INFORMATION

CWGA TOURNAMENT INFORMATION

  • Tournament registration will be online only.  No checks or cash will be accepted.
  • Online tournament entry begins on April 15th at 9 am.
  • Please contact your CWGA representative if you need to change or cancel your registration.
  • A participant in any CWGA event must be an amateur, a paid member of CWGA and a paid member of her club’s women’s golf organization.
  • Handicap indexes will be capped at 40.4 for individual tournaments and 60.8 for partner tournaments.
  • A player’s handicap index from the Friday preceding the event will be used in all tournaments.
  • Registrations are accepted up to 4 pm on the Friday before a tournament.
  • All paired events must be entered as one combined online entry.
  • Once a tournament reaches its capacity, CWGA will start a waiting list.  If spots should become available, potential participants will be notified based on date of registration.
  • Pairing requests or requests for specific caddies will not be honored at any event.
  • If a player cancels after 4 pm the Friday before the tournament no refund will be made, regardless of the reason.
  • If a tournament is canceled after the start of play, no refunds will be made.
  • If a Past Presidents’ Award qualifying tournament (Stableford, CWGA Open, District Championship – qualifying round) is canceled due to weather or course conditions, every attempt will be made to reschedule the tournament during the season.
  • Tournaments that are not qualifiers for the Past Presidents’ Award will not be rescheduled if cancelled due to weather or course condition and players will be reimbursed (less processing fee) provided play had not begun.
  • CWGA reserves the right to limit and reject tournament entries.
  • Caddies and cart fees will be posted at each tournament.
  • If a caddie is requested for a tournament, but a cart is used on the day of the tournament, the player may be assessed for both.
  • Payments will be awarded electronically.  Following each tournament, payment and documentation will be mailed to the designated person at each club.
  • CWGA may choose to award a prize to any player who scores a hole-in-one in any CWGA event.
  • CWGA will post scores when applicable to the format.
CWGA TOURNAMENT RULES

CWGA tournaments are governed by the USGA Rules of Golf and any local rules observed by our member courses.  The host pro, in collaboration with the CWGA host rep, shall have the power to rectify any disputes arising on the day of the tournament.  No allowances or change of tee time will be made to accommodate a player’s schedule.

CWGA Guidelines for Start Times

Tournament start time under USGA Rule 5.3a states that:

  • A player must be ready to play at the starting time and starting point set by the committee.  CWGA designates the starting time as the time that the carts are dismissed to their starting holes. CWGA designates the starting point as the cart staging area.
  • A player will be disqualified if she fails to leave the staging area within five minutes after the carts’ original dismissal time.
  • If she is not able to play at the starting time and starting point, the player will receive a general penalty of two strokes if she meets the following criteria:
    • she leaves the staging area within 5 minutes of the carts’ original dismissal time and
    • she tees off before her team finishes their first hole.

What this means to you for each Tournament:

The CWGA Open

  • Individual stroke play event
  • USGA Rule 5.3a is in effect.
  • A player will be disqualified if she fails to leave the staging area within five minutes after the carts’ original dismissal time.
  • She will receive a general penalty of two strokes if she meets the following criteria:
    • she leaves the staging area within five minutes of the carts’ original dismissal time and
    • she tees off before her team finishes their first hole.

Stableford

  • Individual stroke play event.
  • USGA Rule 5.3a is in effect.
  • A player will be disqualified if she fails to leave the staging area within the five minutes after the carts’ original dismissal time.
  • She will receive a general penalty of two strokes if she meets the following criteria:
    • she leaves the staging area within five minutes of the carts’ original dismissal time and
    • she tees off before her team finishes their first hole.

Best Ball

  • This is a partner stroke play event.
  • If a player arrives after the designated start time, the player may join her group only on the start of a hole and must be at that tee box prior to any player in the group teeing off. Her score will not be used on any hole(s) she does not play.

 Two Ball

  • This is a partner stroke play event.
  • If a player arrives after the designated start time, the player may join her group only on the start of a hole and must be at that tee box prior to any player in the group teeing off. Her score will not be used on any hole(s) she does not play.

Spring Shamble

  • This is a partner stroke play event.
  • If a player arrives after the designated start time, the player may join her group only on the start of a new hole and she must be at that tee box prior to any player in the group teeing off. Her score will not be used on any hole(s) she does not play.

Chapman Scotch

  • This is a partner stroke play event
  • USGA Rule 5.3a is in effect.
  • Both players must be present to compete in this event.
  • The team will be disqualified if they fail to leave the staging area within five minutes after the carts’ original dismissal time.
  • The team will receive a general penalty of two strokes if they meet the following criteria:
    • they leave the staging area within five minutes of the carts’ original dismissal time and
    • they tee off before their team finishes their first hole.

