P.O. Box 4306 Helena, Montana Office: April 2012 Volume 2, Issue 1

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1 MSGA e-newsletter Your Connection to Golf In Montana Mission Mountain Golf Club P.O. Box 4306 Helena, Montana Office: April 2012 Volume 2, Issue 1 April 14 4th Annual One Club Open April 14 H.S. Meet April 16 RMSPGA (YC) Pro Am Hilands GC (Billings) April 18 JV Meet April 21 Rocky Mountain College Football Fundraiser April 21 Spring Swing Tournament Marian Hills GC (Malta) April 23 WMCPGA Pro Am Mission Mountain GC (Ronan) April 30 WMCPGA Pro Am Hamilton GC May 4 Billings High School Fundraiser Briarwood (Billings) May 5 4-Person Scramble May 5 Best 3 of 4 Balls Fox Ridge GC (Helena) May 5 Early Bird Tournament Cottonwood CC (Glendive) May 5 May Day Tournament Forsyth CC May 5 Stockman Scramble May 7 RMSPGA (YC) Pro Am May 7 WMCPGA Pro Am Whitefish Lake GC May Scratch Team Up May 12 Lions Club Scramble Hamilton GC May 12 Spring Scramble Marias Valley GC (Shelby) April May 2012 Tournaments May 14 RMSPGA (YC) Pro Am Yellowstone CC (Billings) May 14 WMCPGA Pro Am Eagle Bend (Big Fork) May Class C Tournament Madison Meadows (Ennis) May 15 US Open Qualifier Old Works GC (Anaconda) May 19 Deer Park Ladies' Kickoff Deer Park GC (Deer Lodge) May Ben Graham Memorial Cabinet View (Libby) May Couples Open May Farmers Insurance Senior Open Polson Bay GC May Steve's Best Ball Eagle Falls (Great Falls) May 20 2 Person Scramble Canyon River GC (Missoula) May 20 Spring Kickoff Old Works GC (Anaconda) May 21 Grizzly Golf Pine Meadows (Lewistown) May 21 WMCPGA Pro Am Bill Roberts GC (Helena) May 25 EagleRock Couples Night May 25 RMSPGA (YC) Ladies Pro Am The Powder Horn (Sheridan, WY) May Annual Memorial 3 person Scramble Cottonwood CC (Glendive) May Highland View Memorial Tournament Highland View (Butte) May Barnett Memorial Day Tournament Missoula CC Our New Season Missy Jones, MSGA Marketing Director and Director of Rules, MSWGA Vice President, USGA Women s Mid Amateur Committee Member Welcome back! We hope you enjoyed the newsletter we introduced last year that has golf news about our state and region, current tournament information and topics about golf in Montana. Montana is so big and has such diverse golf experiences that we want share this knowledge and information about all our particular areas with other Montanans. To keep everything as current and relevant as possible, we need your help in gathering content. It can be stories about your travels, people with which you play, rounds you ve enjoyed, courses you frequent or funny things that have happened. There are no parameters or rules on what we may run in the newsletter provided it is positive and promotes this game we love. Golf is a special sport and Montana is a special place. We need to celebrate our unique geography and unique experiences with fellow golfers in our state. Golf courses are struggling all over the country. Fewer golfers spending fewer dollars has had an effect and we want to support the golf economy in Montana as much as possible. Each month we will feature different clubs and courses from our state so if you would like to be included, please send me your information. Please send us ANY information you have that you would like to share. Take a buddy trip with your friends to area courses you ve never played and send us the story. Share your golf stories, traditions or superstitions and don t forget to send us lots of pictures! We are also happy to be able to offer you a free digital subscription to Golf World with your MSGA membership this year. We are here to serve you and we continue to strive to make the MSGA the best it can be for you, our members.

2 For our members FREE GolfWorld Magazine!! If you are already registered and an online user of the MSGA handicap software, be watching your for your FREE digital subscription to GolfWorld and GolfWorld Monday! Register at Post scores from home or work Access thousands of golf course profiles Track personal game statistics Print a handicap card View your scoring history Attest scores for other members Communicate with other members, and more Access tournament calendars Receive Handicap E-Revision by every two weeks If you would like to receive it, register at msgagolf.com!

