Indo - American Golf Association

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Membership and Tournament Guidelines
Last Update - February 2008

Outlined below are guidelines for our membership to follow as you progress through the year. These guidelines will make your golfing experience in the IAGA a smoother one and will ensure the IAGA Committee is able to run events efficiently and with minimal stress. PLEASE ADHERE TO THESE GUIDELINES. They apply to ALL members, no exemptions or exceptions are allowed:

Flights and Handicap Index:

  • Assigned to one of the 3 IAGA Flights for Stroke Play tournaments:

    • Maharaja Flight - This flight consists of members with an IAGA Handicap Index of less than or equal to 9.9. All players in this flight play from the Blue Tees. Pebble Flight members can play in the Maharaja Flight with a max index of 9.9, however, their IAGA Handicap Index must be less than 11.9 to be allowed to play in the Maharaja Flight.
       

    • Pebble Flight - This flight consists of members with an IAGA Handicap Index from 10.0 to 15.8. All players in this flight play from the White Tees. Poppy Flight members can play in the Pebble Flight with a max index of 15.8, however, their IAGA Handicap Index must be less than 17.8 to be allowed to play in Pebble Flight.
       

    • Poppy Flight consists of members with an IAGA Handicap Index from 15.9 to 23.5. All players in this flight play from the White Tees. Members with IAGA Handicap Index more than 23.5 will be maxed at 23.5 for all IAGA tournaments.
      Important Note: Any member within 2 points of a flight base max index can choose to move to that flight for the season. Once you move into a flight, you cannot move back and forth. Only if your index moves 4 points away from the base max index of the flight, will IAGA move you down a flight. You will always have the option to stay in your flight and play to the base maximum of that flight if your index is above it.
       

  • All eligible tournament players play to an IAGA Handicap Index assigned by the IAGA committee:
     

    • Members with an established handicaps - IAGA Handicap Index is based on the low six month NCGA handicap index OR Average differential of 3 best IAGA tournament scores in the last 12 months, whichever is lower.
       

    • New members - If you currently have six month NCGA/USGA handicap index and this is your first tournament with IAGA, you will play to 50% of the current index, 75% of current index in second tournament and low six-month or IAGA handicap index going forward.
       

    • New members - If you currently do not have a six-month established with NCGA/USGA handicap you are NOT eligible for prizes and skins in your 1st tournament with IAGA - The first tournament score will be used to evaluate your playing level and the IAGA committee will assign you a IAGA handicap index for next tournaments until a handicap is established. However, you are eligible for Closest to the Pin and Long Drive competitions.
       

  • Participation in the Skins game is optional based on the assigned IAGA index. Maximum of 18 Converted Course Handicap is assigned for for members with higher handicaps. Since the field is competing against each other and is playing off of Blue or White tees that have different Course Ratings, we use Section 3-5 (Off High Rating) of the USGA rules to normalize the field for skins result calculations.
     

  • Guests are not eligible to participate in any tournament including skins. Guests must play from the White Tees.

IAGA Rules Committee - This committee will be responsible for addressing all rules dispute during the IAGA tournaments. All members must bring any rules dispute or violation during IAGA tournaments to this committee. This committee will then make a recommendation to the IAGA Committee based on the facts collected. IAGA Committee will make the final decision based on this committee's recommendation. For 2008, this committee consists of 3 IAGA Active members - Abid Asghar, Tony Judge and Ferdoas Nagarvala.

IAGA Handicap Committee - This committee will be responsible for monitoring the handicaps of all IAGA members. They will address the concerns brought up by the members in regards to the some other member's handicap. This committee will make a recommendation to the IAGA Committee based on the facts collected. IAGA Committee will make the final decision based on this committee's recommendation. For 2008, this committee consists of 2 IAGA Active members - Felix Solomon and Vishal Wadhwa.

Annual Membership Dues (includes NCGA Membership):

  • New Membership - $200.00

  • Membership Renewal (Due in December) - $175.00

  • New Junior Membership(17 or below) - $100.00

  • Junior Membership renewal - $90.00

  • Tournament fees are in addition to the these annual dues.

Tournament Fees:

  • Flat fees for each tournament include Breakfast or Lunch, Green Fees, Cart, and Range Balls unless specified differently by IAGA committee

  • Active Member - $125.00

  • Junior Active Member - $100.00

  • Guest - $150.00

Tournament Signups:

  • During the signup for a tournament, you have the option to choose a playing partner.  The Tournament Chairman will create foursome. We cannot accommodate requests to form your own foursome.
     

