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Opening Drive
A Service All Golfers Can Enjoy by CHRIS LANG
30.5 x ( 130 / 113 ) = 35 Such a simple little equation . Handicap Index ® x ( Slope Rating™ of Tee on Course / 113 ) will tell you the Course Handicap for the round you ’ re about to play . I was told there would be no math , other than adding up the pile of double bogeys on my card , so thankfully , the MyVSGA app will do the heavy lifting for you before you even start to post a score on a given day .
One of the key services the VSGA provides is education , both in the Rules of Golf and in Handicapping and Course Rating™ . We ’ re fortunate to have one of the best in the Allied Golf Association world in Handicapping on our staff here in Michael Walder , and in this issue , he breaks down just what all those numbers mean and the process the VSGA uses to rate a golf course .
Course Rating™ , Bogey Rating™ , and ultimately , Slope Rating™ , play a huge role in how many shots you might get in your Wednesday night league match . But those numbers don ’ t just come out of nowhere . The ratings come to fruition thanks to the hard work of Walder , VSGA Course Rating Coordinator Tony Caggiano , and a bevy of volunteers — more than 50 men and women who assist the VSGA staff in conducting course ratings across Virginia . Read more about the process in this issue . Also :
• The LPGA didn ’ t stop in Williamsburg in 2022 , but there is still high-level women ’ s professional golf happening in the greater Washington , D . C ., area this summer . The KPMG Women ’ s PGA Championship runs from June 23-26 at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda , Md ., and there ’ s a familiar name in the field for longtime followers of Virginia golf . Jenny Suh Thompson , who won two VSGA Junior Girls ’ Championships and later earned a spot on the 2006 U . S . Curtis Cup roster , qualified and will participate in the season ’ s third women ’ s major . Lisa Mickey caught up with Suh to see how her career has evolved and how she earned an unlikely spot in the field .
• The Richmond Golf Association is celebrating its 100th year in 2022 , and there ’ s no one better to take you inside the anniversary than Arthur Utley , who spent years covering RGA events for Richmond newspapers and serves on the RGA Board of Directors .
• It ’ s one of the first pieces of information one seeks when heading out for a round : Where ’ s the flagstick ? Front , middle or back ? It turns out there ’ s plenty that goes into choosing the day ’ s hole location , from VSGA staff running championships to course superintendents setting up for a large outing of high-handicap players . Michael Stott helps guide you through the process with a story in this issue .
As always , the inbox is always open for story ideas . Thanks for reading !
Chris Lang , Editor clang @ vsga . org
One of the key services the VSGA provides is education , both in the Rules of Golf and in Handicapping and Course Rating™ .
The VSGA Amateur ’ s cont ’ d ...
97TH VSGA WOMEN ’ S AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP Site : Meadowbrook Country Club ( Richmond ) Dates : July 5-7 Format : One round of stroke-play qualifying ; top 16 advance to match play ; round of 16 and quarterfinals on Wednesday ; semifinals and 18-hole championship match on Thursday . Defending champion : Becca DiNunzio ( Virginia Beach National GC ) About Meadowbrook : The South Richmond club is taking its first turn at hosting a VSGA Women ’ s Amateur , having previously hosted the VSGA Women ’ s Stroke Play Championship in 2009 . Meadowbrook has a long list of prominent past members , including the Wadkins brothers , John Rollins , Adam Ball and Lyberty Anderson . The 18-hole championship course , originally designed by Fred Findlay , opened in 1957 . The firm of Ault , Clark and Associates renovated Meadowbrook in 1975 . Trends and storylines :
Danielle Suh
The championship moved from 36-hole to 18-hole qualifying in 2020 , in order to allow for match-play flighting that allowed everyone in the field to play at least one match , depending on their stroke-play qualifying finish . DiNunzio torched the field at Evergreen CC with a qualifying 65 and a four-match run to the championship capped by a 5-and-4 win over Alexandra Austin . DiNunzio has enjoyed a strong junior season at Virginia Tech and will be one of the favorites if she plays . One player already committed as of press time was Danielle Suh , who plays at High Point , won the 2020 VSGA Junior Girls ’ Championship and was a semifinalist in last year ’ s Women ’ s Amateur . Since mid-amateur Lauren Greenlief ’ s victory in 2018 , the champion of this event has skewed younger , with two high school students ( Rory Weinfurther and Tatum Walsh ) and a college sophomore ( DiNunzio ) winning titles .
CHRIS LANG
6 V IRGINIA G OLFER | M AY / J UNE 2022
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