Tournament Regulations

CGA Standard Local Rules

Play is governed by the current Golf Canada Rules of Golf and its clarifications and where applicable by the following Local Rules and definitions, subject to changes, additions or deletions for particular championships by the Rules of Golf Committee (referred to as Committee in the rest of the document) of the Calgary Golf Association and may be amended by local rules.

Local Rules of the host club shall not apply, unless specifically stated in a rules document for that particular championship.

1. Time Of Starting (Rule 5.3): all players in a group must be present and ready to play 5 minutes before their starting time. Penalty for Breach: Disqualification. However, if a player arrives at the starting point, ready to play, within 5 minutes after the group’s starting time, a penalty of 2 strokes in Stroke Play or loss of hole in Match Play will be applied.
2. Score Cards: Stroke Play competitions – must be returned to the Committee as soon as possible upon completion of play. Failure to do so will result in Disqualification. Match Play competitions – no score card is required to be returned, but result of match must be communicated to the Committee as soon as possible upon completion of play.
3. Practicing (Rule 5.2): Stroke Play competitions – a player must not play any practice stroke on or near a putting green of the hole last played. If a practice stroke is played on or near the putting green of the hole last played, the player shall incur a penalty of two strokes at the next hole, except that in the case of the last hole of the round, he incurs the penalty on that hole.
4. Golf Balls / Golf Clubs (Rule 4): only golf balls and golf clubs which have been tested on apparatus approved by Golf Canada, and found to conform to the current Golf Canda list, may be played. A list of conforming balls and conforming clubs is available on the Golf Canada website. Penalty for Breach: Disqualification.
5. Consumption of Alcoholic Beverages: is allowed during a stipulated round but must conform to AGLC rules and regulations and those of the host club. Any player that is caught bringing their own alcohol will be subject to Disqualification and subsequent suspension from further CGA events. Any player whose behavior, due to alcohol consumption, becomes unacceptable will also be subject to discipline. CONSUMPTION OF ALCHOHOLIC BEVERAGES at CGA Junior events is strictly prohibited and will result in immediate Disqualification and further discipline regardless of the competitor’s age.
6. Roads and Paths: which are artificially surfaced, are immovable obstructions. Any severely worn areas touching or in close proximity to such roads and paths, whether painted with white lines or not, are considered to be part of the immovable obstruction. Relief may be taken in accordance with Rule 16.1.
7. Cultivated Tree and Shrub Basins: are to be considered an integral part of the golf course, unless such basins contain crushed rock, plastic or metal liners or the like, in which case they are considered obstructions. Rule 16.1.
8. Tree Wrappings: closely attached to trees are not considered obstructions. No free relief.
9. Ground Under Repair (Rule 16.1): Relief must be taken from flowerbeds.
10. Elevated Power Lines and Support Wires: If a ball strikes such a line, the stroke must be cancelled and a ball played, without penalty, from where the previous stroke was played.

CGA Pace of Play Guidelines

A player is subject to penalty if they unduly delay play under the provisions of this pace of play policy under Rule 5.6.  A group is deemed to be out of position when the group: a) reaches a par-3 that is clear of play and all players in the group ahead have played from the teeing area of the next hole. b) reaches a par-4 that becomes clear of play before any player plays a stroke from the teeing area. c) reaches a par-5 after any player in the group ahead has made a stroke on the putting green.
NOTE: If a ruling or some other legitimate delay occurs which causes the group in question to be out of position, that group is expected to regain its position within a reasonable time.

Regardless of position, if the Rules Committee determines that a player(s) in the group is delaying play of their group, any subsequent group, or the competition in general: The player(s) may be spoken to and/or timed by a Rules Committee member; The penalty for breach of Rule 5.6a (Unreasonble Delay of Play) may be applied.

The Rules Committee reserves the right to put a group, or individual player “on the clock” regardless of whether the group is out of position.

The individual(s) will be assessed a two-stroke penalty, or loss of hole, based on the warning guidelines below. It is expected that a group will regain its position within 2-holes after receiving its 1st Warning.

PACE OF PLAY WARNING GUIDELINES

In administering the Pace of Play Policy, the CGA Rules Committee is acting to improve the general pace of play for all CGA tournaments at the direction of the CGA Board of Directors. In performance of these duties, a CGA Rules Committee member shall not be subjected to abuse, oral or otherwise. Such abuse by a player is conduct unbecoming and is subject to disciplinary action.

A Rules Committee member may also proactively alert a group if it is approaching an out of position status.

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