Frequently Asked Questions

The purpose of this FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) is to answer questions that many people new to the league often have. This is the first place to look for answers to your questions.

What is the purpose of the Homldel Golf League?

The main purpose of the Holmdel Golf League is to provide the vehicle by which all our members can enjoy a round of golf with many new friends. At the same time, and as a secondary endeavor, we coordinate the effort that allows the membership to compete for some minor prizes. If you view our competition with these priorities in mind you will inevitably make league play more enjoyable for all participants.

The Holmdel Golf League provides two main services to its members, organizing "flight play" (on a weekly basis throughout the summer) and tournament play.

How did the Holmdel Golf League start?

The Holmdel Golf League began as a Bell Labs Club, but with the advent of divestiture (and trivestiture, and the general economy), its members became increasingly spread across companies (both with historical ties to AT&T and otherwise). Today, the Holmdel Golf League is open to any member. The Holmdel Golf League receives no money from AT&T, Lucent, Alcatel-Lucent, Nokia, Bellcore, SAIC, Globespan, IBM, Paradyne, Avaya, Agere, or other spin-offs or subsidiaries too numerous to mention, and is self sufficient.

Who is eligible to play in the Holmdel Golf League?

Everyone is eligible to play. Having an e-mail address and internet access will make it easier for you to receive information.

How much does it cost?

There are two costs: the prize fee and the weekly greens fees. Each flight sets its own fee, usually less than $20 per person per season (a portion of which is used to pay for the hosting of the web site). The greens fees are collected each week by the courses we play at, and are set by the course. At Suneagles, Pebble Creek, and Colts Neck, special "league fees" have been negotiated. At Hominy Hill, Shark River, Charleston Springs, and Howell Park no special fees are available. Note that non-residents of Monmouth County are charged double to play at the Monmouth County Courses (Hominy Hill, Shark River, Charleston Springs, and Howell Park) which tends to make these courses unpopular with non Monmouth County residents. If you play at a Monmouth County course, you'll also need to purchase a resident card (which is also required to reserve tee times). See https://www.monmouthcountygolf.org/ for more information on the costs for the Monmouth County courses.

What is a "flight"?

A "flight" is a group of 8 two-person teams that play each other over a 16 week period. Each flight has a designated night of the week on which they play as well as a designated course. For example the Hominy Hill Thursday flight is a group of 16 golfers that will play amongst each other on Thursday nights at Hominy Hill over a 16 week period. Each flight is independent and inter-flight play is not typical.

What is the format of play?

A flight consists of eight teams of two golfers/team (16 golfers total) who play at a designated course on a designated night of the week.

Each player has a nine-hole handicap that is maintained by the league. The maximum nine-hole handicap is 27 (if your handicap is calculated to be larger than this, it is rounded down).

The season consists of 16 matches and is split into two halves. During each half, each team plays every other team in the flight once, and then there is a "bumper round" before determining the winner for the half. The first half and second half winners play each other at the end of the season to determine the flight winner.

A match consists of two two-person teams playing each other. Scoring a match is done using a combination of "match play" (hole play), and "metal play" (stroke play). In each match, a total of ten points are awarded. All matches are nine hole matches (although you may play longer providing there is enough daylight). Matches are typically played after work on the flight's designated day. By prior arrangement from both teams playing a match, the match can be rescheduled to another date/time. If a player is unable to make a match, his partner can "double", or a substitute player can be obtained for the match. See the rules for more detail on match scoring.

Although this is the "official" format of play, the flight secretary is allowed to make modifications.

How long is the season?

Typically a season is 16 weeks long. Sometimes a flight secretary will add a couple of matches to the season. When the weather doesn't cooperate on a scheduled match day, the flight secretary decides whether or not to slip the schedule to the following week, which can make the season last more than 16 weeks.

What courses does the league play at?

At the current time, we play at five courses: Hominy Hill, Howell Park, Shark River, Charleston Springs, and Pebble Creek.

What course should I play at?

The biggest factor in determining which course you should play at is what county you live in. Four of the courses (Hominy Hill Shark River, Charleston Springs, and Howell Park) are owned by the Monmouth County Park System and have significantly reduced rates for residents of Monmouth County. Greens fees for non-residents are twice those for residents.

