Rules

Rules

GENERAL RULES 2023

The RGBF hard card (last version) applies for all matches.

1. Definitions

Player: a term used to describe a competitor.

Duo: term used to refer to two players competing together in a foursome match play.

Team: A term used to refer to a group of players competing for the same club.

Holder: the player listed on the team formation sheet.

Game: match between two teams

Match: game between two players, and / or two duos in a Foursome

Pool or Group: sub-division

2. General Principle

The Belgian Golf League is a golf championship reserved for Belgian clubs. The clubs compete against each other throughout the season, as in other sports, with their best players and promising young players.

3. Structure

The championship is structured for 2023 as follows :

3.1. 3 divisions for the Men’s League

    Division Honour | Division 1 | Division 2 (2 groups)

3.2. 2 divisions for the Women’s League

Division Honour | Division 1

4. Conditions of participation

  • CLUBS : The Belgian Golf League is a golf championship reserved for Belgian clubs. Each club can register one or several teams in the League, but no club can have two teams in the same Division.
  • PLAYERS : Players must be a member of the club he represents and have amateur status. If a club has more than one team in the League, their players are free to play in the team of their choice BUT a player can never move down from a division. The player is qualified in the highest of the divisions in which he participated.

5. Organisation

A. DIVISION Honour & 1 (Men & Women)

5.1. General Organisation

The competition is organised in accordance with the Rules of Golf established and approved by the R&A. The championship is played in the form of direct confrontations for Divisions Honour & Division 1. Each club competes against all other clubs in their division. A confrontation between 2 clubs consists of two Single Match Play matches and one Foursome match for men and 2 Single Match Play matches for ladies, without strokes.

  • 5.1.1. Courses designation & Schedule

The choice of the course is set out in a calendar distributed before the start of the League. For Division Honour & Division 1, each Club hosts approximately the league every other year. Tee times are approximately between 08.30 and 13.00.

  • 5.1.2. Format

Each team consists of 4 players for men and 2 players for ladies with departures every 8 minutes from the back tees (White for Men, Blue for Women). Handicaps are exact on the day of the competition.

Men League : Players are free to play either in the Single or the Foursome. For the Single Matches players are aligned in ascending order of handicap. (best handicap = player 1, …)

Women League : players are aligned in ascending order of handicap. (best handicap = player 1, …)

Players are expected on the first tee 5 minutes before their start times

! It is the responsibility of each Player to know his/her exact handicap on any given day and is therefore responsible for the alignment order of tee times. If there is an error in the starting order, it is the direct responsibility of the player. In the case of an error in the starting order, the player who does not follow the alignment order of handicap is disqualified and will lose the match 4/3. If 2 players have the same handicap on the day, they can choose the start order.

  • 5.1.3. Late

If a player arrives maximum five minutes after the assigned starting time, the penalty for failure to start on-time is : Loss of hole

After five minutes has elapsed, the penalty is disqualification (lost by default on the score of 4 up with 3 holes to play).

  • 5.1.4. Withdraw

Situation if 3 players are playing (1 player absent) : The Foursome match is compulsory and the Single 2 is lost by default with the score of 4 up with 3 holes to play.

Situation if only 2 players are present (2 players absent) : The Foursome match is compulsory and the 2 Single Match Play matches are lost bu default with the score of 4 up with 3 holes to play.

If a player is absent the opposing team can not modify the order/choice of the players.

For the Women league, if a player is absent, the match with no player is lost by default with the score of 4 up with 3 holes to play.

  • 5.1.5. Player

Players must have an WHS handicap with a maximum of 15.

5.2. Scoring

  • 5.2.1. Match Points

A Single Match Play or Foursome counts for 1 match point. In case of a tie after 18 holes, there is no playoff : it is halved and each player or team is credited of 0,5 match points.

  • 5.2.2. Game Points

5.2.2.1. Men’s League :

At the end of the 2 singles and Foursome, the game points are awarded for each contest between 2 teams:

3 points to the winning team (team that won the most match points) | 1 point each in case of a tie | 0 point to the losing team

5.2.2.2. Ladies League :

At the end of the 2 singles, the game points are awarded for each contest between 2 clubs:

3 points to the winning team (club that won the most match points) | 1 point each in case of a tie | 0 point to the losing team.

  • 5.2.3. Match Sheet

Team captains must register their players 15min before the game at the Register Desk

5.3. Pool Ranking

  • 5.3.1. After the confrontations

After the matches, teams are ranked according to the number of points gained. In case of a tie, the following criteria applies hierarchically:

  1. The total number of match points.
  2. The total number of ups.
  3. The difference between the total of ups and the total of downs.
  4. The total of wins
  5. By lot.

5.4. Final Ranking

  • 5.4.1. Final

After pool matches and pool rankings : teams ranked 1st and 2nd compete for position 1 & 2 through direct confrontations.

    Following the above direct confrontations, the final ranking defines the position.

In the case of modification of the structure of the championship (divisions, number of teams per division, ..) the final classification will be taken into account

B. DIVISION 2 (Men)5.5. General Organisation

The competition is organised in accordance with the Rules of Golf established and approved by the R&A.

For Division 2, the championship is played in the form of “home & away” confrontations.

A confrontation between 2 clubs consists of two Single Match Play matches and one Foursome without strokes.

