The Leicestershire & Rutland Golf Union Scratch League                          

Tournament Conditions

1. The League shall be named the Leicestershire & Rutland Scratch League, subsequently referred to as the league.  The league shall be open to clubs affiliated to the L&RGU.
2. The League will be administered by the Scratch League Secretary who shall be appointed by the Leicestershire & Rutland Golf Union at the A.G.M.
3. Matches shall be eight (8) games of singles match play, played off scratch, over a round of eighteen (18) holes.  Individual games that are all square after the round end in a tie.
4. All matches will play off the tees of the longest measured course available. The teeing area is the starting place for the hole to be played. It is a rectangular area two club-lengths in depth, the front and the sides of which are defined by the outside limits of two tee-markers. A ball is outside the teeing area when all of it lies outside the teeing area. 
5. Matches should start at 5:00pm unless a prior agreement has been made between the Clubs. If any individual player arrives at his starting point more than 50 minutes after the agreed match start time, he shall forfeit his individual game.
6. Each Team Captain should enumerate his players in playing order and the two lists should be exchanged fifteen (15) minutes before the match commences. Every effort should be made to encourage games where both players are present to tee off in the designated order without delay.
7. It is the responsibility of the home Team Captain to communicate the result of the match to the Scratch League Secretary after the match is over, to enable the League Tables to be updated on the www.lrgu.co.uk website.
8. No player may represent more than one Club during a season and all players must be playing members of the club they represent.

9. Postponing and suspending matches (for notes see Appendix 2)

(a) All matches should be played on the scheduled dates
(b) A match may be postponed if the host club’s course is closed or if a dangerous situation prevents the match starting at the scheduled or delayed start time
(c) Once a match has started it may be suspended, the rules protect the position of any team.  Individual games recommence at the point of suspension on other dates if necessary.
(d) Thescratch league secretary must be kept informed of plans to complete unfinished matches
(e) Matches must be completed within 13 days of the original scheduled date otherwise the scratch league secretary will make a decision regarding the result

10.Points & order within leagues (a) Two points shall be awarded to the winning Club of each match and one point shall be awarded for a drawn match. (b) In the event of Clubs having an equal number of points at the end of the season, "games difference" will decide the order of participants. (c) In the event of there still being a tie for the title, promotion or relegation, a play off will take place on a neutral course as directed by the Scratch League Secretary.

11. In all divisions, the matches shall be played to a predetermined formula starting on the 17 th Thursday of the year up to and including the 33 rd Thursday of the year. The order of play will be based on the league tables at the end of the previous season, having taken promotion and relegation into consideration. See Appendix 1. The number of divisions shall be regulated by the number of Clubs participating. There shall be no less than five Clubs and no more than six Clubs in a division.

12. At the end of each season, the bottom Club in all but the lowest division shall be relegated and the top Club in each division other than division 1 shall be promoted. In the event of an additional Club successfully applying to join the League a) That Club will enter the lowest division, b) The lowest division shall accommodate an extra Club first. In this event, the leading two Clubs from the lowest division will be promoted. c) The same formula shall be used to make up other higher divisions, should further Clubs be admitted. d) This process would be reversed should the number of Clubs be reduced or the number of divisions increased.

13. If any Club fails to fulfil its fixtures without good cause by the end of the season (33 rd Thursday), that Club shall have all results declared void and be relegated at the end of the season.

14. Winning Clubs will receive their trophies at the Leicestershire & Rutland Golf Union Annual Dinner, held in February the following year.

15. Any applications from Clubs to join the Leicestershire & Rutland Union Scratch Golf League must be received before August 31st for that Club to be permitted to take part in the following year. Any Club wishing to resign from the League must submit its resignation before August 31st for this is to be effective in the following year.

Appendix 1. Order of play rotation and match schedule

Appendix 2 Notes for captains when matches cannot be started or finished

Situations involving postponed or suspended matches

Weather or resultant course conditions may result in matches being postponed or suspended.  The number one concern for everyone should be to get a result within the ‘spirit of the game’ outlined in the etiquette.  That is to say achieving a result is the main priority rather than attempting to gain some advantage.  Historically there has been a reluctance to reschedule or get matches finished possibly because it is just impossible to get the ‘best’ teams out on another day.  In the context of the league it is important to know where you stand, which is only really possible if the matches are played to a schedule.  There are many possibilities for captains to get interrupted matches completed, here are the rules affecting all situations:

• Having been ready to play a match on an original scheduled date and subsequently failing to get a result does not mean the club has ‘failed to fulfil’ its fixtures as per Rule 13
• Where the home club has not made achieving a result possible within 13 days the visiting club may appeal
• If a result has not been achieved within 13 days of the original date the outcome of the match will be decided by the scratch league secretary
• Players cannot agree a half between themselves unless this result is achieved by concession of the 18th hole or by any agreement once the 18th hole has been started
• Players cannot agree to halve a hole unless they have started it
• Players cannot agree to concede holes to each other to engineer the effect of halving them
• It is acceptable to achieve a result without playing all 8 games.  If it is impossible to get a match finished the captains might agree to a result not involving all games.  A result might be 3-2 or 2 ½ - 2 ½ .

Postponement

The home team must provide an alternate date for the fixture.

Suspension

Players return to where play was suspended.  If ball markers are no longer in position the spots are estimated.  Players may of course concede or agree a half on any incomplete started hole.  It is not necessary for all to come back on the same date.  In fact it is probably best if players make their own arrangements on the night of suspension with their opponent.  Captains could agree that the result is decided by all the games that get complete within 13 days.

How successful in completing any suspended match within 13 days will be entirely dependent upon the organisation of the team captains on the scheduled evening.  If they create a ‘state of play’ document.  Inform the players of their responsibilities, get them to arrange their games with their opponents or at least exchange phone numbers the match may be completed.  This is the responsibility of the team captains who must keep the league secretary informed.