Competition Rules

HHDRGA Competition Rules (updated 29th February 2024)

General:-

1) Golfers playing in HHDRGA competitions may use distance measuring devices that comply with R&A rules in that they are limited to providing distance information only.

2) In all HHDRGA competitions, competitors must provide proof of their current World Handicap Index on paper or electronically. To be eligible, all competitors must have THE COMPLETION OF 20 FULL 18 HOLE ROUNDS on their EGU record with 8 FULL 18 HOLE ROUNDS COMPLETED WITHIN THE PREVIOUS 12 MONTHS PRIOR TO THE DATE OF THE MATCH. This record must be produced on paper or electronically prior to participation. Failing to do so will result in forfeit of the match, disqualification or not being allowed to play. If this check is not carried out by the opposing player or team then any post match disputes will not be considered by the committee and the result must stand.

3) Players in all Halifax, Huddersfield & District Rabbit Golf Association Competitions must be a five, six or seven day playing male member of the golf club that they are representing and aged 18 years or older with a World Handicap Index of 14.0 or higher.
N.B. The home club Rabbits Section is responsible for ensuring that the League Cup, RT Morley and Mellor Trophy can be played on any day of the week, in particular where a 5- or 6-day member is involved in that competition.

4) DUAL CLUB REGISTRATION OF PLAYERS

Competitors are only eligible to represent their home club as designated by their handicap certificate and as indicated on the England Golf MY EG app.

Competitors who are members of more than one HHDRGA club are only eligible to represent their home club, as designated by their handicap certificate and as indicated on the England Golf MY EG app.

Competitors whose home club – as designated by their handicap certificate and as indicated on the England Golf MY EG app – is outside the HHDRGA are not eligible to compete in HHDRGA competitions.

Once a competitor has represented a club in any HHDRGA competition, they will not be eligible to represent another club in any HHDRGA competitions during that season.

5) World Handicap System (EGU record): Where possible, all scores submitted in HHDRGA individual competitions will be recorded with the EGU for handicap purposes.

6) Any player whose World Handicap Index has revised to below 14.0 after playing the first round of the RT Morley competition (see the section below for the full rules) is allowed to continue playing in the competition – subject to playing off their current World Handicap Index.
Any competitor in the Mellor Trophy, League Cup and Rabbits League whose Handicap Index has revised to below 14.0 if they are the low man, or below 18.0 if they are the high man, must be replaced.
Those who are selecting players to represent their club should ensure that those who are chosen comply with the rules of the competition and are aware of the criteria.

7) All HHDRGA competitions will be played off yellow markers. At clubs where there is no Course Handicap Table for the yellow tees, then competitors shall utilise the Table for the white tees in order to establish their Course Handicap.

8) In competitions where a preliminary round is drawn, those drawn first have home advantage and thereafter home advantage will be shown on the draw sheet up to the semi-final. (RT Morley, Mellor Trophy & League Cup).

9) The home club must notify the Competitions Coordinator of the result of the match as soon as possible after the match has been played, along with the names and handicaps of all of the competitors. If no result is forthcoming by the due date the match will be deemed null and void and both clubs will be scratched from the competition (RT Morley, Mellor Trophy & League Cup).

10) Once opponents are known it is the responsibility of both players or teams to make contact and they should make every effort to arrange matches at the earliest opportunity within the allotted time frame for each round.
The Competitions Coordinator should be immediately notified of any Problems in the organisation of matches.

11) If no agreement can be reached as to when a match can be played then all players shall present themselves on the first tee at 6-00 pm (or time stated on the website) on the final day designated. Failing to do so will result in forfeiture of the match by any persons failing to meet this requirement. If no result has been received by the Coordinator within 24 hours of the final deadline then both parties will be deemed to have not met the relevant requirements and be scratched from the competition (R T Morley & Mellor Trophy & League Cup knockouts).

No extension of the due dates will be allowed other than where special circumstances are presented for approval by the Competitions Coordinator – and both relevant competitors confirm their agreement to the extension if approved.

12) Any dispute must be referred to the Competition Coordinator within 24 hours. He will make his decision, after referring to the Committee if necessary, and disputes over the rules of golf must be settled in accordance with Rule 3.5. The Coordinator’s decisions are final and entries are accepted on this proviso. (RT Morley, Mellor Trophy, League Cup & Rabbits League).

