¶ Outing Coordinator
John Allen
email: john@zallen.org
call or text: (719) 337-6349
payment info:
Zelle, PayPal or Apple Cash to the phone number
Cash App with Cashtag $P3gasusJA
Contact SCOTT O'HARE at (719) 310-5670 to RSVP by 12 November and with questions, comments or concerns.
¶ Course Information
The November 2023 HAF League outing will be on 19 November at Springhill Golf Course in Aurora, CO.
Their address is:
800 N. Telluride St.
Aurora, CO 80011
Their phone number is (303) 739-6854
¶ Notes
Springhill is an executive golf course owned by the City of Aurora. Many members of the league have played it before but it's the first time doing a league outing there. Since we're outside the score posting period in Colorado, it seemed a good time to play it. It's on the shorter side (part 64 for men) so should make for a fun, quicker outing for a four-ball tournament (see below).
Springhill is another Dick Phelps track. The League has played a bunch of those (The Meadows, Saddle Rock and more) and likes them. Like Phelps' other work, the course follows the natural terrain and has challenging greens. It's very walkable for those that like doing that.
They do not have a practice facility. They have a walk-up snack shack with a bunch of picnic tables. The idea will be to gather there after the round to swap stories and award prizes. More information will be posted about the practice facilities and other pricing when known.
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Greens Fees | $60 |
| Riding Cart | included |
| Push Cart | TBD |
| Club Rental | TBD |
| Range balls | included |
¶ Weather
¶ Competition Format
As always, folks are welcome to come along and play with the group without participating in the competition. For those that do want to participate, this month's competition is the "annual" Fall Four-Ball tournament. See here to learn more about four-ball tournaments. In summary, players will compete in teams of two. Each player will play their own ball. The best score among the two players on a team is recorded for each hole. The team with the lowest 18 hole score wins! There is $10 entry fee per player to compete in the tournament. The entry fee should be paid to the outing coordinator on arrival to the course. Cash is preferred but the electronic payment methods listed at the top of the page will work, too.
A handicap index for each individual will be decided by the outing coordinator. This will be the individual's GHIN handicap if available and 18Birdies handicap if not available. If a player has neither of these the outing coordinator will work with the individual to figure out a fair index based on information the player has about their playing history. Because both players on a team have a chance to score for a team, per guidance on 4-ball handicaps from the USGA, each individual will get 85% of their course handicap (handicap index adjusted for tees played and course difficulty).
Teams will be given a scoresheet by the outing coordinator when they pay their entry fee. There are spaces on the scoresheet for each player to write their gross score for each hole (the number of strokes they made to hole out) and their net score (the gross score minus the player's handicap strokes). Course handicap strokes are allocated to each hole from hardest (1 handicap hole) to easiest (18 handicap hole). For example, a player with a playing handicap of 5 would get one stroke each on the five hardest holes and a player with a 30 handicap would get two strokes each on the 12 hardest holes and one stroke each on the rest. Players won't have to calculate those numbers. The number of handicap strokes per hole are listed on the scoresheet. Players simply have to write their gross and net scores, then write the best net score on a hole as their team score. Again, team with the lowest 18 hole total for their team hole scores wins!
Prizes, as a percentage of the total prize pool, will be awarded as follows:
| 1st place | 2nd place |
|---|---|
| 70% | 30% |
¶ General Rules
Local rules in place for this competition are:
- Breakfast balls are allowed. On the first tee only, if a player doesn't like their first tee shot they may hit another one.
- Pick up when reaching the max hole score. Max hole score for this outing is net trpiple bogey. The maximum score a player can take on a hole is par for that hole plus the number of handicap strokes the player has been given for that hole plus 3. For example, on a par 4, if a player is getting one handicap stroke doesn't get the ball in the hole on their 8th stroke (4 + 1 + 3), that player should pick up their ball and write the 8 on their scoresheet. If a player is keeping their score for handicap purposes, the USGAs rule for arriving at a "most likely score" should be used to determine the score to record in GHIN. 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. GHIN will automatically adjust hole scores to net double bogey. NOTE: this event will take place outside the score posting period for rounds played in the state of Colorado, so players probably needn't bother coming up with a most likely score unless they're really keeping track for themselves.
