Frequently Asked Questions

• Who manages this web site? Where is it "located?"

• How is it that without my even knowing it, I'm not viewing "current" data on the web site?

• May those affiliated with UC campuses other than UC Berkeley receive discount memberships?

• Why is there a membership cap of 135 members?

• Are there currently any openings in the club? How may I find out?

• If the club is filled, how may I have my name added to the waiting list?

• I'm on the waiting list to become a new member. How long will it take for me to be added?

• If I miss the renewal deadline, how may I rejoin the club? Do I have to go to the end of the waiting list?

• Is there a grace period before new members may compete in standard flights as fully-functioning club members?

• What is the Club's policy on entering late into a tournament?

• What is the Club's policy on withdrawing late from a tournament?

• Is it possible to receive a refund after withdrawing from a tournament?

• How are tie-breakers achieved between similar net scores?

• What are WINTER RULES, and how are they used in UCGC tournaments?

• How is a Handicap Index produced?

• What is a Course Handicap? (as opposed to my Handicap Index)

• Who manages our handicaps?

• How are course handicaps generated?

• Which month's handicap report is used on a tournament occurring early in a given month?

• How do I adjust my score so that I can properly post?

• What is my ESC?

• How is it determined which tees are played?

• What do I do in the case of inclement weather on the morning of a tournament?

• Does the club ever schedule tournaments to be held on Fridays?

• How come no one won the Closest-to-the-Pin event (CTP) in our flight?

• Must I add up my scorecard before turning it in?

• How are scoring errors made by the Scoring Committee resolved?

• How is Blind Bogey Scored?

• How are Blind Bogey flight prizes calculated?

• What are the names for the different types of bogies?

• Why do some golfer wear copper and/or magnetic bracelets?

• Have any UC Berkeley Alumni earned PGA Tour cards?

• How do we calculate course handicaps for our four-ball event?

• Why are 2-player team events referred to as "four-ball?"; What is our "2-ball" tournament?

• How come my most recent scores are not part of this months index?

• How come two people with the same course handicap are in different flights?

• How come my name and index aren't listed in the "Member Hcp Lookup" drop down menu?

• Must one post Match Play scores?

• How are the Eddie Reed Tournament Brackets generated?

• May a high-handicapper request to participate in the Eddie Reed championship Flight?

• How Must All Eddie Reed Match Results to be Reported?

• How does the Club championship differ from other tournament with respect to the championship flight, and prizes, and GOY points?

• Which former United States President is currently a member of the UC Golf Club?

• What resources are available for discovering various betting games?

• Who writes the newsletters?

• Are there any other decent golf club web sites out there?

• What golf course is pictured in this web site's header?

• How come the banner atop every page never changes?

• How many pictures are on this web site?

• Are any members or officers compensated for running the club?

• Which is Aaron's favorite photo on this web site?

• Why is Aaron so obsessed with working on the web site? Doesn't he have a life?

• What sandbagging technique did Aaron use so successfully in his 2002 GOY campaign?

• Why does Aaron always wear short pants?

• Has Aaron ever failed to wear short pants at a tournament?

• Which members, besides Aaron, regularly wear shorts?

• Which members would not be caught dead in shorts?

• Which was the closest GOY race in club history?

• Will your best day of retirement be as enjoyable as Steve's worst day at work?

Who manages this web site? Where is it "located?"?

This web site is wholly produced and maintained by Aaron Walburg. He proposed the club web site to the Board in late 1999 or early 2000. It went online as "ucgc.org" in May of 2000. Ever since then Aaron has been adding content to the site almost on a daily basis. You can read more on this below. The web site is "located" on a server in Aaron's house, in North Oakland.

How is it that without my even knowing it, I'm not viewing "current" data on the web site?

This a problem you'll not know about until it's too late. Browsers like to try and save you downloading time by storing web sites you visit. When you visit a page, your browser will check it against your history and if you've visited that page before, instead of going out and re-downloading the page anew it will display the file it saved on your computer the last time you visited that page. Sometimes this is a good feature and can make web surfing less time-consuming, however, it assumes that pages never change, and most web pages do change daily. Most pages on UCGC.org are updated regularly. If your browser fails to re-download the fresh pages you'll continue only to see the old version of the files and not what's currently on the web site. For this reason, it's best to set your cache so that the browser updates at least every time it starts. 

Here's how to remedy this problem:

In Microsoft Internet Explorer:

1. In Internet Explorer select "Internet Options..." from the "Tools" menu.

2. Under the section "Temporary Internet Files..." select "Settings...".

3. Under "Check for newer versions of stored pages" select "Every time you start Internet Explorer". That's it! This will not hurt or change anything in a bad way. What it will do is ensure that you will be viewing current information, and not the stale things persisting in your computer.

In Netscape:

1. From the "Edit" menu, select "Preferences".

2. In the small window "Category" , click "Advanced".

3. Then click on "Cache".

4. Near the bottom is a multiple choice question: "Document in cache is compared to document on network". Select "Once per session". 

May those affiliated with UC campuses other than UC Berkeley receive discount memberships?

Yes. The University of California Golf Club recognizes all UC campuses within the University of California System. Any Faculty, Staff, Student, or Alumni from any UC school is eligible for the discount membership rate. There are 10 university campuses:

UC Berkeley UC Davis UC Irvine UC Los Angeles UC Merced UC Riverside UC San Diego UC San Francisco UC Santa Barbara UC Santa Cruz

Why is there a membership cap of 135 members?