13) The final of the RT Morley, the Mellor Trophy, the League Cup, as well as the club Four Ball Trophy competition will be will be played on Finals Day at the President’s home course.
The semi-finals will take place at the Vice President’s home course.
The dates for the Finals and Semi-finals will be posted on the website at the beginning of the year and will not be changed – those who participate in the relevant competitions must ensure that they are available to play on these dates.

All Trophies and prizes will be presented at the HHDRGA Annual Dinner and Prize Presentation. Prize-winners should make sure that they attend to receive their prize or nominate someone to represent them.

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The RT Morley Trophy is an individual knockout competition and is open to 8 members from each club who have a Handicap Index of no lower than 14.0 on the 31st of March of the year of the competition. Any player whose Handicap Index has been reduced below 14.0 after playing the first round of the RT Morley competition is allowed to continue playing in the competition – subject to playing off their current Handicap Index. ALL PLAYERS MUST PROVIDE PROOF OF A MINIMUM OF 20 FULL 18-HOLE ROUNDS ON THEIR ENGLAND GOLF UNION RECORD, WITH AT LEAST 8 FULL 18-HOLE ROUNDS WITHIN THE PREVIOUS 12 MONTHS PRIOR TO THE DATE OF THE MATCH.

All clubs should notify the Secretary and Competitions Co-ordinator of a named person as their RT Morley Contact to be included on the HHDRGA Website Contacts page. The deadline for the submission of the eight players (and phone numbers) is 31st March each year. The Competition Coordinator can refuse to accept entries after this date. All clubs must have paid their annual subscription before entries will be processed

Players should ensure that the Competition Coordinator has their correct telephone number when entering and should not delay in contacting their opponents.
Dates by which each round must be played and names and telephone numbers of their opponents will be included on the draw sheet.

A current Handicap Index certificate must be produced on paper or electronically by both players before the game commences.

The competition is match play, played off Full Course Handicap difference to the rules of golf, as amended by the local rules of the home course.

The semi-finals will be played at the HHDRGA Vice President’s course and the final will be played on the President’s home course.

No caddies are allowed to assist the players.

Prizes for winner, second and section finalists.

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The HHDRGA Club Fourball Trophy competition (played on Finals day over the President’s home course off yellow markers) will involve:- a) one pair from each club if the competition is held on a 9-hole or a 6-hole course, or b) 2 pairs when held on an 18-hole course, and played off 85% of Course Handicap as a Fourball Betterball Stableford. Each member of the team must be an active playing member of the club they are representing.

Handicap Index certificates must be produced on the day and Handicap Indexes must be 14.0 or more. ALL PLAYERS MUST PROVIDE PROOF OF A MINIMUM OF 20 FULL 18-HOLE ROUNDS ON THEIR ENGLAND GOLF UNION RECORD, WITH AT LEAST 8 FULL 18-HOLE ROUNDS WITHIN THE PREVIOUS 12 MONTHS PRIOR TO THE DATE OF THE MATCH.

Prizes for the winning team & second place (and also a trophy for the club with the best combined score when the competition is played on an 18-hole course) will be presented at the Annual Dinner & Prize Presentation.

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The Norgate Trophy is an individual and team Stableford competition played over the Vice President’s course and played off 95% of Course Handicap together with a 3-man competition using the highest aggregate of the team scores in the competition.
Each club participating must enter a 3-man team and each member of the team must be an active playing member of the club they are representing.
A Handicap Index certificate must be produced on the day and handicap Indexes must be 14.0 or more. ALL PLAYERS MUST PROVIDE PROOF OF A MINIMUM OF 20 FULL 18-HOLE ROUNDS ON THEIR ENGLAND GOLF UNION RECORD, WITH AT LEAST 8 FULL 18-HOLE ROUNDS WITHIN THE PREVIOUS 12 MONTHS PRIOR TO THE DATE OF THE MATCH.

Prize winners: – Best individual score, second best individual score and best club team score (all three cards will count to make a team score).

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The President’s Day Trophy & Jubilee Trophy competition is both an individual and a team Stableford competition played at the President’s home course and played off 95% of Course Handicap. Each club is eligible to enter up to an 8-man team for the competition when played on an 18-hole course OR up to a 4-man team when played on a 9-hole or a 6-hole course. All scores will count towards the team event.
ALL PLAYERS MUST PROVIDE PROOF OF A MINIMUM OF 20 FULL 18-HOLE ROUNDS ON THEIR ENGLAND GOLF UNION RECORD, WITH AT LEAST 8 FULL 18-HOLE ROUNDS WITHIN THE PREVIOUS 12 MONTHS PRIOR TO THE DATE OF THE MATCH.

