Rules

USGA Rules

USGA rules govern all play except for Weekenders-specific rules detailed below or local course rules on the day of the event. Players should read the course scorecard.

Play Your Ball as It Lies

Unless stated otherwise prior to the event, play your ball as it lies.

Bunker footprint exception

Footprint lies in the bunker may be lifted, raked, and placed, but only at the discretion of your opponent. The ball must be placed within one scorecard length of the original lie. If the ball cannot remain in the placed position after three attempts, for example rolling down a slope, it shall be played from the point of rest on the third attempt. An additional lift, rake, and place from that point of rest requires discretion from your opponent.

Putting & Stroke Counting

Putt all putts

Count all strokes

All strokes must be counted.

This is not to be confused with cheating. Cheating is not tolerated and club expulsion may result. During the play of a hole, especially a difficult one, it is easy to forget a stroke such as a chili-dip, four-putt, shot left in a bunker, penalty stroke, or similar mistake.

The intent is that the entire foursome diplomatically challenge a score if anyone in the group believes there is an error. The challenged golfer should not be offended, but should recount his strokes and verify the announced score.

This must be done before teeing off on the next hole. Everyone in the club benefits from accurate stroke counting, and each member is expected to speak up when needed.

Entering Events & Payment

Entering events

All members are automatically marked as attending each event unless they say otherwise by the Tuesday prior to the event. Members must be paid in full by then.

Guests, if capacity allows, must pay six days prior to the event.

Pre-paying green fees

Payment must be submitted through either:

• Venmo: @weekendersgolfclub
• Check payable to Weekenders Golf Club

Closest to the Pins

Closest to the Pin is included in the weekly rate.

CTP winnings will be kept as credit to the player’s account. All remaining CTP prize balances will be issued at the end of the season.

Pace of Play

Slow play

If you cannot see the group in front of you, you are guilty of slow play and every effort should be made to close the gap.

Marking Golf Balls

All players’ golf balls should be marked prior to teeing off.

Each foursome is responsible for verifying opponents’ markings.

Provisional balls should be marked differently.

Tees

All members will play from the same set of tees at each event, generally around 6,200 yards and nothing less than 6,000 yards. The exception is the final round of the Club Championship, which is played closer to 6,500 yards.

Scorecards

Official scorecards for each event will be handed out prior to tee time.

One scorecard must be turned in immediately after the round and must be signed by all players in the group. Once scorecards are turned in, they are official and no changes will be made.

It is each team’s responsibility to know the match results for the day. If match results are not provided when scores are submitted, no players will receive credit or points for their wins.

Competition

2023.1: At each event, the club competes in singles matches, doubles matches, and low-net winner of the day. All low-net prizes are awarded as club credit.

Year-end champions are exempt from the following year’s membership dues.

Each event winner qualifies for the Players Championship, where qualified players compete in the final event of the season.

A player must win an event to be qualified for the title of champion, including singles, doubles, net, or gross club championships. Anyone may attend the event, but only qualified winners may win the event and trophy.

Players Championship winners from the previous three years are automatically qualified, provided they are still members.

Lost Balls & Provisionals

The following rules are specific to Weekenders Golf Club and apply unless otherwise stated prior to the event.

Lost balls

Players are allowed a three-minute search in accordance with USGA rules.

Provisional balls

One provisional at a time: A player may play only one provisional ball at any time. Do not play a second provisional while another provisional is still in play.

When a provisional is allowed: A provisional may be played only when the original ball may be out of bounds or lost outside a penalty area. A provisional is not played for a ball believed to be in a red or yellow penalty area.

Tee shot — original ball may be lost or out of bounds: If a tee shot may be lost or out of bounds, the player must hit a provisional from the tee. The provisional must be announced to the group before it is hit.

• If the original ball is found in bounds, the provisional is abandoned and the original ball is played.
• If the original ball is lost or out of bounds and the provisional is in bounds, the provisional becomes the ball in play under stroke and distance. The player is playing the fourth shot from where the provisional lies.
• If both the original tee shot and the provisional are lost or out of bounds, the Weekenders rule is that the player does not go back again. The player will play the better of the two balls as a lateral hazard. The player is hitting five from that spot.

Second shot or later — ball may be lost or out of bounds: Only one provisional ball is allowed. If the player did not hit a provisional and the ball is lost or out of bounds, the only option is the USGA alternative to stroke-and-distance local rule as adopted by the Weekenders.

Treat the ball as lost or out of bounds with a two-stroke penalty. The player will be hitting four from the relief area.

Where to drop under the two-stroke local rule: Estimate where the ball was lost or last crossed out of bounds. Find the nearest fairway edge to that spot, no closer to the hole. Drop within two club-lengths of that fairway edge, no closer to the hole.