The reason for this membership cap is that golf courses are often unable to host large tournaments, especially with their own golf clubs for which they need to provide Saturday tee times. Large tournament demands greatly limit the number of courses we can play while simultaneously increasing the complexity of creating our annual schedule. We've always had a cap at 130 members, but have never had to activate it. However, recently the club has grown to over 150 members, this without any active recruiting. (Of course this web site is probably the biggest form of "advertising".) In December of 2004 the board agreed to actively cap the membership at 135 members (and ties). Meaning that we'll be closing the club to new members until membership dips to 134 members. A waiting list will be maintained and new members will be offered, in order, the opportunity to join the club.

Are there currently any openings in the club? How may I find out?

As of May 1, 2005 the club stands at 149 members. This means that the next chance to join the club will be November or December of 2005. If you wish to confirm this, please contact Club President Aaron Walburg.

If the club is filled, how may I have my name added to the waiting list?

If you the club is filled and you wish to be added to the waiting list, simply fill out and mail in an Application Form, but don't include payment.  We will rank these applications chronologically (first come first served) and contact you when your name comes up, at which point you may pay your membership dues to become a member of the club.

I'm on the waiting list to become a new member. How long will it take for me to be added?

Our membership cap is at 135 members. Each year a certain number of members move out of the area or for whatever reason they do not renew. We will begin offering memberships in chronological order (earliest received) to those on the waiting list whenever the membership dips below our cap of 135 members. This is one reason why it is important for current members not to neglect their memberships. If the list grows the way we suspect it might, it could takes 2-3 years to be offered a membership.

If I miss the renewal deadline, how may I rejoin the club? Do I have to go to the end of the waiting list?

Any members who fail to renew their memberships in time will be able to rejoin the club, however they will be required to rejoin at the new member rate, rather than at the renewal rate. Any current members who miss the deadline may rejoin immediately, without having to work their way through the waiting list, but if their membership has been neglected for over a year they will have to go through the waiting list procedure.

Is there a grace period before new members may compete in standard flights as fully-functioning club members?

There is no grace period. New members may compete in standard flights (i.e. flights other than the blind bogey flight) as soon as their handicap has been established and they have been added to the NCGA 'home board". The Home Board is a report which estates members as fully functioning club members. Establishing a handicap requires the player to have submitted at least five adjusted scores. Visit the NCGA Handicapping web page for more information on their handicapping  procedures.

What is the Club's policy on entering late into a tournament?

Every tournament has an entry deadline. This deadline appears on the entry form. Any time a player fails to meet this deadline the player should not expect to participate. That being said, we nevertheless will do our best to accommodate late entries. Our situation is that we reserve large blocks of tee times a year in advance. Two weeks prior to the event, by contract, we usually must release to the golf course any tee times we will not be using. This means that if someone signs up late we often don’t have any space available. So with late entries we may be able to make accommodations, but the situation will determine this. Factors include: the number of open slots within the tournament, the number of last minute cancellations we have had, and flexibility we may have with the course. However, we retain the right to neglect any late entry forms.

Sometimes we have members who are desperate to get into a tournament. There are basically two ways players may , on their own, attempt to get into a tournament which has already been filled. 1). If, players wish to take a chance on someone simply not showing up at a tournament, that is their prerogative. They would simply wait around at the first tee with their fingers crossed. If there was a no-show then they could join the group. If the player who paid showed up at the second hole and wanted to play, then the would be replacement would have to step down. If replacement players successfully compete then they need to pay the entry fee at the conclusion of the round. If said replacement sought to drop out of the event after a poorly player hole or two, the entry fee would still be due. 2). If a player can obtain, on his or her own, a tee time immediately following the final foursome in the tournament, then he or she would be considered part of the event. This is nearly impossible, however, since (as mentioned) we release those unused tee times to the course two weeks prior to the event. The course then opens those tee times up to the general public.

What is the Club's policy on withdrawing late from a tournament?

A player may withdraw anytime. The way to do this is to contact the Club Manager, currently Steve Desimone, via phone at (510) 643-5914. You may also do it via email, however this is less efficient.

Is it possible to receive a refund after withdrawing from a tournament?

If a refund is requested prior to the deadline then the club will honor that request by returning the check. The club never provides a refund if the entry deadline has passed. This is not to say that after the deadline a player cannot find a substitute and settle up with that player. Such substitutions are fairly common; however the club has nothing to do with these agreements. Nor does the club provide any service placing members in contact with one another for the purpose of making last minute substitutions.

What are WINTER RULES, and how are they used in UCGC tournaments?

Winter rules are used to make playing more enjoyable in abnormal weather and course conditions. When the UCGC posts "WINTER RULES", it means specifically that the following is allowed:

"Through the green", that is, anywhere except in a hazard(bunker) or on the green you may mark, lift, clean, and place the ball one scorecard length(scorecard of the course being played) from the original mark, no closer to the hole. This means that the rule applies on the fringe, but not on the green. This also means that if the ball is in the rough(but not a hazard) you may mark, lift, clean, and place the ball one scorecard from the original position. The etiquette of the game is such that when a ball is moved it should be moved onto the same type of surface it was on it's original lie.  This means that the rule is not meant to be used to move a ball from the rough to the fairway.

(This Ruling is in accordance with the USGA's Rules of Golf: Appendix I local rules; Conditions of the competition Part A: Local Rules: Winter Rules are defined in Section 4b: 4b. “Preferred Lies” and “Winter Rules”:
"Adverse conditions, including the poor condition of the course or the existence of mud, are sometimes so general, particularly during winter months, that the Committee may decide to grant relief by temporary Local Rule either to protect the course or to promote fair and pleasant play. Such Local Rule shall be withdrawn as soon as the conditions warrant.")

