The Metropolitan Vol 11, No 1 (February 2024)

Volume 11 | No. 1

The Metropolitan

Amateur Golf Association

The Metropolitan

Issue 1 | February 2024

Inside the Issue 4 Curt’s Corner

9 2024 Amateur

5 By The Numbers

A place for all to experience that competitive edge. Events for golfers of all ages and abilities to play together.

A message from the Executive Director

Play

16 Rules Center

Conforming Clubs: Putter Grips

Series Schedule

Yardage Book

10 The Bogeyman Tiger: Where does he stand and why is he doing this?

18 Volunteer

Become a Volunteer for the Association Today!

19 Getting Ready for Spring!

Answers to Spring Handicap and Course Questions

with the USGA

Davis Grants Top $50 million in Total Research Investment

Schedule

Mark Your Calendars.

Championship Season is right around the corner and Entries Open on March 5!

8 USGA Qualifier Schedule

Competing with the best in the nation starts here. Sign-up to Qualify for a USGA Championship today.

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12 Golf Fitness

Hub

Hip Mobility and Its Importance

14 Sup’s On TBD

WHO ARE WE?

An Allied Golf Association of the USGA providing a variety of golf services to clubs and golfers in the Metropolitan St. Louis, Central, and Southern Illinois region.

WHAT WE DO:

20 Keeping Up

6 2023 MAGA

Metropolitan Amateur Golf Association

- Provide GHIN Handicap Service to 140+ Member Clubs under the World Handicap System - Provide the USGA Course/Slope Rating service to our Member Clubs - Regional authority on the Rules of Golf and Amateur Status - Conduct twelve (12) Metropolitan Championships each season - Conduct USGA Qualifying for eight (8) USGA Championships each season - Conduct three (3) Championships in Illinois - Conduct the Amateur Series of Events for golfers of all ages and abilities

METROPOLITAN CHAMPIONSHIPS

Amateur Championship Open Championship Women’s Amateur Championship Junior Amateur Championship Senior Amateur Championship Four-Ball Championship 9-Hole Championship East Side Amateur Normandie Amateur (hiatus during construction) Old Warson Cup (Match Play Championship) Shogren Cup (Match Play PGA Pros vs. MAGA Amateurs) Sobbe Cup Mid-America Junior Cup Amateur Series

ILLINOIS CHAMPIONSHIPS Southern Illinois Amateur SIGA Championship Tony Stevens Cup

USGA QUALIFYING ROUNDS

U.S. Open • U.S. Amateur U.S. Mid-Amateur • U.S. Senior Amateur U.S. Women’s Open • U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur U.S. Amateur Four-Ball • U.S. Amateur Women’s Four-Ball

22 World of Golf

See who championed events around the world.

24 Normandie

Reimagined

An update on the renovation project of Normandie Golf Club.

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Curt’s Corner MAGA STAFF

Curt Rohe - Executive Director

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Curt Rohe - curt@metga.org

DIRECTOR, MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS Caroline Buchan - caroline@metga.org 2024 PJ BOATWRIGHT INTERNS Coming Soon

EXECUTIVE BOARD Officers Scott Engelbrecht, President/Treasurer Mike Marquart, Secretary At Large Members John Bugh Stan Grossman Kelli Kirchoff Mike Marquart Rick Meyer, Jr John Moore Mick Wellington ADVISORY COMMITTEE Scott Thomas, Chairman Tom Barry Skip Berkmeyer Chris Kovach Ryan Eckelcamp Tom Portner Curt Rohe

THE METROPOLITAN CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Dan O’Neill MVGCSAA Dr. Zach Cutler

Welcome to the 2024 season! As I write this first Curt’s Corner of 2024 we are posting scores and registrations are coming in for the season. It is always refreshing to be back posting scores. There have been several changes to the World Handicap System for this season, take a moment to review and familiarize yourself on those changes on the website: 2024 WHS Changes I mentioned registrations...we had one of, if not, the busiest first days of registration I can ever remember.

Congratulations to Bobby Drummond being the 1st registration to go through in 2024! Bobby, if you read this, I have a prize for you.

