Costa Mesa Seniors Golf Association: September 2022

Winner - Scott Pickard Website Giveaway #3 - Sleeve of Snell MTB-X

***Updated 9/22/22 6:30PM with Clue #1. Scroll down for Clue***

Up for grabs in this giveaway is a sleeve of Snell MTB-X golf balls.

To win this sleeve of balls, you...

Must be a CMSGA member
Cannot be a board member
Have not won a previous website giveaway
Must be the first to comment on this post, including your name, and...
Your comment must include the correct name of the golf course in the picture below

(Click on picture above to see full size image)

I will deliver the sleeve the next time we meet at Costa Mesa.

Good Luck!

Jeff

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Clue #1 - The 10th Hole

Below is a picture of the 10th hole green, which is a 509 yd Par 5 from the White Tees.

Below is a screen grab from a 1993 movie, which included a golf scene at the same 10th hole.

(I didn't say the clues would make it easy). 😉

Jeff

Minor Website Changes / PayPal Links Moved, New Widgets Added

Just wanted to point out a couple minor changes to the site.

First, I moved the PayPal links to the bottom of the website (they were previously at the top of the right navigation panel).

Second, I added an Archive of the posts. This can make it easier to find an older post instead of scrolling through pages. This widget is in the right navigation panel. You can expand or condense the view.

Lastly, I added a widget where you can easily send a message to CMSGA, right from the site. I believe these messages currently go to Bill Cloud and myself, but this may change.

I will continue to make minor tweaks here and there, and won't always post about the changes. I decided to post this time since the PayPal links were moved, and felt it important that you can easily send us your money. 😁

Jeff

"Handicap Off Low" - What does it mean?

Some members have asked for clarification as to what "Handicap Off Low" means. This post is my attempt to explain it.

Handicap off Low (HoL) is used exclusively for our Skins competitions. What we do is look at the handicap strokes each competitor is receiving within a given flight. We find the player who is receiving the fewest number of strokes. This player is the Low Handicapper for the flight. (There could be more than one player as Low for the flight).

The low handicapper does not receive any strokes for the skins competitions, and the balance of players in the flight have their skins-handicap changed to the difference between themselves and the low handicapper.

As an example, lets look at the 9/15/22 results, Link Here

If you scroll down the players in the "C" Flight (the names/scores in far right column) you will see that Neil Slater is the low handicapper for the flight, receiving 15 strokes. As the Low, Neil does not receive any strokes on any holes for the skins competition, and the rest of the competitors in the flight have their strokes reduced based on his handicap.

In the Skins Result box you will see "Skins Handicap = Course Handicap minus 15". This indicates that all players' skins handicap has been reduced by 15, based on Neil being the low handicapper.

Right above Neil in the flight list is Mike Bekins (20). In the results box you see that Mike is only getting 5 strokes for the skins competition (the difference between his 20 course handicap and the "low' handicapper who is a 15).

Why Do This?

By reducing the number of handicap strokes in the skins competition (while maintaining equity among the players), the handicap strokes are moved to the tougher rated holes.

This is easier to see if we look at the "B" flight.

The low handicappers in the net competition are two players with 9 handicaps. The high handicappers are at 15. The difference is 6, which means that only on the 6 hardest rated holes will any competitor receive a stroke for skins. The skill difference (based on handicaps) between the players is maintained - we have just reduced the number of holes where strokes will be used.

I hope this helps. Comment if you have any questions.

Jeff

EDIT:

What all this means:
If we perform really well on a hole, we have a much better chance of getting a skin, because fewer of our competitors are getting strokes, and they are getting fewer strokes on more holes. And yet equity between skill levels is being maintained.

The Club is Looking for Photos!

CMSGA Members:

The club is looking to accumulate photos from our membership.

There are a few types of pictures we are thinking about.

Member Profile

It would be convenient to have a database of member profile pictures, so when you do something of note we have a picture to display. Currently we have the Hall of Fame page with profile shots, but with more member profile pics, maybe we could start incorporating photos in our weekly results.

Member Candids

It would have been nice at the recent banquet to have a slideshow on the large screen of member candid photos. Pictures of foursomes, actual golf shots of members, after-the-round pics, basically pics that bring smiles to viewers.

