DMVVGA TOURNAMENT RULES

TOURNAMENT HANDICAP POLICY
It is very important that all handicaps are fair and accurate for any DMVVGA Tournament. To help keep the tournamet fair for the field, DMVVGA reserves the right to adjust your handicap if your score reflects way outside your stated or recorded handicaps. DMVVGA reserves the right to use handicaps or scores from prior events for any winners from prior tournaments if your handicap has increase in between events. 

Every player will be capped at 2 strokes better than their handicap. Example, a 10 handicap on a par 72 will be capped at 80 as his best score if he shoots 79 or less. This is a guideline and can be changed accordingly per player by DMVVGA for multiple occurences.

DMVVGA reserve the right to change your handicap to match your gross score if it's way outside your handicap range. On a two day event, a 10 handicap shooting way out of their handicap range on either day will affect both day's scores.  A 10 handicap shooting 76 may and can be adjusted to a 4 handicap for the entirety of the event instead of their score being capped at 80. 

If an adjustment is to be made by DMVVGA, we will inform you of the adjustment to your score.

SANDBAGGING to win any DMVVGA tournament will not be tolerated and will result in the player(s) being banned from further participation and membership.

Direct all questions and concerns about handicaps to Bi Nguyen, 240-328-5728.

COURSE RULES
All DMVVGA tournaments will follow USGA rules & policies throughout game play.

The noted rules below are often changed depending on condtions. They are to be followed unless otherwise announced. If any player brings notice to a DMVVGA board member of a rules violation on another player, DMVVGA will gather all information and make a determination whether a penalty will be imposed. DMVVGA's ruling is final.

NO HELPING
The following occurences are prohibited:
• Reading greens for another player
• Asking or telling another player club selection
• Telling another player how to play the hole
• Telling a match partner to lay up and you go for it or vice versa.

All above rules carry a 1 stroke penalty per occurence.

PLAY IT DOWN
We play everything down unless announced otherwise.  If the weather calls for it, we will announce lift, clean and place at the opening announcement prior to start time.

BUNKER RULES
Play as it lies in the bunker unless your ball is in a footprint, DO NOT move the ball until other playing partners determine it is a footprint. Once determined it is a foot print, a player can use the rake, club or foot  to smooth out the sand and replace the ball in the exact spot. Moving a ball before your playing partners determine it is a foot print or moving a ball that is not in a foot print will incur a 1 stoke penalty per occurence.

MARK YOUR BALL
Mark your ball clearly and uniquely. Any player who questions whether it is your ball or not, ruling will lean towards complainant if your ball is not clearly and uniquely marked. Hitting a ball that is not yours incurs a 2 stroke penalty per hit.

UNMARKED AREAS
All unmarked tall grass and wooded areas will be played according to USGA rules of lost ball. SEE OUT OF BOUNDS BELOW.

OUT OF BOUNDS
Defined by white stakes/lines and/or boundary fences. You can take 2 strokes penalty in the fairway within 2 club lengths from the edge of the fairway no closer to the pin than the distance where it entered the out of bounds or 1 stroke and re-hit from original spot.

Example. Your ball went out of bounds and the entry point is 180 yards away from the pin. You can take a 2 stroke penalty drop in the fairway within 2 club lengths from the edge no closer than 180 yards away from the pin. The distances is measured using the entry point and NOT where your ball came to rest.

If your ball's entry point never reached the beginning of the fairway, you CAN NOT take relief in the fairway regardless that your ball was found parallel to the fairway. You must re-hit from the original spot for a 1 stroke penalty or 2 strokes penalty drop within 2 club lengths from the entry point. Again, distance is measured from the entry point and not where your ball came to rest.

PACE OF PLAY
Please keep up with the group ahead of you. Any group that is holding up the group behind them and no group are holding in front will get a warning. If you're two holes behind, each player will receive a 1 stroke penalty.

BALL SEARCHING
Hit your ball first before you start to help your playing partners search for their ball.

Maximum allotted time to search for a lost ball is 2 minutes.

LOCAL RULES
If there are any local rules the course wants us to follow, we will announce those rules during opening announcements or via email prior to tournament start.

SCORECARD
Please have everyone acknowledge and sign the card. Submit 1 signed score card to JoJo, Nuge or Bruce after the round. Once a scorecard is turned in, scores can not be changed for the better, it can only be changed for the worse.

The official score card must be scored with full stroke count per hole per player. Plus and minus count scoring will not be accepted.