How is a Handicap Index produced?

According to the process devised by the USGA, handicap index is created through a series of steps. The overall formula used is as follows:

Differential for each round = (113( Adjusted Score - Rating))/Course Slope
Handicap = .96(Avg. of best 10 differentials from 20 most recent rounds)

Recipe for creating an official Handicap:

Ingredients: 

20 most recent golf scores. These scores must be adjusted.

For each of these 20 most recent rounds you will need the following from each related score: Date, Course Rating, Course Slope.

Cooking Instructions:

1. To prepare the Handicap you will need to attain the differential from each of these 20 rounds. The formula for a differential is:

(113( Adjusted Score - Rating))/Course Slope

So for each of the 20 rounds you will need to Adjust the Score, Subtract the Course Rating from that Adjusted Score, Multiply the result by 113, and divide THAT result by the Course Slope.

The Differential Calculator can quickly do the math for you.

2. Once you have the 20 differentials, the rest is easy. Of the 20 differentials, pull out the 10 best. Add those 10 best together, and then divide the sum by 10. This will give you the average of your top 10 differentials. Then, multiply that average by .96 and the result will be your scrumptious and savory Handicap Index!

What is a Course Handicap?

The Course Handicap is the number you always see next to your name (in parenthesis) in the tournament mailer. The way handicaps work is that they take your current index, say 14.2, and use a chart that every course has posted somewhere on the wall (you can also discover this on the NCGA web site (NCGA's Course Handicap Calculator) or on a table on the NCGA web site. The table is used to figure out every participant's Course Handicap, which is different from their Handicap Index (or "Index"). The Course Handicap is derived from the course's Slope and measures it against your index. It then provides each participant a certain whole number. This hole number signifies the number that they deduct from their gross, unadjusted score to reveal their net score. 

In match play the USGA recommends the lowest handicapper play with no handicap strokes and the other player receive strokes equal to the difference between their course handicaps. For example, the low handicapper has a course handicap of 19 handicap and his opponent carries a 24. The difference is five strokes. The high handicapper receives the five strokes on the five most difficult holes, or Handicap Stroke Holes #1-#5. Thus, the high handicapper will “spin” off the low handicapper.

Example of how this might work on a course with a slope of 126:

The difference in course handicaps is 5 strokes. Joe Sixpack therefore receives no strokes while Don Tonic receives 5 strokes (24-19 = 5). Don receives 5 strokes: 1 stroke on the #1 handicap hole, 1 stroke on the #2 handicap hole, etc.

For a complete breakdown on handicapping, please visit the following sites:

• USGA's Handicap System

• NCGA's Handicapping Section

Who manages our handicaps?

Since August of 2003 Aaron Walburg has managed the handicaps using GHIN software (see below) which is installed on his home PC (this web site is also running on that same pc). Prior to that Steve Desimone managed these indexes using a paper based system which the NCGA has abandoned. With the paper-based system players would record their tournament scores on a sheet mailed to us each month by the NCGA. Steve would then send this paper back to the NCGA and scores would be entered manually by NCGA staff. Steve would be sent a monthly report of our indexes, along with a new blank scoring sheet. The paper-based system was very archaic by today's computer-driven standard. Steve would also manually calculate course handicaps from the NCGA handicap reports. Currently all of these reports are generated via the computer (see below). Since August of 2003 Aaron and Steve have, for all intents and purposes, served as co-Handicap Chairs.

How are course handicaps generated?

Course Handicaps are generated using the GHIN Management software. GHIN stands for "Golf Handicap & Information Network". GHIN is a USGA service which the NCGA utilizes. GHIN software is used to manage our club indexes. The software also permits us to generate course handicaps and other interesting reports, like "who plays the most golf in our club?." These reports are generated by Aaron Walburg and emailed to Steve Desimone, who then assembles the pairings in the starting sheet each month. All index-related reports are archived in the Handicap Archive. As of May 2005 the GHIN software version we're using is version 2003.1B.

Which month's handicap report is used on a tournament occurring early in a given month?

Generally speaking, any tournaments occurring on the 6th day of the month and earlier will be based on the previous month's indexes. Tournaments occurring on the 7th day of the month or later usually will be able to utilize the current month's indexes. Handicap Indexes are only made available to us at midnight on the final day of each month. Since we always aim to have the starting sheets available to our members 5 to7 days prior to an event, it's impossible to use the current month's indexes for an event which occurs early in the month. The earliest we'll likely be able to utilize the current month's indexes for an event might be the 5th day of the month. Therefore if we have an event occurring on April 5th, there is a remote chance we might be able to use the April indexes for the starting sheet, however this would be a very tight schedule because we'd have to produce the reports and generate the starting sheet on the morning of April 1st (Tuesday) in order to email them to the members that afternoon, 5 days prior to the Saturday tournament.

How do I adjust my score so that I can properly post?

All members must adjust their scores before posting them. After you play a round of golf your scorecard must be adjusted. You must look over your scorecard hole-by-hole and adjust each score in accordance with your current ESC (Equitable Stroke Control).

What is my ESC?

ESC stands for "Equitable Stroke Control". Your ESC is a number which indicates the highest score you can take on a hole, given your Handicap Index. To discover your ESC you may use the ESC Table below coupled with the Course Handicap Utility below. OR, You may use the ESC Full Table, which you can print out and carry in your bag. Even more information is available in Section 4-3 of the USGA Handicap Manual.

