1 Tournament Format & HGT-Local Rules
1.1 The format for regular season tournaments is Individual Stroke Play.
1.2 There shall be no “Mulligans” or “Gimmies” (all putts must be made).
1.3 Lost Ball / “The HGT Drop” Rule (alternative to Rule 27-2, to improve the pace of play): “You must drop a ball in the place nearest the point where your ball was lost and add 1 shot to your score before playing your next shot. The place must be agreed with playing companions. This option does not apply to a ball known to have entered a Hazard, or been struck visibly Out of Bounds.”
1.4 Handheld yardage measuring devices are permitted. This is known as the “Smith Rule”.
1.5 Rolling a ball off an un-repaired or recently re-seeded divot in one’s own fairway to the nearest point of relief is permitted without penalty. This is known as the “Framke-Rule”.
2 Etiquette
2.1 Please observe posted Cart Rules.
2.2 Please keep golf carts at least 30 feet from tees, greens and bunkers (except when on a cart path).
2.3 Please replace divots, repair ball marks and rake bunkers.
2.4 Please do not smoke within Clubhouses.
3 Dress Code
3.1 Men - Country Club Casual defined as slacks, knee length shorts, collared golf shirt, turtleneck or long sleeve mock turtleneck with minimum 1 1/2” collar.
3.2 Women - Country Club Casual defined as slacks, knee length shorts, appropriate length skirts, shirts either with a collar or a sleeve, blouses or turtlenecks.
3.3 Soft spikes are required (no metal spikes).
3.4 Hats should not be worn backwards, and shirts must be tucked in. Hats must be removed inside clubhouses or on clubhouse patios.
3.5 Denim clothing of any type or color, jogging outfits, or sweat pants are not appropriate attire.
4 Registration Fee & Tournament Entry
4.1 You must pay the Registration Fee to be eligible to win Tournament Prize Dollars and Play-Off Points.
4.2 The Registration Fee is $250. Each regular season Tournament is limited to 28 players. Each Ryder-Cup Match is limited to 8 players.
4.3 Entry to a Tournament will be accepted up to seven days prior with paid Entry Fee.
4.4 A “last-minute” Guest substitution is permissible in the event of a Player being unable to play who has previously paid a Tournament Entry Fee or committed to play in a tournament.
4.5 Up to three Guests per Registered Player may enter a Tournament if there is room available.
4.6 By playing, you agree to the free use by Historic Golf Tour® of photographs for news and other publicity.
4.7 The cancelling of a Tournament due to weather will be determined in consultation with the host club. In the event of a cancellation, the HGT will reschedule after the season. If this is not possible, players may apply their Entry Fee towards a future Tournament or request a full refund. Any partial or full cancellation refunds issued by the Club will be forwarded in full to participants who had already paid their Entry Fee. A rain-forced-cancellation is determined via the weather channel (weather.com) forecast for the zip code of the tournament club. If weather.com lists a 60% or more chance of “rain” or “steady rain” with 1/4 inch or more expected to accumulate during 1-6pm the afternoon of the tournament, the HGT will request a cancellation from the Host Club. If the forecast is for “light rain” or better, the tournament will be conducted. Those players scheduled to compete will be notified via email between 9-11am the morning of the tournament of a cancellation. Players may check weather.com for the day’s forecast so as to be prepared if the round is likely to be cancelled or not.
4.8 An official Historic Golf Tour® tournament must have a minimum of five entrants. Events with four or less players will still be held, subject to the Host Club and HGT Committee adjudication, but will have a winner-take-all Scotland Fund prize and a reduced Entry Fee.
5 Prizes
5.1 Every player will receive a complimentary Historic Golf Tour® shirt with their Registration Fee payment. They will be given at the first tournament the player enters.
5.2 The Tournament Prize Pool (aka the Scotland Prize Fund) is allocated 70/20/10 for 1st, 2nd & 3rd Place best net score. The individual Tournament Prize winning Dollars accumulate in the Historic Golf Tour® bank account until they are redeemed against a St.Andrews golf vacation, Historic Golf Tour® merchandise, the Play-Offs or Registration Fee and Tournament Entry Fees in the following season.
5.3 Playoff Points are earned by beating other registered players’ net-scores. One Point is earned per registered player beaten +1.
5.4 “Skill” prize(s) at Tournaments are issued as Pro-shop credit. A “skill” prize may not be played for when the field is four players or less. If there are two skill prizes being played for, and no-one wins the first (eg no long drive is on the fairway), then the total skill prize fund will accumulate to the second skill. If that is also not won (eg no tee-shot hits the green), then all participants will share the prize of new golf balls from the Pro Shop.
5.5 No individual Tournament Prize will have a value over $750, in accordance with USGA Rule 3-2.
5.6 In the event of a tie for a Tournament Prize, the outcome shall be decided on Countback (last 9, 6, 3, 2, 1 holes in that sequence). In the event of there still being a tie, the Prize shall be shared.
5.7 If, once a Tournament has started, it has to be shortened due to lightning, prize(s) are awarded based on the holes completed by all Players.
