BRADSHAW RANCH GOLF COURSE MEN’S CLUB

CHARTER AND BY-LAWS 
 

      The Bradshaw Ranch Golf Course (the Course) Men’s Club (the Club) is formed to provide its members with biweekly handicap league competitions.  The competitions are held on every other Saturday morning and are conducted in accordance with (IAW) with the USGA rules of golf except where the local Course rules, stated below, take precedence.  Prizes awarded as a result of these competitions are limited to Prize Vouchers (Bradshaw Bucks) and Symbolic Prizes (Trophies) IAW the Rules of Amateur Status.  The prizes awarded for the lowest unmatched score on a hole (Skin), Closest-to-the-Hole competitions and for a hole-in-one made during the competition are exceptions to this rule.  An annual schedule is posted and available to the members providing the dates and type of play of the competitions.  The types of competition will be individual Stroke Play and 2-Man Team Stroke Play contested over two 9-hole rounds (18-holes). In addition, there will be one 54-hole Match Play tournament in the spring of the year and one 36-hole Medal Play tournament in the fall, each 18-hole round played over successive Saturdays.  The handicap system is explained below and in an attached Addendum. 

MEMBERSHIP:  The Club is open to all amateur men.  A $20 annual fee maintains a golfer’s membership in the Club.  The fee is used by the Club to offset administrative costs and to provide food, drink, and prizes at the annual turkey shoot and holiday tournament.  In addition, a $2 fee is collected from each player to establish a hole-in-one fund.  The fund is used to buy a round of drinks for the members who are present at a competition where a hole-in-one is made, and the balance is awarded to the member who shoots the Ace.  After a hole-in-one, each member will be assessed $2 to reestablish the hole-in-one fund.  A player’s annual membership must be in good standing in order to participate in Club play and to be eligible for trophies, Bradshaw Bucks, closest-to-the-pin certificates and the pigs or skins prize pools.  Adult members may sponsor the membership of a junior golfer, if the junior golfer can demonstrate to the Committee that he is competitive and can maintain the pace of play. 

COST OF PLAY:  In addition to the regular green fees for weekend play at the Course, each member will contribute an additional fee to establish the prize pools. Half of the fee will be awarded to the top net scores in each handicap-based Flight in the form of Bradshaw Bucks. The other half provides the prize pool to pay the winner(s) of the Skin(s) competition.  The discounted cost of twelve drinks is subtracted from the Bradshaw Bucks total prize pool to provide drink certificates to the members who are closest to the designated hole for each 9-hole round.  There will also be separate assessments from each member who enters the annual Medal and Match Play Tournaments to pay for food, drinks, and trophies.  Optional contributions of $.25 each to the “Pigs” also provide a prize pool for tee shots stopping within 2 ft of hole #2 and within a flag pole length of hole #7. 

HANDICAPS:  The Club members will compete using a locally devised handicap system based on 18-hole rounds played at the Bradshaw Ranch Golf Course only.  The Course is not rated.  Handicaps established for competition with the Club may not be used to establish or update an NCGA official handicap.  A Men’s Club handicap may be established from the scorecards of five 18-hole rounds of golf at Bradshaw.  These rounds, to establish an initial handicap, may be played at any time and are not limited to the Club competitions.  Once established, the handicaps will be updated after every competitive round with the Club.  The Club elects a Member at the end of each year to serve as the Club Handicapper for the following year.  A copy of the completed score sheet containing the participant’s scores for the round will be given to the Handicapper at the end of the competition to update the handicaps.  The Handicapper will enter the scores into the approved computer handicap software program and provide the updated handicaps to the Competition Director prior to the next competition.  The methodology used by the handicap program is explained in Addendum A.   

