Match Play Tournament

Contact your competitor by clicking on the players profile to set up your match then email me: jeff@sgatour.com

Send me the following:

  • Date of your Match
  • Course you are playing
  • Tees assignments for players
  • See below: Handicap and Scoring Info
    I will then send you your handicaps after they are calculated from the most recent SGA event closest to your match date. 
  • Results to: jeff@sgatour.com

New Rule as of 4/01/23: Any no-shows will result in a forfeit by the person that doesn’t show up except to medical and or death in the family(a conversation will be held due to the situation), unless at least 12 hr. notice is given.  If you set up an SGA Saturday event, then a least 1 person still needs to show up and complete an 18-hole round to get the bye to the next round.  If it’s outside the SGA, then 1 person still needs to prove they showed up at the course ready to play at the designated tee time.  Provide a Date/Time stamped photo of the course.

This is no different than if a baseball team didn’t show up to play their game and they would have to forfeit.

2024 Turtleson Match Play Tournament

Qualifications: You must be an SGA Tour member in good standing and have an established SGA or GHIN handicap index comprising of at least 10 scores.

Format: Three Brackets with 16 Players each (48 total Players):

 

  • A Bracket(Index 0 to 10 +/-)
  • B Bracket (Index 10 +/- to 15 +/-)
  • C Bracket (Index 15 +/- to 36 +/-)

Flight index ranges will be adjusted to balance players into three 16-player flights.

Winners from each bracket will compete in the final 3 brackets for prizes listed below.

 

  • Payout : TBD

Winners from each bracket will compete in head to head point system to determine the winner, second place and third place (all 3 players paid for by SGA- Golf only).

Schedule:

You can play your match at an SGA Saturday event or choose to play any course at a day and time that the two players can coordinate and set-up on their own.  All rounds must be arranged and completed between the two players by the following deadline dates:

  • Round 1 (16 Players): Complete by 6/8.
  • Quarter-Final (8 Players): Complete by 7/13
  • Semi-Final (4 Players): By 8/3
  • Finals (2 Players): By 8/31
  • Final 3 Payout Round: Course TBD – Oct 5th or 12th (Due to Weather)  by Players. (Greens Fees paid by SGA)

Note: The dates above are deadlines that your match must be completed by for each round. You both will forfeit if you cannot arrange and complete your match by these dates.  Also, there is no start date for each round, therefore as soon as your next match is ready you can start planning the day/time of your next round match.


Match Play Rules & Guidelines

The following are the basic rules from USGA, but because of the pace of play and the fact that we have stroke play and 4 person-best ball competitions at the same time, some of the rules will be modified if you elect to play your match within a typical Saturday SGA event:

Match Play is a form of play where a Player plays directly against an opponent in a head-to-head match. You win a hole by completing it in the fewest number of strokes, and you win a match when you are winning by more holes than remain to be played. You (or your opponent) may concede a stroke, a hole, or even the match to each other. If your next stroke has been conceded, you are permitted to putt out. You must always putt out in an SGA event.

If you are unsure how to proceed, you and your opponent can agree on a course of action even if it is against the Rules, but you are not allowed to waive a Rule. If you and your opponent don’t agree on how to proceed, you should do what you think is correct. Your opponent can then make a request for a ruling, which will later be decided by the Committee. In Match Play, you are not required to keep a scorecard – scorecards are only required in stroke play.

See the USGA website for more information:  https://www.usga.org/content/usga/home-page/rules-hub/topics/match-play.html

Modified Match Play rules for when your match is played at an SGA event:

  • Use the honor system on tee box: lower handicap goes first on the beginning hole played. Then the honor switches whenever a Player wins a hole. If a Player happens to hit a tee shot when they do not have the honor, there is no penalty but, his/her competitor has the option to make them play it again or let the shot stand as is.
  • Order of play after the tee shot is not required until you are on or around the green (around the green meaning approximately 5 yards or less and including greenside bunkers), then the Player furthest away from the hole must chip or putt first.  Again, no penalty for playing out of turn but your competitor has the option to make you play it again or let the shot stand as is.
  • Continues putting will be allowed only after your first Putt.  This is for pace of play, but it does take away some of the “gamesmanship” of Match Play therefore it’s recommended that you mark your when you are approximately 3 ft or more away and wait for your turn. You must always putt out in SGA events, even if your Match Play Competitor concedes your putt.
  • You can concede a putt or the hole, if you want, but you are still required putt out and finish every hole for the other SGA competitions.

