Scratch League Rules 2021

M Buckley Esq. (Northcliffe G.C.)
President 2021  

1. The competition shall be open to all Member Clubs, who shall notify the League Secretary in writing of their intention to resign or reapply before 30th September in the year prior to the coming season. A club that rejoins the League shall do so in the lowest division. 

2. The Golf Committee shall decide the number of divisions and the number of clubs in each division which shall comprise the League and each Club team shall be represented by three players. At the end of each season, whenever possible,the top two teams in each division except in the first division shall be promoted to the next division above and the bottom two teams in each division except the last division shall be relegated to the next division below.

3. In the event of a tie on points at the end of the season to decide League Champions, promotion and relegation it shall be decided by the number of individual games won by a club. Should there still be a tie, then the placings shall be decided by the number of points won in the two league matches played between the clubs involved in the tie. If there is still a tie then the result shall be decided by the total of the highest winning margins in the individual games between those clubs. Should there still be a tie then the result shall be decided by the total of the highest winning margins in the individual games during the season. 

4. Matches shall be played on Friday evenings in accordance with the published Fixture List, and shall commence at 5.30 pm with the last match no later than 6.00 pm, or at a time agreed upon by the team captains involved.

5. All matches shall be played from scratch over 18 holes in accordance with the Rules of Golf as approved by the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews and the Local Rules of the Club on whose greens the fixture is being played, in so far as they do not contravene the Rules of Golf and have the approval of the Golf Committee.

Scoring shall be 2 points for a win and 1 point for a half. A player shall represent only one Club in any one season.

6. A match postponed or suspended due to bad weather and/or the condition of the course shall be completed within 14 days of the original date, by mutual agreement between the two Team Captains, or in the case of a dispute, decided by the League Secretary whose decision shall be final. The re-arranged dates must be agreed on the night of the original fixture and notifed to and be confirmed by the League Secretary. Games in the match may be played on different days but the result must be posted on the website within 14 days. It is permissible to switch home and away fixtures if both Team Captains agree, but only with the permission of the League Secretary.
If it is not possible for the home club to host a match on the day, the match must be completed within 14 days. Games in the match may be played on different days but the result must be posted on the website within 14 days.
In the event of teams failing to play or rearrange a postponed match or game, within the stipulated period, both teams shall be awarded no points.

7. Only the team captains can decide whether a match should be postponed or suspended. A match shall be postponed at 5.30pm or later in the day provided that play has not commenced in any individual game. Should any or all games in a match have commenced, suspension of such games shall be subject to Rule 6-8 of the Rules of Golf, and play shall commence at the place it was suspended.

8. Players in a postponed match which is rearranged need not be those who were originally selected. For suspended games the players shall be those involved at the time of suspension. A player who cannot resume a suspended game shall forfeit the points.

9. Only In exceptional circumstances shall the League Secretary grant an extension to the rule regarding the completion of matches after the due date.

10. The Captain of each team shall list his team in playing order. The team lists shall be exchanged simultaneously and the pairing of the games taken accordingly. A downloadable pdf result card is available on the website for this purpose and should be retained in case of any dispute. It is the duty of the Home Club Captain to provide the visiting team players with a scorecard and local rules of the course.

11. Team captains are responsible for inputting their squad list on to the Union's web site. Team captains must enter the selected players for every match, home and away.

12. Both clubs are responsible for the input of the players’ names and scores on to the website before 5.00pm on the Monday following the match.

13. A player who fails to present himself for a match at the arranged time shall forfeit the points to his opponent and shall be recorded as having lost 10 and 8.

14. If a team fails to turn up for a match, they shall be given written notice that if they re-offend again before the end of the following season they shall be relegated to the lowest division at the end of that season. If they are in the lowest division then they shall not be eligible for promotion from that division for one year. Persistent breach of the rule may result in that club being suspended from the league.

15. Disputes must be communicated to the League Secretary before 5.00pm on the Monday following the match. This must be followed up in writing with a letter to the League Secretary within 7 days of the date of the match. The Decision of the Golf Committee regarding all disputes shall be final.

16. A Championship Trophy shall be presented to the winning club in each division, and they shall each receive a plaque as a permanent memento.