HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL OF OUR IAGA MEMBERS!!!!!  We are proud to welcome each of the Y2K survivor’s back for a fun-filled, outstanding golf experience with the IAGA in the year 2000.  A warm welcome to many of our new members who joined us during the holiday/winter off-season.  The IAGA is definitely a club that believes golf should be played in sunshine.  We have had 6 new members join us through referrals from our high quality existing membership.   This is a fantastic way to grow the club…..with people you know and love and want to win money from…. keep up the good work of recruiting. 

 In 2000, each of our members has an incentive to recruit members.  For every three new members you are able to bring to the IAGA, you will get a free entry into one of our tournaments.  Bring people you know can increase the quality of the club.  We are continuing our quest towards being the PREMIER NCGA Associate club in Northern California with a promise to bring high value, great competition, and fun for your golf $$$$$$.

 Let us take this opportunity to thank each of our returning members for a great 1999.  Your participation made each event a success. It’s all about showing up and participating.  Many thanks to Ferdoash Nagarwalla for the donation of the Business Class round-trip ticket on Air India to India.  This helped the club raise $2500 which will all come back to you in the form of high quality course, prizes, and an unmatched year-end Championship event.

 Speaking of Championship events, let’s review our unbelievable experience at the 1999 Club Championship at Wente Golf Course.  All throughout the year we have been talking about surviving many of the challenging courses we play.  Well at Wente, there were no survivors – everyone was killed.  In the Pebble Flight, we had Pradeep Bakshi play a Jekyl and Hyde round.  Pradeep was even par after 9 holes, but finished the tournament with a 49 on the back nine and went home like the rest of us.  Then there was the story of Vineet Sharma who was only one over after 4 holes, then proceeded to shoot 9 over on the next two holes and started thinking about lunch.  Sunil Mehta had a solid round and was able to get third place with a net 76.6.  Jessi Bedi made a valiant run on the back nine with a 39, but it was not good enough and Jessi captured second with a 74.  The one and only survivor in the Pebble Flight, the only player to reach an under par net score, and our 1999 Maharajah Trophy winner is TONY JUDGE.  Tony’s back nine of 40 clinched a net 71.6 and the top prize and sent him home with all of the money.  Congratulations Tony!!!!  Let’s see if you can repeat in 2000.  The Poppy Flight also got their money’s worth and it was a very close battle.  Raj Desai was battling for the Pebble Beach win and he sweated it till the end and earned third place with a net 80.  Dr. Dinesh Bhuva did some surgery on Wente, but at the end, Wente proved to be a tough patient and Dinesh ended up second with a net 79.2.  The man who never gave up all season and it finally paid of is our one and only USMAN SYED, who took the top prize in the Poppy Flight with a net 78.2– Congratulations Usman.  Then there is the kid who we will call “ICE”.  Devang Bhuva – our junior member, wins the putting contest with a 10 foot putt  - he had to make it and he hit it in the heart – ICE!!!

 The conclusion of the tournament was not the end of the winning.  The IAGA conducted two raffles.  The first was a replacement raffle for the Air India ticket.  We replaced the Air India ticket with a Tommy Armour golf set.  The winner, a man who needed new clubs (or is it the swing??) our beloved Club President – Rajesh Gautam (I think it was a bogus raffle!!).  Thank you to all who bought a raffle ticket and donated their monies to the club.  

 The second raffle was for a top prize of a round of golf at Pebble Beach and our winner was Harish Kumar.   Harish will join Vineet Sharma and Raj Desai, the top two winners of our season long Pebble Beach Pool Points, for a memorable round of golf at Pebble Beach.  The trio has committed to playing together as soon as weather permits.  Hey guys, how about trying out the course right before the US Open – it’ll be in great shape!!!

 Now it’s time to get you ready for the year 2000 IAGA golf experience……………..

WHAT'S NEW IN 2000!!!

The best thing about the 2000 season is the NEW members.  The IAGA is enjoying controlled growth which will allow the quality and integrity of the club to be maintained.   The intent is to focus on providing an enjoyable golfing experience for golfers who love to play high quality courses, build relationships and network across a diverse group of ethnic backgrounds, enjoy a competitive arena, and have a grand time playing this grand game.  Here are the other NEW and exciting changes for 2000:

·          Renewal Dues are only $50 for returning members.  We want to reward those members who have helped to establish and maintain the club.  This will be the policy each year.  New Member dues are $150 for the first year and then $50 each year thereafter.

·          IAGA has finally instituted a CREDIT CARD payment system.  All renewals, new memberships, and entry fees will be charged to your credit card.  Each member must provide their credit card number at time of renewal or new sign up.   This will make signing up for tournaments so easy for all of our members and for the IAGA committee.   (Checks will only be accepted on an exception basis).  MAJOR THANKS to our IAGA member SUNIL SURI for helping IAGA get the credit card system set up.  Sunil’s influence with the bank allowed IAGA to receive a $600 set-up for about $200 – TERRIFIC CONTRIBUTION SUNIL – you have made all of our lives so much easier for entering a tournament.

·          You can sign up for renewal membership, new memberships, and tournaments on-line.  We encourage you to do so.  Each member will still have a deadline for submitting their entry for tournaments, but you will no longer have to fill out an entry and mail it in.  All events can be managed through the web-site or by providing an entry over the phone. (This is only possible if you provide your Credit Card number at the beginning of the season.)

·          Recruit, Recruit, Recruit.  We want to diversify and grow our membership.  For the 2000 season, all members will be given a free entry into one of our tournaments if you are able to bring three new members to IAGA.

·          The Pebble Beach points pool returns with a new format.  There will be Pebble Beach winners awarded for the first half of the season (first four tournaments) the second half of the season (final four tournaments) as well as the total season (all eight tournaments) .  This will allow each member an equal chance of winning through participation and will not penalize players who have commitments and cannot participate in every tournament. 

·          Each tournament will have a third flight – “Just for Fun”.   This flight is for our members who want to enjoy the game without the competitive influence.  Members can choose to play in this flight to just have fun and be with a great membership.  The “Just for Fun” flight will not be eligible for prizes, except Long Drive, and Closest to the Pin.  This flight will be eligible for any Raffle conducted at the Club Championship.

·          Fantastic New Courses along with some of our favorites.

·          Membership dues privileges:

-           NCGA Membership and all of its benefits

-           Establish an NCGA handicap

-           Guaranteed tee times every month at a world class golf course

-           Competitive golf monthly – fully organized tournament with three flights (Handicap 1-18, 18+, Just for Fun)

-           A chance to represent the IAGA at the NCGA qualifying tournaments (three events per year)

-           Prize money for first and second in each flight along with Closest to the Pin and Long Drive at each tournament

-           A superb year ending Club Championship

-           A new points scoring system which will award up to 3 members with a round of golf at Pebble Beach at the end of the season.  Chance to win in the first four tournaments, the second four tournaments, or the season total

-           Ability to play in the comfort of a diverse ethnic environment with players of all skill levels (Handicap 5 to 36)

-           Chance to make new friends

-           Chance to network with influential business leaders

-           Guaranteed fun at least once a month in your life

·          The highlight of the year is the newly introduced “Joke of the Month”.   At each event a prize will be awarded to the best joke heard on the course.

 DON’T MISS OUT ON A MEMORABLE SEASON

THE SEASON STARTS ON MARCH 18 AT HIDDENBROOKE

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