Normandie #9 Vol. 3 No. 8 TheMetropolitan NEW DIRECTOR, CRESCENT CC & PEVELY OPERATIONS TO COME FARMS HAVE NEW OWNER AND NEW TTITUDE ON BOARD IN FEBRUARY A PAGE 5 PAGE 16 MAGA HONORED BY MAGA PLAYER’S OF THE Bellerive Wins Their USGA FOR THE SECOND YEAR 6th MAGA Cup Title YEAR IN A ROW PAGE 20-21 Page 6 Page 4 BOONE VALLEY Yardage Books on TO HOST Tour: How the Pro’s USGA GIRL’S JUNIOR really see the course JULY 24-29, 2017 Page 8 PAGE 22 AMATEUR SERIES OLYMPIC TROPHIES FINAL STANDINGS Executive Director Curt Rohe PAGE 22 PAGE 11 arrived in Florida in early December for the Annual USGA GHIN Users NORWOOD HILLS TO Meeting expecting to see familiar faces ST. LOUIS GOLF HISTORY HOST 2018 U.S. LPGA EVENTS and see which organization would be WOMEN’S MID-AMATEUR IN THE MID-1950S ARE honored by the USGA for its service Page 23 SHOWCASE EVENTS FOR to Member Clubs. As the 2015 winner LPGA FOUNDERS in the Medium GHIN category, he was PAGE 12 looking forward to congratulating the 2016 FINAL STANDINGS 2016 winner. AMATEUR AND SENIOR When the Metropolitan’s name PAGE 23-24 JAYNE WATSON NAMED was called as the 2016 winner he was JOE DEY AWARD RECIPIENT overwhelmed. Winning two years in a FOR 2017 2017 SCHEDULE row is not something normally done. PAGE 14 NEARLY COMPLETE Read more about Curt’s reaction on PAGE 13 page 4. Metropolitan Amateur Golf Association • 11777 Clayton Rd. • St. Louis, Missouri 63131 314.567.MAGA • Fax: 314.261.9250 • [email protected] The Metropolitan November - December 2016 STAFF Executive Director Curt Rohe - [email protected] CURT’S COMMENTS Director, Operations Maggie Smith - [email protected] Happy New Year! I hope this final edition of The Metropolitan for 2016 finds P.J. Boatwright Interns - 2017 everyone had a wonderful Christmas and [email protected] Holiday Season. METROPOLITAN CHAMPIONSHIPS It’s been an exciting ending to 2016 for Amateur Championship MAGA. Most of all, we are thrilled to Match Play Championship welcome a new staff member to our team. Open Championship Maggie Smith was hired just over a week Curt Rohe Women’s Amateur Championship ago and will join us in February. You can Executive Director Junior Amateur Championship read more about Maggie in the coming Senior Amateur Championship pages. Metropolitan Cup Matches Four-Ball Championship We have a new partner in the Southern Illinois Golf Association Mid-America Junior Cup (SIGA). The SIGA will become an affiliate association of MAGA in 2017 and we will be providing them their handicap USGA QUALIFYING ROUNDS services through GHIN. We welcome their 100 year history, US Open Qualifying (Local and Sectional) 35+ member clubs and members. SIGA members will be eligible US Senior Open Qualifying to compete in MAGA championship and vice versa, MAGA US Amateur Qualifying members in their events. We are currently in the building US Mid-Amateur Qualifying process of a new SIGA website (www.sigagolf.org) which we hope US Women’s Mid-Amateur to launch in January. US Junior Amateur Qualifying US Senior Amateur Qualifying The announcement that Jayne Watson will receive the 2017 Joe US Women’s Open Qualifying Dey Award was made about a month ago. As a member of the US Amateur Four-Ball Joe Dey Award Committee for the USGA I am personally thrilled US Women’s Amateur Four-Ball for Jayne. For those who know Jayne, she has been the Queen of golf administration in Missouri for over 30 years. She saw that EXECUTIVE BOARD the USGA Course and Slope Rating system was implemented in Stanford S. Grossman – President Emeritus Missouri and this region. Jayne joins Stan Grossman as the only Thomas J. O’Toole Jr. – Vice-President St. Louisans to receive the highest honor bestowed on volunteers Thomas O. Sobbe Jr. – Vice-President of the USGA. She will be recognized at the USGA Annual M. Ray McCraine – Secretary Meeting February 4 in Washington, DC. Our editor, Jim Healey, G. Scott Engelbrecht – Treasurer sat down with Jayne which you can read more about in this issue. G.F. (Rick) Meyer Jr. – At-Large Member H. Mick Wellington – At-Large Member Finally, as we move in 2017 I just want to say how thankful I am of the volunteers who make up our Rules Committee and Course ADVISORY COMMITTEE Rating Committees. We recently had 10 sessions of Rules Scott Thomas, Chairman Education for those preparing to go to the PGA/USGA Rules Dustin Ashby of Golf Workshops the next couple months. It is this dedication Tom Barry that causes our Rules Committee to stand out in the conduct of Skip Berkmeyer our championships and USGA qualifying rounds. Jim Dunn David Rhoads Thank you for making our 3rd season of The Metropolitan Curt Rohe another huge success. We continue to be amazed at how many of you are taking a few minutes to read this work. Stay tuned for METROPOLITAN EDITOR more exciting news from MAGA as we get ready for another busy Jim Healey season. 