Midland Senior League Rules 2020

Midland Seniors Golf League

Constitution

Article 1

1.1 The name of the organisation is,   Midland Seniors Golf League.

1.2. The organisation shall be unincorporated.

1.3 The headquarters and mailing address of this organisation shall be the address of the person nominated as Secretary by members of the league committee.

1.4 A Secretary (MGU Secretary) shall be appointed to collate the results and scores of all matches throughout the season to determine the winning county, coordinating any administration activities arising from the operation of the league in general.

1.5 A Chairman (MGU Senior Organiser) shall be elected to preside over committee meetings and to act as arbitrator in the event of disputes. The Chairman shall be elected for a period of two years and the position shall be rotated around the competing counties.

1.6 The league committee shall be formed by members of the competing counties with one person representing each county plus a Chairman and Secretary. Each county shall have one vote and the Chairman will have the casting vote if required.

Article 2

2.1 Membership of this organisation is to be determined by the following criteria:

a)      Existing member counties and the golf clubs from which their team members are selected must be affiliated to England Golf and are then considered to be affiliated to the league.  Non-member counties are entitled to become affiliated to the league providing they meet the same criteria and upon the approval of all existing member counties of the league.

b)      The counties currently affiliated to the Midland Seniors Golf League are:

East Midlands Senior League

• Cambridgeshire
• Leicestershire & Rutland
• Lincolnshire
• Northamptonshire
• Nottinghamshire

West Midlands Senior League

• Derbyshire
• Shropshire & Herefordshire
• Staffordshire
• Warwickshire
• Worcestershire

c)      All players must:

i) be an amateur golfer as defined by the Royal & Ancient Golf Club.

ii) be 55 years of age on or before date of the MATCH to be played.

iii) be a member of an affiliated golf club in the County Union or born in the County and be a member of an affiliated club in another County. In addition, the player must be a member of a Club affiliated to the Midland Senior League county that he is representing, and may not have played for another county in representative matches, including friendly matches, during the same calendar year.

iv) Players moving from one County to another,

a)      Subject to the above Conditions, if there is agreement between the County from which the player is moving and the County to which the player is moving, the player may play for his “new” County with immediate effect.

b)      Disagreements/disputes. In case of doubt or in the absence of agreement over eligibility to play for a County in this County representative match, a County, Counties or Group may seek a decision from the England Golf Championship Committee, whose decision shall be final.

Article 3

DEFINITIONS:

For the purposes of these rules and conditions a COUNTY TEAM will play a MATCH against another COUNTY TEAM in the format defined in 3.3 below.

The MATCH will be a series of GAMES (Foursomes and Fourballs) and the summation of the individual GAMES will constitute the overall result of the MATCH

3.1 Member counties will play a MATCH against each other once a year rotating home and away venues on an annual basis.

3.2 MATCHES are to be played on weekdays at non-peak times to minimise the inconvenience and interruption of play by club members of the courses selected for MATCHES.

3.3 MATCH format to consist of:

a)      Minimum of 9 holes scratch foursomes and a maximum of 12 holes (the actual number of holes to be decided by the host county taking into consideration the course layout) followed by 18 holes match play fourballs. Teams to be comprised of 12 players. The order of play and pairings to be decided by the Team Captain.

b)      Scoring will be on the basis of 1 point for a Foursomes win and ½ point for a Foursomes half and 2 points for a Fourballs win and 1 point for a Fourballs half to determine the overall MATCH result. When each individual GAME has been decided play may continue for the full number of holes.

c)      The MATCH winning county team to be awarded 2 points for a win. In the event of a draw each team will score 1 point.

d)      Exchange of team sheets simultaneously by the County Captain or their representative before the commencement of the morning foursomes, and then again before the afternoon fourballs. The playing order shall be listed on the team sheet before exchange. After the exchange, a substitution of a reserve will be allowed if a player is ill or unavailable. In such cases the playing order may be changed, but the opponents originally notified must remain the same as defined on the team sheet. Should a player become injured or be taken ill after the start of the individual morning foursomes GAME no substitutions would be allowed.

e)      In the event of a player having to withdraw part way through an individual GAME due to injury or other compassionate circumstances that GAME will be forfeited. If a team is short of a player they may draft a qualified (age, county status, etc.) person in at the last moment. However, if they remain short of a player for the foursomes and fourballs then the GAMES that person would have played will be forfeited.

