Pin Seekers Senior Golf Association Tournament Rules
Revised March 2020
Article I: Purpose: Document the Pin Seekers Senior Golf Association Tournament Rules.
Article II: Background:
a. Pin Seekers are a self-supporting not-for-profit organization with no paid employees.
b. Pin Seeker's membership ensures a pool of golfers willing and ready to play in the approximately 24 tournaments scheduled each year. Since the majority of Pin Seekers tournaments are played on Mondays, Pin Seekers is able to negotiate with golf courses and obtain a reasonable rate for its tournaments.
c. To play in a Pin Seekers tournament you must be on the Play List for that tournament. Membership entitles you to compete with other members to sign up for a tournament Play List.
d. When a member plays in a given tournament, he will be placed on the Play List for the next tournament if he signs the top of his scorecard. When a member does not sign his scorecard, he is no longer on the Play List and must contact the Organization Coordinator by phone or email requesting to be placed on the Play List or the Standby List for a future tournament.
e. Information regarding Pin Seekers tournaments may be found at the Pin Seekers Web Site: www.nwfl-pinseekers.org
Article III: Tournament Rules:
a. Tournament Entry Fees: The Executive Committee has currently established $40 per tournament as the entry fee for all Pin Seekers tournaments.
b. Tournament Play: Tournaments will be played in accordance with USGA Rules unless modified herein, by the President of Pin Seekers, or by the golf course official, due to course conditions.
c. Golf Clubs: Each player may carry only 14 golf clubs per USGA Rules.
d. Riding Carts: All tournament players must ride in golf carts unless there is an equipment failure.
e. Tournament Guests: Each active member may bring one non-Pin Seeker guest per calendar quarter. Members must contact the Organization Coordinator to determine if a Play List opening is available for the guest. Guest may not win any tournament prizes.
f. Dress Code: We are guests at the golf courses we play. All members and guests will strictly adhere to the special rules and dress codes of the golf courses. Blue jeans, very short shorts, and shirts without collars are not considered appropriate dress at most golf courses and for Pin Seekers golf tournaments.
g. Soft Spikes or No Spikes: Soft spikes or no spikes will be worn at all Pin Seekers golf tournaments.
h. Player Scorecards: Tournament players will not enter scores on their own scorecard. Scorecards will be traded with other players in the foursome. The individual keeping scores will sign the bottom of the scorecards. Each player is responsible for their scores and must review and sign their scorecards.
i. Tee Boxes: The A, B, C and D flights will tee off from the same tee box at all Pin Seekers tournaments. Every effort will be made to select a tee box between 5200 and 5700 yards for each tournament. The tee boxes for all golf courses that Pin Seekers play will be posted on the Pin Seekers Web Site. The tee boxes for each tournament will also be printed on the bottom of each tournament scorecards.
j. Putts: In the essence of the 4 hour golf game, when your ball is within (1) Pin Seekers scorecard length of the hole...it is a 'gimmie'. Pick up your ball, add one stroke. If a players score will be a double bogey, the player will pick up his ball and go to the next hole.
k. Moving the Golf Ball: A player may lift, clean and place his golf ball one (1) Pin Seekers scorecard length, any place on the golf course except in a hazard, when on the green, to get onto the green or when the ball is out of bounds.
l. Mulligan:
(1) Each player has one mulligan (a second shot) during a tournament. The mulligan may be taken at any time to replace the previous shot. Once a player declares that he is hitting his mulligan he may not play his original ball.
(2) A member may announce that he is hitting a provisional mulligan to replace a ball that he feels is lost, in a hazard or out-of-bounds. If the player determines that the original ball is not lost, in a hazard or out-of-bounds, he must play the original ball.
m. Tournament No Show Penalties: Members canceling playing in a tournament must notify the Organization Coordinator no later than 5:00 p.m. on the day prior to the tournament. Failure to cancel before the cut off time may result in a ten dollar ($10.00) fine for the no show. The no show will be listed on the member’s scorecard until the fine is paid.
Article IV: Tournament Points to Pull (PTP) Handicap:
a. Points to Pull Handicap: Members Points to Pull Handicap will be the average of the last six tournament scores and will be based on a maximum of 36 points for 18 holes of golf. Points to Pull Handicap, before playing six tournaments, will be the average of the number of rounds played.
b. New Members: All new members have no Pin Seekers handicap and may be assigned to any flight for the first tournament. New members cannot win a Points-to-Pull prize in their first tournament. A new member’s Pin Seekers Points to Pull Handicap will be established after the first tournament. New members may win a hole-in-one prize in their first tournament.