2 The Metropolitan November - December 2016 puddle within one club length of his nearest point of relief, and then take complete relief from that puddle by dropping into yet another puddle, and so on RULES OF GOLF CORNER (Decision 20-2c/7). ULTI TEP ELIEF ITUATIONS M -S R S Water Puddle on a Cart Path: The player may play his ball as it lies. He may also take free relief from either the casual water or the immovable obstruction During the 2015 Normandie Amateur, on the (Rule 24-2b) whichever is most advantageous. If there 415-yard par-4 11th hole, a player found himself in are multiple puddles on, say, a gravel cart path, the a tough situation. His tee shot had come to rest on player could take complete relief from one puddle the far left-hand side of the fairway, short of the creek and possibly drop from that puddle to another puddle crossing the fairway, and 170 yards from the elevated (Jordan Spieth had this situation at the 2016 PGA green. Overhanging tree branches blocked a direct Championship). line of play to the green. However, he noticed that his ball was in a large area marked as ground under repair (GUR) and that water puddles were scattered Lateral Water Hazard and Adjacent Cart Path: In about the landing zone. taking relief from a lateral water hazard (Rule 26- 1c}, dropping within two club lengths may result in the player dropping his ball on a cart path that runs The Rules-savvy player confirmed with a Referee parallel and very close to the red hazard line. This is that his nearest point of relief from the GUR classic two-step relief. The player may play his ball as was closer to the middle of the fairway. Next, he it lies on or near the cart path, or take free relief from proceeded under Rule 25-1b, dropping within one the cart path if there is interference, perhaps playing club length of the nearest point of relief and no from the fairway side of the cart path. closer to the hole… into a water puddle. This was an independent abnormal ground condition from which he was also entitled to free relief. He checked A few things for players and Referees to think about as to his nearest point of relief from the casual water in multi-step relief situations include: 1) regarding (just behind the puddle), and dropped his ball within pace of play, players should be mindful of the time another club length closer to the middle of the required for decision-making and Referees should fairway. He had taken two-step complete relief from avoid lengthy Rules explanations, 2) besides where to GUR and casual water, and now had an open shot to drop, players should anticipate where their dropped the green! ball might come to rest regarding lie, areas of stance and swing, and line of play, 3) when uncertain as to procedure, players should ask a Referee for help or, An extra club length of relief may provide in stroke play, consider play of a second ball; Referees significant leverage when the player is looking for a should use their radios for assistance, 4) the player better lie or line of play (e.g., getting around a tree). must play his own game; meaning Referees should not Many multi-step relief combinations are possible make recommendations or lead a player, and 5) when stemming from abnormal ground conditions (e.g., a player asks for Rules help, the Referee should do his casual water and GUR), immovable obstructions job and then move away, not “hover.” (e.g., cart paths and sprinkler heads; Decision 24- 2b/9), ball unplayable, water hazards, wrong putting green, etc. Examples include: John Thorman, MAGA Rules Committee Area of Multiple Water Puddles: Each puddle is an independent area of casual water. The player may play his ball as it lies. Or, he may take complete free relief from one puddle by dropping into another 3 Metropolitan Honored by USGA ASSOCIATION RECEIVES TOP AWARD AMONG MEDIUM-SIZE ASSOCIATIONS FOR SECOND YEAR IN A ROW: FIRST TIME AN ASSOCIATION HAS RECEIVED BACK-TO-BACK HONORS. The GHIN awards for USGA Associations are akin to an Emmy Award. It’s recognition by your customers for the quality of your work and the level of service offered to it’s member clubs and, ultimately to you the golfer! In 2015, Curt Rohe was on hand at the annual meeting when his name was called, recognizing the Metropolitan Amateur Golf Association as one of the BEST in the country! When Curt arrived at the 2016 USGA GHIN Users meeting this past month in Amelia Island, Florida, little did he expect for the Metropolitan to be singled out once again.