Member’s Guide to Pinewild Men’s Golf Association

January 2019

Purpose

Pinewild Men’s Golf Association is dedicated to promoting fellowship, sportsmanship and interest in golf. PMGA offers a variety of weekly golf games, participation in league play, informal social occasions and several annual tournaments. A seven-member Executive Committee serving two-year terms of office administers the Association.

Membership

PMGA membership is open on an annual basis to all male members of Pinewild Country Club of Pinehurst (PCC) with a current USGA Handicap Index and amateur status. Members hold an annual meeting in November each year to elect officers to serve on the Executive Committee and to conduct other business. 

 

Annual membership dues for the PMGA are $50 and are due January 1. Prior year members, who have not renewed by the opening day breakfast and shotgun, will be dropped from the PMGA roles. New members may join on a non pro-rated basis at any time during the year and are immediately eligible for all events. A separate check should be made out to the PMGA for all events requiring a separate fee and should be placed in the lock box in the locker room. New members joining after the end of August will be allowed to participate in PMGA events without paying dues.

 

To play any PMGA event you must have a USGA handicap index. A provisional handicap index will be issued after a player posts five scores (scores from other clubs will be accepted when submitted to the Golf Shop by that club). The maximum allowable men’s handicap is 36. See Exhibit A “PMGA Handicap Policy”.

Communication

PMGA maintains bulletin boards in the men’s locker room, where Game of the Day Schedules, Tournament rules and Results are posted and Notices are displayed. The names and telephone numbers of current officers are posted. Contact any officer if you have a question about PMGA. These notices as well as other official PMGA documents are available on the Country Club website at www.pinewildcc.com in the Members Section. Tee time assignments and other notices are displayed on a notice board outside the Golf Shop and on the same Pinewild CC website.

 

Organized Play

On Thursdays, PMGA offers a variety of formats. As a general rule there is both an Individual Low Gross/Low Net game and a Four Ball Team game played concurrently. The Four Ball Team game usually will be eliminated when players have the option of qualifying for inter-club events and when the Medal Series is contested. In addition, Scramble and Two Man Team events necessarily override the Individual game. The four Par 3 holes feature a “closest to the hole” contest during most PMGA play days.

 

Regular organized PMGA game days require a $5 entry fee. One hundred percent of entry fees are returned to the field as prizes in the form of Golf Shop credits.

Tournaments& Events

Opening Breakfast and Shotgun in March [date TBD] (Perry Spangler)

The season begins in March with a breakfast and short meeting followed by a shotgun scramble. Refreshments are served in the Clubhouse after the round. Breakfast and lunch after golf are included in the annual dues.

The Medal Series Begins in March  [date TBD] (Bob Cormier)

The Medal Series Championship is individual stroke play over a number of designated events. Signup and a separate entry fee are required. Players are divided into flights. Points are awarded for the relative placing of their Gross and Net scores within their flight each time they play. These points accumulate during the year, and the flight leaders are eligible to play in the Medal Series Championship in October and are recognized at the Finale in November. Sign-up will be in the locker room from February 14th to March 9th.

Holly Challenge Begins in April [date TBD] (Bob Behnke)

This is a single elimination match play event played on the Holly Course with rounds starting in April and ending in August. Signup and a separate entry fee are required. Players will be placed in flights. Signup starts February 28th and ends March 26th.

Li’l Abner Tournament [date TBD] (Chairperson Opening)

This event is played by teams of two players alternate shot with handicaps. Each team consists of one PMGA member and one PWGA (non-spouse) or female Pinewild (non-spouse) member invited by the PMGA member. The field is divided into flights by aggregate handicap index. Signup and a separate entry fee are required. This event is played every other year.

Blazer Tournament Begins April 3rd (previous year’s Champions)

The Blazer Tournament is played by two man teams, match play with handicaps (net better ball). Signup and a separate entry fee are required. The field is divided into flights by aggregate handicap index. This single elimination tournament begins in April and ends in October. Flight winning teams play single elimination for the Overall Championship. Flight winners receive awards and the champion team members receive blazers at the annual Finale in November. Sign up starts February 28th and ends March 26th.