  • Breakfast or Lunch, Range Balls, Cart included in the tournament fee unless specified differently by the IAGA committee.
     

  • Following Cancellation Policy applies for all tournaments:

    • Member cancels their and/or guest entry 1 week prior to the tournament date (> 7 days) - No charge
    • Member cancels their and/or guest entry between 2-5 days prior to the tournament date - No charge if replacement is found, 100% of the tournament fee penalty if replacement is not found.
    • Member cancels their and/or guest entry within 24 hours of the tournament - 100% of the tournament fee penalty
    • Member or Guest are a NO SHOW at the tournament - 100% of the tournament fee penalty
    • IAGA committee and the member shall make every effort to find a replacement but cannot guarantee a replacement.
       

  • If a member and/or their guest have signed up for a tournament and do not inform the IAGA tournament committee that they will not show up, they will be assessed a penalty of 100% tournament fee. If the IAGA committee is not informed for more than 1 tournament by the same member of a NO SHOW then IAGA will not accept their entry for the rest of the year.

Tournament Day:
 

  • Attendance at the Members Breakfast or Lunch is mandatory, unless stated otherwise by IAGA committee. ALL Members much reach within 10 minute grace period of the assigned time. Any member that shows after will be assessed $20 late fee. All late fees will be accumulated during the year and will contribute towards the awards at the Annual Banquet. Members, this is a NO EXCEPTION requirement as this is the one guideline that can make the difference between a smooth run event and one that falls apart. Do not consider yourself exempt.
     

  • For Tee Times start you will be required to show up on the first tee 15 minutes prior your assigned tee time ready to go. Tee times are posted on the website 1 day prior to the tournament day. We cannot make any last minute changes to the tee times.
     

  • During a tournament, it is the players responsibility to ensure that the correct score has been marked down on the card prior to submission. While historically the IAGA has never penalized any of our member for submitting incorrect scorecards with addition errors (totals for front, back and 18 holes). An incorrect score for a hole on a submitted scorecard will result in disqualification from the tournament. It is your responsibility to verify on the individual or shared scorecard that correct score is recorded for each hole before the scorecard is turned in after the tournament.
     

  • The tournament results will be posted on the website within a week. Prizes will be distributed during the next tournament breakfast or lunch.
     

  • We strictly follow and enforce USGA rules for tournament play. Local rules will be announced before the start of the tournaments by IAGA committee.

Speed of Play during tournaments:

  • ALL members must complete the round in no more than 5 hours and 15 minutes. We will have a rabbit group who will finish the round no later than 4 hours and 45 minutes (this assumes that the course was not delayed prior to our tee-off). A member from this group will be the IAGA course marshal upon completion of their round and will help insure that all foursome finish in 5 hours and 15 minutes.
     

  • ALL foursomes must keep up with the group in front of them. IAGA is not a look behind club. You must keep up with the group IN FRONT of you. It doesn't matter that there is nobody behind you...If you can't see the group in front of you, YOUR group is playing slow. We will have a IAGA marshal monitor each group during the course of play. If at anytime a group is 1.5 holes behind the group in front of them, THE ENTIRE GROUP may be asked to pick up and move to the next tee box and be assessed a TWO STROKE penalty for every member. There is no finger pointing allowed as it is the ENTIRE group's responsibility to monitor itself to stay close to the group ahead. The strokes will be assessed on top of the strokes you are given on the hole i.e. if you are a 18 handicapper and get a stroke on every hole and you are on a par 5, then you will be asked to pick up and you must write a score of 8 for the hole...par 5 + 1 stroke handicap + 2 stroke penalty...8...THIS RULE applies regardless of the 5 hour 15 minute guideline...There is NO excuse for being 1.5 holes behind the group in front of you...KEEP UP!
     

  • To help enforce this, ALL players must putt out once the furthest away player has started putting. Every player in the foursome must putt out without delay once it's your turn (REGARDLESS if you are going to be stepping on someone's line). Do not mark your ball because you are now closer to the hole and then wait your turn and read the green from 5 sides...Once you have started putting, you must finish the hole...then the next furthest away player can start to putt and finish and so on till the final player putts out. This doesn't mean you can't read the green from both sides, it means that once you start putting, finish your turn till you are in the hole.
     