  • 5.5.1. Courses designation & Schedule

The championship for Division 2 is organized under the format “home / away” following a draw before the competition. The “home” club hosts the match.

The basic schedule for a match between 2 clubs is Saturday morning at 08.30 (flight 1) and 08.38 (flight 2) & 08.46 (flight3).

The “hosting” clubs may decide to change the day and hour but the match must take place during the scheduled week-end.

During the allotted week-ends, tee times can be modified with the agreement of both clubs.

  • 5.5.2. Format

Each team consists of 4 players for men with departures every 8 minutes from the back tees (White). Handicaps are exact on the day of the competition.

Men League : Players are free to play either in the Single or the Foursome. For the Single Matches players are aligned in ascending order of handicap. (best handicap = player 1, …)

Players are expected on the first tee 5 minutes before their start times

! It is the responsibility of each Player to know his/her exact handicap on any given day and is therefore responsible for the alignment order of tee times. If there is an error in the starting order, it is the direct responsibility of the player. In the case of an error in the starting order, the player who does not follow the alignment order of handicap is disqualified and will lose the match 4/3.

If 2 players have the same handicap on the day, they can choose the start order.

  • 5.5.3. Late

If a player arrives maximum five minutes after the assigned starting time, the penalty for failure to start on-time is : Loss of hole. After five minutes has elapsed, the penalty is disqualification (lost by default on the score of 4 up with 3 holes to play).

  • 5.5.4. Withdraw

Situation if 3 players are playing (1 player absent) : The Foursome match is compulsory and the Single 2 is lost by default with the score of 4 up with 3 holes to play.

Situation if only 2 players are present (2 players absent) : The Foursome match is compulsory and the 2 Single Match Play matches are lost bu default with the score of 4 up with 3 holes to play.

If a player is absent the opposing team can not modify the order/choice of the players.

  • 5.5.5. Player

Players must have an WHS handicap with a maximum of 12.4.

5.6. Scoring

  • 5.6.1 Match Points

A Single Match Play or Foursome counts for 1 match point. In the case of a tie after 18 holes, there is no playoff : the match is halved and each player or team is credited with 0,5 match points.

  • 5.6.2. Game Points

Men’s League :

At the end of the 2 singles & Foursome, the game points are awarded for each contest between 2 teams:

3 points to the winning team (team that won the most match points) | 1 point each in case of a tie | 0 point to the losing team

  • 5.6.3. Match Sheet

Team captains must register players and scores after the round to the secretariat

5.7. Pool Ranking

  • 5.7.1. After the confrontations

After the matches, teams are ranked according to the number of points gained. In case of a tie, the following criteria applies hierarchically:

  1. The total number of match points.
  2. The total number of ups.
  3. The difference between the total of ups and the total of downs.
  4. Total of wins
  5. By lot.

5.8. Final Ranking

  • 5.8.1. Final

After pool matches and pool rankings : teams ranked 1st from each pool compete for position 1 & 2 through direct confrontations

6. Promotion & Relegation

6.1. Division Honour

The clubs ranked 7 & 8 in the final ranking will be relegated to Division 1

6.2. Division 1

The clubs ranked 1 & 2 in the final ranking will be promoted to Division Honour. | The clubs ranked 7 & 8 in the final ranking will be relegated to Division 2

6.3. Division 2 :

The clubs ranked 1st of each pool in the final ranking will be promoted to Division 1.

Each club can register one or several teams in the League, but no club can have two teams in the same Division. The team ranked 2nd in the pool will therefore be promoted.

However, a team 2 can play the final and be crowned champion of the division

7. Team Forfeit

If a team forfeits any part of the season, all results relating to the team will be void and the team will have to re-register in the lowest division.

8. Caddy

  1. Players participating in the various BGL championships can benefit from the help of a caddy.
  2. Any member of a representative team of a Club may caddy one of the players before or after his/her own stipulated round.
  3. Only an amateur player has the right to officiate as a caddy.

9. Car

The use of motorised golf vehicles (carts, tricycles) by players, caddies and team captains is prohibited. Electric trolleys are allowed.

10. Captain’s role

  1. Register players
  2. Make sure the players’ start order is correct (best player in 1st, …).
  3. Make sure players validate their scores.

! The captain can be a player.

11. Extras

For any other decision which is not specified in the rules, players must act with good judgement.

The committee will analyse all requests, questions and problems in the same manner.

The Championship Committee reserves the right, if it considers such a measure justified, to modify the form of play, to cancel the event or to have it played over a number of days lesser or greater than what is provided for in these regulations, to refuse a club / team participation for a breach of regulations or for unacceptable behavior.

In the event of a dispute on any point of these rules, the decision of the Championship Committee will be final and without appeal.

Tournament Committee :

The Tournament Committee is formed of :

Thibault De Saedeleer | François Verheyen | Christophe Descampe

The Tournament Committee has the task of:

Supervising and ensuring the proper proceeding of the competition. | Handling all questions for which no specific committee exists. | Applying the appropriate penalties for teams or players who are infringing the General Regulations and Terms of this Competition. | Making final rulings in case rulings are referred to the Committee. | Deciding on all other matters not covered by the current regulations.

All decisions taken by the Tournament Committee are final.