Belize Open 2011 - Tournament Results

What a great weekend the golfers of Belize had at the Belize Open 2011. Even though the weather was awful it could not stop players from the BAGA and our partners at the BGA from participating in the 2011 Belize Open, with 35 players attending.

It rained, it rained more and it rained more. Saturdays play was delayed for 2 hours to allow the course to dry. Even though the tee box on hole 6 was under water and unreachable the staff at Roaring River Golf Course did a marvelous job, coping with the difficult conditions and play finally got underway at 10am.

Golfers were wetter than a Tuna's bathing costume and the players fancy golf attire was soon reduced to a muddy brown ensemble.

Players competed in 2 categories. Net Category, which was the score after the players handicaps were deducted from their Gross scores and Gross Category, which was their actual scores.

After the first days play we had a run away leader in the Net Category. Sam Mathias who shot a net 59, with Saul Barrera (62), Nelson Gallardo and Jaime Gonzalez close behind with net 63. A pack of players were behind this group within striking distance of the leaders on day 2.

In the Gross category, William Mckenzie and Andy Hunt battled it out on Saturday, with William producing a fine gross score of 67 and Andy on his tail, shooting 68. Ray Garbutt Jr and Sam Mathias were breathing down their necks with scores of 71, leaving these 4 players clear of the field.

Sunday play was slow as the players focused and concentrated hard to play good shots and make their tricky putts.

In the net category Sam Mathias hung on in the final group with Nelson Gallardo and Andy Hunt pushing him all the way to the final hole. Sam held on and won the tournament with a 2 day net score of 2 under par with Andy Hunt and Nelson Gallardo tied for second with a 2 day score of 1 under par. Andy and Nelson were to play off for second place but as Andy had won in the Gross category he was not allowed to win in the Net category. Nelson Gallardo was awarded 2nd place with Alan Graham in 3rd spot. Ray Garbutt Jr shot an even par net score, which would have given him 3rd place but he was not allowed to win in 2 categories.

In the Gross Category Andy Hunt and Ray Garbutt Jr were paired together, with 1st day leader William Mckenzie in the penultimate group. Andy shot a 65 final day round and Ray Jr shot a 69, giving Andy Hunt the first place in the Gross category with a 2 day score of 133 and Ray Garbutt Jr second place with a 2 day score of 140. William Mckenzie finished 3rd with a 2 day score of 142.

Congratulations to everyone who participated. It was tough conditions for golfers.

Thank you to all the sponsors who supported the tournament. This includes :

International Refrigeration
Morgan and Morgan
Westrac
Ryle Architecture
Belize Jungle Dome
Hot Mamas
BRC Printing
Kiba Designs
Westar
Garbutt Service Station
Astrum Helicopters
Belize Amateur Golf Association
CESSA
Femagra Industries
Corkers Restaurant and Hibiscus Hotel
Roses
International Refrigeration
JDB Ltd

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BELIZE OPEN 2011 RESULTS

Net Category. 2 Day Total :

-2 Sam Mathias
-1 Andy Hunt
-1 Nelson Gallardo
+0 Ray Garbutt Jr
+1 Alan Graham
+3 Efrain Medina Jr
+4 Saul Barrera
+6 Gustavo Giron
+6 William Mckenzie
+7 Eleazar Portillo
+8 Ryan Garbutt
+8 Jaime Gonzalez
+9 Ray Garbutt Sr
+11 Tim Heath
+11 Pedro Lizarraga
+13 Decon Cal
+13 Steve Maestre
+14 Dalix Hernandez
+15 Demetrio Cortez
+16 Harold Nava
+16 Guillermo Rivas
+16 Ryne Lizarraga
+17 Ivan Hernandez
+18 Naim Musa
+20 Efrain Medina Sr
+26 Jim Comber
+26 Peter Allen
+33 Karl Ayers
+34 Paul Martin
+43 Amir Escobar
DNP Robert Lee
DNP Boris Vostry
DNP Mickey Thorton
DNP Oliver Colon
DNP Duane Arnold

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Gross Category. 2 Day total :

133 - Andy Hunt
140 - Ray Garbutt Jr
142 - William Mckenzie
149 - Alan Graham
150 - Sam Mathias
152 - Ryan Garbutt
153 - Nelson Gallardo
153 - Tim Heath
156 - Saul Barrera
158 - Jaime Gonzalez
163 - Steve Maestre
171 - Efrain Medina Jr
171 - Ray Garbutt Sr
171 - Pedro Lizarraga
174 - Paul Martin
176 - Jim Comber
178 - Gustavo Giron
178 - Peter Allen
179 - Decon Cal
181 - Demetrio Cortez
184 - Naim Musa
187 - Ivan Hernandez
190 - Harold Nava
192 - Ryne Lizarraga
193 - Karl Ayers
202 - Efrain Medina Sr
205 - Amir Escobar
209 - Eleazar Portillo
214 - Guillermo Rivas
216 - Dalix Hernandez
DNP - Boris Vestly
DNP - Mickey Thorton
DNP - Robert Lee
DNP - Duane Arnold
DNP - Oliver Colon

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Other Prizes : 

Tim Heath - Saturday - Closest to the Pin #1 and #10 - sponsored by Gobie Challenge
Sam Mathias - Saturday - Closest to the Pin #3 and #12 - sponsored by Westrac
William Mckenzie - Saturday - Closest to the Pin #5 and #14 - sponsored by Westar
Demetrio Cortez - Saturday - Closest to the Pin #7 and #16 - sponsored by Gobie Challenge
Paul Martin - Saturday - Longest Drive on #15 - sponsored by Corkers

Karl Ayres - Sunday - Closest to the Pin #1 and #10 - sponsored by Mickey Thornton
Paul Martin - Sunday - Closest to the Pin #3 and #12 - sponsored by Gobie Challenge
Andy Hunt - Sunday - Closest to the Pin #7 and #16 - sponsored by JDB Ltd

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There are lots of photos from the tournament on the BGA Facebook page here : http://www.facebook.com/pages/Belize-Golf-Association/143905092370734

Belize Open 2011

Congratulations to everyone who participated in the 2011 Belize Open.