The second factor in choosing a course is tee times. The Holmdel Golf League has pre-arranged tee times at Colts Neck, Suneagles, and Pebble Creek, which makes life much easier. When playing at Hominy, Shark, Charleston or Howell, you are responsible for reserving your own own tee times -- one week in advance. Competition for tee times can make it difficult to get the time you want, and some flexibility is required.

All of the courses are 18 hole regulation courses and may represent a true challenge for a beginner. From easiest to hardest, the courses are ranked: Pebble Creek, Suneagles, Colts Neck, Howell Park, Shark River, Charleston Springs, Hominy Hill.

What are the rules?

For the most part, we follow the USGA Rules of Golf, but we do have some local modifications. These modifications are meant to speed play (e.g., no stroke and distance penalty for lost balls and out of bounds), as well as accommodate a nine hole league. Certain modifications to the handicapping have also been made. See the rules page for details.

What are the prizes?

The prizes are up to the flight secretary in the flight. Some flights will not collect a prize fee and will not distribute prizes. Most flights will collect a small prize fee (typically less than $20) at the beginning of the season and flight members will accumulate prize points throughout the season. Each prize point can typically be redeemed for one dollar, one TopFlite golf ball or one half of a Titleist golf ball. Some flights may deviate from this "standard" prize scheme.

How are people assigned to a flight?

During the flight registration period (typically April), people can sign up for flights. First priority is given to people who were in the flight during the previous year, second priority to people who were in a flight during the previous year, and last priority is given to new members.

What if I want to switch flights?

It is unusual for a golfer or team to switch flights during a season. Golfers may switch flights between seasons by registering for a different flight.

I can't play in a match, what do I do?

You have a couple of options which are listed below. The one thing that you should not do is fail to show up without telling anyone. For golfers playing at the Monmouth County courses, this could result in a one-year suspension of the county card of the person who made the tee-time (effectively a couple of hundred dollar penalty for an innocent by-stander). The most important thing to do is communicate with your partner and opponents. Here are your options:

Call your opponents and reschedule for another night. Note that at Colts Neck and Pebble Creek, you must arrange for your own tee time and will not get the discounted league greens fee.
Arrange for a substitute to take your place.
Have your partner "double", that is, use their score for their match as well as yours (with a 2 stroke penalty). For Monmouth County courses, make sure you inform the person who made the tee-time reservation so they can modify the reservation appropriately.
As a last resort, agree to "match cards". Matching cards involves taking the scores from the following week and using them twice. You are not eligible for nightly prizes when matching scores. You must get permission from your flight secretary to match cards -- some may not allow it.

What is a substitute?

The Holmdel Golf League maintains a list of substitutes who are generally available to play when a person on a team can't make a match. It costs no money to be a substitute (besides greens fees) and subs are eligible for nightly prizes (assuming the flight has nightly prizes). Substitutes indicate which nights and courses they are available for playing when they sign up. It is preferential to get a substitute from the official list, but you may obtain a substitute who is not on the list. Golfers who do not have a Holmdel Golf League handicap but play as a substitute will be assigned an estimaged handicap by the flight secretary of the flight in which they substituted.

What if I don't have a partner?

In order to get the most enjoyment out of the league, you should try to find someone that you would enjoy playing with. If you can't find someone, you may sign up as a single and you will be assigned a partner.

Who runs the Holmdel Golf League?

The league is run by a bunch of volunteers.

What is a "flight secretary"?

Each flight is assigned a flight secretary. The flight secretary's job is to make sure the flight runs smoothly. They are responsible for collecting the scores each week, entering the data into the computer and distributing the results. Flight secretaries set the schedule for the flight, collect dues, distribute prizes and slip the schedule when it rains.

What about tournaments?

From time to time, the club tournament committee will organize tournaments at local courses as course availability and interest by club members permits. Formats for these outings may vary (e.g., Callaway handicapping, 4-person scrambles, etc.), and will be announced as tournaments are set up. Currently, our organizers are looking for two tournaments per year (spring and fall). To make these events more fun for all, a four person scramble format seems to be the most popular. More information on tournaments can be found here.

How do I get notified about upcoming events?

The best way to keep track of upcoming events is to get on our mailing list. You can get on our mailing list by filling out the form on our home page.

What about tee times?

The Holmdel Golf League has pre-arranged tee times at Colts Neck, Suneagles, and Pebble Creek, which makes life much easier. The reserved times vary from year-to-year and by day of the week, but generally fall between 4:30pm and 5:30pm.

