Southwest Amateur Series

"A traveling men's game."

Flights

• Championship flight - players with handicaps of +3.0 to 3.8
• Senior Championship flight - Ages 50 and over with Indexes of +3.0 to 3.8
• First flight - players with handicaps of 3.9 to 8.9
• Second Flight - players with handicaps of 9.0 to 15.0

Approximate Yardages

• Championship flight - play from 6,800-7,000 yards
• Senior Championship flight - Players 50 and older with a 3.8 handicap index or less and will play from 6400-6600 yards.
• First flight - play from 6,400-6,600 yards. Players 75 years old and up will play from 6200 yards
• Second flight -  play from 6,200-6,400 yards. Players 75 years old and up will play from 5800 - 6000 yards

Format

• Individual stroke play within flights
• The Championship flight will play gross stroke play, the other two flights will play a net
• The First flight and the Second flight may be combined and play will be handicapped (a net game) for those players
• Handicap Indexes will be taken from the close of entry date
• Starting times are between 8:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. (Some shotgun starts may be used)

Four-Ball Event Details

• Gross flight: Players may choose to play in the gross flight. Both players must play gross and play from approx. 6,800 yards
• Senior Gross flight: 50 and over. Players may choose to play but both players must be 50 and over and both players will play gross from approx. 6,500 yards
• Net flight: Anyone can play in the net flight, and will play from the tees their index indicates.

Membership & Handicap Eligibility

• Male, amateur golfers (18 years of age or older) with an active Florida GHIN handicap index of 15.0 or less.
• Handicap Index at close of entries (5 days in advance) will be used for events.
• Handicap Allowances
  • Individual - 95% of Course Handicap
  • Individual Stableford - 95% of Course Handicap
  • Four-Ball - 85% of Course Handicap

Prizes

• 30% of the field is paid, throughout all flights.
• Payouts within flights - the number of players earning gift certificates and the amounts is based on the number of players competing in each flight
• Tie-Breaking - modified USGA tiebreak method
  • Final Round Score (Last 18 Holes)
  • Last  9 hole (Holes 10-18 regardless of starting tee)
  • last 6 holes on the course
  • last 3 holes
  • last hole (18th)
  • by lot (coin flip)
  • In net competitions, appropriate handicap will be deducted in tie-break

Entries, Tee Times, Results and Details

• All entries and results will be posted through the FSGA website
• Entries received after the closing date will be assessed a $10 late fee
• Tee times and pairings will be posted approximately 3 days before the event
• Practice rounds are available on a space available basis. Please call the host club to arrange a tee time

Local Rules and Terms of the Competition

The current FSGA Local Rules and Terms of the Competition are in effect

• One-Ball Rule is not in effect
• Distance Measuring Devices may be used
• USGA Rules Apply
• Model Local E-5 is NOT in effect. Stroke & Distance is the only option for a ball that is lost or out of bounds.

Pace of Play

The first group(s) to start will be considered out of position if, at any time during the round, the match/group is behind their allotted time.

Any following group will be considered out of position if it (a) is taking more than the allotted time to play and (b) finishes any hole more than fifteen minutes behind the group ahead.

First breach - one penalty stroke
Second breach - two penalty strokes
Third breach - Disqualification

Refund Policy

Requests for refunds received prior to the entry closing date will be honored (less $20 per entry administration fee). Requests received after the closing date will be honored (less 50% of the entry fee). No requests will be honored within two days of the scheduled start date of the event.

Exceptional Performance

The FSGA is extremely proactive in making sure net competitions are fair for all players competing. Everyone in golf has experienced problems with players who have handicaps that are “less than representative of that player’s true playing ability”. An occasional exceptional round that is 3-4 strokes better than your handicap is not out of the ordinary. However, two or more exceptional performances, or an individual performance of 7 or more strokes better than your handicap, defies the odds of handicapping statistics and defeats the very purpose of net competitions.

Accordingly, if a player submits a score with a differential of 7.0 to 9.9 strokes below their current handicap index, an automatic reduction of -1.0 is applied to the most recent 20 score differentials. In these certain instances, the FSGA Committee may also elect to not accept a player's score for that event. Additionally, if a player shoots 10.0 or more strokes below their current index, a -2.0 reduction is applied to the most recent 20 score differentials. These automatic reductions have been put in place by the World Handicapping System, and will be in effect for all Southwest AM Series events.

The Committee reserves the right to refuse future entries from a person suspected of competing in events with an illegitimate handicap.

To view more information on the new exceptional score policy, please view Rule 5 in the World Handicap System manual by clicking here.

Handicap Reduction Policy

As the governing body of golf in Florida, it is our responsibility to monitor the results posted in each one-day event around the state. The Committee constantly reviews player performance in relation to their handicap as well as where each player finishes in their respective division.

Posting multiple rounds well below your handicap and/or consistently winning gift certificates at events will often result in a handicap reduction. It is statistically improbable for players to win or finish "in the money" more than 30 percent of the time.

Any player subject to handicap reduction will be reduced using the following policy guidelines:

• All handicap differentials from the current year's event results will be recorded and organized from the lowest differential to the highest differential.
• In order to determine the player's new handicap index, only the lowest half (50 percent) of the player's scores will be used and averaged together to find a new number.
  • Example: If a player has played in 13 events, only the lowest 6 differentials will be used (remainders of .5 will always be rounded down to the nearest whole number).
• The average differential will then be reduced an extra 20 percent to find the player's new handicap index.

This handicap index will be the competitor's playing index in all net events until the end of the calendar year. This index will not be higher, but may go lower based on the player's performance for the remainder of the season. At the end of the year, the Committee will review the player's overall performance and determine if an adjustment is necessary for the following year. 

The FSGA reserves the right to modify the handicap reduction policy referenced above.

Weather-Shortened Events

When weather causes a round or tournament to be shortened, the FSGA will do what is fair to determine who wins prizes.  Entry fees will generally not be refunded, but if only a few holes are played, we will work with the club to get the players a rain check or another option.