2023 Schedule

Here's our schedule for next year. Plan your vacations accordingly:

First Tee - Tampa Bay Fundraising

Good afternoon my FBGC friends! Several of you have received this in an email, but I thought it might be good to put it in a post in case I didn't have the correct email or was missing an email altogether. Chandler has already started the ball rolling with a donation, so big thanks to Dear Leader.

I joined the advisory board for the First Tee Tampa Bay for '22-'23, and in doing so I have pledged to raise $1,500 in donations this year. Since you all have taken so much of my money in golf bets and tournament purses, I am hoping you will reward my generous and reckless betting by giving back to this great organization. See below for just an example of my league giving:

FTTB provides golf introduction and instruction to over 90,000 Hillsborough County kids and has some great programs for kids over the summer, during school breaks, and during school. They run the Tampa Junior Tour and are also starting a forecaddie program that pays kids in scholarship money and will hopefully one day be able to qualify some of them for the Evans Scholarship.

It's a fantastic program helping kids learn lessons in life as well as golf, and I hope you'll help out by donating some money to the cause and including J.W. Ferguson in the "Notes" or "Comments" section to help me reach my fundraising goal. Here is the link to donate:

Give Today!!!

Thanks,

Dub

Club Outing

The USGA used to require we host non golf related Club events. Even though we aren’t under their tyrannical rule, we are having an official off-season outing this Friday - November 11th - at Red Dog. 8pm. Come out and bring your WAGs if you’d like to be social.

2022 Winter Board Meeting Notes

The improvement of our Club continues!

 

Let's start with my favorite topic... things we rejected:

• Buchert suggested the ability to raise (and I assume lower) handicaps based on the perceived playing ability of a Member. This was rejected 0-5. 
• Technically, the Handicap Committee (which is the Board in our case) has the ability to do this under USGA Rules of Handicapping 7.1. But that's typically reserved for injuries. And you people are only mentally injured.
  

• Buchert suggested "gimmies" after "good shots," which he claims happens "one or two times per round." This was rejected 1-4, with John voting in favor.
• Faz doubted the frequency of these alleged "good shots," while Chandler argued the best part of hitting a "good shot" to "a couple of inches" was slowly walking up and taking your time tapping it in as a way to troll your playing partners.

• Gorecki wanted more random pairings, outside of the 3 we have in our first four weeks. This was rejected 0-5.
• While not the worst idea we've ever heard, the Board didn't feel like a change was needed.

• Gorecki wanted to add a rule for bailing, which historically has been called "Gorecki-ing." This failed 0-5.
• Faz wants Gorecki to name courses we are missing out on due to un-signed contracts. Chandler already explained on a previous post how this rarely comes up. Chandler also reiterated that if any Member costs the Club money — for any reason — we will recoup it.

• Melberg wants to scrap all handicaps and just play straight-up from different tee boxes, based on your Index. This failed 0-5.

Here are the changes we've implemented:

•  Buchert wants the defending Champion to pick his tee time. This was approved 4-1, with Chandler dissenting.
• We're going to allow the defending Champ's preference for the first three (non Skins) events of the season. Pairings will still be random, and if you're in the Champ's group, you'll go out when they desire. Skins Game will continue to pair by Index, allowing the better (and faster) players to go out first.
  

• A new Cash-Out policy was approved 5-0. Starting immediately, you can request Dear Leader to send you any balance above two seasons worth of dues during the winter off-season. Currently that number would be $270.
• Coincidentally, we realized Geoff had a balance of $271. He immediately made a request, and was paid in full.

Physical cash payouts are at the discretion of Dear Leader.

 

 Changes to the Rapture (all of these approved 5-0):

•  Handicap Indexes used at the Rapture will lock at the end of the Summer season.
• This will disincentivize any manipulating of Indexes, and hopefully allow people to focus on improving before the event.

• The Rapture Draft will be held ASAP after the end of the Summer season.

• Rapture qualifying — including Captain qualifying — will now lock at the end of the Summer season (previously locked after Summer Week 3).
• World Golf Rankings will still be used, which is based on a rolling 18 events.

These are some pretty big changes to our premier event.

Enjoy the off-season, and I'll see you at the next BGR event!

2022 Winter Board Meeting

We're having a Board Meeting on Thursday. Comment any policy or playing rules changes you want us to consider. We don't really have a good track record of approving Member suggestions... but that's usually because the ideas are bad.

Anyhoo... comment away!