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Opening Drive
Options Aplenty
IT ’ S MARCH , which means for many of us , an opportunity to shake out of the winter doldrums , dig the clubs out of the house and get out on the course . I ’ m sure many VSGA members snuck out cold-weather rounds in the heart of winter , but for a lot of us March is the true start of the Virginia golf season .
If you ’ re receiving this magazine , there ’ s a good chance you ’ re already a VSGA member . But if on the off chance you pick Virginia Golfer up at a friend ’ s house or in the locker room at your favorite golf course , you may be wondering about your options for joining in on the fun .
One such option is to join or form a VSGA Affiliate Club , a subject Art Utley tackles in this issue ’ s cover story . In the past , the most obvious way to join the VSGA was through your club . But what if you can ’ t afford a membership to a private facility ? Or maybe you ’ re looking for a membership without being tied down to one particular club ? Your choices for obtaining a membership have ballooned in recent years .
Affiliate Clubs — like Unclubbed Golf , Anything But Par , and the Dahlgren ’ s Men ’ s Golf League — provide one such option . Do you have a regular group of 10 or more that plays together often ? You can form your own club , complete with all the benefits offered to members at green-grass facilities . Affiliate Club leaders also gain access to Golf Genius tournament software , helping you smoothly run your competitions .
If you can ’ t rustle up 10 folks to form a club , you ’ re still in luck . You can join the Handicap roster at a participating green-grass facility through VSGA . org , purchase a Bronze VIP Golf Card ( which includes a Handicap Index and discounted golf at numerous Virginia and West Virginia courses ), or join the USGA / VSGA GC . Whatever you decide , it ’ s never been easier to join the VSGA . Come on aboard and join in on the fun !
Also in this issue :
• Bourbon and golf ? Yes , please ! Lisa Mickey takes you through the Kentucky Bourbon Trail ® experience in this issue ’ s Explorer .
• Though not Virginia specific , the Masters is circled in red on any golf fan ’ s annual calendar . We look at how the PGA Tour and LIV continue to try to co-exist at the season ’ s first major .
• Lee Coble , who became the third VSGA past president to earn the prestigious USGA Joe Dey Award , shares some of his favorite volunteering memories .
Thanks for reading , and as always , my inbox is open for ideas !
Chris Lang , Editor clang @ vsga . org by CHRIS LANG
In the past , the most obvious way to join the VSGA was through your club . But what if you can ’ t afford a membership to a private facility ?
U . S . Mid-Am cont ’ d ...
match play , with all matches taking place at Kinloch .
The biggest change to the golf course at Kinloch will be the reversal of the club ’ s nines . This means any matches reaching the final hole will potentially end on Kinloch ’ s 9th hole , which is much closer to the clubhouse than the 18th hole .
“ It just seems to be better to finish on 9 and have everything right there ,” Rule said . “ There ’ s no cost to attend , so we ’ re hoping that we get a lot of people standing out there around the 9th green , which is a natural amphitheater-type green anyway .”
Six months out from the championship , each club is deep in preparation mode . Kinloch usually shuts down in late summer for fall agronomy maintenance , so the effect on the membership of a Sept . 2 course closure , in advance of the Mid-Am , will be minimal .
Independence president Giff Breed said he anticipates the public facility will remain open to play until the Sunday prior to the championship , adding that he expects that play will be limited to cart path only up to a month before the championship to allow the rough to grow to USGA standards and to reduce stress on fairways . The Senior Open of Virginia , usually contested in September at Independence , will move to Richmond ’ s Wil-
U . S . MID-AM NOTABLES :
• There will be an additional qualifier in Virginia in 2024 for locals trying to make the field . Qualifying will be held on July 29 at Willow Oaks CC and Aug . 19 at Hermitage CC ’ s Sabot Course .
• Competitors must be 25 years old as of Sept . 21 and must have a Handicap Index of 2.4 or lower .
• One Virginian is guaranteed to be in the field — 2023 finalist Evan Beck , who is exempt from qualifying . Beck has won two State Open titles at Independence .
• Upcoming USGA championships in Virginia include the 2025 U . S . Senior Women ’ s Amateur and 2029 U . S . Senior Amateur , both to be contested at The Homestead ’ s Cascades Course .
6 V IRGINIA G OLFER | M ARCH / A PRIL 2024 vsga . org