Looking ahead to the early part of the season, I want to highlight the 25th Metropolitan Junior Amateur Championship at Aberdeen Golf Club as we made the change to a 54-hole championship format this year. In order to be recognized in World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR) our Junior Championships needed to be 54-hole schedule championships. This is ONLY for the 19U Divisions, the 13U and 15U Divisions will remain 36-hole events. The 54-hole championship MAY have a cut instituted, depending on the number of entries and will be determined after close of entries. Our goal is to have our Junior Boy’s and Girls’ Champions receive exemptions into the USGA Junior Championships! We need the best Boys and Girls’ in the region to participate in order to achieve these exemptions!

Back to the WHS changes, we have been busy rating the short courses in the area (Heritage of Hawk Ridge, Tower Tee, Family Golf & Learning Center, Yorktown and Pheasant Run to date). These courses will be available for score posting in the GHIN Handicap Service.

Just a shout out to M&M Golf Cars for your support with an ad for the 2024 season in the newsletter. If you are interested in placing an Ad in the newsletter, reach out to Caroline Buchan at caroline@metga.org and she can get you all the details.

Thank you for reading and see you on the fairways soon!

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Issue 1 | February 2024

By The Numbers 75 - The number of PGA Tour rounds Jon Rahm

played during the 2022-23 season, according to the PGA Tour website. The figure doesn’t include European Tour rounds, or any other. Now, just for fun, if you use that as his average number of rounds per PGA Tour season, and multiply it by four - i.e. reportedly the number of years in his new LIV deal - Rahm would play some 300 PGA Tour rounds over the length of the contract. By the way, the contract is reported to be worth at least $500 million. So, apply the term to the PGA Tour rounds Rahm would play, and he would be making $1,666,666.67 per round. If you take it a step further, Rahm made a total of 4,890 strokes during the last PGA Tour season. During the term of his new contract, he might take 19,560 strokes, which means he would make $25,562.37 per swing.

31,000 - This was the number of golf industry

professionals in attendance at the 71st PGA Show, Jan. 2326 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla. All flocked to see the latest and the greatest in equipment, accessories, etc. The attendance exceeded the 2023 gate of 30,000, while the number of exhibitors grew as well. More than 1,000 golf companies and brands were on the showroom floor, including 350 new exhibitors.

278 - The number of miles one must travel 64 East

to get to Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, where the 2024 PGA Championship will take place May 16-19. Since opening in 1986, Valhalla has produced some memorable major championship moments. In 1992, Mark Brooks outlasted Kenny Perry to win the PGA in a playoff. In 2000, Tiger Woods and Bob May conducted a spectacular shootout before Woods prevailed in a three-hole playoff and captured his first PGA title. In 2004, Hale Irwin won his fourth Senior PGA Championship at Valhalla. In 2008, the club played host to the Ryder Cup and six rookies helped the U.S. team defeat the Europeans

16½ - 11½ in front of swollen Louisville galleries. And in 2016 at Valhalla, Rory McIlroy held off Phil Mickelson and fast-approaching darkness to capture the PGA, his second consecutive major. So if you’ve never attended a major, this one’s just a 4½-hour drive away.

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- The national ranking given to Annbriar Golf Course in an article entitled “Top 50 U.S. Public Golf Courses Golfer’s Choice 2024.” The piece is posted on the www. golfpass.com website. The rankings are said to be the result of “nearly 300,000 golfer-submitted golf course reviews throughout 2023.” A synopsis on the course in Waterloo, Ill. calls Annbriar, “A top notch golf course. An excellent course to play your fall/winter golf … There was nothing to complain about at this course. One of the best in the St. Louis Metro area.” Kudos not only to Annbriar, but to Gateway National Golf Links in Madison, Ill., which was listed as No. 39 among the top 50 in the same article.

2 - As in billion, as in dollars, as in how much the U.S.

golf course and country club industry has grown, according to the Gitnux MarketData Report. The research showed the market size has increased by $2 billion since 2014, reaching a market size of $26.21 billion in 2022.

