Category: Rules & Competitions

Asked & Answered: Cart Path Relief

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Question: My tee shot came to rest inbounds between the cart path and a large shrub. There also a large tree roughly 20 yards away between the ball and the green. I had no backswing because of the shrub. If I took an unplayable, I still had the tree in the way. I determined the best play was to hit the ball backwards (towards the tee) to give myself a clear line to the green. Hitting in that direction put my stance on the path. Do I get relief from the path if I’m hitting the ball backwards for a legitimate strategy?

Answer: Yes, as long as the stance and stroke are reasonable and the only play (which it sounds like in this case), interference from the cart path would allow you free relief.  You could drop the ball properly then play to the green.  Sometimes there are great results for knowing how to apply the Rules!  

Tournament | Registration 101

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Breaking Down Registration One Step at a Time

Do You Have an Active GHIN Number?

To be eligible to play in any CLG events, players must have an active GHIN number. Players can get a GHIN number through their golf club or through an online eClub.

For instructions on how to get/renew a GHIN number through our various eClubs, visit here: Join/Renew A Handicap Index – Central Links Golf

To renew your GHIN number at your local golf club, contact the pro shop directly.

Log In to Your Player Profile in Golf Genius

In order to register for tournaments, players must have a player profile through our tournament management program called Golf Genius. If you played in CLG events before, your log in information will be the same as last year.

To access the player profile registration page, visit here: https://www.golfgenius.com/pages/1297184

If you did not have a profile with CLG, you will need to register and create a player profile using your GHIN number and last name.

Once you have filled out the required fields, click “Register”. At this point, players will need to read through the CLG and USGA Terms and Conditions. Click the two boxes to show that you acknowledge each Terms & Conditions and click “Next”.

Please read over the instructions on the registration page if unsure about what to do or contact a CLG staff member at (913)-649-5242 so you don’t accidentally create a duplicate profile.

Purchase a Membership Program

If you plan to play on any of our various tour programs such as Stateline Amateur, Senior Series, Mid-Am Series or Junior Tour, you must first register for that membership program before tournaments are available to you. Below are the fees for each membership program. Click on the name of the program to learn more about it before registering.

KC Junior Tour – $45
KS Junior Tour – $30
All-Inclusive Junior Tour – $65
Senior Series – $65
Mid-Am Series – $35
Stateline Amateur Tour – $50

Once you have completed your player profile or are logged in under your old profile, click on the Purchase Membership Program tab. You will see all five of our membership programs listed. Click the “Add to Cart” button next to the membership program you would like to play on.

A “Membership Programs Cart” button will appear in the right-hand corner prompting you to “Click to Checkout”. It will ask you for information in order to bill for payment. Once you have completed the information and billing tabs, you will successfully be signed up for your membership program.

If you have questions regarding a membership program, please reach out to a staff member before signing up for it.

Sam Parrott – FWA Tour – sam@clgolf.org
Casey Old – Mid Amateur Series and Senior Series – casey@clgolf.org
Taylor Albritton – KC Junior Tour and KS Junior Tour – taylor@clgolf.org

Sign Up for Individual Tournaments

To sign up for individual events, hover your mouse over the “Register for Events” tab. Under this tab, you will see a list of categories for all our events. You can search for an event based on category such as Juniors or Men’s events or you can click on “All Events”. On this page, you will be able to scroll and see every event the CLG will host this season.

Find the specific event you want to register for and click on the name of the event. It will take you to an information page, where you will see a “Register Now For ____” button on the left margin. Click “New Registration” on the following page and follow the instructions for that event.

Continue this process for each event you wish to register for. If you try to sign up for a junior tour event or a senior series event without first purchasing the membership program you will not be able to sign up for an individual tournament.

Sign Up for Team Events

When signing up for team events, both players must have a player profile in order to enter the event properly.

Contact the CLG Staff with Any Questions

Give us a call at (913) 649-5242. Any extension will be available to help you with this process. We look forward to a great 2024 season!

Asked & Answered: Provisional Ball

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Question: Player A hits a ball into a wooded area and correctly plays a provisional into the fairway. After 1 minute of search, he says, “That ball is lost, I am playing my provisional”. As he is walking towards the provisional he finds the original ball in the fairway and under 3 minutes. Which ball is in play?  

Answer: The original ball is in play laying 1. You cannot declare a ball lost, and since it was found within 3 minutes, it is still in play. This is your lucky day!  

Submit a Rules question for Todd to answer here.

Todd Stice is our in-house Rules of Golf Expert. You can learn more about Todd here.

