30th Annual Golfing Grads of USMA April 30 - May 2, 2018

Join us for The Golfing Grads of USMA
30th Annual Reunion & Golf Tournament
World Golf Village St Augustine, FL
April 30-May 2, 2018

Over the years, the tournament has been held at a number of great venues.  First year at Hilton Head; followed by nine years at Greenlefe, FL; two years at Callaway Gardens, GA; two at Palm Coast, FL; four at World Golf Village, St Augustine, FL; one at Amelia Island, FL; three at the Robert Trent Jones Capitol Hill course at, Prattville, AL; two at the RTJ Grand National course in Opelika, AL; two at Innisbrook, FL; and 2015-16 at Grand National, Opelika, AL.  For 2018, we return for another year to World Golf Village and the Renaissance World Village Resort in St Augustine.

These are all great golf courses, but this tournament is all about fun and camaraderie.  It is a chance to see and visit with classmates and comrades from other classes.  Many extended family members also come adding to the diversity of the group.  There is ample opportunity to relax and visit.  Players at every level participate in the event.  Golf expertise is not a requirement for having fun and in fact may be the exception for those that attend.  Having a good time is a requirement.

So let’s talk about the 2018 Golfing Grads Reunion and Golf Tournament. 

A WORD OF CAUTION WE MAY RUN OUT OF ROOMS THEREFORE YOU SHOULD MAKE YOUR REGISTRATION ASAP FIRST COME – FIRST SERVED 

The Venue 

For the 2018 tournament we return again to one of the all time favorite venues for past Golfing Grads:

World Golf Village

Outstanding golf courses, helpful staff, great hotel, beautiful setting, good location, many things to do. 

In addition to great golf at World Golf Village, there are many special activities and attractions for the non-golfers, who we encourage to join us, and for the golfers in their open times.  You can find details at the links included in the Things to Do At or Near World Golf Village section below.  

The Courses

King Bear

The King & Bear is the only golf course in the world that has been co-designed by Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus. This course off­ers a mixture of two di­fferent design styles. The front nine is an open, links-style layout that gives a nod to the heritage of the historic city of St. Augustine, Florida. The back nine is more traditional Florida golf fringed with loblolly pines, 200-year-old oak trees, indigenous coquina rock, and numerous water features. With 7,279 yards, it’s a “driver’s” course, which should come as no surprise, as both Palmer and Nicklaus wielded awesome power games in their primes.

Slammer & Squire 

Tee off­ from under the tower of the World Golf Hall of Fame. This course was designed by architect Bobby Weed along with Hall of Fame Members, Sam Snead and Gene Sarazen. These men shared a desire to build a course that rewards good shot making while preserving the area’s natural beauty. What developed is a well-groomed course that showcases the unspoiled wooded areas, wetlands and natural beauty. The layout is open with several contoured greens. A few water hazards come into play, but the views of the Hall of Fame will overshadow any challenges you may face.

The Formats

*NOTE – Possible change to alternate local course for one the days. 

The Accommodations 

Our Hotel and Base of Operations

World Golf Village Renaissance St. Augustine Resort

500 South Legacy TrailSt. AugustineFlorida32092USA 

One of the best past golfing grads hotels

Friendly staff, great amenities, outstanding hospitality room

Features two exceptional championship golf courses (Slammer & Squire and King & Bear), as well as the World Golf Hall of Fame museum. Relax and rejuvenate at The Spa World Golf Village, a complimentary shuttle ride from the hotel. Enjoy an evening of fine dining at the award-winning Villagio Italian Grille. Explore historic St. Augustine, the nation’s oldest city. Enjoy the La Terrazza venue, with its stunning gazebo and fountain. An extraordinary hotel experience is yours to discover at the World Golf Village Renaissance St. Augustine Resort!

Our GG Hospitality room is centrally located, large, and comfortably furnished.

Hotel Amenities

The Agenda

* Group reservations should be made well in advance for class dinners.  Use this link for options near the hotel.

http://www.marriott.com/hotels/hotel-information/restaurant/jaxbr-world-golf-village-renaissance-st-augustine-resort/ 

The Standard Tournament Packages

The standard tournament package for a golfer staying at the hotel covers three nights lodging (Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday), three rounds of golf, three breakfasts, two banquet dinners, resort service fees, and all taxes.  Prizes, goody bag, and other admin costs are made by a separate payment sent to Golfing Grads, which will be covered later. 

The package for a non-golfer covers the same items less golf.  Also there will be no prizes, goody bag, or admin costs for this option. 

