Palmetto Senior Amateur Golf 2016 Tour policies www.psagolf.com
Table of contents TOUR POLICIES General information Membership Fee Tournament format Tour Etiquette & Behavior Tournament Fees Handicap policy Tour flights Tee Distance Handicap Strokes Player flight movement Guests and new member incentive Frequent player incentive TOURNAMENT POLICIES Tournament registration Cancellation and no shows Check in Tournament prizes Optional tournament games Wounded Warrior Project First tee Scoring and scorecards Pace of play Scoring out of flight Tiebreakers Event conclusion Race to the Palmetto Cup 2
General Information Palmetto Senior Amateur Golf (PSAG) is a Charleston area golf group comprised of avid senior golfers who like and want to play competitive golf in a friendly atmosphere. Membership is open to anyone, male or female, 55 years or older in a calendar year and is of amateur status as defined by the USGA. The PSAG season will start in February with a Shake off the dust tournament in early February and end in early November with a Member Recognition tournament. Palmetto Senior Amateur Golf events are conducted under the USGA rules of golf. There are no mulligans and there are no gimme putts. It is the responsibility of each member to know the Rules of Golf as set by the USGA. Information about the rules of golf is available at USGA.ORG. Membership Fee The Palmetto Senior Amateur Golf annual membership fee is $50. Tournament format All tournaments will be flighted and handicapped stroke play events. Flight handicap strokes may be applied. (See Flight handicap strokes below). The rules of golf as governed by the USGA will apply with the following exceptions: Triple bogie max on any hole. Local rules will take precedent over USGA if any in effect. Tour Etiquette & Behavior Each member of PSAG is expected to respect not only the game of golf, but also their playing partners and fellow tour members. Unacceptable behavior will include but not limited to: swearing, club throwing, excessive slow play and harassment of other people (tour members or golf course staff). Should a member threaten this protocol a warning will be issued. Repeat offenders will be asked to resign their membership. Respect the game and the tour. Tournament fees Each tournament requires a tournament payment. Each tournament fee includes golf with carts, warm up range balls, and a flighted prize pool designation. In addition, each fee includes an admin fee that is used to run the tournament. Handicap policy Every member must have a PSAG handicap in order to be placed in the proper flight and be eligible for prizes at any PSAG event. If you have a verifiable USGA handicap, you will receive a similar PSAG handicap index. A new member who does not have a verifiable handicap will be put in a special flight and will not be eligible to win tournament prizes or participate in any optional skins or pins contests. Three (3) scores will be required from the special flight members to establish a PSAG handicap index. The number of rounds to be used to compute the PSAG index will be based on the 20 most recent PSAG scores, carried over from year to year, converted to differentials per the USGA formula. If a player does not have 20 scores, the following table will be used. 20 + rounds ---- Best 10 differentials 19 rounds------- Best 9 differentials 17-18 rounds----best 9 differentials 3
15-16 rounds----best 8 differentials 13-14 rounds ----Best 7 differentials 11-12 rounds-----best 6 differentials 9-10 rounds-------best 5 differentials 7-8 rounds--------best 4 differentials 6 or less------------best 3 (Note a PSAG index is not a USGA index and cannot be used as such. Players must subscribe to a USGA handicap service to obtain an official USGA handicap) Tour flights A players flight assignment will be determined by their PSAG tour index. Champ Flight (A) 0 3.9 1 ST Flight (B) 4.0 8.9 2 nd Flight (C) 9 13.9 3 RD Flight (D) 14 18.9 4 TH Flight (E) 19 24.9 5 th Flight (F) 25-29.9 A players PSAG handicap index will be applied to the course rating to establish the course handicap for each tournament, per USGA guidelines (Reference Section 3-3 and 10-4 of The USGA HANDICAP SYSTEM ). Tee Distances Champ and 1 st flight will play from tees that are approx. 5,800 to 6,200 yards. All other flights will play from the next closer tees approx. 5,300 to 5,700 yards Women will play from the tees generally designated for women. Note #1 Players 75 and over with a PSAG index of 20 or more may ask to play from the most forward tees. (Except par 3 s). No flight handicap strokes will be given. Note #2- Players in the C through F flight may elect to play from the longer tees. Handicap strokes will only be given up to the maximum allowable. (See below) Handicap strokes Players within a flight may receive handicap strokes based on the differential between their course handicap and the lowest handicapped person in their flight for that tournament. Strokes will be based on the following differentials. 