This is a general guide to our tournament formats. The actual format for a tournament may be tweaked and will be on the rules sheet for that tournament.
18.4 Rule | NCGA Events | Team Events (non NCGA) | Annual Major Events | Other Events/Formats
Individual Tournaments
If a tournament does not have a format set by the Tournament Director, the touranament will be played as an individual tournament played at 100% course handicap.
NCGA Net Amateur
Poplar Creek
- This is our qualifier for the NCGA Net Amateur.
- Play will be at 100% course handicap and from the Black tees only.
- This is a flighted tournament and you will be paired with players with similar indexes.
NCGA 2-Man 1-Best Ball (Four-Ball Net)
Poplar Creek
- 90% of course handicap
- 8 stroke differential rule is in affect along with the 18.4 rule
- You may sign-up as a foursome but will be split into two tee times.
NCGA Senior 2-Man 1 Best Ball
Poplar Creek
- You must be 55 years old by ______ to play. [The date changes from year to year but is usually in mid-September.]
- All play at 90% of handicap and a maximum index of 18.4.
- 18.4 Rule rule in effect as well as the 8 stroke differential.
NCGA 4-Man
Poplar Creek
- This is our NCGA qualifier for the Zone Championship.
- You make up your own 4-man team, each team will be split in half and play with another team.
- Play is 90% of course handicap and the 18.4 rule is in effect.
- Play will be 90% of the course handicap using a maximum index of 18.4 for calculation.
- All players with indexes of 18.5 and above are eligible but must play to a maximum index of 18.4.
- An 18.4 index at Poplar Creek computes to a 19 hdcp then 90% of 19 hdcp computes to a 17 hdcp at Poplar Creek Golf Course. All players with an index that is more than 18.4 will play to a 17 hdcp.
2-Man Scramble
Poplar Creek
- This is a 2-Man scramble played at 40% of combined handicaps.
- 8 stroke differential max. For example: a 10 and a 20 may play together but the 20 plays to an 18 handicap minus combined 40%.
- 4 drives and 4 second shots per player per 9 holes.
- Drives and second shots count on a par 3, 4 or 5 (putts included)
- Two stroke penalty for each shot required and not hit.
2-Man Alternate Shot
Poplar Creek
- 40% of the high handicap player and 60% of the low player’s handicap will be used for the tournament
- The 8 stroke differential rule is not in effect
- PLAY THE BALL DOWN. In this format no player hits the same ball two consecutive times on one hole. A par 3, 4 or 5 are all played using the same following procedure. Partners A and B both tee off, player A then hits B’s ball and B hits A’s ball for each of their 2nd shots. After each player has hit a tee shot and his partner’s ball for his 2nd shot, players A and B then select which ball they want to finish the hole with. Players A and B then alternate hitting that one ball until the ball is holed out. At no time do you hit two consecutive shots on one hole. Don’t get confused! You may putt with your own ball. If both tee shots are on the green on a par 3 or 4 you still must hit your partner’s ball for your second shot. You must alternate shots beginning with your team’s third shot on every hole! Place hole score below.
- If the partners make a stroke or strokes in incorrect order, such stroke or strokes are canceled and the side incurs a penalty of two strokes. The side must correct the error by playing a ball in correct order as nearly as possible at the spot from which it first played in incorrect order (see Rule 20-5). If the side makes a stroke on the next teeing ground without first correcting the error or, in the case of the last hole of the round, leaves the putting green without declaring its intention to correct the error, the side is disqualified. (Rule 29-3).
2-Man Razzle/Dazzle
Poplar Creek
- 40% of the high handicap and 60% of the low handicap players handicaps will be used for this tournament.
- There is no 8 stroke differential for the team.
- 1 thru 6 holes play a scramble, 7 thru 12 holes play Modified alternate shot and holes 13 thru 18 play Best 1-Ball.
