PHGA Board Meeting Thursday June 11, 2009

Members not in attendance:

Jim Toth

Dave Thompson

Larry Niemczyk

Mark Schrantz

Meeting called to order at 7:03 PM by Gary Schweitz

Board minutes From May 14, 2009 were read and approved.

Treasurers Report – Joe Saccomanno presented the budget which included a new line item to record donations to the John Dempster Memorial Tree Fund, at this time the balance is $200. The board discussed how long to keep the donations open, it was determined Gary would send an email to the members to attempt to raise a total of $400. The treasurers report was accepted as presented.

Park District Report – Bob Alexander discussed the lack of yardage markers on the sides of the fairways with Raul, the park district agreed to place a marker on one side of the fairway and indicated they felt the discs and yardages on sprinkler heads were sufficient but are willing to discuss additional markers. Bids for the continued golf course renovations were accepted, work will be completed in the late fall. A question was raised about the aeration schedule for the fall; the date indicated on the Palatine Hills Web Site would interfere with the Takahashi Classic. Ken Mattuck agreed to check on the maintenance schedule.

New Member Liaison – Larry not present, Doug indicated new members still at 18.

Golf Course Liaison- Ken reported in addition to the bids for completion of planned maintenance the work on the alternate first hole will continue. It will be completed including a green to give the golf course options when hole 15 flooding effects play. A question was raised regarding the new collars and their lack of growth, Ken agreed to discuss the concern with Raul.

Scoring – Doug indicated all is well with scoring; he has emailed two members that have not paid a weekend event entry and will continue to alert members of unpaid event entry fees.

Rules Of Play Committee – John agreed to post rules Friday June 12 regarding current course conditions and will make a decision whether to play the ball down if carts are allowed.

Memorial Day Tournament – John reported there were no issues with the tournament and wanted to check with the GEM committee whether it was allowed for players to change tees. Bob Matheson said there should be no tee change, the option is not available to the players to move tees.

A suggestion was made that the starter be made aware of the Tournament game in case there were any questions, it should also be posted on the bulletin board at the first tee.

Overview of Membership Write-up – Bill Knudsen submitted for discussion the wording of a statement to better communicate the collection of PHGA dues. A concise statement was discussed and approved and will be changed on the web site. There was a question raised during the discussion on event payouts for members that had not yet paid dues. Doug indicated there was a change to the computer programming that would check to see if dues had been paid before payouts were awarded.

Fourth of July Tournament – Scott Feldmiller and Bill Knudsen reported the signup sheet was available in the pro shop and an email had been sent to all members regarding the tournament signup. Twelve tee times have been reserved for the event with two more available if needed.

Handicap Committee – The issue regarding the number of rounds per year necessary to have an active handicap with the PHGA was revisited. After discussion the board determined that since the USGA does not have a guideline or definition of “lengthy period” for handicap expiration as described USGA Decision 6-1/1 a motion was made and approved to take no action at this time.

6-1/1. Procedure for Player who Discontinues Play for Lengthy Period and Then Resumes Play

Q: A player with an established Handicap Index discontinues play for a lengthy period, and then resumes play. Should the player use the last Handicap Index on resumption of play or establish a new Handicap Index?

A: The player does not have a Handicap Index until the next scheduled handicap revision. The player’s club Handicap Committee may issue a Handicap Index sooner if at least five scores exist in the scoring record.

If the scoring record of the player is unavailable when resuming play, the player has no Handicap Index until five scores have been posted and a handicap revision passes.

GEM Committee – Bob Matheson reported there were two new members to make a total of 14 players in the GEM program. He also restated that moving to another tee was not at the discretion of the player, it is the player’s responsibility to check their handicap before the start of the round to determine the correct tee.

Match Play – Bob indicated all is well with the match play event; more than one-third of the first rounds have been completed.

Travel Event – Bob Bem reported the travel event had to be moved to Plum Tree because of poor communications with ThunderHawk, the July event is to be held at Pinecrest. A possible event could be held at Itasca but the price may not be acceptable to the players. The rest of the courses for the year are OK, 32 golfers to Plum Tree next Thursday with no drop-outs so far. Refunds for the travel events are not available unless the player finds a replacement.

Additional Business – Ed Neuman discussed the Board Golf Outing/Dinner. A motion was made and approved that all costs would be paid by the board members. The possibility of setting up a game with the golf course staff will be investigated.

The purchase of a PHGA banner to display at participating events was discussed and approved. Rick Hapanowicz will look into designs and costs estimated not to exceed $50. The designs and final costs will be discussed at the next meeting.

Ken Mattuck requested $20 to purchase a replacement clock for the broken one on the practice green, his purchase was approved.

Gary Schweitz raised a question regarding past decisions made by the board and whether they should be placed on the web site. He distributed some examples of past discussions. The rules committee stated that any material changes are added to the rules of play.

Meeting was adjourned at 8:16 PM

Respectfully Submitted,

Scott Feldmiller