The BAGA members put up an excellent performance in this years prestigious tournament at the Roaring River Golf Course. Mud, rain and more rain could not dampen the spirits of the players.

BAGA players featured prominently in the top 3 placings for both Gross and Net Categories :

Net (With Handicap)

• 1st - Sam Mathias (BAGA)
• 2nd - Nelson Gallardo (BGA) 
• 3rd - Alan Graham (BAGA) 

Gross (Without Handicap)

• 1st - Andy Hunt (BAGA)  
• 2nd - Ray Garbutt Jr (BAGA)
• 3rd - William Mckenzie (BAGA)

As soon as we get the full results from the organizing committee we will post them on the website and email them to our members.

Belize Golf Handicaps - Sept 13th 2011

Here you are ladies and gentlemen. The latest rogues gallery of his and hers handicaps for your consumption. You worked hard for them :-)

• N/A - Abreu, Carlos
• 12 - Allen, Peter
• 46 - Alvarenga, Hector
• 18 - Anderson, Bob
• 16 - Ayers, Karl
• 48 - Barrera, Ricardo
• 17 - Barrera, Rodrigo
• 12 - Barrera, Saul
• 22 - Capdevila, Maria Dolores
• 32 - Capdevila, Roman
• N/A - Casaus, Jorge
• 11 - Comber, Jim
• 19 - Cortes, Demetrio
• 37 - Cowel, Gregory
• 19 - Decon Cal
• N/A - Duran, Jose Maria
• 17 - Escobar, Amir
• 4 - Espat, Robert
• 13 - Gallardo, Nelson
• 6 - Garbutt Jr., Raymond
• 17 - Garbutt Sr, Raymond
• 8 - Garbutt, Ryan
• 33 - Garbutt, Raylene
• N/A - Garcia, Bob
• 13 - Geoff, Hatto-Hembling
• 22 - Giesbtecht, David
• 16 - Gillet, Lloyd
• 22 - Giron, Gustavo
• 11 - Gonzalez, Jaime
• 10 - Graham, Alan
• 20 - Guthoff, Oliver
• 18 - Hartshorn, Jim
• 7 - Heath, Tim
• 37 - Hernandez, Dalix
• 21 - Hernandez, Ivan
• 3 - Hunt, Andy
• 15 - Lee, Robert
• 16 - Lizarraga, Pedro
• 24 - Lizarraga, Ryne
• 31 - Lizzaraga, Pedrito
• 11 - Maestre, Steve
• N/A - Manuben, Jean Louis
• 41 - Martin, Jenny
• 6 - Martin, Paul
• 12 - Mathias, Sam
• 4 - Mckenzie, William
• 20 - Medina Jr., Efrain
• 27 - Medina Sr., Efrain
• 22 - Medina, Johnny
• 37 - Medina, Mark
• 21 - Mendoza, Carlos
• N/A - Moguel, Hugo
• N/A - Munguia, Gustavo
• 19 - Musa, Naim
• 23 - Nava, Harold
• 37 - Portillo, Eleazar
• N/A - Prado, Javier
• 23 - Reyes, Reni
• 14 - Rivas Jr.,Guillermo
• 35 - Rivas Sr, Guillermo
• 21 - Robinson, Tim
• N/A - Rodriguez, Alvaro
• N/A - Rojas, Hugo
• 14 - Sansone, John
• 21 - Sharp, Frank
• 10 - Thornton, Mickey
• 38 - Tom, Walter
• 24 - Vostry, Boris
• 15 - Vostry, Joseph
• 25 - Wierum, Tom
• 9 - Williams, Korie -
• 13 - Wongsam, John

Belize Open 2011

Hello Golfers,

We are excited to invite you all to the Belize Open 2011, jointly organized by the BAGA and BGA.

To enter please reply to this email. We need to know the numbers by this weekend :

1. Are you playing in the tournament
2. Are you coming to the Friday Cocktail evening (Corkers Restaurant, Belmopan) and the Sunday Afternoon Prize giving Buffet at Golf Course
3. Are you bringing a partner/spouse to Friday or Sunday Buffets. $15 for Friday and $12 for Sunday for Spouse/partner.

2 Days of 18 Hole Stroke Play on 17th September and 18th September.

Prizes :

1st, 2nd, 3rd - Gross (no handicap)

1st, 2nd, 3rd - Net (with handicap)

Scores will be totaled for the 2 days. Sunday groups will be organized as per your finishing position after Saturdays play.

Tournament is also our monthly tournament with Double points available.

Longest Drive, Closest Pins.

Registration and $200 BZD entry fee is on Friday at Corkers at 7pm. If you cannot attend Friday,  $200 Registration fee can be paid Saturday morning, BEFORE playing. NO REFUNDS.

$200 includes :

• Free Practice Round Friday Afternoon.
• Friday Cocktail, Buffet at Corkers Restaurant - 7pm.
• 2 Days of Golf, Saturday 17th Sept and Sunday 18th Sept.
• Gift Bag
• Sunday Presentation/buffet at Roaring River Golf Course.

Thks and we hope to see as many of you as possible coming. Remember these events are for our members and we need your support by attending.

Do you want to sponsor a hole? If you wish to be a hole sponsor please contact me. It is $150.

Belize Golf Tournament Results - Aug 27th 2011

25 Members battled out Saturdays Monthly 18 hole stroke play tournament.

Congratulations to all those that played. We hope to see you all again soon.

Thanks to the Hearts of Christ Ministry and Korie Williams for putting on some great prizes and raising money for their organization.

