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You don’t want to miss it!
This is an interactive clinic that will get you started right for the 2010 golf season!
Join us Tuesday, April 27th at Ravenwood Golf Club in Victor. Dinner and wine specials start at 5:00 pm. The clinic begins at 6:00 pm.
This clinic is FREE to EWGA members and only $10 for non-members. Read more here.
See you there!
Think learning golf rules is boring?
Think again!
Our Rules, Etiquette, and Handicap Clinic (Tuesday, April 27, 6-7:30 pm, Ravenwood Golf Club) is going to be FUN.
How much fun? We caught up with PGA Pro Todd Riolo, who is teaching the rules and etiquette portion of this clinic to ask him what he’s got in mind.
(Wendy Bolton, our Handicap Chair, will host the handicap presentation after Todd finishes his portion of the clinic.)
Hands-On = Faster Grasp of Rules Procedures
One thing that caught our interest: Todd will be taking us right out onto the course for hands-on demonstrations of golf rules.
Why do this? Because seeing how golf rules are applied in a real-world situation makes it easier to understand them.
“It’s not always easy to understand from someone’s description, or from a diagram on a board,” Todd explains. “What does it mean to take two club lengths? What direction do you take them? When you actually see someone demonstrate procedures, you really understand how to do them yourself.”
Todd emphasizes that he won’t be covering little-used or obscure rules, just the ones he calls “every day rules of golf:” the rules we use all the time when we play — or try to. “You’d be surprised how many people don’t know the rules very well,” he says.
Even the pros need help, sometimes!
That includes pros, Todd adds. At this year’s Friday round of the Augusta Masters Tournament, for instance, Ernie Els nearly took a ball drop when he didn’t need to (he thought his ball had gone into a water hazard on #15 but it hadn’t — it was still in play). Had he not been stopped by fans, he would have taken an unnecessary 1-stroke penalty.
“Rules are there to help the player,” Todd explains. “If you know the rules, you can take advantage of them to help you put up the best possible score.”
Another situation Todd sees all the time: people think it’s okay to set rules, as long as everybody in their group agrees. “Just because everyone else in your foursome says ‘yes’ doesn’t mean you’re following the rules.”
On the contrary: you can incur a penalty just for agreeing to break a golf rule!
A supportive setting
Todd is also committed to helping clinic attendees feel comfortable. “I want people to ask questions.” Sometimes people worry that their question is “dumb” — but they shouldn’t. “The person sitting next to you probably has the same question,” he says.
Have a rules or etiquette question you’d rather not ask in front of the group?
No problem! Just write it down and give it to Todd before the clinic starts, and he’ll cover it anonymously during the class.
There will be dinner specials. Wine specials!
We said it was going to be fun, and we meant it!
Ravenwood — which has a completely new and gorgeous bar and dining room — will be offering dinner and wine specials to clinic attendees.
It’ll be a great chance to socialize and enjoy one of Rochester’s premiere public golf facilities.
And . . this clinic is free to EWGA members
Not only that, but we’re now making it easier than ever to register. Just enter your name, phone number, and email address below.
(Non-members, if you register using the form below, please bring your $10 payment the evening of the clinic.)
They’re back!
One of the great things about our EWGA chapter is our golf clinics. They are a great way to tune up your game and meet area teaching pros!
And they are priced very reasonably.
The rules clinic on April 27 is free to members, and only $10 for non-members. (Scroll down for some exciting news about that clinic!)
All of the other clinics are $10 for EWGA members and $15 for non-members. Even better: members who bring a guest can register for only $5!
So mark your calendars — and download your clinic registration form here.
- Driving Clinic @ Irondequoit Country Club, April 24 (Sat.) 4-5:00 pm, Brian Jacobs, PGA Professional.
- Rules, Etiquette & Handicaps @ Ravenwood Golf Club, April 27 (Tues.) 6-7:30 pm, Todd Riolo – PGA Professional. EWGA league members are strongly encouraged to attend this clinic.
- Putting Clinic @ Ravenwood Golf Club, May 8 (Sat.) 8:30-9:30 am, Ann Pangman Esterman – LPGA Professional.
- Sand Shots & Pitching Clinic @ Champion Hills, May 12 (Wed.) 6-7:00 pm, Darlene Sommer – LPGA Professional.
- Iron Clinic @ Genesee Valley Park Golf Course, May 22 (Sat.) 12–1:00 pm, Tom Bolduc, PGA Professional.
- Chipping Clinic @ Ravenwood Golf Club, June 19 (Sat.) 8:30-9:30 am, Ann Pangman Esterman, LPGA Professional. NOTE: The date for this clinic was originally June 12. We apologize for any inconvenience.
