2018 WALSH PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERS MEN’S SUNSHINE COAST OPEN AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP – Conditions of Play
- The Walsh Professional Engineers Sunshine Coast Open Amateur Championship is open to amateur players with an Australian GA Handicap (or international equivalent) (maximum 16.3) who are members of a golf club affiliated through their district association with the relevant state body and Golf Australia.
- The Competition shall be under the management and control of the Championship Committee, the composition of the Committee being determined by the Headland Golf Club. A decision of the Championship Committee will be final in all matters and in the absence of the full Committee, such members thereof as may be present at any time may give a decision and that decision shall be deemed to be the decision of the full Committee.
- The Championship Committee reserves the right to fix and/or alter starting times; to shorten the Competition or fix another day or venue; to vary any condition; to reject any entry without assigning any reason thereof; and to restrict the size of the field for any round of any competition.
- Preference for PM tee-times will be prioritised by time / day of entry (first in best dressed).
- The Rules of Golf as adopted by the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews will apply, with such Local Rules as are approved by the Championship Committee. Any Supplementary Local Rules for the day will be posted on the Local Rules Board located outside the Men’s Locker Room.
- The Open Championships are Gross events to be played over 36 holes stroke play, 18 holes on the Saturday 31st March and 18 holes on Sunday 1st April 2018.
- Competitors will be drawn against each other for a stipulated round in such a manner as the Championship Committee or the Official Starter determines. Players must report to the Starter not less than 15 minutes prior to their scheduled time of play. If the player arrives at his starting point, ready to play, within five minutes after his starting time, in the absence of circumstances that warrant waiving the penalty of disqualification as provided in Rule 33-7, the penalty for failure to start on time is two strokes. Penalty for lateness beyond five minutes is disqualification.
- 36 Hole Gross and Net events in grades will be held in conjunction
- The grades for these events are in Daily Handicap: A Grade 0 – 3, B Grade 4 – 9, and C Grade 10 – 18
- Additional 36 Hole Gross events will be held in the following age divisions: Junior (under 18), Senior (55 and over)
- Grades may be altered by match committee at any stage prior to the event according to entries received
- A player may win one 36-hole event only with Gross events taking precedence, excluding Junior & Senior trophies. A player may win only one 18-hole event with Gross events taking precedence in conjunction with any 36-hole prize
- Daily Handicap at time of first round will determine the Grade in which you will compete
- Competition fee for this event is $75.00. Competition fees must be paid in advance via the Online Nomination Form. Nominations Forms will only be accepted with payment. Incomplete Nominations Forms with out payment will be disregarded. Penalty for breach of this condition – Disqualification.
- For handicap events, competitors who are not members of the Headland Golf Club must be able to produce acceptable proof of handicap on request.
- In the event of a tie for the Open Champion a “sudden death” play-off will be conducted over holes 1, 2, 5 and 9. The winner will be decided by continuing play hole by hole, players being eliminated hole by hole as they fail to maintain equality with the other or others until the winner is determined. Ties in other events will be decided using the Australian Count-back system.
- Score cards duly signed by marker and player must be lodged with the official scorer in the scoring area within fifteen (15) minutes of the completion of the round. Under R & A Rules, cards so lodged are considered returned. All cards must be returned for handicap purposes – failure to comply will lead to re-handicapping at the discretion of the Match Committee.
- Any protest must be lodged in writing to the Championship Committee within ten (10) minutes of the completion of their round.
- Entries must be made on the official individual entry form and forwarded with the total entry fees to reach Headland Golf Club not later than 5:00 pm on Thursday 22nd March 2018. Late entries and late payment of the entry fee may be accepted at the discretion of the Championship Committee, but the Entry Fee must be paid in advance before tee-off on the first day of play. Penalty for breach of this condition – Disqualification.
- Motorised buggies may be used in all events.
- Top 12 Championship Qualifiers Tee Times on Sunday will be 11:36am, 11:45am and 11:54am.
- Pace of Play: Rule 6-7 will be strictly enforced. Each group must maintain its position on the course with respect to the group preceding it. Any group with a clear hole in front of it will be considered out of position. Penalties will be issued to individuals in such groups who by their pace contribute to such delay. Warnings may not be issued prior to penalties.
- In this Tournament a player may obtain distance information by use of a distance-measuring device. If, during a stipulated round, a player uses a distance-measuring device to gauge or measure other conditions that might affect his play (e.g. elevation changes, slope, wind speed, etc.), the player is in breach of Rule 14-3, for which the penalty is disqualification.
A multi-functional device, such as a smartphone or PDA, may be used as a distance-measuring device, but it must not be used to gauge or measure other conditions where doing so would be a breach of Rule 14-3.
Exceptions:
A player is not in breach of this rule if (a) the equipment or device is designed for or has the effect of alleviating a medical condition, (b) the player has a legitimate reason to use the equipment or device, and (c) the Committee is satisfied that its use does not give the player any undue advantage over other players.
A player is not in breach of this Rule if he uses equipment in a traditionally accepted manner.
