TOURNAMENT CONDITIONS 2018 TOURNAMENT CONDITIONS BOOK 2018 1 TOURNAMENT CONDITIONS 2018 TABLE OF CONTENTS To be brought directly to any section, click on the relevant title below or see page number: Summary of important changes for 2017 ……………………………………. 1 Mandatory Conditions for GUI-Affiliated Golf Clubs ……………………………………. 2 National Team Competitions Cups and Shields - General Rules ……………………………………. 2 AIG Senior Cup ……………………………………. 6 AIG Barton Shield ……………………………………. 6 AIG Junior Cup ……………………………………. 7 AIG Jimmy Bruen Shield ……………………………………. 7 AIG Pierce Purcell Shield ……………………………………. 8 I Need Spain Irish Mixed Foursomes Challenge Cup ……………………………………. 9 GUI All-Ireland Four-Ball Inter-Club Championship ……………………………………. 10 Fred Daly Trophy ……………………………………. 11 Irish Junior Foursomes Trophy ……………………………………. 13 Irish Boys Under-18 Inter-Club Championship ……………………………………. 14 Irish Schools’ Junior Championship ……………………………………. 16 Irish Schools’ Senior Championship ……………………………………. 17 Order of Merit Awards Michael J Murphy Award (under 14) ……………………………………. 19 Joe Carr Award (under 16) ……………………………………. 20 Tom Montgomery Award (under 18) ……………………………………. 21 Boys International Order of Merit ……………………………………. 21 Willie Gill Award (Amateur) ……………………………………. 22 Mid-Amateur Order of Merit (over 30) ……………………………………. 22 Michael Hennelly Award (over 55) ……………………………………. 23 Championships – General Rules General Rules for Interprovincial Championships ……………………………………. 24 General Rules for Union and Provincial Championships ……………………………………. 27 Union Championships Irish Amateur Close Championship ……………………………………. 31 Irish Amateur Open Championship ……………………………………. 32 Irish Boys Amateur Open Championship ……………………………………. 33 Irish Boys U16 Amateur Open Championship ……………………………………. 34 Irish Boys U14 Amateur Open Championship ……………………………………. 35 Irish Mid-Amateur Open Championship ……………………………………. 36 Irish Seniors Amateur Close Championship ……………………………………. 37 Irish Seniors Amateur Open Championship ……………………………………. 38 Irish Students Amateur Open Championship ……………………………………. 39 ii TOURNAMENT CONDITIONS 2018 Provincial Open Championships East of Ireland Amateur Open Championship ……………………………………. 41 North of Ireland Amateur Open Championship ……………………………………. 43 South of Ireland Amateur Open Championship ……………………………………. 45 West of Ireland Amateur Open Championship ……………………………………. 47 West of Ireland Amateur Open Qualifier ……………………………………. 50 Connacht Boys Amateur Open Championship ……………………………………. 52 Connacht Boys U16 Open Championship ……………………………………. 54 Connacht Boys U14 Open Championship ……………………………………. 55 Connacht Mid-Amateur Open Championship ……………………………………. 57 Connacht Stroke Play Championship ……………………………………. 59 Connacht Seniors Amateur Open Championship ……………………………………. 60 Leinster Boys Open Championship ……………………………………. 62 Leinster Boys U14 Open Championship ……………………………………. 64 Leinster Boys U16 Open Championship ……………………………………. 65 Leinster Mid-Amateur Open Championship ……………………………………. 66 Leinster Seniors Amateur Open Championship ……………………………………. 67 Leinster Students Amateur Open Championship ……………………………………. 68 East of Ireland Mixed Foursomes Amateur Open Championship ……………………………… 70 Munster Boys Amateur Open Championship ……………………………………. 71 Munster Boys U16 Open Championship ……………………………………. 72 Munster Mid-Amateur Open Championship ……………………………………. 74 Munster Seniors Amateur Open Championship ……………………………………. 75 Munster Stroke Play Championship ……………………………………. 76 Munster Students Amateur Open Championship ……………………………………. 77 Munster Boys U14 Amateur Open Championship ……………………………………. 79 Ulster Boys Amateur Open Championship ……………………………………. 80 Ulster Boys U16 Open Championship ……………………………………. 82 Ulster Boys U14 Open Championship ……………………………………. 83 Ulster Mid-Amateur Open Championship ……………………………………. 84 Ulster Scratch Foursomes Open Championship ……………………………………. 86 Ulster Seniors Amateur Open Championship ……………………………………. 87 Ulster Students Amateur Open Championship ……………………………………. 88 Connacht Events Connacht General Rules for Inter Club Tournaments ……………………………………. 89 Connacht Boys U16 Inter-Club ……………………………………. 93 Connacht Junior Close Championships ……………………………………. 93 Connacht Seniors Inter-Club ……………………………………. 94 Connacht Shield ……………………………………. 95 Jack O’Sullivan Trophy ……………………………………. 96 Fred Daly Plate ……………………………………. 97 Connacht 9-Hole Course Inter-Club ……………………………………. 98 Leinster Events Leinster Cups and Shields Conditions ……………………………………. 100 Barton Cup ……………………………………. 101 iii TOURNAMENT CONDITIONS 2018 Leinster U13 Boys Series ……………………………………. 103 Leinster Boys U16 Close Championship ……………………………………. 104 Leinster U15 Inter Club Match Play ……………………………………. 105 Metropolitan Trophy & Provincial Towns Cup ……………………………………. 106 Leinster Inter-Schools League ……………………………………. 