2019 LONG BEACH MEN’S CITY CHALLENGE
Conditions of Competition
Play is governed by the USGA Rules of Golf, Effective January 2019, the Local Rules as described in the Notice to Competitors distributed to players at the tournament site, and these Conditions of Competition. Unless otherwise noted, the penalty for breach of a Local Rule or Condition is the General Penalty.
THE COMPETITION: The tournament is a 54-hole net score competition, with a cut after 36 holes to the 12 lowest cumulative net scores and ties within each Flight.
FLIGHTING: Three flights of equal size were created at the close of registration, using trailing 3-month Low Index (3-mo LI) as of July 1st as the relevant ranking metric, and adjusting for duplicate 3-mo LIs at the two dividing lines. The “Diamond (A)” Flight consists of the one-third of the field (and ties) with the lowest 3-mo LIs. The next one-third of the field comprises the “Platinum (B)” Flight, and the remaining one-third of the field comprises the “Gold (C) Flight”.
HANDICAPS: Course Handicaps for each round of the tournament are calculated based on the player’s 3-month Low Index (3-mo LI) as of July 1st and the slope of the tee markers from which that player’s Flight plays. The Tournament Committee reserves the right to review, and restate if deemed necessary, the Course Handicap(s) of any player with a Round One or Round Two score that represents a significant negative net handicap differential.
TEE TIMES & PAIRINGS: Round One and Round Two starting times have been posted to this Men’s City Challenge portal prior to the beginning of the tournament. Starting times for the Final Round on Sunday, July 21st will be determined by relative 36-hole net totals, and posted on the portal on Monday, July 15th. Final Round pairings will be exclusively within Flight.
DRESS CODE: Appropriate golf clothing must be worn at all times; no denim pants, short shorts, tee shirts, or tank tops.
CODE OF CONDUCT: By submitting an entry for any Long Beach Golf Festival-administered competition, the contestant understands that he/she may be Disqualified by the LBGF Committee under Rule 1.2b at any time before or during the competition for unbecoming conduct, including, but not limited to:
- Willful damage of the golf course or golf course property
- Club throwing
- Offensive, threatening, or unbecoming language or actions
- Verbal abuse of LBGF staff, officials, volunteers, host club staff, or other competitors
- Potential endangerment of others
- Manipulation of scores posted for handicapping purposes or other acts of cheating
TIME OF STARTING: All players must be present at the proper tee at their scheduled time, ready to play, or if starting times fall behind, when the starter calls the first player in the group to play. Any player not present and ready to play at the time the first player in the group is called to the tee, shall be assessed the General Penalty. If the competitor arrives more than five (5) minutes late for his assigned or adjusted starting time he SHALL BE DISQUALIFIED.
TEE MARKERS & HOLE LOCATIONS: Competitors in the Diamond (A) and Platinum (B) Flights will play from the BLUE tee markers. Competitors in the Gold (C) Flight will play from the WHITE tee markers. Hole Location Sheets will be available at the Starter’s table for all rounds.
CONFORMING EQUIPMENT LISTS: For driver heads, Local Rule as prescribed in Section 8 of the Committee Procedures is in effect (Model Local Rule G-1). For golf balls, Local Rule as prescribed in Section 8 of the Committee Procedures is in effect (Model Local Rule G-3). Regarding club grooves and punch-mark specifications, Local Rule as prescribed in Section 8 of the Committee Procedures is in effect (Model Local Rule G-2).
DISTANCE-MEASURING DEVICES: Hand-held or other devices (yardage or GPS devices) may be used, but ONLY to measure distance. Players using devices with features that gauge or measure other conditions in addition to distance (e.g. wind or gradient) must switch those feature(s) off during tournament play (Rule 4.3a). The General Penalty will be assessed for a first violation, and the player will be Disqualified for a second violation.
CADDIES: Caddies are allowed, under the following conditions:
- Caddies may drive or ride in the cart of the player for whom they are caddying. They may not, however, drive a cart if the player for whom they are caddying has chosen to walk the round.
- Non-competing individuals riding in a cart with a player are thereby designated as Caddies, and are therefore subject to the provision of Rule 10.3c for any breach of the Rules of Golf.
- Caddies must not hold up play or challenge Rules Committee or Tournament Officials' directions.
- Caddies may not give a "playing lesson" during the tournament or hold up play in any manner. Caddies may be asked to leave by the Rules Committee or Tournament Director if a delay occurs due to their actions.
PROMPT PACE OF PLAY: Rule 5.6b states "A round of golf is meant to be played at a prompt pace.” Accordingly, the Committee has established the following Local Rules: A group is deemed out of position when starting the play of any par 4 or par 5, which is clear of all players, and the elapsed time for the round averages 15 minutes or more for the holes completed. In such case, all players in the group shall be notified that they are being observed and timed. A player is subject to penalty if his group is out of position, has been informed that they will be timed, and takes more than 40 seconds to play ANY stroke. Penalties for failure to maintain a prompt pace are as defined: First offense – warning; second offense – one stroke; third offense – two additional strokes; fourth offense – Disqualification.
SCORECARDS: Signed and attested scorecards shall be returned, without delay, to the designated scoring area following the stipulated round. Once the player has exited the designated scoring area the card is deemed officially submitted.
WHEN COMPETITION IS FINAL: The Competition is final when the awards have been presented, or in the absence of a prize ceremony, when all scores have been approved by the Committee.
BREAKING TIES: In case of a tie for first place within each Flight, there will be a sudden death playoff to decide the winner. The playoff will start on a tee designated by the Committee, and will begin within five minutes of the determination that a tie exists. All other ties will be broken with a card-off, employing the Countback method of successively comparing: (1) the final 9 holes; (2) the final 6 holes; (3) the final 3 holes; (4) the final hole. If a tie still exists, the Last to First method of comparing hole-by-hole scores in descending order will be used. Card-offs will use
final round net scores.
PRIZES: In accordance with USGA Rules regarding the definition of amateurs, all prizes will be awarded in the form of gift cards or vouchers that may be redeemed for their market value of goods or services. No cash prizes will be awarded. Prizes will be awarded to the five (5) players with the lowest 54-hole net totals in each Flight.
POSTING SCORES: The Long Beach Golf Festival Committee will post a Tournament score to the GHIN system for each round that a competitor completes.