2017 Men’s Twilight League Outline
Dustin Hunter
Director of Golf
[email protected]
Ryan Mondor
Assistant Golf Professional
[email protected]
Overview:
As a trial deviation for the 2017 season only, Cape Neddick Country Club and its staff agree to
assume administrative duties of the Tuesday Night Men’s Twilight League as voted on by the
League Committee and its players in the fall of 2016. The priority behind such a move is to help
generate a larger group of players, while at the same time focusing on organization, Rules of
Golf, pace of play, and scoring.
I – Participants
Any male member in good standing with the club may register for the Men’s Twilight League by
May 9th 2017. Players may sign up as a team of two, or as a single and be paired up by the
CNCC staff with someone at a similar level of ability. All Social Member rounds will be counted
against the membership card that was purchased, no exceptions. Players will not be included on
the official roster until their dues ($75 dollars per player) have been payed to the League
Committee.
II – GHIN Handicap
All participants, full time player or substitute, must carry a USGA GHIN handicap index to be
considered eligible for league play. The recommended date to achieve this status is May 15th
2017. Temporary handicaps may be issued to full time players who have not been able to fulfill
the round count required by the GHIN software to produce an active handicap, but must also
provide proof of FIVE 18 hole scores played in the last 12 months prior to May 23rd 2017. All
players must establish an active GHIN handicap by June 15th 2017. Players who have not
achieved this status by the deadline will be considered scratch, and will play to a handicap index
of 0.0 until the closest handicap revision that produces an index becomes available.
Note: Handicap revisions are produced on the 1st and 15th of each month. When posting scores
please make sure you have selected proper dates to ensure they are being counted towards the
correct revision. GHIN handicap help is available by all members of the Pro Shop staff.
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III – Substitutes
Any player who is not able to participate full time in the league may register as a substitute by
seeing Director of Golf Dustin Hunter or Assistant Golf Professional Ryan Mondor to fill out a
separate form. Substitutes are required to carry an active GHIN handicap at all times and will not
be allowed to play under the pretense of a temporary handicap.
An updated substitute list will be available in the Pro Shop and on the League Message Board in
the Pro Shop.
IV – Substitute Usage
Due to the nature of the league and the basis that teams will consist of only two players we will
hold individuals more accountable in regards to their full participation.
Teams will be allowed one substitution per player per half season and must comply with the
following:
- Teams must inform the Pro Shop staff 24 hours or more before match that a sub is
needed.
- Players can only be pulled from the official substitutes list.
- Substitutes will be called for availability based on the handicap differential from the
player they would be replacing. Smallest differential will be called first, and will
work down the list until a sub confirms they can play.
If a team has already used their available substitution(s) only the player who can make the match
will have their scores count. They will play the match 1player v 2 players.
In the event of an absent team (both players miss the match), the team that is present must
complete a nine hole round. Once the round is completed that team will bring their card into the
Pro Shop and blind draw another team from within their division to match cards against. Only
the team who’s opponent did not show up will accumulate points based off the matching cards.
In the event of a tiebreaker based on a head to head matchup the team who missed the match will
automatically be disqualified from playoff contention.
V – Flights
On the night of the Opening Scramble and Banquet on May 23rd 2017 the formulation of the two
Flights will be posted.
Flights A and B (names TBD) will be separated by average team handicap. The top 50% will be
placed in Flight A and the bottom 50% will be placed in Flight B. In doing so, we should see a
reduced number of strokes given/received.
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Teams will compete against a series of opponents within their division during the first and
second halves of the 2017 season. Additionally a winner from each division along with second,
third, fourth, and potentially fifth (depending on total number of players) will be determined.
VI – Matches
Any match, regular season or playoffs, will be a NET 9 hole two man team best ball match.
Players who register for the league should review The Rules of Golf to better understand how
match play works. The CNCC staff will also answer questions.
A – Stroke Allocation
Stroke allocation will be based off the low handicap in the group.
Example:
Player A has a handicap of 3
Player B has a handicap of 5
Player C has a handicap of 6
Player D has a handicap of 10
Player A will receive 0 strokes
Player B will receive 2 strokes
Player C will receive 3 strokes
Player D will receive 7 strokes
It does not matter what team the player is part of. All players for each individual match
will always stroke off the lowest handicap in the group. The strokes are assigned to holes
in order of most difficult to easiest until all strokes have been assigned. The hole
difficulty can be found on the official scorecard. Cards will also be dotted before the start
of the match. Any discrepancies must be brought to the attention of the Pro Shop prior to
the first ball of the match being hit.
