SSBGC 4Q Directors Meeting Minutes – 

October 4, 2019

 

ATTENDEES

 

Steve Hill. Greg Roberts, Ray Sandoval, and Ted Sonju, (Joe Woodman absent)

 

MEETING CALLED TO ORDER at 9:40 a.m.

 

OLD BUSINESS

 

The minutes of the July 5, 2019 3Q Board meeting were previously approved via emails and posted on our web site.

 

DIRECTOR REPORTS

 

Tournaments and Accounting (Ray Sandoval)

 

Accounting- Ray presented a handout listing all recent transactions. Our current balance is $8760. All bills have been paid except the outstanding balance due to the Solvang courses. More members are using Zelle which makes life easier for Ray. 

Tournaments- The schedule for the rest of 2019 is good. We are all set for a 7:30 shotgun start at Alta Vista and we may use their restaurant for our General Meeting. We do not have a contract yet for the December 12 tournament at Navy but Hattie has assured us of the slot for a 9:00 shotgun, hopefully including range balls.

 

Handicap & Membership (Greg Roberts)

We have a new member, Ron Overton. We now have 65 members, not counting the two that have joined in error. Ted has corrected the defaults with the SCGA. We now have 15 days to approve an applicant, and if we do not respond the applicant is not admitted. Ted has been receiving notifications of renewals. He will forward them to Greg and Ray.

 

Special Events and Rules & Archives (Steve Hill)

 

Steve reviewed recent surveys. All venues have been generally approved by the membership. Still watching for the cloakroom phantom.

 

Tournament Day Facilitator  (Joe Woodman)

No report.

 

 

Chairman and Communications Director Report (Ted Sonju)

 

It was reported that the website is up-to-date in all aspects except for the posting of photos of new members. He has more photos from Woody that he will put up. MPC results are on the “2019 Match Play Championships” page. The Knuth Stroke Reduction Table is current, and these reductions will continue to be applied in the next tournament. We should continue to encourage the membership to log in to the web site to review all the information available there.

 

MORE OLD BUSINESS

 

Reflections

Ray had completed the written reflections in memory of Ray Sr. and Jim DeToskey, and has emailed them to Ted. Ted will select an appropriate page and post them on our web site.

 

Pace of Play

This issue was discussed at length. We seem to be doing pretty well, finishing in 4-1/2 hours, but some still do not feel the urgency in keeping up with the group in front.  A number of players are now at some level of warnings that could lead to score adjustments. At the beginning of the new year the program will be reemphasized.

 

Rules Violations by Members

Observations of behavior of several members were discussed. Most violations seemed to be inadvertent. New members have been made aware that this club does play by the rules, no exceptions, and the most basic rule is that the player must try to minimize his score on every hole until in the hole.

 

Final Schedule for  2019 

As previously reported, we are all set for the rest of the year. The schedule posted on our web site is current. On Day 3 at Solvang the Scramble rules will change slightly, requiring 5 drives minimum by each player on par 4’s.

 

Knuth System Implementation Status

The Table posted on our web site is up-to-date. Sonju leads the pack with a reduction of 5 strokes.  The table is now based upon a running past-twelve-month period. Ted will attempt to keep the system current during the Solvang series.

 

Potential 2020 Board Members

Ray has received responses to his outreach from Ed Ornelas, Greg Gomez, and potentially Mike Coulter.

 

 

Listing of Board Member Activities

Ray requested that all Board members provide him with a list of the activities that they have been performing. Board members said they would do so. The new 2020 Board will reassign these activities among board members based upon individual inclinations and capabilities.

 

NEW BUSINESS

 

Reestablishment of the Hole-In-One Insurance fund

Fund has been restarted, and Greg will maintain the fund and the list of participating members.

 

Increase of Prize Fund Contribution

Pros and cons were discussed. Board consensus was that this item should be requested for inclusion on the General Meeting agenda.

 

Nominations to be presented at November Meeting

Potential candidates were noted above. Ray will send Ted a final list before the election so that Ted can prepare a written ballot. As always nominations will be accepted from the floor during the meeting.

 

Other November General Meeting Agenda Items

Continuation of the Knuth System will be an item on the agenda. The new World Handicap System may have a bearing on decisions, and some of the changes in that new system were discussed. Ted will send an email to the general membership asking for items that they want placed on the agenda.  All requests will be honored, and the resulting written agenda will be sent out a day or two before the meeting.