Not your mother’s rules clinic 
We’re particularly excited about our 2010 Rules, Etiquette, and Handicaps Clinic.
This year, we’re combining socializing with a “hands on” session on golf rules and etiquette. We’ll be heading out onto the course at Ravenwood, where Todd Riolo will give us tips on things like proper dropping procedures.
Ravenwood will be offering some food and drink specials.
And for the grand finale, our chapter Handicap Chair, Wendy Bolton, will do a presentation on how to use the EWGA handicap service.
This is a don’t-miss event!
There is no registration fee for EWGA members for our Rules Clinic.
If you are playing in one of our leagues . . .
. . . we strongly encourage you to attend the rules clinic.
Learning rules and golf etiquette is such an important part of golf. Playing in our leagues gives you a chance to practice the rules in a supportive setting. So start the year out right by attending this important clinic!
UPDATE: The date for the chipping clinic at Ravenwood has been changed to June 19. We apologize for any inconvenience.
Do you have a handicap?
If you’re relatively new to golf — or have only played casual golf — the answer is probably “no.”
Guess what?
You should!
Having a handicap can make the game of golf more interesting and enjoyable. Handicaps let you:
- Track your progress. As you work on your game, your handicap will go down, giving you concrete feedback on your success.
- Understand courses better. Each course you play is also rated according to difficulty. Once you know your handicap, you get a better idea of how you can expect to score on that course.
- Make competitions more fair. Having a handicap lets you play against golfers of any skill level. Suppose a person with a high handicap is playing with a person with a low handicap. By “giving strokes” to the high handicapper (essentially subtracting strokes from that person’s score) you “even the playing field.” You make it possible for the high handicapper to win the game, just by playing a round that is good for her skill level.
- Play in more events. Some tournaments and leagues require all players to have a handicap. (The EWGA Championship tournament is one example; some of our chapter leagues also require players to maintain a handicap.)
So how do you get a handicap?
It’s not hard at all! And as an EWGA member, you receive a USGA Handicap Index through the EWGA Golf Life Management System (GLMS), free with your membership (a $30 value).
Once you’ve signed up for the GLMS, just log on after you’ve played either a 9- or 18-hole round and key in your scores. The GLMS system does all the rest.
You do have 2 responsibilities . . .
Like many other aspects of the game of golf, handicapping is an honors system.
To be fair to other players, you need to try to make the best score you can, every hole of every round you play — and you must post scores for every round you play.
Do that, and your handicap index will be accurate, so that when you do play in competitions, they’re fair for everyone who participates.
New EWGA members: click here for information on how to activate your GLMS account.
Questions about golf handicaps, EWGA membership benefits, or anything else related to the EWGA? Let us know!
Are you a Rochester woman interested in learning the game of golf?
Wouldn’t it be nice to have a golf mentor to help you?
We think so, too! That’s why the Rochester Region, NY Chapter of the EWGA is thrilled about the 2010 EWGA Fairway Friends golf mentoring program.
EWGA members who sign up for the Fairway Friends program will be assigned to an experienced woman golfer who can help answer golf-related questions.
Your mentor will also play golf with you at least a couple of times this summer to help you learn your way around a golf course. And she’ll help you identify EWGA activities you might want to participate in — so you can meet other women golfers and work on your game.
Program mentors — and “mentees” — also receive free gifts
But wait! There’s more!  The Fairway Friends program sponsor, Be the Ball 4U, is giving a free ball marker and divot tool to all Fairway Friends mentors. Fairway Friends mentees receive a free golf accessories pouch.
Sound interesting? We’ll have a Fairway Friends sign-up sheet at our March 20 Kick Off event at Midvale Country Club.
Or drop us a note using the form below, and we’ll contact you about the program as we get closer to the golf season.
 Golf is the only game out there with no referees or umpires. We police our own play and assess our own penalties.
Knowledge of the rules cuts both ways. Yes, we have to penalize ourselves on occasion, but a thorough understanding of the rules can also save us strokes!
All of the Rochester, Region NY Chapter EWGA league coordinators have been given illustrated rule books, so please, if you play in one of our leagues, go to them with your rules questions.
If you’re looking for an illustrated rules book that you can slip into your golf bag, and you don’t need a law degree to understand, here are two recommendations:
- Golf Rules Quick Reference by Yves Ton That
- Shortcut to Golf Rules: Summary of The Rules of Golf 2008-2009
There are many other good rule books out there. Just be sure to check the effective dates and make sure they’re USGA approved. Golf rules change from time to time so an older book may not be accurate.
You can also check out the USGA website for rules explanations and quizzes, or contact The Rochester District Golf Association. They’ll answer rules questions by email.
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Contact Rochester Region, NY Chapter of the EWGA
PO Box 863 Pittsford, New York 14534
Email contact form
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