Minnesota Golfer - Directory 2014 - 40

(punch shots
)
MGANews
InsidetheMGA
Membership in the MGA is about more
than your USGA handicap index.
By Tom Ryan
I
t's that time of year again. The Minneapolis
Golf Show is in full gear, you've
added a new driver to the bag, spring is on
the horizon, and the golf season will soon
be upon us.
And soon you'll be renewing your
membership in the Minnesota Golf Association.
Whether you play your golf at
a private club or public golf course, in a
men's or ladies club, or in the Tuesday
night league, the membership fee is typically
included in your club or league dues.
In many clubs, it is referenced as your
annual " handicap fee " instead of MGA
Membership. But don't be mistaken, because
your membership is more than that.
Your support allows the MGA to conduct
Rules of Golf seminars, provide volunteer
opportunities and be the clearinghouse
and resource for golf information.
It preserves golf's history and traditions
through the Minnesota Golf Hall of Fame.
And of course, it provides the GHIN
handicapping service to your club to issue
USGA handicap indexes every other week.
Your club may also benefi t as a result of
hosting MGA championships or Senior
Tour and Member Days events. In 2013
alone, $95,000 was spent with host clubs
of MGA championships and more than
$375,000 with clubs hosting Senior Tour
and Member Day events.
Your support of the MGA
benefi ts every aspect of the
game in Minnesota.
While the USGA handicap index is the
most visible and tangible benefi t of MGA
membership for many golfers, it's important
to think about your handicap in the
larger context of your MGA membership.
Your support of the MGA benefi ts every
aspect of the game in Minnesota and impacts
your overall golf experience.
Your MGA membership supports junior
and senior golf programs,
course rating and measuring services,
a lobbyist on behalf of the
golf industry, college scholarships
through the Evans Scholars Program,
turf
grass research, administrative
and fi nancial assistance to the
many Minnesota allied golf associations,
golf tourism efforts and other charitable
causes.
Your membership signifi es that you are
one of 70,000 Minnesota golfers who are
serious about the game and who have an
interest in seeing the game prosper and
grow.
Thank you for that support.
See you on the course.
Changes to the Rules
In November 2013, the USGA and
R&A announced changes to the " Decisions
on the Rules of Golf, " including
an infographic clarifying when a golf
ball is considered to be embedded in
the ground (see p. 12) as well as decisions
on technological evidence in
administering the Rules of Golf. These
decisions became effective on January
1, 2014. More information on these
changes can be found at usga.org.
38
MINNESOTAGOLFER Directory 2014
www.mngolf.org
Updates on people, places
and events from the MGA
and its Allied Associations
Recalling Lost Courses
Minnesota Golfer contributer
Joe
Bissen has spent more than three
years researching abandoned golf
courses in Minnesota. The result
is his newly published book, Fore!
Gone. Minnesota's Lost Golf Courses,
1897-1999.
The book features
dozens of recollections about the
lost courses from people who played
and operated them. It also features
photos from Minnesota's premier
golf photographer,
More than 80 abandoned courses
are featured in Bissen's book, which
appeared in an excerpt inside this
magazine (Summer 2013). Copies
can be ordered on Amazon.com or
ForeGoneGolf.com.
Peter Wong.
http://www.Amazon.com http://www.ForeGoneGolf.com http://www.usga.org http://www.mngolf.org
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