SCORING:

1. For Stroke or Medal Play:  The designated Marker(scorekeeper), for each group, will record the number of strokes taken by each player at each hole (the gross score).  The Marker will check the completed score card for legibility, accuracy, circle the birdies and turn the scores into the Competition Director immediately at the end of play.  The Competition Director will record each player’s gross score on a competition score sheet, apply the current handicaps and determine each player’s net score.  Ties are decided in favor of the lower gross score.  If the gross scores are also a tie, the lower score for hole #7 will be the tie breaker.  If a tie continues at this point, scores will be compared on holes #16, #2, #11, etc. in the ascending order of difficulty provided by the ”Handicap” line on the score sheet.
2. For Match Play:  Players will be paired as opponents in 8-man brackets based on handicaps.  The difference between the two opponents’ handicaps is the number of strokes to be given or taken, and the Course score card indicates on which hole the strokes will be applied.  For example, the one stroke difference between an 8 and a 9 handicap would be given/taken on the hardest hole, #7.  A hole is won when a player shoots a lower net score on the hole than his opponent.  A match is won when a player has more holes won than there are holes remaining to play.  Ties are decided by a sudden-death play-off.

 

ORDER OF PLAY:  Members will be assigned to a foursome and a starting time by the Course Starter on a first come basis.  The Starter will begin assigning start times one week before the competition date.  An established foursome may have one of its members call for the group.  Members are advised to establish a tee time prior to start of the competition.  At some point, the Starter must begin accommodating the non-Club golfers who are waiting for the open play that follows the Club competition.  Late arriving members without a tee time may not be able to compete.  The order for the Match Play tournament will be determined by a player’s handicap ranking within an 8-man bracket (one flight).  The player ranked #1 vs. #8, #2 vs. #7 and so on.  

LOCAL RULES: 

1.  “Preferred Lies” or “Winter Rules” are permanently in affect.  A player may mark, lift and clean his ball without penalty from any lie on the Course with the exception of the sand and water hazards.  He must then place the ball, by hand, on a spot within 6 inches of where it originally lay but not nearer the hole.

2.  A ball “Lost in the Water Hazard” at holes number 3 and 4 must be played from a spot within two club lengths of the designated drop area markers but not nearer the hole.  The drop areas are identified by round flat white concrete markers located on the green side of the water hazards.  The player is assessed a one stroke penalty.  For example: If a tee shot lands in a water hazard, the ball that is dropped in the designated area lay 2 and the player will be hitting 3.

3.  For the protection of the young (staked) trees on the Course: If such a tree interferes with a player’s stance or intended swing, the ball must be lifted, without penalty and dropped within one club length from the nearest point of relief, but not nearer the hole.  In addition, a player must take similar relief from exposed roots and the areas under the mature trees on the Course that have been cleared of grass.

4. The dirt areas along the perimeter of the course are in play and subject to penalty if the player determines the ball to be unplayable and the Preferred Lie Rule does not provide relief.  As a local rule to prevent slow play, only the following option, of the three prescribed by rule, may be elected: The player must, under penalty of one stroke, drop a ball within two club-lengths of the spot where the ball lay, but not nearer the hole.  If the ball comes to rest on or in material piled for removal by the greens keeper, the player must lift the ball and drop it, without penalty, within one club-length from the nearest point of relief but not nearer the hole.

Etiquette

1.  Players should be careful not to disturb others by moving, talking or making unnecessary noise during play.

2.  On the tee box, a player should not tee his ball until it is his turn to play.  The group may, however, agree to allow the players to tee up when ready (ready golf).  Players should not stand close to or directly behind the ball.

3.  On the putting Green, players should not stand on, or cast a shadow over, another player’s line of putt or stand directly behind the hole.  When play has been completed, players should immediately leave the putting green.  Bags and carts should be left in a position as will enable quick movement off the green and towards the next tee.

4.  Lost Ball: If a player believes his ball may be lost outside a water hazard or out of bounds, he should play a provisional ball after the rest of the group has teed off.  If the ball is not found within 3 minutes of arriving at the spot where the ball is suspected to have landed, the ball is lost.  The player must play the provisional ball and is hitting four.

5.  Practice: Putting or chipping may be practiced on or near the green of the hole just completed or the next teeing ground, if it does not delay play. Hitting a practice tee shot (out-of-bounds or otherwise) during the round is prohibited by the Rules of Golf.