SMWGA Board Members have met monthly during the winter. The following information contains facts you should know.

Membership Handicap Requirement Change for 2008

This year SMWGA welcomes players with a handicap index of 32.0 or below (it used to be 30.4 and below). The handicap change is intended to increase participation in “B” tournaments. Please let your friends and club members know that they might be eligible for membership.

New “B” Division

We now have a new category for our “B” players – a B3 Division which is for players with a 30.4 to 32.0 handicap index. This should give some of our “B” players a better opportunity to be more competitive.

Dues Increase for 2009

In 2009 the SMWGA dues will increase from $25 to $30 to cover rising costs of running our tournaments. We have not had a dues increase since at least 1999.

Green Fees Increase for 2009

The green fees for 2009 (the amount that is paid directly to each golf course that we play) will be increased from $15 to $17. Our tournament schedulers recommended the increase to help us in booking courses for our weekly tournaments and special events.

No Clinic This Year

The SMWGA Scholarship Clinic for Women & Girls will not be held this year due to scheduling conflicts with a number of the golf pros. We hope to offer the clinic again next year.

Inform Office of Address, Email Changes

Please let the SMWGA Office know if you change your mailing address or email. It is important that we have correct mailing addresses since vouchers are mailed to members if they are not picked up at a tournament site. Vouchers mailed to an old address are sometimes lost. Email updates are important as we occasionally send out notices via email.

Cell Phone Policy

The use of cell phones at all SMWGA events is permitted only in the case of an emergency. Also, SMWGA members must adhere to the “no cell phone use” policy of any host club that has one.

Distance Measuring Devices

SMWGA has adopted a Local Rule that allows players to use devices that measure or gauge distance only (such as Sky Caddie and Bushnell Pinseeker) during SMWGA tournaments. A device that gauges or measures other conditions such as wind or gradient will not be permitted. Measuring devices and the information they provide can be shared with fellow competitors although players are not obligated to share their devices or information. The use of sharing of such a device must not unduly delay the pace of play.

Eligibility Change for Year-End Awards

A No Card (NC) or disqualification (DQ) round will not count toward one of the 10 tournaments for year-end awards. However, the round will count for attendance.

Designate Entry Fee For Scholarship Fund

Please consider donating your entry fee to the SMWGA Scholarship Fund if a tournament is cancelled due to inclement weather. Contact the SMWGA office the day of the cancelled tournament by phone or email to request this. It would be much appreciated and make it easier to balance your checkbook!

Co-Ed Tournament

Save the date of Sunday, Oct. 5, for the SMWGA Co-Ed Tournament which will be held at Purpoodock this year at 1 p.m followed by a dinner. Proceeds will benefit the SMWGA Scholarship Fund. More details will be available on the web site soon.

Revised Handicap Percentages for Group Events

All SMWGA group events now conform to the handicap percentages suggested by the USGA. For the 2-ball tournament and 2 best balls of 4 tournament we use 95% of each player’s handicap and for the Metropolitan (1 best ball of 4) we use 90% of each player’s handicap. The Phil Legere Memorial Scramble already uses the USGA-suggested formula for the team’s handicap – the sum of 20% of the A player’s handicap, 15% of the B player’s handicap, 10% of the C players handicap and 5% of the D player’s handicap.