From the Editor The rain season is past us (maybe) and hopefully we won’t see any more lakes on the golf course. I managed to lose three balls in one round last week (all in bunkers filled with water). I don’t lose three balls all summer. In case you haven’t seen it or aren’t aware of its existence, the new-and-improved Men’s Club web site is up and running. Samuel “Skip” Sanzeri did a tremendous job of putting it together with some help from Walter Koning. To access it, go to https://poplarcreekgolfclub.com/. And, Skip has been added to your Board of Directors. One member recently asked me if he could send a picture for inclusion in this periodical of pictures of other members engaged in some golf activities. I replied in the affirmative but nothing has of yet arrived. But the point is, if any member has something that might be of interest for all the members, please send them to me – pictures, op-ed articles, personnel updates, etc. I understand that Las Vegas has set the under/over date for the re-opening of Par 3 at Thanksgiving Day 2026 (sarc). Message from the General Manager Hello Poplar Creek Golf Course Members, I hope you're looking forward to another great golf season. The anticipated start date for repairs to the driving range netting is March 11. The work is expected to take one to two days to complete. While the range has been closed, our maintenance team has been addressing drainage issues near the 100-yard marker. These improvements will significantly assist staff with winter ball collection and help improve overall range conditions. We plan to reopen the range as soon as the netting repairs are complete. We will be doing our spring greens aerification on March 30th and 31st. If the weather cooperates, please anticipate 2 weeks for the greens to recover. Our irrigation well project is also nearing completion and will provide important benefits heading into the summer season by improving water reliability and course conditions. Looking ahead, our next capital improvement project will focus on repairing the two storm pumps located adjacent to the 13th fairway. These pumps, which are more than 20 years old, have been rebuilt or replaced multiple times in recent years. They play a critical role in removing standing water from the course by pumping it into the man-made creek, which ultimately flows to the Bay. We anticipate completing this project by summer of this year. Thank you for your patience, and we look forward to a great season ahead. President’s Message The weather has cooperated this winter and we haven’t had any issues getting our tournaments in. Hopefully that remains the case in March for our annual Spring Handicap Match Play, which will start March 14th. The Match Play event is a battle of endurance. It is a big win to have on the resume and the wall! Sign up and see if you have what it takes to make it to the end. In other news, we have registered for the annual NCGA Thursday 12 Man Match Play group. We will find out our group pairings in April. Once we have that information, we will send out reminders and signups to get on the team. As always, if you have any questions or need anything regarding tournaments or anything else in general, please do not hesitate to contact me directly. El Presidente Tournament Results Razzle Dazzle The two-man Razzle Dazzle, originally scheduled for Poplar Creek on January 10, was moved to Minnesota where they have 10,000 lakes. The smart players didn’t break out a new sleeve of Pro V1’s but rather gathered a handful of balls from their shag bag as great shots ended up in Davy Jones locker. The balls will be retrieved by the green’s superintendent when the wind finally blows away the water on the course in 2028. But in spite of the conditions, 23 teams braved the cold, frost and endless amount of water hazards to compete in this event with three types of formats: First six holes a two-man scramble; second six holes, modified Chapman alternate shot; third six holes, better ball. The top three teams in each of the two flights: Flight 1 – Razzle Flight Flight 2 – Dazzle Flight 1st Glenn Natenson-Thomas Kmak** Alfred Bogenhuber-James Abayon** 2nd Art Klein-Frank Parcell Dave Baltor-Joseph Canepa 3rd Arthur White-Sid Shimabuku ** Joe Fernando-Neil Chin ** **Wins tiebreaker. Fortunately, there were no reported drownings. 4 Man Scramble In addition to excellent shot making, this tournament required tactical expertise as three drives and three second shots were required from each player in the group. The long hitting foursome of Jason Pollard, Scott Rehn, Mike Shaffer and Roger Stanley prevailed, shooting a net 17 under par (including 3 gross eagles on holes 8, 9 and 14) to win by two shots. The top three teams: 1st – Jason Pollard, Scott Rehn, Mike Shaffer, Roger Stanley -17 2nd – Levi Fontaine, Alan Miyake, Sid Shimabuku, Arthur White -15 3rd – James Abayon, Alfred Bogenhuber, Rob Carballar, Ej Hill -14 (tie) 3rd – Tony Balestreri, Seamus McCullagh, Larry Michelini, Steven Noya -14 (tie) NCGA Four Ball Net Qualifying Round Scott Rehn and Roger Stanley qualified to represent Poplar Creek in the NCGA Four Ball Net Championship, posting a net 10 under par, outdistancing 19 other pairs on February 7. The Championship will be held at Poppy Hills on May 18 and 19, but first the pair must qualify for the