Prize winners: – The President’s Trophy will be given to the club whose team achieve the best aggregate score with all players counting.
The best individual score will win the Jubilee Trophy. Prizes will also be given for 2nd and 3rd places. Additional vouchers may be awarded at the discretion of the Committee but only if collected by the player or his representative at the Annual dinner & Prize Presentation.

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The Mellor Trophy is a Foursomes match played off 50% of the combined Course Handicap of each pair on a knockout basis. It is a competition open to 2 teams from each club – one team playing in each of the 2 sections of the competition.
(1) Each team must consist of one player in the Handicap Index range of 14.0 to 21.0 and one player of 18.0 and above (NOTE OVERLAP).
A club may not play 2 players in the same category in the same team.

For clarity: The “low man” category is Handicap Index 14.0 to 21.0. The “high man” category is Handicap Index 18.0 and above. These are two separate categories, despite the overlap. Competitors whose Handicap Index falls within the range of 18.0 to 21.0 can be selected for either category and a team can be comprised of two players from within this range, one considered a “high man” and the other considered a “low man”.

For category selection purposes, Handicap Indexes are frozen at midnight on the Friday prior to the match (effectively a competitor’s active handicap on the Saturday prior). This is for selection purposes only. Any competitor must play off their active handicap on the day of the match.
(2) Current Handicap Index certificates must be produced on paper or electronically as proof of status. ALL PLAYERS MUST PROVIDE PROOF OF A MINIMUM OF 20 FULL 18-HOLE ROUNDS ON THEIR ENGLAND GOLF UNION RECORD, WITH AT LEAST 8 FULL 18-HOLE ROUNDS WITHIN THE PREVIOUS 12 MONTHS PRIOR TO THE DATE OF THE MATCH.
(3) Members of the teams can be changed in each round of the competition but a player can only play in one section of the competition.
(4) The local rules of the home course must be observed.
(5) The club’s appointed representative for each team should ensure that the Competition Coordinator has their correct phone number when phoning in the results. Players should not delay in contacting their opponents.

The semi-finals will be played at the HHDRGA Vice President’s course and the final will be played on the President’s home course.

The winners will be awarded the Mellor Trophy.
Prizes for the winning team and second place to be presented at the Annual dinner & Prize Presentation.

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HHDRGA LEAGUE RULES
(L1) The HHDRGA League is divided into 4 divisions A, B, C & D and matches are played on a home and away basis.
A league team shall consist of 2 teams of 2 players, and each team must consist of one player in the Handicap Index range of 14.0 to 21.0 and one player of 18.0 and above (note overlap).

(L2) A club may not play 2 players in the same category in the same team.

(L3) For category selection purposes, Handicap Indexes are frozen at midnight on the Friday prior to the match (effectively a competitor’s active handicap on the Saturday prior). This is for selection purposes only. Any competitor must play off their active handicap on the day of the match.

(L4) Each match is played as Fourball Betterball Matchplay. Each player shall calculate their course handicap and then take shots from the lowest course handicap in the match by calculating 90% of the difference. Strokes are taken in accordance with the course stroke indexes.

Example for clarity:

Team 1 Team 2

Player A Course Handicap 16 Player C Course Handicap 20

Player B Course Handicap 28 Player D Course Handicap 26

Player A plays off scratch (no 90% calculation)

Player B receives 11 shots from player A (90% of 12)

Player C receives 4 shots from player A (90% of 4)

Player D receives 9 shots from player A (90% of 10)

Promotion and relegation will be on a basis of 2 up and 2 down.

(L5) All players must provide a current Handicap Index certificate before playing in each match and ALL PLAYERS MUST PROVIDE PROOF OF A MINIMUM OF 20 FULL 18-HOLE ROUNDS ON THEIR ENGLAND GOLF UNION RECORD, WITH AT LEAST 8 FULL 18-HOLE ROUNDS WITHIN THE PREVIOUS 12 MONTHS PRIOR TO THE DATE OF THE MATCH. If any player fails to produce a valid Handicap Index certificate as required, they cannot take part in the fixture unless an agreement is reached between the team captains on the night.

(L6) The competition will be match play, played as detailed above and shall be deemed to be completed when a result has been reached (e.g. 4 & 3).
2 points will be awarded for each game won, or one point each if the game is halved.
A further point is awarded to the club with the best aggregate for the 2 games.
Example for clarity –
Team 1 win 4 & 3 they win 2 points. Team 2 win 6 & 5 they also win 2 points. Team 2 have the better aggregate score being 6 to 4 up and are awarded the bonus point. For the avoidance of doubt a 2 & 1 win is better than 2 up.