Results are :

Gross Score (without handicap) :

1st Place - Andrew Hunt (63) - NEW COURSE RECORD
2nd Place - Bill Mckenzie (72)
3rd Place - Jim Comber (77)

Jim Comber Tied with Steve Maestre (77), Nelson Gallardo (77) and Jaime Gonzalez (77). He had the best back 9 score which gives him 3rd place.

Net Score (with handicap) :

1st Place - Andy Hunt (60)
2nd Place - Nelson Gallardo (63)
3rd Place - John Sansone (64)

John Sansone and Jaime Gonzalez tied on 64. John won with a better back 9 score.

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Las Vegas "2" Pot :

Andy Hunt (2 on #7)

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Longest Drive :

Ryne Lizzarage #15

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Closest to the PIN :

Andy Hunt on #10

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The yearly Cumulative Points for the 8 official tournaments are :

Gross Score :

1st Place - 72 points - Andy Hunt
2nd Place - 64 points - William Mckenzie
3rd Place - 47 points - Paul Martin
4th Place - 38 points - Tim Heath
5th Place - 34 points - Jaime Gonzalez
6th Place - 32 points - Nelson Gallardo
7th Place - 30 points - Ray Garbutt Jr
8th Place - 28 points - Alan Graham
9th Place - 27 points - Jim Comber
10th Place -26 points - Steve Maestre

Net Score :

1st Place - 48 points - Nelson Gallardo
2nd Place - 42 points - Naim Musa
3rd Place - 42 Points - Jaime Gonzalez
4th Place - 39 Points - Andy Hunt
5th Place - 32 Points - William Mckenzie
6th Place - 30 points - John Sansone
7th Place - 27 points - Steve Maestre
8th Place - 23 points - Sam Mathias
9th Place - 22 points - Tim Heath
10th Place -20 points - Ryan Garbutt, Alan Graham
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Most Pars :

65 - William Mckenzie
64 - Andy Hunt
50 - Paul Martin
47 - Tim Heath
45 - Nelson Gallardo

Most Birdies :

12 - Andy Hunt
10 - Paul Martin, Jaime Gonzalez
8 - William Mickenzie, Sam Mathias


Most Eagles :

1 Eagle - Paul Martin, Saul Barrera, Rene Reyes

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Total List of scores for Saturday June 25th 2011 Tournament :

63 - Andy Hunt
72 - William Mckenzie
77 - Jim Comber
77 - Steve Maestre
77 - Nelson Gallardo
77 - Jaime Gonzalez
78 - Tim Heath
79 - John Sansone
80 - Ryan Garbutt
80 - Alan Graham
84 - Saul Barrera
85 - Pete Lizarraga
86 - Sam Mathias
86 - Naim Musa
89 - Josef Vostry
90 - Paul Martin
90 - Harold Nava
92 - Ivan Hernandez
93 - Ryne Lizarraga
95 - Dave Giesbrecht
100 - Reni Reyes
105 - Eleazor Portillo
106 - Amir Escobar
110 - Guillermo Rivas Sr
112 - Dalix Hernandez

Belize 2011 BAGA Match Play Draw

Click on this image to enlarge.

This is the full draw for the 2011 Match Play.

First Round games need to be completed by 26th September 2011.

John Sansone vs Pete Lizarraga (Pete gets 1 strokes)
Jaime Gonzalez vs Naim Musa (Naim gets 7 strokes)
Saul Barrera vs Dave Giesbrecht (Dave gets 9 strokes)
Robert Lee vs Ray Garbutt Senior (Ray gets 2 strokes)
Steve Maestre vs Ryne Lizarraga (Ryne gets 12 strokes)
Nelson Gallardo vs Deacon Cal (Deacon gets 5 strokes)
Sam Mathias vs Reni Reyes (Reni gets 9 strokes).

Good Luck.

Golf Handicaps - Updated 21st August 2011

Here you are ladies and gentlemen. The latest rogues gallery of his and hers handicaps for your consumption. You worked hard for them :-)

• N/A - Abreu, Carlos
• 12 - Allen, Peter
• 46 - Alvarenga, Hector
• 18 - Anderson, Bob
• 16 - Ayers, Karl
• 48 - Barrera, Ricardo
• 17 - Barrera, Rodrigo
• 13 - Barrera, Saul
• 22 - Capdevila, Maria Dolores
• 32 - Capdevila, Roman
• N/A - Casaus, Jorge
• 11 - Comber, Jim
• 19 - Cortes, Demetrio
• 37 - Cowel, Gregory
• 19 - Decon Cal
• N/A - Duran, Jose Maria
• 17 - Escobar, Amir
• 4 - Espat, Robert
• 14 - Gallardo, Nelson
• 6 - Garbutt Jr., Raymond
• 17 - Garbutt Sr, Raymond
• 8 - Garbutt, Ryan
• 33 - Garbutt, Raylene
• N/A - Garcia, Bob
• 13 - Geoff, Hatto-Hembling
• 22 - Giesbtecht, David
• 16 - Gillet, Lloyd
• 22 - Giron, Gustavo
• 13 - Gonzalez, Jaime
• 9 - Graham, Alan
• 20 - Guthoff, Oliver
• 18 - Hartshorn, Jim
• 6 - Heath, Tim
• 39 - Hernandez, Dalix
• 22 - Hernandez, Ivan
• 3 - Hunt, Andy
• 15 - Lee, Robert
• 16 - Lizarraga, Pedro
• 25 - Lizarraga, Ryne
• 31 - Lizzaraga, Pedrito
• 12 - Maestre, Steve
• N/A - Manuben, Jean Louis
• 41 - Martin, Jenny
• 6 - Martin, Paul
• 12 - Mathias, Sam
• 4 - Mckenzie, William
• 20 - Medina Jr., Efrain
• 27 - Medina Sr., Efrain
• 22 - Medina, Johnny
• 37 - Medina, Mark
• 21 - Mendoza, Carlos
• N/A - Moguel, Hugo
• N/A - Munguia, Gustavo
• 20 - Musa, Naim
• 23 - Nava, Harold
• 38 - Portillo, Eleazar
• N/A - Prado, Javier
• 23 - Reyes, Reni
• 14 - Rivas Jr.,Guillermo
• 34 - Rivas Sr, Guillermo
• 21 - Robinson, Tim
• N/A - Rodriguez, Alvaro
• N/A - Rojas, Hugo
• 15 - Sansone, John
• 21 - Sharp, Frank
• 10 - Thornton, Mickey
• 38 - Tom, Walter
• 24 - Vostry, Boris
• 15 - Vostry, Joseph
• 25 - Wierum, Tom
• 9 - Williams, Korie -
• 13 - Wongsam, John

