Rules of Play & Conduct of Members
 
Members of the Monterey Bay Seniors Golf Association have certain responsibilities in regard to the following rules of golf and conduct in relationship to the MBSGA.
  1. U.S.G.A. Rules of Golf apply at all MBSGA tournaments with the following clarifications:
    1. The “Preferred Lie” rule, as permitted in Appendix I of the USGA Rules, is Applicable year-round and allows you to improve your lie up to six inches through the green except in hazards. The implementation of the Preferred Lie shall be executed solely by rolling the ball with the club head and the ball shall not be lifted and placed by hand. Further, in implementing the Preferred Lie, the playing surface on which the ball rests shall not be materially changed (i.e., a ball initially in the fairway must stay in the fairway, a ball in the first cut must stay in the first cut, a ball in the rough must stay in the rough.)
    2. Article 3-2 of the USGA Rules requires that all holes scored in stroke play be “holed out”. For those few MBSGA competitions where the winners are determined solely on the Individual Low Net or Individual Low Gross (e.g., the Club Championship and the Eclectic Tournament), this means that the ball must be holed out on each and every hole and all strokes taken (including penalty strokes) are to be recorded into the scorecard. However, most MBSGA competitions are structured to be either 2 or 4 person better ball team events or Individual Point Par (a.k.a Stableford) events. In all such non-Individual Low Net/non-Individual Low Gross events, if a player has not holed out but has already accumulated enough strokes that makes their individual score on that particular hole irrelevant to the resultant Team or Point Par score for that hole, the player may lift the ball without penalty and record the Most Likely Score as prescribed in Article 3.3 of the USGA Rules of Handicapping..
  2. Be on time. Arrive at the MBSGA check in table at the golf course at least 30 minutes prior to your tee-time. This is particularly important if you are in the latter groups because we need to give our Table Crew sufficient time for them to wind up their work and get ready for their tee time (remember, the Table Crew always tees off last).
  3. Call in. If you have signed up to play and then find you can’t make it, please cancel your reservation by updating your response in the MemberPlanet system or call the Tournament Director. It is the responsibility of each member to account for his/her own reserved starting time and you will be responsible for reimbursing the club for any charges made by golf course that may result from your late cancellation or No Show.
  4. In all MBSGA tournaments it will be the policy that the highest handicappers will tee off first, regardless of partners . The lowest handicap player will be responsible for the scorecard, adherence to the rules, and insuring that his/her foursome keeps up with the group ahead.
  5. Post your score. You are responsible for posting your score in the USGA handicapping system immediately after every tournament, except for scrambles. If your score is not posted, the Board has the prerogative of posting a penalty score for you that day. All scores posted shall include application of the Net Double Bogey procedure as defined in Article 3.1 of the Rules of handicapping. Further, for the two rounds of golf played to determine the Club Championship (and only for those two rounds of club championship competition), the scores posted in the NCGA/USGA handicapping system shall be identified as being Competiton “C” scores. 
  6. Rake bunkers. Take the rake with you and save time. Replace fairway divots and repair all ball marks, it only takes a moment.
  7. Ties – All ties will be decided by score card comparison, starting with the number one handicap hole.
  8. Do not scuff up the greens with your spikes. Even soft spikes can cause a problem. If you accidentally do so, please tamp them down so the players behind you don’t have to putt over a scuffed green.
  9. If you ride a cart, keep it at least 30 yards away from all greens (unless you have handicap flags).
  10. Maintain a Prompt Pace of Play – Article 5.6 of the USGA Rules of Golf states that a round of golf is meant to be played at a prompt pace.   It is the responsibility of every player to insure that they do not delay play or cause the delay of their foursome.   For each MBSGA event, the expected Pace of Play will be posted as part of the event description, the individual event invitations and the individual pairing group scorecards.  If a group finishes their round more than 15 minutes behind the group in front of them and their elapsed time of play exceeds the defined Expected Pace of Play all players in the group are subject to being disqualified from the event’s competition at the sole discretion of the Event Committee of the MBSGA Board of Directors.  (See the MBSGA Pace of Play Guidelines, appended below, for  guidance on how to eliminate slow play.)
  11. Remember, we are guests at each of these courses and you should observe their signs for such things as parking, cart path signs, not wearing spikes in certain areas, etc. Your conduct may have a bearing on our being able to continue playing the course.
  12. Table Crew duty – Each member not serving on the MBSGA Board of Directors shall perform Table Crew duty at least once per year. The Vice President will send out a signup form during the last quarter of the year requesting each member to select the tournaments for Table Crew service.
  13. Start and end time – The scorer for each team is responsible for recording the actual start and completion time for the team on the scorecard. Failure to accurately record the time and sign and verify the card may result in the entire foursome’s disqualification from that particular event’s  competition.
 
 
 

 
 
Monterey Bay Seniors Pace of Play Guidelines
 
In general:
  • Your proper position is immediately behind the group ahead of you.
  • Remove all head covers at the first tee and leave them there.
  • Watch other players’ shots so you can help them locate their balls.
  • Limit your practice swings or perform them before it’s your turn.
 
On the fairway:
  • Don’t wait for your turn to hit. Go ahead and hit if it’s safe to do so.
  • Cart drivers: take your cart mate to his/her ball, then proceed to yours.
  • Lost balls: Hit first, then help look for lost balls later. Limit the time for hunting balls to three minutes, then take your two-stroke penalty and move on as follows: after estimating the point where the ball came to rest, go to the edge of the fairway, and drop the ball two club-lengths in from the edge, no nearer to the hole. (This applies to a lost ball or out of bounds, not a hazard.)
  • If you’re dropped off from the cart near the green, take all the clubs you will need to get to the green and putt out.
 
On the green:
  • Park carts near or in the direction of the next tee and return to the green.
  • Don’t wait to putt in order. If the person who is furthest away from the pin is not ready, go ahead and putt.
  • Putt out continuously. Don’t wait for an invitation.
  • Line up your putt while you’re waiting your turn.
  • Don’t dawdle on the green. Record scores on the run or on the next tee.
  • On par threes, if your group is on the green and the group behind you is waiting at the tee box, stand aside and wave for them to hit up. Note: skip this rule if you’ve fallen behind the group in front of you.
  • If you’ve fallen behind the group in front of you, split into two twosomes: one set of twosomes proceeds to the next hole while the other set finishes putting.

 
Pace of play is every player’s responsibility.
Most important: Keep up with the group ahead of you!