Meridian Men’s Golf League
Bylaws & Play Rules
Membership is open to those aged 21 or
older. New members are always encouraged
to join at any time.
Tee times are Thursday, 3:30 to 5:00 at Lake Arthur Golf
Club. These times are reserved for the
league, but you may play earlier if you wish. Please sign in at the pro shop
each Thursday.
We
use a flight format based on handicap. All the golfers within a flight will be playing against
all other golfers in that flight with points awarded to determine a first half
and second half winner for each flight.
The final week will be a head to head championship playoff between the
first and second half winners of each flight.
The rest of the league is also invited out championship night for an
informal skins/scramble/fun night.
Scoring will be based on play within each flight. Points will be awarded each week for first (3
pts.), second (2 pts.) and third place (1pt.) within each flight; attendance
(1pt.); and beating your own handicap – net score 35 or less (1pt). The golfer accumulating the most points will
win his flight. In case of a tie in the
first half, the eleventh week of play’s net score will be used as a playoff
week. In the case of a tie in the second
half, those involved will have to contact their opponents and play their
playoff match and their championship match.
All playoff and championship matches MUST be head to head! Playoff and championship rounds will be
determined with consideration of current handicaps. In the event of a tie at the end of the
playoff round: 1) players may choose any form of playoff rules they mutually
agree upon provided they make that decision before they begin their round, or
2) if they failed to choose a playoff format before they began play, comparing
handicap holes without consideration for handicap will decide the match.
Handicaps are calculated at 100% every 3 weeks throughout the
season, using 10 weeks of scores. For
the first half of the season they will be calculated counting back the last 10
weeks after the third week, even into the previous season (the last seven weeks
of the previous season and the first three weeks of the current season). Every three weeks, handicaps will be
calculated going back 10 weeks. At the
18th week, the final handicap calculation uses scores from the previous 10
weeks of play, and those handicaps are used for the 20th week,
playoff and championship rounds. In line
with the 3-week rule, the next year’s starting handicaps are recalculated going
back 7 weeks into the previous year, including the 20th week, which up to this
point hasn’t been included in any handicap calculations and will be effective
from the first week. Because of this,
your handicap at the end of one season may be different from your starting
handicap for the next year.
Handicaps
are calculated for new members after and including the first three weeks of the
season. If they have played less than
three league rounds at the beginning of the season, handicap calculation and
flight assignment will not be established until they have at least three rounds
recorded, and at a date when handicap changes occur (every third week). So new members may not be assigned a flight
and handicap until they have 3, 4, or 5 rounds played, depending on when they
join the league and start playing.
Scores will not be posted until after the third week so that we have ten
weeks of scores and so that handicaps for new members can be established
(assuming they have played three league rounds).
Scores sheets
with point accumulations will be posted on this website after the third week of
play. Everyone will then be placed into
appropriate flights according to their handicaps. Once established, flights are closed for the
balance of the season, with the exception of late joining members.
Dues are $80.00, payable
in full by the 4th week of play.
Scores for the nine being played each week must be emailed
to merdiangolfleague@gmail.com. They must be emailed by early Friday morning
following Thursday’s rounds, and should include date played, first and last
name, and final score. There is no need
to list the score on each individual hole.
Banked scores should be emailed in the same manner. Scorecards do not need to be put into the box
in the clubhouse as they were in previous years.
If
you play that Thursday, you must use that score and not a banked score unless
there was a declared rainout/freezeout/smokeout/holiday
makeup declared. Scores not played on Thursday’s are
considered to be a banked score.
Pre-play (banked) scores will be accepted. Banked scores must be turned in the week they
are played. Our week is Thursday- Wednesday. The date the round was played,
“Bank”, and the golfer’s name should be clearly marked and indicated on
separate email for that week. There are a maximum of two banked scores per nine
allowed. If a player already has two banked scores for a nine, and submits a
third, that third score will be ignored. If a banked score is used and there
remains only one banked score for the nine, then there can be another banked
score played for that nine. No replacements of banked scores are allowed. There will also be no “use this score for
this date” accepted. If a week is
missed, banked scores for that golfer are selected based on the appropriate
nine (front or back), and the highest banked score will be used first. This is a fun league and we will make every
effort to allow all our members a fair chance.
We understand unexpected events arise in our lives, and this policy is
also an effort to encourage possible future members with an incentive to join
our league as opposed to other leagues with different formats and stricter
rules.
Winter rules apply all season. You are
permitted to fluff the ball in the fairway. Play it where it lies off the
fairway. Hole out all putts. The maximum number of strokes per hole is
9. If you accumulate more than 9 strokes
in one hole, only record a 9.
Lift,
clean, and place will be allowed the first four weeks of the season due to
spring weather moisture. After the first
four weeks, players should use their judgement based on course conditions.
Anytime
a player needs a ruling for moving a ball, they must consult with the players
in their group for an agreed placement of the ball.