3 Featured Clubs: Do you want your golf course featured in the monthly newsletter? Send me your information and a picture! mjdesign.missy@gmail.com Cottonwood Hills Golf Club River Road Bozeman, Montana cottonwoodhills.com Nestled in the picturesque Gallatin Valley, Cottonwood Hills offers families 27 holes of golf at its finest. Explore Montana's backyard while testing your golf skills against 7100 yards of tour quality golf, or get the kids swingin' early on the Valley's only fully manicured Executive Par 3 course. The golf course is kept in excellent condition and has five sets of tees to accommodate golfers of all skill levels. Cottonwood Hills lesson schedule, additional course information, and their complete 2012 brochure can be found on their website or follow them on Facebook. Open to the Public Driving Range Stocked Pro Shop Rental Clubs and Carts Season Passes 27 Holes 18 Hole Championship Course 9 Hole Executive Par 3 Show your MSGA membership card and get 20% off all clothing in May! Judith Shadows Golf Club Rifle Range Road Lewistown, Montana HOLE COURSE Weekday Green Fees 9 Holes $ Holes $36.00 Weekend Green Fees 9 Holes $ Holes $40.00 PAR 3 COURSE 9 Holes Adults $10.00 Children 6-12 $7.00 Children 5 and under FREE Judith Shadows is located on the northeastern edge of Lewistown. Posting Scores Online Emily Hulsey, MTS Services Have you tried posting scores online? Our online handicap system is easy, fun, and convenient to use from your own computer. Best of all, it s open 12 months of the year, 24 hours a day! To access the system, go to If you don t know your login information, click on Contact Us, and we ll be glad to help! When posting scores from Away courses, be sure to click the green box Away Score: Course Finder to look up the course you played. This will automatically fill in the course rating information. The course ratings are kept up-to-date in a nationwide database, and are often more accurate than the scorecard. Do not click Manual entry from the dropdown Course List menu, unless you are unable to locate the course in the lookup. If you look up courses this way, the system can tell the difference between an in-state and out-of-state score, and whether or not it s in-season. If it s an out-of-season score, it will be marked in red and will not calculate in your handicap index. (But, not if the course information is entered manually.) Scores played in Montana between November 1 and March 31 are invalid. Look for more tips and information each month! You can contact Emily at golf@montana.net The golf course is nestled in a valley shadowed by the Judith Mountains. From the course office there are beautiful views of the golf course and mountains that surround Lewistown. Green Fees 9 Holes $ Holes $30.00 Weekday Special Golf all day Monday-Friday with cart $36.00 Come up and enjoy a round of golf or just relax on the deck and enjoy our spectacular views. Open to the Public Driving Range Pro Shop Rental Clubs and Carts Season Passes 18 Holes Central Montana's only 18 hole golf course Show your MSGA membership card and get $5.00 off 18 holes with cart! Do you want something in the newsletter? Contact Missy Jones at: mjdesign.missy@gmail.com Whitefish Golf Course

4 Considerate Play and Etiquette Tips Do not move, talk or stand close to a player making a stroke. Do not step on or walk through another player s line of putt. Do not step over the putting line, do walk around (behind) the other player s ball. Always play without delay and keep up with the group in front of you. Do not play until the group in front is out of the way, usually after their 2nd stroke. Shout a warning if your ball may hit someone. Always invite faster groups to play through: A group of four to a three and a group of three to two. Repair divot holes and ball marks. Smooth footprints in bunkers. Do not drop or throw your clubs on the green or lean on your putter leaving an indentation and please pick up your feet when walking on the green. Replace the flagstick carefully and in an upright position. When practicing your swing, never swing in the direction of another player. There may be pebbles or twigs or other matter in the grass that could fly up and injure another. Observe the safety suggestions posted in golf carts and drive carefully. Golf etiquette requires keeping your cart off the grass as much as possible. Never throw clubs in anger. In addition to being rude and childish, it could also be dangerous and a serious breach of the Rules of Etiquette. When walking the course, never carry your bag up onto the green. When finished putting, players should immediately leave the green, and mark their scores on the next teeing ground. Never linger around the green and delay the forward motion and the rhythm of the people behind you. Do not yell out following a shot, there are other people on the course who may be within earshot. Be aware of your shadow on the putting green. Don t stand in a place that may cause your shadow to be cast across another player s putting line. Keep carts away from greens and hazards. Try not to take a divot on a practice swing. Big Mountain Aces & Amazing! Did you or someone at your course get a hole-in-one, an albatross or an eagle!? Do something else amazing? Tell us about it... mjdesign.missy@gmail.com Support the MSGA and Junior Golf The MSGA and MSWGA have sponsored a specialty license plate to benefit the game of golf in Montana. The majority of proceeds from this fund raiser are used in support of Junior golf. The inital fee is $40, with a $20 renewal fee each following year. Plates can be obtained through your County Treasurer.

