Special Thanks

Thanks to all of the officers and volunteers who help the Club in conducting AEAGC events and compiling the results through the year. There is a lot of work that takes place so the Club members can all enjoy a little time out on the course. A special thanks to Wayne Stuckey, who has continued as Membership Chairman for the Club, and who is always there to help answer the many question that come up during the year. Also to the other Club officers, Ron Herm who organizes the AEAGC tournament schedule, Gene Hellie who handles the Club finances, Richard Rodriguez, the ISGA/SCGA representative, Tammy Choy for her incredible work maintaining the handicaps and scoring records, to Ken Luey for his help on handicapping and scoring, and to Kevin Aaron for keeping the Twilight League running.

Thanks to the tournament directors - to Ron Herm for continuing as the tournament director for the Singing Hills weekend in El Cajon as well as our weekend in Lompoc and Santa Barbara, and to Ray Calloway, Paul Fleischauer, Ron Herm, Jim Moos, Wayne Stuckey, Joe Tomei, Tim Wilkinson, and Ed Yoshida for help on individual weekend tournaments.

The AEA Golf Club would not be able to function without these volunteers and we ask that you consider running a tournament, holding an office or volunteering in some way.

AEAGC Tournaments

The Aerospace Employees Association Golf Club completed 2003 with 24 golf dates at courses around Southern California area, including three weekend trips. The President's Cup Tournament, held in Palm Springs, was played on the Arnold Palmer Mission Hills Course and the Indian Wells Classic Course. The optional Friday tournament played the Pete Dye Mission Hills Course. There were also weekend trips to Lompoc/Santa Barbara (July) and Singing Hills in El Cajon (October).

Congratulations to the Club Champions, Twilight League Champions, and the President's Cup Winner:

For 2004, 24 golf dates are on the schedule, including four weekend trips. The President's Cup Tournament will be in Palm Springs early in June and will be played on the Arnold Palmer Mission Hills Course on Saturday and the Indian Wells Classic Course at Indian Wells on Sunday. The Friday tournament will return to the Mission Hills North (Gary Player) Course. The Club will return to Singing Hills in San Diego in October with a weekend Tehachapi (Horse Thief) in August. In April, the Temecula area will be visited with play at Landmark @ Hemet, Cross Creek, and The SCGA Player's Course. The full 2004-tournament schedule is attached.

The Club Championship will be held during the Los Serranos Tournament on Sunday, October 31, 2004. The staff at Los Serranos has indicated overseeding will be done earlier so conditions should be much improved. There will be a Low Gross Champion and a Low Net Champion. Flight winners, who have a minimum of six AEAGC tournament rounds in the year immediately preceding their win, qualify for the Club Championship. The Best Ball Championship is determined at the same event. Best ball winners. Best ball winners, who both have a minimum of six AEAGC tournament rounds in the year immediately preceding to their win, qualify for the Best Ball Championship. (Note that the year ends the day before the event and extends back to include the first of the month in the previous year.)

The President's Cup is awarded to the Aerospace employee with the low two-day net score at Palm Springs. To qualify, the President's Cup winner must have a minimum of six AEAGC tournament rounds during the year immediately preceding to the Palm Springs event.

The AEAGC has a web site for those with Internet access. It has the schedule, tournament announcements, tee times, and results. It also hosts the tournament score database used for handicaps, twilight league results, and other Club information. Let us know what you like, what you don't like, and any suggestions on what you would like to have available on the web pages. Please bookmark this URL for Golf Club information and check it for the latest news.

URL FOR AEA Golf Club: <http://www.aeaclubs.org/golf>

Tournament play in AEAGC events is governed by the USGA rules of golf. Golf rules in brief and the complete Rules of Golf are available on the AEAGC Web site links. The USGA rules are available in most pro shops. In general, the ball is played as it lies unless USGA rules allow relief. Since most tournaments are medal play, all holes should be putted out - no gimmees.

Signed scorecards, attested by at least two members of the group, should be submitted for each group either at the course to a Club officer or mailed on Monday to the tournament director. Please make sure that full names are on the card and that the scores on each and every hole are legible!

AEAGC Tournament Fees

The fees for AEAGC events are based on the tournament fees paid to the golf course and a prize fund of from $5 to $8 per tournament. The tournament fees the Club pays are typically higher than the normal green fees and mandatory carts are often required. Many courses, including the LA County courses, add a $15 tournament surcharge fee. The Club attempts to limit tournaments at these courses to the most popular ones. Every attempt is made to balance a selection of quality golf courses with reasonable tournament fees. As a reminder for best ball entries: (1) the cost per player per team is $1. (2) If you want to play best ball with each member of your foursome, submit $3 per person. (3) Otherwise, it is assumed that you want to limit the number of best ball teams in your foursome. (For example, one of your teammates lacks a handicap or doesn't want to play best ball.)

