Wednesday League Play

            The Los Altos Golf Association (LAGA) sponsors league play every Wednesday morning, weather permitting, except for December, January and when greens are being top dressed.  Any LAGA member with a USGA handicap is eligible to play.  New members with 5 scores entered in the computer may have a temporary handicap calculated and be eligible to play.

 

            SIGN UP - Entry fee $5.00.  Completed entry forms for the following Wednesday are taken in the clubhouse starting about an hour before each Wednesday event, until 30 minutes before the last tee time.  Entry fees should be stapled to the back of the form.  One to four persons may sign up on each form.  All players on an entry form will normally be paired together.  If no one is manning the desk, blank entry forms are left on the counter.  They may be filled out and dropped in the locked LAGA box, with $5.00 entry fee attached.  Starting times are determined by a blind draw.   The draw is made each Wednesday for the following Wednesday.  Tee times are usually posted by Thursday morning on the LAGA bulletin board, in the pro shop and on the LAGA web page, www.abqlaga.org.   We will schedule two waves if more than 120  golfers sign up. The 2nd Wave will start about 4.5 hours after the 1st Wave first Tee Time.  If you or your group are scheduled to play in the 2nd Wave and you do not wish to play in Wave 2, make a note on your entry form “No Second Wave”.   You or your group will be carried over to the following week for the 1st Wave.

 

            FORMAT - The format is individual net medal play, flighted by handicap, along with handicapped skins, all for a $5.00 entry fee.  Flights usually have 12 to 15 players, determined by the total number of entrants.  Winners (usually 1st 2nd and 3rd) are paid in cash. For skins, your hole by hole net score is compared against the hole by hole net score of each other golfer in your fight. If your net score for any hole is lower than everyone else in the flight, you win a skin.  The more skins won, the less each one is worth.  $3 out of the $5 entry fee goes to individual medal play and the other $2 goes to the skin pot. 

           

CLOSEST TO THE PIN (CTP) – Entry fee $1,  The first time a player enters league play in 2007, he must declare for the entire year whether he is “in” or “out” of the CTP competition.  On holes 4, 7 & 15 players “in” the CTP compete against players in their “group”.  Players entered will be divided into groups by handicap, i.e. 0-10, 11-19 and 20-above.  A clipboard with a list of players, a pencil and a tape measure will be left beside holes 4, 7 & 15.  Note: weekly entry fees will be $6.00 for players in the CTP and $5.00 for those not participating in CTP.

 

            HOLE IN ONE INSURANCE – We offer hole in one insurance for a cost of $3.00 that will cover your Wednesday League Play for the year.  The first insured player with a hole in one during league play wins $200, thereafter $100 or whatever is left in the fund will be awarded for subsequent holes in one.  If funds are available, we may pay $25.00 for eagles on 4 pars and/or $5.00 for closest to the pin on your second shot on two selected par four holes.

 

            SENIOR FLIGHT – Entry $1.  This is an additional flight for those 60 and over that want to enter.  It is a separate flight or flights, played simultaneously with the regular tournament, and is also individual net medal play.  Payoff is usually three or four places depending on how many players are entered. 

 

            RULES OF PLAY -  Follow the USGA rules of golf and LAGA’s local rules as posted on the bulletin board.  Course conditions occasionally require adjustments that you will be informed of (otherwise play the ball as it lies and putt out on each hole- no gimmee putts).  If you do not complete a hole (pick up before putting out, etc.) you are disqualified from the flight individual medal play, but you remain eligible for skins on all holes completed.

 

SLOW PLAY – Slow play has sometimes been a problem.  To help stop slow play: (1) Play ready golf.  (2) Watch the shots of others in your group so you can help locate errant shots.  (3) If your shot has any possibility of being out of bounds or lost, play a provisional ball until you can determine if your original ball is in play.  (4) Be ready to putt when it’s your turn, and rather than marking, putt out if you can do so without stepping on someone else’s line.  Groups or individuals that are identified as playing slow will be warned and may be required to play as the last group or last player of future events.  Persistent slow players will be asked to correct the situation or not play in our events.  A foursome should be able to play Los Altos in 4 hours.  Anything over 4:10 is slow play.

 

DOUBLE POSTING – Exceptionally low scores will be double posted to your GHIN number.  This is to insure your handicap index more accurately reflects your current play.  An exceptional score is a net score that is 4 or more strokes lower than the course rating.  The white tees at Los Altos are rated at 67.7, so a net score of 63 or lower will be posted twice by the committee.  Generally, it will only lower your index by one point or less.  Repeated exceptional scores may result in your handicap being modified.  The Wednesday League Committee posts all League scores after the tournament so you do not have to put them in yourself.  The same is true for weekend tournament scores.

 

CANCELLATIONS - You may cancel your tee time by calling Chuck Newman at 298-2323 or other Wednesday volunteers by 9PM on the Monday prior to play.  Failure to do so will result in forfeiture of entry fee.  Illness and emergencies will not be penalized.  If you did not turn in an entry slip for the draw, you may call Chuck Newman to see if there are any cancellations or openings.