Welcome to the Silver Oak Senior Men’s Club (SOSMC), a golf club for men, age 50+!  Our goal is to provide weekly golf events for the pure enjoyment of our members.  Rounds consist of various formats, from 2-man team events, 4-man team events, match competitions, A-B-C-D foursomes, and some individual stroke play.  Play is from all tees and for those 80+ years of age, red tees with Tournament Chairman approval.  Gross and net skins games are optional, plus KP's that the entire field competes for are included in the weekly tournament.

Play is Thursday mornings throughout the season, shotgun start.  Members may request a preferred playing partner and/or foursome for most events.  If you click on the 'Calendar' tab, you can see times and locations for every event of the season.

We want to promote first-class sportsmanship and camaraderie for our members, while playing within the USGA rules of golf.  Come join us and enjoy the game!

Dues are $50 annually (Jan 1 to Dec 31), paid directly to the club. GHIN fees are to be paid directly to NNGA. SOSMC members will enjoy the following benefits: 

  • 30+ organized events on Thursdays, starting early April and running through the end of October
  • Shotgun starts. Start time dependent on time of year.  See schedule.
  • Reduced green fees for all our events
  • Range balls on tournament days
  • Optional weekly skins games for white tees and yellow/red tees
  • Closest to the pin prize on two or more par 3's
  • GHIN score posting
  • On-line signups and results postings through GolfGenius
  • $100 hole-in-one insurance
  • Two-round club championship tournament (gross and net winners)

 

SOSMC Board of Directors

 

President                Jamie Rozzi            408-431-3516     rozzi@yahoo.com

Vice President         Rick Ghiglieri          775-741-3927    lynnandrick@sbcglobal.net

Secretary                Johnny Isaak          775-350-9000     peregrine105@yahoo.com                              

Treasurer                John Fewell            650-279-1468     j.fewell@att.net

Tournament Chair   Romney Kernek     775-287-5089     rkernek@gmail.com

General Member     Gordon Allen          775-560-8155     gordophoto54@gmail.com 

General Member     Roger Intorf            209-502-1909     intorfroger@gmail.com

General Member     Bruce Hardy           775-250-0560     hbmhardy@gmail.com

General Member     Alex Talmant           775-833-8410     alex_talmantg@yahoo.com    

 

All board members are volunteers

 

General Information and Summary of SOSMC Rules and Policies

 

1. All About Tournaments

 Club tournaments are scheduled each Thursday from late March through the end of October at 8:00 AM (unless otherwise specified). Click on Calendar under the Home tab on the club web portal for the tournament schedule. “More Info” specifies the tournament format details, special tee times, and/or handicap allowance. See Section 2 for description of tournament formats and annual awards.

Online Tournament Signups

All members will receive email invitations to sign up one week prior to each tournament. The signup period opens when the tournament invitation arrives on Friday and closes at 12:00 pm Tuesday prior to each scheduled tournament. Respond to the email invitations by clicking either "Playing" or "Not Playing" and attach a message with your signup if you have a request for the Tournament Chairman. You will receive a confirmation email of your playing status. Save and use this confirmation to reverse your previous choice, if necessary. Please cancel by 12:00 pm Tuesday.  Email or text Romney Kernek if you need to cancel or sign up after the signup period closes. Do not contact Silver Oak directly.

We prefer that each player sign up individually to minimize miscommunication among playing partners. However, you may sign up a guest (non-club member). You can confirm the players who have signed up for upcoming tournaments at any time during the open signup period by clicking "Tee Sheets'' on the club web portal. This list of confirmed players will convert to the actual tee sheet (pairings and starting hole assignments) after notification on Tuesday prior to each tournament. You can also use the portal (during the open signup period) to check and change your playing status. A box will appear on the left side of the page with the tournaments with open signups. Select your name from the pull-down list or start typing your last name and click on the name. Confirm or change your playing status.

