Poplar Creek Challenge 2012
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Randy Gubert is the winner of the first annual Poplar Creek Challenge. It was a close one with nobody in the top 5 making a substantial move on the final day. Congrats Randy!
Poplar Creek Challenge 2012 – Final Results (pdf)
Poplar Creek Challenge 2012 – Top 5 Scorecards (pdf)
Any player wanting to see their individual scorecards, please contact the Webmaster thru the Contact page.
Poplar Creek Challenge thru 8/13/12 (pdf)
Poplar Creek Challenge thru 8/9/12 (pdf)
Poplar Creek Challenge thru 6/9/12 (pdf)
The standings are available as a pdf download.
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Rules At-A-Glance
| How to Enter | Every player is automatically entered as long as they play the designated tournaments. |
| Designated Tournaments (in order played) |
Beat the Pro – 3/3/12 Blue Rock East – 4/21/12 Alameda Fry – 5/19/12 NCGA Net Amateur – 6/9/12 Los Positas – 7/21/12 Club Championship – 8/11-8/12/12 Turkey Shoot – 11/17/12 |
| Designated Holes | See the Rules Detail below |
| Total Tournaments | 7 |
| Total Rounds | 8 (Club Championship is two rounds) |
| Total Holes | 18 |
| Minimum # tournaments to play to be eligible for the title |
4 All 3 away tournaments + 1 home tournament |
| Scoring |
Net score per hole on the designated holes inclusive of any incurred penalties. Best cumulative 18 hole scores will be the winner. Ties will be determined by the standard back nine, back six, back three, etc. |
| Prize | Membership renewal (NCGA and club dues) for 2013 will be paid by the club. |
Rules in Detail
- The Poplar Creek Challenge ("Challenge") will be held during SEVEN tournaments at designated holes in each tournament.
- Away Tournaments:
- Blue Rock “East” course – holes 4, 6, 14
- Alameda “Fry” course – holes 1, 5 16
- Los Positas – 6, 12, 15
- Home Tournaments at Poplar Creek – holes 1, 3, 7, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 18
- Beat the Pro
- NCGA Net Amateur
- Club Championship
- Turkey Shoot
- Qualifications
- Initial Entry – The player does not need to do anything to enter into the Challenge. All players qualify as long as they play the minimum number of designated tournaments.
- Away Tournaments – a player must compete in all THREE away tournaments to remain qualified during the Challenge. If the player does not play all THREE designated away tournaments then they are out of the Challenge.
- Home Tournaments – a player needs to compete in only ONE of the home events to remain qualified during the Challenge. If the player plays only ONE home event then they will qualify for the Challenge but they get only ONE shot at making your best score on a designated hole. Thus, the more home events the players plays the better the odds.
- Eighteen Holes – players must play all 18 Challenge holes throughout the season to compete for the Poplar Creek Challenge title.
- Minimum Tournaments
- The player must play a minimum of FOUR tournaments to qualify for the Challenge – all THREE away tournaments and ONE home tournament. A player’s odds are improved by playing more home tournaments.
- If a player does not play the minimum tournaments or all 18 holes required then they are out of the Challenge regardless of their current standing in the Challenge, accrued score or subsequent participation and scoring.
- Net Scoring
- A player’s lowest net score on the Challenge holes, made during an official, designated competition round, will be recorded.
- A player’s best 18 Challenge holes will make up his Challenge score. The player with the lowest cumulative net score wins the title.
- Penalties
- Penalties assessed on their respective holes will count towards a player’s net score during the Challenge just as they do during the tournament itself.
- If a player is DQ’d from a tournament, then the holes played during that tournament will not be considered during the Challenge. The player will remain qualified for the Challenge if they meet the minimum FOUR tournaments defined above.
- Ties & Disputes
- In determining the champion at the end of the Challenge, all ties will be handled in our normal fashion using the USGA recommended method of back 9, back 6, back 3, etc.
- Scoring disputes during the Challenge will be handled by the Tournament Committee appointed by the PCGC Board at the beginning of the tournament season.
- Prize – the player winning the first Poplar Creek Challenge title (2012) will have their membership renewal fee (NCGA and club dues) for 2013 paid by the club.
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Minimum Tournaments to Qualify
In order to qualify for the Poplar Creek Challenge, a player’s minimum tournament schedule for the year should include FOUR of the designated tournaments (all THREE away tournaments and ONE home tournament):
- Blue Rock East – mandatory
- Alameda Fry – mandatory
- Los Positas – mandatory
- Poplar Creek – only 1 tournament is mandatory from Beat the Pro, NCGA Net Amateur, Club Championship or Turkey Shoot
Number of Tournaments Equals How Many Rounds
The number of rounds played over all SEVEN designated tournaments is eight (3 away + 5 home) because the Club Championship is played over two rounds.
