WESTERN CAROLINAS WOMEN'S GOLF ASSOCIATION

REP SUGGESTED PROCEDURES FOR TOURNAMENTS

INVITATIONS: Invitations should be sent out by the Host Club four (4) weeks prior their Tournament date. Forms are available on the website, and they contain space for the following information: When; Where; Tee-off time; Names and phone numbers of persons at the Host Club who should be notified of cancellations. The Tournament Invitation & Sign-Up Sheet and checks must be received by the Host Club one week before the Tournament. The hosting rep should check all registrants against the roster on the website to make sure everyone has paid their dues. The registration fee covers the cart fee, lunch, and any incidentals. Create a list of entrants by club (alphabetized within the club) to use at the morning check-in table and for the Participation Report. 

WEBSITE: wcwga.biz
Logon Email:  Western@wcwga.biz
Password: Western@9

MORNING CHECK-IN TABLE: Volunteers should greet entrants and mark each person as attending

GUESTS: Bona fide houseguests may participate, although not compete, upon payment of Registration Fee. They must have an established handicap, and their names must be sent in before the deadline of entries to make a place for them in the pairings and at the luncheon.

PAST PRESIDENTS: Any Past President who no longer belongs to one of the clubs on the WCWGA Roster, but has a proven established handicap, may participate in WCWGA Tournaments and is eligible to win prizes if she has paid the annual Dues as well as the Registration Fee for said Tournaments.  Past Presidents of non-member clubs will be ineligible for play when there is a “Full Field”. 
FULL FIELD: The guidelines for hosting a “Full Field” tournament are as follows: 
1.	The Host Club determines the number of players for a “Full Field”. 
2.	The Host club will accept a predetermined percentage of players who sign up for a tournament based on the total members of each club as compared to the total WCWGA membership for fair and equitable representation of each club.
3.	Once WCWGA membership is known for the year, the Treasurer will publish a chart of the clubs with the percentages.  These percentages are then applied to the size of the Full Field, and the result will be the numbers of players “guaranteed” to play in the event of a Full Field.
4.	Each representative must submit their full list of players and list them on the signup sheet in the order they are to be selected.
5.	After the eligible players are determined, the remaining players will be selected, one at a time, alternating clubs by blind draw, for the remaining player spots.  The remaining players will go on a waitlist.
6.	The Host Club Rep will inform the other Member Clubs’ representatives of members who will be playing and who is on the waitlist. 
7.	Past Presidents of non-member clubs will be ineligible for play when there is a “Full Field”. 
8.	If there are any cancellations, the Host Club Rep will fill the vacancy with a member on the waitlist from the same club. If there is no one on the waitlist from the same club, the Host Club Rep may choose, by a blind draw, a member from another club on the waitlist.
Example:  The total Western membership is 120 women, but the Host Club defines a Full Field as only 96 players.  Club A has 12 dues paying members, which is 10% of the total Western membership.  Based on the recommendations Club A is allotted 10% of the Full Field of 96 which is 9.6 (10) players.  In other words, the first 10 members of the 12 who signed up to play from Club A will be entered into the tournament and the remaining players will be put on a waitlist. 

ENTERTAINMENT: For all Tournaments – Luncheons shall be buffet style and each table numbered according to the holes the players began on so the groups they played with may eat together. Snacks and cold drinks shall be made available for purchase at the turn. The entertainment cost will come from the women’s participation monies. We encourage all clubs to be reasonable when planning the luncheon – not to go overboard when a salad/sandwich bar will suffice. Make sure lunch is reserved for those assisting with scoring, etc., whose duties prevent their dining with the others.

FLIGHTS:	If the number of entrants is 61 or more, divide them into 6 flights.
	If the number of entrants is 41 to 60, divide them into 5 flights.
	If the number of entrants is 40 or fewer, divide them into 4 flights.

PAIRINGS FOR “SHOTGUN”: Beginning with the two (2) lowest and two (2) highest handicaps in 1ST Flight, divide into groups of four (4).  The high handicap in the 1ST Flight may be included with the low handicap in the 2ND Flight.  The high handicap in the 2ND Flight may be mixed with low handicap 3RD Flight where necessary. If the field is not too large, place the last Flight golfers in groups of 3.

Within any flight, if the difference between the highest and lowest handicaps exceeds seven (7) strokes, pair players in that flight with like handicaps.

If possible, avoid pairing golfers from the same Member Club as well as those golfers who played together in the preceding WCWGA Tournament. Never allow one of a threesome to quit her pairing and join another foursome, leaving a twosome.

