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April 24, 2008
Guidance For Club Representatives
and Alternates
GENERAL
This pamphlet is provided to assist you as a Club Rep. It is a compilation of ideas, methods and procedures which were
found to work best by Reps who have preceded you. Since each Club operates differently, you will find some of this will work
for you and some will not, but it will give you a place to start.
YOU AS A TEAM
Somehow (each club has its own method), you have become your Club's Rep or Alt/Rep. You are now the only link between
your Club, your members and the MISGA. It is important that each of you be aware of the other’s job and actions;
so that if one is absent, the other is current and capable of providing continuity in policy and action.
YOU AND YOUR CLUB
You must get to know the inner workings of your Club, who is responsible for various matters and who is best to deal with.
Cultivate the following (at a minimum; Club Pres, Golf Pro, greens keeper, Men's Capt, and the Head of the kitchen staff.
Ensure they know you, what you are responsible for, what MISGA is all about and that you are going to host a large tournament
each year. Give them an early heads-up for your tournament, regular reminders and updates.
YOU AND MISGA MEETINGS
Annual General Meeting - No special preparation is required and your attendance is not required; although it is better
if you are there to be a spokesman for your Club. This meeting is held following a tournament late in the season.
Fall Administrative Meeting - You and your Alternate, or at least a well briefed, trustworthy stand-in must attend. You
should come with a proposal date for your next-season's tournament. A date which has been approved by your Golf Club. lf your
Club has run its tournament in the same week each year, then it is usually only a matter of adjusting next years date to the
desired day of the week. You will be given a travel allowance for attending this meeting.
Immediately following the Fall MISGA meeting begin collecting next years renewals from your members, inform potential
new members of the procedure for joining MISGA and what it has to offer. Word of mouth and the Club notice board are invaluable
tools and are the recommended methods of keeping your members informed. Joining fees, renewals and applications should be
forwarded to MISGA before the end of the year. It is prudent to collect the fees early as many Seniors go south for the winter
and late entries will not be included when your Club's tournament quota is established.
Spring Administrative Meeting - You and your Alternate, or a stand-in must attend this meeting. Prepare for the MISGA
Spring meeting by preparing for your Club's tournament. Details of your tournament must be presented at the meeting.
Here is a checklist:
a. Determine the price for each participant's green fee.
b. Estimate the cost of 1 donut & 2 coffees per person.
c. Determine if the kitchen will be open to purchase a breakfast and if there is a special fee.
d. Negotiate a price per plate for lunch, how it will be served & by whom.
e. How many power carts can the Pro provide, can he get more, can you get members to
supplement if required. Try to negotiate a good rental price.
f. Negotiate a price for golf balls for prizes. This is an area where you can keep the tournament costs down. lf everyone
gets a ball, the entry fee goes up approx $3 per person. Recommended - 3 balls each for low net & low loss, 2 each for
2nd low net/gross, 2 each for KPs, 1 each for approx 1/3rd of the field (net only). Determine the total cost of tie balls
and calculate this cost on a “per person'' basis.
g. Total the unit price for a, b, d, & f and you have the approx entry fee for your tournament. MISGA provides a
small cash supplement per entry. The supplement is usually announced at the Fall meeting, but check with the Treasurer if
in doubt.
h. Determine if participants are allowed to bring their personal power carts and the cost of a Trail Fee if applicable.
j. Check for any restrictions in effect at your Club that participants must be aware of, ie; soft spikes, wide wheel carts,
etc., and if overnight RV parking is allowed.
k. MAKE SURE YOUR CLUB IS AWARE OF AND CONCURS WITH
YOUR TOURNAMENT DATE and START TIME!
Armed with the above information you should be ready to represent your Club at the Spring meeting. At the meeting the
Treasurer will issue each Rep a cash travel allowance.
YOU AND THE OTHER REPS
It is important to foster a close relationship with your brother Reps (including the Area Vice/pres). The flexibility
of the MISGA by-laws makes it relatively easy to work around problems if the applicable Reps talk it out. IE; last minute
changes to tournament entries - contact the Host Rep - you may be able to salvage something.
Conversely, do not burden the Host Rep with requests that will cost the host money - such as rebates for someone who didn't
show up for a tournament and didn't give at least 1 day notice. Experience has shown you should avoid sending cheques that
cover more than 1 entry. Using e-mail can be a very useful tool between Reps.
YOU AND YOUR MEMBERS IN THE TOURNAMENT SEASON
The season for you commences immediately following the Spring meeting.