Member's Email Address

You will need a valid email address to receive invitations for tournament signups and other important announcements from the Tournament Chairman. Please stop by the scorer's table after your round to verify your email address if you are not receiving emails from the club. See the scorer if you suddenly stop receiving emails from the club. The most likely explanation is that you have accidentally pressed the unsubscribe button in one of the club emails. We will send an invitation for you to re-subscribe.

Guest Policy

With the pre-approval of the tournament director, members may invite guests to play in any of our club tournaments except the President’s Cup and the Club Championship. Guest invitations are intended for prospective new members to evaluate membership in SOSMC. Guests may not enter in the tournament game and are ineligible for KPs and skins.

Tee Time and Pairing Assignments

Once the online signups close each Tuesday, the Tournament Chairman will assign pairings and starting holes for reverse shotguns for the players on the signup sheet. The tee sheets will be posted weekly on the club’s web portal by notification on Tuesday. Pairings are assigned by the player’s handicap index for round one of the President’s Cup and Club Championship and gross score in round one for round two. Pairings for all other tournaments are based upon the players’ preferences on the signup sheet (A-B-C-D tournaments and ‘meet your member’ tournaments are the exception). Singles will be grouped in pairings by similar handicap indexes and by the tees that they have selected to play. Please inform the Tournament Chairman if there are other preferences you wish to have considered in assigning your pairing.The starting hole assignments will be ordered by the total handicap index of the players in the group. However, we recognize that pace-of-play may not necessarily correlate with handicap. Therefore, a group may appeal to the Tournament Chairman for a position in the field that is more suited to their pace of play. A group’s relative position in the field may change if the group fails to comply with the Club’s pace-of-play policy contained herein.

Tournament Entry Fees

There is a mandatory entry fee of $10 for the game associated with the weekly tournaments (except $20 prior to the first round of the President’s Cup and Club Championship). New members with insufficient number of posted scores to establish a GHIN handicap index may not enter in tournament games, KPs, or net skins but can voluntarily enter in gross skins. Players will need to have played in a minimum of three club events, within the calendar year, to qualify for entry into the President’s Cup, and five events for the Club Championship.

The club retains 10 percent of the game entry fees to cover costs for year-end awards/banquet, other club events throughout the season, and hole-in-one insurance (up to $100 toward bar tab following the round).  Separate entry fees of $5 each for gross and net skins are optional. Place your entry fees in an envelope when you check in and drop it in the fee bin at the check-in table. Make sure you have written your name on the envelope and checked off the games you are entering.

Tournament Flights and Playing Forward (Yellow) Tees

Tournament games will consist of multiple flights (depending on number of players who have signed up) with approximately equal numbers of players unless specified otherwise by the format or Tournament Chairman. Flights are assigned according to handicap index (not playing handicap) irrespective of the set of tees played. However, if there is a sufficient number of yellow tee players, the Tournament Chairman reserves the right to have a separate yellow tee flight.

Players that have a GHIN handicap index of 20 or greater may elect to play from the forward (yellow) tees during any tournament, including major championships. Players who are 80+ years of age may elect to play from the red tees by requesting and securing the tournament director's approval. Players are required to commit to playing one set of tees for the entire season. Exceptions: (1) If your GHIN handicap index drops below 20.0 at any time during the season, you may be asked to play from the white tees, and (2) players who do not meet the above criteria for playing yellow tees may appeal the exception to the SOSMC board of directors. Keep in mind that for the same handicap index, the corresponding playing handicap for the yellow tees will be a few strokes lower than for white tees (e.g., 12 vs 16 for index of 20 and 22 vs 26 for index of 30). So, the difference in playing handicaps between the two sets of tees should offset the advantage from playing the shorter tees over an 18-hole round. This would not be the case on a hole-by-hole basis. Therefore, skins will have separate games for white and yellow/red tees.  