  • If your group is behind by couple of holes, 2 players from the foursome can finish putting first and go to the next tee to tee off, while the remaining 2 players finishing putting. This process should be followed until you are caught up.
     

  • Another procedure to help you keep up will be for players to hit when it's their turn. Too often in the IAGA we park our carts next to the person who is away, wait for them to hit, then together they go to the next person's ball. NO MORE...Go to the player who's ball is the furthest away...Drop them off...let them take 2-3 clubs...then drive to your ball. Be ready to hit when it's your turn...follow this process all the way to the green and then putt out in turn on the green...this will make a HUGE difference.
     

  • Every POPPY player who is about to hit their 10th shot MUST pick up and move on and record a 10 for the hole...do not keep hitting...pick up and move on.
     

  • Golf ball heading towards tall grass that is in play - When in doubt about your shot, before going and looking for your ball, play a second provisional ball. This will avoid a trip back to the original spot in case of a lost ball (THIS A LOCAL IAGA RULE).
     

  • Rules Dispute - In case of a dispute in regards to rules, play a second ball and let the IAGA committee decide on the correct ruling after the round. Do not waste any time arguing the correct ruling during the tournament.

Tournament Prizes:

Every flight will receive the same amount for prizes. $80 for First, $40 for second. Each set of tees will have their own Long Drive worth $20 and their will be one overall Closest to the Pin award for $20. Each winner will have the following options regarding their prizes. You may choose only one of the options:

  • Take the cash award (presented during the next breakfast event).
     

  • Bank the prize (this allows for winners to accumulate winnings and request a more valuable prize to be bought on behalf of the member. They can choose to cash their winnings at anytime).
     

  • Give prize to Charitable organization. The IAGA has had a long time desire to increase our impact to the community besides providing a forum of competitive golf, and in 2008 we will take another step towards our contribution. Every winner will have the option to name a charity of their choice who they would like to provide their winnings to. The IAGA will send a check on your behalf to the charity of your choice. Winners who choose this option will bank their winnings till season end and the IAGA will submit the final winning amount.
     

  • Receive a trophy...applies to any first place finisher only for any event

Golfer of the Year (GoY) Points:

This will be another coveted title during the IAGA season. We will award the Golfer of the Year to the player who has earned the most points during the 7 regular season events. That is a change from 2007 and previous years. IAGA will use your 4 best events to formulate your points totals. We will NOT be including the Club Championship in the determination of Golfer of the Year as we believe the Golfer of the Year should hold its own as a regular season AWARD. In the past we have awarded double points towards the GOY points for the Club Championship. It has resulted in a dull finish as more often than not, this results in the Club Champion becoming GoY. For 2008, we want to have qualification for GoY culminate through the 7 regular season events and not have the Club Championship interfere in its significance. Points will be awarded as such:

  • 150 points - Each member for tournament participation

  • 100 points - Each for First Place finish in ALL Flights

  • 75 points - Each for Second Place finish in ALL Flights

  • 50 points - Closest to Pin (CTP) winner among the entire tournament field. In case of more than one CTP in a tournament, IAGA committee will announce the hole eligible for CTP points

  • 25 points - Long Drive (LD) winner for Maharaja and Pebble/Poppy flights. In case of more than one LD in a tournament, IAGA will announce the hole eligible for LD points

  • GoY is awarded to the member with the most Cumulative points from 4 best finish IAGA tournaments during the year (March thru September tournaments). Points will NOT be awarded for Season ending Club Championships, Match Play competition and Tournament of Champions.

Season Ending Club Championship Format and Eligibility:

  • Club Championship is a 2 day - 36 hole event at Coyote Creek - Tournament Course.
     
  • ALL Flights will play for 36 holes for the entire field. Players who are too far back (although in the IAGA you are never too far back after day 1) can opt out of the second day. Tee times will be made for you, but if you choose not to play, you will not be charged for the second day.
     
  • The Club Champion (Maharaja Trophy winner) comes from the Maharaja Flight.
     
  • Day 1 - Saturday will be a shotgun start with a MANDATORY BREAKFAST. Pairings are determined at the breakfast by RANDOM DRAW.
     
  • Day 2 - Sunday will be a tee times start with the leaders going off last. POPPY flight goes off first with leaders in their last group, followed by PEBBLE flight with their leaders in the last group, and finally followed by Maharaja Flight with its leaders teeing off last.
     
