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STANDING RULES
MEMBERSHIP
Applications for Membership
Applications for new membership
are accepted from
September 1 to 30.
If all eligibility requirements are met, the
applicant shall be accepted for membership as of
January 1 of the next year.
Three Open
Enrollment periods are available
for new membership
only. These are:
January 1-8, April
1-8, and July 1-8.
If all eligibility requirements are met, these
memberships will be accepted and are effective
immediately. To be accepted into membership,
women who apply must meet the eligibility
requirements set forth in the bylaws of the LWGA
and must maintain a USGA index of 21.5 or less
for four consecutive months prior to application
for membership.
An
initiation fee set forth by the Board of
Governors and the annual dues shall be paid at
the time of application. Should the application
be rejected due to ineligibility, the checks for
the initiation fee and annual dues will be
destroyed.
Charter Membership
Former members
of HHIWGA and or WGABC who paid their dues by
October 1, 2002 shall be deemed Charter Members.
Charter
Members are exempt from the initiation fee for
new applicants.
A Charter
Member who resigns and re-applies at a later
date must pay the initiation fee.
Regular Membership
All members
other than Charter Members shall be deemed
Regular Members.
Course Availability:
Clubs to which
LWGA applicants/members belong must provide
their course for competition annually.
Exception: If
a club has less than five LWGA members, the
course must be available every three years.
Credit Requirements:
Members must earn four (4)
credits
in tournaments scheduled
between October 1
and September 30.
Members who join during the
January Open Enrollment period must earn four
(4) credits in tournaments scheduled
betweenJanuary and September 30. Members who
join during the April Open Enrollment period
must earn three (3) credits in tournaments
scheduled between April and September 30.
Members who join during the July Open Enrollment
period must earn (2) credits in tournaments
scheduled between July and September 30.
Members failing to comply with
the credit requirements will be automatically
denied membership the following year. The member
may re-apply as a new member after one year,
paying the initiation fee as well as the regular
dues.
Members
earn two (2)
credits for the Annual Stroke Play Tournament.
In all other tournaments, players earn one (1)
credit, including the Annual Getaway Event and
the Dr. Alligator Charity Event. Players who are
placed on an alternate list by the Tournament
Committee shall receive credit for that
tournament provided they are available to play
up to 24 hours preceding the tournament.
Renewals for hardship cases will
be reviewed on an individual basis provided a
letter is sent to the Membership Chairman no
later than September 1.
DUES
and RENEWALS OF MEMBERSHIP
All memberships including those
who joined in January, April and July, must be
renewed with payment of dues, as set forth by
the Board of Governors,
between September
1 and September 30
of the subsequent
year. (e.g. a July, 2009 enrollment would renew
in Sept, 2009).
CHANGES IN
ADDRESS, TELEPHONE, E-MAIL
It is the
responsibility of the member to notify the
Membership Chairman of any change in address,
telephone number, e-mail address, or club
affiliation as soon as they occur.
HANDICAPS
A player who belongs to more
than one club must post all scores, away or at
home, at one course, or all scores, away or at
home, at all courses to which she belongs.
Reference Golfnet multi-member capability, as
described in the Score Posting Section, to
facilitate all scores being sent to all
applicable clubs. Should the adjustment dates be
different among them, the lowest index at the
time of entry must be used.
No player shall play with an
index greater than 21.5, regardless of the
actual index.
Scores as a result of LWGA
tournaments will be monitored by peer review for
adherence to the USGA rules for posting.
CODE OF CONDUCT
Each member is
expected to conduct herself in a manner that
engenders good sportsmanship, good fellowship,
and respect for individual dignity. Each member
is also responsible for the promotion and
integrity of the traditions and best interests
of the game of golf and the welfare of this
organization.
COMPETITIONS
Rules/Procedures
USGA rules shall govern all
play, except where special local rules for
abnormal conditions are posted by the Tournament
Committee. These rules apply to suspension of
play, late arrivals, pace of play, etc.
The
Slow Play policy
found in
this yearbook shall be in effect at all
tournaments.
Cell phones
may be used only for
emergency situations during tournaments and
must be
turned off during play.
In case of doubt, play two balls
(Rule
3.3).
If you are not sure how to
proceed and cannot decide between two courses of
action you can play two balls. Inform you
fellow-competitors which of the two balls is to
count in the event that both options conform to
the rules and then play both balls until you
have holed-out. Note down both scores—you must
then clarify the matter with the Committee
before signing and handing in your score card.
If you fail
to do so, you are disqualified.
Posting scores:
All scores played in a LWGA tournament must be
posted as a Tournament score unless otherwise
indicated by the Tournament Committee.
Score cards:
All score cards
submitted to the Tournament Committee must be
complete, hole-by-hole, regardless of the
format. Please see section on Posting Scores.
Major tournaments, for which the
champion(s) receive(s) a roving trophy, are the
Member-Member Championship and the Stroke Play
Championship.
Ties:
Stroke Play: Ties will share the
prizes except for last place in a flight when
ties shall be decided, as necessary, according
to the USGA system of the best score on the last
nine holes, then the last six holes, the last
three holes, and finally the 18th hole.