Putting. There
are no gimme putts. All players must putt until the ball goes in the hole, no
matter how short.
Sand Traps. Sand Traps are
considered in play and the ball must be played from the trap. However - When the sand trap is in poor condition - meaning it
has standing water in it or in very poor condition due to heavy rains or has
not been previously groomed in the last day or two by the maintenance ground
crew or there are no rakes around to rake the sand trap - we will consider the
trap under repair. You have the choice to play from the sand trap or drop your
ball one to two club lengths behind the sand trap in line with where your ball
was in the sand trap and the flag. If these are the reasons you are moving the
ball from the sand trap- As always- get an agreement from another player in
your group to pick up and move the ball.
Another situation that has happened in the fall season,
if you find it unsafe due to bees in the sand trap, we also will consider it
ground under repair. The golfer may use the above choice and ball placement.
In addition, if you find the sand traps are in good
condition, however a previous golfer did not rake the sand trap after they
played, and your ball is in their unraked area. You may lift the ball and rake
the area then drop the ball back in the sand trap where the ball was.
Seniors 62 years and older may use the senior tees. If you start
there you must play the entire round there.
No switching between the men’s (white) and senior (gold) tees once the
season starts. You must play from the
same tees all season, which means that if you turn 62 during the season you
cannot switch from white to gold tees on your birthday. If you switch tees, you
will forfeit all points.
Super seniors 75 years and older may use the red tees. If you start there you must play the entire round there. No switching between the senior (gold) and
super senior (red) tees once the season starts.
You must play from the same tees all season, which means that if you
turn 75 during the season you cannot switch from gold to red tees on your
birthday. If you switch tees, you will forfeit all points.
Because
of course conditions at Lake Arthur (unreasonably high rough, unmowed areas,
etc.), a lost ball rule is being put into effect. If a player loses a ball in the rough and
cannot find it, rather than going back to the spot from where the ball was
struck and hitting again from there with a one stroke penalty, the player can
drop a ball where it is believed the lost ball should lie and take the next
shot from there. The one stroke penalty
is still in effect. Since the original shot went into the rough, the
dropped-ball shot must be taken from the rough.
It cannot be placed in the fairway.
Note that this rule does not apply to balls hit into the water or to
balls hit out of bounds.
Otherwise,
USGA rules apply.
Thank you for joining the league. May all your rounds be sunny. If they’re not, Rainouts/Freeze outs/Smoke
outs/Holiday Rainouts will be determined asap by the league president or
the league secretary. Watch your emails for notifications and latest details
The pro shop will be notified if there is a rainout, so if there is any doubt
when you get to the course, please ask. There may be times where the golfers in
the morning did not have a rainout and the golfers in the evening did. If that
happens, see your emails for details for the evening golfer’s
possible rainout. You can play that rainout nine anytime during the week. You’ll
have until the following Thursday to turn in your rainout score.
Scramble
Tournament Rules
Each team member makes one shot from the tee. The best lie is selected, and then each team
member makes one shot from that lie within one club length, and so on until the
ball is holed out.
Seniors, 62 and older, may use the senior tees only if they
established their handicaps from the senior tees during the regular season.
Each team must use at least one tee shot from each team
member on each nine. If a player uses the senior tees during the regular season
he should use them during the scramble. If a ball is hit out of bounds or is an
unplayable lie, USGA rules & penalties must be followed. Hint!
Get your mandatory tee shots in as early in the round as possible. Don’t let your team get stuck depending on
your high handicapper’s tee shot on the ninth or eighteenth hole.
All
balls may be cleaned & placed within one club length of the selected lie,
not nearer the hole, except a ball on the putting surface (fringe or green), or
under low overhanging branches that may interfere with the swing. These shots
must be placed exactly as they lie.
Lie
condition may not be improved. A ball in a hazard must be played from that
hazard. A ball in the rough must be
played from the rough.
Any
ball may be deemed unplayable and be dropped according to USGA rules &
penalties.
Hole
out all putts! Absolutely no gimmies!
Three member teams may play four shots from each lie. One golfer will get two shots from each lie,
rotating the golfer with the extra shot on each lie (not
each hole.) You must follow the
same rotation throughout the round. The
golfer, in rotation, following the one that sunk the putt will be the one with
the extra tee shot. The rotation does not
start again with each hole. No golfer is
allowed to make two consecutive putts!
Five
member teams may only play with four golfers from each lie. One member MUST sit out on each lie, rotating
with each different lie.
Longest
drive competitions require that the ball must be on the fairway. Players 62 and
over playing from the senior tees will have a separate long drive competition.
Closest to the pin and longest putt competitions require
that the ball must be on the green. The
fringe doesn’t count.
Be
on time. Teams will not be lined up on
the tee until all members have arrived, paid their green fees and prize money.
Good
Luck