Championship – the local qualifying rounds are at Metropolitan on April 23 and Coyote Creek on April 29. There are other qualifying sites but further away from San Mateo. The top three finishing teams in each of the two flights were: Flight 1 Flight 2* 1st Scott Rehn-Roger Stanley Dave Baltor-Tom Collins 2nd Brett Evans-Mike Shaffer Al Bogenhuber-James Abayon 3rd Joe Ghio-Joel Spielman** George Kellner-Kelly Ina *Three way tie for first place. Tie broken by match of cards – last 9, last 6, last 3. **Five way tie for third place. Beat the Pro, Pro and Prez 42 golfers attempted to beat the Club Pro (Dana Banke), his son, touring pro Christian Banke and our Prez, Jason Pollard. The first two were difficult, the latter one not so much as Christian shot an even par 70, Dana a two over 72 and Jason’s score will remain anonymous. In any case, only one player, new member Shawn Fox, who shot a net 67, was able to beat both pros. Dave Koons and Joe Ghio shot net 72’s to tie Dana’s 72. 24 players were able to score better than the Prez and will be awarded a GC, hopefully enough to buy a bag of tees. Upcoming Tournaments Match Play Qualifying Round – March 14 Match Play matches – March 15, 21 and 22 Individual NCGA Qualifying Round – April 18 Greens Aeration – Monday March 30 Individual NCGA Qualifying Round – April 18 Two-man Senior NCGA Qualifying Round – May 2 Five Club Tournament – May 16 Rules Corner As some of you are aware, there has been added a Model Local Rule which permits the second shot which has been hit out-of-bounds on an in-course out-of-bounds area (Poplar Creek 2nd and 16th hole) to be played from the out-of-bounds area. Due to potential danger of other golfers, we are not adopting that rule for second shots hit out of bounds on either hole 2 or 16. Poser Number 1 In stroke play, a player has marked, lifted and replaced their ball 20 feet from the hole on the putting green. A gust of wind then blows the ball four feet closer to the hole but off the green into the rough. They play the ball from where it came to rest. The player gets: 1. No penalty, the stroke counts and he must play the ball as it lies. 2. No penalty, but they must cancel the stroke and replace the ball in its original position. 3. Two penalty strokes, the stroke does not count and they must correct the error by replacing the ball in its original position. 4. Two penalty strokes, the stroke counts and they must play the ball as it lies. Poser Number 2 In stroke play, a player played their first stroke on a hole from outside the teeing area, and their ball came to rest out of bounds. Assuming there are no Local Rules in effect, which one of the following is the correct ruling? 1. Because the player's ball came to rest out of bounds, they are not penalized for playing from outside the teeing ground and the stroke does not count. They must put another ball into play under penalty of distance only from within the teeing area. They will be making their second stroke from within the teeing area. 2. The player must put another ball into play under penalty of stroke and distance. They must drop a ball and make their third stroke from where they last played from outside the teeing area. 3. The player gets a penalty of two strokes for playing from outside the teeing area. The fact that their ball came to rest out of bounds was irrelevant, and the stroke itself did not count. They must make their third stroke from within the teeing area. 4. The player must put another ball into play under penalty of stroke and distance. They will also get a penalty of two strokes for playing a ball from outside the teeing area. They will be making their fifth stroke from within the teeing area. Poser Number 3 In stroke play, when proceeding under Rule 16.1b, a player places a ball when he should have dropped it and makes a stroke at the ball. The player gets 1. No penalty provided the player retrieves the ball and drops it correctly.. 2. A one-stroke penalty. 3. A two-stroke penalty. 4. A total penalty of three strokes. Points to Ponder The rule “I before E except after C” has been disproved by science. Research shows that starting our day with an early morning round of golf is the best way to ensure your day can’t any worse than it started. Did you know that incorrectly is the only word that, when spelled correctly, is still spelled incorrectly. And speaking of spelling, queueing is the only word with 5 consecutive vowels. A golf ball will always travel furthest when hit in the wrong direction. A “Gimmee” is an agreement between two golfers, neither of whom can putt worth a damn. Your fingers have fingertips. But your toes do not have toetips. Yet you can tiptoe but not tipfinger. Answers to Rules Questions Poser Number 1 4,Two penalty strokes, the stroke counts and they must play the ball as it lies. Once a player has marked a ball on the green, he owns that spot. When the wind blew the ball off the green, it should be replaced on the spot. The player played from the wrong place. Poser Number 2 3. The player gets a penalty of two strokes for playing from outside the teeing area. The fact that their ball came to rest out of bounds was irrelevant, and the stroke itself did not count. They must make their third stroke from within the teeing area. Poser Number 3 3. A two stroke penalty. (See Rule 14.3(b)3.