The Western Golf Alliance
Keeping it Long and Straight Since 2002™
WGA Open and Other Tournaments Rules and Guidelines
Rules of play exist simply to ensure fairness among all players at all times. In general, the USGA Rules of Golf always apply. The full Club rules are available at this link.
Section 1 - Introduction to Tournament Rules and Guidelines
Rules 1.1 to 1.3 state the objectives of the Club and the purpose of the rules, and clarify that the rules are not to be taken so seriously as to cause conflict among Club members.
Section 2 - Open Dates and Locations
Rules 2.1 to 2.5 clarify the policies regarding the dates and location of the WGA Open. The Open occurs at famous, historically significant, and highly rated courses, between June 1 and September 30 of even numbered years. Specific course and tee selection is the purview of the Competition Committee, but the general guidelines are: Slope of 123-135; Rating of 69.5-73.0; Yardage of 6,150-6,900. Rule of Thumb: If Peter McGarry says it's too tough, it's too tough; If Mark Taylor says it's too tough, it's just right.
Section 3 - WGA Open Qualification
Rules 3.1 to 3.2 outline the very basic qualifications for playing in the WGA Open - you must be a member, and declare your intent to play.
Rule 3.3 gets into details about qualification procedures, and only applies if Open qualification is determined to be required by the Competition Committee. Hopefully, this will never happen.
Rules 3.4 to 3.5 address how the field is selected and finalized once qualification has occurred.
Section 4 - Open Scoring and Standings Determination
Rules 4.1 to 4.5 define how the WGA Open is scored, how handicaps are applied, and when and how the handicaps are calculated for the competition.
Rules 4.6 to 4.7 define how the WGA Open champion is identified, including tiebreaker procedures.
Section 5 - Open Awards
Rules 5.1 to 5.4 define the awards and titles to be presented during the WGA Open, including the Coveted Pewter Mug, the honorary title "Alpha Male Golf Champion", and other titles and awards of both honor and shame that may also be awarded.
Section 6 - Other Official Golf Events
Rules 6.1 to 6.4 outline how other golf events must be announced, organized, and managed, in order to be recognized as an "official" WGA events.
Rule 6.5 clarifies that, based on USGA club recommendations, regions are also encouraged to hold other "group cohesion activities".
Section 7 - Tournament Exemptions
Rules 7.1 to 7.3 define the policies regarding exempt player status, and how tournament exemptions are earned.
Section 8 - Rules of Play
Rules 8.1 to 8.6 provide sample rules that the Club may use for events, including rules pertaining to Mulligans, gimmies, out of bounds, and winter rules.
Rule 8.7 clarifies that, unless otherwise determined, play is governed by the USGA Rules of Golf and any course specific local rules.
Section 9 - Standards of Play
Rules 9.1 to 9.8 define WGA standards of play for our members. Such standards include: Gambling is required; Talking smack is expected; Alcoholic consumption is appropriate; Losing the Coveted Pewter Mug in a game of poker is subject to severe penalties, etc.
Section 10 - Equipment
Rules 10.1 to 10.5 cover equipment issues not addressed by the USGA, such as the use of ball retrieval devices (don't even think about it) and exploding balls (always funny).
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The penalties for violating some rules are very harsh...
