2024
OAK HILLS WOMEN’S 18 HOLE
GOLF ASSOCIATION
2024 MEMBER HANDBOOK
Oak Hills Park Golf Course, Norwalk CT
OAK HILLS PARK INFORMATION
General Manager Jim Hollyday OHPGM@gmail.com
Head Golf Professional Paul Alexander
Superintendent Jim Schell
Pro Shop/Cashier 203-838-0303
CLUB REPRESENTATIVES
Southern Connecticut Women’s Golf Association (SCWGA)
Kathy Jimenez & Linda Johnson
Southern New England Women’s Golf Association (SNEWGA)
Representative: Christen D’Andrea
Region 2 Delegate: Sue Norton
WEBSITE ADDRESSES
Oak Hills Park www.oakhillsgc.com
US Golf Association www.usga.org
Golf Handicap Information www.ghin.com
LINK TO OHWGA FOR EVENT INFORMATION
OHWGA.golfgenius.com
LIKE US ON FACEBOOK
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Board of Directors 4
Special Meetings/Tournaments/Events 4
Committees 5
Club Rules 6
Local Rules 6
Interpretation of Golf Rules 7
Weekly Tournament Play 7
Sign-up Procedure 8
Scoring 9
World Handicap System 10
Tie-Breaking/Match of Cards 10
Scramble Handicapping 10
Ringers 11
Temporary Greens 11
Course Aeration 11
New Member/Mentoring 11
Coastline Cup 11
Weekly Tournament Schedule 12
Tournament Descriptions/Pairers/Scorers 13-22
Prizes Awarded at End of Season 23
Tips for faster play 24
OAK HILLS WOMEN’S 18 HOLE GOLF ASSOCIATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2024
EXECUTIVE BOARD
President Kathy Jaeger
Vice President Liza Paglialunga
Secretary Shirley Liu
Treasurer Jenny Sciglimpaglia
BOARD MEMBERS
Mary Ann Cappiello ives48@yahoo.com
Kathy Jaeger kcjaeger@sbcglobal.net
Kathy Jimenez kjime@att.net
Linda Johnson lskyjohnson@gmail.com
Shirley Liu shirleyliu@gmail.com
Sue Norton snorton925@yahoo.com
Liza Paglialunga liza.paglialunga@gmail.com
Linda Thomson thom128@sbcglobal.net
Jenny Sciglimpaglia jennyscig @usa.net
SPECIAL MEETINGS, TOURNAMENTS AND EVENTS
SPRING Meet and greet (after golf)
Wednesday, May 1
Club Championship
Wednesday, August 7 and Wednesday, August 14th
GOLDEN OAK
Wednesday, July 10 and Wednesday, July 17
annual CLOSING EVENT
Wednesday, October 9 – Venue TBD
PRESIDENTS CUP
Match play throughout the season. Single elimination with ample time allowed to arrange matches. Participants must compete in at least three weekly tournaments prior to the final round in order to be eligible to win the President’s Cup. Matches may be played concurrently with weekly tournament if format permits. However, we encourage matches to be played separately. Final match may not be played concurrently with another
tournament but must be played as a separate contest.
Contact: Kathy Jaeger or Mary Ann Cappiello
OAK HILLS WOMEN’S 18 HOLE GOLF ASSOCIATION
ESTABLISHED JANUARY 1972
CLUB RULES
The OHWGA has chosen to use winter rules for the entire season regardless of any other course posting. This means that a ball in the proper fairway may be moved up to 6 inches in any direction except closer to the hole.
The maximum allowable course handicap for tournament-scoring purposes is 45 for all weekly tournaments played at Oak Hills. This means that if your handicap is 52, you receive only 45 strokes during tournament play at Oak Hills.
If the course is open for play on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday or Sunday, the tournament will be considered official and prizes will be awarded as scheduled.
LOCAL RULES
The following rules apply to local course situations at Oak Hills and will be used for all OHWGA tournaments played at Oak Hills.
- If your ball hits a powerline, you must replay the shot with no penalty.
- If your ball hits the electrical transmission tower, it is in play with no free drop. If the tower interferes with swing or stance, drop one club length from perimeter of tower nearest to where ball lies, but no nearer to the hole. One stroke penalty.
- Drop area for ladies on 5th hole is the same as men’s – right side of cart path.
- 6th hole teaching area is in back of the green starting at the edge of the gravel path. If there is a lesson in progress, you must not enter the teaching area in the interest of safety. If your ball enters the teaching area, you may drop your ball behind the green near the paved cart path with no penalty. If you cannot locate and identify your ball in the teaching area, you may drop another ball as described above with no additional penalty.
