2022 Tournament Regulation Appendix
APPENDIX A – DEFINITIONS
- AGA EVENTS – The season-long schedule of AGA tournaments.
- AGA Headquarters – 7600 E. Redfield Road, Scottsdale, AZ 85260. AzGolf.org / 800-458-8484; 602-944-3035
- Member – A member of the AGA in good standing for the current year.
- Alternate – A Player who is not yet in the tournament field and is listed on the Wait List.
- Wait List – The list of alternate players not currently in the tournament field. List is populated on a first serve basis. Members move off wait list in order registered – except TPA members receive priority status.
- Co-Hosted Tournament – A Co-Hosted Tournament is a tournament which is conducted by the AGA or contracted for by the AGA, in conjunction with a tournamen
- Sanctioned Tournament – A Sanctioned Tournament is a tournament which is endorsed or supported by the AGA, but for which these may be no contract between the AGA and/or the tournament site. Points may be given for performance in Sanctioned Tournaments which meet the appropriate criteria.
- Players Cup Points List – The ordering of Members based on performance points allocated for tournament play for the calendar year.
- Team Players Cup Points List – The annual ordering of TPA members for the Players Cup awards and eligible to qualify for the Goldwater Cup and Arizona vs. Utah Shootout teams
- United States Golf Association – USGA is the United States Golf Association, which represents in the State of Arizona on matters of Qualifying for National Championships, Amateur Status, Handicapping, Course Rating, and other amateur association issues.
APPENDIX B: AGA SITE SELECTION, BUDGET AND COURSE PRESENTATION PHILOSOPHY
AGA events are designed to stand alone financially event to event. In the case of new events, a subsidy may be provided in accordance with the Rules for Amateur Status. Teams representing the AGA or Arizona are covered by the AGA’s General Fund separate from tournament activities, as they serve the vision and purposes of the Association. Tournament budget Entry fees are established with the Host Site for events and are negotiated individually.
Site Selection
Sites for AGA events are selected by the following process:
1. Solicitations for interest in hosting events are sent each summer to a wide variety of courses with the event particulars: dates, fees, and negotiable items;
2. When negotiating with potential sites, the directive is to consider the following: First – Date availability; Second – Course quality; Third – Cost; Fourth – Variety in location and type of course; Fifth – Conditioning.
Sample Tournament Budget
- 40-50% – Course Fees (may include food and beverage and carts
- 15-25% – Awards, Merchandise
- 20% – Administration (Staffing, credit card fees, supplies, travel, equipment, etc)
- 7% – Volunteer Expenses
- 5% – End of year Players Cup
DETERMINING YARDAGES, HOLE PLACEMENTS, COURSE MARKINGS
Major Championships
Arizona Amateur – Qualifying Rounds
Course yardages and hole placements will be chosen to facilitate the selection of the best 64 players for match play. Difficulty will be at the highest reasonable level, with the goal to have each player use every club in the bag.
- Par 5’s may be converted to Par 4’s for the sake of pace and to demand long iron play.
- Par 3’s will be set to offer variety and challenge. The target difficulty is the middle range of skill of those who qualify for match play.
Holes will generally be cut in the middle to rear portions of greens near edges (4-6 paces). Front locations will be employed on occasion when a penalty area or other feature adds significant challenge. The goal is to reward great shots with makeable putts. Difficult putting areas are avoided if possible in the stroke play qualifying. This is best achieved with a selection of 6 difficult placements and 12 moderate placements.
Arizona Amateur – Match Play Rounds
Yardages and hole placements will vary to maximize risk-reward choices, to maximize the benefit for positioning shots, and to reward excellent play. The goal is to identify the best player, which may prove overly difficult for some. This is best achieved with a selection of 12 difficult and 6 moderate hole placements
Arizona Stroke Play
Full field rounds: The longest reasonable course will be chosen that reflects good shot-making with generally moderate hole placements. The goal is to set the playability of the course for the middle of those who will make the cut to 60 and ties, which may prove very difficult for the weaker players in the field. This is best achieved with a selection of 9 easy and 9 moderate placements.