Meanwhile, the number of golf courses in the U.S. decreased from 10.69 thousand in 2012 to 9.47 thousand in 2022, which reflects a decline in the number of golf courses over the past decade.

13 - This number has two applications. First, it is the

number of championships the MAGA will conduct in 2024, with Capt. Curt Rohe at the helm. But 13 also is the number of putts - from 5 feet or closer - that Matt Fitzpatrick missed all of last season - in 875 attempts.

Improve your Game with the Latest Technology!

Enter Scores and Check Your Handicap right on your phone!

Always have the Rules right in Your Pocket!

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The Metropolitan

Issue 1 | February 2024

2024 MAGA Championship Schedule Old Warson Cup

Women’s Amateur

May 4-5

July 1-2

Old Warson Country Club

East Side Amateur Gateway National Golf Links

May 11-12

Open Championship Country Club of St. Albans

May 15-17

Shogren Cup

Spencer T. Olin Golf Course

Amateur Qualifying Crescent Farms Golf Club

July 11

9-Hole Championship Ballwin Golf Club

July 27

Junior Amateur Aberdeen Golf Club

June 11-13

SIGA Championship Kokopelli Golf Club

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June 22-23

Green Hills Golf Club

August 10

Four-Ball Championship Franklin County Country Club

August 12-13

Senior Amateur Bogey Hills Country Club

September 18-19

Tony Stevens Cup

Rend Lake Golf Club

Greenbriar Hills Country Club

May 19-20

Southern Illinois Amateur

Amateur Championship

September 29

August 3-5

Sobbe Cup Final Matches

Bellerive Country Club

TBD

TBD

Mid-America Junior Cup

TBD

TBD

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2024 USGA Qualifiers Schedule

2024

Issue 1 | February 2024

WingHaven CC

US Open (Local) Westwood CC

US Women’s Open Sunset CC

July 15

US Amateur (Final) Lake Forest CC

May 28

Event #3

The Falls GC June 17

August 7

Crown Pointe GC

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Event #6

Annbriar GC September 3

#5

#6

Championship

The Quarry GC September 23-24

US Senior Amateur

Crystal Highlands GC

Crystal Highlands GC

US Mid-Amateur

#4

August 7

US Senior Women’s Amateur August 26

Lake Forest CC August 19

Event #2

Persimmon Woods GC

July 29

Event #5

#3

May 6

May 8

Birch Creek GC #2

Event #1

April 29

Event #4

#1

October 3

US Women’s Amateur Four-Ball The Legends CC

October 3

US Amateur Four-Ball The Legends CC

Register at https://champ-admin.usga.org/player#/apply

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The Metropolitan

Issue 1 | February 2024

Tiger: His Legacy Demands Otherwise The Bogeyman Dan O’Neill

P

eople jump to conclusions. And in the case of Tiger Woods, historical perspective almost mandates it. So when Woods withdrew from the Genesis Invitational last month, his first authentically competitive appearance since he withdrew from last year’s Masters, we took the jump and assumed the worst.

That is, we took the announcement that he was bailing because of “flu-like symptoms” with a grain - no, make that a pound - of salt. After all, Woods was seen wincing during Thursday’s opening round of the Genesis, brought on by tightness in the back. A wince from Woods is like a fire alarm going off - it gets your attention.

Woods is basically a human erector set at this point, held together by pins, screws and welds. If you didn’t know better, you would think he spent the past 30 years playing offensive line for the Pittsburgh Steelers, not golf.

When he pulled the plug on his second round, climbed in a cart and headed for the clubhouse, there was a tangible sense of trepidation. Yes, the official word was “flu,” but most of us couldn’t help but conclude something more sinister was at the heart of the matter. Bottom line, it was another withdrawal in the book, a book that has become quite thick.

Woods is currently carrying a career triple-double that no other player can even approach. That is, the 48-year old former Nike employee has 15 major championships to go with 13 WDs and more than a dozen surgeries. Talk about catching Jack Nicklaus … Yeah, Woods is still three majors shy of the “Golden Bear” record of 18 professional majors. But when it comes to those other categories, it’s no contest. For instance, Nicklaus had two WDs in his career.

