. Carts were allowed on paths only. That isn't generally the case but it is typical of Colorado courses in the winter. As mentioned earlier, it's a good idea to ride this course even when cart-path-only because it would be a very hard walk.
The League members thoroughly enjoyed the modified alternate shot format. We'll do it again in the future. There was some concern about how handicap scoring would work in alternate shot but it seems to have worked well. The teams with the best golfers had the best outcomes but the differences were not very large - just 10 strokes separated first and third. We may seek to rebalance the teams for the next HAF MAST to make things a little more competitive.
The final scoresheets and payouts are available below. There is both an Excel format that shows all the formulae and a PDF version for those that don't have Excel.
¶ Course Information
The December 2021 HAF League outing was played at Heritage Eagle Bend Golf Club in Aurora, CO on 19 December 2021.
Their address is:
23155 E Heritage Parkway
Aurora, CO 80016
Their phone number is 303-400-6700.
¶ Rates
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Green Fees | $64 |
| Riding Cart | included. If you're interested in walking you can get an $18 credit as a rain check. |
| Walking Cart | N/A |
| Club Rental | They do rent. For any interested, inquire at the golf shop. |
| Range balls | $7 (small), $12 (large) |
¶ Competition Format
The inaugural HAF MAST was a Modified Alternate Shot Tournament for teams of two people. Check the link for the rules of modified alternate shot, complete with an example of play. Both members of each two-person team hit tee shots on every tee. The members of that team chose one of the tee shots to play for the remainder of the hole. The team member whose shot was NOT selected picked up their ball and hit their teammate's ball. Team members alternated (took turns) hitting the same ball until they holed out. The number of strokes for the team to hole out, less handicap strokes, was recorded as the team score on the scorecard. The team with the lowest 18 hole score, Bruce Dakin and Mitch Leitner, won! See below for information about other prizes.
League members chose their own teammates. Handicaps were necessary for particpation in the tournament. USGA handicaps and 18Birdies My Handicaps were used for those that had them. The outing coordinator calculated a handicap for Sam by using his last 3 18 rounds scores with the courses and tees played.
The tournament entry fee was $20 per person. Prizes were awarded to the 3 highest placing teams (lowest 18 hole scores) as a percentage of the total prize pool. See the Notes section for the outcomes.
Handicap strokes were awarded to each team based on the 90% of the average of course handicaps of the players on a team. The outing coordinator provided scoresheets for each team to record their total strokes for each hole (gross score) and their actual strokes minus their handicap strokes (net score). The score for each team was the sum of the net scores across the 18 holes.
Each team had to use a minimum of 7 tee shots from each player. There was a checkbox on the scoresheet to note which player's drive was used on each hole. The tee shots used are noted in the scoresheets that may be found in the Notes section.
¶ Tee Times and Pairings
10:12
Team 5
Bruce Dakin
Mitch Leitner
10:30
Team 1
John Allen
Tom Allen
Team 2
Marcus Fast
Sam Martella
10:39
Team 3
Vicki Hubbard
Todd Hubbard
Team 4
Scott O'Hare
Chris Lundhagen