IVANHOE MEN'S SOCIAL GOLF CLUB - CLUB AND COMPETITION RULES 2021

Version 2.10 - updated 15 December 2020 after Committee meeting 21 November 2020

To be eligible to win any Club competition a player must satisfy the following prior to entry into the competition:

1. Competition grades

All Club players compete without grades regardless of handicaps.

2. Eligibility for monthly medal

    To be eligible to play in the monthly medal the member must have played at least one competition round or one social round since the last monthly medal date.

3. Major tournaments

    a) Eligibility

    The member must have played at least one round within the previous six months. Life members are exempt as long as they hold a current club handicap; players returning from injury (as long as they have a legitimate injury) or who have legitimate work commitments on competition days are also exempt provided that they have pre-approval from the Committee Executive.

    Major tournaments are the Fred Howe Cup, David Ford Cup, Fred Kitson Trophy, Stuart Clarke Memorial Plaque and Vin O’Meara Memorial Trophy. 

    The Fred Howe Cup and Stuart Clarke Memorial shall be played as a Stableford Competition.

    The Fred Kitson Remembrance Trophy and the David Ford Cup shall be played as a Par Competition.

    The Vin O’Meara Memorial Trophy shall be played as a Stroke Competition.

    a) Rescheduling

    In the event that any round of a major event cannot be contested/completed because of inclement weather or course closure, the Committee has the option to reschedule the round at the earliest opportunity provided that the rescheduling of this (and any subsequent) round of the Major Event does not impact upon other significant events on the calendar such as a Monthly Medal.  Any part of a round completed will be counted as a social round but any scores recorded will be void. 

If, on the day of a postponed round, a sufficient number of players can complete a round of play, then a Club Event can be contested and the players will be eligible for allocation of points and re-handicapping according to the normal rules.

   4. Countbacks

  1. On all Monthly Medals, Fred Howe Cup, David Ford Cup, Fred Kitson Cup, Champion of Champions, Annual Challenge Trophy, Vin O’Meara Cup if there are any ties for first place, the winner of the trophy will be decided on a countback of the most recently played round.
  2. Countbacks shall be conducted as per the recommendations in the Rules of Golf 2008.

     The countback shall be conducted in the following order:

  1. The best net score on the final 9 holes with one half of each player’s handicap taken into account.
  2. The best net score on the final 6 holes with one-third of each player’s handicap taken into account.
  3. The best net score on the final 3 holes with one-sixth of each player’s handicap taken into account.
  4. The last hole played with one-eighteenth of each player’s handicap taken into account.
  5. Fractions are to be considered rounding to the nearest number and in the event of a tie after the final hole is considered then a chip off is to be conducted as per the matchplay rules.

    Note that countbacks on Par and Stableford competitions do not need handicaps taken into account.

5. Championship points

    For all non-major competition days and Monthly Medals points will be awarded as follows:

        8 Points first and ties

        5 Points second and ties

        3 Points third and ties

        2 Points fourth and ties

        1 Point fifth and ties

    For the Fred Howe Cup, Vin O’Meara Cup, David Ford Cup, Fred Kitson Cup, Stuart Clarke Memorial and the Matchplay final (including play off for third and fourth) all championship points are doubled.

    Points are awarded regardless of player attendance eligibility.

    The member who accumulates the most points over the course of the competition year will be declared the Club Champion. In the case of ties, each player so tied will be declared equal Club Champions.

    Members who have reached the age of 55 years at the start of a new competition year will be eligible to accumulate points in the Senior Club Championship.

    The points awarded for Senior players will be as follows:

        3 Points first and ties

        2 Points second and ties

        1 Point third and ties

    Double points will be awarded for Major events as for the Club Championship.

  The Senior member who accumulates the most points over the course of the competition year will be declared the Senior Club Champion. In the case of ties, each player so tied will be declared equal Senior Club Champions.

6. Trophies

    Trophies shall be presented for the following:

  1. All monthly medals – First only
  2. Annual Challenge – Winner
  3. Stuart Clarke Memorial Trophy – First only
  4. Vin O’Meara Memorial Trophy – First only
  5. David Ford Cup – First only
  6. Stuart Clarke Champion of Champions – First only
  7. Fred Howe Cup – First only
  8. Fred Kitson Cup – First only
  9. Club Champion – First and ties
  10. Club Champion runner up – Second and ties
  11. Club Champion third – Third and ties
  12. Matchplay Championship – Winner, runner-up and second runner-up
  13. Club Stroke Play Champion - First, Runner-up and ties  - Gross score and Net score
  14. Best combined three rounds of the year of Stroke
  15. Best combined three rounds of the year of Par
  16. Best combined three rounds of the year of Stableford
  17. Senior Club Champion - First and ties
  18. Senior Club Champion - Second and ties
  19. Senior Club Champion - Third and ties 
  20. Vardon Trophy - Winner 
  21. Chump of Chumps - Winner
  22. Eclectic - Winner
  23. Hole-in-One (if applicable)