- On the 14th hole, if your ball goes over the green and against the wall behind the cart path, you may take relief to the right or left while still keeping the ball on the same side of the cart path, with a one stroke penalty.
- The stone wall that runs between the 12th and 14th holes is an integral part of the course. If you deem your ball unplayable in this area, you may take relief with one stroke penalty.
- When playing holes #15 or #16, any ball landing on or across the driveway is out of bounds. See Rule #9 for how to proceed.
- French drains are considered ground under repair. Closest free relief but
no nearer the hole.
- If you hit a ball that had not yet reached the green, and it goes out of bounds or becomes lost, you may drop a ball in the fairway even with the spot where your original ball went out or was lost, but no closer to the hole, and take a 2-stroke penalty. However, if there is no fairway at the spot where the ball went O/B or was lost in which to drop, then the stroke and distance penalty rule will apply. If you are uncertain as to whether there is fairway available for the drop, then hit a provisional ball until you can determine which rule to follow.
INTERPRETATION OF RULES OF GOLF
The Club Pro, Paul Alexander, will have sole responsibility for interpreting the rules of golf and resolving any rules disputes during our tournaments. All questions should be brought to his attention. No one else can make a rules decision. If a situation occurs during play where the player is unsure of the proper rule, she must post her score, indicate that a ruling is required and notify him immediately following play.
If you are doubtful as to your rights on procedure, you may play a second ball. This may be done when there is disagreement as to the proper way to proceed in the situation. You may announce that you will play a second ball, and use the score on that ball if the rule permits. You may then play both balls and record the appropriate score when the issue is resolved by Paul Alexander.
Since scores entered into the mobile app will also be transmitted to GHIN for handicap purposes, there is no need for players to submit individual scores separately to GHIN unless told to do so.
WEEKLY TOURNAMENT PLAY
TOURNAMENT DAYS: Tournaments may be played on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday or Sunday and must be played with another member of the 18 hole OHWGA. Wednesdays are the only days where the Association has blocked tee times in the morning. Non-resident members playing on Wednesdays as part of the Association pairings may be eligible for special resident rates for a modest fee. Pairings are required for all tournament play. Once pairings have been established, any changes must be pre-approved by the Golf Genius pairer, or the person(s) making the unapproved changes will be disqualified. Each participant is responsible for knowing how a tournament is played. If a participant plays incorrectly, she will be disqualified. If there are any questions about how a tournament is played, call a tournament committee member before playing. The rules for each tournament are described later in this handbook. There must be at least two competitors/teams participating for a tournament to be recognized for prizes.
Each player must announce her intention to participate in the tournament to the others in her pairing prior to starting play. Once a player has started the tournament round, she may not withdraw and play on a different day, although she may elect to withdraw from the tournament and play for handicap only.
SIGN-UP PROCEDURES FOR TOURNAMENTS
We will utilize Golf Genius (GG) for all players to sign up for play on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday or Sunday. OHWGA members will be automatically added to Golf Genius at the time they join the Association.
On Mondays, 9 days before the start of each tournament all members will receive an automatic GG email invitation, and must respond “Playing” or “Not Playing”. This applies to everyone planning to play for any tournament day (Wednesday, Thursday, Friday or the weekend), Players have 4 days to respond. The GG pairer for that tournament will make the pairings and send out the tee sheet on the Sunday before the start of the tournament, showing groups and tee times. GG pairers are shown in the Handbook.
If a player wants to join a tournament after the sign-up deadline, she must call the GG pairer to see if there is available space. If there is, that player is responsible to notify the others in the group. In the event of changes (cancellations, illness, etc.) players must contact the GG pairer. GG pairers may be able to make small changes once the tee sheet has been issued, but players should be judicious in such requests.
If, after signing up for Wednesday play, you find that you cannot play after the tee sheet has been issued, you must notify the GG pairer who may have a
waiting list. If you cannot play on that day, Wednesday, you must notify the course to avoid a no-show charge. This is important since it allows players to call the course that morning to determine if her group is playing (in case of rain, for example).
For Thursday, Friday or Weekend Play, players responding “Playing” must also advise the GG pairer that they are playing on a day other than Wednesday. Those players are responsible to secure their own tee times using either phone (203)838-0303, or at www.oakhillsgc.com. Tee times may be made 7 days in advance of day of play, as early as 5:30 a.m. for phone or online.