Monthly Tournament, 2 Day Belize Open and BAGA 2011 Matchplay Competition

Hello Belize Golfers,

We have a busy few weeks/months of golf coming up so I hope you have plenty of free time.

Saturday - August 27th 2011.

The 8th Monthly tournament of the year with players from both the BAGA and BGA competing at the Roaring River Golf Course. We need prize donations. Many of you have offered great prizes over the last few months. Can we see some other players offer something?? Bottle of wine, cash, etc.

It is also a Rollover week as we have $110 from last months tournament to go into the side pot. Big money this month :-)

The race for the top scores for the year is hotting up in both Gross and Net Categories. Be there or you may fall to far behind.

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Saturday and Sunday - September 17th and 18th 2011.

The Belize Open is at the Roaring River Course. With players from all over the world competing in this years tournament.

We will be taking registration for this 2 day tournament very soon.

This will include 2 days of tournament stroke play, a free practice round on friday, opening presentation/dinner on Friday night in Belmopan and on Sunday the presentation buffet.

We will be offering accommodation in the Belmopan area for players looking for somewhere comfortable to stay and save on your driving.

We also need sponsors for this competition, so any companies or individuals wishing to get involved, sponsoring holes and putting up prizes, we welcome your offers. Please reply to this email or call Andy on 651 9929. This tournament will be filmed by international TV channel and by the local Belizean Media.

Remember for members of the BAGA and BGA this is a double points tournament, so if you wish to make your mark on the yearly points tables this is the time for your game to peak.

More information to follow soon.

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BAGA 2011 Matchplay Tournament

The search for the BAGA 2011 Match play champion begins soon. Who is going to de-throne last years champion Mickey Thornton?

The format is different this year.

FORMAT :

• Open to BAGA and BGA Members.
• Pairings will be drawn by BAGA committee. It will be a seeded draw.
• Maximum Handicap of 24 for men and 28 for women.
• You starting handicap will be used for all matches in the tournament.
• Handicap Match Play over 18 holes. For example if an 18 handicapper plays a 10 handicapper (8 strokes difference), the 18 handicapper will receive 1 stroke on each of the 8 hardest holes.
• Once you have received your pairing you will organize with your competitor a date to play.
• Straight knockout. Winning player proceeds to the next round. Losing player retreats to lick wounds and ponder where they went wrong :-)
• Players will be given a deadline for each round to be played. Dates to be announced.
• The loser of match 20 and 21 will playoff for 3rd place. The winners will play for the 1st Place Trophy.
• If you schedule a date to play but both of you decide to change the date this is ok, providing you complete your game before the deadline.
• Players MUST copy the BAGA on their email communication so we know that every effort from both players has been made to arrange the game.
• Players must forward their match date to the BAGA as soon as it is agreed.
• In the event that the players do not play their game within the deadline, they will both be disqualified from the Tournament.
• If a player does not turn up on the organized day he/she will be disqualified.
• BAGA committee of Mickey Thornton, Paul Martin, Andy Hunt, Sam Mathias, John Sansone and Tim Heath will have the final decision on player’s disputes.
• Match Play is NOT ALLOWED on another competition day.
• $20 to enter.
• Green Fee of $50 per match to be paid to Roaring River Golf Course.



PRIZE :

1st Place : $200 - Medal and Name on BAGA Match Play trophy at the Club House.
2nd Place - $100 - Medal
3rd Place - $50 - Medal


SIGN UP :

We need :

$20 Entry Fee.
Closing date for entry is August 27th 2011 at the next monthly tournament.
Your Email Address.
Your Telephone number.

You can email me back your entry information and pay the $20 at the next tournament on 27th August.


SUBSCRIBE TO OUR GOLF WEBSITE : http://belizegolf.blogspot.com/

Belize Amateur Golf Association
PO Box 107, Belmopan
Cayo District, Belize, C.A.
Tel: 501-651-9929
Fax: 501-822-2124

"Promoting the game of golf in Belize"

Belize Golf Tournament Results - July 23rd 2011

Here are the results from last Saturdays Tournament at the Roaring River Golf Course on July 23rd 2011. Congratulations to everyone, we had some players posting excellent scores :

Gross Score (without handicap) :

1st Place - Ray Garbutt Jr (72)
2nd Place - Peter Allen (73)
3rd Place - Jaime Gonzalez (75)

Net Score (with handicap) :

1st Place - Jaime Gonzalez (62)
2nd Place - Peter Allen (62)
3rd Place - Nelson Gallardo (63)

Jaime and Peter tied for 1st Place, in the net category. Jaime was declared the winner due to his better back 9 score.