7.Eligibility and Rules for Matchplay Championship

  1. At a date to be fixed by the Committee (usually the first Saturday in March), qualification for the matchplay tournament will be determined from those members who have registered that they wish to play in the event.
  2. The membership will be selected and seeded according to the following criteria
    1. The Matchplay squad will consist of the number of those members who are eligible and have registered to play or thirty two.
    2. To be eligible to enter, a member must have played in a Club Event at least once in the three calendar months prior to the qualifying date.
    3. In the event that more than thirty two members are eligible and registered, the surplus members will be eligible to play as emergencies in the first round of the event.
    4. The list of members will be sorted [seeded] into matches by random draw. The top seeds will be filled by the finalists from the previous Matchplay Championship who register for the event in order of finish and therefore they will be excluded from the random draw.
    5. The random draw will occur after the last competition day in February each year. The first member selected from the random draw will be seeded as the number, one more than the number of finalists registered. The remaining seeding positions will then increase until all registered members' names have been drawn and seeded. In the event that less than 32 members have registered to play in the event, first round byes will complete the required number of positions.
    6. Individual matches will then be determined by filling a standard elimination draw table from the seedings.
  3. The dates for each of the matchplay rounds will be fixed by the Committee but will generally run for six clear weeks for round 1 and four clear weeks per round for subsequent rounds, not including Majors and the Priems Cup i.e. no Matchplay will be contested during these events. The end of one round and the start of the next round dates are coincident.
  4. The person on the top line of each match will be responsible for arranging the match and reporting the result to the Handicapper but if both players are present on any given day the match should be played.
  5. In the first round, if either contestant is unable to play the match before or on the nominated closing date for the round, they should defer to the first emergency from the available list. In the event of no emergency being available, Rule 7.7 will apply. Emergency substitutions are also subject to the terms of Rule 7.7.
  6. Provided that players agree and notify the Committee, matches in the first two rounds of competition can be played at Ivanhoe Public Golf Course on days other than regular Club Competition days. Matches played under this rule that result in ties after 18 holes must be decided in accordance with the rules below except that the requirement for the presence of a Committee member is waived.
  7. Only under extenuating circumstances as determined by the Club Captain will matches be allowed to be played after the final dates fixed for each round. Subject to the ruling of the Club Captain, failure to play matches by the closing date of the round may result in forfeiture or the match result being declared void and neither player will progress to the next round.
  8. If it suits both parties, matches in any round can be played as soon as the fixture is known without the need to wait until the nominated round starting date.
  9. A standard table of Matchplay Indexes will be provided and used for all matches in the event.
  10. The playing of the finals will be held on a date fixed by the Committee. The final match will be refereed by a Rules Official. The finals will not be played on the day of a Major Event or Monthly Medal but the finalists will be allowed to be participants in the Club event of the day.
  11. On all matchplay rounds a playoff will be held if the matches are square at the end of 18 holes. Playoffs for all matchplay rounds shall be conducted at the practice chipping green behind the clubhouse.
  12. If the final goes into tie at the end of 18 holes a playoff will be conducted starting at the 1st hole and carrying on until one player wins a hole on a sudden-death basis. Such play-offs holes will be at the discretion of the management of the Ivanhoe Public Golf Course depending on course availability. Matchplay handicaps will apply to the extra holes as per matchplay rules on a hole by hole basis.
  13. For chip-offs, the Club President or Captain in his stead (or other member of the Committee as the case may be) will select a "teeing ground" at the west of the chipping green no greater than 5 metres but no less than 1 metre from the green.
  14. A coin toss will decide who shall chip first. The winner of the toss will decide.
  15. Players will attempt to hole a ball in the holes provided in the chipping green in the fewest strokes which may include putts.
  16. In the first chip-off players will chip towards the most distant of the holes and in subsequent trials will work back to holes closer to the teeing area. The playoff will end when a player completes a hole in fewer strokes than his competitor.
  17. The losers of both semi-finals will play off for third and fourth place with championship points accordingly.
  18. The winner of the Matchplay Championship will be subject to a Winner's penalty of one (1) stroke.

8. Stuart Clarke Champion of Champions Tournament

    To be eligible to play in the Champion of Champions Tournament the player must have won at least one of the following events that are completed in the relevant Competition year that finishes with the December Monthly medal on the last Saturday in November:  Events completed after this date but before the date of the current CoC (i.e. Vin O'Meara and Strokeplay Champions) will compete in the following CoC.

