Orange Tree Golf Club

                                 Scratch Game

 

                          Organization, Procedures and Rules

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                                                           

 

 

 

 

 

Revised:  August, 2009

 

PURPOSE AND ORGANIZATION

 

A.    PURPOSE:  The purpose of the scratch game is to provide for all Orange Tree Golf Club (OTGC) male members and their guests, who wish to compete, in a competitive golf game without the use of handicap.  This game is organized by the club members for their enjoyment and shall be governed by those members.

 

B.    ORGANIZATION: 

a.     The game is open to all OTGC male members and their invited guests.  An invited guest must meet the criteria established by the OTGC.  Only OTGC regular members shall have a vote in the game activities.  A regular member is defined as an individual who plays in the game 25 or more times a year.

b.     The regular members shall select a committee of five members to be responsible for the activities for each year.  Normally, the selection of a new committee will be in January of each year.  The committee shall have the authority to make changes to the format or rules for a one month period.  After the one month test period, the committee must either put the changes up for a vote to the membership or terminate the test period and revert to the existing format or rule.

c.     The committee shall have the right by majority vote to enforce disciplinary action against any game member.

 

FREQUENCY AND REGISTRATION

 

A.    FREQUENCY:

a.     The game will be played on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday of each week at OTGC, unless announced otherwise.  On Wednesday and Friday, play will begin at 1:00 pm as announced in the monthly activity calendar.  On Saturday play will normally begin at 1:00 pm, except during the summer at a time determined by the committee.

b.     Any eligible player may enter the game by notifying the pro shop of their intention to play that day.  Notification must be 30 minutes prior to the beginning of play for the day.  Failure to register 30 minutes prior to the beginning of play may be cause for ineligibility for that day.  Team captains for the day’s game may allow a player to play if he was late in notifying the pro shop.  However, the vote must be unanimous by the team captains.  If the vote is not unanimous, then the team captains’ voting against must inform the player of his ineligibility for that day.

 

B.    REGISTRATION:

a.     Upon the completion of individual registration for the day’s play, the total number of registered players will determine the number of teams.                  

b.     Selection of teams shall be done with a preference to foursomes.  Fivesomes may be initiated in the interest of competitive balance when approved by a member of the committee.

 

    TEAM SELECTION

 

A.    The team captains for the day’s play shall be determined by the lowest score average of the days registered players.  Any professional golfer playing in the game will pick last.  A professional golfer is defined as a person who plays golf for his livelihood.

B.    The team captain with the highest score average (regardless of tee designation) shall have first choice of selecting a registered player in the first round.  The selection shall continue by each team captain in descending order of score average.  After completion of the second round of selection, the third round selection process shall be reversed and the lowest score average team captain shall have the first choice and the selection will continue in ascending order by score average.  The fourth round selection (only necessary for fivesomes) will return to the same order as the first round.

C.     Team captains are responsible for assisting a team captain who is unfamiliar with the players.  The committee shall select the team if the team captain so wishes or the first player selected for the team may substitute for the team captain in making the remaining selections.  If the committee is selecting, the player with the lowest handicap will become the selection.

D.    Team captains who are unavailable at the time for selection will fall into the same category as an unfamiliar captain.

E.     The team captains have no authority to change the rules of play or format of team selection.  There will be no pre-selected teams, except for a request by the OTGC owner.

 

ENTRY FEE

 

A.     The entry fee for each day’s play shall be as follows:

a.     $5.00 each for the front and back nines

b.     $10.00 each for the total eighteen

c.     Team dots are defined as greenies on par three holes and skins (skins are defined in d. below).  The number of team dots may vary from day to day and will result in different total entry fee each day.  A team dot has a value of $1.00.

d.     An optional $5.00 skin pot is available to each player.  A skin is earned when only one player has the lowest score on any single hole that is below par.   The skin values are:  Birdie=1, Eagle=2, Hole-in-One=6, and

a Double Eagle =10 skins.

e.     The total value of the skin pot will be divided by the number of skins and the money distributed accordingly. 

B.    Once a team has proceeded to the starting hole and before play begins, the team captain shall inform the players of any local rules determined by the OTGC pro shop due to existing conditions for the day, the tee’s that each player shall play, and whether the player wishes to participate in the optional skin pot.  It is incumbent on the team captain to inform his players of any other competition among individual players and to obtain the players approval before starting play.  Once play has begun no changes to a player’s status for the optional skin pot or other competition is permitted.

 

ORDER OF PLAY

 

A.    Upon completion of the team selection process the team captain is responsible to inform his teammates of the order of play.

B.    Shotgun starts are preferred but must be approved by the pro shop.  Teams are allowed to start on different holes if approved by the pro shop.

C.     The order of play shall be defined by the team captains with consideration to speed of play.

 

TEE DETERMINATION

A.    The scratch game committee, by majority vote, may determine a different tee placement for a player in the interest of skill level and competition.

B.    Professional Golfers:  All professional golfers shall play the black tees unless the committee makes an exception.

C.     Club Professionals and Amateurs: 

1.     Players under the age of 60:

a.     Play from the blue tees with a handicap index of 3.6 or less.

b.     Play from the green tees with a handicap of 3.7 or higher.

2.     Players age 60-69 shall play from the green tees.

3.     Players age 70-79 shall play from the white tees.

4.     Players age 80 and older shall play from the red tees.

 

SCORING

 

A.    The scoring shall be the lowest score for each of two balls of each team by hole, except when there are more than two birdies, eagles, or hole-in-ones on any hole, in which case all these below par scores shall count for the team score on that hole.  A single winner and/or ties for the first nine, second nine, and total eighteen shall be determined by the scores for each team.  The ball counted for scoring must be holed out.  During the summer months, the scratch committee has the authority to change the game to the “points game” if they so choose.

B.    The team captain is responsible for posting all scores, greenies, and individual skins.

C.     The team captain is responsible for keeping an accurate and complete scorecard for his team players that conforms to PGA handicap rules.

 

D.    A committee member or a committee designee will use the completed score cards for the day to record the individual scores to the handicap system

E.     After completion of play, if a guest’s score is deemed to be grossly inappropriate for his stated index or handicap, the scratch committee may disallow the player’s score and an appropriate blind draw from the other teams substituted.  In order for this to occur, there must be a unanimous vote by the team captains, excluding the team captain of the team who had the disputed player.

 

RULES OF PLAY

 

A.    USGA and local OTGC rules shall apply except as modified below:

1.     The one ball rule is not in effect.

2.     The embedded ball rule is in effect.

 

SUSPENSION OF PLAY

 

A.    A player may suspend play for his team when lighting has been observed.  The team shall proceed to a safe area and note the time of suspended play.

B.    Only the team captain may suspend play for rain.

 

PLAYER WITHDRAWAL

 

A.    There are rare instances when a player must withdraw from the scratch game after the competition has begun.  If this happens, the team must choose one of the following options at the moment the player withdraws:

1.     Continue to play with the team that remains without the addition of another player.

2.     Drop out of the team game and continue to play for only the skins portion of the scratch game.

3.     Decide to eliminate the team from any part of the scratch game that particular day.

 

CANCELLATION OF THE SCRATCH GAME

A.    The game is cancelled if an initial delay exceeds 45 minutes from the time of suspension.

B.    The game is cancelled if a second delay exceeds 15 minutes.

C.     The game is cancelled if a third delay occurs.

D.    The game is cancelled if the team captains unanimously agree that the conditions are unlikely to allow resuming of play.

 

SPECIAL EVENTS

 

A.    When a Super Scratch game or other special event is organized, the scratch committee will announce any changes to the above rules.