Article V: Tournament Flights and Scoring:
a. Tournament Flights: All tournaments will be divided into proportional A, B, C, and D flights based on the Points to Pull (PTP) Handicap. (Replacements for late cancellations and no-shows could change the size of each flight.)
b. Tournament Scoring: Tournament scoring will be based on the following point system and is based on the number of strokes taken on each hole:
Zero (0) points for double bogey
One (1) point for a bogey
Two (2) points for a par
Four (4) points for a birdie
Six (6) points for an eagle
Eight (8) points for a double eagle
c. Tournament Score Adjustments:
(1) All scores greater than a minus five (5) points will be reduced to minus five (5) when computing the Points to Pull (PTP) Handicap for future tournaments. (Example: A member’s PTP is 20 and he pulls only 11 points during a tournament. His score will be adjusted to 15 before entering the score into the database.)
(2) All plus scores will be used when computing the Points to Pull Handicap (PTP)for future tournaments. (Example: A member’s PTP is 20 and he pulls 31 points during a tournament. His score of 31 will be entered into the database.)
Article VI: Tournament Registration
a. Tournament Sign up and Registration Times:
Registrations, sign up for the next tournament Standby List, payment of tournament fees, and pick up of scorecards will begin at 7:00. The registration table will close at 7:30. Members are requested to pay their tournament fees by cash or check and each foursome should send one member to the registration table to pick up their scorecards and pay for their foursome if possible.
b. Tournament Play List:
(1) Members must sign the top of their scorecard to be on the Play List for the next tournament.
(2) Each tournament’s initial play list will consist of members who sign the top of their scorecards at the previous tournament.
(3) The Organization Coordinator will complete the play list by emailing and/or calling members, in the order in which they are listed on the Standby List.
(4) Once the Standby List has been exhausted and if there are additional openings, the Organization Coordinator may call members from the general roster.
(5) Current officers, volunteers and last year’s Officers, who did not play in the previous tournament and all new members, will be placed at the top of the Standby List.
c. Tournament Standby List: Consists of members not on the Play List who want to be called as replacements. A tournament Standby List is cancelled at 6:00 p.m. on the night before a scheduled tournament. To get on the standby list for a tournament a member may:
(1) Have any member put his name on the Standby List.
(2) Attend the tournament site and put his name on the Standby List.
(3) Contact the Organization Coordinator at a tournament, by telephone or by email and request that his name be added to the Standby List for a tournament.
(4) Members not scheduled to play may attend the tournament to be called as last minute replacements for cancellations or no shows on a first-come first play basis.
Article VII: Tournament Hole Assignments:
a. The Organization Coordinator maintains the Master Hole Assignment List of all members. Pin Seekers who wish to play together as a foursome will be pre-assigned to a hole, if one is available, and will normally play on that hole at each tournament. Threesomes, twosome and singles will not normally be pre-assigned to a specific hole. Members wishing to change players in their group should provide the changes to the Organization Coordinator.
b. The Organization Coordinator will make the hole-assignments for the next tournament based on the Master Hole Assignment List. Every effort will be made to keep all foursomes, threesomes, and twosomes that do not have a master hole-assignment, together at each tournament. If it is necessary to split up groups to avoid using excess carts during a tournament, twosomes followed by threesomes will be the first to be split. If a foursome with a master hole-assignment has only one or two members playing in a tournament, those members may be moved to another hole to accommodate foursomes or threesomes that are not pre-assigned to a hole.
c. The Organization Coordinator will print the scorecards with the hole-assignments and provide them to the Tournament Director. The Organization Coordinator will provide the latest play list additions, cancellations and hole-assignment changes on the day before the tournament. The Tournament Director and/or the Organization Coordinator will make the final hole-assignment changes based on tournament no shows and additions to the play list during registration at the tournament site.
Article VIII: Tournament Awards:
a. Prize Money:
(1) Prizes for each flight will normally be gift certificates/gift cards to purchase merchandise in the golf course pro shop.
(2) The prize money per player in the tournament multiplied by the number of players in the tournament divided by four will be the prize money for each flight.
(3) The top four players in each flight will receive a gift certificate/gift card. There will be no ties. All ties will be resolved by a scorecard playoff. (Number one handicap, number two handicaps, number three handicap, etc.).
(4) If a golf course has no pro shop, the Treasurer will purchase gift certificates/gift cards from a local sporting goods store for distribution at the tournament. All gift certificates/gift cards not distributed at a tournament will be given to the winning member(s) at their next tournament appearance.
b. Par 3 Closest-to-the-Pin Prize Award:
(1) The two lowest handicap par three holes played will be closest-to-the-pin-holes for flights A and B and the two highest handicap par 3 holes played will be closest-to-the-pin holes for flights C and D.
(2) The player in those flights whose tee shot come to rest on the green closest-to-the-pin will receive a $25 gift certificate/gift card.
(3) A player may win both closest-to-the-pin awards that his flight is eligible to win. The player with a hole-in-one is the closest to the pin if he is eligible to win on that par three hole.
c. Hole-In-One Award:
Each member making a hole-in-one will receive $100 hole-in-one prize money from the Pin Seekers Treasury. Members will not be awarded hole-in-one prize money if a mulligan was used for the shot. The member will post a ONE as the score for that hole.
Article IX: Tournament Cancellations:
a. Who will cancel Pin Seekers Tournaments:
The President of Pin Seekers is responsible for cancelling and rescheduling all Pin Seekers Tournaments. If the President is not available and/or is not playing in the tournament, the Tournament Director is responsible for all tournament cancellation decisions.
b. Cancellation Procedures:
(1) When inclement weather threatens a Pin Seeker Tournament, every effort will be made to cancel the tournament no later than 6pm on the day before the tournament.
(2) The President will normally consult the Golf Course Professional and together they will make the final decision to cancel or proceed with a scheduled Pin Seekers tournament.
(3) When a tournament is cancelled, the President will make a concerted effort to reschedule the tournament sometime during the remainder of the calendar year.
(4) Tournaments Cancelled before the day of the tournament: When the tournament is cancelled, all members on the play list will receive an email and/or a telephone call from the Organization Coordinator advising them that the tournament has been cancelled. Each player on the cancelled tournament Play List will also be asked if they want to be on the Play List for the next tournament. The next tournament Play List will then consist of those members asking to remain on the Play List when they are notified of the cancellation of the tournament.
(5) Tournament Cancelled on the day of the tournament: If members on the tournament Play List have not received an email or a telephone call cancelling the tournament the day before, they are expected to appear at the golf course and be prepared to play. If the tournament is cancelled after registration and before play starts, all tournament fees will be returned or the members will be given credit towards playing in their next tournament. If the cancellation occurs after the tournament starts, the next tournament play list will be those members who sign their scorecards.
c. Electrical Storm:
When lightening or an electrical storm threatens during a tournament, play will immediately stop and all players must seek shelter. Should the lightening or electrical storm pass within a reasonable amount of time, the President, in consultation with the golf course professional may continue the tournament.
d. Rain:
Should rain occur after tournament play has started, the President, in consultation with the golf course professional, will make the final decision on when to cancel tournament play. Play may be suspended for a short period of time depending upon the weather. Therefore, once it starts to rain, all players should return to the clubhouse until the President has determined if play will be cancelled, suspended or resumed. Once a tournament is cancelled, all players will be advised to return to the clubhouse, scores on all tournaments of less than 18 holes will not be used to update member’s handicaps and awarding prize procedures will be as follows:
(1) President or Tournament Director completes less than nine holes: If the tournament is cancelled at this point; no payment is normally required by the golf course and each player will be given credit toward the next tournament played by Pin Seekers. The tournament may be rescheduled for a future date.
(2) President or Tournament Director completes more than nine but less than eighteen holes: The event is a nine-hole tournament and prize-winners will be determined as follows:
(a) Each player's score on the first nine holes that he plays will be used to determine scores. (Holes not completed will receive a zero.)
(b) All players Points to Pull (PTP) Handicap will be divided in half to determine the winners. When dividing PTP, all half points will be rounded down and not up. (Example: A PTP of 15 will become 7. The player pulls 5 points on his first nine holes. His score is –2. A PTP of 20 will become 10. The player pulls 12 points on his first nine holes. His score is +2).
(c) The tie breaker scores will be determined by a random drawing of the players score card.
(d) The closest-to-the-pin prizes will not be awarded.