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Las Vegas "2" Pot :

Ray Garbutt Jr

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The yearly Cumulative Points for the 7 official tournaments are :

Gross Score :

1st Place - 60 points - Andy Hunt
2nd Place - 54 points - William Mckenzie
3rd Place - 46 points - Paul Martin
4th Place - 33 points - Tim Heath
5th Place - 30 points - Ray Garbutt Jr

Net Score :

1st Place - 38 points - Nelson Gallardo
2nd Place - 37 points - Naim Musa
3rd Place - 34 Points - Jaime Gonzalez
4th Place - 29 Points - William Mckenzie
5th Place - 27 Points - Andy Hunt
,
Most Pars :

56 pars - William Mckenzie
53 pars - Andy Hunt
43 pars - Paul Martin

Most Birdies :

9 Birdies - Paul Martin,
8 Birdies - Andy Hunt, Jaime Gonzalez


Most Eagles :

1 Eagle - Paul Martin, Saul Barrera, Rene Reyes

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Total List of scores for Saturday July 23rd 2011 Tournament :

72 - Ray Garbutt Jr
73 - Peter Allen
75 - Jaime Gonzalez
75 - William Mckenzie
78 - Nelson Gallardo
78 - Jim Comber
80 - Tim Heath
81 - Saul Barrera
85 - Paul Martin
85 - Mickey Thornton
89 - Alan Graham
89 - John Sansone
90 - Dave Giesbrecht
91 - Harold Nava
91 - Ray Garbutt Sr
92 - Karl Ayers
93 - Naim Musa
96 - Amir Escobar
100 - Boris Vestly
115 - Eleazar Portillo
120 - Dalix Hernandez

Golf Rules - Ditches, Fairway Lines, Balls touching, and Unplayables

This weeks highlighted golf rulings :

Ditches at Roaring River Golf Course :

When your ball lands in any of the ditches on hole 8,9,17 and 18 at the Roaring River Golf Course you are entitled to free relief. This means you can take a free drop, 1 club length from the ditch, without penalty.

You are NOT entitled to relief from the ditch running along the left side of the fairways on hole 3, 4, 12 and 13. You must play the ball is it lies or you can take an unplayable ball and drop 2 club lengths, no closer to the hole. If it was your tee shot that landed in the ditch and you took an unplayable, you would now be hitting your 3rd shot.

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To drop or not to drop on Fairway/Rough demarcation lines at Roaring River?

What happens if your ball lands on a fairway/rough line. The lines that show the borders of the fairways and rough? If the ball is on another fairway then you get free relief and can drop the ball no closer to the hole. This is Rule 8 of the Roaring River local rules, which are posted in the club house.

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Balls touching on fairway :

At the US Open, Graham Mcdowell and Louis Oosthuizen hit their tee shots and their balls stopped on the fairway, touching each other.

The ruling for this is that Except when a ball is in motion, if a player considers that the ball of another player might interfere with his play, he may have it lifted.

A ball lifted under this Rule must be replaced (see Rule 20-3). The ball must not be cleaned unless it lies on the putting green (see Rule 21).

In stroke play, a player required to lift his ball may play first rather than lift the ball.

For the player replacing his ball, the ball must be placed in the nearest lie most similar to the original lie that is not more than one club-length from the original lie, not nearer the hole and not in a hazard.

Ruling is here : http://www.usga.org/Rule-Books/Rules-of-Golf/Rule-22/#22-2

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Dropping the Ball, keeping the point where the ball lay between the drop area and hole.

Ollie from Hopkins asked when this rule applies on the course. This rule is applied when the ball is in the water hazard (Rule 26) or if you need to take an unplayable. Rule 28.

With a Water Hazard you can take a drop as far back as you want, keeping the point where the ball last crossed the margin of the water hazard, between the hole and where you drop.

You may also deem your ball unplayable anywhere on the course and take either a drop, 2 club lengths from the spot where the ball lays, no closer to the hole. OR go back as far as you want keeping the point where the ball lay, between the hole and where you take your drop.

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Belize Childrens Golf Tournament - June 29th 2011

What a great day at the Roaring River Golf Course. The first Belize Junior Golf Tournament took place on June 29th 2011. Scroll down this email/post to see the slideshow and Videos of the children in action.

Click on the website to see this slideshow (below) of the children in action : http://belizegolf.blogspot.com/

7 Children who have been practicing since March 2011, entered the competition with the watchful eyes of their coaches and parents on them. The atmosphere was great and the children all did incredibly well under such close scrutiny.

We also had a very exciting finish as 2 of our players tied for 1st place and had to enter a play off.

The full listing of scores over 5 holes is :

1st - Lucas Hunt (29)
2nd - Nelson Gallardo (29)
3rd - Vanessa Gonzalez (30)
4th - Blake Lee (38)
4th - Xavier Gallardo (38)
6th - Lauren Ferrier (41)
7th - Aidan Hunt (48)

We had a spectacular finish to the tournament as Lucas and Nelson tied after 5 holes and were invited to play off the 5th hole again to decide 1st place. They both shot a 5 forcing another play off hole. On the second play off hole, Lucas and Nelson both hit the green in 2 shots. Lucas making his 2 putts for a par 4. Nelson looked sure to push the final to a 3rd play off hole but his par putt came up short.

Well done to all of the children for training so well, practicing and improving so much over the last 4 months.

A big thanks to all who have supported. The list includes Alan Gobie (from the Gobie Challenge who sponsored the Kids Academy), Paul and Jenny Martin (Roaring River Golf Course), Mickey Thornton and Andy Hunt (Coaches), Veronica, Nora and Dora from the golf course, Steve Maestre, Karl Ayres (sponsors).

Gobie has also made a generous donation for the upcoming season, so we will be able to purchase new clubs for the children.

Childrens Golf Lessons will start again in August.

Lucas and Nelson in the 1st Place Play Off



Vanessa





Aidan





Nelson



Blake



Lucas





Lauren





Xavier

Belize Golf Tournament Results - June 25th 2011

Congratulations to everyone that participated in the 6th Official Monthly tournament of the year. Miraculously, the rain held off for the duration of the competition. Even more miraculously we started on time!!