Summer “Bash” I in May [date TBD] and Summer “Bash” II in August [date TBD] (Perry Spangler)

The Summer Bash events are fun mixers for all members. A shotgun scramble is played with lunch and refreshments after golf, which is included in the annual dues.

Holly Ryder Cup in September [date TBD] (Perry Spangler)

This event has been a real hit with the members. The members who sign up are chosen to play for the Europe (Blue) Team or the USA (Red) Team. Each team is divided into three groups, each of whom play various forms of match play (singles – Alternate Shot – Scramble). The Team with the most points wins. There is a separate entry fee which is distributed amongst the players on the winning team and to those who win or tie their matches. There is also an “optional” lunch that day, with bragging rights for the winning team.

PMGA Medal Series Team Championship in October [date TBD] (Ed Rackowski & Pete Nehlsen)

The Medal Series Championship is a competition between the four flights of the season long Medal Series tournament. The top 12 players from each flight at the end of the season play will qualify and play as a team. The format is a three day round robin match play competition. Each flight will play each other over the three days. Each round will consist of nine holes of foursome’s play and nine holes of four-ball play. The total points accumulated over the three days of competition decide the team championship.

PMGA Putting Championship in September [date TBD] (Perry Spangler)

The PMGA Putting Championship is a bracketed nine hole single elimination tournament that results in one member out of the entire field being crowned the “PMGA Putting Champion”. Nine hole head to head matches are played with one player being eliminated and the other advancing to the next round. When the entire field is down to the final two players, they putt a nine hole match for the Championship. Beverages are provided for this event.

PMGA Closer in November [date TBD] (Perry Spangler)

The season ends in November with a breakfast followed by a business meeting and voting for new board members for the following year. A shotgun scramble is played, after which we have lunch, presentations of awards for the year’s tournament winners, and the election results are announced. The breakfast and lunch are included in the annual dues.

PMGA Par 3 Challenge – Azalea in December [date TBD] (Perry Spangler)

Our final event of the year is the Par 3 Challenge on the Azalea course. It is a shotgun start with the entire field split into six to nine groups of equal size in order of handicap (lowest to highest) with each group playing each of the nine Azalea holes. The low net winners in each of the six to nine groups advance to the finals, a single elimination shoot-out. One of the nine winners will be eliminated each hole until only one remains, the “Champion”.

 

 Assignment of Pairings and Tee Times

 PMGA has a strong tradition of mixing players into new groupings as part of ABCD teams. This is meant to help new residents get to know other members, and helps meet the USGA requirement for Peer Review. Requests for specific pairings or tee times are not accepted, except that house guests will be paired with their host member, when allowed to play.

 

Whenever the game of the day features a Team Better Ball game, foursomes are computer-generated to balance the aggregate Handicap Index of the teams in the field. Each foursome will have one A, one B, one C and one D player. The pairings program assigns players to foursomes at random. When the game of the day is Low Gross/Low Net (no concurrent team game), pairings are usually generated in order of Handicap Index (“Peers”).

 Alternates List

 After on-line sign up is ended at 12:00 noon Wednesday, members may request that the Golf Shop place their name on the Alternates List. The Alternates List will be processed at approximately 4 p.m. on the day before play as follows: the first player on the Alternates List will fill the first opening for a player of his handicap quartile (B player to B opening; A player to A opening, etc.) or the most reasonable opening given his handicap. Then the second player on the Alternates List will fill an opening for a player of his handicap quartile or the most reasonable opening given his handicap. And so forth until all available spots are filled.

Members who have placed their names on the Alternates List must call the Golf Shop after approximately 4:15 p.m. on the day before play to determine whether they have been assigned a tee time and pairing.


Inclement Weather

Scheduled PMGA play will be cancelled prior to the first tee time when the golf course is closed by Management or when, in the judgment of the PMGA Play Day Chairman or his designated substitute, weather conditions will not permit the field to complete play. Call the club Information Hot Line at 295-0358 on the day of play for up to date information. Course conditions are also available on line at pinewildcc.com, click member tab, login with login name of member and password par72, and select course/court conditions.

