Welcome, Sandtrappers!
New & Returning Members & Guests
Hello and WELCOME to the Sandtrappers Golf League website!
Sandtrappers is one of the fastest growing Leagues in the Peoria Metropolitan area.
To learn more about our League, contact
Al Kuhlmann, Membership Coordinator 309 657-1427 akuhlmann@aol.com
Everyone is welcome - from age18 to ???.
You do not have to be retired or live in Peoria to join.
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76 Sandtrappers came out for a marvelous day of golf on Kellogg Golf Course that tested their abilities to maneuver around the course with a limited number of clubs in their bags. Golfers with a handicap less than 10 were only allowed four clubs, handicaps from 10 thru 15 could have five clubs, and those with handicaps 16 and up were permitted six clubs. Despite these limitations, the scores were pretty decent with 9 of the 19 groups coming in under net par.. The gorgeous autumn weather contributed to everyone having a pleasurable time today while handicaps were not affected in any manner by this being a special event.
Today's winning team came in with an excellent net score of 269. That team was made of Mike Rocke, Rick Barker, Tom Teufel, and Al Kuhlmann. In an extremely close second place with a score of 270 was the team of Daryl Negley, Wayne Baker, Ken Snodgrass, and Dave Redfiled.
Lowest scores of the day were:
Low gross scores:
68 - Daryl Negley
72 - Kip Poorbaugh
74 - Mike Rocke
75 - Rick Barker, Jim Jaacks
76 - Dan Mooney
Low net scores:
63 - Rick Barker
64 - Daryl Negley
65 - Garin Pisano
66 - Ken Snodgrass, Tom Teufel, Ken Dawson
67 - Hal Schlicksup, Jim Bowen
With this being a special fun event, $200 was added to the prizes. $10 went to each of the seven winners of the following: closest to the pin on #4 (Roger Nelson) closest to the pin on #16 (John Hoelscher), closest to the pin on 2nd shot on #9 (Scott Bowers), closest to the pin on 2nd shot on #18 (Mike Rocke), longest putt on #6 (Mike Zimmerman), longest putt on #13 (Jim Steffen), and longest drive in the fairway on #11 (Dan Mooney). The other $130 was added to our normal pool payout for larger payouts to each team. . Via random drawing, Rich Ledbetter and Dale Hansen each won a free round of golf for a foursome with carts from the Peoria Park District. Congratulations to all the winners!
Only item turned in today was a soaked black towel. If any of that is yours, please let me know, so I can get it back to you.
Our next (and last outing of this season) will be Thursday, 10/16 at Coyote Creek near Bartonville with a 9:00 shotgun start. This will be a best-ball scramble event that is a make up from a rain out on 6/19. Lunch will not be served on site. Please be sure to get signed up for this event.
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General League Information
Peoria Sandtrappers Golf League is a group of mostly retired golfers who get together to play the game they love. We do not discriminate on the basis of age, playing ability, race, nationality, or gender. Emphasis is on fun, fellowship, variety, and friendly competition. We have scheduled 26 golf outings on Thursday mornings and 5 on Monday mornings. We play a shotgun start on a variety of local and area courses with different foursome pairings each week, Each week players are flighted: A, B, C, or D and each foursome has one player from each flight. We play what we call "Sandtrapper Golf" which is essentially a shamble with some relaxed rules to reduce stress and speed up play. A couple times a season, we play best-ball scrambles and also a few flighted events where we put A/B players in foursomes and the C/D players in other foursomes. We also provide an optional fellowship luncheon after some of the events.
Members are encouraged to use the website (www.peoriasandtrappers.net) for weekly information and sign-up. Sign-up should be made no later than 4:00 pm on Monday of each week. Foursomes are set and published on Wednesday morning. (If you have an emergency and need to cancel after foursomes are set, please contact Jim Blane at 309-258-8773 or Roy Saatkamp at 309-335-6862.
There were five Monday events in 2025. The deadline to sign-up for those is 4:00 pm on Thursday prior to the Monday event. Parings will be published by that Saturday.
We encourage members to play as much or as little as they desire or their schedule accomodates. Dues for the full season are $20. Each week, players kick in $5.00 to a prize pool which is awarded according to how well each foursome does, (considering handicaps), and players' total winnings are distributed at the end of the season.
The 2025 season's schedule is shown below. This year we scheduled an additional fun event at Fyre Lake on Monday, June 30th. This is outside our normal distance and price parameters, but we think it will be challenging and lots of fun. The scores that day will not count against handicaps, and we won't be playing for prize money as usual.