Course Photos

These could include glamour pics of both Costa Mesa courses. Also pictures of wildlife seen on the course. And then more objectively, it would be nice to have pics taken from (or behind) the tee box of each hole, the green of each hole, or obstructions and relief situations on the course. These pics could be useful for reference in discussions about certain course situations.

If you would like to participate in the above, please email your pics to cmseniorsgolf@gmail.com

Comment if you have any questions or ideas on this.

Thank you,

Jeff

Respecting the Course

Recently a member posted the following comment, and I believe it deserves additional exposure:

"I would like to remind everyone in our club that the area between 9 green and 10 tee is not a cart path or access to the tenth tee. There is a cement path that leads to the other side of the tenth tee. The grounds crew has done their best to repair that area so it is playable. Please show respect for course and lead by good example."

Can you think of some other areas of our home courses, where we sometimes tend to take a shortcut with our carts, when we really should take a slightly longer route and stay on the designated cart path?

The area between ML #3 green and #4 tee box is one that comes to my mind.

Please add your thoughts and suggestions, as to how we can do our part, and lead by good example.

Jeff

Championship ✔ Banquet ✔... Are we now in our Silly Season?

Do you all feel like me, and that our just-completed Club Championship followed by the banquet was a very-much-needed end-of-year celebration for the club?

For me it really, really felt good. The fact that I played terrible golf doesn't even matter, because everything else about Thursday (and Wednesday) was awesome. We should do it again next year, yes?

Now, let's take a look at what the remainder of the 2022 calendar year has in store.

October 6th we have our standard Individual Low Net on Mesa Linda. (This is where many of us try and make up for poor showings in the championship events).

Then we have three consecutive team events where we mix things up a bit with formats, including the Welk Tribute, a member-guest, and the Skee Memorial (with something that has to do with a turkey).

We follow this with another Individual Low Net, and then conclude the calendar year with another team event.

Our silly season, to close out the year.

Sounds like a whole bunch of fun and good times with good people!

Jeff

Results for September 15th, 2022

What a wonderful day to play a round of golf with a great bunch of friends.

A summary of the day's winners and top performers:

Low gross was a tie today between Pete De Boer and Alex Cruz with 71.

Overall low net goes to Richard Swingle with a 63.

Our Flight winners for todays event were A Flight Pete De Boer net 67, B Flight Bill Cloud net 66 and C Flight Richard Swingle net 63.

We also had multiple skin winners with Mike Edles in Flight A with 2 skins, and Russell Barrett in Flight C with 3 skins.

There were multiple CTP winners also with Mike Edles and Peter Cary each recording 2 .

Congratulations to all of our winners today.

Thanks to all for your patience in this very hectic event.  There were a lot of things that had to come together and it seemed to all work.

Ron Plummer, Tournament Director

Thursday, September 15 Results Here

Thanks to Ron for directing this complicated tournament.  The results of our various Club Championships are noted in another post.

2022 Club Championships

The 2022 Club Champion is Don Spreeman!

Don shot the lowest two day combined gross scores from Wednesday, September 15th at the Los Lagos white tees and Thursday, September 15th on the Mesa Linda white tees. Don's scores were 75 (LL) and 74 (ML) for a 149 total. Alex Cruz was second, with a 152 total. Dave Kent was third, with a 153 total.

Complete gross results here.

The 2022 Club Champion (net) is Rick Swingle!

Rick shot the lowest combined net, using the September 15th score, combined with his lowest net score from one our four eligible Mesa Linda tournaments starting in July. Rick shot a net 63 yesterday, combined with a net 64 from an earlier round, winning by a margin of several strokes. Rick's combined score was 127. Russ Barrett was second at 135. Bill Cloud was third at 136.

The A Flight Champion is Steve Stranak!

Steve's combined total was 137. Pete de Boer was second at 139. Multiple players tied for third at 140.

The B Flight Champion is Bill Cloud!

Bill's combined total was 136. Ken Otsubo was second at 138. Dean Skinner and Joseph Chien tied for third at 139

The C Flight Champion is Rick Swingle!

