TERMS OF COMPETITION FOR THE LADIES

Muskerry Golf Club is a Golf Ireland affiliated Golf Club and all competitions are played under R & A Rules of Golf as well as regulations that may be laid down, from time to time, by the Ladies Committee.   

(A) Competition Entry Fee:

• must be paid in full prior to commencement of play
• the competition purse must hold sufficient funds to cover the entry fee
• If the entry fee is not paid, the player is disqualified, but their score will count for handicap purposes.

(B) Method of Entry:

• Sign in for competition in the Pro Shop and ensure you take the correct card for the course in play ie:  MacKenzie or Bruen
• Enter name, full handicap index, course handicap and playing handicap, date & competition title on card or use the sticker provided from the printer which will have all details.   In the event of computer failure, you must sign the competition entry sheet. Failure to do either of the above disqualifies the player from the competition but their score will count for handicap purposes.

(C) Competition timesheet opening times

• Timesheets for normal weekly competitions will open 9 days in advance at 19:30.
• Timesheets for open competitions will open for members 14 days in advance and for non-members 7 days in advance.
• Timesheets for Major Competitions will open 14 days in advance.

(D) Format of Competition:

• The format of each competition is written on the timesheet Banner on ClubNet for that day.
• Joint Competitions:

           The Joint competitions (run on Sundays, with Thursdays being the Alternate Day) are:

• If a joint competition is scheduled and if the main day (Sunday) is cancelled the player/players with the best nett score/scores on the Alternate Day (Thursday), are the winners of that competition. Similarly, if the alternate day (Thursday) is cancelled, the Main Day (Sunday) result is the winner of the competition.
• For a Joint competition, the pin positions and teeing grounds may be differently situated on each day of the competition, provided that on any one day all competitors play with each pin position and each teeing ground in the same position.
• When players have a choice between Main Day or Alternate Day participation for a singles stroke play competition, any player who elects to play on the second day of the Competition is permitted to play on the competition course on the first day of said Competition. This permits those players not competing on the first day to play on the course without being deemed to have practised on the course.

• O’Crualaoi Open Competition:

Terms of this competition will be in line with the WHS rules for stableford mixed gender open competitions (Rule 6.2.b of the WHS)

• Delayed play due to adverse weather conditions:

Where the starting time of a competition is delayed due to closure of the course arising from adverse weather conditions, the running order of  the original timesheet will remain in place from when the course is opened by the Course Staff, Club Professional or General Manager.

• Pace of Play & “Ready Golf”

The Competitions Committee would remind all players of their obligations regarding pace of play.

           Some points to note in this regard are as follows;

• Be on time & ready to play at your designated tee time.
• Be ready to play every shot when it is your turn. Have your Club to hand
• Tradition of having the honour at the tee box can still be relevant provided the lady in question is ready to take her position on the tee box without delay.
• Do not wait for greens to clear when they are beyond your range.
• Leave your bag at the side of the green nearest the next tee.
• Line up your putt while others are putting and be ready to putt in turn.
• If you cannot score or improve your team’s score on any hole, pick up.
• Do not mark cards on or near the green. Mark at the tee-box while other players are teeing off.
• Encourage your playing partners to keep up with the group in front.
• If someone is slowing things down, TELL HIM/HER.
• WALK AS YOU TALK – Do not delay play for conversation.
• If you are falling behind for any reason, invite the group behind through.
• Keep just behind the group ahead, not just ahead of the group behind.
• Play a provisional ball if you think your ball is lost outside a hazard, or out of bounds.
• Find your own ball first before you go searching for others.
• A ball not found within 3 minutes is lost and out of play.
• There should be no undue gaps between groups on the course

Match Play Competitions:

• The competition must be entered and appropriate fee paid prior to draw.
• The terms and conditions of all Club Match Play Competitions shall be displayed on the draw sheets.
• Matches must be played by the stated date unless the Committee authorises an extension due to course closure or other exceptional circumstances

 (E) Eligibility to Play:

Major Competitions:

• The 3 Major Competitions are the Lady Captain’s prize, the Captain’s prize to the Ladies and the President’s Prize to the Ladies.
• To be eligible to compete for prizes on Major Days, all players must have returned three 18 hole competition scorecards from Muskerry Golf Club in the six months prior to the competition. (Covid year 2021 exempt)
• A person who has not been a member for a period of six months immediately preceding the date of the competition shall not be entitled to enter the Lady Captains Prize, Presidents Prize or Captain’s Prize to the Ladies
• Juveniles ( female ages 10 – 17 inclusive), Juniors (female ages 18 – 23 inclusive) and Students (female under 25) with a handicap index of 36 or less may compete in the Majors but may not be the winner or runner-up.
• 5-Day members may play in the 3 Majors but may not win 1^st As these competitions are played on Sunday, the committee will designate a competition time on a weekday (Wednesday) prior to the Major to facilitate the 5-day members.
• To be eligible to win the Senior category in the Major Competitions a lady must have reached 70 years of age by January 1^st of that year.