Cancellations

There will be times when a player must cancel plans to play in an AEAGC event. The Club collects fees in advance because it is contractually required to pay in advance. The likelihood of recovering the fees is largely based on the arrangements with the golf course. Typically, the Club must confirm the number of players about two weeks to four prior to the tournament. In some cases, all fees must be paid at that time. In other cases, a final payment is made on the day of the tournament. An attempt to inform the tournament director (even at the last minute) should be made, of any change in plans, as the tournament director may be able to avoid loss of fees. For example, a final payment may not have been made to the course so that the number of players can be modified, a substitute may be available, or some non-monetary compensation may be worked with the course. In general, once the fees have been paid to the course, it is nearly impossible to recover the fees -- the best alternative is to find a substitute.

Sold Out Tournaments

In the event that a tournament is sold out, the first people eliminated will be those whose money reaches the tournament chairman after the deadline. In addition, golfers who signed up before the deadline will be eliminated according to the schedule given below. This schedule refers to the categories of golfers on the membership form:

1. The first to be eliminated will be non-members, i.e., individuals who have not paid their yearly dues and who enrolled in this tournament by paying the $3 tournament fee for non-members. Within this group, individuals will be eliminated in the following order: A3; A2; A1; then M.
2. The next group to be eliminated will be those members who have not played a minimum of six AEAGC tournament rounds in the year immediately preceding to the event. Within this group, the order eliminated will be as in (1): A3; A2; A1; then M.
3. The final group to be eliminated will be members who have played six or more AEAGC tournament rounds in the previous year. Here again, the order will be: A3; A2; A1; then M.
4. Within a particular group and category, e.g. 1A3, the last to enter will be the first out, etc.

USGA Membership and Handicaps

The AEAGC continues to maintain our own handicaps and use them exclusively for our tournaments. However, our handicaps are not recognized by the USGA or the SCGA. USGA affiliation would require AEAGC members who want a handicap for tournament play to join both the AEAGC and the Southern California Golf Association (SCGA) and pay the additional SCGA membership dues. AEAGC Members that desire an official SCGA handicap can join through the Industry and Services Golf Association (ISGA). ISGA membership is $48 or, if you already have an SCGA handicap through another club, $30 as an associate member. Contact the ISGA/SCGA Club representative for additional information or check the ISGA web site link on the AEAGC web page.

AEAGC Handicaps

Beginning in 2002, AEAGC handicaps were based on the USGA handicap calculation and as with USGA handicaps, a minimum of five rounds is required to establish a handicap. All rounds are kept in the database, however, as per the USGA calculation, only the ten best of the last twenty rounds are used to calculate a handicap.

The parameters for the handicap calculation can be found at:

          http://www.usga.org/handicap/manual/2003_manual/index.html

In particular, Section 10, the USGA Handicap formula, establishes how a handicap is calculated.

Members who do not renew their AEAGC membership for two consecutive years may be purged from the handicap database and may have to re-establish their handicaps.

For those who do not have an AEAGC handicap, there are two ways to establish one: (1) Play in five AEAGC tournaments in the Open flight or (2) present the Handicap Chair with a current SCGA membership number to access SCGA handicap data (or validated historical data) that shows twenty rounds in the previous twenty-four months. The Handicap Chair will take the lowest five rounds to establish your AEAGC handicap.

All competitions in the Open Flight will be handicapped based on the Scheid handicap, which is described at:

          http://www.usga.org/handicap/publications/unhandi/c6-unhnd.html

Handicaps are posted on the first of each month and are effective for the entire month. Handicaps include tournaments held prior to the 16th of the previous month. Exceptions to posting are made for those who are establishing handicaps. Please contact the Handicap Chair with any questions.

Holes Not Finished/Not Played

Under the USGA Handicap System, a player is required to record a score for a hole not finished, not played, or not played under the Rules of Golf. The most likely score for the hole should be recorded and may not exceed the player’s Equitable Stroke Control score. An "X" should precede this most likely score. In general, holes not finished, not played, or not played under the Rules of Golf will result in disqualification from flight results (golfer is still eligible for skins and/or best ball competition).

Please make the tournament director and/or handicap chairman aware of the circumstances of any hole not finished, not played, or not played under the Rules of Golf.

AEAGC Twilight League

The AEAGC Twilight League will start in April again this year. Play in the AEAGC Twilight League is at Westchester on Mondays starting at 4:00. The announcements will be out in March for the 2003 Twilight League.

Club Officers

For comments, questions, additional information, membership applications or complaints, contact:

Jan Prazak
(310)-336-8983 (wk)
(310)-374-9980 (hm)
Jan.W.Prazak@aero.org

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