Match Play
Poplar Creek
If we have more or less than 64 players…
A qualifier round will be played with the low net 32 moving to the first round of Match Play.
- The low net 32 scores from the qualifier will be broken into four flights (aka brackets).
- There will be two brackets – usually named Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus
- Players are seeded by their index – not by their net score from the qualifying round.
- The #1 seed (lowest index) will play the #8 seed (highest index) in their flight, 4 vs 5, 2 vs 7 and 3 vs 6.
If we have exactly 64 players…
- Round of 32 – First round with all 64 players flighted into 4 flights (32 players left at day’s end)
- Round of 16 – Second round with 32 players (16 players left at day’s end)
- Round of 8 – Third Round with 16 players (8 players left at day’s end)
- Round of 4 – Fourth Round with 8 players (4 players left)
- Semi-Finals – with 4 players
- Finals – with the final two players
Over the past few years, the matches have usually been played over two weekends…
Saturday – all players signed up will play an 18 hole qualifying round (low 32 net moving on to Sunday)
Sunday – Round of 32 – morning round; Round of 16 – afternoon round (if player moves on)
Saturday – Round of 8 – morning round; Round of 4 – afternoon round
Sunday – Semi-finals – morning round; Finals – afternoon round
Club Championship
Two Day Event (Sat & Sun)
Poplar Creek
- This is our Club Championship tournament
- Lowest gross score will be the Club Champion
- You will be paired with players with similar handicaps
- Sign-up early as this is one of our popular tournaments
Tournament of Champions (“TOC”)
Course TBA
- This is our Tournament of Champions.
- You are eligible if you have won a tournament or are in the top five non-tournament winners on the Gilliam Points.
- You still have to sign up even if you qualify.
- If you sign-up and are a no-show you will owe the full rate.
- For those that did not qualify, you can still play if there is a spot open. Cost will be at the full rate. You are eligible for any prize money but you will not be crowned the TOC Champion if you come in with low net.
ABCD Santa Ball
Poplar Creek
- This is a team event and an Individual event.
- The computer will pick the teams.
- Teams are broken down into A, B, C and D players (by handicap)
- Each team is assigned a team “Santa Ball” to use on designated holes. Each player is assigned holes to play with the Santa Ball. For example, Player A may have to play hole #2 with the Santa Ball (and not his ball).
- On each hole, the designated player for that hole will play with the Santa Ball. The other three players plays their own ball.
- The team score for each hole is the Santa Ball score plus the best ball score of the three other players.
- The score for the Santa Ball is used for the designated player’s individual scorecard. For example, if Player A plays hole #2 with the Santa Ball then the score is written down for both the team score and his individual scorecard (since this is also an individual event).
- The Santa Ball must be returned to the Committee at the end of the round. If the Santa Ball is lost at any time during the round, the team is disqualified from the team event; however, all four members are still in the individual event.
Point Par (Stableford)
Poplar Creek
- This is a Point Par (Stableford) Tournament.
- Points for a bogey, par, birdie or eagle (all net) to determine your tournament score.
Firecracker 1-2-3 Ball
Poplar Creek
- 3 or 4 person teams. Each golfer on a team plays his own ball throughout the round. On each hole, a predetermined number of the low scores is used, and combined for one team score.
- For example, golfers A, B, C and D make up a 1-2-3 Best Ball team. On the first hole, all four golfers tee off and each plays his own ball into the hole. The one low score among the four counts as the team score.
- On the second hole, all four play their balls into the hole, but on Hole No. 2, the two low scores count as the team score. So if the four individual scores were 5, 7, 4 and 6, the team score for Hole 2 is 9 (because 4 and 5 were the two low scores).
- On Hole No. 3, the three low scores combine to create the team score. If the four golfers had individual scores of 4, 5, 6 and 7, the team score for Hole 3 is 15 (4+5+6).And on Hole No. 4, it’s back to the one low score. Scorekeeping rotates in this fashion throughout the round.