Use this table to look up your ESC.

To determine your ESC you'll need your Course Handicap:

Compute your COURSE HANDICAP

(For this you will need your current Handicap Index and the Slope of the course you played.)

ESC In Action 

Example 1:

Every time you complete a round you're required to "post after you play", meaning you need to take your scorecard and, going over it hole by hole, adjust each hole score according to your ESC. My Handicap Index is 13.8 and I'm playing a course with a slope of 130. Using the Course Handicap Calculator linked above I learn that my Course Handicap is 16. I look up 16 in the ESC Table and learn that my ESC is currently 7. After playing, I go over my card, looking for scores that need adjusting. If I took a 10 on a hole I have to make it a 7 (for adjusting purposes only). I re-total my score and derive my ADJUSTED SCORE. At Wente I shot a 98, and that was my tournament score. For handicapping though, I submitted an ADJUSTED SCORE of 95, because I had a 10 on the 8th hole. Every other hole was a 7 or less, so I only deducted the 3 strokes for the 8th hole.

Example #2:

For handicapping Nick has to adjust his score for anything over 8, because that is his ESC. Nick shot a 94 at Las Positas. At one of the par 4's Nick took an 9, so for posting his score Nick should post a 93 instead of the 94. But for tournament and all other purposes, Nick reports the 94.

For complete information about ESC and Posting please refer the following sections of the USGA Handicapping Manual.

• Section 4

• Section 5

How is it determined which tees are played?

In order to provide the most equitable balance between all skill levels we generally require the men's tees to be at least 6,200 yards (sometimes 6,250). Of course slope and rating are also weighed in this decision. Women usually tee off from the standard red tees, or whatever are the regular women's tees.

What do I do in the case of inclement weather on the morning of a tournament? 

In order to find out if a tournament has been cancelled due to bad weather, call the golf course before heading to the course. The Pro Shop will have news as to the decision reached by the committee about any possible cancellation.  

Does the club ever schedule tournaments to be held on Fridays?  

The Faculty/Staff tournament was traditionally held on Friday. In fact, during its entire history, the Faculty/Staff tournament has only seven times ever been held on anything other than a Friday. Although the Friday Faculty/Staff is not so common any longer, in 2003 we will be holding the Faculty/Staff on our traditional Friday.

Recorded occurrences of Friday tournaments:

How come nobody won the Closest-to-the-Pin event(CTP) in our flight?

In order to qualify for the event a ball must at least be on the green. If no one in the flight hits the green no one wins the CTP.

Must I add up my scorecard before turning it in?

No the scoring committee will add the hole by hole scores regardless. The player is only responsible the scores per hole are accurate. If there is an addition problem the player will not be penalized. However, the committee will always attempt to find someone from the foursome to confirm that the scoring was miscalculated, or just to verify the score. If ever a score on a hole is incorrect, and the scorecard has been submitted, the player will be disqualified. Also, if a person hands in a score card with a score that's added up too high, then posts a score that's also too high, then a penalty score will likely kick in.

How is Blind Bogey Scored?

The Blind Bogey flight is for those without established NCGA handicap indexes. It's basically a flight where luck determines the winner. The way it works is before the tournament three consecutive holes from the front nine (preferably consisting of one par 3, one par 4, and one par 5) and three consecutive holes from the back nine are selected. These selected holes are not revealed to the players in the flight beforehand.  The handicap for each player is the amount over par on those six holes multiplied by two. No more than double par of a hole may be permitted on any given hole. Thus if someone had a nine one a par 4, only four strokes would be used on that hole for determining the handicap. 

Example:

These handicaps are then subtracted from the players gross score to determine a net score. Ties go to low gross.

How are Blind Bogey flight prizes calculated?

Usually we know in advance how much money we'll have for our blind bogey flight prize pool. However sometimes we do not know until the day of the tournament. In general we always try to have the blind bogey cash amounts equal with the flights, say $30, $20, $10, and $10 for CTP. But if the number of participants is too low, we must reduce the amounts. Sometimes, for instance we may only award first and second place, or just first place. If there are only 5 players in the blind bogey flight then certainly we will not be awarding prizes for finishing third. Generally we need a full blind bogey flight in order to be able to award full flight prize amount.

Why are 2-player team events referred to as "four-ball?"; What is our "2-ball" tournament?

Four-ball is a very popular form of match play. A match is always one (person or team) against another (person or team). Most often a match involves one player vs. another player. But in a team match there are four players and four balls. Thus the name "four-ball." It's probably the most confusing term in golf.

Making matters worse is that over the past 30 years our club has referred to our net four-ball stroke tournament as a 2-ball tournament. Our "2-ball" tournament is not match play, it's net four-ball stroke (Referred to on this USGA web page). In this tournament we simultaneously compete against UCSF Golf Club in a net four-ball stroke match in which 1 point is earned for best net front nine score, 1 point is earned for best net back nine score, and 1 point is earned for best net 18-hole score. This is not a typical form of match play, because in match play you win and lose holes. This is stroke play, whereby your net score is used to win front nine, back nine, and 18-hole points. Net four-ball stroke match is our own creation and probably doesn't even have a real name because "stroke match" is a misnomer in itself. But that's what makes this such a terrific club. We're Cal. We're Berkeley. We're rebels.

How come my most recent scores are not part of this months index?

