Golf Genius ::

Rules & Regulations
Women's State Team Championship

Scheduling of Matches:

Team matches will be scheduled by the MSGA. All matches will be played on the designated dates below and should be scheduled at 12:30 p.m. at each course if possible. Captains may adjust the starting time of the match if both captains agree. Any change that is made must be reported to the MSGA Officer-in-Charge (OIC) for approval.

Play-in (if needed)	Saturday, April 24
First round	Saturday, May 1
Semi-finals	Saturday, May 8
Finals (Other Flights)	Saturday, May 15
Finals (Championship & First Flights)	Sunday, May 16
Rain dates (if needed)	Saturday, May 22 and Sunday, May 23

Eligibility:

This tournament is open to women’s teams representing member clubs of the Maryland State Golf Association.
A female amateur is eligible to participate in the team matches provided they are at least 18 years of age by midnight of the first day of the tournament, have some form of a golf membership at their respective club (exclusive of a social membership) and have an established handicap at that club. The exception to this rule would include “public course” players. Membership at the club would not be required but an established handicap at that course would be required.
Each player must have a minimum of 5 scores played and posted at the club they are representing between 4/1/2020 – 4/1/2021. The intent of this requirement is to ensure players are actively involved at their club. A waiver of the 5 score minimum may be granted in exceptional circumstances. Team Captains may request a waiver for a member of their team by contacting Kim Ferguson at kferguson@msga.org or 410-943-2377.

Entries:

The entry fee is $175 per team.
Entries open on March 1st and close on April 8th.
Brackets will be posted on the MSGA website at www.msga.org by April 14th.

Format & Scoring:

Format of Play: Match Play (Four-Ball)
On the day of play, each team should consist of 8 players for the match.
On the day of a match, the inability to field a full team is not an acceptable reason for forfeiture. Teams may compete with less than 8 players and it is acceptable to forfeit an individual match or more and acceptable to play one player against two players from the other team.
2 teams will play at their home course and 2 teams will play at the opponent’s course.
It is customary for the away team to have honors on the first hole. This is recommended, but not required.
Nassau scoring will be used with 3 points available per match: (1) for the front nine, (1) for the back nine and (1) for the overall match. The desired pace of play is four and one-half hours or less. Play may be monitored and slow play may be penalized under USGA rules.
Ties will be decided by a sudden death playoff between the #1 teams. The #1 teams will be defined as the first tee time at the “home” course.

Flights & Seeding:

There will be flights of eight teams each (Championship, First, Second, and Third Flights) depending upon the number of entries.
If necessary, a play-in round will be held. Team selected for the play-in round will be determined by the MSGA with the intent to balance the flights by team handicap index totals.
The defending champion from the previous year will be the #1 seed. The remaining teams will be seeded by totaling the handicap indexes (as of April 1st) of each club in ascending order.
The seeding will determine the home team throughout the tournament. Home teams will be indicated by an asterisk (*).
This is a single elimination tournament with no consolation flight.

Team Roster & Substitutions:

A team roster must be submitted from the ten (10) lowest handicap players at your club who have any possibility of competing in the matches. Any subsequent substitutions must be the same or higher handicap index as the highest handicap player on your initial roster. For example, if your highest handicap index is 10.0, any substitution must have an index of 10.0 or higher.
A list of team members must be received by the MSGA Office by April 8th.
April 1st handicaps will be used to determine the seeding of teams as well as eligible substitutes. It is the responsibility of the Team Captain to ensure their 10 player roster is accurate if the entry form is submitted prior to April 1st. Any changes to the team roster must be emailed to kferguson@msga.org no later than April 8th.

Rules:

Electronic devices may be used in accordance with the Rules of Golf and any Local Rules and Conditions in effect. These devices are not to be used in a manner that distracts other players. A violation could be regarded as unbecoming conduct and constitute grounds for disciplinary action, including disqualification.
Practice rounds are NOT allowed on the host course on the day of a match prior to the beginning of the round.
Scheduling of a practice round PRIOR to the day of play is at the discretion of the host club.

Team Captain Responsibilities:

Team Captains are responsible for sharing the MSGA State Team Matches COVID-19 Policy document with all possible members of their team.
Team captains should schedule all possible match dates with their pro shop as soon as the draw is published, if not sooner.
Captains will have received via email contact information for all other participating team captains.
Opposing team captains should be in contact by the Tuesday prior to the match to set the time of their match and to share the following information with each other:
- Any unusual condition that could affect a visiting team’s selection of team members (e.g., no carts allowed). Failure to comply may result in disqualification.
- Information about cart fees so that these fees, or lack thereof, can be used consistently at both courses, if possible. Discussion of fees by the Golf Professionals from the respective clubs is encouraged.
- Any unusual practice facility information (e.g., no driving range or closed putting green).
- Which course will be played if a club has more than one 18-hole course.
Team captains will determine tee placement at their own course.
At each course, team captains (or designated team captains) must simultaneously present a complete line-up of teams to the opposing captain (or designated captain).

Immediately following play, the captain of the winning team must report the final score to the MSGA Officer-in-Charge (OIC).
It is the responsibility of the team captain to ensure that team members post scores.
The Committee has not adopted the Local Rule allowing each team to name one person to give advice and other help as allowed in Rule 10.2b(2). Team Captains must not give or solicit advice during this competition unless it is from their partner.

Day of Play:

In the event of inclement weather, a decision will be made by 9:00 A.M. on the day of play. Team captains will be notified by email once the decision is made. Individual team captains will notify their respective club pros and team members. If a course is open and carts are available (and the other course is closed or has no carts), then ALL PLAY will be at the course that is open.
Traffic is NOT a valid excuse for being late for the match. Players may begin play without their partner and partners (upon arrival) may play but cannot join a match during the play of a hole. They may begin play on the next tee.
In the event of suspension of play for a dangerous situation, players will mark their balls and take shelter in their own vehicle. If play cannot be resumed on the day of play, the MSGA Officer-in-Charge (OIC) and the team captains involved will decide a make-up day for that particular match.
All disputes should be reported to the MSGA Officer-in-Charge (OIC) and disputes will be resolved by the MSGA Officer-in-Charge (OIC).

Entertaining:

Due to COVID-19, any post-match social gathering of team members will be at your own risk. The MSGA does not recommend gathering at this time.

Prizes:

Prizes are awarded to the winner and runner-up in each division.
Prizes are limited to ten per team. A team may arrange through the MSGA to purchase additional prizes.