Final rounds: The goal is to set a stern test at near maximum length, given the option of shortening a par 5 to a par 4, and varying the lengths of par 3’s depending on the difficulty of the daily hole placement. This is best achieved with the selection of 9 moderate and 9 difficult placements.
Arizona Mid-Amateur/AGA Championship
Course presentation will mirror Arizona Amateur qualifying rounds and the full field rounds of the Stroke Play depending on the flight assigned.
Women’s Championships
The course set up will be designed to be a fair test of golf for women and to help determine the best player in the State for the State Championship and the best Senior Women’s Player for the State Senior Championship. Some events will have multiple tees, with lower handicap players playing from the longer yardage and the field flights playing from a shorter yardage. Hole placement sheets will be provided for all women’s championships.
Non-Major Tour Events
The goal is to set yardages and hole placements to match the abilities of the average player in the field, which generally will more reflect the largest landing areas for the greatest number of players, and moderate hole placements. Most front placements will be avoided as that generally favors players who have left the ball short of the green.
Out of Bounds
- Out of Bounds is the area beyond the boundaries of the course on which play is prohibited. It is best for all involved when out of bounds markings are as far from playing areas as possible. The boundaries of the course must be completely defined if there are any contiguous areas where play should not be permitted.
- Acceptable markings include: white stakes, white lines, fence-posts, walls and masonry bases for walls, or any continuous physical structure. Since out of bounds is determined at ground level, in the absence of a continuous border, there must be clear visual lines of sight between the bases of marking elements, such as stakes.
Penalty Areas
- As in boundaries, it is best if penalty areas are completely marked when within the boundaries of a course. They also can act as a boundary when considered to go to infinity such that play on the other side of the penalty area is impractical of impossible.
- Penalty areas may be marked by stakes or lines or other designations such as “edge of turfed areas.” Stakes merely identify the location of lines, and do not define the margin of the penalty area unless other designations are not employed.
- The default color for penalty areas is red. Yellow markings are used only when the negotiation of the area is significant in the character of playing the hole.
- When a penalty area is adjacent to a green and it is difficult for the player to see from a distance where a ball might cross into the penalty area because of angles or curves in the line, it may be reasonable to make the penalty area in yellow and place a dropping zone along the line of sight point to the edge of the penalty area.
- The Local Rule for additional relief for a red penalty area using the “opposite margin” will be employed only when the other available options may create undue difficulties such as forcing a drop behind trees or in high grass.
Markings
Stakes:
If stakes alone are used, sighting base to base is the definition, so they are placed so that in all circumstances the margin is easily identifiable. In most cases with clean turf, the stakes will be no more than five yards apart, less when there are severe curves or topography. When the margin of the penalty area is not visible from the primary playing areas, then larger (4’) stakes may be employed to identify the location for players.
Lines:
Yellow – mark as near the fall line into the penalty area as possible, making sure the line is visible from behind the penalty area, using stakes where necessary to identify the location of the line.
Red – mark near the fall line into the penalty area, but far enough from it that both right-handed and left-handed players will have an equitable stance and ball position after dropping. This is easily accomplished by walking a line along the break point of the slope into the penalty area with the paint gun on the outside. In all cases, lines should be painted while walking with the paint gun on the outside. That separation provides adequate space for all players. When severe slopes or intervening vegetation makes it difficult to keep a simple line or the line may not be visible, it is reasonable to include high vegetation inside the penalty area. The consideration is giving a player taking relief a reasonable next shot, avoiding a “double” penalty by creating a very difficult lie after a drop.
Changes of color – Often a penalty area will affect shots from different directions or provide different challenges requiring a yellow marking in one area, transiting to a red marking in another. This is completely reasonable. When deciding where to change colors, all possible hole locations are considered for the play of the hole. Where this provides an inconsistent or difficult to determine result, then expanding the yellow marking and employing a dropping zone is appropriate.
