STMGC Frequently Asked Questions

Last updated: December 15, 2007

Q: What are the advantages of being an STMGC member?
A: Some benefits include:

• 10% discount on all purchases above $100 in Santa Teresa Pro Shop.
• Tournaments every month, nearly all of them flighted.
• A variety of NCGA Qualifier events during the year.
• NCGA Match Play competition.
• Tournament of Champions year-long competition
• Member discounts at Poppy Hills and Poppy Ridge
• Club Championship (see here for the benefits of belonging to the NCGA).
• Away tournaments at Poppy Hills and Poppy Ridge

Q: What is the Tournament of Champions (TOC) competition all about?
A: See here for details. Basically, it's a 12-month long competition which rewards participation and performance in our monthly tournaments.

Q: What are the Optional Contests all about?
A: At our monthly home and away tournaments, we generally offer several optional contests (usually for $5). You can add the $5 (for each optional contest you enter) to your entry fee when you make out your check. Some of the more popular optional contests are:

• Low Gross: the lowest gross score wins the Low Gross pot of money
• Long Drive: the two winners (usually on holes #8 and #17) split the Long Drive pot of money
• Net Skins: you win a Net Skin if your net score on a hole beats the net score on that hole of everyone else who entered the Net Skins competition. Divide the Net Skins pot of money by the number of Net Skins won, to determine the value of a Net Skin.
• Gross Skins: you win a Gross Skin if your gross score on a hole beats the gross score on that hole of everyone else who entered the Gross Skins competition. Divide the Gross Skins pot of money by the number of Gross Skins won, to determine the value of a Gross Skin.
• Team Competition: Team Captains will draft tournament participants onto their team prior to the tournament. The winning team will split the Prize Pool among its members who entered the contest. Scoring and Tiebreakers will differ depending on the tournament format.  See here for complete details.
• Personal Best (PB): this is a year-long competition (with Net and Gross categories) whereby we track your best Net and Gross scores on each hole at Santa Teresa GC, made during a tournament round whose format isn't Match Play. Your Personal Best for the year is the sum of the 18 hole PB scores. The yearly cost is $20 each for Net and Gross. See here for complete details.

Q: How is the prize money determined/calculated?
A: The prize fund consists of $16 for each entrant, of which the entrant pay $9, and the Club pays $7 (an extra $2 funds the Hole-in-One contest, and the TOC contest).  We generally pay-out 35% of each flight.  You also have the option of contributing an extra $5 each for the Skins, Low Gross, and/or Long Drive competitions (see the entry form for details).

Q: What do my dues pay for?
A: Our operating costs include:

• NCGA membership ($30)
• Prize money (see above)
• Administrative costs
• NCGA tournament entry fees
• Mailings and office supplies
• Hole-in-One pay-out
• Engravings
• TOC tournament subsidy

Q: Can guests play in tournaments?
A: Due to the strong demand for our tournaments, guests are not allowed to play. We do, however, conduct a Member/Guest tournament. Also, we allow guests (space permitted) at our away Poppy Hills and Poppy Ridge tournaments.

Q: Does the STMGC organize or sponsor anything else other than tournaments to further promote member socializing?
A: Not at this time.

Q: Are STMGC members eligible to play in other tournaments outside of the club?
A: Yes. The only known restriction is that you may only represent one Club in the NCGA Match Play competition.

Q: How quickly do the tournaments fill up?
A: Generally, entries close 1 week prior to the tournament date. Depending on the tournament, it could fill up several weeks before the deadline, or on the day of the deadline. If in doubt, contact the Treasurer.

Q: What do the tournament formats mean?
A: We have a variety of tournament formats, but the most common are:

• Individual Low Net: a non-partner event, a player's tournament score is his net score (gross minus handicap).
• Modified Stableford: a non-partner event, where a player's tournament score is the number of points he accumulates, not the number of strokes he takes.  For instance, a net par on a hole earns a player 0 points, a net birdie 2 points, a net bogey -1 points, etc.
• 2-man Better Ball: a partnered event consisting of 2-man teams. Each team hole score is the lowest net score between the two players. For example, on the first hole, Bob scores a 4 net 4, while Dave scores a 6 net 5. The team score for the first hole is a 4. If a group is out of position, an irrelevant partner  (ie he can't improve the team score)  should pick up, as a courtesy. This improves the pace of play.
• Club Championship: the first round is generally stroke play, to identify the top 8 players. Based on their finish on the first day, those 8 players are put into a bracket, matching them with Match Play opponents.
• Yellow Ball: a 4-man team event, with a virtual yellow ball rotating among them.  The team score for each hole is the sum of two net scores: the yellow ball, and the best ball of the remaining 3 team members.
• Turkey Shoot Grudge Match: Straight match-play between two opponents, where the winner of each match takes all (in this case, a gift card to a local grocer).

The Rule Sheet for each tournament generally details the format, and any special rules. Note that in all team events, you are not required to form your own team; you may enter as a single, and we'll do our best to pair you up with a team.

Q: Are there any restrictions in signing up for tournaments?
A: To enter the Club Championship, you must have played in at least 2 Mens Club tournaments since the conclusion of the previous year's Club Championship.  There are 13 tournaments conducted during this period (including the Away tournaments at Poppy Hills and Poppy Ridge), so there is ample opportunity to fulfill this requirement. Note that this requirement exists to prevent a member who doesn't actively participate in our tournaments from winning our the lucrative payout for 1st prize.

Q: Is there an annual event where the club puts on a BBQ or something like that? Maybe have a raffle, give out trophies, and announce the year's winners. Do/could the annual dues go towards something like that?
A: We do not have the funds at this time to put on this event. Many years ago we had such a dinner that was very nice. It would be great to be able to do that again. Unfortunately, without a major dues increase, it is not in the long term plan.