Every month former MGA Senior Director of Rules and Competitions Gene Westmoreland will answer one question posed by the readers of the MGA e-Revision Newsletter. Gene recently received the following Rules question from a reader:

Q: If your ball lies under a tree or shrub and your swing knocks down some leaves or branches is that a penalty?

Gene responds:

Elmsford, N.Y. (January 4, 2010) – The 2000 Met Open Champion, Mike Gilmore, was named the new head golf professional at Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, N.Y. Formerly the head professional at the Piping Rock Club on Long Island, Gilmore has spent his entire 27-year career working as an assistant or head professional at MGA member clubs. Gilmore replaces John Buczek, who moved back to North Carolina this past fall.

ELMSFORD, N.Y (January 4, 2010)- After a brief winter hiatus, this week marks the start of the 2010 professional golf season. The PGA Tour gets underway in Hawaii, beginning January 7th, with the SBS Championship at the Kapalua Resort on the island of Maui. Only 2009 PGA Tour winners are eligible for this event, and the field of 28 players includes U.S. Open champion Lucas Glover, who conquered the rain at Bethpage Black in June.

ELMSFORD, N.Y. (January 4, 2010) - Five participants from The First Tee of Metropolitan New York were selected as First Tee scholars for the class of 2010. From the Nassau County chapter at Eisenhower Park, Lisa Agoglia, Dominick Ferrante, Richard Donovan, Jeremy Gross were chosen, and Paul Toohey was selected from the Mosholu chapter.

December 28, 2009 – Donald J. Trump recently added Branton Woods Golf Club in Hopewell Junction, N.Y., and Pine Hill Golf Club in Pine Hill, N.J., to his stable of golf courses in the Met Area. The Trump Organization’s Met Area courses currently include Trump National-Westchester in Briarcliff Manor, N.Y., Trump National-Colts Neck in Colts Neck, N.J., and Trump National-Bedminster in Bedminster, N.J., the site of the 2009 U.S. Junior Amateur and Girls’ Junior championships.

December 11, 2009 – Robert A. Dickison, the longtime superintendent at Upper Montclair Country Club in Clifton, N.J., was selected as one of three recipients of the 2010 GCSAA Col. John Morley Distinguished Service Awards.

Every month former MGA Senior Director of Rules and Competitions Gene Westmoreland will answer one question posed by the readers of the MGA e-Revision Newsletter (click here to sign up). Gene recently received the following Rules question from a reader: