January 2017

To:VISAAAthletic Directors and Golf Coaches

From: Marc Hogan, in-coming VISAA Golf Committee Chair

Welcome to the tenth VISAA Golf Season! I am excited to take over as VISAA Golf Committee Chair. In addition to introducing myself and this year’s Golf Committee, I am writing to explain the 2017 Rules of Competition, the match score reporting and tabulation system, and information on the VISAA Golf Championship.

I have been a part of all previous VISAA Golf championships and have served on all but two of the state Golf Committees. I am now in my 30th year of teaching and coaching here at Woodberry Forest, where I have been the varsity golf coach since 2001. Finally, I compete regularly in VSGA events for senior golfers and currently play off a 0.9 USGA handicap.

VISAA 2017 Golf Committee

I want to thank members of this year’s VISAA Golf Committee listed below for their willingness to serve.

Name / School / Region / Email
Bill Curl / Randolph-Macon Academy / North /
Trip Darrin / Blue Ridge School / West /
Paul Feakins / Norfolk Academy / East /
Matt Fitzgerald / Episcopal High School / North /
Marc Hogan / Woodberry Forest School / Central /
Catesby Jones / The Steward School / Central /
Dan Moore / Greenbrier Christian / East /
Janet Phillips / St.Catherine’s /
St. Gertrude’s / Central /
PC Wells / Carlisle School / West /

They have been or will shortly be in contact with you for the following information:

  • to confirm your school’s participation in golf and appropriate division of competition (Division 1 or Division 2)
  • to confirm your home course, tees to be played, and USGA course rating/slope

Match Score Reporting

The Committee will take this information to build a database for matchscore reporting. After each match, your coach should complete a Google Form with the following information. I will send a link to this form to you next month, and you can also find in at visaa.org.

  • School name
  • Date
  • Opponent(s)
  • Result (W/L/T)
  • MatchScore for both teams
  • Course & tees played

If you and your coach are familiar with the USGA’s GHIN score reporting system, then you will be at ease with the new VISAA score reporting system. Our goal is to make this process as simple and direct as possible. We also want to streamline the data collection and tabulation on our end so that we can promptly and efficiently rank the teams each week.

VISAA Weekly Golf Poll

Score tabulation for the weekly VISAA golf poll will be conducted exactly as it has been done in the past. Match scores will be calculated using the USGA scoring system to create a team Handicap Index. This index is a way to compare team scores at different courses and will be updated each week for the committee. In addition to this data, win/loss record and head-to-head results may be considered in our deliberations for each weekly poll and for selection for the state tournament.Polls will be published beginning the first week of April on visaa.org.

Please report your match scores! There is no other way to have your school ranked in the weekly golf poll, or to have your school and golfers considered for the state tournament.

VISAA State Golf Tournament

I am pleased to announce that our championship tournament will again beatMeadowbrook Country Club in Richmond, VA on Monday, May 22.Thank you to Janet Phillips who will again serve as our tournament director.

The Division 2 teams and individuals will start at 8:00 AM, followed by the Division 1 teams and individuals at 1:00 PM. The awards presentations will occur immediately after each round’s play.

There will be 8 teams invited from each Division as well as up to 8 individuals whose teams do not qualify in the championship tournament field. Division 1 and 2 teams will both play up to 6 players taking top 4 scores. Announcement of the tournament field will be no later than Tuesday, May 16.

VISAA Rules of Competition:

  • Conference rules apply with regard to double par scores, rulings, and other pace of play accommodations (e.g. shuttles between holes) during the regular season. Rules officials will be on site at the VISAA Championship to help with this aspect of the tournament.
  • Boys’ and girls’tees should be assigned based on general distance requirements (Boys, 6500-6700; Girls,5800-6000 yards) whenever possible.
  • A single person can be designated to give advice (Rules of Golf, Rule 33-1).
  • Range finding equipment is allowed in competition, provided it ONLY gives distance readings.
  • Push carts are allowed.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at via email or here at Woodberry Forest (540.672.3900).

Good luck to everyone, and I hope you have a great golf season.

Sincerely,

Marc Hogan, VISAA Golf Committee Chair

Arthur Latham Chair

Varsity Golf Coach

Woodberry Forest School