B – Official Scorer
Each pairing will receive a scorecard from the Pro Shop before they proceed to the first
tee. Teams can decide who will turn in the official scorecard after the round, but at least
one player from each group must keep a card.
After the completion of the match the teams will review the scores to ensure they’ve been
done properly, and once they do that must date, sign, and attest the official scorecard
before presenting it at the scoring table or Pro Shop.
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C – Start & Finish Times
To better evaluate pace of play issues, the official scorer with assistance from the other
players is required to record the time of the first ball being struck in the match (Start
Time) and the time the last ball is putted out (Finish Time). A section for this record will
be on the official scorecard.
D – Scoring
Each individual match will be worth 9 points total with one point going towards each
hole in the 9 hole match.
Winning the Hole = 1 point
Tying the Hole = ½ point
Losing the Hole = 0 points
The points will accumulate on a week to week basis for the first half, then will reset and
accumulate on a week to week basis for the second half.
E – Gimmies
Gimmies are an important part of match play. Allowing gimmies will speed up pace of
play for each match. A team must clearly communicate that they are conceding the
stroke, and/or may pick up the opposing players ball/ball marker. Players are NOT
ALLOWED to practice a gimmie stroke until AFTER all players have finished the hole.
F – Practice
According to the rules of golf in accordance to match play format, players are permitted
to play the course on the same day prior to a match. They ARE NOT allowed to make
any markings or alterations to the course that may give them an advantage.
Players are allowed to make practice putts on greens, but ONLY AFTER ALL
PLAYERS HAVE FINISHED the hole, and may do so only if it is not holding up any
groups behind them. The CNCC staff should be alerted to any players who may be
slowing down play with their practice. The CNCC staff may issue warnings and/or
penalties to players who are abusing this aspect of the match.
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G – Rules Violations
When in doubt, play two balls. Many rules questions require two different play options. If
you are in one of those situations please play two different balls, one in the scenario
players agree the rule should be, and one that it could possibly be. After the round you
can bring the issue to the CNCC staff for clarification, and to get the proper scoring for
the hole.
Players must bring any issue to the attention of the staff before signing the card. Once a
card is signed and attested that match become official, and points will be based of that.
No exceptions.
VII – Score Posting
At the completion of every round (league play or non-league play) Men’s League players are
required to post their scores using the GHIN computer located in the sun room or by using the
GHIN mobile app/GHIN website. Any player who repeatedly violates this policy will be subject
to having future rounds posted at even par by the CNCC staff. This is a matter of fairness within
the league. Please, ensure you post ALL scores so no player is penalized whatsoever. Individuals
are solely responsible for their GHIN handicap posting.
In the event of a gimmie: If a player is conceded a putt they will post the score of the
hole plus the addition of the stroke given.
Example: Player A is laying four on the green and is conceded the remaining four
foot putt. Player A will post a score of 5.
Player’s partner records a lower score: If a player’s partner completes the hole
allowing for a pick up to speed up pace of play the player will be required to follow the
equitable stroke control process.
18-Hole Equitable Stroke Control
Course Handicap
Maximum Number on Any Hole
9 or less
Double Bogey
10 through 19
7
20 through 29
8
30 through 39
40 and above
9
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Scenario #1 (Taking the Maximum): Player B has holed out for a 4. Player A with a
handicap index of 12.5 is laying 6 or more. Player A will record their maximum score
on the hole of 7. In the event both players are forced to play out the hole but their scores
are higher the equitable stroke control allows, player mark the match score on the official
scorecard but will post their score in GHIN using the equitable stroke control.
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Scenario #2 (Playing to Par): Player B has holed out for a 3. Player A with a Course
Handicap of 13 is laying 3 but picks up. Player A must post a score of par if the hole is
not considered a stroke hole (based off normal 18 hole play not league play). If it is
considered a stroke hole the player will post a bogey.
Note: players with course handicaps higher than 18 may need to post a double bogey
depending on the hole difficulty ranking. These rankings can be found on the official
scorecard.
Players are expected to have a full understanding of the score posting policy. Please see
the CNCC staff to clarify any questions before week one of the regular season.
VIII – Pace of Play
Players are required to have the understanding of pace of play this year before their initial
registration. Teams are expected to police each other in a respectful manner in the event the
group feels they are falling behind. The CNCC staff will review all starting and finishing times
recorded on the official scorecard, and will also spot check groups throughout the season.
