FORMAT & SCORING

• Two-player teams will play the “Better-Shot” scramble format known as Doubles Golf®.
• Max Score: The maximum score a team can take on any hole is a bogey.
• How to Play:
  1. Both players tee off from the teeing ground.
  2. The team selects the best-positioned ball for their next shots.
  3. The ball is marked, and players can lift, clean, and place it within one club-length, no closer to the hole.
  4. The ball must remain in the same area of the course, defined by USGA as:
     • General Area: Fairways, rough, and other areas of the course except penalty areas, bunkers, greens, and teeing areas.
     • Putting Green: The closely mown area around the hole.
     • Penalty Area: Marked areas such as water hazards or designated penalty zones.
     • Out of Bounds (OB): Beyond course boundaries, marked by white stakes or fences.
     • Teeing Area: The starting point of each hole.
  5. A ball may be moved from rough to fairway using the one club-length rule, but not from a penalty area, bunker, or onto a green.
  6. Teams will continue this process until reaching the green. The selected ball is marked, and both players putt within one club-head length in any direction, no closer to the hole.

RULES OF PLAY

• Raking and Placing in Bunkers: Teams may rake and place the ball within one club-length, no closer to the hole, if playing from a bunker.
• Playing from Penalty Area: Lift clean and place the ball within one club-length, no closer to the hole, if playing from the penalty area.
• Lifting & Marking Selected Ball: The selected ball must be marked before lifting. Players may clean the ball before placing it. Failure to mark results in a one-stroke penalty.
• Out of Bounds: If both balls are out of bounds, teams may treat the OB as a penalty area and the rules of golf apply. No stroke-and-distance penalty will apply. Teams must not play from OB; they have to take relief.
• Lost Ball: If both balls are not found in the general area within 3 minutes, proceed to most likely position and drop without penalty.
• If a team chooses to take relief from a penalty area or OB, USGA rules apply with a one-stroke penalty.

PUTTING

• Upon reaching the green, the selected ball will be marked, and both players will putt from within one club-head length of the mark, no closer to the hole.

FINISHING A HOLE

• Once a ball is holed, the score is final. If a double bogey is reached and the ball is not yet holed, the team must pick up and move to the next hole. If the first player putts and misses but holes the ball, that becomes the team's score.

TIES & SCORECARD MATCHING

• In case of ties, the tournament committee has discretion over the sudden death playoff.  If a playoff is NA the following tiebreakers the USGA regression will apply:
  1. Best score on the last 9 holes (against par).
  2. Best score on the last 6 holes.
  3. Best score on the last 3 holes.
  4. Aggregate score on Par-3s.
  5. Reverse order Par-3 comparison.
  6. Putt-off or chip-off to determine a winner.
• Courses may apply different tiebreakers but must announce them before the event.