2021 Players | of the Year Announced

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It was another great season for Central Links Golf and its member clubs and players. Players of the Year have been determined for the 2021 season. It was a close battle for some award winners, but all worked extremely hard to earn their respective Player of the Year title.

Women’s Players of the Year

Women’s Amateur Player of the Year: Katy Winters

Third place finish in the Prairie Invitational, Sixth place finish in the Kansas Women’s Amateur, Third place finish in the Kansas Women’s Mid-Am, Runner Up finish in Fall Triple Threat

Women’s Senior Amateur Player of the Year: Pam Simpson

Kansas Women’s Senior Champion, fourth place finish at Kansas Women’s Mid-Amateur

Women’s Super Senior Amateur Player of the Year: Denise Desilet

Tee Fore Two and Fall Triple Threat Champion, Kansas Women’s Senior Runner Up

Women’s Legends Amateur Player of the Year: Jettie Bezek

Kansas Women’s Super Senior and Fall Triple Threat Champion, top 15 finish at Prairie Invitational (Opal Hill Division)

Men’s Players of the Year

Kansas Amateur Player of the Year: Cooper Schultz

2021 Kansas Amateur Champion, 2021 US Open Sectional Qualifier, 2021 US Amateur Qualifier (made match play)

Kansas Mid-Amateur Player of the Year: Brian Fehr

2021 Kansas Mid-Amateur Champion, 2021 Kansas Amateur match play qualifier, Quarterfinalist in 2021 KC Match Play, top 10 finish in 2021 Railer, Team qualifier for 2021 Kanza Players Cup & Director’s Cup competitions

Kansas Senior & Super Senior Amateur Player of the Year: Greg Goode

2021 Kansas Four-Ball Masters Division Champion, 2nd place at 2021 Senior Series Championship, top 10 finishes in the Kansas Mid-Amateur, Railer, High Plains, KC Amateur, Konza Amateur, and Kansas Senior Four-Ball

Kansas Legends Player of the Year: Don Kuehn

Top 10 finishes in 2021 Railer, Legends of Kansas Championship, Kansas Senior Team Championship, KC Amateur, and Kansas Senior Four-Ball

Kansas City Amateur Player of the Year: Sam Parrott

Kansas City Amateur Champion, 4th place in Missouri Amateur Stroke Play

Kansas City Senior Player of the Year: Dave Cunningham

Kansas Senior Amateur Champion, Kansas City Four-Ball Championship Runner Up, 6 Stateline Amateur Tour Wins

Junior Player of the Year

Girls Player of the Year: Kate Tilma

Top 5 finish at Kansas Junior Girls Amateur Championship, KS Optimist Qualifier Medalist, Qualified for the US Women’s Four-Ball and US Girls Junior, Runner Up at 2021 KSHSAA 5A Girls State Championship

Boys Player of the Year: Luke Scheufler

Konza Prairie Amateur Champion, Kansas Junior Tour Champion (Boys 16+), Kansas City Boys Match Play Runner Up, Runner Up in the Kansas Boys Junior Amateur, Qualified for the US Boys Junior and a Kansas/Nebraska Cup team member

KC Match Play Down to Two

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After a week off from competition after Mother Nature postponed the semifinal matches of the KC Match Play Championship, we are finally down to two competitors. The top four agreed to play Monday, May 24th at Swope Memorial at 4:00 p.m. Doug Albers was facing Alex Springer and Ben Pearson was up against Zach VanDolah.

1 seed Pearson had a strong front nine and was 2 up over VanDolah making the turn. Zach fought back to tie the match through 13 holes after two birdies, but Pearson rebounded with a win on the 14th hole. VanDolah tied the match once again with a birdie on 17 and with two pars on 18, the match would go extra holes.

VanDolah and Pearson both parred the 19th hole, and after almost driving the green on the Par-4, 20th hole, VanDolah had a great chance at birdie. He would convert his birdie chance and win the hole and match against 1 seed Pearson.

In the second semifinal match, Doug Albers was in full control most of the match. He quickly got out to a 3 up lead through the first five holes and again through 10. Springer tried to dip in to the lead with a birdie on the 11th hole, but after a few pars and a bogey on 15th, the match was heading to 16 tee dormie. Albers and Springer would both par the 16th hole, and Albers clinched his spot in the final with a 3 & 2 victory.

The Championship match is set between Zach VanDolah and Doug Albers. A date and time is to be determined and will be updated on the website and social media. Live scoring will be available.

