PLAYER HANDBOOK Golf Channel Amateur Tour 2012 V1.4 1 Table of Contents TOUR POLICIES 1. Membership Qualification 2. Membership Fees 3. Membership Cancellation/Refund 4. Assumption of Risk and Release from Liability 5. Tour Format 6. Flight Placement 7. Senior Flight Placement 8. On Course Rules 9. Spectators and Caddies 10. Dress Code and Player Conduct 11. Prizes 12. Trophies 13. Pace of Play Policy 14. Inclement Weather 15. Welcome Packs 16. Miscellaneous TOURNAMENT POLICIES 1. Tournament Registration 2. Tournament Application and Payment Policy 3. Cancellations and No Shows 4. Tournament Flight Guidelines 5. Tournament Format 6. Tournament Payout Schedule 7. Tee Times 8. Check-In and Starting 9. Tees 10. Scorekeeping and Scorecards 11. Results and Callaway Order of Merit Points 12. Determination of Tied Scores 13. Distance Measuring Devices 14. Cell Phones and Electronic Devices 15. Guest Policy 16. Major Championships 17. National Championship 18. Senior National Championship 19. National Championship Qualifying 20. Tour Contact Information APPENDIXES 1. How to Avoid Slow Play 2. Notice to Contestants Page | 2 2012 Golf Channel Amateur Tour – Player Handbook TOUR POLICIES 1. Membership Qualification Golf Channel Amateur Tour (Am Tour) is wholly owned and operated by Golf Channel, headquartered in Orlando, Florida. Membership to the Am Tour is open to all amateur golfers with a verifiable handicap index. If a player does not have a verifiable index, Am Tour will accept six (6) completed, signed and attested scorecards that will be input to the members Players Club account reviewed by the Am Tour Rules Committee and a Tour handicap will be assigned. A detailed explanation on USGA® Handicap Index®, Tour Index calculations, and the Tour points system are stated within the handbook and also at www.GCAmTour.com. 2. Membership Fees The cost of an annual membership into the Am Tour is $199 for new members and $179 for renewing members for the 2012 season. Potential members can sign up for the Tour on the official website at www.GCAmTour.com. Am Tour member benefits include, but are not limited to: the Welcome Pack (typical items include a Tour-branded golf hat, golf shirt, memorabilia, online handicap service, etc.), and ability to play in any open Tour event across the country, with the exception of Local Tour Championships, which may be closed to Local Tour Players only, and the National Championship, which players must earn qualification in order to participate. 3. Membership Cancellation/Refund All Golf Channel Amateur Tour memberships begin the day a player submits his/her registration for service. Only cancellations made within three (3) days of the initial registration will receive a full refund. After this point, a pro-rated refund will be issued, subtracting a $100 fee for the Welcome Pack. Golf Channel Amateur Tour will not accept returned Welcome Packs. No Refunds will be made after 45 days or after a player has participated in two (2) Golf Channel Amateur Tour tournaments. 4. Assumption of Risk and Release from Liability By signing or electronically submitting a member application and entering and playing in a Golf Channel Amateur Tour tournament (“tournament”), the participant understands and agrees that there are certain dangers involved with the participation in a golf tournament, including but not limited to being struck by lightning, getting hit by a golf club, suffering from heat exhaustion, heart attack or injury from uneven terrain, all of for which risks participant assumes and solely accepts, and waives all claims of injury to body or property against Golf Channel. Further, the participant agrees that while on the premises of a Golf Channel Amateur Tour tournament, the participant, and any guest, relative or anyone else affiliated with participant, shall be present at their own risk and that Golf Channel shall not be liable for any claims for injuries or damages whatsoever to person or property of the participant or related person arising out of or in connection with the participation in the tournament or presence at the tournament. Participant agrees to indemnify and hold harmless Golf Channel from all claims by or liability to participant or affiliated person. 