How Much Authority Does a League Have in Setting Local Rules?

[Southern by Choice]

Can our local women's league establish this rule for money game payouts? (It does not change score postings for handicap purposes.) Or does this go against USGA rules?

 

"EVEN WHEN THE BALL IS NOT HOLED AND MAX NET DOUBLE BOGEY IS RECORDED, HANDICAP STROKES ARE STILL DEDUCTED FOR THAT HOLE."

[DaveP043]

1 hour ago, Southern by Choice said:

Can our local women's league establish this rule for money game payouts? (It does not change score postings for handicap purposes.) Or does this go against USGA rules?

 

"EVEN WHEN THE BALL IS NOT HOLED AND MAX NET DOUBLE BOGEY IS RECORDED, HANDICAP STROKES ARE STILL DEDUCTED FOR THAT HOLE."

There's nothing in the Rules of Golf that tells anyone how to award money in competitions.  The right thing is to define it all in advance, and it sounds like that is being done.

[iacas]

It not only doesn't go "against" the USGA's rules, it's completely endorsed by and allowed in the "USGA's Rules."

https://www.usga.org/content/usga/home-page/rules/rules-2019/rules-of-golf/definitions.html#_efdbaf54-e2f8-4990-a4b2-8eacb96eefe2

You're just playing the alternate form of stroke play, the "Maximum Score" form of stroke play.

Completely fine.

[Club Rat]

11 hours ago, Southern by Choice said:

rule for money game payouts?

Also as mentioned above, there is a format of a common game played by many with the "Max Rule"
It is the Stableford Point Game.

It's a simple scoring manner which is popular and benefits the Higher Handicap players.
As opposed to the Stroke Play format, an example would be the higher handicap player will typically score
several holes above a dbl bogey as opposed to a lower player may only have one or none.
This format levels the play for all golfers.

[iacas]

4 minutes ago, Club Rat said:

It's a simple scoring manner which is popular and benefits the Higher Handicap players.
…
This format levels the play for all golfers.

You contradicted yourself. Stableford at 80% handicaps or something might be level. At 100% it favors (isn’t level) higher handicaps.

[Southern by Choice]

On 12/31/2021 at 10:19 PM, DaveP043 said:

There's nothing in the Rules of Golf that tells anyone how to award money in competitions.  The right thing is to define it all in advance, and it sounds like that is being done.

Thanks for your response.  We have played this way for years:  original max was 10, then double par, and now NDB, since the WHS instituted it.  Our new League Board is comprised of our mid-level handicappers, who feel giving strokes when the ball is not holed is unfair and favors the high handicappers.  The NEW rule is:

FOR THE PURPOSES OF OUR MONEY GAMES, IF YOU PICK UP BEFORE HOLING THE BALL—EVEN AT MAX NET DOUBLE BOGEY—NO HANDICAP STROKES WILL BE AWARDED FOR THAT HOLE.  (Scores for posting continue to follow WHS guidelines.)

Our local pros are adamant in their opinions that anything involving money must be HOLED OUT, and claim that pace of play is not adversely affected—which supports the Board's position.  The Board also cites adherence to USGA rules as the reason for the change, but I can’t find this exact scenario anywhere…

Happy New Year from the Lowcountry of South Carolina, where we played golf in sunny 80 degree weather!

[DaveP043]

1 hour ago, Southern by Choice said:

FOR THE PURPOSES OF OUR MONEY GAMES, IF YOU PICK UP BEFORE HOLING THE BALL—EVEN AT MAX NET DOUBLE BOGEY—NO HANDICAP STROKES WILL BE AWARDED FOR THAT HOLE.  (Scores for posting continue to follow WHS guidelines.)

What score is used for that hole?  If the ball isn't holed, the player doesn't have a Gross score.  Does this wording mean that the player gets whatever GROSS score would result in a net double, and that score also counts as their NET score (i.e. the score isn't reduced by any applicable handicap strokes?).  Or is the player disqualified for not completing the play of a hole?  Is this essentially now a stroke play competition with no maximum score?  That's certainly an acceptable format, but I'd be amazed if the occasional 12 or 15 doesn't slow play at times.  

[Southern by Choice]

3 hours ago, DaveP043 said:

What score is used for that hole?  If the ball isn't holed, the player doesn't have a Gross score.  Does this wording mean that the player gets whatever GROSS score would result in a net double, and that score also counts as their NET score (i.e. the score isn't reduced by any applicable handicap strokes?).  Or is the player disqualified for not completing the play of a hole?  Is this essentially now a stroke play competition with no maximum score?  That's certainly an acceptable format, but I'd be amazed if the occasional 12 or 15 doesn't slow play at times.  

If a player picks up, she receives her NDB score for the hole for both GROSS and NET.  A par 5 and I get 2 strokes; NDB is 9.  So if I pick up, I score a 9 for 9.  But it gets worse:  suppose I’m lying 9 with a long putt ahead.  I can pick up OR I can choose to try to hole it, earning a 10 for 8.  So I get a net 8 for the "money game" but still post a max NDB 9 for GHIN.  (Obviously, there’s a point of diminishing returns, where actual strokes for the hole less my handicap strokes are more than my max NDB.)

Confused yet?  I can guarantee the players will be!  Many don’t even know their NDB for each hole.  And some local courses we play haven’t set up hole-by-hole posting, so the GHIN scores could be messed up, too.  🤦🏻

[iacas]

31 minutes ago, Southern by Choice said:

 I can pick up OR I can choose to try to hole it, earning a 10 for 8.  So I get a net 8 for the "money game" but still post a max NDB 9 for GHIN.

It's still fine, though, no? What am I not getting?

If you lie 9, and you make the putt, you haven't picked up. So you get a 10 for 8 either way: for posting to your handicap or with two strokes in your handicap game.

If you pick up, you get NDB gross and for your handicap: so a 9 for your game (when you could have had an 8 if you had holed it), and you'll post a 9 to GHIN.

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I disagree with your pros. If you've previously played "max 10" or "max double par" or any other format, playing "max NDB" is just another form of stroke-limited stroke play. It's completely within the USGA Rules of Golf.

I do recommend playing at 80% or at least 90% handicaps, though. Full handicaps is often brutal on the lower handicappers.