- Pick up once your teammate has a better score. When a player's teammate has made a better score than the player could possibly make, that player should pick up their ball. For instance, if a player has already made 4 strokes on a hole and their teammate has holed out on the teammate's 4th stroke, the player can just pick up. The player's teammate must have holed out before the player picks up - no assumptions must be made about whether a stroke will go in the hole except for putts "inside the leather". If a player picks up and is recording the round for handicap purposes, they may record their "most likely score" according to the Rules of Golf.
- 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.
- 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 It Forward. Players that don't hit the ball as far as most others or higher handicappers 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. The Colorado Golf Association just published a Q&A on why this is a good idea: https://www.coloradogolf.org/molly-i-want-to-move-up-a-tee/. Tees will be assigned for the competition by the outing coordinator and printed on the scorecards. Those not in the competition may play from any tees they like but are encouraged to follow the "Tee it Forward" guidance.
- Take advantage of a drop option for lost balls to speed up play. If you hit a ball, learn it went out of bounds or was lost and you didn't hit a provisional that is in play, you have another relief option. Rather than go back to the previous spot and hitting again with a one stroke penalty, you can take a drop in the fairway parallel to where you think the ball went out of bounds or was lost for a 2 stroke penalty. For amateur golfers like us this may be a better option. Advancing a ball from the kinds of places balls are usually lost in Colorado may take at least the one additional stroke. It also speeds up play to do this. More rationale on the rule may be found on the home page.
- Fall Rules This time of year, balls can easily wind up under piles of leaves, next to or on deer, elk or bear dung or in tracks, making them harder to find and harder to play if found. Accordingly, we're using Model Local Rules F12, F-13 and F-14 for this outing. If a player believes their ball is lost under a pile of leaves or finds their ball in a pile of leaves, near dung or in a hole made by an animal, that player can take the relief options available for abnormal course conditions under rule 16.1 in the Rules of Golf. That player is entitled to drop a ball within one club length of the nearest spot where the fall conditions don't interfere with the player's lie, stance or swing, no nearer the hole. Obviously judgement is called for here. The intent is not to make the player better off than if the abnormal conditions weren't there but to relieve the player from having to deal with the conditions. Regarding leaves, this applies only to piles of leaves, not a stray leaf here or there that doesn't really interfere with the player. As with all golf rules, players are on their honor to do the right thing. If you're not sure, ask your playing partners. These local rules do not apply if the player's ball is in a penalty area (marked by red or yellow stakes) or out of bounds (white stakes). The rules for those areas should be used instead.
¶ Tee Times and Pairings
10:50
Scott O'Hare
Curt Balcerzak
Marcus Fast
Pete Friesen
¶ 18Birdies Tournament Information
Tournament Code: TBD
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. Follow/friend your favorite player in the app to get notifications of round start and end and to be able to follow their progress.
¶ 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 | Golf |
|---|---|
| John Allen | N |
| Madeline Allen | ? |
| Curt Balcerzak | Y |
| John Bachman | ? |
| Mike Bull | ? |
| Patrick Calhoun | ? |
| Tyler Carroll | ? |
| Bruce Dakin | ? |
| Marcus Fast | Y |
| Elisabeth Fast | ? |
| Dawn Ferris | ? |
| Sam Ferris | ? |
| Rob Franco | ? |
| Pete Friesen | ? |
| Danny Gonzales | ? |
| Kevin Heim | ? |
| Todd Hubbard | ? |
| Travis Hubbard | ? |
| Vicki Hubbard | ? |
| Jim Kellum | ? |
| Dante Kobek | ? |
| Mitch Leitner | ? |
| Chris Lundhagen | ? |
| Jake Markus | ? |
| Sam Martella | ? |
| Julia Martin | ? |
| Will Martin | ? |
| Ken Moon | ? |
| Pom Moon | ? |
| Kelly O'Hare | N |
| Scott O'Hare | Y |
| Jerry Ohu | ? |
| Brad Pace | ? |
| Mike Rothwell | ? |
| Jacob Skorka | ? |
| Colin O'Hare | Y |