The 2024 Officers

Indian Creek Men's Golf Association

The board is comprised of volunteers that act as President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer. They develop, organize, schedule, and promote events to create an enjoyable golfing environment. We endorse good fellowship and sportsmanship among the members in playing golf, and participating in our organized events. More details and information on the roles and responsibilities for our board/committee positions can be found in our Bylaws.

2024 NEWS : We are readying for another year. Has it been that long? Well, yes 2024 is upon us and the year of the Dragon will be fun, if nothing else. We have two new new board members added for this year (noted with asterisk below):

Officers - Roger Babb (President), Matt Mesa (VP)*, Pat Connelly (Secretary), Jim Nichols (Treasurer)* & Rich Sabo is our Handicap Chairman

As always, please reach out to any of our officers with your questions or concerns. All our officers are ready, willing, and wanting to make this season ahead the best year to date. Having goals means trying to surpass a very successful 2023! We are anticipating more interest in our events, and as you review the tournament schedule, please look to sign up early for the events. They will fill up and last minutes entries may mean putting you on a waiting list.

Of course now is the time to renew your membership for 2024, so please download and fill out the signup form and drop off at the clubhouse, or you can fill one out up at the clubhouse. Most importantly, double check that your email is correct.

Our dues for this year are $100 which includes your OGA dues and provides eligibility for our tournaments. There's an 'optional' extra $25 for the hole-in-one insurance. You can download the form here:

2024 ICMGA Membership Form Download

ICMGA News & Updates

All the news about the club, the course, the local scene, and our partners coming at you!

Welcome to our 'News' section. Here you will find important items and information for your periodical review. We will post up pertinent updates from the course management, our committee, some local color, as well as announcements from the OGA. If there is something you deem as 'news worthy' for our membership, we would certainly be pleased to post up here, so as needed contact a committee member.

From The ICMGA Committee & Indian Creek Golf Course Maintenance

Hole-In-One Eligibility - Full Year (March to March) - At the ICMGA officers' meeting earlier this year, it was decided to change the Hole-In-One eligibility period to a full calendar year. It was brought to our attention on multiple occasions, and it is now deemed that any hole in one (meeting the club's Bylaws) should be in the mix regardless of when it happened. Good luck to all and happy hunting for your 'Ace'.

Feedback and Support - We so appreciate feedback from our membership! Getting consistent and constructive input ensures that we are working together to provide the best golfing experience we can at Indian Creek. Additionally, we extend immense thanks to Indian Creek management and the entire IC team for their feedback and always thoughtful support of our club and events. The ICMGA Officers are always ready to hear your recommendations and ideas, so please let us know how we can improve any of our activities. Thank you all in advance!

Player Guidelines and Course Conditioning - Our spring season starts next week and we are looking forward to warmer weather. Just a quick reminder that part of the course maintenance belongs partially to us. Remember to fill your divots, fix ball marks, rake sand traps, and report unusual course conditions to the clubhouse. Again, make sure that the two sand bottles are full in your cart before your round and a good policy is to take one when leaving the cart to play a shot.  The teeing areas also need our attention, so please be cognizant of seeding divots from the seed boxes provided.  It's cool if even you seed the ones you did not make. Every par 3 has a seed box, and a few par 4's as well. As we know, caring of the course is part of our duties as members as we play the course.

Pace of Play - We here at Indian Creek are not immune to 'slow-play'. On a number of occasions this year the pace of play has impacted, not only the group that is falling behind, but all the following groups on the course. It's an important ongoing group responsibility...to be aware of your position in relation to other groups on the course. It should be a topic discussed on the first tee. Here are a few other tips and suggestions that will help any group keep pace. None of these include rushing or hurrying up, these are USGA guidelines to help you be more efficient with your valuable time and everyone else's. Thanks in advance from your ICMGA committee.

Start smart
Confirm your tee time in advance and make it a point to arrive at the tee early with your golf equipment in order, ready to play. Remember essentials like extra balls, tees, gloves and appropriate clothing for the day’s weather conditions.

