Constitution of Island Springs Men's' Golf League

Section 1
Eligibility
1. To be eligible for membership in the Island Springs Men's Golf League (henceforth
referred to as the League) individuals must meet the membership requirements.
Membership requirements are:
a. Members must be on a team that participates in the League.
b. Members must be in good standings and submitted Annual Dues as determined by
the League Board of Directors (henceforth referred to as the BOD) which is
comprised of a President, golf course professional, and various team Captains.
Section 2
The Committee
1. The "committee" referred to in the RCGA Rules of Golf (henceforth referred to as the
Rules) shall be the BOD. However, if an immediate ruling is necessary during
competition, the golf professional or his representative may co-opt a committee
consisting of himself and at least two other the League members, or the President and/or
his assist and render a decision.
Section 3
Rules of Play
1. Stones, in bunkers only are declared movable obstructions. (See Rule 24-1 of the Rules.)
2. All play shall be in accordance with Rules, as amended by the local rules of the course
being played, except as provided in the League Rules of Play. Specifically…
Moving or Lifting a Ball in Play
1. No ball may be touched or moved except as permitted under the Rules.
2. Players may change balls between holes without penalty.
Lost Ball and Ball out of Bounds
1. A ball which has been determined to have come to rest outside the defined boundaries of the
course can be placed on a line perpendicular to the centreline of the fairway and even with the
point at which the ball left the course. The point selected will be no less than 5 meters from the
edge of the green. Two penalty strokes will be added to the player’s score for the hole.
2. If a ball is determined to be lost, the must be replayed from point ball at which the ball was last
hit. Add two penalty strokes to the player’s score for the hole. No more than five minutes, from the
time the player reaches the likely location of his ball, shall be spent searching for the ball.
3. If a ball is known or thought to be out of bounds or lost, a player has the option to hit a provisional
shot from the same spot and take a stroke-and-distance penalty instead of the two stroke penalty
specified in 1) or 2). The provisional shot must be hit before advancing to look for the possibly
lost or out-of-bounds ball. Going back for a stroke-and-distance penalty is not permitted. If the
original ball is found and is in-bounds, the original ball is the ball in play and no penalty shall be
incurred.
Section 4
Conduct
1. The use of the course is a privilege. Conduct of the members, therefore, must be beyond
reproach and the Rules and Etiquette of the game and of the course must be fully
observed.
2. Good care must be taken when playing the course. All divots must be replaced, all ball
marks on the putting greens must be repaired, all sand traps must be raked, and the riding
and pull carts must be kept well away from the putting greens, sand traps, and teeing
areas.
3. The BOD may discipline any member or team for misconduct after an appropriate
inquiry. This may include suspension for one or more outings.
4. No guests are allowed.
Section 5
Handicaps
1. Official the League handicaps shall be used for all events.
2. Only the League stroke-play scores shall be used in computing the League handicap
indexes.
3. The maximum League handicap is 18.
4. Handicaps are determined in accordance with the Club scoring system.
Section 6
Teams
1. All teams in the League shall be made up of not less than 4 persons nor more than 6
eligible persons. When all teams are up to maximum strength, the Board of Directors may
increase the upper limit above 6.
2. The fee per team will be $ __________ for 2008.
3. New teams which apply to the League prior to the scheduling of the season shall be
accommodated on a first-come, first-served basis.
4. No one may compete unless he is certified at that time by the President or his designee as
a paid-up member of the team for which he plays.
5. Team numbers will be designated as a result of their total points, not including the
League Championship, from the previous season.
6. A team defaulting for the third consecutive week with no team members playing for the
team without providing notification and reasonable grounds to the President shall be
expelled from the league.
Section 7
Schedules
1. Official League Schedules and Rules shall be provided to each Captain prior to the start
of each season and shall be displayed on the official League website.
2. All scheduled events shall be played, regardless of weather, unless cancelled by the
League or a course official.
Section 8
Competitions
1. Competitions are between four members of each team in an individual stroke play and
team match play format. Extra players not competing for their team can become spares.
2. Opponents from different teams play match play with handicaps. Opponents match up
based on handicap, with the lowest handicaps competing, and so on.
3. Up to one stroke per hole handicap is given to the higher handicap player on the hardest
holes based on the handicap differential of the two opponents.
4. Individual match play scoring is one point for the lowest net score on the hole. If the hole
is halved then each player receives 0.5 points. The player who scores the most points also
receives a bonus 2 points. If both players tie they each receive 1 point. (There are 11
points that are being competed for.)
5. Team stroke play is based on the total net strokes of all four players on the team.
a. The team with the lowest total net receives a bonus 10 points. If both teams tie
they each receive 5 points.
b. If a team fails to field a full team of four players then they have defaulted and
their opponents receive the 10 points for low total net strokes.
c. If both teams default, the team with the most players receives the 10 points for
low total net strokes. If both teams default and have the same number of players,
then the determination of low net will include one, two, or three players instead of
four players, and the team stroke play points shall be awarded as in 5).
6. If a player does not have an opponent to play he will play the course or a spare/substitute.
Players receive their full number of strokes (up to two per hole) and play the course as
par.
7. Spares may substitute for another team as determined by the order on the Substitute List.
Substitutes accumulate individual points and team points for the team that they are
substituting for.
8. A team’s point total for a competition is the sum of its player’s individual match play
points and its team stroke play points. (There are 54 points that are being competed for.)
9. If a spare has no team to substitute for then he may play another spare or the course for
individual stroke play points only.
Section 10
League Championship
1. The League Championship shall take place on the last scheduled night of league play.
The team with the most first half points shall play the team with the most second half
points. In the case where the same team leads both halves, the second place overall team
shall be the other team in the League Championship.
Section 9
Annual Awards
1. Trophies shall be awarded to the eligible members of the teams who finish 1st, 2nd and
3rd to a maximum of 6 trophies per team.
2. Trophies shall be awarded to the Individual Points Champion and Runner-up Points
Champion.
Section 10
Protests
1. All protests shall be forwarded in writing to the chairman of the rules committee within
five workdays of the match in question. A copy of the protest will be simultaneously sent
to the opposing team Captain. The chairman shall then contact the opposing team Captain
and invite him to submit a written rebuttal within three working days. The chairman shall
then either convene the rules committee and reach a decision on the basis of the written
statements alone or convene the committee and both parties to the dispute to solicit verbal
testimony in order to reach a decision. No verbal testimony shall be sought or considered
unless both parties to the dispute are present at the time of the testimony. The committee
must, by majority vote, reach a decision within three weeks of receipt of the protest. No
member of the rules committee shall render any judgement pertaining to his own team. In
such cases, or when absence of a member of the committee would cause undue delay, the
chairman shall appoint an ad hoc member who is agreeable to both parties. If the
chairman's team is involved, or if his absence would cause undue delay, the President
shall appoint an ad hoc member who is agreeable to both parties and shall designate an ad
hoc chairman.
2. Any decision of the rules committee may be appealed to the board of directors if
petitioned in writing by at least five officers of the BOD. The appeal must be filed within
five workdays of the receipt of the rules committee's decision, and the president must
convene the board within five workdays of receipt of the appeal, and a final decision
must be rendered at that meeting. In such cases, no member of the rules committee nor
involved party is eligible to vote and a two-thirds majority of all the members (exclusive
of those ineligible to vote as noted above) is required to overturn the decisions of the
rules committee.