Handicap Policy

The SOSMC Board has adopted the following tournament and handicap policy:

  1. An active GHIN handicap index is required for entry into SOSMC tournaments and net skins games. Players who have yet to establish a valid index may enter gross skins at their option.
  2. The handicap index used to determine a player’s playing handicap depends on the type of tournament.
    1. Current handicap for regular tournaments
    2. 6-month low index for majors (President’s Cup and Club Championships).
  3. The maximum allowable handicap index is 36 for all tournament games and the maximum playing handicap is 18 for net skins (27 for yellow/red).

See Section 3 herein for information on how to calculate your handicap and the key features of the handicap system.

 Code of Conduct and Playing by the Rules

The club’s primary goal is to promote an environment of friendly competition that is based upon first-class sportsmanship, integrity, courtesy, and respect for fellow players. It is the player’s responsibility to know and play by the rules of golf. Play the ball as it lies at all times, unless otherwise allowed by the rules of golf or specified by the Tournament Chairman, and putt out on every hole. The more commonly applied USGA and local rules are summarized in Section 4. Please be aware that the SOSMC Board has adopted the local alternative of stroke and distance (see Section 4 for rules covering out of bounds and lost balls). Players are also expected to adhere to the etiquettes of the game, and to conduct themselves in a sportsmanlike manner.

Scorecards and Posting Scores

  1. First initial and last name (legible)
  2. Write down the start and finish times: 1) start time when the group is ready to tee off at the first assigned hole; 2) finish time when the group walks off the green on the last hole.
  3. All scores must be dated, signed, and attested.
  4. For holes that are unfinished, place an X (followed by the expected score) on the scorecard. Be aware that players who submit scorecards with an X on any hole will be disqualified from the game without refund of the entry fee (but will remain eligible for skins). Exceptions to this disqualification rule include the following formats: team best balls and President’s Cup.  For GHIN posting purposes only, any hole with an X will be considered a net double bogey as defined by the USGA World Handicap System.
  5. Incomplete or unreadable cards will be disqualified.
  6. Scorecards are exchanged prior to play for all tournaments.

The Tournament Chairman, or his designee, will post scores to GHIN for SOSMC events. Members are expected to post all other 9-hole (7 to 12 holes completed) or 18-hole (13 holes or more completed) scores of stroke play during the active season (3/15 to 11/30 in Northern Nevada) as governed by USGA posting procedures. Score holes that are not played as par plus the number of strokes that you are entitled to according to your handicap. The maximum score on any hole for handicapping purposes is net double bogey under the World Handicap System.

Tournament Payouts and Results

Skins game payout are in cash and tournament game payouts are in scrips, which can be used at Silver Oak Golf Course for green fees, food, drinks, and merchandise. Tournament game winnings are paid out to the lowest net scores for a quarter of the field in each flight plus $10 cash on KP (closest to the pin) holes. Accumulated scrips can be carried over to the next year, but should be used by the end of the season. Championship winnings are paid to low gross and low net over field and to the lowest net scores for a quarter of the remaining field in each flight. All ties remain ties except for the Club Championship winners who will be determined in a same-day playoff following lunch (no shows will be deemed a forfeit).

The Tournament Chairman will post the preliminary tournament results for review on the Club web portal after conclusion of play (usually within a few hours). Click on the results tab and select a date. Results for tournament and skins games are shown on separate pages. You may review individual score cards by clicking on a player’s name and click on ‘expand all’ in the skins sections for details for each winning skin. Contact the Tournament Chairman by noon Friday if you suspect an error in the scoring. Challenges to a posted score will be rejected if it matches the score on the signed and attested score card. Skins game payouts for the previous week’s tournament will be available for pickup at the scorer’s table at the start of the following round.

 

2.  Tournament Formats

Handicap Individual Stoke Play (ISP) - The total strokes taken for 18 holes minus course handicap strokes. Handicap Allowance is 100%.