(L7) It is the responsibility of the home club representative to advise the Competition Coordinator of the result and score of each match within 48 hours, by email of the completed scorecard on the website. Each club must retain the handwritten scorecard duly signed by both captains as a record of the match. The written scorecard will be required to be shown in the event of a problem arising. Scorecards are available for download on the website.

(L8) Matches must be played within the dates specified on the fixture list and the responsibility for the arrangement of the fixture lies with the home club.
Arrangements and dates for all home matches must be made as soon as possible after the league list is available and the representatives of the clubs in the section concerned should be informed of the intended dates.
Once agreed the dates become fixed dates and can be included in the club’s fixture list.
A copy of the fixed dates should be sent to the Competition Coordinator as soon as is possible in order to enable the League fixtures listed on the website to include dates and representatives.
N.B. In the event of a match not being played on the fixed date the fixture will be cancelled and at the discretion of the Committee points will be awarded according to the circumstances. However, if both team leaders agreed that the match could not be played due to circumstances outside of their control and can be rearranged within the original time period allowed for the match then this will be allowed without reference to the Committee.

(L9) Where a club fails to fulfil a League or League Cup fixture the following points will be awarded/deducted.

BOTH GAMES NOT PLAYED: The club failing to fulfil is deducted 4 points. The club which attended is awarded 4 points. The bonus point was not in play and is not awarded. No holes up are awarded.

ONE GAME NOT PLAYED: The club failing to fulfil is deducted 2 points. The club which attended is awarded 2 points. The other game is contested and the winning team is awarded 2 points plus the bonus points and holes up accordingly.

A club fielding fewer than 3 players for a match will automatically be deducted 2 points, regardless of the outcome of the match(es) that are played. A club failing to field any players will be deducted 4 points as above.

If a club failing to fulfil one match attends with two players in the same high/low bracket, they must play both matches with one player. If they attend with two players in different high/low brackets, they must play one match and forfeit the other.

3 players can make up 2 teams to start off at the specified time without penalty. A fourth person arriving late may then join the match, the score at that time to stand for the holes already having been played.

(L10) A tie for champion promotion or relegation will be decided on the resultant total holes up aggregate. In the event of the points and holes up aggregate being equal, there will be a one round play off on a course chosen by the Competition Coordinator.

(L11) Fixtures should be played on Monday to Friday evenings. However, providing both clubs agree a match can be played at any time. If an agreement cannot be reached to play the match at another time, then the match must be played on a weekday evening.

(L12) Where a match cannot be completed e.g. due to weather or light, it may be stopped and rearranged to another date. Both clubs should field the same pairings where possible and resume the game where it was left. All matches should be completed within the original time scale where possible unless prior agreement has been granted by the Competition Coordinator.

(L13) Where a dispute has been raised then the cards must not be signed and the circumstances must be reported immediately to the opposing club and the Competition Coordinator. A letter setting out the circumstances must also be sent to the Secretary of the association for consideration by the Committee. Representatives from the disputing clubs may be invited to put their case at the next Committee meeting, when the Committee’s decision will be final.

Trophies will be given for the winners of each division at the Annual Dinner & Prize Presentation.

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HHDRGA League Cup Rules

The League Cup is played under the same rules as the HHDRGA League, except that it is played on a single round knockout basis so that in the case of a tie after 18 holes the match must be played to a conclusion.
In such a situation one pair from each club must continue the match until a result is obtained (sudden death). It is not a requirement that the same ‘low man’ / ‘high man’ combination play each other over the extra holes.
Current Handicap Index certificates must be presented on paper or electronically before each game. ALL PLAYERS MUST PROVIDE PROOF OF A MINIMUM OF 20 FULL 18-HOLE ROUNDS ON THEIR ENGLAND GOLF UNION RECORD, WITH AT LEAST 8 FULL 18-HOLE ROUNDS WITHIN THE PREVIOUS 12 MONTHS PRIOR TO THE DATE OF THE MATCH. For category selection purposes, Handicap Indexes are frozen at midnight on the Friday prior to the match (effectively a competitor’s active handicap on the Saturday prior). This is for selection purposes only. Any competitor must play off their active handicap on the day of the match.

The semi-finals will be played at the HHDRGA Vice President’s course and the final will be played on the President’s home course.

Trophies will be presented for first and second places at the Annual Dinner & Prize Presentation.