Some of your tasks are
a. Inform all members of the tournament schedule.
b. Issue each member one of the small schedules provided to each Rep.
c. Provide instructions for submission of entries/cheques and the time limits in effect. .
d. Provide access to entry forms & a secure place to leave entries & cheques.
e. Ensue all entries/cheques are completed correctly before forwarding to the Host Club.
f. You can expect to receive your quota's however if you have more entries than your quota, send them in but ensure they
are prioritized (number them in the order you want them selected). Have a selection process in place to determine selection
priority. You will be under the gun if your members feel your selection process is unfair, so determine the process before
the season starts and ensure your members are aware of it.
g. Ensure your members are aware of how they will know if they are accepted/rejected for any tournament.
h. You are responsible for ensuring your entries arrive at the Host Club at least 7 days prior to the tournament. Most
Reps find the mail unreliable and prefer to deliver them by hand 1 or 2 weeks before the tournament in question (the first
2 or 3 tournaments of the season may pose a problem). lf the Rep or A/Rep is unable to personally deliver/receive entries,
then designate a reliable member who is available.
h. A bulletin board in a good location and prominently marked “MISGA Seniors'' is probably the best method of
keeping your members informed.
YOU AND YOUR TOURNAMENT
lf you were prepared for the Spring Meeting, a lot of the work for your tournament has already been done. It is prudent
to review all items that you do not have absolute control over at least 1 month before your tournament date. This review will
allow ample time for you to resolve problem areas before they become panic situations. lf the matter seems unsolvable, talk
to the other Reps. At a minimum check out the following items;
a. Ensure the Club, the Pro, the Caterer and the Greens keeper are aware of these details; a.tournament date, Starting
time 8:30 AM, shotgun start, - tournament duration may be up to 6 hrs,
motor cart requirements,
b. course setup if required. Special tee or hole positions are not really needed but for speed-of-play you may want to
avoid difficult tee/pin placements. MISGA always play from the white or intermediate tees.
c. catering requirements; menu, serving procedure, including room setup.
(A memo to each with your requirements may eliminate later embarrassment)
d. Ensure contracts/agreements you have made are still valid and costs have not changed.
e. Form a team of reliable people to assist with setting up and running the tournament. The team must be well briefed,
committed to the task and appear on time
f. Go to at least 2 tournaments prior to yours (or have someone attend on your behalf). Touch base the host Rep and before
the prizes are presented get up and in a loud voice; Identify yourself and what Club you are from, and that you will accept
all entries.
g. Review all entries and if it appears the numbers are not to your expectations contact the Reps - start with those Club
Reps you have not received entries from (in case they are lost or delayed) and ask for their help. Most Reps are adept at
a little arm-twisting to produce more entries. Remember they may need your help sometime.
h. If, 4 or 5 days before, you are still short you may top-up with members from your own Club, but …this should
be as a last resort.
i. Keep the Caterer informed of the number of meals required, especially in the last few days as the numbers change because
of late entries/cancellations.
MAKING UP THE DRAW
lf you have never done this before, attempt to get an experienced Club member to help. Don't be shy about asking an experienced
Rep from a nearby course or the Area V/pres for assistance. Try to follow the suggestions below;
a.- List each Club and their entries. Include first & last name, h’cap adjusted to your course, and motor
cart info. If a Club is over quota, ensure the Rep has numbered them in the order he wants them accepted.
b.- Decide the maximum number you will accept and if you want to use 4, 5 or six-somes (your call, and often you will
have a mix).
c. Total the number of entries. If less than your maximum number, then you can accept them all. Lf more than your maximum,
give each Club their assigned quota and then devise an equitable method to fill any empty slots from the over-quota Clubs.
Contact the applicable Reps giving him names of entries you cannot accept. Hold on to all entries/cheques in case of cancellations
which can be filled from the cut entries (be sure to tell the applicable Rep immediately). As soon as the tournament is completed
it is common practice to destroy all the cheques of those who did not make the cut.
d.- Set up the pairings and assign the starting holes. Start with those who are riding in carts and assign them to the
holes which are the farthest from the Clubhouse. Try to avoid walkers and riders in the same group, never have a single walker.
Try not to have people from the same Club in a group. Assigning the starting holes is a matter of common sense –
there is a tradition of assigning Reps & MISGA Executives to holes nearest the Clubhouse, based on the theory that up
until tee time they may help in resolving last minute problems.
e- Once carts are assigned, give the Pro-shop the list of riders, pairings & starting holes.
- Make up the scorecards, (individual or groups on 1 card) – the latter method has proven to be easier when
tabulating the results. Ensure the card lists full name, h’cap and starting hole; ie, 12A, 12B, etc.. MISGA does
not require special tournament rules. If deemed necessary, attach them to the scorecard.
f.- Make up 2 types of lists. One should list the Club name, their players and starting holes. The other should list each
starting hole, showing the names within the group.
g.- Make copies of each list. Retain working copies and post others in the reception area.
THE RECEPTION AREA
Set up the reception area (keep weather in mind) in a spot obvious to the arriving players. Have a large table (manned
by at least 2 workers) set up it's all the cards under Club names if they are individual cards or under the starting holes
if they are group cards. Have a map of the course nearby and a copy of the Courses slope table. The donuts & coffee should
be nearby c/w milk, sugar, stir sticks, garbage cans, etc. The host rep should personally man this area until tee time. Have
other workers available and ensure they are briefed on the total operation, so they can answer even the weirdest questions.
