Below is an electronic copy of the Spring Team Pamphlet, which will provide all of the information that you will need to compete in this year’s Spring Team Matches.
Should you have any questions, please contact Cathleen Beach at cbeach@massgolf.org.
For the purpose of Spring Team Matches, the ‘Tournament Committee’ will consist of the six team Captains. The Club Professional may be consulted as a resource, but the Committee shall make all rulings.
The captains should make all arrangements for day of their home match and communicate information including starting time(s), cart or caddie, lunch arrangements, practice availability and the costs of each. This information should be sent to all other captains in cup at least two weeks prior to the match.
Captains should make all adjustments to their weekly rosters by noon on the Tuesday before each match. Scorecards will be generated by Golf Genius/TM Software and host captains are responsible for double checking and printing the cards. The printing of cards can be done by a club staff member directly but Captains must notify Mass Golf to give access to staff. Local rules sheets should be available the day of match
After a match, the host captain is responsible for posting the results on Spring Teams portal. Complete instructions on how to access this will be sent to all captains in April. Results will be accepted through scanning & sending an email as well. Faxing in results is no longer allowed.
Teams are responsible for full payment of cart and lunch fees for 5 players prior to the start of the match. All players should support the hospitality of the host club by staying for lunch. Captains have been encouraged to arrange simple lunches with “to go” options for players who must leave. Mass Golf recommends that the competitors agree to share a caddie or share a cart. This does not preclude one player walking and one player riding as long as both are in agreement.
A player may use devices that measure or gauge distance only for all Mass Golf competitions. However, if a distance-measuring device has additional functionality that can gauge or measure other conditions that might affect a player’s play (e.g., elevation change, wind speed, etc.), the use of any such additional function would be a breach of Rule 4.3.
Matches should not begin before 8:30am. Shotgun starts and twosomes are preferred but matches may go out as foursomes and/or in tee times.
The USGA Handicap Revision date of 11/01/18 will be used for all matches. To determine your course handicap apply your GHIN index to the course slope table. The number of strokes you get or give is the difference between your course handicap and your opponent’s course handicap. Individual players are responsible that the correct index has been used and their card is stroked correctly.
If a team player cannot play, you may use a substitute. A substitute shall be selected whose index is as close as possible to the original player’s index. The substitute is any female player with an active GHIN number at the club on whose team she will play. The November 1, 2018 revision index must be 36.0 or better. The substitute must be active by Monday at 5PM of the week the sub will play. If the substitute is a member of more than one Mass Golf club, then she may substitute for any of those clubs.
All substitutes must play in the position where her USGA index places her, rather than in the place of the absent team player. If an ineligible substitute plays, the match will be defaulted and the opponent will receive 11 points.
NOTE: If a club has more than one team, a team player may not be a substitute on any of their other teams. Substitutes may play for any team from their club. Notify the Host Captain no later than the night before a match of any substitutions. A team is allowed a maximum of three substitutes per match. It is the captains’ responsibility to check on a substitute’s status and eligibility.
All spring team scores must be posted as regular scores but not as a” T “scores. It is the responsibility of the team captain to ensure that all players’ scores are posted. Scoring will be HOLE-BY-HOLE: 1 point for a win, 1/2 point for a tie, a total of 18 points per match. Players may not arbitrarily split points during a match. When Player A has started a match and is unable to continue: • if fewer than 11 holes have been completed, the match is defaulted and Player B wins 11-0. • if 11 or more holes have been completed, both Player A and Player B retain the points earned and Player B takes the points for unplayed holes.
Early cancellation (night before): If severe weather has occurred or is forecast, cancellation is determined by:
Play may be suspended by:
Following a suspension, a decision must be made to: • resume play after a reasonable amount of time. • cancel the match if less than 9 holes have been played by all participants. • score the match if 9 or more holes have been completed by all players.
Should be monitored by the players themselves. The match should be played in 3 ½-4 hours or less barring unforeseen circumstances. Slow play should be reported to Mass Golf.
Thunder/Lightning: Discontinue play if you believe you are in danger from lightning (R6-8). Do not take chances. Leave the course immediately if lightning is in the area. You are not required to lift your ball.
If a team accumulates more than two defaulted individual matches during the Spring Team season, they are disqualified from the Cup and lose all their accumulated points. They must continue to play and host their match. All prior points from the disqualified team are also subtracted from the other five teams’ aggregate scores.
The winner in each Cup will be the team with the most points. Their club name will be engraved on the permanent trophy for their cup. If a tie occurs, the name of each winning club will be engraved on the trophy. Players and substitutes of the winning teams who have played in a match will receive individual pins. Non-Regulation Cup: If all teams in a Cup have not played the same number of matches the Cup becomes a Non-Regulation Cup. The winner of the Cup will be determined by dividing the points earned by the number of matches play.