108 Munster events Munster Golf Conditions for Cups and Shields ……………………………………. 109 Fred Daly Plate (Munster) ……………………………………. 111 Munster Country Clubs’ Cup ……………………………………. 112 Munster Boys U13 Amateur Close Championship ……………………………………. 113 Munster Boys U15 Amateur Close Championship ……………………………………. 114 Munster Boys U17 Amateur Close Championship ……………………………………. 115 Ulster Events Ulster General Rules for Inter Club Tournaments ……………………………………. 117 Belfast and District Cup ……………………………………. 118 Ulster Cup ……………………………………. 119 Ulster Under 14 Boys Close Championship ……………………………………. 120 Ulster Under 16 Boys Close Championship ……………………………………. 122 Ulster Underage Close Winter Series ……………………………………. 123 Appendices – Further Regulatory Information 1. GUI Tie-Breaking Procedure ……………………………………. 125 2. GUI Transportation Policy ……………………………………. 125 3. Exemption List ……………………………………. 130 4. Standard Tournament Local Rules ……………………………………. 131 iv TOURNAMENT CONDITIONS 2018 SUMMARY OF IMPORTANT CHANGES FOR 2018 Below is a summary of important changes for 2018. However, it is not a definitive list of all amendments to Tournament Conditions. Players, Team Captains and others involved in any competition organised by the GUI or its provincial branches are reminded of the importance of reading the conditions of the event, contained in this book (available online from www.golfnet.ie). The Union also distributes a limited number of printed copies to each golf club every spring. New points system for the Willie Gill Order of Merit On the recommendation of the High Performance Committee the points system for the Willie Gill Order of Merit will be significantly changed. Only eight events will count – all domestic: the Irish Amateur Open and Close Championships, the North, South, East and West of Ireland Championships and the Munster and Connacht Stroke Play Championships. In addition, automatic places will be available on the Home Internationals Team from this Order of Merit in accordance with the Selection Criteria set out and published (in 2018, this criteria will entail the leading four players on the World Amateur Golf Rankings and the leading two players on the Willie Gill Order of Merit making the Home Internationals team. New Eligibility Criteria for Championships From 2019 the eight events on the Willie Gill Order of Merit will include an automatic exemption for anyone scoring 100 or more points on that Order of Merit in a calendar year – exemptions valid in the following year. This will replace the exemptions offered previously for the top-four finishers in the North, South, East and West of Ireland Championships in addition to the Irish Amateur Open and Close Championships. In the interim period (2018), performance-related exemptions in these eight events will be offered on the basis of achievement of the results necessary in 2017 to have gained 100 points on the Willie Gill Order of Merit in its new format. In all circumstances, the player must have entered the Championship to avail of the exemption. (See Appendix 3 for further information.) Pace of Play (Rule 6 of General Rules) The Union’s Pace of Play regulations have been revised to remove the timing schedule from the normal enforcement – now a group will be considered out of position if they are, simply, more than one starting interval behind the group in front. Timing schedules will continue to be used to track the first group of each championship day, and to guide enforcement by referees. Irish Boys Inter-Club Championship In accordance with the Motion passed by the voters at the Annual Delegates’ Meetings, a new inter-club competition for Under-18 Boys will be introduced. Under 18s will be eligible to represent their clubs in this event provided that they did not hold a handicap of below 5.5 on 1 January in the year of the event, and provided that they hold a CONGU handicap that is displayed on Golfnet on the day of competition. The maximum playing handicap is 24; those with a handicap of in excess of this will play off 24 in the event. Caddies are now prohibited in the AIG Jimmy Bruen and Pierce Purcell Shields The penalty for breach is set out in the General Rules for Cups and Shields. New handicap bands in the AIG Cups and Shields Junior Cup Lower limit reduced from 5 to 4 Jimmy Bruen Lower limit reduced from 6 to 5; Combined limit reduced from 17 to 15 Pierce Purcell Lower limit reduced from 12 to 11; Combined limit reduced from 27 to 25 1 TOURNAMENT CONDITIONS 2018 GUI Four-Ball Lower limit reduced from 16 to 15; Combined limit reduced from 36 to 34 New Local Rule The GUI and its Branches will apply this new Local Rule recently announced jointly by The R&A and USGA for introduction in 2018 eliminating additional penalties for signing for an incorrect score due to the golfer