Rick's combined total was 127. Russ Barrett was second at 135. Bob Baker was third at 139.

Complete scores for Club Champion (net) and Flight Championships Here

October 6th Event

October 6th First Thursday Tournament sign up here

If you are unable to access refresh your screen or exit and re-enter on your browser.

This tournament will be on Mesa Linda. The format is individual low net and net skins by flight.

Thursday's Shotgun Event / Notes and Tips

Eighty Eight members teeing off at 7:15AM

With everyone's help we have a good chance of pulling this off smoothly.

Some general notes and tips for this event:

Weather forecast is approx. 72 degrees, 88% humidity.
Sunrise is 6:34AM. The moon phase will be 'waning gibbous', which some say can exacerbate a slice, but I don't know how true this is.
It could be very crowded at the driving range, practice putting greens, and the chipping green.

More on the driving range: If, say, half our members want to hit warm-ups on range, I am not sure logistically how this will happen, both in purchasing balls, finding a station, and all in less than 30 minutes from sunrise to cart departure.
Everyone should be at their assigned carts before 7AM, as the players heading out to the far end of the course may have to depart the clubhouse at that time (and walkers even earlier).

There are going to be non-club golfers on the course while we play - ahead of us and also behind us. These early bird golfers tend to play very fast, so be mindful of your Pace of Play. If you are out of position with a group on your tail, consider letting them play through.
As you head out to your starting hole, be aware there are going to be players on the course on the single digit holes. Take 18 fairway, and backtrack the holes (17, 16, 15, etc).
If you are in a "B" cart for a hole, remember to let the "A" carts take position closest to tee, before you park in the prime forward position.
I predict in advance there will be a traffic jam at hole #16 tee area.
Again, Pace of Play
Scorecards should be turned in to our Tournament Director Ron Plummer. If you don't see Ron, you can give to any board member, or drop in the normal box in the men's locker room.

Please comment on this post if you have any concerns or questions or tips.

Jeff

Winner - Kevin CurcioWebsite Golfball Giveaway - Sleeve of Callaway Warbird 2.0

Up for grabs in today's giveaway is a sleeve of Callaway Warbird 2.0 golf balls.

Yes - the balls have a logo on them (ABB), but they are also round and dimpled. 😊

To win this sleeve of balls, you...

Must be a CMSGA member
Cannot be a board member
Have not won a previous website giveaway (of which there has only been one)
Must be playing in the Shotgun event this Thursday
Must be the first to comment on this post, including your name, and here is the kicker:

Your comment must include the name of competitor whom you predict will be crowned Club Champion of the Club Championship Gross Competition. You don't have to get the winner correct to win the sleeve - you just need to stick your neck out there with a prediction, even if the prediction is you!

Here are the competitors to choose from

I will deliver the sleeve of balls to you on Thursday.

Good Luck!

Jeff

PS: If someone has already commented (and as such won the sleeve), feel free to still comment with your Club Champ prediction.

Club Championship / Gross Score Competition

Update 9/9/22 8:15PM

The field is set!

Here are the competitors, sorted by their 9/1/22 index:

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UPDATE 9/6/22 9:45PM

Bill Cloud and Gary Bennett have added their names to the competition. We now have a full slate of 16 competitors. Currently the highest index competitor is, well, me, sporting a 15.5 index. If you have a lower index feel free to bump me! No hard feelings. And if you are higher than a 15.5 you can add your name to the waitlist, in case there is a cancellation.

We will close this sign up list this Friday, September 9th at 5 PM.

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On September 14th and September 15th, CMSGA members will be competing for what is the most prestigious golfing title afforded to a CMSGA member:

🏆 CMSGA Club Champion 2022 🏆

Folks - this is a big deal.

Recently I had the opportunity to *interview two of the prior CMSGA Club Champs who are teeing it up again this year, and here is what they had to say:

2021 Champion Dave Kent
"People I don't know say 'Hi Champ' to me, which is nice, and also kind of weird"

2017 Champion Mike Edles
"Seriously? I won? Was not aware of that. Cool"

Along with Dave defending his title and Mike hoping to remember one, we have a handful of members who have come up short in the past, but are giving it another go. For the past seven years Don Spreeman has competed (and came close!), while David Basille, James Meyer, Dave Wilson, and Rusty Hendrix hope the 3rd time is the charm.

