Tournament Chairman
Mark Miller VP & Tournament Chairman
The 1 Gross/2 Net tournament was played by 181 members on a cool early Spring day. The later groups actually caught a bit of sunshine. The greens were a little bumpy but scoring improved by 2 strokes from March.
No teams liked the conditions more than the B Flight team of Serge, Dickerson, Faris, and Field (9 shots) and the C Flight team of Ewaskey, Dietschak, Cox, and Braswell (8 shots). Both teams won their Flight in impressive fashion. The team of Graham, Janssen, R. Wilson, and Adinolfi ruled supreme in the A Flight.
Stellar individual performances were turned in by Favian Cheong, Marc Maden, and Rodney Dickerson. Low Gross winner Favian scorched the Back 9 in 31 (including a bogey!). New Member Marc shot a net 65 to win Low Net honors followed by Rodney with a fine net 67.
The Member-Member will have a full field of at least 140 players to be contested over the May 17-18 weekend. Entrants can enjoy the Pairing Party on the Friday, May 16 at 5:00pm at the Club. Format will be Better Ball on Saturday followed by Aggregate (count ‘em all) on Sunday. The overall winner will represent the Club at the SCGA Four-Ball event later in the year.
On Meeting Night the 13th, attendance will be taken for priority tee times for the June 13 – Funky Nassau tournament. The format will be low net and low gross for the Front 9, Back 9, Total with prizes for each. You may enter either the Gross or Net division when entering the tournament.
Be sure to register your attendance in the tent before the Meeting. Sign ups will open about 7:30pm. The Nassau will also serve as the 1st round of the Club Championship (enter separately). Please note: Members that receive a priority tee time at the Meeting must sign up within two weeks (by the 27th) to secure that spot!
The most important shot is the next one,
MMM
Special Events
Ken Rademacher Special Events Chairman
The April 1 Gross / 2 Net tournament was completed and the Special Events (SE) big winner was Brad “El Presidente” Wilcox with 270 points, followed by Ron Searcy with 170 points. Good shots gentlemen! A total of 44 golfers scored points in the April SE. Also, no A Flight Gross Skins were won so $490 will be carried over to the Funky Nassau tournament in June.
Just a reminder, all winnings must be picked up 90 days after the tournament. Example is January winnings were removed after April and February winnings will be removed at the end of May and are donated to the Christmas raffle. Also, if you would like someone else to pick up your winnings, just send me an email to let me know. Thanks.
SEs for May 2025 Member/ Member tournament are:
Sweeps $20 for both days and both players must enter.
Saturday; Gross Skins $10, CTP Hole 12 $5, and North of Willow (net par or better on #4,5,6,7) $5.
Sunday; Gross Skins $10, CTP Hole 3 $5, and Down the Stretch (net par or better on #15,16,17,18) $5
Good luck!
Ken
Rules
Cliff Aichele Rules Chairman
Hello El Dorado MC Members,
I must confess the following Rules column was written by Google Gemini AI engine. I thought it was pretty darn good so I’m going with it.
The Accidental Encounter: Understanding Golf Rule 11
Have you ever watched your perfectly struck golf ball take an unexpected detour after hitting something on the course? Rule 11 of the Rules of Golf addresses these surprising encounters and clarifies what to do when your ball in motion accidentally hits a person, animal, or object. It also covers situations where a player deliberately tries to influence their ball's movement. Let's break down the key aspects of this rule:
Accidental Hits (Rule 11.1): No Penalty, Play It Where It Lies (Usually)
The primary principle of Rule 11.1 is that if your ball in motion accidentally strikes any person (including yourself), animal, or outside influence, there's no penalty to any player involved. This holds true even if the ball hits your opponent, another player, or their equipment.
Generally, after an accidental hit, you must play the ball as it lies. So, if your ball caroms off a sprinkler head and ends up in a better position, you play it from there. Conversely, if it bounces into a less favorable spot, you're still obligated to play it from the new location.
Exceptions to Playing It Where It Lies:
There are a couple of key exceptions to this general principle:
• Ball Comes to Rest on a Person, Animal, or Moving Outside Influence (Not on the Putting Green): If your ball ends up resting on any of these, you must not play it as it lies. Instead, you need to take relief by dropping the original ball or another ball within one club-length of the estimated spot directly beneath where the ball first came to rest, ensuring the relief area is in the same area of the course and not nearer the hole.
• Ball Played from the Putting Green Hits Certain Things: If your ball, played from the putting green, accidentally hits any person (except someone attending the flagstick), animal, or movable obstruction (other than your club, ball-marker, a ball at rest, or the flagstick), the stroke does not count, and you must replay the stroke from the original spot.
Special Case on the Putting Green:
If your ball, played from the putting green, accidentally hits another ball at rest on the putting green, and both balls were on the putting green before your stroke, you incur a two-stroke penalty in stroke play. In match play, there is no penalty. In both scenarios, you play your ball as it lies, and the ball that was hit should be replaced on its original spot.
Deliberate Actions (Rule 11.2 & 11.3): Penalty and No Playing It As It Lies
The rules strictly prohibit deliberately deflecting or stopping your ball in motion or taking actions to affect where it might come to rest.
• Deliberately Deflecting or Stopping: If it's known or virtually certain that a player deliberately deflected or stopped their ball in motion, there's usually a penalty, and the ball must not be played as it lies. The player must take relief based on where the ball would have likely come to rest if not for the deflection or stoppage.
• Deliberately Moving Objects or Altering Conditions: While your ball is in motion, you cannot deliberately move or lift loose impediments or movable obstructions, or alter the physical conditions of the course to affect where your ball might end up. Doing so results in a general penalty (loss of hole in match play or two penalty strokes in stroke play), and in stroke play, you must play the ball where it comes to rest.
In a Nutshell:
Rule 11 encourages players to accept the unpredictable nature of golf when accidental hits occur, generally requiring them to play the ball as it lies without penalty. However, it draws a firm line against intentionally interfering with a ball in motion to gain an unfair advantage. Understanding these distinctions will help you navigate those unexpected moments on the course with confidence and in accordance with the Rules of Golf.
Play it as it lies, The Rules are your friend.
Cliff Aichele.
Rules Chairman
