Golf Association Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's)

How much is membership?
Membership dues is $15/year. This covers the handicap service and covers some prizes given out throughout the year.

Where are the association’s web pages?
For internal access, simply enter “go golf” in the browser.
For external access, go to www.golfassociation.org

How do you become a member and signup for outings?
All badged or previously badged employees, military, or contractors of the agency and their immediate family members are eligible to join the association.

To join the association, simply email the president (see contact section on the web page) that you would like to join. You will be put on either an internal or external distro list which keeps you informed on all activities of the association.

To play an event, you simply need to email the president what outings you would like to play. Normally, we start accepting names for each outing about six weeks prior to the event. You will receive an email when we are accepting names for an event. You can create your own foursome, threesome, twosome, or you can signup as a single and place in a group for the outing.

Are guests allowed for outings?
Generally, guests are allowed at all outings. They usually pay the same price as members; however, they are not eligible to win any prizes or awards. It is expected that if you play in more than one event in a year, that you will join the association. The association may limit the number of guests allowed for any outing since members have priority.

How do I pay for an event?
Payment is expected prior to the event. There are 3 ways to pay: on the internal collection day which is posted on the schedule, pay any building rep which is posted on the internal web page, or snail mail a check to the president’s address(on the external web page).

What happens if you cannot make an event that you signed up for?
If enough notice is given(usually one week or more), this is not an issue so you will not be charged for the outing or a credit will be given to you for a future event if you already paid. If you cancel just prior to the round or no-show the day of the event, you may still be charged based on the course’s rules. The association will pass on any fees charged on your behalf to you. Most times, you will not be charged but it is on a case by case basis.

Do I need to sign-in the day of the outing.
Yes. On the day of the outing, please sign-in with the outing coordinator at least 30 minutes prior to your tee time. This will ensure that we get started on-time.

Which tees are used?
Tee selection for men, seniors, and women will be announced on the day of the outing. Normally, men will play tees ranging from 6000-6500 yards, seniors will play from 5500-6000 and women will play from <5500.

Where are the results?
Results are posted on the external web (www.golfassociation.org) usually within 5 days after the event.

How are flights determined?
Normally, we use four flights based on handicap. The cutoff handicap point changes each outing since we attempt to even out the flights. If you do not have a handicap with the association, you will be placed in the fourth flight and a Callaway handicap will be used. We do not have separate flights for men, seniors and women.

Are there “local/association” rules?
The association follows all USGA except that the maximum score on any hole is a 10. Any other exceptions to the USGA rules will announced at the outing.

Rules to remember:
Since the association follows USGA rules, all lost or out of bounds balls must be replayed from the original point. If you are unsure if your ball is lost or OB, you should hit a provisional ball so that you maintain a good pace of play. We also do NOT play lift, clean and place unless course conditions warrant that and will be announced at the outing.

What are the options for Red stakes (lateral water hazard)?

What are the options for Yellow stakes (water hazard)?

What are the options for White stakes(OB)?

What are the options for lost balls?

What are the options for unplayable lies?                           

Can you play from the senior tees?
Any male can play from the senior tees, they just need to let the handicap chair know that they will be playing from those tees. Senior is not age based in the association. You can be 10 or 100 and play from either the men’s or senior tees; it is entirely up to you.

How are the courses picked each year?
Generally, the association tries to rotate courses from year to year so we are not playing the same course repeatedly. The exceptions are Ft Meade which usually hosts our first outing of the year and is normally a 2-person team event. Also, the year-end event is usually played at Andrews or Compass Point since we need two courses available for the number of members we have in the association.

How are prices determined?
The price of an outing is, of course, based on what the course charges the association. We also add on a few dollars to cover prizes for the outing plus the year-end outing, and POTY and club championship awards. The cost of the outing includes green fees and cart and sometimes range balls and prizes in the proshop (regarding the latter, the prizes are bought by the association and given out at the end of the year outing).

Some factors that the association considers when lining up outings is the time of day(afternoon is cheaper than morning), day of week(Mon-Thurs is cheaper than Friday), time of year(April, July, August is cheaper than other months), and whether we have food or not(sometimes the additional food costs are negligible). For most courses, none of these factors affect cost; however, those courses that do base their prices on some of these factors are scheduled first.

We also try to spread the outings across the days of the week so that all outings do not occur, for example, on Monday.

What is the POTY (Player of the Year)?
POTY is year long accumulation of points based on your finishes in NSAGA outings. It is very similar to the FedEx Cup except we do not have a playoff. Points are based on your six best finishes for the year regardless of the number of events you play. Point values assigned range from 1000 for first to 1 point for just showing up. It is intended to be a fun thing to watch as the year progresses. Normally, we give out trophies and/or prizes for the top five finishers. Since the POTY standing is based on net scores, the winner of the POTY is usually the most improved player for the year. Unlike most other competitions within the organization, the POTY is not flighted. There are links off the golf association external page to view the standings.

What is the Club Championship?
The club championship is normally a 2 round event occurring near the end of the season. The combined scores for both rounds determine the winner. Each flight has a winner based on net scores. In this event, we also have a gross score winner. The gross score is not a flighted competition.

Pace of Play
Normally, our goal is to play a round in less than 5 hours. The courses plan for us to play in a timely manner when they schedule follow-on tee times or other outings. Always play ready golf and be prepared to hit when it is your turn to play. You should not fall back from the group in front of you. Normally, if you are not ready to hit after the group in front of you leaves the fairway or green, you are behind pace.

What is the handicap service?
The association provides an official USGA handicap service. The handicap from this service is used for all association events and can also be used for any event that requires an official USGA handicap. All association events will be entered automatically into the system. If you would like to enter other golf scores, you can request a login from the handicap chair (see contacts on the internal or external web page to request an account). If you are entering your own scores, be sure to adjust your score for equitable stroke control (ESC). See the handicap page on how to do that.

Handicaps are update on the 1st and 15th of the month between Mar 15th and Nov 15th.

If you see an “L” next to your handicap, that means that it is a “local” handicap and therefore not an official USGA handicap because you have less than five rounds to base your handicap on. Once you have five rounds entered (either within or external to the organization), your handicap will be official. The association uses the “local” handicap for its outings until you obtain an official handicap.

If you see an “R” next to your handicap, that means it has been revised, per USGA rules. This indicates that you have played exceptionally well in tournament rounds in relation to your regular handicap so your handicap is adjusted down.

What does the course rating and slope mean?
The course rating is determined by the length of the holes and the difficulty of obstacles such as sand and water.
The slope is determined based on what a bogey golfer would shoot compared to a scratch golfer. This takes into account factors that affect the bogey golfer more such as hitting to elevated greens, width of fairways, and how often water and sand come into play.
For more detailed information on ratings and slope, check out the USGA web site(www.usga.org).

How is handicap determined for an outing?
Your outing handicap is determined using the following formulas:
Course handicap = your handicap index * course slope/113
Because we flight men, seniors and women in the same flights, a further adjustment is necessary:
Adjusted handicap = your course handicap + course rating – the smallest of the men’s/senior’s/women’s course ratings

More detailed examples can be found on the USGA web site (www.usga.org).

How are handicaps determined for team events?
Most outings are individual stroke play events; however, we usually have a couple of team events each year.

For 4-person scrambles, we use the USGA recommended method of taking 20% of the lowest handicap, 15% of the 2nd lowest handicap, 10% of the 3rd lowest handicap, and 5% of the highest handicap. For 2-person scrambles, we take 35% of the lowest handicap and 15% of the highest handicap.

For best ball, you just use your regular adjusted handicap.

For alternate shot, the 2 handicaps are averaged.

 

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