Modified Stableford - Point values are given based on the net score for each hole. For example only: Double Eagle (8 pts); Eagle (5 pts); Birdie (3 pts); Par (1 pt); Bogie (-1 pt); and Dbl Bogie or worse (-3 pts). Point values will be determined by the Tournament Chairman prior to the round. Handicap allowance is 95%.

2-Man Net Best Ball - Each player, on the two-man team, plays his own golf ball the entire round. Each team should have two 18-hole scores on the scorecard. The lowest net score, or best balls, from each hole serves as the teams’ score for each hole. Handicap allowance is 90% for each player.

4-Man Cha Cha Cha - A format played by four-person teams in competition with other four-person teams. On the first hole, one player's score counts as the team score; on the second, two scores are combined; on the third hole, three scores are combined. The rotation starts over on the fourth hole. Handicap allowances of 90% for each player.

4-Man 1 Gross and 1 Net Best Ball - Each player will play their own ball the entire hole. Your team score will be the one best GROSS score combined with the one best NET score of the four on each hole and the same ball cannot be counted as both gross and net. Handicap allowances of 85% for each player.

4-Man 2 Net Best Balls - Each player will play their own ball the entire hole. The two net best are the score for the hole. Handicap allowances of 85% for each player.

Presidents Cup - An eclectic format is a two-round golf tournament that results in one 18-hole score per player. The lowest score made on each hole between the two rounds is recorded as their score producing an 18-hole score. Example: a golfer makes a 6 on hole No. 1 in Round one and a 4 on the same hole in Round two. That golfer's final score for the first hole is 4. In the event of a tie, a playoff will occur immediately after lunch (forfeit if no show). Rounds will not be posted to GHIN. In order to play in the President’s Cup, you must have played in at least three (3) SOSMC scheduled events within the current calendar year and all three must have been played from the tees (white, yellow, red) that you will be competing from in the President’s Cup.

Club Championship - The SOSMC Club Championship will be a 36-hole, two-round, cumulative score event, played on two consecutive Thursdays and consist of concurrent competition from all (white, yellow, red) tees. The club champions will be the low gross score AND low net score winner. In the event of a first-place tie, the low gross and low net club champions will be decided by a sudden death playoff on the 18th hole (repeating as necessary). Payouts will be awarded in multiple flights. A bonus payout, awarded by the SOSMC, and not part of the game purse, will be made to the two club champions. No gimmies. Failure to putt out on any of the 36 holes, and fully record actual strokes taken, will result in disqualification from the competition. The rules of golf, as approved by the United States Golf Association, govern play. Additionally, local rules are in effect as outlined on the club portal homepage under Section 4. In the event of a tie necessitating a playoff, the playoff will commence immediately after lunch and the compilation of scores. Failure to report to the 18th tee for a playoff will result in a forfeit of your standing for the tournament. In order to play in the club championship, you must have played in at least five (5) SOSMC scheduled events within the current calendar year and all five must have been played from the tees (white, yellow, red) that you will be competing from in the club championship. Resolution of qualifications (number of events or tees) will be at the sole discretion of the tournament director.

 

3.  Handicap Policy

 

An active handicap index from the Golf Handicap and Information Network (GHIN) is required for entry into SOSMC tournament games and net skins. GHIN is provided by the United States Golf Association (USGA) to participating golf associations and clubs. GHIN is administered in our region by the Northern Nevada Golf Association (NNGA) and access to GHIN is through SOSMC. The annual service fee for GHIN is $37, which is paid directly to NNGA. GHIN handicaps will remain active for returning members until April 1, 2024 and will be deactivated thereafter if membership has not renewed directly with NNGA.

 

A player’s handicap index in GHIN is calculated according to the World Handicap System (WHS), which replaced the USGA Handicap System on January 1, 2020. Major features of the WHS are as follows.