My question to the membership is:

If you can play back-to-back rounds on Wednesday and Thursday, why aren't you playing in this? Add your name to the list! It's true that if we get more than 16 players signed up, the lowest index players will have priority, so you could get bumped.

As of this writing (9/5/22 3PM) there are still two spots open, with yours truly sitting on the bubble to get bumped. I'm ok if I get bumped. There are 69 members who are carrying a better index in the club than me, and I would love to see some more of them competing.

And remember, there is no index limit on competing - just the 16 player max. So grab a spot if you can play. If you aren't bumped, then know that you are indeed one of the 16 best CMSGA members competing for the title. That means something.

Good luck to all competitors!

Jeff

* these interviews may not have actually happened

Advance Payments Required for Golf and Banquet

Everyone should have received the below email from Bill Cloud. Just reposting it here for added visibility.

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Our current arrangement with having the pro shop collect our tournament green fees and cart fees will not work for our 7:15 AM shotgun start tournament on September 15th. We need to collect the green fees and cart fees now. We have updated the sign up sheet on the web to include payment status for each of the possible four items due that day. We will write one check to the course covering our green fees and cart fees.

A few people need to let us know whether they will take a cart or not. Those names are in red and have red question marks.

If your CMSGA balance has enough money, we will use that for all the fees. If your name is in red, You can find the amount needed to cover all due fees next to your name. The full details of how we got that number is shown on the CMSGA member balance spreadsheet (on our website - right column - CMSGA member balances). We have made over a thousand entries to this spreadsheet. If you suspect an error, please let us know.

You may make a payment to us by PayPal or by check. There is a variable payment link on the website and sign up sheet to either pay the minimum, or a little more for upcoming tournaments if you choose. Couples may make a combined payment and we can pool the funds.

There are still a few openings and a chance to add yourself to the banquet list. We will need to give a head count to Newport Rib in a few days.

Thanks, Bill Cloud

September Championships

We need to collect green fees and cart fees now!

The sign up process for the September Championship Events is different from our usual monthly tournament. You will be signing up for a tee group and not a tee time. The September 15th tournament is a 7:15 modified shotgun start on Mesa Linda. We should have space for everyone who wants to play that day. The 1 pm banquet at the Newport Rib Company will offer a separate sign up sheet. You may sign up for the banquet on the same sheet where you sign up for the tournament. You may sign up for the banquet separately, whether you play in the tournament or not. We will transfer the names from the tournament sign up to the banquet sign up, if the player indicates they want both. Although it is optional, please consider taking a cart for this day to expedite an on time start. We are asking to indicate whether you are attending the banquet or intend to take a cart on the sign up sheet.

Pairings, Starting Holes & Payment Status for Thursday, September 15th 7:15 AM Shotgun Here

Also review your low prior net data and let us know if you plan to take a cart (recommended).

Expected Attendees for Thursday, September 15th 1 pm Banquet at the Newport Rib Company Here

The competition for Club Champion (gross) is limited to 16 players with priority to those with the lowest indexes. The first round is played Wednesday, September 14th, with tee times starting at 8 AM, from the white tees on Los Lagos. The player with the lowest combined gross from the Wednesday and Thursday tournaments will be the 2022 Club Champion.

Low Handicappers Wednesday, September 14th Los Lagos White Tee Tee Times for Round One of the 2022 CMSGA Club Championship Here

We have a new PayPal payment option on our website (and on the sign up sheet). Through the "Make Variable Payment to CMSGA" link, you may enter the amount your want to pay. To pay for the September 15th tournament and banquet, you could enter $24 as the payment amount. To pay for two players for both, you could enter $48. If you are competing for the gross championship, you could enter $36 for September 14th, September 15th tournament and banquet. You can also use your CMSGA balance to pay for a custom amount, just let us know what it is your are wanting to do. The new link is untested, so there may be some troubleshooting involved. Thanks for your patience.