Play More to Increase Your Odds
Even though a players needs to play only the THREE away tournaments and ONE home tournament to qualify, their odds of getting a best score are increased by playing more of the home tournaments.
For example, if the players plays…
- only Beat the Pro then they have ONE chance to make their best score on hole #18 (a designated hole).
- only the Club Championship then they have TWO chances on #18 because the tournament is two rounds.
- all four of the home tournaments, then they will have FIVE chances on #18.
The more you play, the better your odds.
- The minimum number of tournaments to qualify is FOUR.
- Four tournaments = 18 designated holes being played (9 away holes, 9 home holes).
- The player has 18 chances of scoring a best score.
However, if the player plays in all SEVEN of the tournaments then the number of designated holes played is 54 (9 away holes, 45 home holes).
54 chances vs 18 chances = better odds
See the sample scorecard (pdf) for a better representation of the odds.
Don't Get DQ'd
If a player gets disqualified from a tournament, the holes they played during that tournament will be omitted for inclusion in the season-long tabulations.
This includes the Club Championship. If the player completes the first round and is disqualified for an infraction in the second round, then the player is disqualified from the entire tournament meaning BOTH of their rounds are omitted for inclusion in the season-long tabulations.
Don't Get Penalized Either
A player's net score for the designated holes will be the official tournament score for that hole – including penalties.
Now here's where it may sting a little.
There are certain penalties that get tacked on outside of the actual play.
- Showing up late – the new rule for 2012 for showing five minutes late to a starting time is two strokes assessed on the FIRST hole. Hole #1 happens to be a designated hole at Alameda Fry and Poplar Creek.
- Pace of Play Policy – The pace of play penalty at Poplar Creek can be either one or two strokes depending on the total time a foursome plays the round or how far back the foursome finishes behind the group in front (see the Pace of Play Policy). This penalty is assessed on the EIGHTEENTH hole at Poplar Creek which is again, a designated hole.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Q. How do I enter the Poplar Creek Challenge?
A. You don't need to do anything. You are automatically entered into the Challenge if you play the designated tournaments.
Q. Do I need to play in all SEVEN of the designated tournaments?
A. No. The minimum is all THREE away tournaments and ONE home tournament for a total of FOUR tournaments. Playing in all SEVEN tournaments is not required but it will increase your odds of getting a best score.
Q. I can't play one of the designated AWAY tournaments. Can I play holes in a different away tournament?
A. Sorry. You must play all THREE of the designated away tournaments (Blue Rock East, Alameda Fry and Los Positas). Be aware that you are out of the Challenge if you miss just one of the three away tournaments regardless of your current standing or if you play all the other designated tournaments.
Q. I can't play one of the designated home tournaments. Can I play holes in a different home tournament?
A. Sorry, you can't switch to a different tournament. The good news is that missing a home tournament does not put you out of the Challenge. There are FOUR home tournaments that you can play in. You can play in one, two, three or four of the home tournaments. Obviously, the more you play at home, the better your odds.
Q. Does the value of the prize count towards the Gilliam Points?
A. No.
Q. The Gilliam Points is a season-long points race. The Poplar Creek Challenge is also a season-long race. Does the winner of the Poplar Creek Challenge get free entry into the TOC?
A. No. But the champion does get their membership renewal fee (NCGA and club dues) paid by the club for the following year.
Q. The Turkey Shoot is one of the designated tournaments but is actually in the next tournament season. Is the Poplar Creek Challenge supposed to be held during the current tournament season?
A. We wanted to hold the Challenge during the calendar year vs. the tournament year (which ends with the TOC in September) to build some suspense towards the end of the year. This is the inaugural year of this event so this may change for subsequent Challenges.
Q. This format sounds vaguely familiar.
A. You may remember the Kodak Challenge played on the PGA Tour which had a similar format and the winner received a cool $1 million. Sadly, the Kodak Challenge ended its run in 2011.
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[tab title=”About the Challenge”]
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The Poplar Creek Challenge is a first-of-its-kind competition for Poplar Creek members starting in 2012.
Not only does this inaugural event celebrate the beautiful holes and memorable moments on our tournament schedule, but it also challenges players to perform their best on the holes in certain tournaments.
The Poplar Creek Challenge is held over seven designated tournaments throughout the year with certain holes in each tournament played as the "Challenge" holes. The challenge is for the player to score their best (net) score on these holes for a season-long scorecard of eighteen holes.
The player with the best cumulative score is the Champion and wins a free membership renewal for the following year.
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