 

  • Handicap index updates daily provided that a score is submitted the day before.
  • Number of scores required to obtain a handicap index is three 18-hole scores.
  • Handicap index is calculated using eight best score differentials out of the most recent 20.  Score Differential = (Adjusted Gross Score – Course Rating) x (113/slope rating)
  • Playing condition calculation (PCC) is used to adjust score differentials when abnormal course or weather conditions cause scores to be unusually high or low on a given day.
  • Maximum score on any hole for handicapping purposes is net double bogey.
  • Upward movement of a handicap index is limited to 50% if a 3.0 stroke increase takes place within 12 months (“soft cap”) and to 5 strokes if a 5.0 stroke increase takes place within 12 months (“hard cap”).
  • Exceptional score reduction (ESR) – of 1.0 stroke is applied to a player’s handicap index if a score differential is 7.0 to 9.9 strokes below the current index and reduction of 2.0 strokes is applied if the net differential is 10.0 strokes or more.
  • Maximum handicap index is 54.0 rather than the previous 36.4 for men.  Committee in charge of competition may set a lower maximum limit for use in competitions. This limit is 36 in SOSMC.
  • Course handicap calculation now includes a course rating minus par adjustment:  Course Handicap = Handicap Index x (Slope Rating /113) + (Course Rating – Par). The benchmark for a good round is now par rather than course rating. Your course handicaps are 4.5 and 6.8 strokes lower compared to pre-WHS when playing from white and yellow tees, respectively. Playing handicaps also include the handicap allowances that are applicable to the tournament format.

 

The SOSMC Board has adopted the following tournament and handicap policy:

  • An active GHIN handicap index is required for entry into SOSMC tournaments and net skins games.
  • The handicap index used to determine a player’s playing handicap depends on the type of tournament.
    • Qualified current GHIN handicap index for regular tournaments. A “qualified” handicap index requires at least half of the revision scores be from SOSMC events. Your 3-month low index will be used during regular tournaments if you do not have the required number of qualifying revision scores.
    • 6-month low index for the President’s Cup and Club Championships.
  • The maximum allowable handicap index is capped at 36 for all SOSMC tournament games and the maximum allowable playing handicap is 18 for white net skins and 27 for yellow/red net skins.

 

4.  Common USGA Rules of Golf and Local Rules

 

Members are expected to know and play by the USGA rules of golf. Commonly applied rules, and noted LOCAL EXCEPTIONS, are summarized below.

 

