Frequently Asked Questions
If you have a question about the club and how we operate, this is a good place to start!
Welcome to the club!
Read this FAQ. It answers the basic questions. If you haven't already, browse through the website to get a better feeling for our club.
First up, pay your dues. Your dues cover your GHIN fees (for your handicap index), tournament prizes, the Club KP (closest to the pin) Pot, the Hole-in-One Pot, the website, the annual dinner and a small gift for your spouse/significant other. It's a pretty good bang for the buck!
If you have questions, ask the member who sponsored you. If they don't know the answer, they can point you in the right direction.
The main goal of our club is to have fun playing golf. In order to play golf, you have to respond promptly to your Evite. No RSVP, No Play.
We have a great club because everyone helps out. Occasionally, you'll be asked to give us a hand. If you're really lucky, you'll get to work on this website!
You are responsible for making sure the new member blends in smoothly with the club activities and has a fun time their first year.
Point them to the website and have them read the FAQ. (Of course, you've read the FAQ already haven't you?)
Make sure they read their pre-tournament emails and most importantly, respond to their Evite.
At their first tournament, introduce the new member to his playing partners and tell them about paying green fees, the tournament format and ground rules, scorecards, not posting tournament scores, etc. Other good people to know are the Board members, particularly the tournament and handicap chairmen.
Remind them to post all other scores according to the USGA rules so that our tournaments remain fair and competitive. If they are new to the GHIN system, show them how to post and review scores.
Encourage them to help out since that's the core of our club.
Any concerns about the new member, e.g. not counting strokes, not following rules, etc., will first be directed to the sponsor who should mentor the new member before the issue goes before the Board.
Your duties to the new member last throughout their first year in the club.
The payment deadline is the first tee time of the March tournament.
The penalty for not paying your dues is that if you win any money in a tournament, your winnings go into the general fund.
There are no refunds of club dues.
If you find over the winter that you cannot play golf in one or more of the FHGC monthly tournaments for a variety of reasons, i.e. surgery, injury, illness ("Physically Unable to Perform"), you have several options:
- Pay your full yearly club dues. This allows you to play in as many monthly tournaments as you are fit to play. You are an active member of the FHGC and are eligible to play in tournaments, attend dinners, win money in monthly tournaments and receive the year-end gift. You receive the same benefits as all fully paid club members.
- Medical Leave with Playing Privileges. You pay $50.00 for GHIN and administrative fees. You are eligible to participate in monthly tournaments as a "Guest Only". You are not eligible to win money in team competitions. You are not eligible to qualify for the Club KP Pot, Hole-in-one Pot, monthly KP's and LD's. If you want to attend any Club sponsored events (dinners) or receive the year-end gift, you will have to pay your share.
- Full Medical Leave. You pay No Dues for the year you opt to take your leave. You do not participate in any club activities. You retain your roster spot for the following year, if you desire.
From the Washington State Golf Association website:
If you have paid for a Washington State Golf Association Membership at more than one WSGA Member golf club and were issued the same GHIN number at each club, you are eligible to receive a rebate of $10.00 for each membership beyond your first one.
You can find the rebate form on the WSGA website.
Call or email the Tournament Chairman. If you call and leave a message, the Tournament Chairman will call you back. If you send an email, the Tournament Chairman will reply with a confirmation. If you don't receive a phone or email confirmation, you should assume that something went into the dark hole. Resend your email or call again.
Never ask your friend to tell the Tournament Chairman you won't be at the next tournament. This is your responsibility.
You can also RSVP to your Evite before the line-up is created.
If you respond YES to your Evite we assume you are going to play. If something happens and you are no longer able to play you must notify the Tournament Chairman ASAP or before the tee times are posted. The tee times will be posted no later than the Sunday prior to the tournament.
Members must email or call the Tournament Chairman. Don't rely on a friend passing the message on for you.
If a member fails to notify the Tournament Chairman that he cannot play or cancels after the team roster has been posted, that member will be charged the Green Fees for that course.