“Tee It Forward” unless you are consistently able to reach greens in regulation from the back tees
In other words, play from a set of tees that is comfortable for you – one where you are more likely to hit lofted irons into greens instead of hybrids or fairway woods. It is acceptable for players in the same group to play from different tees. (The USGA Handicap System provides a formula for adjusting handicaps from different tees.)

Try alternate forms of play to speed up your round
Match play, Stableford, best-ball and other formats are easy and fun alternatives to individual stroke play because not every player has to hole out on every hole. There are multiple resources online and in print to learn about the many different golf formats. Try one out.

Minimize your time on the tee
On the tee it is usually acceptable for players to “hit when ready.” You can also save time by playing a provisional ball (Rule 27-2) if you think your original ball might be lost or out of bounds.

Play 'ready golf'
This basic premise will help keep your group moving on the course, but always be respectful of the players in your group. Don't drive off ahead, or become a distraction that potentially could put you or your playing partner in harms way (or line-of-sight) from someone playing their shot. 

Plan your shot before you get to your ball
Once you are off the tee, think ahead. Determine your yardage and make your club selection before it is your turn to play. Very often, you can do this while others are playing, without disruption. If you take your glove off between shots, have it back on before it is your turn to play. Even a small step like this saves time.

Keep your pre-shot routine short
Pick your line of play once and trust yourself. Try to take no more than one practice swing, then set up to the ball and play your shot. Most importantly, be ready to hit when it is your turn. Be efficient after your shot too. Start moving toward your next shot promptly.

Write your scores down on the next tee box
After completing a hole, get into your cart and drive immediately to the next tee box. Now you can write down your scores on the last hole.

Aim to play in 20 seconds
From club selection to pre-shot routine to execution, strive to hit your shot in 20 seconds when it is your turn to play. Help keep play moving at a brisk pace.

Develop an eye for distance
You don’t have to step off yardage for every shot. If you need to determine precise distance, try to find a yardage marker before you reach your ball, then step off the yardage on the way to your ball. Or, consider investing in an electronic range-finder or global positioning system for golf and use it when permitted by Local Rule. If others you are playing with are not familiar with the course, the Rules permit players to exchange yardage information without penalty.

When sharing a cart, use a buddy system
Don’t wait in the cart while your cart-mate hits and then drive to your ball. Get out and walk to your ball with a few clubs. Be ready to play when it is your turn and then let your cart-mate pick you up. Or, drive to your ball after you drop your cart-mate off and then pick him or her up after you hit.

Be helpful to others in your group
Follow the flight of all tee shots, not just your own. Once in the fairway, help others look for their ball if you already know the location of yours. Volunteer to fill in a divot or rake a bunker for another player if needed. Be ready to attend the flagstick for others.

Keep up with the group in front of you
Your correct position on the course is immediately behind the group in front of you, not immediately in front of the group behind you. Arrive at your next shot just before the group in front leaves the area in front of you. If you are consistently not able to keep up and a gap opens in front of you, invite the group behind you to play through, irrespective of the number of players in the group.

Be efficient on the putting green
Mark your ball and lift and clean it when you arrive at the putting green so you will be ready to replace it when it is your turn to play. You can usually line up your putt while others are putting, without disturbing them. Leave your clubs on the side of the putting green closest to the next tee, and leave the green promptly after holing out. Wait until the next tee to record your score.

Remember that picking up your ball is permitted by the USGA Handicap System
If not in an individual stroke play competition, it is generally 'OK' to pick up your ball and move on to the next hole if you are “out” of a hole and want to maintain pace of play. This applies in match play and many forms of stroke play, including Stableford and best-ball play.

Don’t Have Time? Play Nine!
You won’t always have time in your schedule for an 18-hole round of golf. But you can still enjoy the game by playing nine. It’s fully compatible with both the Rules of Golf and the USGA Handicap System. And when it comes to golf, nine is better than none.

