West Seattle Golf Club Tournament and Player Guide
Introduction
West Seattle Golf Course opened in 1940 and was designed by H. Chandler Egan. It is home to the West Seattle Golf Club. The West Seattle Golf Club has hundreds of members and membership is open to anyone who loves golf. The club offers more than 12 tournaments a year. All tournaments are open to members of the West Seattle Golf Club. Some tournaments are open to non-members and guests. The Tournament and Player Guide is written to help all tournament players enjoy and get the most out of playing in our club tournaments. Everyone is encouraged to play and compete.
Part 1 – First things first
Our Tournament Goals
Every year we set out to conduct a variety of tournaments to appeal to as many members as possible. There are plenty of tournaments to choose from starting with the Winter Series of four events. Non-Members are welcome to play in the winter series tournaments. Throughout the rest of the year, we conduct seven stroke-play events and four match play events. There are both individual and team formats. Our Major Events are the Spring Field Day and Fall Field Day. We also conduct a Club Championship and a Senior Club Championship.
Our objectives are to run a competitive, fair, and fun tournament each time. This is also a chance for you to get to know other club members better. If you are new to tournament competition we do our best to make sure you are ready to play the day of the tournament and will pair you with a more experienced player if need be so you can get the best enjoyment from the game.
Playing by the rules
All of the WSGC tournaments are conducted under USGA Rules. There are also local rules for West Seattle Golf Course. It is the responsibility of every player to know the rules. If you are unsure of a rule don’t be afraid to ask a playing partner or someone from the tournament committee.
Playing by the rules makes for fair play for the whole field. Sometimes there is a rules violation. A violation can result in disqualification or extra strokes added to your score. Sometimes this happens and it is unfortunate. It even happens to the pros.
We ask all players to protect the field.
Tournament rules, local rules and tournament hard cards are available approximately one week before the tournament – www.westseattlegolfclub.org – Rule sheets are also handed out at check-in.
Handicaps
“All golfers are not created equal. But with the golf handicap system, all golfers can compete equally — at least, all golfers who take part in the handicap system.” – Brent Kelley, Award winning sports journalist and golf expert.
One of the benefits of joining WSGC is you are automatically enrolled in the golf handicap system. Once you establish a handicap by posting enough scores in the system you are eligible to play in our tournaments. We are here to help you get started if you do not have an established handicap.
During the Winter Tournaments we may allow a player who does not have an established handicap to play provided there is enough information about the player’s game to estimate the course handicap for the day. There are no set guidelines for this allowance and the ultimate decision rests with the Tournament Chairperson and the Tournament Committee.
The Club Championship and Senior Club Championship is played at scratch. No handicaps are applied for these tournaments.
Keeping Score
Scorecards are exchanged at the beginning of the round. You are responsible for marking the score for another player. Another player in your group will keep score for you. You should keep track of your own hole-by-hole score so you can confirm your marker wrote down the correct scores for you.
At the end of the round, you must confirm the HOLE BY HOLE score with your marker before you return your scorecard with your signature and your marker’s signature.
You are not responsible for totaling up your score. This is the responsibility of the tournament committee. If your hole by hole score is discovered to be incorrect then you may be penalized with additional strokes or you may be disqualified.
Tournament Committee
“A committee is a group of people who individually can get nothing done, but who, as a group can decide that nothing can be done.” – Fred Allen, American Comedian.
The Tournament Director may appoint one or more members in addition to the Handicap Chairman, Vice President and Secretary to assist and serve on the Tournament Committee. Said Committee shall arrange for all club competitions and tournaments and shall conduct and facilitate such events and give advance notice to the membership of such events. The tournament Director shall assure that all competitions do not conflict with the United States Golf Association Rules of Golf except when the acknowledged format is contrary to such Rules and advance notice is provided to the participants in the form of Local or Competition rules and shall serve as arbitrator if a dispute should arise. The decision of the Tournament Director is final. – From the West Seattle Golf Club Bylaws.
Seriously, the Tournament Committee will do its best to run quality WSGC competitions and make fair decisions for all players.
Part 2 – The Fun Part
Entering a WSGC tournament
WSGC has now moved to an all online tournament entry system where your entry fees are paid by credit or debit card. The pro shop does not handle tournament payments with the exception of the West Seattle Amateur which is a Pro Shop event.
A description of the tournament is provided when you go to the online sign up form. You will also receive a reminder E- Mail or two also with the tournament information.
At the time you enter you will also be able to indicate your preferred playing partners and preferred start time. You are not guaranteed your start time however the tournament committee is trying to get you close to the time you want. The earlier you and your preferred playing partners enter the more likely we can get you the time you request.
