Feb '10

We are still short of some email addresses and others are being rejected as inaccurate. If you didn't receive the following email could you please send one to khnextlevel@aol.com just to confirm the up to date address. Just head it email address and stick your name on it

Those of you who made the trip to Hacienda del Alamo again voted the week a great success. If any of you have a free week in February you could do worse than go out there- with or without better halves, and take part in the St Valentines Festival run by our intrepid press agent Colin Farquharson of Scottish Golf View. Full details can be found on http://www.gilliankirkwood.com/ercn86/labels/HDA%20FESTIVAL.htm

The membership voted at the 2009 AGM for an unchanged annual subscription of £25.00. This is sufficient to cover our administrative needs in the short term.

Administrator Duties:

• Receive the draw sheet from the Secretaries and set up the competition on laptop within the Club2000 software system.
• Email Euan Mordaunt (Scottish Golf Union) before and after each event. Beforehand to send him the draw and afterwards the results, both on the SGU template. Euan will then send back the updated Order of Merit
• Prepare scorecards for the event.
• Arrive at venues the previous day to meet with club representatives (complimentary round usually included.)
• Set up check-in/recording area for first tee time (8am)
• Check-in, hand out cards, record scores in Club 2000 with periodic prints of leaderboard, scratch and handicap
• Handle merchandise sales
• If required, one adminstrator to use buggy provided to monitor pace of play ( Standard time 3 hours 50 mins)
• Phone leading scores in to Colin Farquharson ( our press man) after each round and before 7pm if poss. eMail full scratch results and CSS to him.
• Transmit scores to Howdidido.com (included in Club2000 software)
• Results and CSS for upload to the website
• Maintain player database on Excel

Because of increasing entries we can no longer offer flexibility in starting times (e.g. requests for different times on each day) and hope you will observe that condition. We took soundings and the system of one starting time for both days suits most of our members.

Late entries have been accepted up until now to balance the books. However these do cause an administrative burden, within our own organisation, our website management, Scottish Golf Union and for Colin Farquharson. Hopefully progress towards full fields will allow the closing date to mean just that so please remember to get those entries in early.

We are aware that the cancellation of Haddington caused a deal of inconvenience and we are constantly looking to attract venues which are the most weatherproof. However the going at Haddington went from "good to firm" to Tsunami in the space of a few hours.  Office bearers spent time  trying to contact entrants who might be travelling the furthest. We did intercept some but there were equally quite a number who arrived at the course. Can we suggest that it is always good practice to check weather conditions for the destination area before you leave.

Entry fees for Haddington have been retained and will be credited as annual subscriptions for season 2010.

GPS, Laser range finders are not permitted in our events at present. If and when SGU decide to take the plunge we shall follow suit. That means consistency throughout the Order of Merit events.

There has been an approach from the President of the American Seniors Golf Association and we are looking at areas of mutual benefit. Their President Henry A (Sandy) Wise 11, MD, has Scottish connections and is a member of Royal Troon.