Make sure this area is up and running no later than 7:30AM as there are always a few early birds.
ON-COURSE HELP
You know your course; so if spotters are required, have them briefed before hand (emphasizing hand signals to be used,
etc) and in position by 8:20AM.
Sometimes workers may be strategically placed to manage the flow-of-play, e.g, waving up on par 3's.
DURING THE TOURNAMENT
After you or the Pro-'shop has initiated play (blowing an air how etc), here are a few things that require your attention
a. - Ensure the Caterer is ready to go, has a final count and the dining room is set up. Signs are required on the tables
indicating where the groups will sit, e.g, 1A, 1B, etc.. You made up the draw, so ensure there is a seat for everyone in
a group to sit handy to each other.
b.- Marshaling is rarely required, but cruising the course a few times will ensure there are no delays. It will also allow
you to re-check the numbers for the dining room seating, check with your on-course help providing coffee etc., and providing
an estimate for the Caterer when to expect players to finish.
c.- Make sure the scoring people are in place before any of the field come in.
d.- Have the prizes ready and a couple workers to hand them out.
e.- Make notes for a little speech (don't try this off the top of your head).
Remember
a.- Call upon/identify other Reps who will accept entries for their forthcoming tournament,
b. - Thank your workers, Catering, Pro, Greens keeper and the Almighty, as required.
c.- Follow up with the prize list in hand and plug in the names.
d- The players want to get going. Be prepared, be loud, be concise, begone!
SCORING THE TOURNAMENT
There are several scoring methods but spreadsheets seem to be the fastest.
Speed & simplicity is essential as you only have as long as it takes the players to eat lunch. Have all players listed
on a spread sheet in order of the pairings starting at 1A and bracket each pairing. When players turn in their cards find
the name and fill in the net & gross score. Send a runner to round up any missing cards. Scan down the Net column to identify
Low net & 2nd Low net. Do the same with the Gross column.
It is not necessary to break ties – (give them both prizes) Now go down the remainder of the Net column listing
and, 3rd,4th, 5th. etc until you have nearly used up all the golf balls (keep an extra sleeve to correct any challenges from
the floor - it will happen). Depending on the situation, it may be preferable to announce “anyone with a low net
of xx or lower can pick up a ball on the way out.
Have these names in your speech notes along with K-P winners. Remember to obtain your subsidy cheque from the Treasurer
(i.e., send the Treasurer the participant count).
Weather
There is no standard policy on what to do if the course is/becomes unplayable.
The question is how to deal with the money. You may well be stuck with the lunch bill (perhaps your Caterer and you should
think about this possibility when deciding on the menu), so consider a weather hold to see if things improve and if it doesn't,
serve lunch to those who may elect to wait and then send them home. Figure out later what money can be remitted (per person)
sending a cheque and details to each Rep for distribution. Like a lot of things that are unforeseen you must make the decision.
Fortunately, the MISGA members are considerate and will usually accept any reasonable solution you come up with.
THE BOTTOM LINE The Rep will be solely responsible for the running of the tournament at his club Good luck!
MID ISLAND SENIOR GOLF ASSOCIATION
INSTRUCTIONS FOR MEMBERS
You have been accepted as a participant and made your way to the host golf course. The following is a guide for your first
tournament
CHECK IN
As soon as you arrive report to the check-in table and pick up your scorecard. It will be a shotgun start so check your
start hole and find out the easiest way to get there. The draw should be posted nearby so you can check who is in your group.
Check the host club's slope to ensue your h'cap is correct. If you previously arranged for a motor cart, go to the Pro-shop
to pay and get the keys. Now you may participate in the free coffee & donuts or purchase a breakfast (at some Clubs).
Get to your starting hole at least 5 mins. early, meet your group and exchange scorecards.
PLAY
Establish the driving order in your group -most prefer to keep the same order for 3 or 4; holes then rotate the order.
Be cognizant you are a guest, so repair divots, ball marks and be careful with those spike marks.
Play ready golf - Don't get hung up on who has the honour. lf you are ready and won't interfere with anyone, hit away.
Play using RCGA/BCGA rules unless the Host Rep has directed otherwise. MISGA has established that putts within the putter
grip are “gimme's'' and continuous putting is acceptable to speed up play. If there is a chance your ball may be
lost or OB always play a provisional. Do not exceed 5 mins looking for a lost ball!
AFTER PLAY
Walk off the course as quickly as you can. Complete the scorecard including the net score. Sign as scorer, attest your
own card and turn it in to the scorer's desk.
All cards must be turned in so the scorer does not have to waste time looking for you.
Return rented equipment promptly and get your equipment stowed away. Get into street shoes and please no hats to be worn
in the host Clubhouse. Enjoy a beverage, your lunch and perhaps a prize. Drive home safely.
*noted, For future amendments , the MISGA Secretary retains one copy of this document on a computer disk.
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