This weekend, our association owned course, The OGA Golf Course hosted our 24th Oregon Net Championship and I could not be happier with course conditions and the way the Championship turned out.

Significant time was invested by OGA staff on each hole to determine how the holes should be marked to reduce confusion among players and allow for the proper application of the Rules of Golf. During the Net Championships, the course debuted updated markings, including changes to hazards and redefined boundary lines. Changes are present on 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 11, 14, 15, 16, 17, & 18. A more detailed account of the changes can be found here at the OGA website:

http://www.oga.org/club/scripts/library/view_document.asp?CLNK=1&GRP=0&pg=section&NS=TR&DID=74144&APP=80

In addition to the course changes, Brent Whittaker (Director of Tournament Operations), our TAG Team Volunteers and I had an “eventful” weekend from the perspective of a Rules Official. Much of our course was built with obstructions bordering lateral water hazards. As a Rules Official, great attention is needed to ensure players are proceeding correctly when taking relief. The Rules of Golf give no authority to allow for a

player to proceed directly to relief from an obstruction under Rule 24 should their ball enter a water hazard bordered by an obstruction.

Thus, a player looking to proceed under Rule 26 (Water Hazards) must first take relief from the lateral water hazard. This often involves dropping twice and then placing a ball on the cart path to comply with Rule 20-2c. Then relief from the cart path is obtained under Rule 24-1b (sometimes this will put the player back

on the hazard side of the cart path and force them to stand in the hazard to play the next shot). Once relief has been obtained from the cart path, interference may still be present from the fence. The player may again proceed under 24-1b. In some areas a player may have to drop 6 times and place 3 times, under a penalty of one stoke before they can continue play.

Note to those involved with golf course design – please maintain a generous margin between your hazard line and any artificial construction.

The results for the 24th Oregon Net Championship are below and show a hard fought competition that resulted in Co-Champions in the Women’s Field between Mary Kinnick, a 24 handicap from Heron Lakes Golf Club and Kendall Prince, a 4 handicap from Willamette Valley Country Club. Both women returned scores of 74-73=147

The men’s field was also a close contest that was won by Mihai Toma, a 14 handicap from Glendoveer Golf Club. Mihai shot 64-70=134 and was followed closely by Chad Sawyer, a 0 handicap from Eastmoreland Golf

Club, Bob Rommel, a 12 handicap from Meriwether National Golf Club, Lance Miyasato, a 6 handicap from Heron Lakes Golf Club, and Eric Quon, an 11 handicap from Stone Creek Golf Club. All four finished tied for second with a two day total of 135.

Complements go out to Brent Whittaker (above, checking a potential hole location during course set-up) for a fair and challenging course set-up and to Kelly Neely (OGA Director of Handicapping) for her year round work in helping the OGA’s Handicap Chairs maintain accurate and fair USGA Handicaps Indexes for all 55,000 OGA members. The wide variety of handicaps competing so closely together was exciting to see.