  1. Summer Rules – Play the ball as it lies unless otherwise directed by the Tournament Chairman.
  2. Ball lost or out of bounds – Rule 18.
    1. If you hit a shot out of bounds or if the ball is known to be lost, you must play your next shot from the original spot with a one stroke penalty.
    2. If you suspect that your original ball is out of bounds or lost, hit a provisional ball. You must announce your intention to play a provisional ball and do so before leaving the tee box or spot of the original shot. If you search and find your original ball in play, you MUST play the original ball.  It may be more prudent to abandon the original ball after a ‘cursory’ search and take your chances with a playable provisional ball.
    3. If you did not hit a provisional ball, and you find your original ball is out of bounds or lost, with a two-stroke penalty, you must find the nearest fairway edge to where your ball went OB, or is likely to be lost, and drop within two club lengths no closer to the hole. At this point you do NOT have the option to return to the original spot and re-hit with a one stroke penalty. The SOSMC Board has elected to adopt this local rule in favor of optimizing pace of play. 
    4. If you hit a drive off the tee box that you clearly thought remained in the fairway, but you cannot find the ball, and it becomes a lost ball, you must add two penalty strokes and play your ball from the estimated fairway location. At this point you do NOT have the option to return to the original spot and re-hit with a one stroke penalty per the rules of golf. The SOSMC Board has elected to adopt this local rule in favor of optimizing pace of play.
    5. The following areas are OB: OB defined by white stakes. All boundary fences and rock walls. There is no free relief if your ball lies next to a boundary fence. The stakes, posts, and chains that define OB are out-of-bounds and cannot be removed. No relief is provided from them.
  3. Hole #7 Only
    1. Tee shot hit out of bounds on the left: stroke and distance penalty. Re-tee and hit 3 from the same tee box
    2. Tee shot hit out of bounds on the right (right of hillside white stakes): stroke and distance penalty. Re-tee and hit 3 from the same tee box
    3. Tee shot hit into the penalty area to the right of the cart path and left of the OB stakes
      1. Hit a conditional penalty ball from the drop zone with a one stroke penalty BEFORE searching for your ball. Searching is OPTIONAL as this is a penalty area. You must announce your intention to play a conditional penalty ball and do so before making the shot.
      2. Search for your ball (optional), and if found, and you determine it is playable as it lies from the penalty area, abandon your provisional ball and take your chances hitting out of the penalty area. You must announce your intention to play your original ball and do so before making the shot and abandoning the conditional ball
    4. Tee shot hit over the green ‘may’ be playable, out-of-bounds or lost.
      1. Because this cannot be determined from the tee box, immediately hit a conditional penalty ball from the drop zone with a one stroke penalty BEFORE searching for your ball. You must announce your intention to play a conditional penalty ball and do so before making the shot.
      2. Search for your ball, and if found, and playable as it lies (not OB), you must abandon your provisional ball and play your original tee shot. You must announce your intention to play your original ball and do so before making the shot and abandoning the conditional ball.
  4. Lateral Water Hazards (red stakes) – Rule 17.1 (modified by SOSMC local rule to allow conditional penalty shot and optimize pace of play): You have FOUR options if your hit a ball in a lateral water hazard:
  5. Play the ball as it lies in the hazard (no penalty).
  6. Take a point where the ball first crossed the margin of the hazard, in line with the flagstick, and drop on the line as far back as you want (1 stroke penalty).
  7. Take the point where it first crossed the margin of the hazard and drop within two club lengths and no closer to the hole (1 stroke penalty).
  8. Go to the opposite side of the hazard, equal distance from the hole, and drop within two club lengths (1 stroke penalty) [This option is not always feasible].
  9. Local Rule: 
    1. As stated in Golf Rule 17.1c: Relief for Ball Not Found but in Penalty Area
      1. If a player's ball has not been found and is known or virtually certain that the ball came to rest in a penalty area:
        1. The player may take a penalty under Rule 17.1d or 17.2
      2. Once the player puts another ball in play to take relief in this way:
        1. The original ball is no longer in play and must not be played.
        2. This is true even it is found on the course before the end of the 3-minute search time (Rule 6.3b)
    2. The local rule modifies the wording in Bold for Holes #13 and #18.  Players are allowed to take a conditional penalty shot from across the water (following Rule 17), if there is any question as to whether their original ball is playable on the greenside.  If the original ball is found playable, then it must be used with no penalty.  If it is not found or it is found unplayable, the conditional penalty shot becomes the active ball with 1 penalty stroke assessed
  10. Embedded ball – Rule 16. Ball embedded in its own pitch mark anywhere in the general area (except sand bunkers or penalty area) may be lifted, cleaned, and dropped within one club length without penalty, no nearer to the hole.
  11. Free drop areas include: roads and cart paths; marked ground under repair; ball in hole caused by burrowing animals; sprinklers, and other man-made obstructions (excluding boundary fences). No penalty. Drop ball one club length with no penalty, nearest the point of relief and no nearer the hole.
  12. Drop from unplayable lie – one stroke penalty.
    1. Drop ball within two club lengths, nearest the point of relief and no nearer to the hole.
    2. Drop a ball behind the point where the ball lay, keeping that point directly between the hole and the spot on which the ball is dropped, with no limit to how far behind that point the ball may be dropped.
  13. A player may determine the nearest point of relief outside any area marked, OR UNMARKED, Ground Under Repair, no closer to the hole, then drops one club length from that point, no penalty. Unmarked ground under repair is defined as any location ON THE FAIRWAY that is void of turf similar to the surrounding fairway area 
  14. Disturbed Ground in Bunker (Rake and Place). Disturbed ground includes irregularities caused by golfers, such as footprints, animal prints, and divots. If the player’s ball is in disturbed ground, the ball may be lifted, the area raked, and the ball placed, not dropped, in the same spot, no penalty. Before lifting the ball, the player should notify his fellow golfers so they may observe the situation. Rake and place does NOT apply to an embedded ball.
  15. Casual Water Holes #8 and #9. The area on the right side of the green on holes #8 and #9 are considered casual water if the ball is lying in the water or in unplayable mud surrounding the water. In such instances the golfer MUST take his ball to the marked drop area without penalty. Before lifting the ball, the player should notify his fellow golfers so they may observe and concur with the situation.