  • 3 Hole playoff, if required, will be played on Holes #1, #2 and #3. Low Cumulative NET total for the 3 holes will be declared winner. If there is a tie, the low cumulative net for Holes #2 and #3 will be used to declare the winner. If there is a tie, the low net for Hole #3 will be declared the winner. If a tie still exists, we go to sudden death stating at Hole #4
     
  • In order to qualify for Club Championships (CC), you must have played in 3 IAGA regular season tournaments between March and September (ToC is an invitational and is not considered a regular season tournament). If you have played in less than 2 tournaments during the regular season, you can still play in CC but would not be eligible for prizes. Your participation in any Match Play event counts as a regular season tournament.

Match Play Championships - During the regular IAGA season, we conduct Individual and Team Match Play tournaments with the following formats:

  • Individual Match Play - Conducted from May thru September with the field limited to 32 players and players going thru 5 elimination rounds. Each round is alternated between Coyote Creek and Wente Vineyard Golf Courses with finals to be conducted at Coyote Creek Golf Course in September.
     
  • Team Match Play - Conducted from June to September with the field limited to 16 teams and teams going thru 4 elimination rounds. Each round is alternated between Wente Vineyard and Coyote Creek Golf Courses with finals to be conducted at Wente Vineyard Golf Course in September. Teams are created by random draw to create camaraderie in the club.

    Other Match Play Notes:
  • All Matches must be completed within the allotted time by the IAGA committee.
  • 90% of the IAGA Handicap will be used for Match Play events with a max course handicap of 18. Match Play index will not change during the Match Play events.
  • All matches must be decided on the day of play. No reschedules. There will be no Playoff in Match Play events except for the Semi-Finals and Final Round matches. If a match is tied after 18 holes, you must go to the card to break tie. Go to back nine, if still tied, go to the holes 13-18, if still tied, got to 16-18 holes, if still tied, go to the 18th hole, if still tied, go to #1 Handicap, #2 handicap and so on till the tie is broken.
  • To break a tie in the Semi-Finals and Final round matches, you go to the first hole for sudden death tie breaker and continue playing until someone wins. This puts GREAT responsibility on the SEMI-FINAL and FINAL participants to ensure you schedule a tee time that will not lead you to darkness on 18 and you will not be able to conduct the playoff. Should that happen, you will HAVE to go OFF the card and it will not be acceptable to reschedule the playoff or the match.
  • Detailed rules will be provided by the IAGA Committee when we send the sign up notice for Match Play.

Tournament of Champions (ToC) Qualification Criteria - This tournament is by invitation only to recognize achievements of our members from the past year. Here are the criteria to get an invitation to play in the ToC:

  • Defending ToC Champion

  • Defending Individual Match Play Champion

  • Defending Team Match Play Champions

  • Current and Past IAGA Club Champions

  • Top two finishers in ALL flights during the previous year IAGA tournament.

    ToC Tournament format - All eligible players in ToC play from the White tees regardless of your handicap. There will be NO Flights and the IAGA handicap will be maxed out 18.4 per NCGA guidelines. There will be one winner in the ToC tournament.

Season Ending Awards Banquet:

  • Typically held within 2 weeks after the Club Championships, to help close out the year with recognition of our Champions, a photographic memory tour of the year, fantastic entertainment, AWESOME food, an environment to dance the night away, and last but not the least a chance for EVERYONE to participate in our top prize giveaway.
     

  • While this is not a MANDATORY event, we encourage ALL Members to attend with their families (yes kids are included and encouraged), spouses, and significant others to attend.
     

  • This event is NOT open to outside guests. So please no friends, as we want to keep the content within the IAGA family.

The 2008 Awards Banquet has been set at the fantastic venue of the India Community Center in Milpitas, CA for Saturday, November 8th. If any of you have seen their auditorium/banquet facility, it will truly be a benchmark venue. It is our hope that all future banquets will be held here as well. And YES, we are moving to PRIME TIME Saturday. Those of you who have attended in the past have seen the quality event the IAGA puts together for you AND your families. We have gotten RAVE reviews every year and continue to take the banquet to new levels. Two years ago a fantastic TALENT COMPETITION made it special. Last year, the game DEAL or NO DEAL was a big hit. This will be our FOURTH Awards banquet and the planning for making it special has already begun. We ask that you put this on your calendar NOW!!! No excuses for not attending. We would like to get 100% participation this year and it’s a great venue for all to see and be at .