Kick off to Golf Season starts off with DOME night at White Pines dome -- New member orientation as well. About a dozen new members made it through the cold weather to make the 6:00pm meeting. 35 plus total NIMAGA members showed up a little later for pizza and marathon golf ball hitting. NIMAGA took over the upper deck and members renewed friendships and hit balls until we all had enough. If you didn’t make this fun night you missed out on 2 hours of golf ball practice, pizza and drinks for only $10.

Membership

Membership Chairman Steve Mueller controls our mailing and phone list so if you have any changes during the year please e-mail changes directly to Steve.

The deadline for entry into most events is based on the date the entry is postmarked so be sure to mail your entries on time. If you are a package member you can send in all regular event entries at one time.  Also, we accept members all year long.

New Match Play Tournament

See the NIMAGA Web site for details. This is being run by a member of NIMAGA with NIMAGA's support. There are limitation to how many can enter and we understand a minimum number have already signed up. Send in your applications soon! Open to members of 2007 and prior only!

Spring Thaw Tournament
New Location

Our first tournament of the year is not far away on April 5, 2008. For long time members, don’t forget that this year we have a new venue GLEN EAGLES. After as many years as this writer has been a member (20 plus) this is the first change in location from Indian Lakes. So if you arrive at Indian Lakes at 7:00am and you don’t see all the NIMAGA guys, you’ll need to hurry to the new location. You’ve been warned.

Certified Handicap Golf, Inc.

All members will be receiving a kit from Certified Handicap Golf, Inc.  The kit will have information including the dates that scores need to be turned in for revision.

At this writing, we are still not sure of all the changes to be made for 2008. We will update everyone as we find out.

You can always go to the NIMAGA website and post your scores using the link to Certified Handicap Golf, Inc provided on the menu.

Tournament Applications

 Tournament Applications form links were emailed to all members on Monday March 2^nd. If you didn’t get this email, send a quick note off to admin@nimaga.org. We are only offering a link so that anyone who might go to our web page could fill out a form (and not be a member). So keep the link or ask and we’ll resend it. There will be another email to all members March 10^th or sooner. Deadline for entering April Thaw on April 5 is March 21^st. So get the applications in early so you don’t miss the season kick off.

FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
There is a new FAQ link on the menu. Check it out and hopefully it will help with those common questions that come before the board.

You are putting on a green with a long downhill putt. As your ball misses the hole, you cringe as you watch you ball roll off the green and into a water hazard!

What are your options?

1. Take a drop within two club lengths from where entering the hazard no closer to the hole with a 1 stroke penalty. This option will likely have you dropping your ball off the green and having to chip back to the putting surface.

2. Use the stroke and distance option where you would re-hit from the original spot prior to going into the hazard. As you were hitting the ball on a putting surface, in this specific case you would be required to “Place your ball” not drop your ball. Once again this is a one shot penalty. This time however, pay a little more attention to the speed of the next down hill putt!

Metrological Spring is here. Now if we could only get the snow to go away.

Members News

Membership

Check out the web site regularly! Many will notice some changes to our web site. A big thanks go out to Shawn Pipes, our tournament director and web guru! In a n effort to go green! And to lower costs (and a bit of work) we have eliminated much of the paper you would receive in the mail. Make a weekly habit of visiting our web site to check out the latest news and information. We still have a few members who either have difficulty in accessing the internet, and we are doing everything we can to assist them. If you know of someone who has this problem let us know and we’ll try and find them an internet friend who can keep them up to date! You will also note that we will be sending out regular email notes to advise members of upcoming events and special news.

 Check periodically over the winter months and check out any new items on the web site. www.nimaga.org

Speaking of special news? Any good stories or information that your friends at NIMAGA should know about? Send us photo’s and articles about what’s going on in the off season or up coming special dates. Any new holes-in-one?

Send them to admin@nimaga.org and we will include them in a future NIMAGA notes.