 

Tentative tournament schedule for 2020

Ray’s tentative schedule- Los Amigos is out due to chronically poor course condition in January. He will try to arrange for Lakewood instead. Skylinks in February, Meadowlark in March, and Hidden Valley in April. For early May, Santa Anita is out; will try for Alhambra instead. Temecula Creek/Cross Creek from forward tees in late May. June will be Western Hills, Los Serranos-North in July, El Dorado in August, Rec Park in September, Solvang (Ranch/Mission/River) in October, Alta Vista in November, and Navy in December. Thanks to Ray for a job well done.

 

Navy Christmas party details

Club will provide door prizes, spending approximately $200 plus donations to be requested by Ray. Club may also buy a drink.

 

 

 

Other Items Introduced by Board Members at this meeting

Ted would be willing, if requested by the 2020 Board, to be a member of a Handicap Committee under the Handicap Director in order to assist in implementation of the WHS, but he would not be attending Board meetings and would not be performing any of his current activities.

 

Tentative Board Meeting Schedule for 1Q 2020

TBD by 2020 Board.

 

MEETING ADJOURNED at 10:50

SSBGC 3Q Directors Meeting Minutes – 

July 5, 2019

 

ATTENDEES

 

Steve Hill. Greg Roberts, Ray Sandoval, Ted Sonju, and Joe Woodman

 

MEETING CALLED TO ORDER at 9:00 a.m.

 

OLD BUSINESS

 

The minutes of the April 4, 2019 1&2Q Board meeting were presented and approved for posting to our web site.

 

DIRECTOR REPORTS

 

Tournaments and Accounting (Ray Sandoval)

 

Accounting- Ray presented a handout listing all recent transactions. Our current balance is $5041. All bills have been paid. Deposits required for tournaments through August have been sent out. 

Tournaments- The schedule for the rest of 2019 is set. Our Member/Guest tournament in September is a problem in that the cost of lunch may be $26. Greg provide some insight as to what he has paid in previous tournaments that included food and drink service. Ray will be having further discussions with the person in charge at Rec Park on this issue. We do not have a contract yet for December at Navy. Greg and/or Ted will talk with Hattie to assist in getting a signed contract.

 

Handicap & Membership (Greg Roberts)

Greg has received notices from the SCGA regarding new applicants.  He has forwarded them to Ted. If they have not played as a guest, Ted emails them with a link to the membership page of our web site and explaining that they must play as a guest before joining.  If they have played as a guest, they are told to simply get on the SCGA web site and join, but to make sure they enter the exact name of our club, not he one with a similar name. We now have 65 members, not counting the two that have joined in error.

 

Special Events and Rules & Archives (Steve Hill)

 

Steve reviewed recent surveys. All venues have been generally approved by the membership. For Cross Creek, there were not as many negative comments on the survey slips as were heard verbally on the course. If we play there again, it will probably be from the forward teeing grounds. 

 

Tournament Day Facilitator  (Joe Woodman)

 

Woody will review our web site photo file based upon the current membership and take phots in order to bring that page up-to-date. Ted will work up a list of missing photos as an aid to Woody. All three new members will be playing at Los Serranos.

 

 

Chairman and Communications Director Report (Ted Sonju)

 

It was reported that the website is up-to-date in all aspects except for the posting of photos of new members. MPC brackets have been updated for the semi-final round. The Knuth Stroke Reduction Table is current, and these reductions will continue to be applied in the next tournament including the MPC competitions. We should continue to encourage the membership to log in to the web site to review all the information available there, especially the By-Laws. The minutes of the April 4 Board meeting will be posted now that they have been approved.

 

MORE OLD BUSINESS

 

Reflections

Ray had completed the written reflections in memory of Ray Sr. and Jim DeToskey, and he had emailed them to Ted for posting on our website. However, Ted said he did not receive them so Ray will resend.

 

SCGA/SSBGC Membership Protocols

Ted reported that he was finally able to directly contact an SCGA representative who could help. The defaults that had been set for our club were incorrect, automatically accepting applicants unless we rejected their application within one day. The settings now give us two weeks to approve an application, and if we do not do so, the application is rejected. We are notified when an application has been submitted, so we now have time to take appropriate action, contacting the applicant and providing an explanation as to how to go about joining our club.

 

Pace of Play

We seem to be backsliding a bit with respect to keeping up with the group in front of us. Perhaps even more serious, some pairs in a foursome refuse to simply move off their last green a short distance, and then make sure that cards agree and are signed by all four before heading off into the wild blue yonder. And one person in that foursome must commit to turning in both cards before going to the parking lot or anywhere else.  Failure to follow this procedure comes off as just being wantonly inconsiderate. Eight players are now at some level of warnings that could lead to score adjustments. 