From The Course

Toughest Hole - Odds & Evens
Recently, I was asked why the par three 15th hole has a lower rating (therefore deemed easier) than the par three 5th hole here at Indian Creek. It's certainly a fair question, yet the premise is based on a common misconception about the Stroke Index Allocation (SIA). By taking the stance that the 'toughest' hole on the golf course should be the No.1 handicap hole may be a good place to start.

The purpose of the ranking of the holes, is to determine where the higher handicapped player deserves the assistance of an extra stroke in order to tie/halve a hole with the low handicapper (during Match Play). That stroke should be assigned on the hole where the relative difficulty of the hole is more challenging for the higher handicapped golfer than the relative difficulty for the lower handicapped golfer. Plus now it's needed to factor in who and how a specific hole is being played. It may sound odd, but some holes are in fact easier for the higher handicapped player vs. the lower handicapper. This commonly is due to the higher handicapped player's landing zones (called 'fairways') are more forgiving and wider, and their tee shots are not constrained by a dogleg, bunkers, trees, or water, that indeed do come into play for the lower handicapped golfer.  But what we are really wanting to just understand is the reason why the 5th hole is the No.9 handicap hole, and the 15th is the No.12 handicap hole.

Have to confess from my 26 years of playing the course, I do believe the 15th hole to be more challenging than the 5th hole. However, when looking at those two holes side-by-side, the 5th hole does have more areas to get into trouble for the higher handicapper, and the statistics agree. The below section on assigning handicaps to the holes will help to shed more light on this topic, but important to note that the 15th hole is being evaluated in relation to the difficulty of all the other holes on the back side (and the 5th hole to all other holes on the front). So while this higher number is based on this process/comparison, it is rated lower than two of the par fours on that side. The 5th hole is rated the fifth toughest on the front, with holes 1, 4, 8, & 9 having a lower rating. So, the 5th hole, given there's more trouble in play, does seem to warrant the tougher rating, plus the green complex is tricky for sure.          

So let's now review the process of assigning handicaps to the actual holes. First off, we need to determine what the 'toughest' hole is on the course. For most layouts this is usually the longest par four, and for Indian Creek this would be our 1st hole (at 411 yards), and yet it's the No. 3 handicap hole. Why you might ask? Well, we need to look more closely at what the statistics say about the average scores on all holes and they point to the 4th hole. But isn't that a par five? Yes indeed, but the reason it's the No. 1 handicap hole is that trouble lines the entire length of the hole (and more importantly) on the right. Add in that the approach to the green has more hazards to the right and behind the green (yikers!), it quickly can become a nightmare. It is the No. 1 handicap hole on the course because the average golfer plays the ball from left-to-right (did I mention trouble is lurking on the right?). More balls going in the hazards equals higher scores, which earns the 4th hole the designation of the No. 1 handicap hole. Again, it may in fact not be the 'toughest' hole on the course, but the relative scores next to par display differently. In my book the par four 12th hole is still right up there as one of the toughest holes on the course. Given all the shots are normally into the prevailing Westerly winds; the length from the back tees; and its wonderfully designed four tiered green (yes four!), all contribute to making this hole wildly challenging.

You've probably noticed that the handicap numbers are all ODD for the front nine, and then all EVEN on the back nine. Another mystery? A better question is to ask is...why not just assign the holes in sequence of difficulty and abide by the statistics? So the answer is we need to spread out the stroke allocations on all the holes to provide equity for Match Play.  Splitting the nines into ODD and EVEN numbers avoids consecutive low stroke index holes. Ok, so the 4th hole is assign No.1, and so now we need to assign the other eight holes on the front side.  This is done by determining the relative difficulty between those other eight holes, and then assign them the No. 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15 and 17 handicap rating accordingly. We do the same allocation on the back nine.  The most difficult hole on the back side (according to statistics) is aptly the 12th hole, just slightly ahead of the 17th hole. So by default it becomes the No. 2 handicap hole and the remaining holes are assigned (again based on the relative difficulty between them) the No. 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16 and 18 handicap hole designations. 

Hope this article was informational, if not at least a fun read. If you'd like to publish something to our news page, please reach out to an ICMGA officer.