Thereafter, ties shall be decided by blind draw.
Exception:
A tie for the
Stroke Play
Champion
shall be decided by an immediate hole by hole
playoff, the nature of which shall be determined
by the Tournament Committee.
Match Play :
If a match is halved after 18 holes, the
stipulated round shall be extended to as many
holes as required for the match to be won,
starting at the first hole unless otherwise
posted at the tournament site.
Entries:
Entries must be completed and
postmarked during the dates specified on the
entry forms in the back of the yearbook. A check
for the specified amount must accompany the
entry. Note that the cart fee and prize fee are
payable with one check, except for some
multiple-day tournaments.
Players with an index exceeding
21.5 automatically will be scheduled to play
only if the field is not filled.
Exception: Member-Member
tournaments when the combined index of both
partners does not exceed 43.0.
Oversubscriptions:
If a field is oversubscribed, a
random drawing of eligible players will be held
to determine the field. An alternate list will
be compiled as follows:
1. Eligible entrants not picked
to play from the drawing. If a tournament is
flighted and there is a cancellation, an
alternate will be selected based on a similar
index.
2. Players who sent in their
tournament entry prior to the entry date.
3. Players who sent in their
tournament entry after the entry date.
4. Entries with an incorrect
payment or entry information.
5. Players with a handicap index
that exceeds 21.5.
If an alternate is called to
play, she must play in order to receive a
tournament credit. If a player is not called to
play, that player will still receive one (1)
credit and her check will be destroyed.
Pairings/Tee times:
Pairings and
tee times will be available:
1. On the Web site address (www.lwgahhi.com)
about a week or more before the tournament.
2. In your Pro Shop about 10 days prior to the
tournament.
3. In the Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette on
the Wednesday or Sunday preceding the
tournament.
Competitions will be flighted
according to handicap, except when the format
precludes flighting.
Players must be at the tee 10
minutes before their tee time
and ready
to play at their designated time.
Penalty for late arrival
Individual Stroke Play:
Disqualification.
Reference:
USGA Rule 6-3a: “The player shall start at the
time designated by the Tournament Committee”.
Exception: Best Ball and
Four-Ball Match and Stroke Play
Reference
Rules 30-3a, 32-2.
Cancellations / Failure to Show
/ Late Cancellations /
Cancelled Tournament
Cancellations up through the
Thursday prior to the tournament–the entry check
will be destroyed.
Failure to show at a tournament
without notice to the Tournament Committee–the
entry check will be cashed and no refund given.
A late cancellation is defined
as a cancellation on Friday or later before the
tournament. In this case, the entry check will
be cashed and no refund given.
Tournaments cancelled as a
result of the course being declared closed will
result in the destruction of entry checks.
Should a tournament be cancelled
by the Tournament Committee (as opposed to the
course being closed), and the club requires
payment of cart fees, the prize money will be
distributed by lottery.
Note: At the end of the year,
excess Tournament Committee funds as a result of
late cancellations will be donated to a charity
designated by the Board of Governors.
Failure to finish a round,
failure to play the sequential next round of a
multi-day tournament:
A player is
expected to finish all rounds of a tournament,
either a single day or multiple-day event,
except when due to illness, injury, or
emergency.
The Tournament
Committee must be notified if any player leaves
the tournament before completion.
Penalties:
Second late
cancellation, failure to show, or withdrawal
from a one-day or multiple-day tournament
without cause occurring within six months:
Ineligibility to play in the next three month’s
tournaments.
Third late
cancellation, failure to show, or withdrawal
from a one-day or multiple-day tournament
without cause occurring within six months:
Ineligibility for the next six month’s
tournaments (resulting in a total of nine
monthly suspensions).
Continued
abuse of the late cancellation/failure to show,
or withdrawal rules may be subject to
disciplinary action by the Board.
The Board of
Governors has the right to make an exception to
any violation or penalty based on evidence of
member hardship.
Tournament
Suspensions/Cancellations:
The Tournament
Committee shall suspend play when lightning
threatens. Upon suspension of play, players are
to mark their balls and return to the clubhouse
immediately. Failure to do so shall disqualify
them from the tournament. Any player may stop
play without penalty if she thinks lightning
threatens her, marking her ball, even if the
Committee has not yet suspended play.
The Tournament
Committee has the authority to cancel any
tournament due to inclement weather.
Participants
must call the Pro Shop at the site of the
tournament to determine if play will be
cancelled.
The Tournament
Committee will cancel a tournament prior to the
first starting time whenever possible.
Awards
Prizes and/or
certificates shall be awarded for all
competitions according to the number of
competitors in the field.
A minimum of
25% of the field will receive an award.
The type of
award will be at the discretion of the Board of
Governors.
A member may
receive only one award in a tournament, with the
exception of proximity or other designated
special event for that tournament.
Gratuities:
The fee for
each tournament includes a tip for the bag boys,
as determined by the Board of Governors.
Additional
tipping is at the player’s discretion, and is
not discouraged.
Revised:
November 2008 |