6 Trophies
Individual Tournament
6.1 The Winner of a Tournament retains the Claret Jug trophy until the following Tournament.
Season
6.2 The Player with the highest season total Tournament Prize Dollars is awarded the trophy, with their name and year of winning engraved, to hold until May 1st the following year. In the event of a tie, a play-off will be held at the Tournament Director’s discretion.
Play-Offs
6.3 The Team with the highest number of HGT-Ryder-Cup Points is awarded the Ryder-Cup trophy, with each player’s name and year of winning engraved, to share-holding until the following year’s HGT-Ryder-Cup. In the event of a tie, the previous season’s winning team will retain the trophy.
7 Tournament Groupings and Timing
7.1 Groupings will be decided by the Director by rotating players so they may play with every other player during the season (subject to feasibility) to encourage new friendships and contacts.
7.2 Guests will always be placed in their host player’s group.
7.3 A group of less than four players will tee off first.
7.4 Any Tournament group which falls one hole behind the group immediately in front, for more than two consecutive holes, shall be deemed to be “slow” and is automatically “warned”.
In the event that there is no group in front (i.e. it is not possible to determine that the first group has fallen behind), slow play will be decided by the playing group behind having to wait for two successive holes. In the event that there is a group in front, but not members of the Tournament, no adjustment is appropriate.
8 Handicap System
8.1 Player handicaps will be calculated using a custom HGT formula and cannot exceed 24.
8.2 All newly-registered players will be allocated a “Provisional” HGT handicap based on their last 5 best scores of their previous twenty-five posted at GHIN. Actual Historic Golf Tour® Tournament scores will automatically replace the previously used earliest “best score” to update handicaps.
8.3 A player’s handicap is re-calculated after every Tournament they compete in.
8.4 Player handicaps will be carried over from the end of the previous year.
8.5 A player’s HGT-Handicap is effective on the Historic Golf Tour® only.
9 Tournament Scoring
9.1 There is one official scorecard per player in each Tournament.
9.2 Each scorer in a group keeps both their own and the card holder’s gross score on that player’s official scorecard.
9.3 No Player may score their own official score card.
9.4 Each golfer is responsible for the correctness of their scorecard even though a fellow competitor will be marking the scores on each hole.
9.5 Each scorecard must be signed by the scorer and attested by the player. In attesting the scorecard, you are stating that the score for each individual hole during the round is correct.
9.6 An official scorecard is “returned” when signed by both the Scorer and the Player and handed to the Tournament Director.
9.7 Each Player’s Gross Score for each hole will be entered by the Director in the “Stroke” database.
9.8 The Player’s Nett Score will be calculated by subtracting the Player’s Handicap.
9.9 Ties for Prize positions will be decided on Nett Score as follows in the following sequence:
· Sort Ascending - Nett Score Countback for last 9 holes (10 – 18).
· Sort Ascending - Nett Score Countback for last 6 holes (13 – 18).
· Sort Ascending - Nett Score Countback for last 3 holes (17 – 18).
· Sort Ascending - Nett Score Countback for last 2 holes (17 & 18).
· Sort Ascending - Nett Score Countback for last 1 hole (18).
· Sort Descending – New Exact Handicap (i.e. after Tournament adjustment).
9.10 In an effort to equitably resolve any scoring disputes all players in a group must submit their scorecards at the same time to the Director’s table and each player must be available for a reasonable amount of time afterwards to answer questions by the Tournament Committee.
9.11 An In-Tournament player withdrawal is only allowable due to a circumstance such as: illness, injury, or personal emergency. In the case of a withdrawal, the player does not “return” a scorecard but will earn Play-Off points.
9.12 All Tournament scorecards will be retained by the Committee for archive reference.
9.13 An HGT Match-Play Championship match that is not finished by the deadline will be decided by one of the following (in order): A) by being played within 5 days; B) the Tournament Director will decide.
9.14 No player in the HGT Match-Play Championship will receive more than one “Bye”. In the event of a match not being played by the deadline, the player without a bye shall be deemed the winner. If both or neither player has received a bye in the tournament previously, the winner shall be the player with the most Play-Off Points at the deadline for the round of the match in question.
10 Assumption of risk and release from Liability
10.1 By registering as a player, and/or entering individual tournaments, the participant understands and agrees that there are certain dangers involved with the participation in a golf event, including but not limited to being struck by lightning, getting hit by a golf club, suffering from heat exhaustion, heart attack or injury from uneven terrain, all of which risks participant assumes and solely accepts, and waives all claims of injury to body or property against the Historic Golf Tour® and Nicholas Johnson. Further, the participant agrees that while on the premises of a Historic Golf Tour® Tournament ("Event"), the participant, and any guest, relative or anyone else affiliated with participant, shall be present at their own risk and that Historic Golf Tour® and Nicholas Johnson shall not be liable for any claims for injuries or damages whatsoever to person or property of the participant or related person arising out of or in connection with the participation in the Event or presence at the Event. Participant agrees to indemnify Historic Golf Tour®, its affiliates and Nicholas Johnson from all claims by or liability to participant or affiliated person. Historic Golf Tour® is a dba of Reviresco Redux Inc., a corporation registered in New Jersey. Prize Dollars can only be redeemed through the Historic Golf Tour®.