SCORING
We will utilize the expanded capabilities of Golf Genius for scoring. We will also verify scoring with a hard copy tournament card sent to Sue Norton by email for all tournaments. She will compare and confirm scoring results with Golf Genius to ensure accuracy, and then email Kathy Jaeger with the results for publication to the membership.
To access scoring on the Golf Genius Mobile app, enter ID (usually your email, and password. Scores must be entered hole by hole, and verified by comparing the App scores with the hard copy tournament card prior to submitting mobile scores. Scores must be submitted by the end of that day.
The captain assigned to each group will ensure that scores are recorded on a hard copy tournament card, and to see that scores are also entered into the GG Mobile app. She or any other person in the group can do this, hole by hole, for everyone in the group. (Instructions for entering scores through the GG Mobile app are shown below).
Scores for each hole should be announced to the group, and agreement secured, before teeing off on the next hole. At the end of the round, verify the mobile app scores with the hard copy tournament card. The captain will have the card signed and attested and text or email it to Sue Norton.
Since scores entered into the mobile app will also be transmitted to GHIN for handicap purposes, there is no need for players to submit individual scores separately to GHIN.
GOLF GENIUS SCORING PROCEDURE
1.Download the Golf Genius app from the App Store (Apple/Iphone) or Google Play Store (Android).
2.Sign in using your email and password if you have never signed in this way. You need to do this only once.
3.Your foursome will appear.
4.Tap your name and enter your gross score. Do this for each player hole by hole.
5.At the end of the round, verify the scores with the hard copy tournament card. If they agree, hit SUBMIT.
6.Once you hit submit, your score is immediately sent to the GG pairer. There is no need to enter your score into GHIN separately. Your score will be posted to GHIN by the end of the day by a GG manager. Any deviation to this will be announced with your tee time assignment
WORLD HANDICAP SYSTEM
Handicaps in effect for all players will be as close as practical to the start of the tournament, unless specified otherwise in the tournament description. The handicap listing will be issued by the start of each tournament on Wednesday showing the course handicaps to be used for that tournament, and will remain the same for that tournament regardless of any subsequent changes to the handicap.
The World Handicap System establishes the method in which golfer’s scores are posted for the purpose of handicap calculation. The current method takes par into consideration, as well as the number of handicap strokes a golfer receives on that hole. The new maximum score per hole is termed “net double bogey”, and is defined as par +2 strokes plus any handicap strokes the golfer receives on that hole based on the course handicap. This is the most a golfer can post for handicap purposes. If you play 10 – 17 holes, leave the unplayed holes blank in the mobile scoring app. The WHS will calculate a Score Differential and use it to complete your scorecard. Do not enter scores for holes you did not complete.
TIE-BREAKING
In the event of any ties, the winner will be determined by a match of cards in accordance with USGA Rules of Golf.
MATCH OF CARDS: In the event of a tie, the winner will be determined on the basis of the best score for the last nine holes. If the tied players have the same score for the last nine, the winner is then determined on the basis of the last six, last three and finally the 18th hole. In handicap stroke play competition, one-half, one-third, one-sixth, etc. of the handicaps will be deducted. If this procedure does not produce a winner, the match shall be considered a tie and the prize for those places will be added together and evenly split between the players.
For Criers tournaments where scores are changed to par, all such holes will be eliminated from tie-breaking calculations. The appropriate percent of handicap will be applied based on the number of remaining holes. For example, the back nine crier holes for Player A are 10 and 15 while Player B’s is 14. All three holes are eliminated for each player and the actual scores are totaled on the remaining six holes. Since six holes are one-third of a full round, each player will then have one-third of her handicap deducted from the total. If player A’s handicap is 20, her six-hole total is reduced by 7 shots (20 divided by 2, times 6/9).
Anyone qualifying for both gross and net prizes will be awarded only one prize.
SCRAMBLE TOURNAMENTS - HANDICAPPING
In the event teams in a scramble format tournament cannot be made equal based on those signing up for the tournament, handicap strokes will be assigned to each team based on their aggregate handicap to insure fairness.
The method used to assign handicaps is: 2-person team- add handicaps together and divide by 4; 3-person team – add handicaps together and divide by 6; 4-person team – add handicaps together and divide by 8. The resulting number will be subtracted from the team score for the net result.
RINGERS
Ringers are an accumulation of your best scores, hole by hole, during regular tournament play and our special tournaments (e.g. President’s Cup) at Oak Hills over the entire season. Ringers are not allowed for temporary greens or tee boxes. The Ringer Sheet is maintained by the Ringer Sheet Chairperson, utilizing Golf Genius, which will post ringer scores. Do not send scorecard to Ringer Chairperson. Annual awards for ringers will be given for the first three places for both gross and net. The same player may not win both gross and net.