       Weekly Competitions:

• All Full and Associate female members of the club holding a WHS handicap index are eligible to compete in all competitions, but see above for restrictions regarding Majors.
• Juveniles ( Female ages 10 – 17 inclusive), Juniors (Female ages 18 – 23 inclusive) and Students ( female under 25) with a handicap index of 36 or less may play and win all single and team competitions except the 3 Majors. Juvenile female members with a handicap index of 36 or less may play together in groups of 2 or 3 as permitted by the Ladies committee.
• 5-Day members may play in stand-alone Thursday competitions.
• All female members and juveniles are eligible to play in competitions provided their annual sub is paid prior to playing
• Current subs & levies must be paid before any member may compete in any competition or represent the club in Inter-Club matches.
• A member who wishes to play in the Sunday weekly ladies competition can opt for a tee time during ‘Shared Time’ on that particular day. Be sure to select “ladies Competition’ when signing in at the Pro Shop and when completing the digital scoring card. 

Golfer of the Year:

The following are the 10 Golfer of the Year competitions:

• Points will be awarded for each competition by Order of Merit – 10pts for 1^st, 9 for 2^nd, 8 for 3^rd down to 1 for 10^th place.  In the event of a tie, the winner will be determined on the basis of a count – back.
• The player with the highest number of points aggregated over 8 of the 10 competitions wins the Golfer of the Year
• If there are less than 16 holes in play, the competition will not count for Golfer of the Year points
• Female Juveniles, Juniors and Students are excluded from Golfer of the Year points

(F) Handicap Stroke Allowance under WHS:      

Once you have calculated your course handicap ,the following are the handicap allowances  that will apply depending on the competition format. (adjusted downwards when less holes are in play ie.  12 holes – 2/3 of full h/c , 14 holes – 7/9 of full h/c, 16 holes – 8/9 of full h/c)

Singles – allowance of 95% of the course handicap.

Fourball –allowance of  85% of the course handicap.  

Foursomes – allowance of 50% of the combined course handicap.

Scotch Foursomes/Greensomes – allowance of 0.4 of Higher +0.6 of Lower Playing              handicap.   See Greensomes Chart

Team Events – as designated by the committee. The terms of competition will be         stated on the ClubNet banner on that day.

In all handicap stroke calculations, a fraction of one half or more counts as a full        stroke; any other fractions are disregarded.

Club scrambles  – Terms of competition will be stated on the ClubNet banner on that  day.

(G) Times of Starting & Groups:

• Players may only compete in weekly competitions during designated competition times. This is the bookable time as displayed on the booking system – Thursday, shared time on Sunday and Ladies competition time on Sunday or other times  specified by the Committee.
• Players shall not compete in a competition after the last tee-time indicated on the time-sheet.  However, working ladies in full time employment can be accommodated during the summer months, in the Thursday competition, in the evenings with prior approval from the Lady Captain or Competition Secretary.

(H) Starting Places:

• Start place is 1^st Tee, unless otherwise designated by the Ladies Committee

(I) Teeing areas to be used:

• Ladies will play off red tees for the foreseeable future until the existing men’s tee boxes are slope rated and course rated for the ladies under the WHS.

(J) Number of Competitors which shall constitute eligibility for Prize purposes:

• Prizes will be awarded according to the number of entries; however, 1 person playing constitutes a competition for Medal or handicap purposes .
• For a Joint Competition (Sunday & Thursday – Alternate day) a quorum of 8 players is needed between both days.
• If less than 8 competitors enter a competition, a sweep will be made of 50% of entries received.

(K) Scoring in handicap competition:

The player is responsible for making sure that her handicap index/course handicap/playing handicap  is shown correctly on the scorecard/digital scorecard.  If a player returns a scorecard with the incorrect  handicaps, the following applies:

• Handicaps on scorecard too high or no handicaps shown – the player is disqualified from the competition.
• Handicaps on scorecard too low – there is no penalty and the player’s net score stands using the lower handicap as shown, but will be corrected for handicap adjustments.