Go to www.westseattlegolfclub.org – After you login choose Play in an Event from the menu, choose your event and follow the instructions. Don’t wait until the last minute to enter. Signing up early allows us to help you if you are having a problem entering online. If the problem is unsolvable we will enter you manually and ask you to pay by cash or check the day of the tournament. If your problem occurs the last day of sign ups we may not be able to get you entered before the deadline.
ENTRY DEADLINES – Yes there are deadlines. For Saturday tournaments the deadline is the Wednesday before at 11:55 PM. For Sunday tournaments the deadline is the Thursday before at 11:55 PM.
These are hard deadlines allowing the tournament director and those assisting to create the pairings, print scorecards, create flights, set up the tournament and communicate to the players in a timely manner.
Entry Deadlines may be extended for match play tournaments because they do not start on a particular day. For example, we may extend the deadline if we need more players to fill out a match play bracket.
IF YOU HAVE TO WITHDRAW – You may WD one tournament a year with a full refund, provided the request is made prior to the entry deadline. All eligible WD requests are refunded to your credit or debit card. Stuff happens.
Tournament Check-in
Arrive at least 30 minutes prior to your tee time. This will allow you to check in, pay for side games and review the rules for the tournament.
Take a moment to look at your scorecard. Make sure we have the correct course handicap information for you and for the tees you are playing.
Tournament Flights
All of our stroke tournaments are flighted with the exception of the Blind Draw Scramble and the Club Championship. This means you are competing against players of similar ability.
Example – For a field of 100 Players there will be 4 Equal Flights of 25 Players grouped by Handicap Index.
Stroke Play Tournament Payouts are paid in each flight.
Match Play Tournament Payouts are based on how deep you get in the tournament.
Tournament Payouts
Our goal is to pay 1/3rd of the field. In a stroke play tournament we typically pay out for Gross and Net.
Example – In a flight of 24 players there will be four places paid on the Gross Side and four places paid on the Net side. This is a tournament director rule of thumb guideline.
The prize fund comes from your entry fee after greens fees are deducted. WSGC adds prize money from the general fund as determined by the Tournament Director and the Treasurer. A budget for additional prize fund money is determined at the beginning of the year.
Prize money is paid in Pro Shop Book Credit. If you win the money will be on the books in the pro shop one week after the tournament.
Tournament Results
We all want to know the results as soon as possible. Our goal is to get the results in two days or less. Sometimes this is not possible due to schedules and other issues which might arise as we calculate the results.
If preliminary results are released this allows you to check for any errors the scoring table might have made.
Sometimes results take longer for Sunday tournaments because the next day is a workday.
When the final results are released we will still correct a mistake if one was made and you bring it to our attention in a timely manner. Everyone wants a fair result.
Currently we use Golf Genius for Tournament Scoring and we are investigating ways to get the scores to you as quickly as possible.
Part 3 – Other important stuff
Pace of Play
We expect every group to keep up with the group in front and we expect the first six groups to play in four hours or less.
The pace of play rules are stated on the rules sheet. They may be modified from time to time to adjust to course conditions and tournament formats.
West Seattle Golf Course benefits when we do not have slow play. It allows more paying players to be on the course after our tournament. Let’s all do our part to support our great golf course.
Remember, it is every player’s responsibility to make sure the group is playing at the proper pace. If one player is struggling the other players must do their part to encourage and help out. Every little bit helps.
Think – If each play takes 10 less seconds each time they make a shot this will save more than 45 minutes on the round. Play ready golf and putt out when practical and possible.
Side Games
There are optional cash side games for $20 at each tournament. In team events both players must participate.
Side games information is available at the time you check in. Side games may differ by division. Take a moment to check the games for your division.
Pay your $20 when you check in for the tournament. We appreciate exact change. There is no Cash Machine at WSGC. Plan in advance.
Payouts are paid separately from the tournament are cash, gift cards, free rounds or free cart rental. Other forms of payouts may be used from time to time. Most often the payout is cash and it is stated at the time of check in.
Your side game winnings are put in an envelope with your name on it and stored in the WSGC safe. You can make arrangements for pick up or you can get it at the next tournament.
E Mail us at tournaments@WestSeattleGolfClub.org to arrange for pick up.
Tournament Schedule
The tournament schedule will be posted in the WSGC Clubhouse around Mid December for the next year. It is also posted online.
Note – Due to COVID the schedule was drastically changed and there is not a current schedule posted for 2020. All information is online.
Tournament Volunteers
If you want to meet new people and spend a little time helping out let us know about two weeks in advance. There is always something to do or someone who needs a break. It’s a great way to get involved.
If you still have Questions!
If you still have questions well just ask. E-Mail us at tournaments@westseattlegolfclub.org – Be specific and make sure we know who you are in the email.
It helps the tournament committee if you ask your questions early. The two days leading up to the tournament get busy as we set everything up.