For the purpose of Good Fellowship and Golf
Christopher Scott, PGA Director of Instruction at The Legends Country Club, is offering group golf lessons at a special rate for Metro Seniors members. Chris introduced and discussed the lessons program at the March General Membership meeting.
Chris has setup a schedule for June on SignUpGenius for a variety of lessons. CLICK HERE to see the schedule and sign up.
If you need more information about the lessons please contact Chris directly.
Christopher Scott
314-314-6485
Chriss@pga.com
Some of you might have noticed your handicap for 2020 is NOT the handicap that you finished 2019 with and wondered why. The reasons are twofold:
In the past we have calculated your handicap by using the best 8 of your last 16 rounds. For some of you, that may encompass a number of years’ scores. As of January first of every year we drop off the oldest year considered. So on January 1, 2020, we dropped off all scores from 2017 and kept only 2018 and 2019 scores. Those two years will be utilized throughout 2020 to amass your 16 latest scores. For most of you this should have no impact.
The second reason is the has to do with the new Handicap system from the USGA. There are a number of items that will be discussed at the March meeting, but the one that affects your handicap as of 1/1/2020 is that we now consider the top 7 scores of the 16, no longer the top 8 scores of 16.
So please come to the Annual meeting on March 24 at 1:00 and I will briefly go over the new handicap rules. After the meeting, myself and the entire Handicap committee will be available for more questions. That committee is:
– Division 1 – Dave Wicks
– Division 2 – Chris Schuster
– Division 3 – Bob Roussin
– Division 4 – Joe Lerch
– Division 5 – Ron Platt
Thank you and I look forward to seeing you at the March Meeting
Bob Zaruba
Handicap Chairman
Starting in 2019 Metro Seniors will have a new “Premium League” called Metro Plus. This division for Metro Senior members, will be played at upscale public,semi private public, and private country clubs. For 2019 there will be 8 golfing events on various Monday’s or Tuesday’s. starting in April. Metro Plus will differ from Metro Seniors rules and provide a“premium choice” for members if they choose to join this league.
For$40.00 Metro Senior members may join this league starting January 1st,by signing up using the credit card/print version on the Metro Seniors website. For a complete email on the “new” Metro Plus league and rules, send a request to Larry Roth, Metro Seniors VP at larry@lgr-sri.com
The initial response to join has been overwhelming and we will only take the first 140 Metro Seniors members who sign up and pay $40.00 starting January 1st,so if this sounds like your league you have been looking for, sign upstarting January 1st at www.golfstlseniors.org
This is the schedule for 2019:
| Time | Date | Day | Course | Format | Fee |
| 07:30 AM | 4/30 | Tuesday | Tapawingo | Split Tee | $45 |
| 08:00 AM | 5/28 | Tuesday | Annbriar | Split Tee | $33 |
| 08:00 AM | 6/25 | Tuesday | Pevely Farms | Split Tee | $35 |
| 08:30 AM | 7/22 | Monday | Winghaven | Shotgun | $63 |
| 07:00 AM | 8/12 | Monday | Old Hickory | Shotgun | $58 |
| 08:00 AM | 8/26 | Monday | Fox Creek | Split Tee | $25 |
| 08:30 AM | 9/30 | Monday | Bogey Hills | Split Tee | $65 |
| 08:30 AM | 10/15 | Tuesday | Whitmoor | Shotgun | $49 |
Larry Roth
Metro Seniors VP
We get asked about handicaps all the time. Always a topic of discussion.
We have several posts and pages about handicaps on this website. The real technical explanation can be found (CLICK HERE).
Calculating handicaps guides (similar to GHIN) is simple in concept but requires manipulation of a fair amount of data. The data is best handled in a spreadsheet or database for the best control and computation. Calculating a Course Handicap is simpler, but still requires course, tee and player data.