 

f)       The results of each MATCH are to be forwarded to the incumbent league Secretary by both county team captains using the MSL Results Sheet (see Appendix 1), for recording the running  totals of  points won, scoring  2 points for a win , 1 point for a draw , 0 points for a loss to determine the league winning county at the end of the season. All fixtures, match results and league tables will be published on the Midland Golf Union website (Seniors Section).

g)      In the event of a tie on the number of points won, then the overall total number of individual GAMES won, will be used to determine the champion county. Halved GAMES will be taken into account in arriving at this total. If still tied, the results between the counties involved will be used to determine the league champions. In the event that this does not produce a result the title will be shared by those counties.

h)      The Midland Seniors Golf League Trophy will be presented to the winning county at the end of the season for retention for one year.

i)       The winning county is to be responsible for engraving to a professional standard, and shall insure the shield, during the year it is held.

The Captains of County teams decide ;

(a) any point that may arise regarding a MATCH

(b) any point which may arise during any GAME where the players fail to reach agreement.

NOTE.  Any faulty decision concerning the Rules of Golf only, arrived at under this clause, may be rescinded or rectified if information becomes available that an incorrect decision has been reached, and then only if such comes to light prior to the result of the MATCH being declared, and its correction is permitted by the Rules of Golf (e.g. providing a claim has been made by a player prior to playing from the next tee, or at the last hole before all players in the GAME have left the putting green – Decision 2-5/2)

(c) when and if play should be suspended, abandoned or restarted (except when a player in a GAME has invoked the provisions of Rules of Golf 6-8(a) (ii-iv)

NOTE.  The Captains shall not overrule any decision by officials of the host club who may suspend or abandon play in the event of weather affecting the condition of their course.   If the Captains of county teams fail to agree on any point, or are not available for any reason to decide any matter, the County President (or acting President for the day) of the host County shall decide the issue and his decision shall be final.

Article 4

4.1 Players should walk at all times during the individual GAMES. A motorised golf buggy may only be used by a player if they can provide a valid current medical certificate of disability as defined in Appendix 2. The player must request permission to use a golf buggy in advance of the MATCH. Where the disability prevents the player from driving the buggy, he may nominate a third party to drive the buggy for them who must be approved by the League Committee or on the day by the Captains.

4.2 Each County will be responsible for arranging the home venues and catering each season.

4.3 The Local Rules and Regulations of the host club are to be respected at all times including the dress codes of the host club both on and off the course in addition to the R&A Rules of Golf.

4.4 The expectation is that all team players should stay for a team meal after the MATCH. Team members and officials are expected to behave with due respect to the heritage and history of inter-county golf matches as played over the years by using the correct facilities for changing. The wearing golf clothing in the county team colours, along with a formal dress code, including jacket and tie for post-match refreshments should be encouraged. It is important the teams promote the right image for the benefit of junior golfers and other club and county members present during the match. It is incumbent upon the captains to propose a vote of thanks to the host club at the end of the team meal. Captains may only agree to dispense with these etiquettes and protocols in exceptional circumstances.

4.5 In the event that a MATCH is called off due to inclement weather conditions or any other conditions

that render the match un-playable then the MATCH should be re arranged by the home county for

a later date , including an alternative venue if applicable, that is agreeable to both counties. Should a MATCH have commenced and then subsequently during the course of play is abandoned through adverse weather conditions, then the match result will be calculated on the status of the MATCH at the time it was abandoned. However, unless all the Fourballs GAMES have completed at least six holes the MATCH will be rearranged.

4.6 Individual GAMES once decided, may be played to the conclusion of the round, at the discretion of the players involved.

4.7 Where a MATCH is played between two teams who are also part of the East Anglian Senior League,  (Cambridgeshire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire), the format of the MATCH shall remain as outlined in the East Anglian Senior League article 3.3a with the addition of an extra foursomes in the morning and two extra singles GAMES in the afternoon. The players designated GAME 6 of the foursomes will form GAMES 11 and 12 of the singles. Those two players do not form part of the Anglian League team on that day and cannot be substituted into the Anglian League MATCH in the event of illness or injury of another player.  Penalty for breach will be loss of singles game or games infringed. There is no penalty for the Midlands East League match result.