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Conclusions notwithstanding, in the days immediately following the Genesis Woods’ camp continued the influenza narrative. Mind you, Team Woods is better at covert operations than many of our government agencies - see last year’s post-Masters ankle surgery for reference. But hopefully the information is reliable and the Florida fiasco was nothing a hot water bottle and rest wouldn’t fix.

Still, it demonstrates where a once-magnanimous career is, as Woods closes in on 50. For the record, since 1975, only four players have won PGA Tour events after their 50th birthday, and only once was it a major.

Craig Stadler won in 2003 at age 50, Fred Funk won in 2007 at age 50, Davis Love III won in 2015 at age 51 and Phil Mickelson shockingly won the PGA Championship in 2021, just shy of a 51st birthday.

Mind you, if Woods was for sale in a guitar shop, his condition would be labeled “fair.” His oft-repaired body won’t hold up to hours of practice, as it once did. He has played so infrequently that it’s hard to say which clubs in the bag are still reliable. Safe to say some adjustments have been made, compromises accepted and the game is nor the awe-inspiring product it was once.

But, according to observers, on its best day, unimpeded and unaffected, the game is still good enough to win.

Ok, perhaps that’s true. However, where we’re at now, at least from a ticket-buying perspective, it’s also about even money he won’t finish.

Consider: Woods has played in 10 majors since his improbable victory at the 2019 Masters. He has missed cuts or withdrawn in six, while his best finish was a T21 at the ’19 U.S. Open. Over the last four PGA Tour seasons, Woods is credited with playing in nine PGA Tour events; he missed cuts or withdrew in five of them. He has not finished inside the top 35 since a tie for ninth at the Farmers Insurance Open in January, 2020. Folks, that’s four years ago.

Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t to throw dirt in the hole. With what he’s gone through physically, what Woods has put himself through to be able to play golf is amazing. The mere fact he can shoot a competitive professional round is mind-blowing. But I just wonder, in the context of all these setbacks, to what end. What is the point?

Remember, this is Tiger Woods we’re talking about, owner of the “Tiger Slam” and the 15 majors, 82 PGA Tour victories, the lowest scoring average in PGA Tour history, 142 consecutive cuts … and so on and so forth. The bar is a little different than it is for your average, ordinary PGA Tour veteran. Woods has never been ordinary; his legacy demands otherwise.

Yes, he can still throw a round in the 60s at you, but can he do it for four days? Will his knees hold up, his ankle, his back … or will he get the flu?

If Woods wants to continue to play professional golf, to do what he has to do to make that happen, who is to tell him differently? Certainly not the Ol’ Bogeyman, who has made setbacks and impairments a lifestyle.

But Woods is said to be worth more than $1.1 billion. He has been entitled, idolized and celebrated since he appeared on the Mike Douglas Show at the age of 2 in 1978. He is intelligent, articulate, polished, confident and buff. He could do a lot of challenging/competitive things, things that wouldn’t require what golf requires.

I’m just not sure I get why he is doing this.

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GOLF FITNESS HUB

Issue 1 | February 2023

HIP MOBILITY The Importance of Hip Mobility In The Golf Swing > Adequate hip mobility is crucial in the golf swing in order to properly load up on your backswing and to post up on your lead leg throughout your follow through. > Try this test out yourself, place an alignment stick on the ground with two 7-irons aligned roughly 60 degrees away from the alignment stick. Have your foot placement as shown in the picture below.

Your goal is to rotate as far as you can into your lead hip. The goal is to see if your pelvic plane is parallel to the two clubs, roughly 60 degrees. This test assesses the internal rotation of each hip.

Here are a couple exercises to try out!

> Limited? Try out the exercise posted below. > Interested in the full body assessment? Contact Golf and Training Institute for the proper assessment.

<- Test Yourself

Exercises Try this exercise to improve ->

The Importance of Golf Movement Assessments: > Golf movement assessments pinpoint areas of the body that are limited in regard to range of motion.