2025 Sandtrappers Schedule |
3/1/2025 |
|
|
Date |
Day |
Start |
Event/Course |
Green Fee |
Lunch |
Game (if not S/Trp) |
L/A |
Apr-17 |
Thursday |
Noon |
Kick-off Luncheon, Countryside |
|
$20.00 |
|
|
Apr-24 |
Thursday |
9:00 |
Pine Lakes, Washington |
$40.00 |
None |
Best-ball Scramble |
L |
May-1 |
Thursday |
8:30 |
Newman, Peoria |
$41.00 |
None |
|
L |
May-8 |
Thursday |
8:30 |
ISU/Weibring, Normal |
$47.00 |
None |
|
A |
May-15 |
Thursday |
8:00 |
Kellogg, Peoria |
$45.00 |
None |
|
L |
May-19 |
Monday |
9:00 |
El Paso Golf Club, El Paso |
$48.00 |
$13.00 |
|
A |
May-22 |
Thursday |
8:30 |
Prairie Vista, Bloomington |
$48.00 |
None |
AB/CD Flighted |
A |
May-29 |
Thursday |
8:30 |
Oaks at Rivers Edge, Pontiac |
$36.00 |
$14.00 |
|
A |
Jun-5 |
Thursday |
8:30 |
Midland GC, Kewanee |
$35.00 |
$15.00 |
|
A |
Jun-12 |
Thursday |
8:30 |
The Rail, Springfield |
$46.00 |
$14.00 |
|
A |
Jun-16 |
Monday |
8:30 |
Lake Bracken CC, Galesburg |
$47.00 |
$14.00 |
|
A |
Jun-19 |
Thursday |
8:00 |
Coyote Creek, (rained out) |
$46.00 |
Menu |
Best-ball Scramble |
L |
Jun-26 |
Thursday |
8:00 |
Parkview, Pekin |
$41.00 |
$11.00 |
|
L |
Jun-30 |
Monday |
10:00 |
Fyre Lake, Sherrard |
$75.00 |
Menu |
Special Event |
A |
Jul-3 |
Thursday |
8:30 |
Ironwood, Normal |
$34.00 |
None |
|
A |
Jul-10 |
Thursday |
8:30 |
Edgewood Park, McNabb |
$42.00 |
$11.00 |
|
A |
Jul-14 |
Monday |
8:00 |
Metamora Fields, Metamora |
$55.00 |
None |
|
L |
Jul-17 |
Thursday |
8:30 |
Bunker Links, Galesburg |
$32.00 |
$13.00 |
A/B/C/D Flighted |
A |
Jul-24 |
Thursday |
8:00 |
Newman, Peoria |
$41.00 |
None |
|
L |
Jul-31 |
Thursday |
8:30 |
Senica Oak Ridge, LaSalle |
$38.00 |
$7.00 |
|
A |
Aug-7 |
Thursday |
8:30 |
Lincoln Elks, Lincoln |
$44.00 |
None |
|
A |
Aug-11 |
Monday |
8:30 |
Soangetaha CC, Galesburg |
$47.00 |
None |
|
A |
Aug-14 |
Thursday |
8:00 |
Lick Creek, Pekin |
$44.00 |
$11.00 |
Best-ball Scramble |
L |
Aug-21 |
Thursday |
8:30 |
Spring Creek, Spring Valley |
$33.00 |
$10.00 |
|
A |
Aug-28 |
Thursday |
8:30 |
The Den at Fox Creek, Bloomington |
$49.00 |
None |
|
A |
Sep-4 |
Thursday |
8:30 |
Oak Run, Dahinda |
$40.00 |
$16.00 |
|
A |
Sep-11 |
Thursday |
8:30 |
Baker Park, Kewanee |
$30.00 |
$10.00 |
|
A |
Sep-18 |
Thursday |
8:30 |
ISU/Weibring, Normal |
$47.00 |
None |
AB/CD Flighted |
A |
Sep-25 |
Thursday |
9:00 |
Pine Lakes, Washington |
$40.00 |
None |
|
L |
Sep-29 |
Monday |
9:00 |
Arrowhead CC, Edelstein |
$52.00 |
$10.00 |
|
L |
Oct-2 |
Thursday |
9:00 |
Bunker Links, Galesburg |
$29.00 |
$13.00 |
|
A |
Oct-9 |
Thursday |
9:00 |
Kellogg, Peoria |
$45.00 |
None |
Special Event |
L |
Oct-16 |
Thursday |
9:00 |
Coyote Creek, Bartonville |
$46.00 |
Menu |
Best-ball Scramble |
|
Oct-23 |
Thursday |
|
Fall Banquet, Barrack's Cater Inn |
|
|
|
|
Non-Thursday |
New in 2025 |
Special Events |
L = Local A= Area |
SANDTRAPPERS GOLF LEAGUE RULES
Pace of Play— An individual’s score on any one hole is limited to eight (8), so if you are lying seven (7), and are not yet in the hole, pick up and take an eight (8). Play “ready golf” and do your best to keep up with the group in front of you.