Final Four Postponed due to Weather

Championship Sunday at Swope Memorial never began as thunderstorms rolled in to Kansas City. The semifinal matches of the KC Match Play Championship were first delayed until noon with the hopes of at least getting one round of match play in, only to have the golf course become unplayable due to the amount of rain throughout the morning.

An unfortunate delay to our first championship of the year, but the semifinals will be scheduled at a later date that is yet to be determined. Opponents will work with each others schedules to determine an open date and more information will be relayed at that time. A champion of the 2021 KC Match Play Championship will be crowned of the following players: Doug Albers, Ben Pearson, Zach VanDolah, or Alex Springer. Stay tuned.

Top Seeds Set for Semifinals in KC Match Play

Despite some early rain, day two of the Kansas City Match Play was completed in narrowing down the field from 16 to its top four semifinalists. 1 seed Ben Pearson continued on after an easy victory of 5 & 4 over Jesse Helms and then defeated Brian Fehr 3 & 1 to clinch the first semifinalist spot.

2 seed Doug Albers defeated Jordan Bobert in his Round of 16 match 5 & 3 and then took out Drew Carlson 3 & 2. He faces 3 seed Alex Springer in his semifinal match after Springer defeated Ian Boat 2 & 1 and then Hank Simpson 5 & 3.

5 seed Zach VanDolah defeated 4 seed Lane Wallace in his quarterfinal match in 21 holes after taking out Jim Gates 2 up in the Round of 16. In unusual fashion, four of the top five seeds have advanced to the semifinal round.

The semifinal matches are scheduled for Sunday morning at 8:00 a.m. The weather forecast predicts some thunderstorms, but we hope to begin on time and any weather delays will be updated on the website and event page.

Full results for the event can be found here >>

Day One Concludes for KC Match Play

The 2021 Kansas City Match Play Championship returned to its traditional May date after COVID forced its reschedule to last Fall for 2020. The Friday morning stroke play qualifier began at Swope Memorial with 100 players vying for the top 32 spots to advance to match play, including the first female in the field – Julia Misemer.

Doug Albers, Leawood, KS, and Ben Pearson, Overland Park, KS, both tied for low medalist honors in the qualifying morning session with a three-under, 69. Albers’s card was highlighted with five birdies and the only blemish coming on the Par-4, 7th hole with a double bogey. Pearson carded six birdies on the day with a few bogeys. Watson Challenge Champion, Alex Springer, finished at one-under, 71, along with Lane Wallace, Zach VanDolah, and Kade Prentice to make the only six players under par.

Tied for 26th position at 77 (+5) was the magic cut off number and saw 15 players in a playoff for the final 7 spots to advance to match play in the afternoon to fill the field. The top ten seeds were set: Ben Pearson, Doug Albers, Alex Springer, Lane Wallace, Zach VanDolah, Kade Prentice, Ryne Fisher, Brian Fehr, Will Harding, and Daniel Duffin. 9 of the lower seeds won their match to advance to the Round of 16. Pearson, Fehr, Springer and Harding all won handily with 6 & 5 victories. Kade Prentice defeated Jeff Mason 4 & 3 and Hank Simpson clinched their ticket to the next round with 4 & 3 and 4 & 2 wins. 20 seed Nick Noland upset 13 seed Michael Garden 2 & 1 and 26 seed Michael Foster upset 7 seed Ryne Fisher in 20 holes.

The field is down to the top 16 and matches are set to begin at 7:30 a.m. Saturday morning depending on the weather conditions. Any weather delays will be communicated to players and updated on the website.

2020 Players | of the Year Announced

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It was an eventful first year for Central Links Golf, the newly merged association between the former Kansas City Golf Association and Kansas Golf Association. Despite the pandemic, the association saw a record number of golfers registered for events.

Players of the Year have been determined for the 2020 season. It was a hard-fought battle between many golfers for their titles. Players of the Year are decided based on performance at events and points earned. Points lists can be found here>>

Men’s Players of the Year

Kansas City Men’s Player of the Year, Kansas Player of the Year, and Kansas Mid-Am Player of the Year – Park Ulrich

In Kansas City:

Park Ulrich was the runaway winner of the 2020 KC Amateur Player of the Year.  Park finished over 500 points ahead of this year’s runner up.  Park started his run in June by finishing 3rd in the Kansas City Four-ball Championship which he and his partner turned into a Heart America Four-ball Championship in September at Lawrence Country Club.  In July, Colbert Hills was the site of his first title in 2020, the Kansas Amateur.  Park claimed the trophy after an impressive run through a strong field.  Just two weeks later he finished 4th at the Kansas City Amateur Championship.  Park made a deep run in the KC Match Play championship before another top-6 finish at the Kansas Mid-Amateur championship in late October.  Park also qualified for his first USGA Championship this year when he and is partner were medalists at the US Four-ball Qualifier at Canyon Farms.  He will play in the championship at Chambers Bay in May.

