HOST INFORMATION FOR TOURNAMENTS

Hosting a tournament is not as difficult as it may seem. This tournament package will help you.

TOURNAMENT INITIAL ACTIVITIES

The vice president of tournaments (VP/T) has already contacted you before your tournament date, and hopefully, the two of you have agreed upon the type(s) of play for your tournament and the information that will go into the "on-line Tournament Sign-Up Request." A listing of the various tournament formats is available on this site. Send the request to the web master, who will post your tournament on the website. The Director at Large (DaL) will then email the membership to let them know the tournament sign-up is open. You will need to provide the web master with a filled-out application that includes the following information: Any help that you will need can be obtained from the VP/T who will also provide you with: Read the contract and understand the terms, including: Call the golf course and introduce yourself to the tournament director usually as soon as the sign-up period starts, or at least 2 or 3 weeks ahead of the tournament. The points you need to discuss are: Call the tournament director again a couple of weeks prior to the tournament to let the course know approximately how many golfers to expect.

GIVE the FINAL COUNT by the contracted date or 8 DAYS before the tournament, whichever gives the course the longest time to sell the unused spots. Note: sometimes, courses will leave an extra tee time open so you can add people.

SIGN-UP

This is the biggest part of the job. A list of the applicants can be found online. Request a login from the web master. From this, you will create a flyer to the contestants with foursome assignments, starting times, player handicaps, and local course and tournament rules. There is an Excel spreadsheet to assist you and serve as a guide. A member of the board will provide you with the spreadsheet.
  1. During sign-ups, be very careful to prioritize the applications in accordance with the procedure set forth in the By-Laws. This procedure is designed to create a first-come, first-served fairness in assigning tee times. Members of the Board of Directors have starting time privileges (one foursome each). League coordinators have the same privilege from April through August.
  2. Applications with Club members only, have priority over applications containing guests. The pecking order of priority for applications containing guests depends on the number of guests and members on each application. The pecking order is:
  3. Guests MUST sign a release of liability form (waiver). If they do not provide you with one with their tournament application, you must have them sign one before they golf.
  4. After sign-ups, you may have a waiting list if your contracted field is full. If so, call the course to get more starting times if possible. Keep the VP/T notified if the size of our field differs from the prearranged amount. When getting more starting times from the course, keep darkness in mind. The last groups of our tournament rarely play in less than five hours; usually five and one half hours.
The following is detailed in the spreadsheet:
  1. Request a copy of the current SCGA handicap indexes from the vice president of handicaps or check the website. You will need it to verify contestants' membership and to set up handicap flights. The spreadsheet will calculate individual handicaps based on the slope ratings of the course. For more information on the calculation, contact the vice president of handicaps.
  2. Keep close track of the finances. See the next section for the treasurer's requirements.
  3. After the close of the sign-up period, split the field into handicap flights. This is best done in the spreadsheet based on current handicap index. Be sure to follow the spreadsheet instructions to allow for the differential in course ratings between men and women for correcting handicaps. Arrange the handicap flights such that the flight sizes are as close to equal size as possible and each flight size is at least 6 and less than 20.

  4. Assign starting times, using seven and one half minutes per group (9:00, 9:07, 9:15, etc.) or as otherwise indicated by the course or the VP/T. Put yourself in the first starting time slot, so you will be first in the clubhouse to receive and record scores. Forward the starting times to the course a couple of days prior to the tournament.
  5. Establish the prize fund and distribution. Total the amount contributed to the prize fund. Determine how many places you will pay and the amounts.
  6. Create the tournament flyer from the spreadsheet and distribute at least ten days before the tournament. The flyer should include the following information:

FINANCES

  1. See the treasurer as soon as you have finalized the tournament size and details.
  2. Give the treasurer the money and copies of your financial summary. Use the form provided in the spreadsheet.
  3. It is very helpful to the treasurer if you include a list of the check numbers and amounts to help him/her both balance the tournament finances and to set up his/her deposit transaction.
  4. Obtain a check to pay the course. Some contracts require payment of the remainder prior to the tournament -- others settle for tournament day. The treasurer may want to handle this him/herself if playing in the tournament. Keep in mind that check requests can take up to a week and a half.
  5. Discuss with the treasurer who will distribute prize fund chits to the winners.
  6. Records of checks, chits and cash should be maintained in order to make proper refund distribution in the event the tournament is canceled.