Article 5

5.0 Additional conditions

5.1 Local Rules: The England Golf Hard Card must be used for all matches; these replace the local rules on the host club’s scorecard. Players must be advised of this before play commences.

5.2 Health & Safety: The Host Club or League Official shall produce a course and clubhouse risk assessment document. All team members must be made aware of the contents of the documents before play commences. Access points for emergency vehicle must be carefully noted.

5.3 Advice: Each team may appoint one person to give advice to a team member, except pointing out a line for a putt, the person appointed shall be named on the match/team sheet and identified to both teams before play commences. Players having completed their match are not permitted to provide advice to any subsequent match still being played.

5.4 Golf Balls and Clubs: Players shall only use those included on the Royal & Ancient Golf Clubs approved lists.

5.5 Distance Measuring Devices (DMD’s): Players will be permitted to use DMD’s that calculate distance. Those DMD’s that provide information such as wind speed, temperature or elevation will not be permitted. If during a match a player uses a DMD that is designed to measure other conditions that might affect his play, the player is in breach of Rule 14.3, for which the penalty is disqualification – loss of game at the point of infringement. If players from both teams in a game are similarly in breach of Rule 14.3, their game is void and neither County will score points in the match. Where Motorcaddy S3 or similar equipment is used by a player, and additional facilities must be disabled or covered with tape. The penalty of disqualification applies if a player does not tape-up or switch off any additional features even if they are not used.

5.6 Mobile Phones (including pagers and similar devices): Mobile phones may not be used on the course (including on practice days) by players or caddies for making /sending or receiving calls or texts except in cases of emergency. Where a mobile phone or similar devise is used as a Distance Measuring Devise then all other functions should be disabled. All playing partners should be notified that the mobile phone is being used as a DMD and not for the purposes of making /sending or receiving calls or texts. For a breach of the Rules a player will be disqualified from his game and his opponent will be awarded the point.

Article 6

6.0 Friendly matches:

All friendly matches to follow the above rules except for the following:

a)      Minimum of 9 holes scratch greensomes and a maximum of 12 holes (the actual number of holes to be decided by the host county taking into consideration the course layout and agreed between the two captains prior to play commencing) followed by 18 holes match play scratch fourballs, teams to be comprised of 12 players. The order of play and pairing to be decided by the Team Captain.

b)      In the event that a MATCH is called off due to inclement weather conditions or any other conditions that render the MATCH un-playable then the MATCH may be rearranged by the home county if the captains agree.

Issue date 6th March 2020.

APPENDIX 2 – Motorised Golf Buggies

Definitions

1.1  “Disability” shall have the same meaning as section 6 of the Equality Act 2010. A person has a disability if he has a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on his ability to carry out normal day to day activities.

1.2  Any reference to “golf buggy” shall include any vehicle deemed to be a golf buggy by the England Golf Championship Department.

1.3  “Valid medical confirmation of disability” shall mean a valid medical certificate from a registered general practitioner or consultant registered with the Health Professions Council that the player, or other person seeking to use a golf buggy under this policy, is suffering from a disability, as defined in Section 6 of the Equality Act 2010.

1.4  Conditions for use of golf buggies 5.1.A player, or other third party permitted to use a golf buggy must agree to the following terms and conditions of use:

a) Any person operating a golf buggy must do so with the utmost courtesy, care and consideration for the safety and convenience of others and in accordance with any relevant golf buggy operating guidelines;

b) A golf buggy shall be for the sole use of the player and his equipment (or other third party who has been permitted to drive the golf buggy) unless a member of the League Committee has deemed that for reason of age or disability a third party is required to drive the golf buggy;

c) A golf buggy must not impede or interfere with normal pedestrians or vehicular traffic flow on roadways, ramps and pavements;

d) A player who has been granted permission to use a golf buggy (or other third party who has been permitted to drive the golf buggy) must remain seated in the golf buggy at all times while the vehicle is in motion;

e) Drivers of golf buggies must comply with directional signs and not use prohibited areas including public highways and pavements;

f) A player who has been granted permission to use a golf buggy (or other third party who has been permitted to drive the golf buggy) must accept responsibility for any losses or injury sustained as a result of his or her fault whilst using a golf buggy; and

g) A player who has been granted permission to use a golf buggy (or other third person who has been permitted to drive the golf buggy) must have adequate personal and third-party insurance.]