1 stroke course handicap differential No adjustment 2-3 stroke course handicap differential 1 stroke adjustment 4-5 stroke course handicap differential 2 stroke adjustment 6+ course handicap differential 3 stroke adjustment EXAMPLE: Player, Long ball in the C flight has a course handicap for the day of 10. Player, Short knocker, also in the C flight has a course handicap for the day of 14. Short knocker will receive a 2 stroke deduction from his score that day. Player moving into a higher flight Generally, a player will remain in the flight assigned at the beginning of the season or at the time of membership. A player will move up in flight when: Their performance improves to the point their tour handicap falls in a lower range or They show exceptional performance in any single event (battlefield promotion) or 4
By scoring out of flight (see below) At a players request. A player moving up in flight will take with them 100% of their accumulated points providing it does not exceed a tie for 5 th place in the point standings in the new flight. Player moving down in flight If a validated players index rises into the range of the next flight bracket they may choose to retreat a flight. Player s who wish to move flights MUST request to do so by notifying the tour director. After August 31 players will not be able to move to a lower flight, no exceptions. A player moving down in flight will take with them 100% of their accumulated points providing it does not exceed a tie for 5 th place in the point standings in the new flight.. Guests and new member incentives Membership in PSAG allows members to bring one or more guests to our tournaments. The guest will be charged the normal entry fee. The guest will not be eligible for any tournament prizes, OR optional skins or pins contests. If a member brings in a person who joins PSAG, the member will receive a $10 credit towards their next tournament fee once the member has paid their full membership dues. Frequent player incentive Any member in good standing that plays a minimum of 10 events during the 2016 season will receive 50% off their next tournament event entry fee. Tournament Policies Tournament registration Only PSAG members may participate in PSAG events. We prefer event registrations be done online through WWW.PSAGolf.com. Registrations will end 5 days prior to any event. This allows time for pairings, flight placements, handicap adjustments and the courses to prepare for our arrival. To speed up game day check in payments should be made in advance on line or by check. If paying by check, make check payable to PSAG and mail to address listed at the bottom of the online sign up page. Checks should arrive 5 days prior to the event. You can also pay at check-in on the day of the event. Credit cards will be accepted for a nominal fee. Cancellations and no shows All cancellations from a tournament should be done before registration for the event is closed. If a player cancels prior to an event, a credit will be given towards his next tournament. A player that cancels after the pairings have been sent to the golf course (usually 2 days) may be expected to pay a portion of the entry fee. If the golf course charges PSAG for that slot, the player will be charged. If a player is a no show with no prior notification his/her fee will be forfeited and prepayment will be required to participate in future tournaments. Check in Please check in at the sign-in table AS SOON AS YOU ARRIVE AT THE GOLF COURSE. Check in no later than 30 minutes before tee off. If you haven t paid on line or sent in your check, now will be the time to pay your entry fee. We will accept credit cards for a small fee. Please bring cash for optional skins / pins pots. Tournament Prizes For each tournament, a portion of the player s tournament fee will be placed toward the flight player pool. The value of the prize pool differs for each tournament and is determined by the number of participants in each flight. Prizes will be in the form of cash, Visa gift cards or golf course gift certificates and generally will be awarded at the next tournament. 5
Optional Tournament games This is an optional $10 side bet between players. Each player will receive an invitation to enter the Skins and Pins pool. It s 3 games in one: a skins game, closest to the pin contest and a hole in one reward. Skins ($5) This game will only apply to whoever enters this game that is in your flight. If you score the lowest score in your flight on any hole during the tournament you will win cash. The winners are determined as soon as every player in your flight turns in their signed scorecard Closest to the pin ($5) This game will apply to whoever enters this game that is in your flight. Each flight will have an opportunity to win this cash prize. (some flights may be combined) The winners are determined as soon as every player in the event turns in their signed scorecard. Hole in one pool What s better than acing a par 3? How