TOURNAMENT DAY

Use the following as a check list. Mark off each item as you see it in your car. Before you leave home, be sure to have the following:

After you finish your round:

Remind all golfers to post their adjusted scores as a tournament. Adjustments are based on their course handicaps (not necessarily their tournament handicap).

The new Max Score is Net Double Bogey. To calculate the Max Score for each hole:

  1. Calculate the strokes given on each hole.
  2. Calculate double bogey, par + 2.
  3. Therefore, Max Score on each hole is double bogey + the number of handicap strokes on the hole (par + 2 + handicap strokes on hole).
If there is any difficulty calculating the Max Score, golfers have the option of posting their hole-by-hole scores and the GHIN system will perform the calculations for them.

SPECIAL GUIDELINES

Handicap Flight
In case of ties for first place, a winner must be selected for the Tournament of Champions reckoning. According to the By-Laws, the tie is broken (for first place only) by a scorecard playoff using full handicaps and competing by net score until the tie is broken. First, the back 9 net scores are compared, if that doesn't produce a winner, the last 6 hole net scores are compared, if that doesn't produce a winner, then the last 3 hole net scores are compared. If that still doesn't produce a winner, then the last hole net scores are compared. See the VP/T or the VP of Handicaps for instructions on how to do the calculations. This applies only to the flight winner for T of C qualification, not for prize fund or the T of C points distribution (i.e., prize money and T of C points are to be divided equally among all golfers tied).

Guests and Open Flight
T of C points are not awarded to guests. Guests with handicaps are allowed to compete in the flights. Those without are put in the open flight. The Calloway scoring system determines the open flight winner. The tournament-scoring file has the procedure for this. It is not necessary to break ties in the open flight, simply distribute prize money for ties by dividing the total prize money among the tied contestants. Members without established handicaps get zero T of C points in the open flights. However, their rounds are counted towards establishing the minimum number of rounds for T of C eligibility.

Handicap Adjustments
Use tournament month handicaps for the tournament. New handicap indexes may have come out between the sign-up period and the tournament. The vice president of handicaps will either send you the current indexes or you can look on the website. Remind contestants to check their handicaps if there's a new revision. Be especially careful to identify players who have just established a handicap because it means they belong in a handicap flight instead of the open flight.

Multi-Day Tournaments
The tournament host shall award T of C tournament winners and points for each individual day within each flight of a multi-day tournament. The tournament prizes may be awarded for each day, or determined by the composite score or any scoring system clearly defined before the tournament.

AFTER THE TOURNAMENT

HOW TO ASSIGN TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS POINTS

Each golfer that finishes the tournament receives T of C points. The points are calculated based on a ratio of their finishing rank and the highest number of points, 1000.
If there is a tie, the points for all the positions in contention are added together and divided by the number of golfers. For example, a tie for first gives the 2 golfers 750 points ((1000 + 500)/2). A 3-way tie for 3rd place would give each golfer 261 points ((333 + 250 + 200)/3). The table below shows how many points each golfer receives for ties.

Place Number of Golfers Tied for each Place
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
1st 1000 750 611 521 457 408 370 340
2nd 500 417 361 321 290 265 245 229
3rd 333 292 261 238 219 203 190 179
4th 250 225 206 190 177 166 157 148
5th 200 183 170 159 149 141 134 127
6th 167 155 145 136 129 123 117 112
7th 143 134 126 120 114 109 104 100
8th 125 118 112 107 102 98 94 91
9th 111 106 101 96 92 89 86 83
10th 100 95 91 88 85 82 79 76
11th 91 87 84 81 78 75 73 71

Remember, if there is a tie, the following position is the one after the positions in the tie contention. For example, if 3 golfers are tied for 2nd place, the next golfer is in 5th place, not 3rd.

THANK YOU FOR A GREAT JOB!!!!!