Local Knowledge

WHS CALCULATING PLAYING HANDICAPS GUIDE

Many amateur golf tournaments use Playing Handicaps to create fair and balanced competitions. With many different golf formats to choose from, Playing Handicaps are calculated in various ways. Some of these calculations can be complex and require a thorough explanation.

Using the USGA Rules of Handicapping, this guide will go over the basic calculation of Playing Handicaps, Playing Handicaps with Different Pars, and Playing Handicaps for specific formats. Each format section will first go through the basic calculations and evolve into the more complex scenarios.

To view the online version of the guide, click here.

To download a printable PDF version of the guide, click here.

CREATING MORE DIVERSITY IN GOLF

Fort Worth’s Gladys Lee has been a non-stop force in growing the game of golf for almost 40 years.

Coach Lee, as she’s affectionately known to hundreds of golfers she’s nurtured over the years, established the Texas International Stroker’s Junior Golf Association in 1986 to help meet the special needs of multi-cultural, socially economic and diverse youth through the game of golf. That developmental program eventually was renamed to The Roaring Lambs International Junior Golf Academy, but the mission has always remained the same.

In addition to her duties as Roaring Lambs’ Executive Director, Lee, who was awarded the TGA Foundation’s Bill Penn Grant in 2018, also is a site director for the LPGA/USGA Girls Golf of Fort Worth/West Dallas. But it’s not just the young people who have benefitted from Lee’s calling to help others. She is now providing opportunities and life skills training for women through golf with progressive programs such as DFW Fairways DIVAS for African American women, and LPGA Golf 101, a six-week course where women teach other women to play golf.

On June 21, Coach Lee and her Girls Golf of Fort Worth/West Dallas program will be awarded with the LPGA Renee Powell Grant for $5,000 as part of a movement for diversity in golf at the 21st Annual Juneteenth Williams and Jordan Blair Memorial Charity Golf Classic at the Golf Club of Dallas. The event is part of a Juneteenth celebration and aims to bring more inclusion and community engagement from socially diverse demographics.

“For me to receive this award during this time is to recognize the importance of Juneteenth,” Lee said.

“I am an advocate for women and girls of color. I want to show them that we can do just as well as anyone else. I hope to give exposure to what we’re doing and that there is an opportunity to learn golf from someone that looks like them.”

For more information on Coach Lee and her programs, click here.

HOW COVID MAY HAVE SAVED THE GATED GOLF COMMUNITY [GOLF LIFE NAVIGATOR]

By Jason Becker, Special to Local Knowledge

It’s here. An outright surge of consumers from the North looking to escape big city life, cold winters and that dreaded tax bill. New member inquiries are up 50% (or more) at most Texas private clubs. Real estate sales are through the roof, up 40-50% compared to May of 2020. But how does this influx of buyers directly affect the health of private clubs? You may be surprised to learn that for many, this mad rush of demand may have just saved them from a detrimental situation that was not too far off, pre-Covid.

I can remember standing on a stage at Reynolds Lake Oconee in the fall of 2018. My presentation was going to be a direct warning to club officials from across the country that we had a serious problem on our hands. Buyers of private club memberships to the Sunbelt were trending in an aggressive direction to not live inside the gates of their future club.

At that time, 49% of prospective golf members who used our algorithms – to find their ideal golf club and membership – were saying they intended to live outside the gates and would be fine with a non-resident membership. So basically, one out of every two golf prospects had no intention of buying a home in the club they visited. The risk of possibly being portrayed as an “outsider” or “step-child” of the club did not seem to bother future buyers.

But then Covid happened. Within five months, we saw a complete shift in buyer demand for gated golf communities. Security, safe harbor and a controlled environment were all on the mind of buyers in this new world of pandemics and instability. By the end of 2020, the percentage of those looking to purchase outside of the gates had dropped 13%, down to 36% of the marketplace – with no signs of stopping.

To read the full article, click here.

WOMEN’S GOLF DAY 2021 SETS NEW GLOBAL RECORDS

Now in its sixth year, Women’s Golf Day (WGD) kicked off with an early start on June 1 with its first ever event in New Zealand, one of the three new countries to join the WGD Community in 2021. The famous red & white of WGD was everywhere to be seen on social media continuing the tradition that has brought the event to over 1000 officially registered locations in over 80 countries. The hashtag #WomensGolfDay reached a record 72.4 million unique users, generating 87 million impressions across Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Women’s Golf Day is a one-day sporting and community celebration event, uniting women and girls through golf across the globe for 24 hours, transcending race, religion, language, geography and economic status.

“From the first event in Papakura, New Zealand to the last in Princeville, Hawaii, women and girls have been sharing really special moments because of golf,” explains Elisa Gaudet, Founder of Women’s Golf Day. “WGD has increased in popularity year after year by engaging men and women and brands. This year we have really seen the power of partnership and what we can accomplish collectively. I am truly humbled by the individuals, locations, partners and organizations who continue to be committed to Women’s Golf Day and thank them for everything that they bring to the game and our events.”

2021 has seen another milestone smashed as the total number of participating venues reached 941, exceeding previous records. A staggering number of facilities including PGA TOUR Superstores, Topgolf venues, driving ranges, and traditional golf courses have now hosted Official WGD events. The diverse range of opportunities to learn and play golf offered through WGD undoubtedly contributes to its success.

To read more about Women’s Golf Day 2021, click here.