 

Rules Violations by Members

Observations of behavior of several members were discussed. Most violations if they occurred seemed to be inadvertent with one or two exceptions. In spite of these exceptions, it was decided to simply continue observations without a reduction in the Handicap Index of anyone at this time.

 

Final Schedule for  2019 

As previously reported, we are all set except for August. The schedule posted on our web site is current.

 

Knuth System Implementation Status

The Table posted on our web site is up-to-date. Nering and Sonju lead the pack with a reduction of 5 strokes. Clearly Nering’s reduction is much more significant as a percentage of his HI. A total of 14 members are now receiving stroke reductions. The Board is still in favor of continuing the program.  After this month’s tournament, July 2018 will drop out. Going forward, the table will be based upon a running past-twelve-month period. Ted did mention that the system is somewhat complicated and difficult to maintain. 

 

Membership Roster by Date-of-Birth Report

Ted has prepared this report and all Board members have requested a copy.

This will be distributed in July. The full roster is always available on our web site in two places. Each month the Low Handicap Index Report sorted both by Name and HI appears on the “Hcp. Indexes” page. And the full roster is shown on the “Membership” page by Year-Joined.

 

NEW BUSINESS

 

Preliminary tournament schedule for 2020

Ray’s Report- Los Amigos is out due to chronically poor course condition in January. Will try to arrange for Lakewood instead. Skylinks in February, Meadowlark in March, and Hidden Valley in April. For early May, Santa Anita is out; will try for Western Hills instead. Temecula Creek/Cross Creek from forward tees in late May. For June he will try for a new course, Alhambra. Los Serranos-North in July, El Dorado in August, Rec Park in September, Solvang in October, Alta Vista in November, and Navy in December. Well done, Ray.

 

Potential 2020 Board Membership. Succession Plan

Board members were canvased as to their intention to run or not run for 2020 Board positions. Ray Sandoval and Greg Roberts stated that they would be willing to serve next year. Steve Hill said that he probably will not run next year.  Ted Sonju and Joe Woodman stated that they would not be candidates for the 2020 Board. Each of those choosing not to run gave their reasons, all of which were purely personal. Ray has anticipated this situation and has been contacting club members who may be willing to take over next year. Ted has prepared a file describing the duties he performs, and to some extent the processes by which he does them.  This file will be sent to Ray and Greg. Other retiring Board members may want to do the same.

 

Other Items Introduced by Board Members at this meeting

Ted suggested that the general membership be given the opportunity in November to vote on the continuance the existing Knuth System or not. 

 

Tentative Board Meeting Schedule for 4Q 2019

The next Board meeting (4Q) was tentatively set for Friday, October 4th, 9:30 a.m. at Victoria.

 

MEETING ADJOURNED at 10:07

SSBGC 1&2Q Directors Meeting Minutes – 

April 4, 2019

 

ATTENDEES

 

Steve Hill. Greg Roberts, Ray Sandoval, Ted Sonju, and Joe Woodman

 

MEETING CALLED TO ORDER at 10:15 a.m.

 

OLD BUSINESS

 

The minutes of the November 21, 2018 4Q Board meeting were presented and approved for posting to our web site.

 

DIRECTOR REPORTS

 

Tournaments and Accounting (Ray Sandoval)

 

Accounting- All bills have been paid. Club balance is approximately $5000 less 

$1700 owed to Ray for his advance to Meadowlark for March tournament.  Renewal fees are being sent to Ray as members pay on line to the SCGA.  Ray sent a $500 deposit to Temecula Creek Inn. Another advance of $1500 must be sent by the end of April.

Tournaments- The schedule for the rest of 2019 is set except for August. Ray has been looking into Porter Valley Ranch Golf Club. Fee including cart would be only $40, but there would be no bar or food service available. We could arrange for a taco truck. He is also looking into Lakewood, Simi Hills, El Prado and Robinsons Ranch.

 

Handicap & Membership (Greg Roberts- Paul Reser has resigned, moving to OR)

 

Greg Roberts was officially nominated and approved by the Board as our new director. He will be taking the Handicap Chairman Certification Test offered online by the SCGA after which he will begin performing his various duties. The specifics of some of those duties were outlined for Greg. These include posting of Adjusted Scores after our tournaments and collection and dispersing of prize monies.  To fill the gap, Ted assisted in this report. Our current membership is 62. Seven members did not renew.  We have had two uninvited applicants join directly on the SCGA site without our approval. This is not the way the system is supposed to work. Ted will contact the SCGA to find out why this is occurring and to solve the problem. 