In Kansas:

Ulrich became the first player to claim both the Kansas Player of the Year and Kansas Mid-Amateur Player of the Year in the same year in 2020.  Ulrich dominated the Kansas golf scene in both individual and team competitions.  On the team competition side, Ulrich was part of two winning teams at the Heart of America Four-Ball Match Play Finals with Davis Cooper in August and the Mid-Amateur Team in September with Doug Albers.  Ulrich captured the 110th Kansas Amateur Match Play Championship in July at Colbert Hills.  Ulrich also recorded a runner-up finish at the Kansas City Amateur in August and a top ten finish at the Kansas Mid-Amateur in October to round out his dominating season.

Kansas City Senior Men’s Player of the Year – Steve Groom

Steve Groom has been one of the top players in Kansas City for many years.  Steve claimed yet another Senior Player of the Year title in 2020.  Steve won two major titles in 2020: the KC Amateur Championship and the KC Senior Match Play Championship.  In addition to multiple top 3 finishes in StateLine events, he had a strong top 10 finish in the Kansas Senior Amateur Championship in August. 

Kansas Senior Men’s Player of the Year – Sean Thayer

Garden City’s Sean Thayer captured the 2020 Kansas Senior Player of the Year award by edging two time defending Senior Player of the Year Greg Goode of Salina in a very close points race that came down to the final event of the season.  Thayer recorded victories at the Konza Prairie Amateur in June, Senior Series Championship in September and teamed with Greg Goode to take the Kansas Four-Ball Masters Division title in June.  Thayer also posted top five finishes at the Kansas Senior Amateur, High Plains Amateur and the Railer Stroke Play Championship.  Thayer also was medalist at six Senior Series events and posted top ten finishes in seven others.  In the season ending Kansas Mid-Amateur, Thayer tied for low senior honors with Greg Goode to take the 2020 Kansas Senior Player of the Year crown by a slim 24 point margin over Goode. 

Women’s Players of the Year

Senior Women’s Player of the Year – Martha Linscott

Martha Linscott wasted no time garnering her first Senior Women’s Player of the Year Award after becoming eligible only this year.  Linscott has been an exceptional competitor in this area for many years having competed in 11 USGA Championships in her career, so this award is a fitting accomplishment. 

She opened the season with a strong finish in the Kansas City Women’s Match Play Championship against a field of mostly collegiate players, advancing to the quarterfinals.  She followed that performance with a 7th place finish at the Kansas Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship.  She was the only senior golfer to make the cut at The Prairie Invitational, earning her first Low Senior award at that championship.  She cemented the award with her stellar play in September with a tie for 6th place at the North & South Senior Women’s Championship at Pinehurst, NC, and a victory at the Kansas Women’s Senior Championship at Manhattan CC.  Congratulations Martha!

Women’s Player of the Year – Audrey Judd

The Women’s Player of the Year points list was surprisingly dominated by mid-amateurs.  Audrey Judd of Olathe, Kansas narrowly edged fellow mid-amateur Katy Winters or Wichita, Kansas for the Player of the Year honors.

After taking a year off from competition after completing her collegiate eligibility at the University of Nebraska, Audrey Judd opened strong at the Kansas City Women’s Match Play.  She was the medalist in the stroke-play qualifying round and advanced to the quarterfinals by defeating Kansas Women’s Mid-Amateur Champion, Carmen Titus, in the round of 16.  She just missed advancing to the semifinals with a 2&1 loss to active University of Kansas player and 2020 Missouri Women’s Amateur Champion, Abby Glynn.  She followed that performance with a T3 at the Kansas Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship, earning a spot in The Prairie Invitational.  Her competition wrapped up with a Runner-Up performance at The Prairie Invitational in what was a very strong field of golfers including the best collegiate players and mid-ams from the entire region.  Congratulations Audrey!

Junior Players of the Year

Boys Player of the Year – Davis Cooper

The 2020 Junior Boys Player of the Year is Davis Cooper of Overland Park, Kansas. Cooper had a fantastic season that was highlighted by a victory in the Kansas City Junior Championship and Heart of America Four-Ball Championship with his partner Park Ulrich. Cooper finished runner-up in the Kansas Junior Amateur at Salina Municipal and finished as a quarterfinalist in both the KC Junior Match Play and Kansas Amateur Match Play Championship at Colbert Hills. He finished out his summer season as a pivotal member of the KS/NE Junior Cup team that defeated Nebraska at Prairie Dunes CC. We wish Davis all the best as he has joined the Kansas University’s Men’s Golf team this fall and embarks on his college golf career!