We had some new prizes and thanks to Karl Ayres, Alan Graham and Andy Hunt for their donations.

Here are the results :

Gross Score (without handicap) :

1st Place - Andy Hunt (69) - Won a Case of Beer donated by Karl Ayres
2nd Place - Alan Graham (72) - Won a Golf Glove donated by himself!!
3rd Place - William Mckenzie (72)

Both Alan and Bill shot 36 on front and back 9s, so we decided the 2nd and 3rd places by count back from 13-18.

Net Score (with handicap) :

1st Place - Naim Musa (62) - Won a Putter donated by Alan Graham
2nd Place - Alan Graham (64) - Won a case of Beer donated by Karl Ayres
3rd Place - Steve Maestre (66)

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Las Vegas "2" Pot :

Naim Musa, Steve Maestre and Mickey Thornton.

Longest Drive :

Paul Martin

Closest to the Pin :

#1 and #10 : Steve Maestre
#5 and #14 : Naim Musa - Won a golf Glove donated by Alan Graham
#7 and #16 : Mickey Thornton - Won a golf Glove donated by Alan Graham

Consolation Prize. Highest score on Randomly drawn hole

#5 : Dalix Hernandez with a 6 - Won a Bottle of Wine donated by Andy Hunt

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The yearly Cumulative Points for the 6 official tournaments are :

Gross Score :

1st Place - 60 points - Andy Hunt
2nd Place - 46 points - William Mckenzie
3rd Place - 43 points - Paul Martin
4th Place - 28 points - Tim Heath
5th Place - 25 points - Alan Graham

Net Score :

1st Place - 35 points - Naim Musa
2nd Place - 29 points - Nelson Gallardo
3rd Place - 27 Points - Andy Hunt
4th Place - 26 Points - William Mckenzie
5th Place - 23 Points - Sam Mathias
,
Most Pars :

53 pars - Andy Hunt
48 pars - William Mckenzie
38 pars - Paul Martin

Most Birdies :

8 Birdies - Paul Martin, Andy Hunt
7 Birdies - Sam Mathias, William Mckenzie, Jaime Gonzalez

Most Eagles :

1 Eagle - Paul Martin, Saul Barrera, Rene Reyes

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Total List of scores for Saturday June 25th 2011 Tournament :

69 - Andy Hunt
72 - Alan Graham
72 - William Mckenzie
76 - Mickey Thornton
77 - Steve Maestre
78 - Tim Heath
81 - Jim Comber
83 - Nelson Gallardo
83 - Naim Musa
84 - Karl Ayres
84 - John Sansone
85 - John Wongsam
85 - Paul Martin
86 - Ray Garbutt Sr
91 - Carlos Mendoza
92 - Jaime Gonzalez
92 - Sam Mathias
93 - Amir Escobar
93 - Robert Lee
95 - Reni Reyes
106 - Eleazar Portillo
126 - Dalix Hernandez

How do we calculate your Golf Handicap?

We keep getting asked by our golfers why their handicaps are lower than they think they should be.

The reason is that your handicap is not the average of your scores.

For example, if you are a 10 handicap it does not mean that you average 74 (par 64 + 10 handicap) around the Roaring River golf course. More than likely you average around 78-80.

Handicaps are calculated using the best 10 scores from you last 20 scores. So your terrible rounds are not even included in your handicap calculation. This also means that a really good round will bring your handicap down, whereas a really bad round will probably not change your handicap.

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STEP 1 :

For each individual 18 hole we find the handicap differential. This is done with the following calculation :

Your score - Course Rating x 113/116

A score of 74 at Roaring River course gives you this handicap differential :

74 - 66 x 113/116 = 7.79

113 is the average course Slope Rating.

Roaring River Course Rating is 66.

Roaring River Course Slope Rating is 116

Now we have the differential of 7.79. You calculate this differential for the best 10 scores from your last 20 rounds.

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STEP 2 :

Average the handicap differential for these best 10 scores from your last 20 rounds. Add them up and divide by 10.

Mulitply this number by 0.96 and you now have your handicap Index. This handicap Index can be used to calculate your handicap on any golf course you play on in the world.

Example. If you Handicap Index was 12.7 then we use the following calculation to find your handicap for Roaring River Golf Course :

12.7 x 116/113 = 13.03 (116 is Roaring River Slope Rating).

Therefore your handicap at Roaring River would be 13.

Fortunately we do not have to do these calculations for every player. We enter the scores into the computer and it does all the calculation and then gives us the handicaps.

It is also a little bit more complicated than this because there is something called ESC (Equitable Stroke Control). This factors in "Blow up holes". If you want to read more about ESC go here :

http://golf.about.com/cs/golfterms/g/bldef_esc.htm

All the information on Calculating Handicaps can be read here : http://golf.about.com/cs/handicapping/a/howcalculated.htm

Golf Handicaps - Updated 21st June 2011

Here you are ladies and gentlemen. The latest rogues gallery of his and hers handicaps for your consumption. You worked hard for them :-)