To make this easier, I have a little tool that might help. Following spreadsheet requires only 2 data items input – a Handicap Guide (example 19.4) and the first 3 letters of the course (example – inn for INNSBROOK). Below is a PDF file as example.
Once input the sheet presents the course and tee data (Forward and Back) and it calculates course handicaps for each tee for the specific input Handicap Guide.
This can be downloaded to a smartphone. If you can open and input to spreadsheets on your phone, you can run your handicap anywhere, anytime.
Please note – this uses current data for most of our 2018 courses. It must be updated for the 2019 season In addition I’ll be adding the Special Events courses and the Metro Plus courses.
If you are interested in getting a working copy, send me an email at
pres.metro.sr@gmail.com
CLICK HERE TO SEE MONTHLY CALENDAR
Exporting the EVENTS from the Metro Seniors Calendar to your GOOGLE Calendar is relatively easy. But like technology there are a few tricks to make sure you are getting what you want.
First – Do you have a GOOGLE account? If you do GREAT!
Perhaps you have a GOOGLE account and didn’t know. For example if you have a GMAIL account you have a GOOGLE account and you will have access to GOOGLE CALENDAR.
If you really don’t have a Google account on your PC or smartphone, STOP HERE. We will have to get another answer.
LIMITATIONS
It appears that calendar exports are limited to about 30 “events” for each export. We have 5 divisions with 26 weeks each plus Special events, and meetings and more. So if you must have a complete calendar for export, you will have to export 5 or 6 times to get everything. Essentially about once per month.
Fortunately most of you will want only 1 Division (one export) plus Special Events (1 export) . A few will want a second Division (another export).
A very few (officers?) will have a real need for the complete calendar – every event, all year. I can share the original ,cvs file(s) if you ask nicely.
SELECTING EVENTS TO EXPORT Using the FIND EVENTS and View as LIST
I only want all the weekly events for Division 1 (or any other Division) Easy. 1 export and import.
By default, you will get a MONTH view calendar showing the events for the current month.
The file will have up to 30 events filtered by the keyword D1 (Division 1 Weekly) for 26 weekly events.
For Division 2, keyword is D2, Division 3 – D3, and so on including Division 9 – D9.
For Special Events, keyword is SpecEvt.
For meetings, keyword is meeting.
For Metro Plus, keyword is Metro-Plus.
NOTE – double quotes are required where sort keyword includes spaces.
You may also use the keyword to sort for courses, for example, all instances of Annbriar (search for keyword annbriar).
IMPORTING TO GOOGLE CALENDAR – you can search this in Google too.
Import events into Google Calendar
After you’ve exported your events, you can import them into Google Calendar. You can import ICS and CSV files on a computer. You can also import ICS files on an Android phone or tablet. Files exported from Metro Seniors are ICS files.
Open Google Calendar.
In the top right, click Settings Settings and then Settings.
Click Import & Export.
Click Select file from your computer and select the file you exported. The file should end in “ics” or “csv”. This will be in your DOWNLOADS directory.
Choose which calendar to add the imported events to. By default, events will be imported into your primary calendar.
Click Import.
After the import you may see a message that “xx events imported” xx = up to 30.
If you sync your smartphone with your PC these will show up on your calendars on any device.
I am not an Apple guy, but here is the description for importing into Apple.
Import ICS Calendar Files in Apple Calendar
Division 9 is our 9 hole league that plays Wednesday mornings at Riverside Golf Club in Fenton, MO (I44 at the Meramec River). It has a 9 hole flight competition with closest to pin very much like our 18 hole divisions 1 – 5. Handicaps used for Division 9 are generated and used only there. Tee groups are filled as people arrive. No commitments and you don’t have to have a 4some established.
This year there are about 60 Division 9 only members. However about 30 members from Division 1-5 play in Division 9 too.
I’ve played several times with Division 9, had fun, and will continue to to do so. Play is competitive and quick,
This might just be the little extra practice that you need to score better on Thursday or Friday.