5 RULES Player Responsibility Rules of the Month 26/1 When Ball Is in Water Hazard Is a ball in a water hazard when some part of the ball breaks the plane that extends vertically upwards from the margin of the hazard even though the ball does not touch the ground or grass inside the hazard? Yes, since the Definition of "Water Hazard" provides that "the margin of a water hazard extends vertically upwards and downwards." 26/6 Ball Assumed to Be in Water Hazard Found Outside Hazard After Another Ball Played Under Strokeand-Distance Procedure A player assumes his original ball to be in a water hazard, despite the absence of knowledge or virtual certainty to that effect. Using the option in Rule 26-1a, he plays another ball at the spot from which the original ball was played. He then finds his original ball outside the hazard. What is the ruling? The original ball is lost and the other ball is in play under penalty of stroke and distance - see Rule 27-1a and the Definition of "Lost Ball." (Revised) 26-1/2 Player Proceeding Under Water Hazard Rule Drops Ball in Another Hazard A player's ball lies in a water hazard. In applying Rule 26-1b, the player drops a ball in a bunker or another water hazard. Is this permissible? Yes. Where Do Your Membership Dollars Go? The Montana Junior Americas Cup Team The Boys' and Girls' Junior America's Cup Team Matches are the showcase team events in the western portion of the country for boys and girls, ages 17 and under. The tournament features seventeen association teams from eleven western states, Hawaii, Canada and Mexico. Representing each association are four junior boys and four junior girls. Team members exemplify not only outstanding skill, but also true sportsmanship, discipline, courtesy and character. Rocky Mountain Section PGA Junior Events Areas east of Great Falls except Havre and Fort Benton but including Ennis and Manhattan Junior Rocky Mountain PGA Championship June at Bridger Creek GC, Bozeman Section qualifier for the 37th Junior PGA Championship and the winner of the boys' and girls' age divisions qualify for the National Championship to be held July 31-Aug. 3 at Sycamore Hills Golf Club, Fort Wayne, Indiana. Yellowstone Junior Championship July at Powell Golf Club, Powell, WY Open to Juniors Gallatin Valley Junior Championship July at Bridger Creek GC, Bozeman Open to Juniors All of these events are two-day with lunch each day and tee prizes and are a lot of fun and great competition. Entry forms are available at msgagolf.com These USGA qualifying events are being conducted in Montana. Girls' qualifiers are available in neighboring states and specifics on criteria and schedules can be found at USGA Amateur Public Links Qualifier Mission Mountain in Ronan June 18 USGA Boys Junior Qualifier June 25 The MSGA has five districts that hold a District Junior Amateur event. The junior amateur tournament director sets a date during the first two weeks of June for the event each year. Play must be completed by the second Monday of June. There are three age groups for both the girls and the boys. 16 & 17 year olds, 14 & 15 year olds and 13 & under year olds. Out of each age group the top 4 finishers advance to the state competition. The State event is held with the practice round date of Father's Day and competition of the following Monday & Tuesday. There is no charge for the kids to play the state event. The players all receive a t-shirt or cap and they are paid 10 cents a mile reimbursement for participation. The top 4 players of the state regardless of their age are then selected for the America's Cup Team. Sparky McLean is the boy's team captain and Mary Ann Rodman is the girl's team captain. The top 2 17-year old, 2 16-year old and 2 15-year old make up the Montana/Alberta Cup Teams. Junior Americas Cup July at BanBury (Boise, Idaho) Girls' Junior Americas Cup July at Wailea GC (Hawaii) Entry forms are available on msgagolf.com and the fee is only $10. The majority of costs for team members to travel and compete are paid for by the MSGA through membership dollars. Montana Junior Divisional District 1 Whitefish Lake GC Rob Logsdon (406) Montana Junior Divisional District 2 Meadow Lark CC (Great Falls) Dave Cashman (406) Montana Junior Divisional District 3 Beaverhead GC (Dillon) Tedd Stanisich (406) June 4 Deadline May 31 Montana Junior Divisional District 4 Pryor Creek GC (Huntley) Tom Caudle (406) June 6 Deadline June 5 Montana Junior Divisional District 5 Sidney CC Carla Berg (406) State Juniors June Riverside CC (Bozeman) USGA Amateur Qualifier Old Works GC in Anaconda July 15