19 April 2002
SECTION II - BY-LAWS (GENERAL RULES AND REGULATIONS)
A. Rules of Play.
United States Golf Association (USGA) Rules and Regulations shall govern
League play at all times except as amended herein or by the Board.
B. Matches.
All matches must be played on the course designated by the Board. Team
Captains cannot agree to waive this requirement and play on another
course. In the event that a match is played on another course it will be
considered as not having been played. All matches must be conducted on the
day scheduled for league play unless suspended/postponed by inclement
weather as described in Section D below. League tee-off times will be
published with the league schedule at the start of each season. In the
event that a group cannot tee off at the scheduled time because one or
more of the members of the group has not arrived, the group will let the
two (2) following groups tee off if all of their players are present. If
the group is still missing player or players after the following two (2)
groups have teed off, the group with the missing player(s) must tee off
with the players who are present, and follow established forfeit
procedures in regard to the missing players. When playing in a league
match the members of each team shall be designated as the #1, #2, #3,
and #4 player, respectively, in accordance with their handicaps. The
player with the lowest handicap shall be designated as the #1 player, the
next lowest shall be #2, etc.
Each team shall compete for twenty (20) possible points per match as
follows:
Team A #1 player vs. Team B #1 player - 4 points
Team A #2 player vs. Team B #2 player - 4 points
Team A #3 player vs. Team B #3 player - 4 points
Team A #4 player vs. Team B #4 player - 4 points
Team A Net Total vs. Team B Net total - 4 points
Each player shall play for two (2) match-play points and two (2)
medal-play points, with adjustments for handicap. Team points will be for
four (4) points based on net total strokes (net medal).
C. Forfeits.
Any team that does not have four players will forfeit team net points,
even if opposing teams must forfeit the points. When a team is missing one
to three players, the acting team captain for that night will determine
which position number the missing player(s) should have played in. This
cannot change once a player from either team tees off. If a player shows
up late, they may be placed in any spot which was declared to be
forfeited, provided his opponent has not teed off. This may cause an
out-of-sequence pairing using handicaps. Players may NOT play an opponent
in another foursome. A player whose opponent has forfeited MUST complete
the match to be eligible to win points. Players/Teams benefiting from a
forfeit do not automatically win forfeit points, they must earn them in
accordance with the INDIVIDUAL/TEAM paragraphs below. Scores shot in
forfeited matches will be used in determining handicaps.
If, after a match is begun, any player cannot complete the match because
of injury, illness, or other reason, the player he was matched against
will continue playing, but under the forfeit rules below. The team losing
the player will forfeit team points. Remaining players in the match will
continue to play against their original opponents.
Teams which forfeit will have golf balls deducted from their post-season
allotment for each occurrence.
Forfeit points will be determined as follows:
INDIVIDUAL POINTS
The person receiving a forfeit will play a match against par. Three,
four, or five "BONUS" strokes will be added (see chart below) to that
player's league handicap. Scoring/points are awarded like they would be
with any other match; strokes are applied against lowest handicapped holes
and points are determined by hole/stroke score).
"BONUS" Strokes added to handicap when receiving forfeit:
if your handicap is 0 - 9, add 3 strokes
if your handicap is 10 - 18, add 4 strokes
if your handicap is 19+, add 5 strokes
TEAM POINTS
Team points will be awarded based on the number of actual matches
played. The team receiving the forfeit will use it's one, two, or three
lowest net scores (the number of actual matches played) versus their
opponent's team net. "Bonus" strokes are not counted when calculating team
net and under no circumstance will the forfeiting team be eligible for
team points.
Note: This means that nightly totals may not add up to 20 points. (Playoff
teams are determined by highest winning percentage vice number of total
points.)
D. Matches Suspended/Postponed by Inclement Weather.
When a match is suspended by inclement weather, every effort should be
made to complete the match on the same night. If the course halts play or
play is halted by "common sense", all participants should remain at the
course for a period of 45 minutes to see if play can be continued unless
otherwise directed by a responsible board member or (acting) team captain.
If a participant leaves prior to the 45 minute waiting period and play is
resumed...a forfeit will be charged to the player who left. If his oppon
ent chooses not to complete the match, both players will be charged
forfeits. The Board would feel obliged to honor any mutual agreement
between teams to cancel their match and reschedule. However, to avoid
excessive make-up matches and the inevitable card matching that results,
the Board strongly recommends that teams observe the 45 minute waiting
period. On any night where the entire league does not complete play due to
inclement weather, the results will be official for any foursome
completing play. 'Completing play' is defined as finishing the entire
9-hole match. Teams unable to complete play must replay or schedule to
replay the match in its entirety within 3 weeks. If that is not possible,
the teams will match cards on the third week to complete a suspended match.
E. General Playing Rules.
1. Winter Rules.
a. Preferred lies will be allowed only in fairways and in the rough
adjoining fairways and greens. The ball may not be picked up and placed
in a preferred lie, but must be moved with the head of the club only.