No Shows - These are members who sign up to play in the monthly tournament, but for some reason fail to show up at the course for their starting time. Penalty: Pay course green fees + $10.00 fine.
All fines to be paid prior to teeing off at the next tournament. Any member who has outstanding charges or fines is not eligible for any winnings. Their share will be put into the Club general fund.
It's part courtesy, extra work and team fairness. The team formats favored by the club require matching golfers and teams to create a fair and fun tournament. A change after the line-up is set requires the Tournament Chairman to rerun all golfers through the matching process. (How are tee times arranged?) If done less than a week before the tournament, it also requires changing the website and the printed materials created for committee members, course marshals, etc. If done at the course, then it compromises the outcome of the tournament by putting teams at a disadvantage.
Unexpected events happen when members can't play. Injuries and work commitments do come up. But they should be the rare exception. See: When Do I Have to Cancel to Avoid Paying Penalties? and What Are the Late/No Show Penalty Fees?
The Handicap Chairman produces a report showing the current handicap index and course handicaps at the upcoming tournament site for all members and sends it to the Tournament Chairman.
The Tournament Chairman arranges the foursomes, tee times, and coordinates the club's requirements with the golf course. His goal is to match golfers of varying skill levels and teams to create a fair and fun tournament. He also tries to vary the foursomes and tee times so you play with different members at different times. A lot of thought and effort goes into this process. After the line-up is set, a cancellation forces a repeat of the whole process. So please do everything possible to show up if you have committed to play!
Tee times will be posted on the website the week of the tournament and updated as necessary.
All members are eligible for the CLUB KP Pot. Golfers who put their tee shot within 36" of the hole, or the length of a pitching wedge (if a tape measure is not available) are eligible to win a share of the pot paid out at the end of the season. Measure this length by inserting the club head into the hole and extend the shaft out towards the ball.
The CLUB KP Pot is equal to the number of club members times $10, less the $300 hole-in-one pot. The KP Pot is divided equally by the number of members who qualify over the course of one golf season. If no one qualifies for the KP Pot during a season, the monies go into the general fund. Monies do not carry over from year to year in the case of no payout the previous year.
This is for any par 3 hole in any FHGC tournament. Hole-in-one winners do not share in the KP Pot, but automatically qualify for a $300 award at the end of the season.
In a tournament, all par 3 holes are designated KP holes. To win, your tee shot must be on the green and closest to the pin. There will be a measuring stick and paper to record the distance at these holes. There will be one winner for each flight per hole.
Yes we do. If you are an FHGC member in good standing and hit a hole-in-one in one of our tournaments, you win $300.
Reviewing 40-50 scores is a challenge for the committee members so please complete your scorecard as follows:
List the full names of all golfers. Verify the scores, date, sign and attest the card before turning it into the scorekeepers. With certain tournament formats, for example, 3 best balls (net) of a 4 man team, the committee asks that you fill out your scorecards consistent with the example found at the green fee collection table when you check in.
Each foursome should maintain 2 scorecards. The 2 scorecards should be compared hole by hole to ensure that any scoring errors are corrected before the official card is signed and turned in.
The Handicap Chairman will take the tournament scorecards, apply Equitable Stroke Control and then post the score for you. Some team tournament formats (Scramble, Chapman, etc.) don't produce individual scores so none will be posted.
Yes. As of the 2007 season, our club allows internet posting at www.ghin.com.
Posting your score after your round at the course is still the preferred method for recording your score. Internet posting can be used if posting at the course is not viable for some reason, such as for courses out of the GHIN system or when the local course computer is down. The handicap chairman will monitor internet posting to insure that no one is abusing this option.
It is the responsibility of each golfer to know and abide by the USGA Rules of Golf. See the writeup on the First Hill Golf Club 2010 Rules for a summary of common rules situations.
All players in each foursome are responsible for the group maintaining a reasonable pace of play. Always stay in contact with the group ahead of you.
If you get to the tee and the group in front of you has already left the green on the same hole, you are behind.
It is the responsiblity of the low handicapper or the person who has been in the Club for the most years to encourage everyone in the foursome to speed up play.