No going back: Players may not return to the tee or any prior spot to replay the shot. This applies to tee shots when both balls are lost or out of bounds and to any shot after the tee if no provisional was played.

Par 3 water/hazard rule: If a par 3 has a hazard and a designated drop area:

• If the tee shot goes into the hazard, re-tee. Penalty applies per penalty area rules.
• If the second tee ball also goes into the hazard, proceed to the drop area. Penalty applies.
• If the course rules or signage do not allow use of a drop area, follow the course instructions and standard penalty area relief.

Scheduling

Tee times are posted the Friday evening before the event.

All players must be at the course a minimum of 30 minutes prior to their tee time.

Matches

Singles matches are low handicap vs. low handicap and high handicap vs. high handicap.

Doubles matches are team handicap vs. team handicap.

Substitutes may play for any missing golfer, provided they are members of the club, and may compete for the missing golfer in singles and doubles matches.

If no substitute is available:

• In singles, the single golfer present will play both members of the opposing team.
• A blind score of net 83 will be used to fill in for the doubles match.

A team must compete as a full squad at least six times during the year or it is ineligible for the doubles title.

If two or more teams have complete opponents missing an event, they will play each other at that event. If an odd number of teams are missing, the lowest record will receive the double blind score to win its matches.

If one member is missing from each team, the players will compete for singles and doubles one-on-one regardless of handicap.

Some events may have different scoring formats and will be announced prior to the event.

Max Score / Pickup

Playoffs

2024.1: The top four doubles teams and top eight golfers in singles qualify for the Singles and Doubles playoffs.

If the number of teams meets or exceeds 16, the number of doubles teams qualifying for playoffs increases to six. The first and second seeds in doubles receive a first-round bye.

All ties for playoffs will be decided based on:

1. Total wins, not including ties
2. Head-to-head record
3. If there is still a tie for the last playoff spot and there is no deciding factor, the tied players or teams will play each other for the spot if only two teams or singles players are tied.
4. If more than two are tied, the low net total at the event will get the final spot.
5. For doubles, if more than three teams are tied for the last spot, the two low-net teams will have one match to get the last playoff spot.

No substitutes may be used in doubles playoffs.

Singles playoffs

There are limited rounds to complete singles playoffs. The club will try to work with each player’s schedule, but if a player cannot attend the event as scheduled, the player will be eliminated from the singles playoffs.

Handicap

Although membership includes a USGA handicap membership, the course handicap applied to each event will be based on Weekenders events only.

It is each player’s responsibility to post any non-Weekenders rounds played. All Weekenders rounds will be posted for players.

All handicaps will be posted as of Friday night on the tee time page.

New members are ineligible to win any low-net title for their first three events, which serves as the club handicap establishment period.

Previous guests who played events with the club in the previous season may use those events toward the handicap verification period.

2024.2: 80% of playing handicap will be used for each event in low net and match play.

2026.1: Rounds played in Weekenders Golf Club events that occur outside of the GHIN active posting season will still count toward each player’s Weekenders club handicap.

Scoring

All scorecards must be handed in to the league scorer in the clubhouse or sent by photo, including declared match results.

2024.3: The Golf GameBook app will be used for official scoring. It is the player’s responsibility to match the scorecard to the app, but the app will be used as the final posted score at the end of the event.

Sica Cup Qualifying

Each member accumulates points based on each week’s top ten low-net finishers:

• First: 100 points
• Second: 90 points
• Third: 80 points
• Continuing down by 10 points through tenth place

All ties split points evenly except for first place.

The top eight point totals qualify for the Sica Cup team. The top point getter will be named captain and receives two captain’s picks to field if needed.

Regular Season Tiebreakers

All tied matches in singles and doubles during the regular season are halved.

During the playoffs, all matches go to sudden death playoff.

For low-net at an event, ties are resolved in this order:

1. Total net score from the back nine net with 50% handicap
2. Final six holes with one-third handicap
3. Final three holes with one-sixth handicap
4. Front nine net
5. Net score on the handicap holes from #1 through #18 in order

All major events have a sudden-death hole-by-hole playoff system. There are no tiebreakers for Club Championship, Players Championship, singles title, or doubles title.

Dues Schedule

New member dues are $200.

Returning members:

• $150 if paid before 12/31
• $175 if paid by 2/28
• $200 after 3/1

Miscellaneous

There is a $40 fee charged for any returned checks, and returned checks will not be redeposited.

The executive board members are:

• Brady Lau
• Mike Pettigrew
• Carlos Triana
• Taka Kitsuta