When playing at Hominy or Howell, you are responsible for getting your your own tee times -- typically one week in advance. Competition for tee times can make it difficult to get the time you want, and some flexibility is required.

People have different work schedules and every effort should be made to accommodate the needs of your opponents.

What handicapping system is used?

A modification of the USGA's handicap is used. Currently, our handicapping system doesn't use the slope method, and we use all available handicap information, rather than only data from the previous two years.

What if I'm a beginner?

The Holmdel Golf League is, of course, open to players of all abilities. However, new players should realize that most players have been playing golf for a number of years. Most of the players in the flights are very tolerant of new players, but there are always a few in every crowd who will be annoyed. Remember that what most experienced golfers object to about new golfers is slow play -- if you can play quickly you should have no problem.

We recommend the following:

Go to the driving range, get in some putting practice (use practice greens at the county courses), and -- important! -- take some lessons.
Test your game in a low-pressure setting: try Belaire (in Wall), Twin Brook (in Tinton Falls), Colonial Terrace (in Ocean), Pine Brook (Manalapan) or Forge Pond (Brick) - the last two are quite challenging short courses.
If you're scoring in the low- to mid-60's for 9 holes, and have a decent grasp of the rules and etiquette of the game, you're ready for the league. You'll need to be scoring in the mid-50's for 9 holes to be competitive.
Learn the etiquette of golf. For those who are not used to it, there are many strange, and seemingly unwritten, rules that golfers follow. Learn where to stand when people are hitting, where to stand on the putting green, etc. You may very well be acting in a way that experienced golfers will find rude without knowing that you're offending anyone. I can't find an complete list, but here are some etiquette tips.
Learn how to avoid slow play. As a beginner, you'll probably have to take more shots than your opponents. That's normal. But, it puts the pressure on you to take less time for each of your shots.

How do I learn more about golf?

General Information - the GOLF FAQ presents answers to many frequently asked questions about equipment, rules, handicapping, etc.

How to avoid slow play?

In all cases, when it is your turn, be ready. Be aware when you should hit. HIT. Don't chat, or start getting ready.
Only record scores when you have to wait anyway, such as when someone else in your group is teeing off on the next tee. Never, never, never stop on the green after your group has holed out to record the score.
Decide what club you're going to use on your way to your ball, if you're walking, have the club out before you get there.
After your shot, get going again soon.
- If you walk and carry your bag, pick up the bag first, start walking, and then put the club back in the bag.
- If you walk and pull a cart, pick up the handle start pulling and then put the club in the bag.
- If you ride a cart, get in the cart with your club in your hand drive off and put the club(s) away when it's time to play your next shot (you may find you'll get to use the same club again).
Don't help someone else look for their ball until you've played your own shot. Four people don't find the ball four times faster than one person, and wandering over to the opposite side of the fairway from where your ball is, is unlikely to help anything.
Establish a routine with your group that allows people who are away from the area of the next shot to go on ahead, make a few practice swings, maybe even play out of turn. Once you get used to it, having people moving around some distance away and swishing at the grass isn't distracting at all, and makes a huge difference in the amount of time it takes to play a golf hole. This hint is especially valuable to novice golfers.
When your ball is on the green, before you putt, move your clubs in line with the pin and the next tee. This is usually where you should rest your clubs when on the green. When done putting, you simply walk directly to the next tee.
Request that your course have more and better yardage markers. If you are playing a course with few markers, don't take time to walk off the distance from your ball to the 150 Yard marker. You can reasonably estimate the distance give or take 5 yards from the 150 marker without stepping it off exactly.
If you are ready to hit and are not farthest out on fairway, AND the person that is farthest out is not about to hit, then HIT.
If the women's tee has those nets to protect golfers from balls coming from the men's tee, then women should walk to the the womens tee before the men are tee off.
If you can putt out without standing in someones lie, then putt if you are at a distance that your are comfortable that you can make it (inside 3 feet, whatever).
If the course in full (slight wait at each tee) DON'T waive people on the green on par 3s. It doesn't speed play.
On the fairway, everyone doesn't have to stop for the shortest ball to hit, then everyone stops for the next shortest, etc. If there is little chance that you will be hit by the ball (AND it doesn't bother the hitter), go ahead and walk up to your ball, evaluate, select club, etc. This does improve speed.
Don't dawdle.

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