The club always uses the most current indexes available. If the tournament takes place the first week of the month then the scores used will be from the prior month. The reason for this is Indexes are required in order to formulate Course Handicaps. In order to have these completed for the tournament the indexes need to be completed a week or more in advance of the tournament.

How come two people with the same course handicap are in different flights?

In order to divide the field into flights, each flight with as close to the same amount of players as the next, it's often necessary to break make the divide at a place where the course handicaps are the same. Whenever this is done the indexes are ranked and the lower indexes go to the better flight while the higher indexes go to the lesser flight. So if, there are 52 participants and we need to break the field into 4 flights, there will be 13 players per flight. if the course handicaps don't yield the proper break-off points, the indexes are used. In such a case if the break-off point lies at an index of 8.7, then even though those with 8.7 and those with 8.8 indexes have the same course handicaps, they will be placed in different flights. In the event that the break-off point lies at a place where two or more players have identical indexes, then people are placed randomly in either flight. 

How come my name and index aren't listed in the "Member Hcp Lookup" drop down menu?

The drop down menu, "Member Hcp Lookup", appearing atop the main page of this site is only updated once per year, as it's too much work to maintain. Members who have joined recently will have to wait until the next update for their names to appear. This annual update generally occurs in January.

How are the Eddie Reed Tournament Brackets generated?

The Eddie Reed Tournament Brackets are produced with equity as the primary concern. The most important element of this is that the flights (championship, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc) each contain an equal number of players. The reason this is important is because byes are worth 2 GOY points and if the entire field is not divisible by 16, we want there to be an equal number of byes at each skill level. For instance, if there are ten players in the championship flight there will be six byes in that flight and 12 GOY points distributed to the championship flight. In order to be fair to the other skill levels we might generate all the flights so they also only consist of ten players. In this way there will not be an advantage in points awarded to any single level of play. With this consideration in mind here is a typical procedure used for generating Eddie Reed Brackets.

1. Determine Flight Size: Depending on the number of participants, divide the field into a number of flights which fills as closely as possible all 16 player brackets. (i.e., divide the field by the number 16. If there are 48 players, there will be three flights. If the number is greater than 48 then there will be four flights.) As an example if the are 52 players, we will have four flights, with each flight comprised of 13 players.

2. Determine who is in each flight. In step 1 we determined how many players there would be in each flight. In step two we will determine which players are in each flight. To do this, rank all the indexes of all those playing in the field and order them from lowest to highest. If, as in the example above, we had determined that there were to be 13 players per flight, then the championship flight would consist of those 13 players with the best indexes. The first flight would consist of the next best indexes, and so on, until all the flights are filled.

3. Determine seedings for each flight. Seedings are based on several factors. There is no set formula for determining the seedings, but each of these is given consideration. The most consideration is probably given to past performance  in the Eddie Reed Tournament.

• Past performance Eddie Reed championships.

• Performances during the first half of the season. (i.e.current GOY standings)

• Recent performance in our other three individual Major tournaments. (i.e.Club championship, Faculty/Staff, Kooman Boycheff)

Once the members of each flight are seeded then the bracket is constructed.

Must one post Match Play scores?

The posting of Match Play scores is REQUIRED by the NCGA/USGA Handicap
System, it is not optional. Here is the text from a magazine column that we ran on the subject last
year.

Through the Green
By Jim Cowan, Director of Course Rating and Handicapping

A lot of people have a lot of strong opinions regarding the subject of
posting scores. Unfortunately most of them are wrong.

Posting all eligible scores is probably the single most important component
of accurate handicapping. Despite opinions to the contrary, there are very,
very few instances where a golfer is not required to post a score for
handicap purposes; and most of these instances are pretty obvious.

• A score cannot be posted when a majority of the holes are not played in
accordance with the principles of the Rules of Golf.

If a golfer is just completely goofing around, including playing two balls
on every hole, ignoring OB stakes, playing from the green side of water
hazards, etc., the score cannot be posted. This provision also bans score
posting from certain forms of competitions where the Rules are compromised
or club selection is restricted (irons only events or 2-club events) and
formats where an individual does not hole out with their own ball tee to
green (scrambles, alternate shots, etc.).

• A score cannot be posted from a course that does not have a USGA Course or
Slope Rating.

This includes most par-3 executive courses (less than 3,000 yards for 18
holes) and many foreign courses (though more and more foreign countries are
adopting the USGA Course Rating System). If you play a course outside the
state or outside the country and it has a USGA Course and Slope Rating and
the course is "in season," you are required to post the score.

• A score cannot be posted when made on a course in an area in
which an inactive season is in effect.

Many Northern States obviously are unable to play golf at all in the winter
because of climate. Others are able to play some golf, but overall course
conditions are so far removed from summertime conditions that score posting
is deemed inappropriate. Golf Associations in such regions establish an
inactive season when score posting is prohibited. Rounds completed on
courses in an area that is in their inactive season may not be posted (i.e.
scores played in Seattle in December or in New York in March).

• An 18-hole score cannot be posted when fewer than 13 holes are played/ a
9-hole score cannot be posted when fewer than 7 holes are played.

If a golfer plays 13 or more holes (7 or more for a 9-hole round) he is
required to post that score for handicapping purposes. A golfer would give
himself a par plus any handicap strokes he is entitled to on the unplayed
holes.