Solheim Cup

  • This is a partner stroke play event.
  • USGA Rule 5.3a is in effect.
  • If one player from the team arrives after the designated start time, the player may join her group only on the start of a new hole and must be at the tee box prior to any player in the group teeing off.  Her score will not be used on any hole(s) she does not play.
  • The team will be disqualified if they fail to leave the staging area within five minutes after the carts’ original dismissal time.
  • They will receive a general penalty of two strokes if they meet the following criteria:
    • they leave the staging area within five minutes of the carts’ original dismissal time and
    • they tee off before their team finishes their first hole.

Team Play

  • This is an individual match play event.
  • A player arriving late will lose as many holes as her group has played at that time.  Her opponent(s) will get one point for each hole she has not played.
  • Any player having to withdraw during the course of play will receive credit for the points she has accrued. Her opponents will get one point for each hole not played.

District Championship

The Qualifying Round of District Championship (those qualifying for the Championship Flight)

    • Individual stroke play event.
    • USGA Rule 5.3a is in effect.  The Pro will hold the tee time for five minutes. A player will be disqualified if she fails to tee off with her assigned group at the assigned time.

The Non-Qualifying round of District Championship (those opting to play a practice round)

    • Individual stroke play event.
    • A player may join in with her group whenever she arrives with no penalty.

Match Play rounds

    • Individual match play event.
    • USGA Rule 5.3a is in effect. The pro will hold the tee time for five minutes.  A player will be disqualified if she fails to tee off with her assigned group at the assigned time.  The match will be determined, and neither player will be permitted to play.

Scoring an Incomplete Hole

  • If a player picks up on a hole in the Best Ball or Two-Ball partner events, she should record her most likely score.
  • A most likely score equals the number of strokes already taken plus, in the player’s best judgement, the number of strokes needed to complete the hole from that point more than half of the time.
  • In this scenario an X should precede the score on the scorecard for this hole score (e.g., X-7).
  • For the individual tournaments that are qualifiers for the Past Presidents’ Award (Stableford, CWGA Open, District Championship-qualifying round) a player must hole out on every hole to be eligible for the award.

Incomplete Grouping

  • No individual may compete alone in an individual tournament.
  • No twosome may compete alone in a partner tournament.
  • Any designee of the tournament committee may act as a marker for an incomplete grouping.

Pace of Play

  • The player should at a prompt pace throughout the round.
  • Rangers, assigned by CWGA, will monitor the speed of play.

Delay or Interruption of Play   

  • The host professional and course superintendent will determine if the course and weather conditions prohibit the start or continuation of play. If the contiguous delay is longer than (2) hours, the tournament will be postponed for that day or canceled. Every attempt to reschedule the CWGA Open and the Stableford will be made if needed.
  • In tournament events (non-Team) that are not able to complete the 18 holes, the host rep and host pro will decide the outcome of the tournament.
  • If play is suspended and the players are in the process of playing a hole, they shall mark their balls, discontinue play immediately, and shall not resume play until ordered to do so.
  • If a player continues to play without specific permission from the committee, she will be disqualified.
  • Penalty is disqualification.

Ties

  • Ties will be settled by a scorecard playoff per USGA guidelines for all tournaments as well as the last spot in the championship flight of District Championship by comparing the last nine holes, the last six holes, the last three holes and the final hole.
  • If there is still not a winner, a tie will be declared between players.
  • There will be two exceptions to this rule; final standings for Team play and match play during District Championship.
    • Team play: see Team play rules for explanation of tie breakers for the final standings.
    • District Championship: if after 18 holes a match is not determined, the match will continue hole-by-hole until there is a winner.  The host pro will determine the starting hole.

 Caddies

  • A player in a CWGA event may not employ her own caddie under penalty of disqualification. The only exception to this is District Championship, if the host club allows for outside caddies.  A player may not employ a caddie from the host club.
  • Caddies will be assigned by the host caddie master or pro shop based on availability.
  • If a caddie is in your group but not employed by you, you may ask for distance or general course knowledge. You may not ask the caddie for advice such as how to read a putt or which club to use.
  • During a stipulated round, a player must not ask for advice from anyone other than her partner or either of their caddies. In stroke play, the penalty is two strokes.  In match play the penalty will be loss of hole.

Carry of Bags

  • Not permitted.

Push Carts

  • Not permitted.

 Distance Measuring Devices

  • The use of stand-alone-devices or multi-functional devices is permitted for all CWGA tournaments, Team play, and District Championship if they are used to measure distance only.
  • The player may not use the device to gauge or measure other conditions, (e.g., wind, gradient, or to obtain any information that may aid in the player’s club selection or decision-making process).  The penalty is disqualification.