The Men's Club is a member of the Buffalo District Golf Association(BDGA) and the Western New York Public Links Golf Association(WNYPLGA). These groups sponsor local tournaments, including team events.
Western New York Public Links Golf Association(WNYPLGA)
Website: WNYPLGA
WNYPLGA Charles Barton Memorial Team Qualifying
There are two divisions - A & B.
For each team(A & B), the previous years club champion qualifies automatically. The other 5 members are determined by a point system. The low 5 gross scores on 5/22, 5/29, 6/5 and 6/12 earn points - lowest gross gets 5 points, next lowest gets 4 and so on. The 5 highest point scorers make up the team. USGA formula for playing from different tees will be used if necessary.
A-Team members must have a USGA handicap below 10. A team (top 5 points + 2022 Club Champ)
B-Team members have a USGA handicap of 10 or higher. A team (top 5 points + 2022 Club Champ)
WNYPLGA Individual Championships
AA (handicap 5 or less), A (handicap 6 - 10), B (11 - 15), C (greater than 15). Club pays entry fees for two lowest 1st round scorers in each flight (AA, A, B, C).
Buffalo District Golf Association - schedule here: BDGA
Golf history question: What is the oldest regional golf association in the United States? Answer: The Buffalo District Golf Association (BDGA). The BDGA has a wonderful history. Many great players have come through the BDGA. It has crowned tremendous champions. But the BDGA is facing some tough times. Participation among players and courses in WNY has dwindled. Tournament entries are down. Many courses have not joined the BDGA. Sponsorships have dropped. Consequently revenues have depleted. And as we all know, the cost of doing everything keeps going up and up causing the BDGA difficulty in making ends meet. With the rich tradition of the BDGA at stake, we are asking that the WNY golf community rally behind the BDGA to make it the strong, highly participated in organization that it once was.
Many golfers in WNY have the misconception that the BDGA is just for the “elite” golfer, the low handicap or scratch golfer from the private clubs. Nothing can be further from the truth. One of our goals is to spread the word that the BDGA is for everyone from all WNY golf clubs. Of course the signature event of the BDGA is the Men’s Individual Championship, but there are many BDGA events that golfers of all handicap levels can participate in. And it doesn’t matter what club a golfer is from, public or private. Such events would include the Class B (handicap of 10 to 19) and Class C (handicap 20 and over) Championships on June 29 at Shelridge CC. The Senior Net Championship (50 and older) at Wanakah CC on September 1. The Scholarship Tournament on August 31 (course TBA), which is a 4 person scramble. Or the Opening 2-Man/2-Woman Scramble on May 4 at Fox Valley which has 3 flights for the men – A, B and Seniors.
Additionally, let’s not forget the BDGA’s excellent junior golf program. There are junior stroke play and match play tournaments for boys and girls. Also, the Friday Interclub is one of the unique events the BDGA runs. As far as we know, we are the only regional golf association in the country that runs such a program! And it is the BDGA’s philosophy that this should always be free of cost for the kids to participate in. But again, the numbers have dropped. Courses are not getting teams together to participate in our interclub league. Clubs have to remember that junior golfers are the future of the game. All courses should have strong junior programs as these young people will be the members of our courses 10 years from now. If kids don’t get interested in the game now, we won’t have enough golfers 10, 15, 20 years down the road to keep courses afloat. Additionally, let’s not forget about the scholarships the BDGA gives to deserving young people heading to college each year!
There is a tremendous amount of information about the BDGA, the events mentioned above plus much more, at the web page - http://bdgaweb.wix.com/. Please take time to visit. We are working on a section of the web page devoted to the history of the BDGA, which should be completed by the end of the summer. But all information regarding tournaments, the junior program, memberships, sponsors, scholarships, handicaps and so forth can be found on the website.
Regarding handicaps, the BDGA uses the GHIN (Golf Handicap and Information Network) system for handicap calculations. The minimal fee that GHIN users have to pay each year (this year’s fee is $14) is a valuable revenue source for the BDGA (in fact it is the biggest revenue source we have). The actual fee goes to the New York State Golf Association (NYSGA) who actually does the handicap calculations for the entire state, but they share a portion of the revenue from BDGA clubs with the BDGA. Clubs are encouraged to use the GHIN system if not doing so already. If a golfer is a member of a club that does not use GHIN, a GHIN handicap can be obtained through the eClub. Just go to the website and click on “Handicaps”.
As always, we are always welcome and open to comments and suggestions, and can answer any questions about what we do and what we can help with. Feel free to contact us at:
tsprague@buffdga.org , mrydza@buffdga.org, info@buffdga.org or the BDGA office at 716-632-0151.
BDGA events are fun, competitive and a great opportunity to meet and play golf with new people, golfers who have the same love for the game as you do. There are events for everyone. Please make it a goal this year to play in a BDGA event. Not only will you have a great time, you will be supporting the oldest golf association in America and helping to ensure its future for generations to come. And if your club is not a BDGA member, please encourage them to join. Only players from BDGA member clubs can participate in BDGA events.
Tom Sprague, Mark Rydza – Executive Directors