about getting paid for it! $1 of every $5 closest to the pin entry fee goes into a Tour wide prize pool for the first golfer to register a hole in one. The pool will carry over from tournament to tournament. If there are no in season hole-in-one s the hole-in-one prize pool will be given back to the membership in the form of a drawing at the Member Recognition tournament at the end of the year. Players will receive on chance for every time they play a tournament. The number of winners will be determined by the size of the pool. The minimum prize pool is $200. Wounded Warrior Project PSAG is a Proud Supporter of the Wounded Warrior Project. At each tournament you will have the opportunity to support WWP through a 50/50 raffle. First tee Verify your scorecard is correct regarding tee box, handicap, etc. Exchange scorecards within your group. The starter/director will provide any local course rules. Players may use approved electronic devices that measure distance by line of sight only. Devices that measure slope or elevations are not permitted. Scoring and Scorecards For all events, there will be a minimum of two (2) scorecards per foursome. At the beginning of the round, BEFORE players tee off, please check the scorecard to verify it is correct. Please note any information errors on the scorecards. At the end of the round, please review scorecards with your playing partners. Please circle birdies and eagles, no other markings please. Please sign and attest scores and turn in scorecards as quickly as possible. A scorecard will be considered final and submitted once given to scoring table with 2 signatures. If a player submits a signed scorecard with a lower score on a particular hole than the actual score, the player will be disqualified from the tournament. It s crucial that all players come to agreement BEFORE the scorecard is submitted to the scoring table. In the event of any course rules issue on the course, please locate and obtain a ruling from the host course professional before completing your scorecard. Pace of play We want you to enjoy your round of golf, but for the sake of everyone s enjoyment you need to stay in position. Our goal is to play our round of golf in a maximum of 4 ½ hours. Play ready golf. Keep in mind there are no penalties for under the Rules of Golf for violating order of play. The triple bogie rule is in effect. Player s should always hit a provisional ball when a ball goes into an area that may be lost or OB. 6
Scoring out of flight Flighting is based on a performance index system that groups together players of roughly similar potential abilities. In order to maintain flight integrity, PSAG directors may move a player to a higher flight if they return a score that indicates their potential ability exceeds the general ability of their current flight. If a player posts a once in a lifetime score, the results will be reviewed. This will happen if at any time a player in A or B flight s net score meets or exceeds 4 strokes below the flight bracket; for C,D,E or F flights,5 strokes or more(course rating plus low range of the flight index bracket). If warranted, the player will be promoted to the next higher flight. The intent behind this policy is to ensure that everyone is on a fair playing field. This policy is meant to protect players, not punish them. Tiebreakers All ties will be decided by the best gross score on the back nine, then the front nine. If there is still a tie the best gross score on the front nine. If there is still a tie then the best gross score on the #1 handicap hole will be used. If there is still a tie then best gross score on #2 will be used and so on, until there is a winner. Tiebreakers will only be used to determine first place. Ties in all other places will split the respective position s prize money and Cup points will be awarded based on the tied position. Event conclusion Once the final scores are tabulated and the prizes have been awarded the event is considered closed and final. We hope you enjoyed your round. Race to the Palmetto Cup This is a season long competition that will determine the year s flight champions. Points will be awarded at each tournament a member plays. For example: If there are 20 people in a flight, 1 st place will receive 20 points, 2 nd - 19 pts, 3 rd 18 pts and so on through the last place player who will receive 1 point. The more you play, the more points you will receive and the better chance you have of winning the cup in your flight. Major tournament point values will be doubled giving players an opportunity to make up ground in their flight. There will be a minimum of 2 Major tournaments during the season. Note #1- If a player withdraws during an event they will not receive any points for that event. Note #2-A player who No Shows an event they will receive a 5 point deduction from their point total. The top 3 finishers in each flight (minimum 8 per flight) will rewarded at the season ending Member Recognition tournament 7