Combining mobility assessments, with power and swing assessments, gives medical professionals and teaching professionals a full view on how well a golfer’s body moves. > Golf movement assessments all medical professionals and personal trainers to create personalized treatment and exercise programs for exactly what you need work on. > The mobility, stability, power, and swing results are then combined with the golfer’s goals, to create the most personalized program for each and every golfer. > Golf movements assessments allows golfers to train most effectively while keeping engaged with the PGA Teaching Instructors.

Dr. Zach Cutler

Sports Chiropractor and TPI Certified

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Family Golf and Learning Center @GOLFANDTRAININGINSTITUTE

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The Metropolitan

Sup’s On: Mike Leech

Director of Operations

After a rousing 2023 the Mississippi Valley GCSA is poised

for another great season in 2024. Last year was a transitional year for us in that I took the reins from long time Director of Operations, Chuck Gast. As an association The Valley has been blessed with great stability in the past decade under the leadership of Chuck and I hope to provide much the same, which is why in this edition I would like to highlight one of the most important topics the Mississippi Valley stands for; the future. The future of turfgrass management is not only held in the hands of those working on our golf courses everyday but it is also finding talented folks to help us maintain our thriving facilities.

One of my duties as a Director of Operations is to keep our Job Board up to date on our website and in my first year on the job I was shocked to see how many help wanted posts were coming in from our member clubs. So often we rely on people who are already in our industry to fill these positions, leading to lateral movement and a never ending cycle of job openings... Enter the Green Cup. The Green Cup is our annual fundraising golf tournament to help support our scholarship and research fund. Every year we are eager to award scholarship money to future and current turfgrass students.

The Green Cup this year will be held at historic Glen Echo

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Issue 1 | February 2024

The MVGCSA in 2024 and the Future of Turfgrass

Country Club and will no doubt sell out in a flash just like in years past.

The MVGCSA offers three types of scholarships. The first, the MVGCSA Turfgrass Scholarship, is for turf students who are enrolled in a full-time golf course or turf industry program.

The second, the MVGCSA Legacy Scholarship, is for children of an active association member, who are or will be enrolled in college or community college on a full-time basis. The third, MVGCSA Valley Futures Scholarship, is a grant to provide currently employed Turfgrass professionals an opportunity to obtain a formal agronomy education. Each scholarship can be found on our website, available with PDF downloads for students to fill out.

Our menu of scholarships is designed to help cultivate interest and passion in turfgrass management. Many of those who are new to our industry see the job as something less than a career despite recent studies showing that salaries among Superintendents have escalated 12.6% in the past three years. Even more encouraging to newcomers to the industry, entry level Assistant Superintendents salaries have risen 15.3% in the same timeframe. Post pandemic the golf industry is riding a historic wave of popularity creating a wave of new golf facilities. In 2023 the number of golf courses reached close to 16,000 nationwide, extrapolate that number to the workforce needed to maintain the high standard of a facility looking to thrive in such a competitive market place and you can understand just

how in demand golf course workers are at the moment.

At the MVGCSA we are eager to help the aspiring Golf Course Superintendent. If you know anyone interested in a career in a career in golf course maintenance or an existing industry worker looking to further their education, please direct them to mvgcsa.com for further information on scholarship opportunities.

Mississippi Valley Golf Course Superintendents Association did you know?

• Anyone can join the MVGCSA as an Affiliate Member.

Apply at mvgcsa.com • The MVGCSA hosts 7 golf events and 6 education events per year open to all members • The MVGCSA has over 250 members.

• Anyone can support our Green Cup fundraising tournament by buying a tee sign on our website mvgcsa.com • The MVGCSA will turn 80 years old next year!

• The MVGCSA offers vendors many different avenues for advertisement. Contact me at mvgcsa@gmail.com for more information.

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Banana Flaps

Rules Center

To start off the year, we are taking it back to the 2021 Ryder Cup and the importance of checking to make sure you have conforming clubs. Team USA’s Harris English found himself in a situation on the final day when he received a call 2 hours before his round regarding his putter - specifically the grip. English had been using the same grip on his putter for a decade (since college) and as grips do, it had more than begun to wear. The butt end of the grip had started to fray - or banana flap. This drew the attention of viewers and someone (spectator, home viewer, or Ryder Cup participant/staff unknown) called it in to the officials.

Once the questioning of the clubs conformity was brought into question, the Ryder Cup officials began to investigate. That’s when they contacted Team USA Captain and English to request he bring his putter in for inspection to determine if it was or was not conforming. After the committee looked at it, English was told on a call with USGA and Ryder Cup officials that it was decided that the club was NOT conforming.

Why, you ask? Because it was deemed that the wear on the grip was past the point of being worn down and was therfore damage due to the cloth being completely off of the rubber.

Luckily for English, the Vice Captain did some quick surgery to remove the excess and batten it down so that he did not have to completely change the grip right before his round. The fix was approved for play by the officials and Team Europe captain.

So, make sure you understand the rules of conforming clubs to avoid being caught in a slippery situation like this one. The equipment rules provide details on what is considered conforming, non-conforming, damage, and more. Though rules have altered on using a club damaged during the round, you must not use a club that was damaged before your round starts. This makes it a non-conforming club.

John explains more on Grips -->

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Issue 1 | February 2024

Chipper Gripper

Dear John: One of my golf buddies and I have been discussing a rule. I have a chipper wedge (single-faced) in my bag, and I want to put a putter grip on it (bigger and flattened on one side). My buddy says that only one putting grip can exist in your bag. But I read recently that Adam Scott had two putters in his bag. Why can’t I put a wider grip on my chipper and call it a putter? With the chipper, I only have 14 clubs. In any case, I want my buddy to buy a similar chipper and quit making terrible chips with his irons!

- GetAGrip

Dear GetAGrip: That’s a lot to digest. Some players using a putting stroke with a single-faced chipper around the putting green for improved chip shots. But please don’t put a putter grip on the club! That would make the chipper a non-conforming club and making a stroke with it that counts towards the player’s score will result in disqualification (Rule 4.1a(1)).

The reason that a chipper is considered an iron (USGA/R&A “Equipment Rules” (v1.1.Part 2 Conformance of Clubs, I. Clubs a. General)). A chipper generally has greater than 10 degrees loft, versus 10 degrees maximum for a putter, and otherwise conforms with the requirements of woods and irons. As an iron, the chipper must have a grip with a circular cross-section*. A putter is the only club that may have a non-circular grip (e.g. flattened on one side). Here’s a though - consider a jumbo circular grip on your chipper. *There are two exceptions to circular cross-sections for grips on clubs other that putters. One is a continuous, straight, slightly raised “reminder” rib along the length of the grip. The other is a slightly indented spiral on a wrapped grip.

Here is a link to the USGA/R&A Equipment Rules: Click Here.

This edition of the Rules Center features an excerpt from MAGA Rules Official John Thorman’s e-book Let’s Get It Right

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Issue 1 | February 2024

Become a Volunteer

Getting Ready for Spring!

Each season we rely on Volunteers to help keep things running smoothly. We always welcome new volunteers, whether it is before, during, or after the season. There are multiple ways you can help out from championships to course ratings. You do not need to be an expert starting out; we will help guide you when you first begin. Reach out for more information if interested.

As you transistion into Spring and the Active Posting Season, there are often questions that come up about Handicap Indexes and course conditions. We are here to help you better understand and prepare for another year of golf. The USGA has taken the time to answer some of the most common questions and concerns on these topics. Below are some resources to enhance your knowledge of the game!

Ways you can help:

Click the Topic You want to learn more about!

Rules Committee > Rules Official > Starter > Final Scoring Official > Forecaddie > Pace of Play Enforcer > etc.

Handicapping:

Scoring Commitee > Live Score Collector > Drive Player Shuttles > Pace of Play Recorder > Scoreboard Assistance

Course Rating Committee

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Learn More!

Setting a Target Score for your round.

Handicap Index Myths.

2024 World Handicap Changes

Course Conditions: Playing Spring Golf and what you should know.

Spring Rules Regarding Course Conditions.

