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!
Accept sponsorship proposals for club, opening up event names, course hosting, official _____ of the Ft Brooke Golfers Club, etc.
ReplyDeleteI came to the realization sometime between the 2021 Winter Board Meeting and this year's Winter Board Meeting that the League is the well oiled machine that our Dear Leader has been telling us it is for years. The Rules that are currently in place irreproachably identify the best golfer in the League over the course of a season. I am not sure what happened to make me see the light, but I see it now. There is absolutely nothing that needs to be changed.
ReplyDeleteHowever, a Board Meeting would not be complete without some really stupid suggestions, so I will do my part:
1. The Mike Hauch Rule. I am just going to put this out there for the world to know: I don't steal candy from babies. Ho playing at a 5 handicap when his historical scoring average is 90.5 is the golfing equivalent of stealing candy from a baby. His win percentage was near the all time low when he was a double digit handicap. Now he is expected to give strokes to every golfer in the League and somehow compete? I know that Ho has stated that he likes giving his money away, but we must come up with a way to protect Ho from himself.
2. The Your Shot Was So Good That You Don't Have to Putt Rule. On rare occasions, someone in your group will hit an approach or chip shot to a couple of inches. The shot is so good that it seems like it violates the spirit of the game to make him go get his putter to tap it in. For the most part, I kind of like the no gimmie rule. However, there is usually one or two times per round where it is clearly unnecessary and would also speed up pace of play just a smidge if we could pick up the ball. I do realize that defining a "great shot" and the distance from the hole needed to give the putt would make drafting a clear rule nearly impossible. I also think that 23 out of the 24 players in the League would have no problem applying this rule if we just ask everyone to use common sense.
3. Tee times for the first three tournaments of the year. I have learned over the last two months that there are not a lot of perks for winning a Cup. By not a lot of perks, I actually mean no perks. I have lost all hope that a Champion’s Yeti will ever arrive at my front door. To give a small perk to the previous season's champion, I would suggest making the champ's group the first group to tee off for the first three tournaments of the year when we have the random pairings / tee times.
#2 isn't going to pass - see Gorecki's Gimmie Debate from 2014.
ReplyDeleteYou two have also spent more time typing words on the topic than it takes to walk up and tap-in your "good shot."
Mike Wahn refuses to take my calls. While I do have some concerns that the handicap system is unfair to low handicap players in larger fields where the majority of the field has high handicaps, I will also acknowledge that the low amount of wins by low handicappers may just be a reflection of the fact that we have a very small number of low handicappers. In fact, Dave and Melberg both have decent win percentages, so my "concerns" could be completely unfounded. Ultimately, I just like to give Hauch shit about being a 5 handicap because deep down I am completely jealous of the amount of time that he has been able to dedicate to golf and how much he has improved.
ReplyDelete23 out of 24 people in the League would have no problem applying the rule. Chandler correctly identified who I was worried about.
While I would love for Suggestion #3 to pass, I guess not everyone likes playing in the first group. I personally hate playing in the later groups because you have to be at the course ready to tee off when the first group is "scheduled" to tee off just in case the course can get us out early. If the first group tees off at their scheduled time, then you might have up to 45 minutes before your group tees off. It's probably the lawyer in me, but I like to have my tee time set in stone so I know the night before when I need to wake up to take care of stuff around the house and then leave the house to get to the course to get in a 10 to 15 minute warm up. I have found that warming up for 30 minutes or more really doesn't have any positive effect on my game.
You could get to the course 30 minutes before your tee time... dick around for 15 minutes... maybe flirt with some of the ladies in the Countryway grill... and then go warm up for 15 minutes?
ReplyDeleteHere are the policy or playing rules changes I'd like the Board to consider:
ReplyDelete1. Discuss/Amend Winnings & Payouts. Every member must pay their entry fees via paypal/venmo so can the board discuss paying out this same way? Maybe first propose collecting at start of season and paying out at end? Unless someone wants to be "Travis Like" and be in charge of distributing winnings each week.
2. Discuss/Amend Tee Time Pairings based on Standings. With the 24 member league size and the first group teeing off / finishing about an hour ahead of the last, its rare to be able to see and hang out with the majority of the league especially in the clubhouse after. And when there's not much movement in standings, you sometimes play with the same ppl for several events. So can the board discuss increasing the number of random pairings events? (Keep Skins Event pairings based on HC / Match Play Event and Final Event pairings based on Standings)
3. Add a League Rule Regarding Bailing. I learned this season that sometimes the Commish purposely doesn't book courses that requires a credit card up front and will charge the person booking the tee times for no shows. So I took on that risk and signed an agreement vouching to pay for any no shows at Orange County Nat'l. Chandler posted on the blog for that event that players would be responsible for their payment should there be a no show and we get charged. Everyone showed and the league seemed to enjoy playing that course and wants to return to play their other course (Panther Lake). I can see his hesitation when booking with courses that require these no show fees, but its hindering us from playing certain courses. So can the board discuss a way to adopt a rule where a player is financially responsible should they bail and the course charges for it. Hopefully as a result we can continue to reserve courses like OCN for league events.