Download file of 2020 Midland Senior League Rules

East Anglian League Rules (2020)

East Anglian Seniors Golf League

Constitution

Article 1

1.1 The name of the organisation is,   East Anglian Seniors Golf League.

1.2. The organisation shall be unincorporated.

1.3 The headquarters and mailing address of this organisation shall be the address of the person nominated as Secretary by members of the league committee.

1.4 A Secretary shall be appointed to collate the results and scores of all matches throughout the season to determine the winning county, coordinating any administration activities arising from the operation of the league in general.

1.5 A Chairman shall be elected to preside over committee meetings and to act as arbitrator in the event of disputes. The Chairman shall be elected for a period of two years and the position shall be rotated around the competing counties.

1.6 The league committee shall be formed by members of the competing counties with one person representing each county plus a Chairman and Secretary. Each county shall have one vote and the Chairman will have the casting vote if required.

Article 2

2.1 Membership of this organisation is to be determined by the following criteria:

a)      Existing member counties and the golf clubs from which their team members are selected must be affiliated to England Golf and are then considered to be affiliated to the league.  Non-member counties are entitled to become affiliated to the league providing they meet the same criteria and upon the approval of all existing member counties of the league.

b)      The counties currently affiliated to the East Anglian Seniors Golf League are:

• Suffolk
• Norfolk
• Cambridgeshire
• Northamptonshire
• Lincolnshire

c)      All players must:

i) be an amateur golfer as defined by the Royal & Ancient Golf Club.

ii) be 55 years of age on or before date of the MATCH to be played.

iii) be a member of an affiliated golf club in the County Union or born in the County and be a member of an affiliated club in another County. In addition, the player must be a member of a Club affiliated to the East Anglian Senior League county that he is representing, and may not have played for another county in representative matches, including friendly matches, during the same calendar year.

Article 3

DEFINITIONS:

For the purposes of these rules and conditions a COUNTY TEAM will play a MATCH against another COUNTY TEAM in the format defined in 3.3 below.

The MATCH will be a series of GAMES (Foursomes and singles) and the summation of the individual GAMES will constitute the overall result of the MATCH

3.1 Member counties will play a MATCH against each other once a year rotating home and away venues on an annual basis.

3.2 MATCHES are to be played on weekdays at non-peak times to minimise the inconvenience and interruption of play by club members of the courses selected for MATCHES.

3.3 MATCH format to consist of:

a)      Minimum of 9 holes scratch foursomes and a maximum of 12 holes (the actual number of holes to be decided by the host county taking into consideration the course layout) followed by 18 holes match play scratch singles. Teams to be comprised of 10 players. The order of play to be decided by the Team Captain.

b)      Scoring will be on the basis of 1 point for a win and ½ point for a half to determine the overall MATCH result. When each individual GAME has been decided play may continue for the full number of holes.

c)      The MATCH winning county team to be awarded 2 points for a win. In the event of a draw each team will score 1 point.

d)      Exchange of team sheets simultaneously by the County Captain or their representative before the commencement of the morning foursomes, and then again before the afternoon singles. The playing order shall be listed on the team sheet before exchange. After the exchange, a substitution of a reserve will be allowed if a player is ill or unavailable. In such cases the playing order may be changed, but the opponents originally notified must remain the same as defined on the team sheet. Should a player become injured or be taken ill after the start of the individual morning foursomes GAME no substitutions would be allowed.

e)      In the event of a player having to withdraw part way through an individual GAME due to injury or other compassionate circumstances that GAME will be forfeited. If a team is short of a player they may draft a qualified (age, county status, etc.) person in at the last moment. However, if they remain short of a player for the foursomes and singles then the GAMES that person would have played will be forfeited.