(L) Prize Structure:

• Best Gross shall be awarded in lieu of 3^rd in Division 1 or 3^rd in lowest handicap Division in the following competitions: 

• However, if the Best Gross score is the winner or runner-up in the competition, the lady will be acknowledged for both her achievements in the results and will receive the higher value prize in that competition.  Therefore, no other lady will be awarded ‘best gross’ prize  on that day. 
• The number of prizes awarded will be in accordance with the number of entries.
• Prizes will be awarded in divisions 1-3 or Order of Merit as decided from time to time by the Committee.

(M) Decision of Ties and Tied Matches:   

Stroke Play:

• In an 18 hole competition, ties shall be decided by matching cards. The winner is determined by the best score on the last 9, 6, 3, 1. If still a tie, decide on the last 6, 3, 1 of the first 9 holes. If still a tie decide by lot.
• In individual stroke play competitions handicaps are deducted in proportion:
• Last 9 half playing handicap
• Last 6 one third playing handicap
• Last 3 one sixth playing handicap etc
• In shortened competitions, players play off reduced playing handicaps,( e.g.(a) in a 14 hole competition a player will be allocated 7/9ths of their playing handicap, or (b) in a 12 hole competition a player will be allocated 2/3rds of their playing handicap, or (c) in a 9-hole rated course  the player is allocated a  9 hole playing handicap per WHS.  Calculations to break ties will be as above with the reduced playing handicaps used in these calculations.

Match Play:

Unless the Terms of the match play competition state otherwise on the draw sheet, a match that ends all square should be played off hole by hole until one side wins a hole. The play-off shall start on the hole where the match began. In a handicap match, handicap strokes should be allowed as in the stipulated round.

(N) Procedure to be adopted if a suspension of play becomes necessary:

The Ladies Committee, Club Committee, Club Professional, Green keeper have the                        authority to suspend play.

From the Ladies Committee:

• Any Officer may suspend play if the course becomes unplayable
• Any Committee member may suspend play in a dangerous situation.

If play is suspended due to a dangerous situation (e.g. lightning) play must be discontinued immediately. The signal for suspending play due to a dangerous situation will be a prolonged note of the siren.

• Discontinue Play Immediately: one prolonged note of siren
• Discontinue Play: three consecutive notes of siren, repeated
• Resume Play: two short notes of siren, repeated.

(O) Closing of Competitions

In all competitions, players are responsible for ensuring that they promptly enter their scores in Club competition system after completing their round.  Competitions will close and entry of score cards must be completed on a Thursday and on a Sunday by 6pm sharp  during the winter months (November – March) and competitions will close and entry scorecards must be completed on a Thursday and on a Sunday 30 minutes after the final group has completed the last hole during  the summer months (April – October).

  All scorecards for acceptable competitions must be returned.

The result of the competition is final when it has been posted on the Club website.   If an issue arises after publication, a new result will be published in the following circumstances:

• Where disqualification of a prize winner is warranted under Rule of Golf 20.2e
• Where scorecard provided by a prize winner is incorrect, illegible or not provided at all but does not warrant disqualification, or
• Where an administrative error by committee has occurred.

Competition results will not be amended where players incorrectly enter their scores in the Club Computer System and are not listed as prize winners due to their own error.

(P) Transportation Policy

• Members may use a buggy in all Club competitions where such use is not specifically excluded by Golf Ireland. Golf Ireland guidelines regarding buggy use must be followed in Championship, Regional, Provincial or inter-club events. If in doubt seek confirmation from the Ladies Committee.
• Motorized golf buggies may be used for club competitions. 
• For Golf Ireland competitions , a medical cert must be approved by Golf Ireland  Head Office
• The Greens Committee or designated representative shall have the power to place additional restrictions on buggy use in order to protect the course from potential damage or for safety reasons. Such restrictions may include total prohibition of buggies on a particular day.

(Q) General Terms:
      The Competitions Committee reserves the right to:

• Refuse any entry
• Correct any mistakes made in the checking of scorecards
• Alter the type of Competition or the ‘Terms of Competition’ in advance of the start of the Competition, if it is deemed necessary, and provided it is advised in advance to those competing.
• Cancel or change the terms of competition due to insufficient entries, to postpone or to abandon it, or to suspend it for a period, at any stage, due to exceptional circumstances, in the event of the likelihood of play resuming, if it so decides.
• Competition results will be posted on social media platforms.

Ladies Committee,    2020/2021