This year again we also have a Commuter Package for local folks who do not need a room at the hotel and will commute to the tournament.  This commuter package includes three rounds of golf, two banquet dinners, resort service fees, and all taxes.  It does not include room or breakfasts. Prizes, goody bag, and other admin costs are made by a separate payment sent to Golfing Grads, which we will cover later.  

You should be aware of a few things about the tournament packages:· The packages are “all-or-nothing” packages, i.e., you must pay for all items included in the package whether you use them or not. The resort will not refund any amount for any items or events you did not use or participate in.  For example, if you choose not to go to breakfast, the resort will not refund any of the registration fee.  If you miss a round of golf, same answer.  However, if for some reason you have to miss a dinner or round of golf, a substitute can take your place.  If you are substituting for golf, you must advise your team captain and GG committee of the substitution ahead of time so appropriate adjustments can be made.

· You can cancel your reservation at any time up to 72 hours ahead of your check-in time with no penalty.  NOTE – cancelling your reservation will likely affect the cost for your roommate.  You should consider this if you have to cancel.  You may be subject to room and/or dinner penalties if you cancel after the 72 hour cutoff.

· We are required to fill the courses for the AM and PM shotgun starts with a minimum of 144 players.  Should we have less than that number the cost for golf may be increased to cover the shortfall. 

Alright, let’s look at the Packages you have to choose from.

*NOTE – Prices subject to small changes based on changes in taxes or service charges. 

Extra Days and Golf Options

You have the option to stay at the resort an additional night or nights, either before or after the tournament, and you have the option to play additional rounds of golf.  

• Extra Room Nights. 

Let’s look at the extra room options first.  Each of these options includes, one night accommodation, buffet breakfast, resort service fees, and all taxes.  NOTE – Golf is not included in these options.  These options are available for the nights of Friday (27 April), Saturday (28 April), Sunday (29 April), Thursday (3 May), Friday (4 May), and Saturday (5 May).  If you are interested in any other days let us know and we will see if the hotel will accommodate you.

• Extra Golf.  Now let’s look at some options for extra rounds of golf, before, during, or after GG. 

  • At World Golf Village.  You can, on your own, book tee times on one of the World Golf Village courses by contacting the pro shop at  +1-904-940-6088  (Identify your group rate as “GGUSMA” (Golfing Grads of USMA). NOTE:  Tee times at the special rates cannot be made before 26 April.  Any tee time reservation made prior to 26 April will be priced at standard rates and cannot be changed later to the special GG rate, are subject to availability, and none are blocked out for Golfing Grads.  You can play on the option days of Friday (27 April), Saturday (28 April), Sunday (29 April), Thursday (3 May), Friday (4 May), and Saturday (5 May).  You can also opt for a “second round” on the tournament days. The costs for 18 holes for the two courses are shown in the following table. 

  •  

• At the St John’s Golf Club ( http://www.stjohnsgolf.com/).  The nearby St John’s Golf Club, located between St. Augustine and Jacksonville, Florida, one exit down from World Golf Village is also an option.  The 18-hole Clyde Johnston-designed course is the community's centerpiece with just the right amount of challenge for novice and avid golfers alike.  It was host to the PGA TOUR Qualifying School in 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014 and 2015.  Delicately carved out of a pine forest, the course at St. Johns offers five sets of tees plus a family tee that varies the length of the course from 7,250 yards down to 2,400 yards. Phone pro shop (904.940.3215) for tee time NST one week in advance, group name is “The Golfing Grads of USMA” for a special rate (TBA) 

Some Things to Do At or Near World Golf Village 

In addition to extra rounds of golf, there are many things to do or see in the vicinity of the hotel. 

Following are a links to a few references that describe the primary attractions and activities in the area.

• Things to do in St Augustine
• Shopping in St Augustine
• World Golf Hall of Fame 
• IMAX Movie Theater 
• Castillo de San Marcos 
• Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park 
• San Sebastian Winery 
• Colonial Quarter (Colonial Spanish Quarter) 
• St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park 
• St. Augustine Scenic Cruise 
• Oldest Wooden Schoolhouse 
• The Oldest House (Gonzalez-Alvarez House) 

What You Need to Do 

As we have done the past few years we are using an Internet-based registration and data management system that will facilitate registering, making reservations at the resort, disseminating information, integrating inputs, forming teams, organizing events, monitoring payments, etc, etc, etc.  

Some words of caution –

1. If you think you are going to attend you should complete your registration as soon as possible. 

2. If you need to cancel, cancellations can likely be made with no penalty as long as they are received prior to 30 March.