Ideally, you should always see the group in front of you. Hopefully, they are not exiting the green.
If you are asked to speed up play, don't get your feelings hurt. We are only trying to make equal playing conditions for all participants.
The course monitors our progress as well and often times has a course marshall to help keep the foursomes moving.
Remember, Be Ready to Golf.
Summer Rules will be in effect for all FHGC tournaments unless posted otherwise at the course or modified at the discretion of the Tournament Director.
Winter Rules (if in effect): Through the green, a ball may be lifted, cleaned, and placed up to 6 inches from its original position, no closer to the hole. Winter Rules may not be used if your ball is within 36 inches of a tree, shrub, hazard, OB marker, etc., or if it is in a hazard or bunker.
If you already have a GHIN number when you join the First Hill Golf Club, you are all set. Just make sure the Handicap Chairman gets your GHIN number and your current handicap index will continue as is. If you belong to more than one golf club that participates in the GHIN program, you might be eligible for a rebate from the WSGA.
If you don't have a GHIN number when you join the First Hill Golf Club, send the Handicap Chairman an email with as many leisure time golf scores as possible, but you need at least 5 of your most recent scores. For each score show the date played, gross score, course rating and slope rating of the course played. The more scores you provide the more accurate your handicap index will be.
The Handicap Chairman will send you an email letting you know your new GHIN number. Use this GHIN number to post all your scores going forward.
The maximum USGA handicap index is 36.4.
Check out the Golf Handicap Information Network website. After you enter your GHIN number and your name, you'll see your 20 most recent scores and the 10 lowest handicap differentials used to calculate your handicap index. You'll also be able to see the course and slope ratings used in the calculations. Starting in April, 2010 Handicap Indexes are updated on the 1st and 15th of each month during the season.
It's a good idea to occasionally check to see if all your scores posted properly.
Send an email to the Handicap Chairman. Explain the problem and give him the correct information required to fix it.
When you post your gross score (adjusted for Equitable Stroke Control) on GHIN they subtract the course rating from your gross score to compute your handicap differential for that round. GHIN then takes the lowest 10 differentials of your most recent 20 scores. Your Handicap Index is the average of those 10 lowest differentials multiplied by 0.96. GHIN uses the 0.96 factor to give a slight advantage to the lower handicapper thus giving everyone more incentive to improve their game.
Did you know that the average player is expected to play to their course handicap or better only about 25% of the time? Remember that your handicap index is based on the best 10 of your last 20 score differentials. See the FAQ on how a USGA Handicap Index is computed for more information.
Evites are electronic invitations from www.Evite.com. The Tournament Chairman creates an Evite for each tournament which Evite.com emails to club members. Included in the email is a unique link to each member's invitation on the Evites website. Members respond if they are playing in the tournament and can make comments. Responses and comments are displayed on the Evite for other members to view.
Evites will go out a few days after the previous tournament. If you don't get an Evite by the 1st of the month, there is a problem. Call or email the Tournament Chairman. If you rsvp'd to your Evite and your name is still in the "did not respond" section, there is a problem. Call or email the Tournament Chairman.
After the last day to cancel, the Tournament Chairman will determine how many members plan to play and how many foursomes will be a workable number. i.e. 40 golfers will make a workable number, however we have 42 respondents. Number 41 and 42 become the first alternates in case someone should drop out.
Remember: The Tournament Chairman has to confirm a specific number of golfers to the course 10-14 days prior to our tournament date. We become contracted with the course to pay for the confirmed number of players.
Responding early to the Evite will give you a better chance for a spot on the roster. Our formats are team oriented. Therefore, all foursomes must be an even number.
Remember: Last In, First Out.
The original version of the website was created for the 2000 season with a computer and a few beers.
For the 2010 season, the website was totally redesigned using Drupal (pronounced /ˈdruːpəl/), a free and open source Content Management System (CMS). Drupal provides the tools to create a community website that allows member participation. A slightly more dramatic demonstration of Drupal's power and flexibility is found at www.whitehouse.gov.
High tech stuff...helps with the website, but not my handicap!