What to expect with Spring Course Conditions.

How Golf Carts can Affect Turf Conditions.

Reminder on how to Take Driving Range Divots.

Measure and Calculate the difficulty of a course using the Course Rating System Guide set by the USGA.

Volunteering even just a few times during the summer can help us in a tremendous way!

Why you should post scores the same day you play.

Volunteer

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Keeping Up with the USGA

Issue 1 | February 2024

USGA’s Davis Grants Top $50Million in Total Research Investment The United States Golf Association’s Mike Davis Program for Advancing Golf Course Management has funded 15 new research projects to advance turfgrass science in 2024, taking the program’s total investment in golf course sustainability over $50 million since 1983.

Aligning with the USGA’s long-term $30 million commitment to reduce golf’s use of water, more than 50 percent of active Davis Grants are focused on projects intended to drive efficiency, effective measurement, innovation and conservation of water on golf courses. They include multi-year studies on optimizing irrigation techniques, improving drought resistance for common fairway, rough and green turfgrasses, and advancing methods of renovating out-of-play areas to conservation habitat, among others.

Scientists from leading universities across the country, including Rutgers, the University of Florida, Texas A&M, New Mexico State, North Carolina State, Washington State and Kansas State, are conducting the multi-year research, which is helping to provide the game of golf with data-driven tools to improve playing conditions and optimize resource use.

With more than 60 projects in progress, the Davis Program continues to be the largest private turfgrass and environmental research effort in golf, led by the USGA’s Green Section.

“Our Green Section team has some of the brightest minds in golf, and we’re proud to continue forging a sustainable path forward, led by our Davis Program research efforts,” said Matt Pringle, Ph.D., managing director of the USGA Green Section. “As a leader in advancing data-driven and research-based golf course management practices, we work side-by-side with the top universities and institutions across the country.”

Other notable projects receiving funding this year include a pilot effort at Texas A&M University and the University of Tennessee to mine Google course review data to better understand what improves, and detracts from, the golfer experience.

The USGA is also continuing a longstanding collaboration with the National Turfgrass Evaluation Program and the National Turfgrass Federation to provide unbiased turfgrass performance data for end users and to advance federal and allied nonprofit organization funding of turfgrass research.

The resulting management practices born out of Davis Program research have contributed to a 29 percent decrease in golf’s water use since 2005.

In total, the USGA’s investment in course sustainability saves the golf industry an estimated $1.9 billion annually, including: $201 million from advancing irrigation with efficiencies in turfgrass water use; $529 million from advancing irrigation scheduling with soil-moisture meters; $469 million from advancing naturalized rough.

The USGA’s Green Section was formed in 1920 to lead the game’s efforts in improving golf course playing conditions and sustainability through research, education, course consulting, technology tools and championship agronomy. It includes consulting agronomists in each region of the country, providing localized and practical expertise to golf course owners and operators.

Formerly the Turfgrass Environmental Research Program, the initiative was renamed for Mike Davis in 2021 to highlight his continuous impact on the game during his 31 years of service to the USGA, including 10 as executive director/CEO For a full list of current research projects, this year’s call for proposals and all other information related to the Davis Grants, click here.

Play with the Nation

Soon golfers from across the nation will be teeing it up for their chance to be considered one of the best golfers in our country. Registration for USGA Championships have begun to open. Do you think you have what it takes to play the best?

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Registration OPEN: > 124th U.S. Open > 44th U.S. Senior Open > 79th U.S. Women’s Open > 3rd U.S. Adaptive Open > 6th U.S. Senior Women’s Open

Registration Opens in March: > 75th U.S. Girls’ Junior Amateur > 76th U.S. Junior Amateur > 124th U.S. Women’s Amateur > 124th U.S. Amateur

Registration Opens in April: > 69th U.S. Senior Amateur > 43rd U.S. Mid-Amateur > 37th U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur > 62nd U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur > 10th U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball > 10th U.S. Amateur Four-Ball

