County Inter Club Competition Rules

INTER-CLUB KNOCKOUT COMPETITIONS RULES 2024

These apply to the Haskell, Stearn, Cranworth, Weston and Suffolk Seniors’ Jubilee Shield Competitions

1. Open to all Clubs affiliated to the SLCGA. Each competitor must be a playing member of such a Club and be a full County member of the SLCGA (see England Golf Handbook for rules governing County membership).
2. Providing membership requirements are met, a player may represent different Clubs in different competitions. However, during any one year, she may not play for more than one Club in the same competition.  It is irrelevant whether this is their Home Club or their second Club – so, when the Club for which they play are drawn at a neutral or away course, the only relevant fact is that it is a neutral or away course for the Club they are representing (not for the individual player).
3. Second and subsequent rounds of any Competition may be played on a course previously visited by a Club in that competition.
4. Clubs shall be entered by their respective Ladies’ Captains, notifying the Hon. Treasurer by the end of August of the preceding year.
5. A Club must give at least 5 working days’ notice of withdrawal from a competition and will be responsible for any expenses that may have been incurred.
6. The Team Captain is responsible for ensuring that there is no breach of any Rule of the competition by her Club. A breach of the Competition Rules by a player shall be penalised by her disqualification from the match or matches involved and any points gained or available in these matches will be awarded to the opposition.
7. Slow play will be penalised under Rules of Golf 6-7

This refers to players in County competitions, so anyone wishing to play golf at that level should be aware of this before entering

8. Advice may only be given by the Team Captain of the Day, a Player’s caddy and, in Foursomes, her playing partner and her partner’s caddy. Rules of Golf 8-1.
9. Teams shall abide by the Club Rules in force on the day. All matches to be played off the tee of the day.  Tee times should be 9.30am and 1.45pm for the Stearn and 10:00 for the Cranworth and all reservations must be strictly adhered to except in exceptional circumstances, excluding the finals of the Haskell and Stearn. The Suffolk Seniors’ Jubilee Shield are on a set date, but the host club will dictate the afternoon tee time.
10. The Haskell and Weston teams organise their own dates to play. The Home Teams to offer at least one weekday and one weekend date to their opponents (for the purposes of these competitions a bank holiday will be deemed a ‘weekend’ date), these must not all be within the same week – the tee times can be more flexible than for the Stearn and Cranworth.
11. Except for the Stearn no substitution of a player may be made after the start of any day’s play for whatsoever reason. In the Stearn, up to two players may be substituted if they are listed on the Match results sheet before the morning round commences. This includes substituting a complete pair in the afternoon.
12. ‘Motorised golf buggies may be allowed on medical grounds if the host club agrees. Permission must be sought from the Governing Body (via the Hon. Secretary) at least 14 days prior to a competition (48 hours for acute / accidental injuries).  In considering such requests the GB will use the England Golf Transportation Policy as a reference guide to aid the decision-making process.  A certificate should be renewed on an annual basis for 3 years, thereafter, being subject to a 5 yearly review.  Any such request should come direct from the individual concerned, not via the Lady Captain.
13. A caddy is permitted to ride in the buggy with the player as long as she/he is a registered buggy user.
14. Distance Measuring Devices may be used in all County Competitions. They may be used to measure distance only; all other functions i.e. wind speed, slope etc. must be disabled.
15. a) Should a course be closed on the set date where a match is due to be played on a Home/Away basis, the venue shall be reversed; if this is not possible, a new date shall be immediately agreed between the Clubs involved, bearing in mind the date of the next round. The Organiser must be notified of such a change. If the match is due to be played on a neutral course, the organiser should be informed, and she will notify the Clubs involved of the new arrangements.
    b) If a course is closed during the day’s play and a result (see Specific Rules for the relevant Competition) has not been achieved, the Clubs concerned in matches that are being played on a Home/Away basis shall immediately agree a new date and inform the Organiser.  For matches being played on a neutral course, the Organiser should be informed, and she will notify the Clubs involved of the new arrangements.
    If a course re-opens, play should be resumed, (a reasonable length of time must be allowed to see whether further play is possible), unless the time has gone beyond 5.30 pm when the result (see Specific Rules for the relevant Competition) shall stand.
    c) In the Semi-finals and Final the Organiser must be consulted before any decision is made.
16. If the Team Captains are unable to resolve a problem it shall be referred to the Organiser (or, if unavailable, a member of the GB Committee (Committee telephone numbers are shown in the SLCGA Handbook and on the website).
17. On completion of Haskell, Stearn, Cranworth and Suffolk Seniors’ Jubilee Shield matches, the players list and result sheet must be emailed, WhatApp or telephoned to the Organiser on the same day. For all competitions the result sheet, signed by both Captains, must be emailed or handed to the Organiser as soon as possible.  Failure to submit all the paperwork to the competition organiser may result in disqualification from the competition.  (Master copies of match/result sheets for all the competitions are sent out with the Draw – the original should be photocopied for your records).
18. Through to the Final of each Trophy, each Club shall pay its own expenses. For the Final the County shall pay for a main meal (either after the match or at lunchtime) for the captains and their players.
19. Courtesy/Practice Rounds – Courtesy Rounds are offered, or not, at the discretion of the host club. If a Courtesy Round is not offered then host clubs will be expected to make a practice round available for a maximum of 10 players at a maximum cost of £25 p.p. per round, to be arranged in advance with the club.
20. Catering – any meal arrangements should remain a decision between the two Lady Captains/Team Captains concerned and that 48 hours’ notice of the intention not to eat should be given, otherwise it would be chargeable.
21. If a course is not in a condition that a qualifying competition could be held then home advantage could be lost. It is requested that host clubs notify the competition organiser if their course is undergoing development work so that a decision can be made about where the tie will be held in a timely manner.
22. The result of a match is deemed official once all paperwork has been received, checked, and confirmed by the Competition Organiser.

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