The overall theme of the meeting was the Board's desire to reinforce that the Club and weekly league events should be your "biggest priority." Obviously other obligations come up from time to time. But in general... we should be viewed as a serious organization.
This isn't at all related to anyone specific. We just want it to be the basis of any policy changes.
So anyway... every decision was unanimous unless otherwise noted:
Membership
Crum passed the initial Board approval vote 4-1. In the next couple of weeks I'll email a ballot to everyone for his Club approval. Assuming he gets enough votes, he'll be an official member next season.
Two members were brought up for removal from the Club due to conduct. In order to begin that procedure, we needed four affirmative votes:
Gorecki's removal failed 2 - 3.
Brendan's removal failed 0 - 5.
Tee Boxes
The Board decided to not make an official ruling on tee boxes. The "set-up committee" will continue to allow whatever tee boxes they see fit. We felt applying some strict definition of what is allowable would only complicate the issue if an anomaly arose down the road (conditions, a players physical limitations, etc). So each tournament we will continue to list the approved tee boxes... and you can choose any from that list.
Handicap Allowance Changes
We are not going to adjust any of the handicap allowances at this time. But if JW or Brendan win any more events, then we will revisit.
Max Scores
We decided the +5 max is working, and didn't feel the need make any changes. Moving to +6 or 10 max on every hole was discussed. But +5's seem like a good number for now.
Ties for 1st Place
Everyone on the Board dislikes ties for first place. However, everyone was also against moving to a "scorecard tiebreaker." We felt it was too subjective, random, and didn't make the subsequent victory feel "earned." The only acceptable solution would be sudden-death playoffs... but that's not possible for various reasons (some courses wouldn't let us, many of you people don't stick around afterwards, etc). Ultimately, we convinced ourselves that ties for 1st place actually make the overall season standings tighter, and thus better.
Penalty for WDs and DQs
We wanted to make an official decision on this, since multiple scenarios have happened:
WD before the day of event (midnight): No penalty. Keep your money. Get called a "Gorecki."
WD the morning of an event (after midnight): No pitchers owed, but your entry fee goes to the Club.
No-Show: No pitchers owed. Your entry fee stays in the pot for the tournament.
WD/DQ during a round: Entry fee stays in the pot. You get 1 net stroke added to your current score per hole remaining in order to determine owed pitchers. So if you are +9 at the turn and decide to quit, you'll be considered +18 and owe one pitcher. This is severely less penal than what we've been doing. You're welcome.
The Board also keeps the ability to waive any penalties depending on your situation.
Greenies on Par 4s
If you drive a green and two putt, you get a greenie.
Waste Bunker Sandies
If a waste bunker is next to a green, and you get up-and-down for par or better, then you get a sandie. You all know what "up-and-down" means. Don't come to me saying you two-putted and want it to count.
Winter Season
There will not be an official Winter Season. Enjoy your time off. Sports are back. Everyone is encourage to host an event. Don't text Dear Leader asking him to set something up. Make a post, book some tee times, and let's play! If anyone wants to post but doesn't know how, let us know.
Bailing on Match Play
If someone WDs before the day of play, we'll re-shuffle the field and pairings.
If someone WDs the morning of or no-shows (see penalties above), then they get an official Match Play loss... and their opponent gets an official win and the 100 points that accompany it. This is a change from how we've handled it in the past.
Entry Fees for Skipped Events
We are not changing our current policy. If you skip an event (with proper notice), you do not get charged an entry fee.
Penalty for Arriving Late
This was a lively discussion, not because we all disagreed... but because it's very difficult to create an enforceable rule. John summed it up as: "We are all adults," meaning this shouldn't even be a thing. Yet, here we are. The Board voted to implement two new policies:
1) All players are expected to be at the course, checked in, and ready to play by the FIRST posted tee time.
2) If your group tees off without you, then you'll receive a max score for each hole until you re-join the group.
Yes, we are aware the last group could tee off 30-ish minutes after the first group. So you're more than welcome to roll the dice that we don't go out early. We just don't see how arriving at the very last possible second does anyone any good. It only leads to your group-mates having to delay their round.
Here are some real-life examples from last season:
- Tall Mike was the last person to arrive at Cheval. His group (A) was supposed to go out first, but ended up having to slide back to the third spot. This would be OK as long as it's before the first posted time (we went out slightly early). But once the first posted time arrives, Group A is allowed to tee off without him. Moostie would get the max on every hole where he didn't tee off with his group.
- Tall Mike (Group E) showed up extremely late to Waterlefe. Well past the first posted tee time, and even past his group's unofficial tee time. They graciously waited on him. Under the new policy, they can still do that... or they can leave him and make him take the max for each hole missed. So if you're running late, call your group and give them a sob story.
- Tall Mike (Group C) was on the putting green when his group teed off at Esplanade. Gorecki physically drove back to get him while the rest of us stood in the fairway. Under the new policy, Moostie would have received a max 9 for the hole, and Gorecki would have won the season!