3. Registrations will be made on a first-come/first-served basis; therefore, if we sell out, earlier registrations will have priority. 

There are five things you need to do.

1. Complete the Survey

a. The first thing for you to do is complete the survey using the link at the end of this document.

  i. The link will take you to an internet-based survey that you will use to submit your registration information.

b. The survey contains multiple choice questions, short answer questions, and longer answer questions.

c. You simply go thru the survey and answer all the questions that are applicable.

d. Once you finish you hit the “Submit” button and your response is immediately recorded into the on-line database.

2.  Make Your Tournament Registration Payment

a. The tournament registration payment covers prizes, goody bags, and other tournament admin costs

b. After you submit the survey, send a check for $85.00 made payable to Golfing Grads of USMA, c/o

Tom Murray

3416 Worth Circle

The Villages, FL 32162

3. Standby for Hotel Reservation Confirmation

a. The GG Hotel Reservation Czar will make all the hotel reservations, ensuring that roommates are together and classes are as close together as possible.

b. When hotel confirms that the reservations are made and accurate we will notify you that your hotel reservation is confirmed.

c. NOTE 1 – FOR CASES INVOLVING EARLY ARRIVAL, WE NEED TO KNOW WHEN YOUR ROOMMATE IS ARRIVING.  IF YOU AND YOUR ROOMMATE ARE NOT ARRIVING ON THE SAME DAY THE RESERVATION IS DIFFERENT THAN FOR SAME DAY ARRIVALS.

d. NOTE 2 – PRIORITY FOR ROOMS AT THE HOTEL IS BASED ON THE TIME THE FIRST PERSON IN THE ROOM COMPLETES THE ONLINE REGISTRATION SURVEY.  THEREFORE IF YOUR RESERVATION IS DELAYED WHILE WAITING ON YOUR ROOMMATE INPUT, YOUR PRIORITY WILL BE BASED ON WHEN YOUR REGISTRATION WAS SUBMITTED.

e. NOTE 3 – DO NOT CONTACT THE HOTEL UNTIL YOU GET CONFIRMATION FROM US THAT YOUR RESERVATION IS CONFIRMED.

4. Now for Everyone Except the Commuter Package Folks - Guarantee the Room with a Credit Card

a. FIRST – No deposit is required to hold the room – just a credit card.

b. SECOND – The hotel requires and its system can only accept one credit card to hold the room. 

i.  So you must decide with your roommate who will call in and provide the credit card info. 

  ii.  You will tell us which one of you will do this in the GG survey.

iii.  NOTE – If you and your roommate are arriving on different days, the roommate who is arriving first must be the one that calls in the credit card info.

c. THIRD – The roommate calling in must have the confirmation number for the reservation when you call in. 

  i. This will be provided when we notify you that the reservation is confirmed and indicate that one person should now call in a credit card to hold the reservation.

d. FOURTH – The designated roommate must put the credit card on file to hold the room prior to 3 March 2018 or the reservation will likely be cancelled.

e. FIFTH - Do the following when you are provided your confirmation number and told to make the call

  i. Designated roommate phones one of the hotel reps (Primary = Jeff Fix @ 904.940.8633.  Alternate = Theresa Polleschultz @ 904.940.8582).

1. Normal office hours are 0800 EST until 1700 EST Monday through Friday. 

2. However, you can call at any time and leave your phone number on voice mail for a call back. 

3. NOTE – Hotel reps cannot make any changes to your reservation.

Any changes must be made through Gary Hyde (golfinggrads@cfl.rr.com)

ii. Tell rep you are with Golfing Grads of USMA and would like to guarantee your room reservation.

  iii. Give rep your confirmation number.

iv. Provide the credit card info.

f.  SIXTH - That is all that you need to do at this point.

g. SEVENTH - When you check in, each roommate will provide his own credit card.

h.  EIGHTH - If you are a single, just do all this yourself.

5.  Now for the Commuter Package Folks – Guarantee Your Registration

  i. No deposit is required, but you must confirm your registration with a credit card.

ii. Guidance for how to confirm your Commuter registration will be provided when you are notified to call in your credit card.

6. Standby for Further Info From Your Class Captains

a. That is all you need to do at this point.

b. After completing Step 4, you should standby for guidance from your team captain. 

OK, that is the Skinny 

Now all you have to do to register is follow the link below, answer the survey questions, and submit. 

FILL OUT FORM

Next send your registration payment to Murray.

Then stand by for notification that your hotel reservation is confirmed.

If you have any questions or comments contact us at golfinggrads@cfl.rr.com