5. Tour Format The majority of tournaments are stroke play, gross competition within one’s assigned flight. Tour play will be governed by the current Rules of Golf as approved by the United States Golf Association (USGA®), and modified by the Rules or “Notice to Contestants” sheet prepared by the Am Tour Committee. Other specialized formats, such as match play or best ball, will be played in accordance with USGA® rules of golf. Am Tour Officials will be on site at every tournament to handle player registration/check-in, provide assistance, handle scoring/prize pools, monitor the pace of play and make rulings. Any Tour Official may assess penalty strokes for rules infractions or slow play subject to review by the Tour Committee. All decisions made by the Am Tour Committee shall be final. Page | 3 2012 Golf Channel Amateur Tour – Player Handbook 6. Flight Placement and Movement The Golf Channel Am Tour is divided into six separate flights and two divisions (Open and Senior). Senior flights will be offered at the Senior National Championship but may or may not be available at local events or Majors depending on participation. Flights are based initially on a player’s most current index. Once a player has played on Tour, his/her Tournament Index – factoring only scores from rounds played on Tour - can be used to coincide with the appropriate flight (see below). Please note, though, if large discrepancies are found between one’s Tournament Index and any other form of handicap verification he/she holds, the Tour will not allow he/she to compete in a flight that is more than one flight higher than his/her lowest form of handicap verification (i.e. John Doe has a USGA® Index of 6.5 and a Tournament Index of 13.5. Mr. Doe will compete in the Palmer Flight (4-7.9) or the Hogan Flight (8-11.9) and not the Sarazen Flight (12- 15.9). (How we flight Players – How-To) A Tour Player who has played in less than four rounds on Tour will be flighted based on the best available and most current information (a verifiable USGA® index or scores entered into the official Tour website via one’s Players Club). If a player does not have a verifiable USGA® Index, he/she will be placed into a flight based on entering six adjusted scores into the Players Club by clicking on “Handicap” once logged-in at www.gcamtour.com. Golf Channel Amateur Tour reserves the right to promote a player to a better flight at anytime. A Tour Player who has played at least four rounds on Tour as of a revision date can be flighted based on his/her Tournament Index, taking into account the following restriction: no tour player can compete in a flight that is more than one flight higher than his/her lowest form of handicap verification (i.e. John Doe has a USGA® Index of 6.5 and a Tournament Index of 13.5. Mr. Doe will compete in the Palmer Flight (4-7.9) or the Hogan Flight (8-11.9) and not the Sarazen Flight (12-15.9). This policy is the responsibility of the player and failure to comply could result in immediate re-flighting and/or disqualification. If a Player’s Tour Index improves to correspond with a lower flight, he/she will be notified and automatically promoted and re-flighted for his/her next event, following the Tour’s Index revision/promotion dates: January 2nd and then every 2nd day of each month. Conversely, if a Player’s Tour Index increases one full point above the lowest threshold of a higher flight, it is the sole responsibility of the Tour Player to request a flight change. This request must be made to one’s Local Director and Regional Director a minimum of 10 days prior to one’s next registered event to be considered for re-flighting. Final decisions on re-flighting are solely at the discretion of the Regional Director. Please note Golf Channel Amateur Tour reserves the right to re-flight a player at anytime Special Considerations: - If a tour player wins a Major Championship in a specific flight he/she cannot move back to a higher flight (per season) o If Player A wins the Doral Classic in the Hogan Flight he/she cannot move back to the Sarazen/Jones/Snead Flight for that season - Starting at the 2012 National Championships, each National Champion will be automatically promoted to the lower flight Page | 4 2012 Golf Channel Amateur Tour – Player Handbook The Tournament Index is calculated by the following: Number of Differentials to be Acceptable Scores Used 4 Lowest 3 5 Lowest 4 6 Lowest 5 7 or 8 Lowest 6 9 Lowest 7 10 Lowest 8 11 or 12 Lowest 9 The Tour will revise handicaps on the second of every month*. Tour players will be subject to re-flighting based on the revision dates as follows: January 2, February 2, March 2, April 2, May 2, June 2, July 2, August 2, August 20th, October 2, November 2 and December 2. (We will revise on August 20th due to SNC/NC being in early September) The following represent examples of player movement from a higher flight to a lower flight throughout the season: If a Player’s Tour Index improves to correspond with a lower flight, he/she will be notified and automatically promoted and re-flighted for his/her next event following the Tour’s Index revision/promotion dates: The 2nd day of every month.