 

f)       The results of each MATCH are to be forwarded to the incumbent league Secretary by both county team captains using the EASL Results Sheet (see Appendix 1), for recording the running  totals of  points won, scoring  2 points for a win , 1 point for a draw , 0 points for a loss to determine the league winning county at the end of the season. All fixtures, match results and league tables will be published on the Midland Golf Union website (Seniors Section).

g)      In the event of a tie on the number of points won, then the overall total number of individual GAMES won, will be used to determine the champion county. Halved GAMES will not be taken into account in arriving at this total. If still tied, the results between the counties involved will be used to determine the league champions. In the event that this does not produce a result the title will be shared by those counties.

h)      The East Anglian Seniors Golf League Shield will be presented to the winning county at the end of the season for retention for one year.

i)       The winning county is to be responsible for engraving to a professional standard, and shall insure the shield, during the year it is held.

The Captains of County teams decide ;

(a) any point that may arise regarding a MATCH

(b) any point which may arise during any GAME where the players fail to reach agreement.

NOTE.  Any faulty decision concerning the Rules of Golf only, arrived at under this clause, may be rescinded or rectified if information becomes available that an incorrect decision has been reached, and then only if such comes to light prior to the result of the MATCH being declared, and its correction is permitted by the Rules of Golf (e.g. providing a claim has been made by a player prior to playing from the next tee, or at the last hole before all players in the GAME have left the putting green – Decision 2-5/2)

(c) when and if play should be suspended, abandoned or restarted (except when a player in a GAME has invoked the provisions of Rules of Golf 6-8(a) (ii-iv)

NOTE.  The Captains shall not overrule any decision by officials of the host club who may suspend or abandon play in the event of weather affecting the condition of their course.   If the Captains of county teams fail to agree on any point, or are not available for any reason to decide any matter, the County President (or acting President for the day) of the host County shall decide the issue and his decision shall be final.

Article 4

4.1 Players should walk at all times during the individual GAMES. A motorised golf buggy may only be used by a player if they can provide a valid current medical certificate of disability as defined in Appendix 2. The player must request permission to use a golf buggy in advance of the MATCH. Where the disability prevents the player from driving the buggy, he may nominate a third party to drive the buggy for them who must be approved by the League Committee or on the day by the Captains.

4.2 Each County will be responsible for arranging the home venues and catering each season.

4.3 The Local Rules and Regulations of the host club are to be respected at all times including the dress codes of the host club both on and off the course in addition to the R&A Rules of Golf.

4.4 The expectation is that all team players should stay for a team meal after the MATCH. Team members and officials are expected to behave with due respect to the heritage and history of inter-county golf matches as played over the years by using the correct facilities for changing. The wearing golf clothing in the county team colours, along with a formal dress code, including jacket and tie for post-match refreshments should be encouraged. It is important the teams promote the right image for the benefit of junior golfers and other club and county members present during the match. It is incumbent upon the captains to propose a vote of thanks to the host club at the end of the team meal. Captains may only agree to dispense with these etiquettes and protocols in exceptional circumstances.

4.5 In the event that a MATCH is called off due to inclement weather conditions or any other conditions

that render the match un-playable then the MATCH should be re arranged by the home county for

a later date , including an alternative venue if applicable, that is agreeable to both counties. Should a MATCH have commenced and then subsequently during the course of play is abandoned through adverse weather conditions, then the match result will be calculated on the status of the MATCH at the time it was abandoned. However, unless all the singles GAMES have completed at least six holes the MATCH will be rearranged.

4.6 Individual GAMES once decided, may be played to the conclusion of the round, at the discretion of the players involved.

4.7 The playing of the singles GAMES may be in fours (i.e. 2x2 balls), if requested by the host club, but is not recommended.

4.8 Where a MATCH is played between two teams who are also part of the East Midland Senior League,  (Cambridgeshire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire), the format of the MATCH shall remain as outlined in 3.3a above with the addition of an extra foursomes in the morning and two extra singles GAMES in the afternoon. The players designated GAME 6 of the foursomes will form GAMES 11 and 12 of the singles. Those two players do not form part of the Anglian League team on that day and cannot be substituted into the Anglian League MATCH in the event of illness or injury of another player.  Penalty for breach will be loss of singles game or games infringed. There is no penalty for the Midlands East League match result.

Article 5

5.0 Additional conditions

5.1 Local Rules: The England Golf Hard Card must be used for all matches; these replace the local rules on the host club’s scorecard. Players must be advised of this before play commences.