CLICK HERE for more information on Division 9
Members, new and old, we had higher than expected turnout at the Membership Meeting last week. Thank you for coming!
Unfortunately, we ran short of the Member Book.
Good News! We have printed more copies and you can pick yours up at your first weekly tournament. These have been delivered to your Division VP.
Better News! We have a complete copy of the Member Book now available on this website as a PDF file. This copy will be updated for changes as needed during the season. You can view the book from your PC or smartphone at any time. You can download it for your PC or smartphone. You can also print it all or page by page using your PDF viewer controls. See Below.
This has everything in the print version including Starter/Scorer Instructions, Special Events information, Close To Pin and Tee information, and schedules.
Wallet /Credit Card sized schedule is the last 2 pages of the book are a special printable wallet schedule for each division including Special Events. If you have a duplex printer (prints on 2 sides of paper) you can print it directly and cut out your division. If not print 2 pages and attach front and back.
So all I really want to print is the wallet schedule! Here it is – 2 pages, print on both sides is you have a duplex printer.
Member Book 2018 for Viewing or Download
Revised 3-20-2018 – Yardages adjusted for a few holes per Handicap Committee review.
The Division VPs have the primary responsibility for selection of the CTP holes and positioning (Forward and Back) for each weekly tournament. in 2017, Rick Hines, VP Division 5, pulled together a consolidated list of suggested CTP location for each weekly tournament that is included here.
We expect that most Divisions will be using these positions. However, the VPs may make changes as they feel appropriate and will confirm via email to the Starters before a tournament. Since most of our courses continue from year to year, we will make CTP changes as needed for new courses added to the weekly tournaments,
This will give you a peek before you get to the course. This will be included online as an additional resource.
Selection of the holes requires some thought to make this competition fair and challenging without picking holes that are excessively long or short. We try to have both a Forward and a Back CTP on each of the front and back nine. However, some courses don’t have a good layout.
Forward CTP Holes
Back CTP Holes
Several courses will have both the Forward (Red) CTP and the Back (Yellow) CTP on the same hole. This is to prevent having exceptionally long or short holes. For example, the 190 yard par 3s at The Prairies or Florissant or the 225 yard 18th at Normandie would not be included.
The STARTERS can use this list instead of selecting CTP holes by themselves. They will use the VP email instructions or pick used the suggested CTP holes and position in the spreadsheet. However, STARTERS will still prepare the CTP Cards for the selected holes and get these to the first group or the hole assigned group.
We will simplify the Starter’s Instructions and delete the detailed description on selecting Closest To Pin locations for each weekly tournament.
Suggested CTP for 2018 Weekly Tournaments
We are looking a possible methods to improve our scorecard data collections and entry.
Mobile Data Entry (MDE) is a very promising technology.
APPs for MDE are already available is downloaded from the Google Play Store or ITunes onto members’ smartphones.
Simple as point and click on a smart phone, that would make completion of scorecards faster (than pencil), more accurate (click-on selections for Names, ID numbers, courses), hole score totals automatic, easy edit for corrections and immediate electronic transfer (no mailing and waiting for postal service).
Purpose of Survey – what type phones Apple -IOS or Android (everything but IPhone), experience with internet and APPs, knowledge and use of golf apps, and problems/issues with green cards.
Should only take a couple of minutes.
Members w/o smartphones go to scorecard, bypass rest of survey.
https://goo.gl/forms/B5DgXRbcCY2fkrNa2
Division 1 Members – following is a course schedule change. We had to swap dates between Far Oaks and Incline Village due to issues beyond our control. Only the dates were changed, everything else remains the same.
Vince Italiano, VP Div 1, will issue a confirming email the week of each tournament.
REVISED SCHEDULE
Friday, July 21 – Incline Village $25 Split Tee Start – First Tee Time 6:30 AM
Friday, September 8 – Far Oaks $32 Shotgun Start – 8:00 AM
ST L METRO SR Div 1 Date SCH Rev 7-10-17