Summary of Match Play rules if you arrange your match to be played outside of SGA events:

  • Same Honor system on the tee box as noted above.
  • Order of play does matter before each shot made. The Player furthest from the hole (away) must play first on every shot.  There is no penalty for playing out of turn, but the opponent whose turn was skipped can require the Player to cancel the stroke, then play again after the opponent has hit. Players may agree to play out of turn in the interest of saving time.
  • You can concede the hole at any time.
  • You can concede any length putt. No continuous putting unless agreed to by your Competitor prior to making the next putt. There is no penalty for playing out of turn, but the opponent whose turn was skipped can require the Player to cancel the stroke, then play again after the opponent has hit. Players may agree to play out of turn in the interest of saving time.

If your match is tied after the final hole, the match is extended one hole at a time until there is a winner. Any handicap strokes are received on the same holes as if it was a new match. You do not need to start back on the first hole, any hole or holes will be acceptable, as long as both competitors agree on which hole(s) to play. It may boil down to which hole has an opening on the course.  If there are no open holes on the course or there is no time and/or daylight does not permit playing additional holes, then consider the following suggested options to determine a winner:

  • Have a putt off competition on the practice green. Whoever had the honor on the last hole played putts first, then rotate who putts first. Pick a spot around 50 or 60 feet away from a hole then whoever gets the ball in the hole in the fewest strokes wins. If tied, then keep moving around 10 feet closer to the hole. I’m assuming someone will eventually make a 1 putt and the other Player will miss.  You are free to modify this any way you both agree to.
  • Have an up and down chipping contest. First person to chip in or chip and 1 putt wins.  If both tie, then pick another spot to chip from
  • Any other tie breaker options that are mutually agreed to by both Players is acceptable as well.

It’s recommended that you let the course know ahead of time that you are playing Match Play and may require additional holes if a tie occurs after 18 holes.  Ideally, try to you schedule your match on a day and time that is typically slow

If the weather happens to affect the matches or any if other unforeseen issues arise, then the Committee will make a ruling to determine the best course of action.


Handicap and Scoring Info

Once your match is set up, email jeff@sgatour.com the course and tees you plan to play and your course handicaps will be calculated. Your SGA Handicap index will be used to calculate Players’ course handicaps at 100% with any required tee adjustment inside or outside the typical Saturday.

The player with the lower course handicap does not get any strokes.  The other Player will get strokes based on the difference between the 2 handicaps.  For example, Player A has a course handicap of 10, and Player B has a Handicap of 17, then B gets 7 strokes on the handicap holes 1 through 7 as shown on the course scorecard for the tees played. Keep in mind seniors’ and ladies’ hole handicaps are sometimes different than the regular tees.  Any strokes received are based on the hole handicaps of the tees you play from.

USGA Handicap rules with tee adjustments will be made if the competitors are playing from different tee boxes.

You win the hole with the lower net score on each hole.

If a tied match is extended, handicap strokes are given by hole in the same way as in the round.

Each Player is responsible for knowing the holes where he or she gives or gets handicap strokes, based on the stroke index allocation set by the Committee

If the Players mistakenly apply handicap strokes on a hole, the agreed result of the hole stands, unless the Players correct that mistake in time (see Rule 3.2d(3))

You win a hole when you complete the hole in fewer strokes than your opponent, your opponent concedes the hole or your opponent gets the general penalty (loss of hole).

You tie a hole (also known as “halved”) when you and your opponent complete the hole in the same number of net strokes.

You win a match when you lead your opponent by more holes than remain to be played, your opponent concedes the match or your opponent is disqualified.

Example: Player A is 4 up over Player B with 4 holes remaining, this is considered “Dormie” because Player B would need to win all remaining holes just to tie and extend the match. If Player A ties the next hole it would be a 4 and 3 victory. If Player A wins the next hole it would be a 5 and 3 victory.  When there is not enough holes left to finish in at least a tie Player A is basically conceding the remaining holes to Player B

The Final bracket winners playing for the overall Winner will be 18 holes of Match Play or 
Points  – Net Strokes taken in relation to par with Lowest or tie will receive 1 point winning to hole outright, or 1.5 points if split with another lowest Net score or zero. 

Be sure to fully understand these rules and guidelines before you sign up. No refunds or excuses related to not being able to coordinate with the other Player on when to play your next match within the deadline listed above for each round.  In order to be fair to everyone and play each round within the deadlines, you should be confident that you can commit to being able to free up time and be flexible with each other when scheduling your matches.

Please ask questions, all questions are very much encouraged because they help everyone to better understand

jeff@sgatour.com