Our official pace of play for all league matches:
Front Nine – 2 hours 10 minutes
Back Nine – 2 hours 15 minutes
The pace of play times are a maximum this year, one of the hopes for players is to achieve a time
less than the official pace of play. Recorded times greater than the official pace of play times will
be subject to penalty.
Enforcement and Penalties
The CNCC staff holds the right to penalize teams in accordance to the official pace of
play guidelines set fourth before the start of the season. The penalties for pace of play
infractions are as follows.
1st offense – Verbal warning
2nd offense – Written warning that must be signed by both players of the team
3rd offense – A one point deduction from the following week’s total
4th offense – A two point deduction from the following week’s total
5th offense – A four point deduction from the following week’s total
6th offense – Suspension from all league play for the season, and musty apply for
reinstatement for next season. Players will vote on whether to allow the
team back into the league.
With such a focus on pace of play the CNCC staff also understands the circumstances that could
affect play, and that the opponents involved may disrupt the pace of play. The CNCC staff will
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demonstrate their best judgment in accordance to enforcing the pace of play policy, but all
decisions will be final.
IX – Weather Policy
Weather forecasting is an imperfect science. Many league players will be commuting from
different areas outside of Cape Neddick so we will do our best to update players before they start
their trips to the club.
On the day of the match, play will not be called off until 1:30pm. CNCC will send out an e-mail
to the league and will be available for phone inquiries after 1:30pm. If you do not see the e-mail
please prepare yourself to play. NO DECISIONS WILL BE MADE BEFORE 1:30PM.
In the event of inclement weather during the round players will be signaled by two different
types of horn blasts:
2 Blasts – Finish current hole then proceed to clubhouse
3 Blasts – Mark current ball location well and immediately proceed to clubhouse
If at any time players feel they are in jeopardy of dangerous weather they can mark their
ball locations and proceed to the clubhouse to seek shelter without hearing horn blasts.
In this scenario, all four players must follow the same process.
The CNCC staff will inform players if they are expecting to go back out that night, or if play will
be called off for the night. Players must remain in close proximity to the Pro Shop or Grill to
await further instructions.
In the event that play is suspended for the day, or cancelled all together, players are required to
make up the match prior to the start of the following weeks matches. If play is suspended during
the match and subsequently postponed, the match will need to be restarted. (We hope this
situation doesn’t arise often, but due to the nature of makeup availability players will need to
make a tee time, and will not be able to ensure the ball markings stay in the proper place on the
course until the match is being made up.)
Players are expected to coordinate their own makeup day and time. Players will be allowed to
submit scorecards for a matching cards scenario if a day and time is not possible. If matching
cards is the only option the teams must be accompanied by another player from the league for
marking purposes. No exceptions.
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X – Local Rules
1. Removal of all stones in bunkers is permitted as long as the ball is not moved.
2. Full relief with no penalty from the stone wall on hole #4, as well as the greenside
stone wall on hole #17. All other stone walls are considered inside hazards, or marked
as out of bounds, and players are not allowed to take relief unless they follow the
proper hazard procedure.
3. Full relief with no penalty from the telephone poll cable and cemetery on hole #5.
4. Exposed ledge not inside boundaries of a hazard or deemed out of bounds is
considered a danger to players and their equipment. Players may take free full relief
no closer to the hole. It is the groups’ responsibility to agree on a proper area of relief.
5. Players receive free full relief from the fence protecting the 17th tee.
Players are encouraged to use any of the drop zones we have during league play if their ball goes
into the corresponding hazard.
XI – Playoff Format
Playoff Week #1 will be played September 12th 2017. Flight winners from the first half and
second half will compete against each other to determine overall flight winners.
In the event that a singular team wins both the first and second halves of the regular season that
team will automatically be crowned the champion, and will not need to partake in the first
playoff week.
Additional matches will be played to determine second, third, fourth, or fifth (depending on total
number of players and allotted prize money). All playoff matches will follow the match
guidelines from the regular season, and will take place on the front nine only.
In the event of a playoff match tie (both teams get 4 ½ points), teams will continue to the first
tee, under sudden death rules. First team to win a hole outright will be the winner. Strokes will
be allocated on the same holes as the official scorecards dictate.
Playoff Week #2 will be played September 19th 2017. These matche(s) will tee off the first hole
prior to the 3 club tournament which will go out once the group has reached the first green. The 3
club tournament will shotgun off from hole #1 backwards on the front nine only.
Participants of playoff week #2 will be the two flight champions and any additional places that
the total number of league participants dictates. The winner of the two flight champions will be
considered the Overall League Champion.
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