Initial thoughts on Gorecki's bad ideas:
ReplyDelete1) We already collect at the start of the season. And Dan brought cash that one day... not Travis. Also, Gorecki who complained for a year about his balance barely has enough to cover next season. Fallen on hard times, indeed.
2) Any time you don't see or hang out with someone after golf... it's because they don't want to be seen or hang out.
3) This rarely applies. There aren't a lot of places that make us sign something up front. But consider this... you want the Club to go after people (financially) if they bail, but you also DON'T want us to hold on to a balance (see your #1 request)? Holding onto a balance is the easiest way to recoup penalties. It's also weird to hear the King of Bailing speak out about the possibility of people bailing.
Actually, let me go ahead and get this story on the record - regarding Gorecki's #3 request.
ReplyDeleteOutside of the Rapture, I've NEVER signed an agreement. I've had two courses in history "threaten" that I need a certain number to show up: Lake Jovita and Reunion. Lake Jovita said it to me over the phone years ago (not since), and Reunion won't even let us play there anymore without staying overnight.
Gorecki wanted to book OCN last season (he does offer to help from time to time), so I told him to go for it. He then starts texting me screen shots of some contract, asking who is going to sign it. I replied: "You. I don't book places that make us sign a contract."
While that is true, I didn't mean it to sound like we've AVOIDED courses with contracts. This was technically the first time it came up - and I wasn't going to sign it. So I'm not sure what he thinks we're missing out on.
I do hesitate to vote on rules just for the sake of making rules. We have rules for people bailing, how many pitchers you owe if you WD, what happens if you show up and your group has already teed off, who you ride with in Match Play, when you can clean your ball, how to handle a lost ball (near OB, in trees, in a wide-open clearing), where you can drop... etc etc. And most of you don't know the answer to any of those.
I didn't think it was possible, but some of you seem to like rules more than I do!
I just wabt to be able to putt when I’m ready to putt, and too often I’m waiting on other folks and their laborious pre-shot routines even for what would have previously been a tap in gimme.
ReplyDeleteGorecki suggestion thoughts: the board meetings will be miserable when he’s on there after the next election. I implore some other of you to run for at least my vacated seat as I will not seek re-election. I’ll endorse Buchert right now if he wants to run even if his high handicap bias is ridiculous. It’s just as hard for anyone to win this league and it’s going to be harder if your handicap is on a low swing.
We talk about payments every year. In general, if you desperately need the money, I’m sure you could ask Chandler for a cash out. Otherwise just let it slide and enjoy not paying for a season or two. Gorecki, do you really need that $15?
I’ll disagree with Chandler’s comment. I want to be seen and hang out, but I want to stay married more. So I guess we could split hairs about long term and short term desires and relative wants, but Chandler’s anti-family slants need pushback.
Our course rotation is pretty good. A golf recession is going to happen within the next couple years, and then it’ll be even better without laying down credit cards for spots. If your OCN experience was so great, feel free to do that in the future and let everyone know how early you have to cancel to not be charged. That can be a case by case basis just like our tee committee selecting which tees are able for play on Sundays.
And I almost added we have plenty of rules already, and making one more for a rare occasion that can be handled without a set process doesn’t need to happen. Chandler was already on it.
ReplyDeleteTell me again why I need to attend a board meeting tomorrow if it’s already taking place in the comments?
ReplyDeleteSame reason politicians go on cable news before voting on bills?
ReplyDeleteThis will never pass but just for shits and giggles.. my proposal is to get rid of strokes altogether; instead, we play the suggested tees of our index. As far as the concussion goes, there doesn't seem to be a real solution so we just replace that tourney all together.
ReplyDeleteFaz wants to know why shits are being given on the shits given page 'cause normally nobody gives a shit.
ReplyDeleteI’m fully on board for the Buchert ‘23 campaign
ReplyDeleteWhile all of us have different hot-button issues, like the Payout Coalition and their incessant thirst to physically hold every dollar attached to their name...
ReplyDeleteI'm going to want every potential 2023 candidate to tell us the average number of proposed Board Meeting dates they need before finding a time they can attend.
Weekends are typically bad, so I don’t know why you’re so surprised we couldn’t make a Friday or Saturday work. We’ve never done it on a weekend before.
ReplyDelete