• N/A - Abreu, Carlos
• 12 - Allen, Peter
• 46 - Alvarenga, Hector
• 17 - Anderson, Bob
• 16 - Ayers, Karl
• 47 - Barrera, Ricardo
• 16 - Barrera, Rodrigo
• 11 - Barrera, Saul
• 22 - Capdevila, Maria Dolores
• 32 - Capdevila, Roman
• N/A - Casaus, Jorge
• 10 - Comber, Jim
• 25 - Cooper, Ian
• 18 - Cortes, Demetrio
• 37 - Cowel, Gregory
• 18 - Decon Cal
• N/A - Duran, Jose Maria
• 17 - Escobar, Amir
• 4 - Espat, Robert
• 15 - Gallardo, Nelson
• 6 - Garbutt Jr., Raymond
• 15 - Garbutt Sr, Raymond
• 7 - Garbutt, Ryan
• 33 - Garbutt, Raylene
• N/A - Garcia, Bob
• 12 - Geoff, Hatto-Hembling
• 21 - Giesbtecht, David
• 15 - Gillet, Lloyd
• 22 - Giron, Gustavo
• 12 - Gonzalez, Jaime
• 8 - Graham, Alan
• 21 - Guthoff, Oliver
• 18 - Hartshorn, Jim
• 4 - Heath, Tim
• 38 - Hernandez, Dalix
• 23 - Hernandez, Ivan
• 2 - Hunt, Andy
• 14 - Lee, Robert
• 15 - Lizarraga, Pedro
• 24 - Lizarraga, Ryne
• 31 - Lizzaraga, Pedrito
• 11 - Maestre, Steve
• N/A - Manuben, Jean Louis
• 41 - Martin, Jenny
• 5 - Martin, Paul
• 10 - Mathias, Sam
• 3 - Mckenzie, William
• 20 - Medina Jr., Efrain
• 27 - Medina Sr., Efrain
• 22 - Medina, Johnny
• 36 - Medina, Mark
• 21 - Mendoza, Carlos
• N/A - Moguel, Hugo
• N/A - Munguia, Gustavo
• 21 - Musa, Naim
• 22 - Nava, Harold
• 40 - Portillo, Eleazar
• N/A - Prado, Javier
• 23 - Reyes, Reni
• 13 - Rivas Jr.,Guillermo
• 34 - Rivas Sr, Guillermo
• 21 - Robinson, Tim
• N/A - Rodriguez, Alvaro
• N/A - Rojas, Hugo
• 14 - Sansone, John
• 21 - Sharp, Frank
• 8 - Thornton, Mickey
• 38 - Tom, Walter
• 27 - Vestly, Boris
• 25 - Wierum, Tom
• 8 - Williams, Korie -
• 12 - Wongsam, John

Belize Golf Tournament - June 25th 2011

Hello Golfers,

It is that time of the month again. Points and prizes at the official Tournament at the Roaring River Golf Course. Course conditions have changed since the last tournament. You will be able to attack the flags as the greens are US Open soft.

PLEASE EMAIL ME BEFORE THURSDAY IF YOU ARE PLAYING.

Rules :

• 8.30am Start. PLEASE BE ON TIME.**
• Green Fee is $55.
• Extra $10 Side Pot for : Closest to the Pin (#1 and #10), any 1 or 2 on any hole, longest drive or furthest up fairway on #6 and #15.
• Women Tee off from Front Tee boxes on all holes
• Case of beer/soda for the 1st place Gross and Net winners

** Please be on time. We want to start on time so it has been agreed with the board of BAGA and BGA that we make this rule :

Players must be registered to play by 8.15am on Saturday. You must be at the golf course by 8.15am. If you are not at the course by 8.15am you will not be allowed to play. If you think you will be late you can call Andy (651 9929) or Mickey (665 3352) to let us know that you will be there. You will be give a 10 minute extension until 8.25am to arrive. But you will have to donate $20 to the Side Pot to be allowed to enter the tournament. If you do not call and arrive after 8.15am you will not be allowed to play. REMEMBER, Registration closes at 8.15am.

Please email me before Thursday to let me know if you are coming. It helps us to organize the groups for the tournament.

I will be posting the updated handicaps to you all in the next day or so.

See you there.

Golf Rules - Hitting Wrong Ball, Hitting Ball on Practice Swing and Ball In Tree

Hello Golfers,

We are going to highlight every week some rules for players to help in the understanding of the rules of golf. We will use examples of rulings that we have seen at the Roaring River Golf Course in Belize. If there are any rules you want clarification on, email me and we will do the research.

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Hitting Wrong Ball.

Rule 15-3b

If a competitor makes a stroke or strokes at a wrong ball, he incurs a penalty of two strokes.

The competitor must correct his mistake by playing the correct ball or by proceeding under the Rules. If he fails to correct his mistake before making a stroke on the next teeing ground or, in the case of the last hole of the round, fails to declare his intention to correct his mistake before leaving the putting green, he is disqualified.

Ruling is here :

http://www.usga.org/Rule-Books/Rules-of-Golf/Rule-15/#15-

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Ball Moved Accidentally by Practice Swing Prior to Tee Shot.

Rule 18-2a/19

You take a practice swing. You step a little closer to the ball and take another. Whoops - you accidentally hit the ball with that practice swing! What happens next?

If the ball is on the teeing ground and you have not yet made a stroke at the ball, then the ball is not yet in play. And accidentally hitting the ball with a practice swing in that situation does not result in a stroke or a penalty.

However, once you've made a stroke at the ball on the teeing ground, the ball is considered in play until you hole out. Then the question of whether a practice swing that makes contact is a stroke or penalty (or both) is covered under Rule 18, "Ball at Rest Moved."

And here's the ruling: If you accidentally move a ball in play with a practice swing, it's a one-stroke penalty. You must replace the ball to its original position and play it correctly.

Failing to replay the ball from its original position results in a total penalty of two strokes in stroke play or loss of hole in match play.

Ruling is here :

http://www.usga.org/Rule-Books/Rules-of-Golf/Decision-18/#18-2a/19

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Ball lands in tree - What are my options?

You have 3 options :

1 - Play It as It Lies. What this means, of course, is that you're willing to climb up into the tree and take a swing at the ball.

2 - Unplayable. You can declare the ball unplayable under Rule 28, take a one-stroke penalty and, most likely, drop within two club-lengths of the ball (there are other options for continuing under the unplayable rule, but this is the most likely to be used in this scenario). The spot from which you measure the two club-lengths is that spot on the ground directly under where the ball rests in the tree.