 

 

 

Special Events and Rules & Archives (Steve Hill)

 

Steve reviewed recent surveys. All venues have been generally approved by the membership. Two similar very negative comment were received for the last two tournaments. If this occurs again, Steve will attempt to ascertain the specific reasons for the extreme anger expressed. Surveys will also be taken at our 3-day tournaments in the future.

 

Tournament Day Facilitator  (Joe Woodman)

 

Woody will review our web site photo file based upon the current membership and arrange to bring that page up-to-date.

 

Chairman and Communications Director Report (Ted Sonju)

 

It was reported that the website is up-to-date in all aspects except for the posting of photos of new members. Ray and Ted have reviewed the MPC Points Table and the MPC Net Scores Table for Seedings, and they are in agreement. Ted handed out the two tables to the Board for review and comment. Ray has contacted all eligible members for commitment to the MPC Series.   Through his efforts, all pairings for Round #1 are set and brackets have been posted on our web site on the “2019 Match Play Championships” page. The Knuth Stroke Reduction Table is current, and these reductions will be applied in the next tournament including the MPC competitions. For Greg’s benefit, the MPC Point system and Seedings by Low Average Net were described in detail as this does involve a rather complex process. Again, we should continue to encourage the membership to log on to the web site to review all the information available there, especially the By-laws.

 

MORE OLD BUSINESS

 

Pace of Play

It was recognized that gaps continue to develop. The importance of keeping up with the group ahead will be stressed at the start of every tournament. 

 

Reflections

Ray reported that he has completed the written reflections in memory of Ray Sr. and Jim DeToskey. He will email them to Ted for posting on our website.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rules Violations by Members

Memos have been sent out stressing that all members are not only obligated to follow the rules. They are also obligated to tactfully point out a rule violation committed by a member immediately or as soon as possible after it is observed. If an unresolved difference of opinion ensues, the Tournament Committee must be informed. We must continue to remind the field of this prior to the start of each tournament. We have not yet resolved the problem of failure of a player to properly count or failure of a player to try his best on every shot, very basic rules violations.

 

Policy Regarding Number of Flights in Tournaments

Our new policy for ILN tournaments, wherein we will have three flights when there are 40 or more players, has been well received.

 

Posting  of MPC Pairings

Has been done as previously reported.

 

Final Schedule for 2019 based

As previously reported, we are all set except for August.

 

Knuth System Implementation Status

The current Table was passed out to the Board and has been posted on our web site. The Board had no negative comments other than Ted’s.  He felt that the fact reductions were absolute values rather than percentages of an individual’s HI did not seem quite fair. That is, stroke reduction is based only upon win percentage regardless of whether the individual’s HI is 5 or 25.  

 

NEW BUSINESS

 

Membership and Handicap Directorship

Paul Reser has resigned due to his move to Oregon.  As previous reported, Greg Roberts has graciously agreed to step in and take his place.

 

Handicap Index individual adjustments to be considered at this time.

Potential adjustments were discussed based upon observations of individuals. The discussion was lengthy. No action was taken at this time, but we will continue to observe and possibly take action before or at the next quarterly Board meeting.

 

New 2019 Rules

Members were sent a number of links and reminders of the new rules.  The consensus of the Board is that most members are aware of the changes, are applying them and agree that they are likely to speed up the game and make it more enjoyable. The new rules are in general good for the game, but there are new opportunities for abuse.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Implementation of Local Rule for Alternative to “Stroke and Distance”

The definition of this rule as defined by the USGA was discussed at length.  The difference between an OB ball and a “lost ball” with respect to this rule was made clear. Ray proposed that, in addition to this USGA local rule, that we impose another. That is if you do not play a provisional ball and instead go forward, you must apply this alternate rule and take the two-stroke penalty. You cannot go back and replay from your previous position under “stroke-and-distance”. The Board voted to apply both of these local rules at all future tournaments.  This should speed up play.

 

 

Specific rules at Hidden Valley

Definition of Penalty areas (i.e old lateral hazards) vs Environmentally Sensitive areas were discussed. Ray will publish clarifications applicable to this tournament.

 

Discussion, adoption and publication of 2019 MPC Rules

Ray presented drafts of MPC rules from previous years. Specific items were discussed at length.  Ray will email a summary of the MPC rules for 2019 to the general membership. This will include tie-breaker rules and definition of “good reasons” for requesting an alternate date.  Alternate venues will not be permitted in any case, and the final round must take place concurrent with the regular SSBGC tournament in August. Also if a player drops out, then the player that he defeated will be reinstated.

 

Other Items Introduced by Board Members at this meeting

Next Board meeting (3Q) tentatively set for July 5 at Victoria.