That's it! All other rounds are required to be posted including the
following:

• Stroke Play Rounds
Standard "home" and "away" stroke play rounds including everything from
casual rounds with the wife and kids to State Amateur championship rounds,
get posted. It doesn't matter whether a golfer is playing alone or with
others, the System is based on the concept that the golfer is going to try
their hardest on every hole of every round.

• Match Play Rounds
Although many golfers feel that they approach such rounds with a
different scoring outlook than stroke play (based upon how their opponent is
playing on any given hole), scores recorded in match play are required to be
posted. Think about it, you use your Handicap Index for stroke and match
play, why wouldn't you post scores toward the development of your index from
both forms of play?

Match Play also introduces situations where a golfer may be confused as to
what to post due to unplayed holes or holes in which concessions take place.
Fortunately, the USGA has taken this all into consideration. We already know
that par plus any handicap strokes the golfer is entitled to covers unplayed
holes. If a golfer starts but fails to complete a hole (concessions, picked
up on hole when out of contention, etc.) he shall, for handicap purposes,
record the score he most likely would have made if the hole had been
completed, so long as it does not exceed his Equitable Stroke Control limit.

I am amazed at people who tell me that they posted a 76 due to all the
concessions involved in the match and that the score would have been an 80
if they had putted out. Post the 80! If your opponent scores an 8 on a hole
and concedes a 60 foot putt to you for a 2, you do not record the 2 for
handicap purposes. Nor do you record your ESC limit. You post the score you
most likely would have made had you putted out, probably a 3 or 4.

• Team Play
Again, many golfers feel it is improper to post scores from better-ball
competitions, best ball of four competitions, etc. They are wrong. Certainly
there are times throughout the round where a golfer might approach a shot
differently in a team competition (based upon their partner's play on the
hole) than they would in individual play. The System nonetheless feels that
such scores are every bit as good a source or indicator for tagging a golfer
's potential ability as individual stroke play rounds. Such scores must be
posted.

• Preferred Lies/Winter Rules

You guessed it . . . such scores shall be posted unless the overall
condition of the course is so poor as to warrant non-posting. The decision
to post or not to post rests with the local Handicap Committee (some clubs
turn off their NCGA score-posting PC during periods of time when score
posting is banned). It doesn't take a brain surgeon to figure out that a
golfer is probably going to score a little lower under such rules than they
would without them. However, in most instances such rules are only employed
at those times of the year when the course conditions are not up to snuff.
These two opposing factors tend to offset each other and scores recorded
under Preferred Lies do contribute to the calculation of accurate Handicap
Indexes. Again, such scores shall be posted.

• 9-Hole Rounds

Effective July 1999 and in cooperation with the PWGA and WGANC, 9-hole score
posting was introduced in Northern California. I've heard it all on this
one. I have heard nay-sayers tell me that 9-hole score posting is grossly
unfair because they either a) take nine holes to warm up and that combining
9-hole scores would result in 18-hole scores that are too high; or b) that
they tire after nine holes and that combining 9-hole scores would result in
18-hole scores that are too low. Whatever! The 9-hole score posting is here
to stay, it's mandatory, it allows more people to post more scores more
easily than ever before and that fact can only improve the quality and
accuracy of Handicap Indexes generated.

By now the message should be clear: Post your scores!

For any golfers that feel that they are above the System or that these Rules
should not apply to them, there is another type of score that they should
become familiar with. It is applied to a golfer's record by his or her
Handicap Committee whenever the golfer fails to post a valid score. It is
equal to the lowest score/best performance of the golfer's current 20-score
record. It has the impact of lowering the golfer's Handicap Index. It is
called a Penalty Score. Hopefully they will see some appearing on their
record this season!

How Must All Eddie Reed Match Results to be Reported?

How does the Club championship differ from other tournament with respect to the championship flight, and prizes, and GOY points?

The Club Championship is different from the other tournaments because we generally attempt to have a championship flight, which is more challenging to our better golfers who are competing for the club championship (overall low gross). Prior to 2002 we always ran the championship flight based on gross scores (not net), but in 2002 the board agreed that there was inequity with respect to awarding Golfer of the Year points based on gross scores, for it made it easier for those who are our very best golfers to earn those critical last GOY points while making it more difficult others in that flight. To remedy this the Board decided to score the championship flight as a net flight, awarding GOY points based on net scores for that flight. Prizes and trophies for the championship flight are still however awarded based on gross scores. For the standard flights, trophies, prizes, and GOY points are distributed based on net scores. If the course rating and slope are within a reasonable range for both the championship flight and other flights, we will run all flights from the same set of tees. In such a case, competitors from all flights are eligible to win overall low gross and overall low net. Generally, however we will be sending off the championship flight from a more difficult set of tees. When this happens only those competing in the championship flight are eligible to win the low gross trophy. In addition members of the championship flight may also still win the overall low net trophy, in part, because the tees are more difficult. When the championship flight is playing a different set of tees from the other flights, those playing in the regular flights will not be eligible to win the low gross trophy, but will be able to win the low net prize. Finally, as if to make thing even more difficult, no person may ever accept both the overall low net and overall low gross prize. In such a case he/she must select one, and then the other is given to the next best score. Members may however win their flight trophy and the overall low gross or low net trophies. And for you information the winner of overall low net will win, in effect three trophies for this feat: 1) The flight trophy for 1st place, 2) The overall low net perpetual trophy, and 3) The overall low net 'keeper' trophy. The winner of overall low gross will win 2 trophies: 1) the overall low gross perpetual trophy and  2) the Club Champion flight 'keeper' trophy.  