 

Once play has commenced, play may be canceled or delayed at the discretion of the Play Day Chairman or his designated substitute. If play is suspended by the Play Day Chairman or his representative, weather checks along with other factors such as daylight remaining, will dictate the Chairman’s decision after 45 minutes of suspended play to either resume play at a specified time or cancel play for that day. If a player or players decide on their own to abandon the round, they will not have an individual score for prize consideration: teams may continue with fewer than four players and post a team score for prize consideration. Players have the right to cease play when in their judgment lightning or severe weather poses a threat. The Golf Shop will notify players when it is safe to resume play.

Check-In Procedures

Each player must check in at the Golf Shop at least 15 minutes prior to his tee time. Each player will be issued a pink receipt at check-in, which must be presented to the Starter before beginning play. Players should arrive at the Starter location 10 minutes before the scheduled tee time. In the event a player fails to appear for his tee time due to late check-in, he will be deemed a No Show. See Exhibit C“ Cancellation Policy”.

Preprinted Scorecards

Preprinted scorecards are prepared in advance of play tailored to the Game of the Day. Handicap strokes by hole are marked on the scorecard for each player (the player’s USGA Handicap for the Course to be played as contained in the Handicap Computer). For clarity, scorekeepers should record only the players’ gross scores for each hole.

 

When appropriate, a Team Better Ball score line is printed on the scorecard below the players’ names. This line should be filled in as a total of the team net score as compared to par for each hole, and totaled for the round. Scorekeepers should take care to correctly apply the Game of the Day format when calculating Team Better Ball scores. A team or group will be excluded from participating in prizes if their scorecard is not submitted, is not signed and attested, or has incorrect scores.

Maintaining Pace of Play

Pace of Play Objective: Surveys of PMGA members consistently show that slow play is a frustration to most members. PMGA supports Pinewild Country Club program to achieve a 4 hour 6 minute round for every group on the golf course. This of course must start with the first group out each day. Thereafter, the PMGA urges each group to remain comfortably close to the group ahead, not simply ahead of the group behind. On peer play day the PMGA is requesting we play close attention to the rule stated above.

Governing Rules

The USGA Rules of Golf and the tournament rules governingplay at Pinewild govern PMGA play. See Exhibit D “PMGA Rules of Play”. Special rules will be distributed for each PMGA tournament event.

The PMGA coordinates with the Club when adopting a local rule permitting “lift, clean and place” on closely mown areas during winter months or following certain course maintenance. Such temporary rules will be posted in the Golf Shop and the Locker Room. The PMGA expects members to be aware of proper golf course etiquette and always to observe the highest standard of behavior, respecting their fellow golfers and the golf course.


PMGA Hole-In-One Club

The PMGA facilitates a hole-in-one club for its members. All PMGA members are welcome to join by contributing $20 to the hole-in-one “pot”. Members may join anytime but to be eligible for an award, the membership in the club must be documented at least one day prior to scoring a hole in one. The membership is documented when the PMGA Treasurer has received the member’s check. The Hole-in-One Club runs from January 1st to December 31st each year.

 

A cash award of $100 will be made when the “ACE” is reported. At the end of the year each person scoring a hole-in-one will also receive an engraved bag tag denoting the event. The residual “pot” will be distributed after the end of the calendar year to the members who have scored a hole in one that year. The amount will vary depending how many members join the club and number of Aces scored. During December, we will accept enrollment for the next year hole in one club.

  1. During PMGA Events:
  2. from any approved teeing grounds
    b. on any course (including the Azalea)
    c. having played at least 9 holes
    d. witnessed by two partners, one of which is a PMGA member or a Pinewild Club Member…one of which is a non-family member (one if the play was authorized as a twosome, such as the Holly Challenge)
  3. During any other play:
  4. on the Holly, Magnolia or Azalea courses
    b. from Black, Blue, White, Gold tees only, or from the Red tee if a Red Tee Designated Player
    c. having played at least 9 holes
  5. Must have been a member of the HIO Club for at least one day before the HIO.

Drop your check for the Hole-In-One Club in the PMGA box in the men’s locker room. The check can be combined with your PMGA annual dues, but one must note that the $20 is for teh HIO Club..