If more than 72 players are in the field, assign two groups to same tee starting with PAR 5 holes (Group A&B). Group A (first group) should tee off 5 minutes BEFORE the horn sounds to begin play, proceed down the fairway, and take a second shot - then wait for the horn. Group B tees off when Group A has taken their second shots.

Where cancellations force no other method but a threesome, let threesomes lead the field and have empty hole(s) ahead. (Remember, Hole #1 is behind – not ahead of the field, despite theory.)

Place groups of 1ST Flight on holes #1, #18, and #17; leaving holes #2 and #3 open ahead of them. Follow the 2ND Flight on holes #16, #15, #14, etc. and then 3RD Flight, etc.

TEE-OFF ASSIGNMENTS: Know where bottlenecks and delays are apt to occur on your course.  Consider this when assigning groups. As a guide:
Par 5 Holes – 1ST Flight in groups of 4
Par 4 Holes – 1ST Flight, 2ND Flight, 3RD Flight in groups of 4.  4TH Flight, 5TH Flight, and 6TH Flight in groups of 3.

PREPARE MASTER SHEETS: showing final pairings with home clubs and starting tees with last name first.
POST:	One in each locker room and/or restroom to be used by participants
	One to the Caddie Master
	One to next month's Host Club Representative
	One in Pro Shop
	One to Pro Shop personnel
Be prepared for last-minute cancellations.

KEEP EACH FLIGHT SEPARATE: If players have been “fielded” intelligently, 1ST Flight will come in one foursome behind the other so scores can be recorded before Flight 2 emerges.

SCORE CARDS: Score cards must show LAST NAME of player first, then FIRST NAME. Score Cards must also show player’s Handicap, Flight, Tee-off Hole, and Date. 

Scorecards should also contain “dots” for each of the 18 holes to indicate the handicap stokes and a separate line in which to write the net score for each hole. IF, DURING THE SEASON, A PLAYER’S HANDICAP INDEX EXCEEDS 33.0, SHE MAY COMPETE, BUT WITH A HANDICAP EQUAL TO WHAT A 33.0 INDEX RECEIVES.

SCORE SHEETS:
Make large score sheet or digital display for each Flight. List names of players within each Flight alphabetically by LAST NAME. Each player’s HOME CLUB and HANDICAP must also be listed.
Example: DOE, Jane 17 Greenville CC

SCORING: Two volunteers should be available to collect the score cards at the conclusion of play. All scoring is under the supervision of the WCWGA Tournament Chairman (1st Vice President) assisted by the 2nd Vice President. In her absence or inability to perform, the President of WCWGA, or her designee, is in charge.

SHOTGUN START: 9:30 AM at all Tournaments unless otherwise notified by the Host Club.

TEE BOX SIGNS: Place tee signs at all 18 Ladies’ tees before play begins.

RULES SHEETS: Rules sheets should be in each cart. It should include applicable local rules, location of restrooms and Pin Sheets or placement. It should also name those serving on the Rules Committee for that Tournament.  It should also be posted on the scoreboard. The “No Card” and Withdraw rules should also appear on the Rules Sheet. (Note: The Rules Committee is posted on the website; however, there are times some members of the Rules Committee will be unable to play in every Tournament, and a replacement is named and should be announced for THAT Tournament.)

ANNOUNCEMENTS TO BE MADE BEFORE PLAY AT EACH TOURNAMENT: In addition to regular announcements made by the Host Club – (1) Names of those serving on the Rules Committee for that tournament.  (2) No Card and Withdraw Rules (see wording elsewhere within Suggested Procedure)

DETERMINING TIES: The winner shall be determined as recommended by the USGA. If there is a tie in The Championship for the Overall Low Gross Champion, then it must be played off on the course starting on Hole #1, sudden death. If there is a tie for Overall Low Net Champion, the Low Net Champion will be decided by scorecard playoff.

WINNERS: Monthly Tournaments
There shall be four (4) winners in each of the flights (1st Low Gross, 1st Low Net, 2nd Low Gross, and 2nd Low Net) to be determined in the same order as just listed.  A player may only win Gross or Net in their respective flight (not both).  Four (4) skill prizes (closest to the pin or closest to the line) will also be awarded.

Championship Tournament: 
To be eligible to win the Overall Champion and the Overall Low Net Champion (in October), a player must have played in at least one tournament during the year. All members are eligible to play in the Championship; however, they can only win Flight and specialty prizes if they have not played in at least one tournament. 