Prize Fund—A fee of $5 is collected each week when you check in to play. TEAM PRIZES are announced after each event and are based on Net scores; prize money is awarded based on the amount of money collected at each event. Individual winnings are recorded, accumulated and paid at the end of the season.
Handicaps—Handicaps are based on 90% of the difference between your average score and 70. Handicaps do not include scores in the scramble events.
Modified Winter Rules – In all events we play modified winter rules where it is permissible to improve your lie by moving your ball with your club head a maximum of six inches, except when the ball lies in a sand trap or other hazard. This does not allow “lift, clean, and place” nor does it allow moving the ball from rough to fairway (or vice-versa).
Sandtrapper Golf
Sandtrapper golf is a game where the standard rules of golf are modified in order to enhance enjoyment, reduce stress, and improve pace of play; yet retain the challenge of golf while maintaining fair and friendly competition. Modifications are:
Sandtrapper’s Golf League usually plays a modified shamble format that we call “Sandtrapper Golf”. We occasionally play a best-ball scramble. The format to be played is listed on the schedule on this website.
USGA Rules apply unless specifically modified.
Sandtrapper Golf: Everyone hits a tee shot, then each player chooses one of those tee shots, drops his ball within one club length of that ball (same area i.e. fairway or rough) and plays his ball to the hole keeping his own score. Maximum number of strokes - 8.
Tee shots: All players in the group hit a tee shot. If the group is a threesome, the players alternate hitting a fourth tee shot on each hole. A tee shot hit out-of-bounds is out of play and one of the other tee shots must be used. Players do not all have to choose the same tee shot to use for their second shot.
Mulligans: Each player has two per round. They cannot be used for a tee shot or on the green but may be used in a sand trap. Mulligans cannot be used in best-ball scrambles. NEW in 2023 - a player may choose either to use the ball position of the original shot or the mulligan. A mulligan has been used regardless of choice of ball positions. Mulligans may be used back-to-back.
Provisional (mulligan) ball: This rule has been dropped. It was introduced in 2021, but it seemed to cause more confusion than benefit.
Improvement of lie: A player may improve the lie of his ball by moving it with the club head a maximum of 6”, except when it is in a sand trap or other hazard. Ball cannot be moved from rough to fairway or vice versa. This does not allow “lift, clean and place”.
Gimmes: NEW in 2023 - A player may pick up his own putt that is "inside the leather" (defined as the distance from putter head to bottom of grip) on a standard putter. Simple rule; simple purpose: speed up play. The temptation is to abuse the rule and that does speed up play, but at the expense of fairness to other players.
Lost Ball: If after a reasonable attempt (USGA says 3 minutes) a player cannot find his ball, he may drop a ball where he expected it to be. One stroke penalty.
Out-of-bounds: If a shot is hit out-of-bounds, a player may drop one club length from the point the ball crossed the OB line. One stroke penalty.
Ball hit into water: USGA rules apply. Options are to replay shot, drop on line from flag through point where shot crossed into hazard or drop in a Drop Zone, if such exists. If ball went into a lateral (red) hazard the player also has the option to drop a ball laterally two club lengths away. One stroke penalty.
Bunker (sand trap): A player may drop within one club length outside the trap, no closer to the hole. One stroke penalty. Or a player may use a mulligan in the sand trap.
Ball close to a tree, bush or evergreen: If a player’s swing is impeded by a tree, bush or evergreen, he may drop the ball up to one club length away without penalty. This is to gain a safe swing path, not to gain an open shot path to the green or fairway.
Forward tees: Players age 80 and older may use the next tee box forward of the rest of the field, if such is available. This acknowledges that age may reduce the distance on drives but not the love of the game of golf.
Ball on cart path, in standing water, or in an area marked Ground Under Repair: Player may move ball, not closer to the hole, to a position that removes the ball from the situation - no penalty.
Rules last updated: 3/21/2023
Sandtrapper League 2025 Leadership Team:
Roy Saatkamp, Team Leader and Weekly Event Coordinator 309-335-6862 roysaatkamp51@gmail.com
Terry Tate, Secretary, Treasurer and Registration Desk Coordinator 309-657-1840 tntate1228@gmail.com
Al Kuhlmann, Weekly Event Results and Website Coordinator 309-657-1427 akuhlmann@aol.com
Jim Blane, Pairings Coordinator 309-258-8773 jimblane0@gmail.com
Charlie Stewart, Membership Coordinator 309-264-9423 cpstew13@gmail.com
Steve Bare, Yellow Vest Coordinator 309-453-2604 snbare@comcast.net
Mike Allison, Special Events Coordinator 309-222-7628 mearumrun1@gmail.com
Charlie Stewart, Weekly Event Results and Administrative Support 309-264-9423 cpstew13@gmail.com
Roger Nelson, Administrative Support 309-424-6606 rdnelson56@gmail.com