CCMGA NEWSLETTER
Second Quarter 2003                                               Newsletter Archives
   
Published by the Cave Creek Men's Golf Association 


NEW TOURNAMENT HANDICAP POLICY

The Board of Governors recently acquired software specifically designed 
to quickly review the current status of any CCMGA member’s handicap. With 
this acquisition the Board was able to explore a number of options for 
determining tournament handicaps.

Following an analysis of the pros and cons of each option, the Board 
selected the following method which it believes will provide the most 
equitable and consistent results.

Effective May 1, 2003, a member’s lowest three of five scores in sanctioned 
CCMGA home or away tournaments, or his current AGA handicap, whichever is 
lower, will determine his handicap for tournament play.

(Note: Members playing in their first CCMGA tournament will receive their 
AGA handicap. For members with one, but less than five, tournament scores, 
the following formula will be used to determine their lowest tournament score: 
one of one, one of two, two of three and three of four.)

NEW ENTRANCE QUALIFICATIONS FOR OUR THREE 'MAJORS.'

Effective July 1, 2003, all entrants in the President’s Cup, the Club 
Championship and the Two Man Team Championship must meet the following 
requirement: 

Participation in two CCMGA tournaments in the past 12 months, and been 
a member of CCMGA for at least four months prior to their entry into 
any of these tournaments.

SECOND QUARTER COMING ATTRACTIONS

April 19, Saturday - Junior/Senior Combined -Gross & Net. 
See entry form for details. Entry deadline is 5:00 PM April 13.

May 3 & 4, Saturday and Sunday - President’s Cup. First and second place 
winners will represent CCMGA in the AGA two-man invitational on Friday 
May l6 at Grande Valley GC in Tucson. This will be a flighted tournament 
with three divisions: Open, under 50; Senior 50 to 64 and Super Senior, 
65 and up. All play will be from the blue tees. The entry fee is $25 
payable by check to the CCMGA. There will be CTP’s on all three pars, 
and an optional team skins game. The field size is 132. The entry 
deadline is 5:00 PM April 27.

June 7 & 8, Saturday and Sunday - Club Championship. 
This is a 36 hole, flighted, gross only tournament with one overall winner. 
There will be three divisions: 

Open: under 50, 
Senior 50 to 64 
Super Senior, 65 and up. 

All play will be from the blue tees. The entry fee is $25 payable 
by check to the CCMGA. There will be CTP’s on all three pars, and an 
optional team skins game. The field size is 132. The entry deadline 
is 5:00 PM, June 1.

NOTE TO ALL MEMBERS WITH INTERNET ACCESS

If you haven’t done so already, we urge you to check out our web site, ccmga.net. 
Here you’ll find tournament results and entry forms, our newsletters, members’ 
forum and access to national and international golf news. You can also do peer 
reviews and post your scores electronically. We also need more web site users 
to sign up on the Members Directory. When you do you will receive our newsletters 
by E-mail. At 37 cents a pop, every stamp we don’t have to buy is much appreciated 
by our treasurer.

WORTH REPEATING

"Spring is sprung
The Bermuda is rising
But you know where the divots are hiding."

You can ignore the bad poetry, but, please, don’t ignore the divots. Sand bottles 
provided by CCMGA have been installed on a number of carts. When you get one of 
those carts, make a habit of filling every divot you can without holding up play. 
For refills look for sand piles at the north end of the practice range teeing area; 
below the second tee near the bike path; across the bike path when coming off 
number three green or from the number four tee; between number six tee and 
number 17 green and at the start of the left side of number 12 fairway next 
to the wash. Every CCMGA member will appreciate your efforts. Course Superintendent, 
Bob Lytle, also notes that we should have a good crop of Bermuda this year. We 
didn’t overseed and the rains helped. Some fertilizer and a little aeration and, 
he says, we should have great playing conditions for our major tournaments. 
He added that the new tee marker signs purchased by CCMGA should arrive soon. 
They will go up on holes 7, 9, 12, 13, 14 and 16, and that will complete the 
new signage project started earlier this year.

TOURNAMENT PLAY CHECKLIST  

IT is mandatory that score cards be exchanged between competing players and 
attested to and signed at the completion of the round
ONLY golf balls on the USGA’s List of Conforming golf balls may be used. If you 
are in doubt about your brand, the list is available on the USGA’s web site, usga.org
THE 14-club rule is in effect for all tournaments, at home and away.
UNLESS a USGA rule allows a substitution, you must hole out with the ball 
played from the teeing ground. Substitution of your favorite 'putting' ball 
on the green will cost you two strokes in stroke play and loss of hole in 
match play.

GOLF'S PLAGUE - SLOW PLAY 

Having played the game for more than 40 years I have read and heard enough 
slow play solutions to fill an entire library. And slow play is still with us, 
and it seems to be getting worse. And at this point I’m ready to admit the 
'enemy is us. Until at least one member in every group of golfers summons 
up the courage to insist on a 'pace of play' that will result in a round 
being completed in four hours or less, the “plague” will continue to be with us.

THE GOLFERS DID IT 

Roger Patee, a member of the first CCMGA Board of Governors, and now a 
resident of Savannah, GA, says the idea of a golf course on a city dump 
wasn’t popular with the City Fathers of that time. He recalls members of 
the Parks and Recreation Department saying the idea was 'impossible' and 
'never will happen.' But Roger and other members of an ad hoc committee 
of muny golfers persisted in their belief that it could be done and the 
players would come. And they won. And they were right. Their foresight 
gave Phoenix Cave Creek, a course that is at or near the top year after 
year in number of rounds played on city courses.

PREPARE FOR FATHER'S DAY 

Here is a high-tech accessory you might want to subtly suggest to family 
members would make a great Father’s Day gift.

The Windling. With this miniature digital anemometer you can accurately 
measure wind speed before selecting a club for that all-important approach 
shot. Cost: $49.95.

FINAL THOUGHT 

The course is shaping up, the weather is great and our major tournaments 
are coming up. Three good reasons to invite a friend to join CCMGA. Membership 
applications are available in the pro shop and on our web site. . 


CCMGA
15202 N. 19TH Ave.
Phoenix, AZ 85023