When the play of two holes is affected and the primary effect on one hole leads to a yellow marking, but red is more equitable on the second hole, use of the yellow marking is appropriate with a note on the Rules of play that in the play of that other hole, the penalty area may be treated as a lateral.
Dropping Zones
Dropping Zones solve issues when the design of a penalty area does not fit play of the hole.
See the Player Notice for locations of Dropping Zones and any applicable qualifications to employ them. The reference point is a blue stake. The Zone is a one club-length area not nearer the hole than the Reference Point. The stakes are movable obstructions.
Ground Under Repair
Ground markings are to be employed only when necessary. They are not used to replace poor conditioning but rather to ensure “similar playing conditions” in landing areas and green surrounds. The purpose is not to create good lies for players throughout the course. On a course where conditioning is excellent, a bare area in a fairway landing area may be marked. That same condition would not be marked on a course where such areas were prevalent. Remember the adage of “Play the course as you find it!” from Richard Tufts’ book on the philosophy of the Game.
Other Dropping Zones for Unplayable Balls, Obstructions, G.U.R.
Use of dropping zones as additional options for relief is the easiest way to avoid singular relief options in difficult circumstances, such as large areas where nearest point is not easily Ground markings are to be employed only when necessary. They are not used to replace poor conditioning but rather to ensure “similar playing conditions” in landing areas and green surrounds. The purpose is not to create good lies for players throughout the course. On a course where conditioning is excellent, a bare area in a fairway landing area may be marked. That same condition would not be marked on a course where such areas were prevalent. Remember the adage of “Play the course as you find it!” from Richard Tufts’ book on the philosophy of the Game.
Out of Bounds
Defined by the course-side edges at ground level of boundary walls, perimeter fence posts, paved roads, white stakes and white connecting lines. A ball that comes to rest beyond the boundary of the hole being played is out of bounds, even though it may lie on another part of the course.
Abnormal Course Conditions
Aeration Holes on the Putting Green – Relief without penalty. The player must place the ball at the nearest point not nearer the hole than its original position avoiding interference from only that aeration hole.
Burrowing Animal Holes – In desert areas (non-turfed areas) relief is for lie of ball and area of intended swing only. There is no relief available for stance in non-turfed areas from burrowing animal holes.
Ground Under Repair includes areas enclosed by white lines.
Sod Seams – Except in a penalty area, if a seam of cut turf (not the turf itself) interferes with the lie of the ball or the area of intended swing, the player may take relief without penalty by dropping the ball within one club-length of the nearest point of relief, no nearer the hole. All seams within the cut turf area are considered the same seam.
Obstructions
Status of Paths – All paths other than those artificially surfaced, such as with concrete, asphalt or gravel are integral parts of the course unless otherwise indicated in the local Rules.
Prepared Rock – All areas of rock closely arranged for a functional purpose such as for drainage or erosion control are obstructions. All other rock, stones, and boulders are integral parts of the course.
Adjacent Obstructions – Obstructions adjacent to another obstruction are part of that same obstruction.
White-lined areas tied into obstructions share the same status as the obstruction.
* The Notice to Players at any event may supersede these Local Rules.
Integral Parts of the Course
Includes stakes, rods, wires, cables or wrappings in close contact with a tree, as opposed to other supports, which are obstructions.
Conditions of the Competition
List of Conforming Driver Heads – Only driver heads approved by the USGA may be used. Penalty for breach – Disqualification.
Conduct Policy – See AGA Conduct Policy at azgolf.org
List of Conforming Golf Balls – Only golf balls conforming with the Rules of Golf and on the list of approved balls may be used. Penalty for breach – Disqualification.
Pace of Play – See the AGA Pace of Play Policy at AzGolf.org.
Close of Competition – The competition is closed when all scores have been posted on the official scoreboard and the results have been announced.