Overview
(Revised April 25, 2024, 11:27AM)
The LIV-Ledges Golf League is a two-person team golf league that will play at Ledges Golf Club on Wednesday’s starting on April 24, 2024. Teams will play against a different two-person team each week. There will be a single division of 24 Teams.
This league will have a shotgun start at 4:30PM. Front and back will rotate each week. Please make sure you are at your starting hole and ready to go before 4:30PM.
League Fees and Expenses
League Dues are $175.00/player and are payable thru Venmo (@rick1977). All league payments and payouts will be done by Venmo for transparency and accountability.
League dues should be paid in full by March 15th. Absolute latest is the day league play starts. No payment, no play. Your team will forfeit each scheduled match until the team is fully paid. This is by team, so get on your partner. Players are responsible for weekly greens Fees and Cart Fees which are paid directly to the course.
Playoffs - Week 1 September 25, 2024
· Match 1: 1st seed will play 4th
· Match 2: 2nd seed will play 3rd
Playoffs (Championship) - Week 2 October 2, 2024
· Winner of Match 1 Plays Winner of Match 2
End of Year Outing TBD
Scoring of Matches
Regular Season Play
The team who shoots the lowest combined net score will win that week’s match. The net score is determined by subtracting each player’s handicap from their gross score (the number of strokes actually taken). Teams will get two points for a win, one point for a tie, and no points for a loss. There will be 1 regular season matches. The top 4 teams by point total will make the playoffs.
Tie Breakers
In the event of ties, the following will be used to decide
- Lower Team Net Score
- Head to Head matches
- Coin Toss
50-50 Raffle
We will be trying a 50-50 Weekly Raffle. Entry will cost $2. If there is interest and participation where it makes sense to continue we will or we will discontinue at any time. Any proceeds after the 50% payout will go into the league’s fund.
Post Season Play
Players must be present or double in their playoff matches just like the regular season. Matching cards is not allowed. Par and over are doubled. Under par scores doubled will be capped at even par just like the regular season.
Ties in any playoff match after 9 holes will play an additional 9 holes to settle the tie. If both teams agree to an alternative method of tie breaker that is acceptable.
Subs can only play in the playoffs if they have posted 6 rounds during the regular season.
Tee Boxes
· Women tee off from the red tee markers.
· Men with handicaps of 9 and under for that week’s match must play from the blue tee’s.
· Men with handicaps of 10 and above for that week’s match can play from the white or blue tee’s.
· Note: In situations where you are playing a match and your handicap is not set yet, you must be cautious on which tee’s you play from. If you play from the whites and subsequently your handicap drops below 10, you will have 2 strokes added to that round for scoring that match. These additional strokes will not factor into your score for handicap purposes.
Slow Play
Do not to hold up pace of play looking for lost balls (2 minutes max) and play ready golf. One slow group can bring the entire league round to a crawl.
Closest to the pin
Each week the 7th hole for players playing the front nine and the 14th hole for players playing the back nine will act as CTP. Whoever is closest on the side being played wins. This year $1/week totaling $17/member was allocated to the CTP pot out of league dues. No additional money is to be paid & the winning player each week will receive $25.
Handicaps
Players from Spackler and Green Collar
Players will begin this season with a handicap of 80% using their final best four of six scores from the 2023 season.
New players and Subs
Starting handicaps (full) will be assigned by the League Manager and will be equivalent to a Spackler or Green Collar rollover handicap (IE. Before 80% applied). Your rollover handicap will have four historical scores loaded which will have the 80% factor applied for Week 1. These four historical scores will be the same. If your rollover handicap is 10 then four scores of 46 will be loaded and you will play Week 1 as an 8 Handicap 80% of 10.
Example for all rollover handicaps: All players will have four actual historical scores added to the system, Week 1 handicap will have 80% applied to the best four of those six scores.
Example for all new player and sub handicaps: All players will have four historical scores added to the system, Week 1 handicap will have 80% applied to the best four of those six scores as well, but since all four scores will be equal the start of dropping scores will take longer to make a difference in handicap's especially if you shoot over your base handicap (IE. before 80% applied).
Your league handicap is solely calculated from rounds played during league play plus starting historical scores, with the best four of last six scores are added together, divided by 4 and then multiplied by 80%. All calculations are to 2 decimal places until the 80% calculation which then will round up or down to the closest whole number. Final rounding will have .5 rounding up.
Handicaps will be frozen for the playoffs with each player’s handicap staying set as it was for the last regular season match.