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PGA Tour

Issue 1 | February 2024

World of Golf

The Sentry - Chris Kirk Sony Open Hawaii - Grayson Murray The American Express - Nick Dunlap(a) Farmers Insurance Open - Matthieu Pavon AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am - Wyndham Clark WM Phoenix Open - Nick Taylor The Genesis Invitational - Hideki Matsuyama Mexico Open - Jake Knapp The Match - Rory McIlroy

Korn Ferry Tour

January/February

Dubai Invitational - Tommy Fleetwood Hero Dubai Desert Classic - Rory McIlroy Ras Al Khaimah Championship - Thorbjorn Olesen Bahrain Championship - Dylan Frittelli Qatar Masters - Rikuya Hoshino Magical Kenya Open - Darius Van Driel

LPGA

HGV Tournament of Champions - Lydia Ko Drive On Championship - Nelly Korda Honda LPGA Thailand - Patty Tavatanakit The Match - Rory McIlroy

DP World Tour

Challenge/Sunshine Tour Mediclinic Invitational - Ryan van Velzen SDC Open - Rhys Enoch Bain’s Whiskey Cape Town Open - Mikael Lindberg Dimension Data Pro-Am - David Ravetto NMB Championship - Bjorn Akesson

Bahamas Great Exuma Classic - Jeremy Paul Bahamas Great Abaco Classic - Aldrich Potgieter The Panama Championship - Isaiah Salinda Astara Golf Championship - Kevin Velo Magical Kenya Ladies Open - Shannon Tan Aramco Saudi Ladies International Presented by PIF - Patty Tavatanakit Lalla Maryem Cup - Bronte Law

LET

PGA Tour Champions Mitsubishi Electric Championship - Steven Alker Chubbs Classic - Stephen Ames Hassan II Golf Trophy - Ricardo Gonzalez

2023 Awards 22

R&A

Australasia Tour

1st Africa Amateur - Altin van der Merwe 1st Africa Amateur Women’s Invitational - Kyra van Kan Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific - Chun-Wei Wu

Scottie Scheffler - PGA Tour Player of the Year Eric Cole - PGA Tour Rookie of the Year Tiger Woods - 2024 USGA Bob Jones Award Steve Stricker - PGA Tour Champions Player of the Year Lilia Vu - LPGA Player of the Year Lexi Thompson - LPGA Founder’s Award

Heritage Classic - Matthew Griffin Vic Open - Brett Coletta Vic Open Women’s - Ashley Lau

Hae Ran Ryu - LPGA Rookie of the Year Atthaya Thitikul - LPGA Vare Trophy Ben Kohles - Korn Ferry Tour Player of the Year Adrien Dumont de Chassart - Korn Ferry Tour Rookie of the Year Gabriela Ruffels - Epson Tour Player of the Year Natasha Andrea Oon - Epson Tour Rookie of the Year

23

The Metropolitan

Normandie Project Update:

What’s Happening at Normandie Work at Normandie Golf Course continues as we build towards a new Normandie. Tree removal continues as the vision is being brought to life to ensure that optimal use of the space can occur.

It is also imperative that any dead or bad trees are taken care of, so the area is safe and the land can be restored to top quality. As we tie up a few things, we are looking forward to entering into the “heavy lifting” of this project. As always, we plan to keep you updated along the way as things progress.

The outpouring of support during this time has been incredible. Your enthusiam and excitement for this project and the future of this course is duly appreciated by everyone involved. The support from the St. Louis community is vital in this project, so that we can all join together to positively change the lives of the children of North County and beyond.

“The appeal of this project to me was to be involved in an effort that could serve as a catalyst to change needed in our country today, beginning with parts of St. Louis County.

Restoring Normandie for a community in need will have a long-lasting positive impact on the lives of youth in St. Louis.”

To show your support & make a donation visit our website or call the office for more information.

For a glimpse into the progress being made, click here.

For more information on the Normandie Renovation Project and how you can help, visit https://www.metga.org/nicklaus-and-normandie or contact normandie@metga.org

Course Design for a New Normandie

24

-Jack Nicklaus on his involvement in Normandie Reimagined

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Volume 11 | No. 1

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Metropolitan Amateur Golf Association

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