 

5.  Pace of Play

 

All groups are expected to complete their rounds in less than 4 hours and 30 minutes. Note that this is the maximum and all groups should finish well within the allowable time if everyone plays ready golf. Goals for foursomes playing in the front, middle, and back of the field should be to play in less than 4 hrs., 4 hrs. and 10 min, and 4 hrs. and 20 min, respectively. Commit to the following guidelines for playing ready golf and make it a habit.

 

  1. On the Tee. Tee-off as soon as the group ahead is clear. Player with the honors should be ready to hit first. If this player is not ready, someone else who is ready should hit. Watch your partners’ balls so you may assist in search. Declare and play a provision ball if there is a chance that the ball is out of bounds.
  2. On the Fairway. Drop your partner at his ball, then continue to yours. Take appropriate clubs to your ball and be ready to hit when it’s your turn. Limit search for lost balls to 3 minutes.
  3. On and Around the Greens. Take extra club(s) if you’re not sure about club selection. Leave extra clubs between the cup and cart. Repair ball marks and read your putts while other players are reading their putts. Be ready when it’s your turn. Record scores upon reaching the next tee box.
  4. Pre-shot Routine. Consider ways to shorten your pre-shot routine if you consistently take longer than 30 seconds to hit your shot from the time it’s your turn to play.

 All players are to be at their carts at least five minutes prior to the scheduled start time.

 

The Tournament Chairman will enforce the following guidelines for monitoring and penalizing slow groups:

  1. Write on the scorecard the time your group is ready to tee off on the first assigned hole and the time your group leaves the green on the last hole. Noted times for shotgun starts should reasonably account for the distance between starting hole and the clubhouse and the order that your group teed off (i.e., A or B group on the first assigned hole).
  2. Groups may be penalized under the following situation.
    1. If a group plays for more than 4 ½ hours and finishes their last hole in more than 14 minutes behind the group in front of them (9-minute starting times plus a 5-minute grace period).
    2. If a group finishes more than 20 minutes behind the group in front of them even if the group plays within 4 ½ hours.
  3. A group in violation of the above guidelines will be notified in writing at the time the preliminary tournament results are posted for review on Thursday. In the interest of fairness, the Tournament Chairman will consider differences in pace-of-play among individuals for pairings with one or more single player. Each player in the group may appeal to the Tournament Chairman in writing no later than Friday following the round at 5:00 PM.
  4. Penalties will result in the following action.
  • 1st offense – verbal warning from Tournament Chairman
  • 2nd offense – The group or individual single player will be assigned starting position at the back of the shotgun.
  • 3rd offense – Players who do not show an effort to comply with the Club’s pace-of-play policy will be disqualified from the day’s tournament game, without refund of their game fee, and subject to suspension following a review by the SOSMC Board.

6.  Miscellaneous

 

GPS and rangefinder units are allowed provided the unit measures distance only.

  • It must not measure other conditions such as wind speed or direction, the slope of the ground, or the temperature.
  • The penalty for use of a non-conforming GPS unit is disqualification.