Scorecards
Ensure your scorecard is filled out completely including you and your partner’s first and last name, individual hole scores and total round score ADDED UP. Ensure that both team’s scorecards have identical hole scores and total round scores for each player. Once you agree the cards match please have both teams sign one of the scorecards. Submit this completed scorecard to the LIV South Hadley Golf League box that will be left in the clubhouse.
Along with submitting the scorecard, the scores need to be submitted thru the website. both teams should agree to who will submit the match scores.......... ONE PERSON should submit all FOUR PLAYERS scores on the league website.
How to submit scores online
Go to liv-ledges.com
1. Click on Submit
2. Click on Player drop down and choose a player name from your match. If this player was a Sub, choose their name.
3. Click on who was Sub’d for if this score was a sub’s, otherwise skip over
4. Click on Week and select the match date
5. Enter that players gross score (system will calculate net)
6. Enter the number of Birdies this player had (this is for potential contests)
7. Click on Submit
Repeat the above 7 steps for each player in the match you are submitting scores for.
Note: If a player is doubling, their score only needs to be entered once. The site will double and calculate automatically.
Playing Rules
Summer rules of the USGA will be used in situations not covered here: If your ball lies in the fairway you may “roll” the ball up to one club grip length, no closer to the hole, without penalty. If your ball lies in the rough or sand bunker, you must play it as it lies. If your ball lies on the cart path you may move the ball, up to two club lengths, no closer to the hole, without penalty. In all “drop situations” where a penalty stroke is being added, you can use the 4-Options Rule. At any time a player can declare his ball unplayable and use the 4-Options Rule. The league does not follow the USGA’s rules with white and red stakes. If the player wants to play their ballas it lies they are allowed to, otherwise they will use one of the 4 options.
ADD 1 STROKE and use one of the following 4 options:
· Option 1: Place the ball and re-hit from approximately the same spot as your last shot.
· Option 2: Place the ball 2 club lengths from where the ball lies or the point of entry, no closer to the hole.
· Option 3: Keep the point of entry between yourself and the Flag and place the ball on this line, no closer to the hole, back as far as you want.
· Option 4: Keep yourself between the point of entry and your last shot and place the ball on this line, no closer to the hole, back as far as you want.
Point of Entry: The last point where the ball crossed playable golf course – before becoming unplayable, whether going lost, or in a water hazard or wooded area. If the shot never crosses playable golf course then use option 1. If the player and the opponents disagree substantially where to spot the point of entry, it can be a compromised spot agreed to by both sides. Make a decision and Go!
Unfair Lie Rule
If your ball rests in a divot or in ground which may be considered under repair or unfair (roots, etc...) you may place a ball at the nearest point of relief, no closer to the hole, without penalty, only after notifying and receiving permission from your opponent. A bunkered ball shall be placed in the bunker. If permission is not granted, then the ball must be played as it lies.
Designated Drop Zones
Hole 4 – If your tee shot ends up in the water, you may drop at the 100yd marker shooting 3.
Hole 11 - If your tee shot doesn’t clear the horizontal plane of the restricted area directly forward of the tee boxes, you may drop just forward of the restricted area closest to the cart path shooting 3. This will include tee shots that go right or left into the woods (but still do not cross over the horizontal plane.
Putting
All putts conceded are at the discretion of your opponent. If you choose to putt and miss, the putt is good as it was already conceded.
Stroke Limit
If a player has reached a score of quadruple bogey (four over par) and has not yet completed a hole, they must pick up their ball and discontinue play. They will get the maximum score of quadruple bogey on that hole.
Makeups, Substitutions and Doubling
· Full matches can be played (and cards submitted) by the Sunday following that Wednesday’s match.
· Partial matches (one player for each team for that match) can be played (and cards submitted) by the Sunday of the following week.
· Doubling of a player’s score is allowed, but below par scores are capped at par for the doubled score. If a partial match is being played, then intent to double must be stated prior to the partial match start. You can not wait and see how you play and then decide to double
· Subs can play as long they are approved and have a LIV South Hadley Golf League handicap. Subs scores cannot be doubled.
· A team can use approved subs to play an entire match only once per season.
· Absolutely no attesting of matches except by a player you are playing against for that match. They can attest and choose not to have their score count but that needs to be made clear prior to the start of that attesting round.
· In all cases where playing early or late, etc… is necessary for a player or team, their opponent should be as accommodating as possible.
Rainout/Lightning Policy
We play rain or shine. The Ledges Golf Club Staff will make the decision as to whether or not the league will be called-off that week due to thunder/lightning. If a round is started but delayed by the Ledges staff during the round for any reason and not restarted and finished by all teams, that weeks matches will be cancelled with no makeup.