Preferred lies will be made within approximately 12 inches of the original
position of the ball, no nearer to the hole.
b. Preferred lies will not be allowed in the following areas:
(1) Sand traps. (2) Hazards. (3) Under trees. (4) In woods. (5)
Within one (1) club length from base of large trees.
c. Preferred lies near obstacles will keep the obstacle in play, and
will be made without improving the line of flight to the green.
NOTE: Violation of rules E1a, b, and c above will result in a two-stroke
penalty and loss of hole.
d. It is permissible to move the ball a reasonable distance-without
penalty-from bare spots, rocky areas, or washouts to the nearest grass,
without improving the line of flight to the green, unless the original
position of the ball is in one of the areas specified in paragraph E1b
above. If that is the case, the following rules will apply:
(1) If the original position of the ball is a bare
spot, rocky area, or washout in a sand trap or hazard, the ball may be
dropped in another area of the trap/hazard without penalty.
(2) If the original position of the ball is a bare spot,
rocky area, or washout in one of the other three areas specified in
paragraph E1b above, the ball may be dropped in the nearest grass
after assessment of one-stroke penalty.
e. It is intended that the use of preferred lies not be abused, and that
each league member use fair play and common sense when moving his ball to
a preferred lie. The exceptions listed in paragraph E1b above are basic
common sense: if you are in trouble-under a tree, behind a tree, in the
woods, etc.-you are being penalized for it and the ball must be played as
it lies. There should be no difficulty in the interpretation of these
basic rules if we exercise reasonable judgment consistent with the traits
of fairness and good sportsmanship.
2. Out of Bounds Rules.
a. Out of bounds areas will be those designated by USGA rules and/or
local course rules.
b. Procedures for playing out of bounds shots are as follows:
(1) When there is any doubt as to whether or not a shot is out of bounds,
a provisional ball must be played. If the original ball is out of bounds,
the penalty is one stroke and loss of distance, and the provisional ball
must be played (laying three, hitting four).
(2) If a player hits a second consecutive shot out of bounds, he shall
play his next shot from the point on the fairway where the ball went out
of bounds. He shall take a penalty stroke for each out of bounds shot
plus one (1) additional stroke (laying five, hitting six).
3. Lost Ball.
a. A stroke and distance penalty shall NOT be incurred if it is agreed by
player and opponent that the lost ball is not out-of-bounds. If it is
deemed that the lost ball may be out-of-bounds, a stroke and distance
penalty shall be imposed per section 2. Out of Bounds Rules above.
b. A player in woods/high grass not defined as a hazard/OB whose ball
is lost/unplayable must incur a one stroke penalty and drop within 2 club
lengths of the entry point as agreed upon by player and opponent. Unless....
both the player and opponent agree the lost ball was in the fairway or
mistakenly played by another golfer, in which case the player may drop
another ball where the first was presumed to lie and NO penalty will be
assessed.
4. Speed-Up Rule. No more than five (5) minutes may be spent looking
for a ball. After that time the ball must be declared lost, and another
ball dropped in the fairway near where the loss occurred. Rules E3a,b and
c above apply in regard to assessment of penalty strokes for a lost ball.
5. Small Trees, Bushes, and Shrubs. Club rules, if any, apply.
Otherwise, appropriate USGA and league rules will be enforced.
6. Putting.
a. A player may use one ball to play his shots to the green, and another
ball for putting.
b. Once a player begins putting, he will putt out unless doing so will
cause him to stand in the putting line of another player.
c. A two-stroke penalty will be assessed for striking another player's
ball while on the putting surface. It is the responsibility of the player
putting to request other players to mark their balls if they are between
his ball and the cup. If a player fails to mark his ball after being so
requested, and the player putting hits the unmarked ball, the player who
failed to mark his ball will be assessed a two-stroke penalty. If an
unmarked ball lies on the other side of the cup and is struck, no penalty
will be assessed. The ball which was struck must be moved back to
approximately its original location and played from that spot.
7. Other Exceptions. Since league competition is a combination of medal
and match play, any special exceptions necessary will be made by the
Greens Committee during the season.
APPENDIX A Championship Match Procedures
Participating Team
The league Championship Match shall be contested over 18 holes among four
teams composed of some combination of division winners and "wild card"
teams. The exact determination of the participants shall depend upon the
structure of the league for the season in question, and shall be made
known by the Board to the team captains prior to the start of each season.
Format of Match
Each playoff team selects five (*six) players for the championship
match. If for some reason five (*six) are not available, a team may play
with four (*five). Foursomes will be determined by order of handicap the
same as league night play; teammates may not play in the same foursome. If
the need arises, foursomes must be split so that no player competes alone.
The championship winner and finishing order will be determined by the sum
of the four (*five) lowest net scores.
Tie Breaking Procedure
In the event that two or more teams tie, the following procedures will be
used in the order listed to break the tie:
(*. Sum of four lowest net scores)
a. Sum of three lowest net scores
b. Sum of two lowest net scores
c. Lowest individual net score
d. Sum of all six net scores
e. head-to-head regular season record of tied teams
f. better overall record in regular season
* IF ALL playoff teams agree, each may send six players with the best five
being used to determine the champion. Once the agreement has been made to
send six and a team is unable to send six due to unforeseen circumstances,
ALL playoff teams must agree to revert back to five.
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