Two more distinctions separate this event from other events: 1) Participants must be members of the club [same with our 2-Ball Championship], and 2) Although any member may participate in this event, only members who have during the current season completed four club tournaments (not including the Club Championship) are eligible to win trophies. Those ineligible for trophies may still however win the flight prizes cash, gift certificates, etc.

The trophies are abundant for this season-ending finale. Here is a list of the trophies we award at the Club Championship awards ceremony:

Perpetual Trophies

• Club Champion (Low Gross) Perpetual Trophy
• Club Champion (Low Net) Perpetual Trophy

Keeper Trophies

• Club Championship (Low Gross)
• Club Championship Runner-up
• Club Championship 3rd place
• First Flight 1st Place
• First Flight 2nd Place
• First Flight 3rd Place
• Second Flight 1st Place
• Second Flight 2nd Place
• Second Flight 3rd Place
  (Etc., through all flights. Winners also receive cash or gift certificate prizes)

Eddie Reed Trophies (plaques)

• Championship Flight 1st Place
• Championship Flight Runner-up
• First Flight 1st Place
• First Flight Runner-up
• Second Flight 1st Place
• Second Flight Runner-up
  (Etc., through all flights. Winners also receive $50 and runners-up get $25)

Iron Bear Awards (framed certificates)

• Awarded to all member who had perfect attendance throughout entire season.

Golfer of the Year Award (framed certificates)

• Golfer of the Year
• Golfer of the Year  - 2nd Place
• Golfer of the Year  - 3rd Place
  (winners also receive cash prizes, most recently $30 for 1st, $20 for 2nd, $10 for 3rd)

(Click here for more information on our Perpetual Trophies)

Are there any other decent golf club web sites out there?

There are a few that are decent. Perhaps the most developed is the web site for West divots Golf Club. They were founded in 1987 and boast a fairly respectable Archives section. They're newsletters are very good. Our new arch nemesis, the UCSF Golf Club, also boasts a very respectable site. They provide good photos, and complete flight results. Their newsletters are substantial. Unfortunately, all their members have affiliated themselves with the bad guys. We're the good guys. On July 5th at Tilden Park our clubs will face off in the inaugural Bay Bridge Golf Classic. 

What golf course is pictured in this web site's header?

Between 1999 and December of 2002 the banner of the web site featured a picture of Mike Henry taken at Hole #5 of Chardonnay's Vineyards Course on June 21, 1999. Currently the banner alternates every few weeks between about 40 different versions. Of these, my favorites are Chris Baker, Eric Kubota, Mark Boguski, Ken Lloyd, Paul Zingg, and Mike Henry.

How come the banner atop every page never changes?

The banner changes regularly, about once per week. The problem exists in your computer's browser. It's serving up the cached the image file and isn't updating the page as it should. To flush out your old cache, simply hold down the "Ctrl" key and while the key is still depressed use the mouse to click on the "Refresh" on your browser. See also the browser cache section of the Optimal Web Viewing page for instructions on how to properly set up your browser's cache.

Are any members or officers compensated for running the club?

Historically this club was initiated under the auspices of the university and from within the Recreation Department. Kooman Boycheff, the Club Founder, served as a Faculty Advisor. He was not compensated directly due to his work for the Club, however he was a full-time university employee and running the annual Faculty/Staff tournament was something he started and it eventually became part of his job. There were a few more faculty advisors, but that Club title eventually disappeared. The only position which has ever been financially compensated directly for running the club is the Club Manager. Steve Desimone is the only club manager we've ever had and he was brought on in the late 1970's to help bring order to chaos associated with running a club. As part of his coaching position, Steve annually receives a small amount for running the club. The Webmaster position is not compensated monetarily. When the Board decided to support a web site they agreed that compensation in the form of covering green fees for whoever ran the web site was reasonable. Aaron Walburg proposed the web site, created it (in May 2000), manages it and hosts it.

Which is Aaron's favorite photo on this web site?

There are lots of great photos on this site. Below is are my favorite 33 arranged chronologically. I prefer the pictures with several interesting components. Asterisks (*) indicate Top 10. Rg = Driving range; Cl = Clubhouse.

Why is Aaron so obsessed with working on the web site? Doesn't he have a life?

I'm glad you asked. Spending approximately 50% of my free time over the past two years working on the site I often have pondered the same question myself. There are several reasons I spend as much time as I do on the web site. I've boiled it down to these six reasons, ranked in order of importance:

1. Primarily it's my gift to the hard-working people associated with Cal. I think a lot about the experience the site provides. Even if someone's having a bad day, I like to think that people can visit the site and see a great photo or see how they've done in past tournaments, and feel a little bit better. I think about what it would be like to be an underpaid university employee (not difficult to imagine) and how a great web site like this might make me feel. It would be as if I were part of a club more rich, in many respects, than Augusta or Cypress Point.
2. Next in importance is that the site provides a sense of community. People can see photos of others and learn more about them. Perhaps it's just a matter of making a name association, but the site serves to bring the different foursomes together. When I joined the club in 1998 I joined as an individual. I felt a little like an outsider because it seemed that many of the foursomes were set and I wondered if people in the different groups even knew one-another. I can generally blend in with most groups and so didn't feel uncomfortable or alienated, however I wondered if maybe some people less outgoing might not feel sort of left out. Now that I've been in the club for a while and done tons of research, I understand that most of our members do know each other. Most of them have been members for 10 years or longer. I think of people like Mike Armstrong, Mike O'Neill and Rick Guevara. At first they seemed just like me, not too locked into their own foursome, you know friendly and not restricting themselves to one group of people. I wondered if they were, like me, relatively new to the club. Later, after I realized that they've been members for 12-17 years I didn't feel like such an odd-ball outsider. The web site helps new members gain a sense of familiarity and comfort. They don't have to feel that everyone else has great friendships with one another while they have to pretend to be just having a fine time busily picking gum from beneath their heel. The web site pulls together all of the individual experiences and forms one large experience that all can share equally. It tells the stories that one might not hear if he/she joins the club and drives home alone afterwards, without really having had much interaction. (except for that delightful conversation with that gob of chewing gum.)
3. The web site gives recognition to all that support the club. People come and go in this world rather quickly. It's easy to get lost in the day-to-day grind and quickly lose track of time. The web site houses 30 years of history. We have some legendary members amongst us, Eddie Reed, Jack King, Yun Akinaga, Bob Desimone, Boyd McCaslin, to name a few. They won't be with us forever, but we should appreciate them while they're here. The web site honors them with recognition for years of service. Service? Yes, participation is service. The club remains alive only because people keep coming out. One can never give enough credit to Steve and Ken, but the core of our club is just a single coming out and whacking the ball around with people he doesn't see very often.
4. The web site showcases the amazing organizational talents of Steve Desimone. The archives project has absorbed countless hours, but none of it would have been possible were it not for Steve having saved virtually every single club document. Steve has done such a great job managing the club and the archives serve not simply as a great place to see what the club has gone through over time, but also as a place to bear witness to the amazing amount of work he's poured into making things run so smoothly each month. Go back and look at the archives between 1976 and 1978 and see how confusing things were prior to Steve. Every month a different person would manage the tournament. There was often little continuity between things year to year. With Steve in place the garden has been stabilized and grown amazingly bountiful with his steady watering.
5. This web site helps me stay upbeat, because I think that people enjoy it and appreciate it. The web site is a perfect little world which I can maintain. In a world where I have few means of making any positive change, I feel good about being able to provide a service that I feel helps people lead more fulfilling lives. We only get together once per month, but why lose touch over this time? The web site is online 24/7 and is vast enough to provide nearly endless hours of entertainment. Being the caretaker of this site provides me a purpose and affords me at least some measure of control over the world around. I know it sounds weird, but if I'm having a tough day or feeling lonely or depressed, working on the web site helps me get out of the funk. I guess we all need things like that.
6. When we're all dead and buried, this web site will serve as proof that we have lived good and generous lives. 

As for the second part of the question, no, I really have no life. In fact, mulling on this over the past year or so all I have to say is that the site provides me a feeling of accomplishment which my life is currently not providing. In this respect I have no life. However, in the broader picture I can think of very few accomplishments in life which approach the magnitude of making the lives of 130 people a little more interesting. So perhaps in a certain dim light I do have a life. Some day soon I'd like for the web site not to be my primary obsession. As of mid February 2003 I've still got about 4-5 months of overhauling and organizing to do, and once that's completed I look forward to the site requiring no work other than adding things from the monthly tournaments. 

What sandbagging technique did Aaron use so successfully in his 2002 GOY campaign?

I used the traditional drop-50-pounds approach. It's straightforward. Lose 50 pounds, win a few majors, then put it all back on in time for winter. 

11/16/2001	6/15/2002	1/26/2003
229 lbs.	180 lbs.	223 lbs.

Why does Aaron always wear short pants?

I wear them to distract fellow competitors.

Has Aaron ever failed to wear short pants at a tournament?

Yes, at the Las Positas tournament on 12/1/2002. I can't recall whether I opted for long pants because rain was expected or because all my shorts were in the laundry. I suspect the latter.

Which members, besides Aaron, regularly wear shorts?

Ted Goode rarely wears long pants and rivals Aaron in this unspoken contest of raw manhood. Mark Boguski is the next most likely to don knickers. Also in the mix, and placed in order of rank are: Elliott Zeller, Jeff Hazel, Martin Kitchener, Dave Webb, Bob Tulk, Ken Alton, Dave Chia, Paul Zingg, Jim Peretti, Andrew Kang, Gary Vollen, Russ Greenwood, Yoch Lin, Ken Lloyd, and Jeff Day. This answer also sheds more light on the question of me not having a life.

Which members would not be caught dead in shorts?

Good question. There are several members who never wear shorts. John Robertson first comes to mind. It'll be mid-August at Poppy Ridge and he'll mantle slacks. Charlie Flowers comes to mind next. It's probably never happened for either of them. I suspect they're hiding something like really hairy legs or cellulite or varicose veins? I say stick with the slacks, gentlemen. I'm already getting a bit queasy. Following those two in the long pant wearing category and listed in order are: Errol Mauchlan, Boyd McCaslin,  Rollie Otto, Joel Walburg, Yun Akinaga, Bob Desimone, Paul Higaki, Ron Irving, Mike O'Neill, Jack King, Dave Rose, Jerry Powell, David Lee, Bob Traum, Greg Kramp, Mark Steppan, and Paul Zingg (Paul made both lists: wears them short in winter, long in summer). Eddie Reed would have made Top-3, were in not for a certain scandalous photo.

Which was the closest GOY race in club history?

The 1997 GOY Race was easily the most dramatic GOY race this club has seen.

Will your best day of retirement be as enjoyable as Steve's worst day at work?

No. 

Related Web Sites:

NCGA FAQ Page

If you have any other questions please submit them to Aaron so that they can be properly addressed.