Girls Player of the Year – Julia Misemer

The 2020 Junior Girls Player of the Year is Julia Misemer of Overland Park, Kansas. Misemer had another strong season this year, winning the Kansas City Junior Championship at Swope Memorial and defending her 6A State Championship title at Hesston Golf Course by four shots. Misemer also placed tied for third at the 2020 North & South Junior Championship at Pinehurst and finished third at the Kansas Junior Amateur Championship. She capped off a great summer by qualifying for the 2021 Women’s Four-Ball Championship with partner Brooke Biermann and was an important member of the 2020 Mid-America Junior Cup team that recently retained the Cup against St. Louis. Julia is in her junior year of high school at Blue Valley West and we can’t wait to see what she does next season!

Quarantine Quiz | Reviews

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The Quarantine Quiz is a challenging set of Rules situations presented each week to test all Rules officials and players alike. Todd Stice and Taylor Albritton hold a weekly webinar open to anyone to review the answers and interact with any questions attendees may have.

Check out all the Quarantine Quizzes and the weekly review webinars.

Quarantine Quiz # 1 *** Answers and Explanations

Video: Review of Quiz # 1 — LIVE March 27, 2:00 PM

Quarantine Quiz # 2 *** Answers and Explanations

Video: Review of Quiz # 2 — LIVE April 3, 2:00 PM

Quarantine Quiz # 3 *** Answers and Explanations

Video: Review of Quiz # 3 — LIVE April 9, 2:00 PM

Quarantine Quiz # 4 *** Answers and Explanations

Video: Review of Quiz # 4 — LIVE April 17, 2:00 PM

Quarantine Quiz # 5 *** Answers and Explanations

Video: Review of Quiz # 5 — LIVE April 24, 2:00 PM

Quarantine Quiz # 6 *** Answers and Explanations

Video: Review of Quiz # 6 — LIVE May 1, 2:00 PM

Quarantine Quiz # 7 *** Answers and Explanations

Video: Review of Quiz # 7 — LIVE May 8, 2:00 PM

Ladies Golf Gab

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Join us for women’s golf conversations, virtually.

We are feeling the itch to get out and play some golf, however, we know that might not be possible for most women throughout KC and KS. 

We will be hosting a weekly webchat with Central Links Golf staff and area female golf professionals covering all things golf – Rules, Handicapping, swing tips, fitness, stretching, drills, and more. Get your golf on with our golf nerds.

Schedule: 

Sally Krystyn – Tuesday, March 31
Courtney Mahon – Tuesday, April 7
Penny Hickman – Tuesday, April 13
Kristen Samp – Tuesday, April 21
Wendi Brandt – Tuesday, April 28
Registration is free. All webinars will be held from 9:30-10:15 AM

Register for Conversations

Session One Recap

Click Here to watch the recorded session
Click Here to view the Handout; Click Here for Penalty Area Slides
Penalty Area Videos:
Lateral Relief
Red & Yellow Penalty Areas
Back on the Line Relief Procedure
If you are interested in doing online Yoga with Sally Krystyn you can join the Golf+Yoga+Life Facebook Group or email her for the information at golfwithsally@gmail.com

Session Two Recap

Click Here to watch the recorded session
Click Here to view the handout

Session Three Recap

Click Here to watch the recorded session
Click Here to view the handout from Penny Hickman
Click Here to view the Playing Conditions Calculation handout

Session Four Recap

Click Here to watch the recorded session
Click Here to view the WHS Handout
Click Here to view Kristen’s slides
Take the Rules of Golf Q&A Survey for next week!

Watch Kristen’s Course Management Videos
Intro Video
Managing Creeks
Putting from the Fringe
Mental Tip
Make a Strategic Plan
Plan for a Bogey
Plan for Adversity

Session Five Recap

Click Here to watch the recorded session
Click Here to view Wendi’s Slides

USGA | Announcement

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The USGA announced this afternoon that scores with any modified hole are permissible and should be posted for handicap purposes. This announcement comes in response to the many different safety measures golf facilities are taking at this time. These recommendations will be in effect throughout the United States until further notice by the USGA.

Click here to view the USGA Announcement.

Click here for Covid-19 Rules and Handicapping FAQs. (Includes information regarding bunkers/bunker rakes, scorecards, local rules regarding the flagstick, etc.)