John Concannon, Publicity
It seems like it was just yesterday that it was so quiet around the clubhouse that it seemed like a long day on the western front. Now, all of a sudden there is so much activity that it seems like the landing on D Day.
The annual Member/Guest Tournament was a grand success and everyone had a good time. Congratulations to the IMGA flight winners: Ken Ratliff, 1st Flight, Harry Johnson, 2nd Flight, Mike Woldt, 3rd Flight, Roger Garcia, 4th Flight, Frank Gould, 5th Flight and John Davis, 6th Flight.
The 2016 Ironwood Cup Tournament was also completed and the champion is Richard Scranton. Individual flight winners were: Peter Yoon, 1st Flight, Joe Burke, 2nd Flight, Richard Rathburn, 3rd Flight, Paul Beeks, 4th Flight, Jim Wegman, 5th Flight and Mike Petriello, 6th Flight.
The Ironwood Championship is in full swing and the results of that tournament will be reported in the May edition.
New Tee Box Policy
Our constitution states that the purpose of the IMGA is multi-fold. Generally it exists to promote golf in general, develop the IMGA and to promote courtesy and sportsmanship within the organization. All of this promoting is to be done within the rules adopted by the USGA, subject to local rules. What tee box a golfer plays from has often been a subject of discussion and a contentious point with some members of IMGA. The establishment of forward tee boxes seems to have complicated the issue. The BOD has instituted a trial policy currently in place. So far, the policy has been favorably accepted by the members and the BOD will review it again at the end of the trial period. This policy is on our web site and hopefully will be posted on the bulletin board for review by all.
Slow Play
Once again the issue of slow play has reared its ugly head. It only takes one foursome to really foul up the flow of play. There is nothing more annoying than a round of “hit and wait” golf. But, the question remains: In an organization that is trying to promote sportsmanship and courtesy, how do we police the general flow of play on men’s day? Without official rangers on duty to do the policing, who should be responsible? It is easy enough to say members should be aware of the flow and play, or that the captain of the each foursome should be responsible for pace of play. These approaches have not worked for the most part. Then there is the issue of penalty. Should there be a penalty and if so, what should it be? Joe D’Amore has taken on the task of developing a policy for consideration by the BOD. Hopefully, a positive policy will result that will finally resolve the problem. In the meantime, it is hoped that the members will be a little more aware of their surroundings while on the course.
More to follow!