Home Nations Inter-club Championship
Rules for the Regional and National Finals 2005 (updated April 2005)
1. Qualification
Each league (or other form of qualifying competition) that has paid the £195 entry fee will nominate a club to represent them at the Regional/National Finals. Under normal circumstances, this would be the League Champions. Any league which consists of more than twenty clubs may have up to three places and any with ten or more clubs two places provided they pay the additional £195 for each place.
The top two teams from each English Regional Final qualify for the English National Final, though the organisers reserve the right to adjust this when there is a significant imbalance between numbers of entries across the regions. The winners of the English, Scottish, and Welsh National Finals and the Fred Daly Trophy in Ireland qualify for the Home Nations Final at La Manga Club. We pay for a team squad of seven plus the Junior Organiser/Convenor of each finalist for the La Manga trip.
2. Teams at Regional and National Finals
Each team will consist of six players each of whom must have played in at least one league match during the current season. Exceptions to this rule will only be allowed with the agreement of the tournament organisers. The deadline by which teams must be submitted to the organisers is 6 pm on the day before the round is to be played.
3. Age
The R&A definition of “junior” applies, ie a junior golfer is an amateur golfer who had not reached his 18th birthday in 2004.
4. Format for Regional and National Finals
Eighteen holes medal, with full handicap allowance for boys off medal tees. Girls will play with full handicap allowance off ladies tees, and will be allowed the difference between the men’s and ladies’ SSS. The playing order will be by exact handicap. NB At the Home Nations Final, the format will be round robin medal matchplay off three-quarters handicap difference, and each team’s playing order will be by exact handicap.
5. Scoring
One gross score plus the best four of the remaining five net scores will be aggregated. The discarded score will be the highest net score and if a team has more than one equal highest net score, the one discarded will be the one with the lowest gross score. In the event of a tie, the sixth player’s gross score will be taken into account. If the teams are still tied, then the combined gross scores of all six players over the back nine holes will be taken into account (and six holes etc. as necessary).
6. Handicaps
The maximum playing handicap is 20 for boys and 30 for girls, though those with higher handicaps may of course still play.
Participating clubs and their parent leagues must ensure that every player has a handicap that reflects his or her true ability.
At least five days prior to the relevant Regional/National Final, team managers must submit evidence of each player’s handicap movements for the 2005 season (Club 2000 or equivalent). This will show adjustments as a result of regular participation in medals, open competitions and general play. It must include at least six qualifying rounds or general play adjustments, of which four must have occurred after 31 May. Failure to provide such records will mean that the individual concerned is ineligible, and he or she will not be allowed to play. The organisers may relax this rule if there are exceptional circumstances such as prolonged medically certified illness. In such a case, the organisers must receive a letter signed by the club secretary/manager, and countersigned by the club captain, stating that the player’s handicap is a true reflection of his/her current playing ability.
7. Caddies and spectators
Caddies are not allowed and no one may give advice to the players on the course, apart from that relating to interpretation of the Rules of Golf. Any breach of this rule will lead to the disqualification of the player concerned. Spectators must remain at least 25 metres from the players throughout the round.
8. Behaviour
The organisers reserve the right to apply severe future sanctions on a club any of whose team members behave unacceptably on or off the course at a Junior Team Golf event. It is the responsibility of Junior Organisers/Convenors to ensure that the behaviour of their team members does not breach acceptable standards.
9. Bad weather provision
If play has to be abandoned at a Regional/National Final, the result will be determined by medal rounds played by each team under Championship rules at their home or other similar standard course. To enable the Home Nations Final to be played as scheduled, a date by which scores must be submitted will be announced by the organisers at the time of the abandonment of play of the original round. Scores will be recorded as plus/minus against the SSS on the course’s card and aggregated as per Rule 5 above. The organisers will arrange with league secretaries for impartial observers to attend each club’s event and
countersign the team’s scorecards. It is the responsibility of the Junior Organiser/Convenor to make sure that the observer is aware of the date of the round, and that results are forwarded to the organisers by the date stipulated. The tournament organisers reserve the right to disqualify a team whose score is submitted late.