The Overall Champion will be determined first and can come from anywhere in the field. She is not eligible for a flight prize but may win a special event prize. If there is a tie for Overall Champion, then it must be played off on the course starting on Hole #1, sudden death. After that, the Low Net of Field Champion will be determined and can come from anywhere in the field. She is not eligible for a flight prize but may win a special event prize.

If there is a tie for Low Net Champion, then the winner will be determined by USGA rules by scorecard playoff. After that, determine the four (4) winners for each flight. Ties for flights will be determined by the USGA recommended method using scorecard playoffs. Four skill prizes will also be given.

PRIZES: Winners will be announced by the 1st Vice President (Tournament Chair) and Host Pro. No certificates will be given. The amount of their winnings will be forwarded to each winner’s respective club by the WCWGA Treasurer to be applied as pro shop credit.  Prizes will be awarded for 1st Low Gross, 1st Low Net, 2nd Low Gross, 2nd Low Net in each flight.

Four (4) Skill prizes will be awarded for Closest to Pin or Closest to Line.  Winners will receive $15 in Pro Shop credit at their respective clubs. At the Championship, the overall champion shall receive Pro Shop credit at her home club, a prize (provided by the Treasurer) and the Championship Trophy.

Trophy: Obtain the Championship Trophy from the past Champion and have it ready for presentation at the closing luncheon.

INSURANCE: Inform the new Overall Champion she is to have the trophy insured as a rider on her personal insurance policy and send the bill to the WCWGA Treasurer.

NO CARD (NC) RULE: 
Common reasons to use the No Card option:
•	A player is simply having a bad golf day.
•	A player is too frustrated with her play to enjoy the round.
•	A player realizes they are playing much too slowly. 

No Card Procedure: After deciding to “No Card,” the player must inform her group and have her marker record this on the scorecard. The golfer picks up her ball and moves on to the next hole. The marker simply puts an “X” on the scorecard and in Golf Genius (if applicable) for holes where the ball is picked up and writes “NC” on scoring line. 

A “No Card” player may continue playing but must pick up her ball after reaching her USGA maximum strokes per hole (net double bogey).  At the end of the round, scores will be posted for handicap purposes ONLY using the players maximum expected score on those holes left blank or as indicated with an “X” by the marker.
If the “No Card” player’s putt would give others a “read” on the green, she must pick up her ball for that hole.

If a “No Card” player elects to discontinue play having played less than 7 of 9 or 14 of 18 holes, no score will be posted to GHIN.  Under these circumstances, the player may remain with her group, but no further play is allowed. 

“No Card” players are not eligible to win any flight or special event prizes in that Tournament.

WITHDRAW (WD) RULE: During a tournament, a player may withdraw (WD) from play due to injury, illness, or emergency.  She must inform her group and have her marker record this on the scorecard. The player must discontinue all play at this point.  She may leave the course or remain with her group, but no further play is allowed.

A Player who withdraws WILL NOT have their score posted by the Tournament regardless of the number of holes recorded.  This will be the responsibility of the player. Players who withdraw are not eligible to win any flight or special event prizes in that Tournament.

$25 AWARDED BY WCWGA FOR A HOLE-IN-ONE MADE AT TOURNAMENT: 1st Vice President (Tournament Chairman) should notify the Treasurer, who will send a check for $25 to the member’s pro shop.

COMPLAINTS: ALL WCWGA Reps comprise this committee. Anyone with a legitimate complaint may request a hearing before the Complaint Committee as soon as play is completed. Infraction of rules may be reported without using names.

RAINOUT: Each club is encouraged to review the weather patterns and if inclement weather is unavoidable, contact the WCWGA President and make every effort to cancel the tournament 24 hours in advance or at least BEFORE players are already on their way. Contact the WCWGA Communications Liaison so that cancellation can be posted on the website. Contact the president and reps from out-of-town clubs so they can advise their members. In the event of a total rainout, the Host Club will receive the planned prize monies, in addition to the $60 for special event prizes. The total amount will be $540 if six (6) flights, $450 if five (5) flights, and $360 if four (4) flights

Complete and deliver the Participation Report to the President and 2nd Vice President. It is a complete list of all participants organized by club and within the club alphabetizes the participants. Deliver a copy of your pairings to the next tournament host.

TEE MARKERS: The Host Club Rep is responsible for getting the WCWGA Tee Markers to the Club Rep for the next Tournament.

Updated 3/24/2026