TEMPORARY GREENS
If during tournament play there temporary greens, you are entitled to a
maximum of two putts. However, no ringers or birdies on that hole.
COURSE AERATION
If the course has scheduled aeration, the committee will substitute a stroke play tournament in its place. If substitution is not possible, and play must be twice on the same nine, use the following procedure for tournament scoring only: if play is on the front nine twice, add one stroke to your final score, and if play is on the back nine twice, deduct one stroke from your final score. For handicap, follow the procedure for posting two separate nine hole scores.
NEW MEMBER/MENTORING
We welcome new members into the OHWGA, and want to give special attention to providing a warm reception. To this end, a special committee has been formed, Co-Chaired by Sonya Neilsen and Kathy Jaeger. Committee members include Linda Thomson and Mary Ann Cappiello. The committee will ensure that our new members receive all of the information they’ll need for signing up to play, pairings, etc., for tournament play as well as for our social activities. The committee will also provide dedicated mentors to help new members enjoy a positive experience with the Association.
COASTLINE CUP
This is a series of team challenge matches among 5 local women’s associations. The format is partner net match play with a maximum of 12 players per team. Matches start in October. Members will be invited to play, with team selection based on responses and handicap matching.
2024 WEEKLY TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE (Please click on Tournament and Calendar Tab then click on Tournament Description or Calendar).
DATES TOURNAMENT PAGE
April 10, 11, 12,13, 14 Opening Scramble
April 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 Criers 13
April 24, 25, 26, 27, 28 Odd Holes
May 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Even Holes
May 8, 9, 10, 11,12 Pick a Partner
May 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 Stroke Play
May 22, 23, 24, 25, 26 Better Ball of Two
May 29, 30, 31, June 1, 2 Same Ball
June 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 Low Putts
June 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 Nassau
June 19, 20, 21, 22, 23 Mutt and Jeff
June 26, 27, 28, 29, 30 Par Fours
July 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 Red/White/Blue Scramble
July 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 Golden Oak
July 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 Golden Oak
July 24, 25, 26, 27, 28 Memorial
July 31, August 1, 2, 3, 4 Pick a Partner
August 7 Club Championship
August 14 Club Championship
August 21, 22, 23, 24, 25 Shamble
August 28, 29, 30, 31, Sept 1 4 Clubs & a Putter
September 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 Field Shots
September 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 Stroke Play
September 18, 19, 20, 21, 22 Me Too
September 25, 26, 27, 28, 29 3-Drive Scramble
October 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
PRIZES AWARDED AT END OF SEASON
Club Championship: Prizes awarded to the Club Champion and the winners of each flight. The Club Champion’s name will be added to the Club Champions plaque.
Golden Oak Tournament: Tournament prize plus name on Golden Oak plaque.
President’s Cup: Prize awarded to winner plus name on President’s Cup plaque.
Weekly Tournaments: Weekly tournament prizes will be awarded to both net and gross scores as specified for each tournament.
Ringers: Prizes awarded to first three places, both gross and net. Player must complete the tournament for the ringer score to be counted.
Most Improved: A prize will be awarded to the most improved player of the year. To be eligible, you must have been an OHWGA member with a handicap at the end of the previous season and you must participate in at least ten regular tournaments. Previous season ending handicap, or opening season handicap if a member played “away” during winter months, will be the starting handicap for improvement purposes. The most improved will be based on the most current handicap information at the time of the last tournament.
Birdie/Eagle/Hole-in-One: Everyone who gets a birdie/eagle/hole-in-one will receive a prize (one per person). Players must complete the tournament round for this prize to be awarded.
TIPS FOR FASTER PLAY
- Set a brisk pace in walking to your ball or cart.
- If unsure of which club to hit, bring several with you to ball.
- Lost ball? If in doubt, hit a provisional before you proceed. 3 minute maximum to search. Others should hit and then help search. Keep the group moving.
- In a cart, take club(s) with you into cart, and replace them in your bag when pulling club for next shot.
- On the green, putt when it's your turn without delay.
- Record scores at the next tee, not near the green. Allow the next group to play on.
- If having a bad round, consider dropping out of tournament and playing just for handicap.
- Remember, your place on the course is directly behind the group in front of you, not directly in front of the group behind!
Oak Hills Park Golf Course, Norwalk CT