But in order to use the unplayable option, you must be able to identify your ball. You can't just assume that it's up there somewhere, and you can't just assume that a ball you see in the tree is yours. You must positively identify it as yours.

That might mean trying to shake it loose from the tree, or climbing the tree simply to retrieve the ball for ID purposes. Before you do either, make sure you've announced your intention to treat the ball as unplayable. If you dislodge the ball without having made your intentions clear (to continue under the unplayable rule), you'll incur a penalty stroke under Rule 18-2a (Ball at Rest Moved) and will be required to put the ball back in the tree! (Failure to replace a ball such moved would result in an additional 1-stroke penalty.) However, if you proceed directly under one of the options of rule 28, you need not replace the ball (see decision 20-3a/3).

So make sure you identify your ball before continuing under the unplayable option, and make sure you declare your intentions before retrieving or dislodging the ball from the tree.

3 - Lost Ball. Of course, you may not be able to find a ball that has lodged in a tree, even if you know it's there. The only option then is to accept the penalty for a lost ball and proceed under Rule 27 (Ball Lost or Out of Bounds). The lost ball penalty is stroke-and-distance; that means assessing a one-stroke penalty and returning to the spot of the previous stroke, where you must replay the shot.

Ruling is here :

http://golf.about.com/od/rulesofgolf/f/rfaq_upatree.htm

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If you have any other rulings email us at bagabze@gmail.com and we will investigate.

First Belize Childrens Golf Tournament - Wednesday 29th June 2011

Hello Parents,

The first childrens golf tournament is coming soon.

We will be holding our last Golf coaching session on Wed, June 29th. This will be a tournament for the children with Medals and prizes for the boys and girls.

We will spend the next 3 weeks preparing the children for this tournament and getting them ready to play. We have already started the preparation by playing one hole games from 75 yards from the Green.

The tournament will be 5 holes and will probably last 2 hours. You are welcome to come along and watch and support. Any questions you can call me on 651 9929.


Thks

Andy Hunt

Belize Golf Tournament Results - 4th June 2011

Hello Golfers,

The dirty dozen battled out on Saturday 4th June 2011 for our Stableford/Skins competition. Prizes for best front 9, best back 9 and best 18 hole stableford total with 66% of handicaps applied. There was also prizes for skins.

The results are :

Best Front 9 :

18 points : Andy Hunt and Jaime Gonzalez

Best Back 9 :

18 points : John Sansone and Alan Graham

Best 18 hole :

35 Points : Andy Hunt

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Skins :

Hole #2 - Mickey Thornton (Birdie)
Hole #6 - Alan Graham (Eagle)
Hole #7 - Tim Heath (Birdie)
Hole #8 - Paul Martin (Eagle)
Hole #10 - Mickey Thornton (Par) - Par?????????
Hole #18 - Peter Allen (Birdie)

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Full list of Stableford scores is :

35 pts - Andy Hunt
31 pts - Alan Graham
31 pts - Paul Martin
31 pts - Sam Mathias
31 pts - Mickey Thornton
30 pts - John Sansone
28 pts - Lloyd Gillett
28 pts - Tim Heath
28 pts - Jaime Gonzalez
27 pts - Peter Allen
26 pts - Michelle
24 pts - Slavik

Belize Golf Tournament Results - May 28th 2011

Congratulations to everyone that participated in the 5th Official Monthly tournament of the year.

It was a very hot day but still we saw some outstanding play from many of the Associations members. With the race for the top spots hotting up, we are seeing a very tight grouping of players battling it out in the Net Category, with 8 players within 4 points of the top spot.

Here are the results :

Gross Score (without handicap) :

1st Place - Andy Hunt (67) - NEW TOURNAMENT COURSE RECORD
2nd Place - William Mckenzie (70)
3rd Place - Paul Martin (76)

Net Score (with handicap) :

1st Place - Andy Hunt (64)
2nd Place - Jaime Gonzalez (64)
3rd Place - William Mckenzie (66)

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Las Vegas "2" Pot :

Saul Barrera and Sam Mathias.

Longest Drive :

Alan Graham.

Closest to the Pin :

Tim Heath.

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The yearly Cumulative Points for the 5 official tournaments are :

Gross Score :

1st Place - 48 points - Andy Hunt
2nd Place - 42 points - Paul Martin
3rd Place - 37 points - William Mckenzie
4th Place - 22 points - Sam Mathias
4th Place - 22 points - Tim Heath

Net Score :

1st Place - 23 points - Naim Musa
2nd Place - 22 points - Sam Mathias, Nelson Gallardo, William Mckenzie
5th Place - 21 Points - Jaime Gonzalez

Most Pars :

45 pars - Andy Hunt
37 pars - William Mckenzie
31 pars - Paul Martin

Most Birdies :

8 Birdies - Paul Martin
7 Birdies - Sam Mathias
6 Birdies - William Mckenzie

Most Eagles :

1 Eagle - Paul Martin, Saul Barrera, Rene Reyes

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Total List of scores for Saturday May 28th 2011 Tournament :

67 - Andy Hunt
70 - William Mckenzie
76 - Paul Martin
78 - Alan Graham
78 - Jaime Gonzalez
78 - Ray Garbutt Jr
79 - Steve Maestre
79 - John Wongsam
80 - Tim Heath
80 - Ryan Garbutt
80 - Jim Comber
80 - Sam Mathias
83 - Saul Barrera
84 - John Sansone
84 - Karl Ayers
84 - Nelson Gallardo
86 - Ray Garbutt Sr
92 - Reni Reyes
93 - Mickey Thornton
93 - Harold Nava
94 - David Giesbtecht
95 - Ivan Hernandez
97 - Amir Escobar
103 - Gustavo Giron
105 - Eleazar Portillo
108 - Dalix Hernandez
119 - Jennie Martin

4 Years old.........what the !!!!