5.2 Health & Safety: The Host Club or League Official shall produce a course and clubhouse risk assessment document. All team members must be made aware of the contents of the documents before play commences. Access points for emergency vehicle must be carefully noted.

5.3 Advice: Each team may appoint one person to give advice to a team member, except pointing out a line for a putt, the person appointed shall be named on the match/team sheet and identified to both teams before play commences. Players having completed their match are not permitted to provide advice to any subsequent match still being played.

5.4 Golf Balls and Clubs: Players shall only use those included on the Royal & Ancient Golf Clubs approved lists.

5.5 Distance Measuring Devices (DMD’s): Players will be permitted to use DMD’s that calculate distance. Those DMD’s that provide information such as wind speed, temperature or elevation will not be permitted. If during a match a player uses a DMD that is designed to measure other conditions that might affect his play, the player is in breach of Rule 14.3, for which the penalty is disqualification – loss of game at the point of infringement. If players from both teams in a game are similarly in breach of Rule 14.3, their game is void and neither County will score points in the match. Where Motorcaddy S3 or similar equipment is used by a player, and additional facilities must be disabled or covered with tape. The penalty of disqualification applies if a player does not tape-up or switch off any additional features even if they are not used.

5.6 Mobile Phones (including pagers and similar devices): Mobile phones may not be used on the course (including on practice days) by players or caddies for making /sending or receiving calls or texts except in cases of emergency. Where a mobile phone or similar devise is used as a Distance Measuring Devise then all other functions should be disabled. All playing partners should be notified that the mobile phone is being used as a DMD and not for the purposes of making /sending or receiving calls or texts. For a breach of the Rules a player will be disqualified from his game and his opponent will be awarded the point.

Article 6

6.0 Friendly matches:

All friendly matches to follow the above rules except for the following:

a)      Minimum of 9 holes scratch greensomes and a maximum of 12 holes (the actual number of holes to be decided by the host county taking into consideration the course layout and agreed between the two captains prior to play commencing) followed by 18 holes match play scratch pairs better ball, teams to be comprised of 12 players. The order of play to be decided by the Team Captain.

b)      In the event that a MATCH is called off due to inclement weather conditions or any other conditions that render the MATCH un-playable then the MATCH may be rearranged by the home county if the captains agree.

Issue date 6th March 2020.

APPENDIX 2 – Motorised Golf Buggies

Definitions

1.1  “Disability” shall have the same meaning as section 6 of the Equality Act 2010. A person has a disability if he has a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on his ability to carry out normal day to day activities.

1.2  Any reference to “golf buggy” shall include any vehicle deemed to be a golf buggy by the England Golf Championship Department.

1.3  “Valid medical confirmation of disability” shall mean a valid medical certificate from a registered general practitioner or consultant registered with the Health Professions Council that the player, or other person seeking to use a golf buggy under this policy, is suffering from a disability, as defined in Section 6 of the Equality Act 2010.

1.4  Conditions for use of golf buggies 5.1.A player, or other third party permitted to use a golf buggy must agree to the following terms and conditions of use:

a) Any person operating a golf buggy must do so with the utmost courtesy, care and consideration for the safety and convenience of others and in accordance with any relevant golf buggy operating guidelines;

b) A golf buggy shall be for the sole use of the player and his equipment (or other third party who has been permitted to drive the golf buggy) unless a member of the League Committee has deemed that for reason of age or disability a third party is required to drive the golf buggy;

c) A golf buggy must not impede or interfere with normal pedestrians or vehicular traffic flow on roadways, ramps and pavements;

d) A player who has been granted permission to use a golf buggy (or other third party who has been permitted to drive the golf buggy) must remain seated in the golf buggy at all times while the vehicle is in motion;

e) Drivers of golf buggies must comply with directional signs and not use prohibited areas including public highways and pavements;

f) A player who has been granted permission to use a golf buggy (or other third party who has been permitted to drive the golf buggy) must accept responsibility for any losses or injury sustained as a result of his or her fault whilst using a golf buggy; and

g) A player who has been granted permission to use a golf buggy (or other third person who has been permitted to drive the golf buggy) must have adequate personal and third-party insurance.]

Download File 2020 East Anglian Senior League Rules