It's finally here. The weather looks good for the weekend so we can get our local season underway at Rush Creek on Sunday. We have a great turnout for this event, THANK YOU! Whether you are playing in this event or not, whether it's your first event or you're a seasoned veteran, here is everything you need to know about tournament day.
Tournament Prep
It is your responsibility to; know the Rules and Conditions of the Competition, ensure you are playing with conforming clubs (the groove and punch mark rule is not yet in effect for most amateurs except in elite competitions) and balls and to be where you need to be on time and dressed appropriately. The Player Handbook should answer most of your questions about how the Am Tour operates. It contains all of our policies regarding flight placement, dress code, spectators and caddies, code of conduct, inclement weather and day of tournament operations. Even if you've read it before now would be a good time to do it once again. A few of the policies were updated for 2014 with Pace of Play and Cell Phone use most notable.
It is your responsibility to; know the Rules and Conditions of the Competition, ensure you are playing with conforming clubs (the groove and punch mark rule is not yet in effect for most amateurs except in elite competitions) and balls and to be where you need to be on time and dressed appropriately. The Player Handbook should answer most of your questions about how the Am Tour operates. It contains all of our policies regarding flight placement, dress code, spectators and caddies, code of conduct, inclement weather and day of tournament operations. Even if you've read it before now would be a good time to do it once again. A few of the policies were updated for 2014 with Pace of Play and Cell Phone use most notable.
Tournament Information Page (TIP)
Every TIP has a Rules section in the lower right that contains our Conditions of Competition (GCAT Hard Card), Notice to Competitors and Pace of Play. If I have been able to negotiate a special practice round rate you will find that on the TIP under Touranment Information. You should also read the Tee Boxes note in that section to learn which tee will be used by each flight. The TIP also has a section labeled Schedule of Events that will give you the approximate times of the major activities including Check-In, Tee Times and Awards Presentation. Pairings/tee times will be shown on the TIP as soon as I complete the setup, usually by Thurs. the week of the tournament. You will also receive an email with your start time, starting hole and pairing. You can access our Order of Merit standings, Tour statistics, Photos and BLOG from TIP as well
Every TIP has a Rules section in the lower right that contains our Conditions of Competition (GCAT Hard Card), Notice to Competitors and Pace of Play. If I have been able to negotiate a special practice round rate you will find that on the TIP under Touranment Information. You should also read the Tee Boxes note in that section to learn which tee will be used by each flight. The TIP also has a section labeled Schedule of Events that will give you the approximate times of the major activities including Check-In, Tee Times and Awards Presentation. Pairings/tee times will be shown on the TIP as soon as I complete the setup, usually by Thurs. the week of the tournament. You will also receive an email with your start time, starting hole and pairing. You can access our Order of Merit standings, Tour statistics, Photos and BLOG from TIP as well
Day of Tournament
While we will do everything we can to make your tournament experience feel like a professional event it is still up to you to make the most of the day and to be where you need to be on time.
While we will do everything we can to make your tournament experience feel like a professional event it is still up to you to make the most of the day and to be where you need to be on time.
- Check-in will be in the clubhouse either in the restaurant/banquet room or in some instances in or very near the pro shop. Check-in opens at least one hour before the first tee time. You must Check-in at least 30 minutes before your tee time. You should make this your first stop. You do not need to check-in with the Pro Shop. Introduce yourself to one of our Players Assistants, Deb Alexander or Mary Addleman. They will provide you with the Notice to Competitors and offer you an opportunity for our optional side games. You will be given a token (or instructions) for obtaining range balls, they will confirm your tee time and starting hole and tell you where you can find your assigned cart.
- The optional SKINs game is $10 (cash only). A SKIN is the low score on the hole. There will be multiple divisions based on the tee boxes played by each flight. For example at Rush Creek the Championship, Palmer and Hogan flights are playing the Blue tees. Those flights will be combined into one division for SKINs only. Sarazen, Jones and Snead flights are playing the Gold tees and will be combined as a division for SKINs only. Payout is determined by dividing the amount of money in the pool by the number of holes won.
- This year there will be an optional 50/50 raffle offered at every event. $10 (cash only) will get you one entry into the raffle. Before the tournament ends we will draw one entry. The winner will receive 50% of the proceeds. The other 50% will be donated to the Am Tour's charity of choice, David Feherty's Troops First Foundation. You may enter more than once.
- Carts will be marked with player names and start time.
- Caddies and spectators are welcome at all Am Tour events. You are responsible for them and they must also adhere to our Dress Code and Code of Conduct. They are not allowed in the cart while your ball is in play of a hole. They may ride between greens and tees.
- You should be at your starting hole in time to see the group ahead of you tee off.
- The starter (me) will invite you to the tee box for instructions and to introduce you to your fellow competitors. You will be given a fellow competitors scorecard by the starter who will also tell you the order of play. You will identify your golf ball for your fellow competitors (please mark your golf ball to be sure you can identify your golf ball). The starter will announce each player when it is their turn to play.
- Tour Officials, Deb, Mary and I, will be on the golf course to monitor pace of play and provide assistance with any rules questions. If you don't see one of us you may use your cell phone to call me (put the number below into your contacts list). Please make sure you aren't disturbing another player when you make that call.
- You will keep your fellow competitors score on their scorecard which also has a tear off section for you to keep track of your own score. At the completion of the round, you will go over the hole-by-hole scores with the player to ensure accuracy and sign the card you have been Marking. Tear off the bottom section to use to check your scorecard. When you receive your card back you should also ensure accuracy before signing as the Player. All players in the group should then proceed IMMEDIATELY to the scoring area to turn in your cards. DO NOT GO TO YOUR CAR FIRST TO PUT AWAY YOUR CLUBS AS THERE MAY NEED TO BE A PLAYOFF. You are only responsible for Hole-by-Hole scores not the total score. Be sure to report any Rules issues to the Committee (me) before turning in your score card.
- Ties for first place will be determined by on course play-offs whenever possible. The Committee will determine which hole the play-off will start on based on availability of the course.
- Trophies/gift cards will be presented when all scores for a flight are turned in and verified. If you cannot stay for the presentation any winnings will be held in your name until your next event. SKINs payouts will occur when the entire divisions score cards are turned in. The 50/50 raffle winner will be picked and announced before the first groups finish. Pictures of all winners will be taken.
- Score cards will be entered at the golf course as long as internet service is available. I will post all scores to your handicap record and Order of Merit points and photos to the website within 24 hours and send out a recap email to all members.
- When you get home take a moment to reflect on your experience and then sign up for the next event. You can review all tournament results on our website. If you use another handicap service such as GHIN you should POST your scores to that system as soon as possible. I suggest you wait until I post them to our system so you can ensure that you are POSTing the same rating/slope and ESC score. They should be POSTed as TOURNAMENT scores (rather than Away or Home).
- If you have any concerns (unrelated to Rules issues during the tournament) please make sure you call or email them to me as soon as possible. In most cases I won't be able to take the time to fully address them while at the tournament site.
NOTE: We are not a fair weather organization. We will play unless the golf course is closed. If you want to confirm that an event is still on, please contact me or the course. If you don't show and we are still playing there will be NO REFUND and you may be subject to suspension.
I know this is a lot of information to digest so please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions. I want you to be as comfortable and prepared as possible for your tournament. I look forward to seeing you this weekend or at a tournament in the near future.
Bruce Addleman
Dir. - GOLF CHANNEL Am Tour - MN
612-386-2956
612-386-2956
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