The result of the Champion of Champions competition will be determined on the basis of net stroke scores.

Contestants will also score their cards for Stableford points.  The Stableford scores on the day from all players will attract Championship points and will be used for handicapping purposes

  1. Any Monthly medal
  2. Fred Howe Cup
  3. Stuart Clarke Memorial
  4. David Ford Cup
  5. Vin O’Meara Memorial Trophy
  6. Fred Kitson Cup
  7. Annual Challenge
  8. Matchplay championship
  9. Club champion
  10. Senior Club Champion
  11. Club Stroke Play Championship (Off-the-stick and nett)

9. Nearest the pin

  1. On all competition days a hole will be decided by the Tee marshal or his delegate for the purposes of playing a nearest the pin competition. This hole will be announced as the "money hole" (ProPin) prior to play by the Captain or Tee Marshall.
  2. The fee for the ProPin is included in the Competition Fee.  $1 from the Competition Fee will be included in the ProPin Pool or normal competition days.  Casual/Social round players will pay the appropriate amount to take part in the ProPin competition.
  3. The player whose ball is nearest to the hole shall be the winner and he shall receive all of that money paid in for that day’s competition.
  4. The ball must be on the green to qualify.
  5. The ball must be within a five metre  distance from the hole to qualify.
  6. The player who is nearest the pin as play progresses must write his name on the marker provided and must have his marker witness the position and name on the marker.
  7. In the event that there is no person to qualify for nearest the pin, the money will jackpot to the following week.
  8. There will also be a second nearest the pin competition on two holes decided by the Tee marshal or his delegate. The prize for this nearest the pin (BallPin) will be a golf ball on each of the two holes. The same relevant rules (except for the distance requirement - Rule 5) shall apply for the winner and the prize will jackpot to the next week. There is no charge for entry to the BallPin competition.

10. Ball Prizes

  1. Prizes of balls shall be awarded for the best scores on each competition day.
  2. The number of balls (stock) that can be allocated will be total players divided by 4 to a maximum of six balls and shall be awarded at the conclusion of each competition day.
  3. The winner will receive two balls but in the case of ties for first place each tie for first place will receive one ball each. Second, third, and so on placings shall receive one ball each until the stock of balls is exhausted. In the case of ties for placings exceeding the six-ball limit, those players will not receive any balls.
  4. Winners of Monthly Medal Events will receive only one ball.
  5. There will be no ball run on the overall result of a Major Trophy Event

11. Eagle’s Nest

  1. The Club shall hold an ongoing "Eagle’s nest" competition. One half ball per week will be added to the Eagle’s Nest but there will be a no limit of balls in the nest at any one time.
  2. If a person has an eagle (two under par) on any hole during competition he will win the Eagle’s Nest.
  3. In the event of no person scoring an eagle for that week then the prize is jackpotted to the next week and half a ball is added to the nest.  The number of balls will be rounded up.
  4. In the event of two or more persons scoring eagles on the same day the nest shall be shared equally between them. Any odd numbered balls will return to the club and go back into the nest.
  5. In the event that the nest is one ball only and there are two or more players the ball shall go to the person who scored the eagle first (eg. 3rd hole as against the 17th hole). In the event of a tie the winner will be decided by coin toss.  

12. Hole in One

  1. If a member scores a Hole in One, he will be eligible to win the Eagle's Nest.
  2. In addition, the Club will pay for a round of drinks for those present who wish to partake.
  3. The Club will also provide a suitable memento of the occasion and the member should make available the scorecard and ball unless he wishes to make his own arrangements.

13. Membership Subscriptions

  1. The Annual fee for Club Membership is $40 which must be paid on joining and completing the Membership Application Form that is available from the Treasurer and on the website.
  2. A member also has the facility to obtain an Official Golf Australia Handicap by subscription to GolfLink through the VGL.  This also provides personal liability and equipment insurance and is thus very good value
  3. The Annual Fee for the GolfLink subscription is $90 but this fee will be charged on a pro rata basis reducing by $10 per month from the start of February.
  4. The Annual fees for Club Membership and GolfLink are due and payable by the 3rd Saturday in December each year (Christmas Breakup and Presentations).

14. Life Membership

    A member may be elevated to the rank of Life Member by the Management Committee on the basis of the member being worthy of the honour and who satisfies the following pre-conditions

    Life Membership entitles the Life Member to the following benefits

    If a Life Member has not played in a Club Event for a period of six months or more, their handicap for the event will be determined as follows

    Nominations for Life Membership can be made at any time for consideration by the Management Committee but the presentation of the award will only be made in association with the Trophy presentations on break-up day.

15. Annual Challenge

16. Vardon Trophy

17. Chump of Chumps