How We Play

All golfers play from tee boxes most appropriate for their age, gender and skill. Most events have three tee boxes designated for men (Standard, Forward and Back) and two for women (Standard and Back). Depending on the course, a Super Senior tee and a Women's Forward tee may also be available. Please check the handicap report for that event to see what tees are available.

Standard Tee Box

ALL players MUST play the Standard tee box for their gender, UNLESS they meet one of the following criteria:

• Any player with a combined Standard Tee Handicap + Age = 80 or higher, is eligible to play from the Forward Tee.

• Any player with a Standard Tee Handicap of 20 and over is eligible to play from the Forward Tee.

• Any player recovering from injury is eligible to play from the Forward Tee.*

• Any player may play from the Back Tee.

• Any player age 75 and older may play the Super Senior Tee, two tees forward of the Standard Tee, when those tees are available.

Tee Box Rules

• All players must indicate the tee they intend to play on the event sign up form. A player can change this choice prior to the beginning of the round by notifying a member of the Board.

• All players must indicate CLEARLY on their scorecard the actual tees that they played from.

• Playing an incorrect tee box (a tee that you are not eligible to play from) will result in player disqualification.

• Any player playing a non-standard tee box (Forward, Back or Super Senior) failing to indicate on their scorecard the tees that they played from will result in player disqualification.

General Note

Playing a tee box other than the Standard Tee does NOT obligate that player to play from that tee box for the remainder of the season. (It is always a week to week choice by the player.)

*The injured exemption to play forward applies only to new injuries, a recent surgical procedure or result of an accident. The exemption requires that the player MUST receive prior permission from the board at least 24 hours prior to the round start and declare it when signing up that week (under comments). This exemption does not apply to ongoing, chronic injuries or illness.

All golfers are responsible to provide a complete, accurate and signed scorecard to the scoring committee at the end of their rounds in order for the scores of each golfer to be officially counted. Failure to do this may result in penalty or disqualification. 

Procedure

Prior to starting the round, each tee group must designate an individual to record scores on a printed scorecard and another individual to enter scores into the mobile app. Both forms of scoring are required from all groups!

At the conclusion of the round, each tee group must turn in ONE scorecard that meets all of the following:

• Handwriting must be clear and legible. 

• Each golfer's name shall be written in the format; first name, last name initial.

• The tee box played by each golfer must be indicated on the scorecard as either; (S) Standard, (F) Forward, (B) Back, (SS) Super Senior or (W) Women. No exceptions.

• Each hole for each golfer must have a score. Nine hole or 18 hole totals are not needed.

• Each golfer must sign the scorecard.

Any scorecard not meeting the above requirements will be rejected and all of the players in that group will be DISQUALIFIED! If a scorecard was signed by only some of the players, then the player(s) not signing the scorecard will be disqualified.

Each tee group must also record the scores for all of the tee group players in the Golf Mobile Network mobile app. However the written scorecard turned in is the OFFICIAL score for all of the players in the tee group. Any score differences between the two must be worked out by the group prior to turning in the written scorecard to the scorer. Once the written scorecard is turned in, no changes to the scorecard will be allowed, except for clarifications requested by the scorer.

Each member of the tee group is responsible to check and confirm that a scorecard has been turned in on their behalf. It is highly recommended that each tee group member be present when the scorecard is given to the scorer in the event of questions about the scorecard. Do not assume that someone else has turned it in for you.

Example of an approved scorecard (PDF) 

MCGA events use flights so that players of similar handicaps can more fairly compete with one another in the Low Net, Low Gross and Net Skins pools. The number of flights and the flight sizes are determined by the total number of members in the field by the Scoring Committee prior to the event. It is desirable to have 11-14 players in a flight. For some events when the total field size is 20 or less, the SC may elect to have one single "Superflight" to normalize the large spread of handicaps. For Season 34, all players' handicaps are adjusted by a 90% factor for every event.

The total number of players in one flight may not always be the exact same number as in the other flights. MCGA desires to keep a fair balance of handicap "spread" within each of the flights in its event. Golfers do not belong to a particular flight for the entire season. Flight makeup is adjusted for each event to fit the situation of that particular field.

For purposes of awarding a golfer as the Tournament Ace (lowest net score) of an event, or as the winner of the low gross game, if two (or more) players tie with the same low score, the winner is the golfer, first, with the lowest front nine total score. For the low net game it will be the lowest net total score and for the low gross game, the lowest gross score.

If there is still a tie, then the winner will be determined by a sudden death scorecard playoff on the front 9, hole-by-hole, beginning with the hardest hole (lowest handicap value) and ending with the easiest hole (highest handicap value).

​Last, if there is still a tie, then the winner will be determined by a sudden death scorecard playoff on the back 9, hole-by-hole, ​beginning with the hardest hole (lowest handicap value) and ending with the easiest hole (highest handicap value).

In a two-day event, the tie-breaking will start on the front nine of the 2nd day scores using the same low net total score method as above. If still a tie after the front 9, then the back 9 of the 2nd day scores will be compared. If a tie after that, then the front 9 net score of the 1st day will be compared, then the back 9 net score. If still a tie after the four nine holes are compared, then the sudden death scorecard playoff on the front 9 of the 2nd day will commence as described above.

The USGA Rules of Golf govern all MCGA play, except where modified by the MCGA Local Rules shown below. It is the player's responsibility to know the rules.

During play if there is a question about the rules consult with the members of your playing group immediately before playing the next shot. If the rule is still unclear, play a second ball through the hole from the same spot and keep the scores of both balls. As a very last option, suspected rules breaches can be brought to the Board for determination, but it is preferred to resolve rules issues during play among the members of the group. 

MCGA Local Rules

• Native Areas within the course, not marked out of bounds and not adjacent to out of bounds, will be played as a Red Penalty Area. (Drop within two club lengths of point of entry and take a one stroke penalty.)

• Lift Clean and Place decisions will be made at the course by the MCGA Board.

• Aeration holes in the green:

  • Through the green, a ball that comes to rest in or on an aeration hole may be lifted, without penalty, cleaned and dropped as near as possible to the spot where it lay but not nearer the hole. The ball when dropped must first strike a part of the course through the green.

  • On the putting green, a ball that comes to rest in or on an aeration hole may be placed at the nearest spot not nearer the hole that avoids the situation.

• Seams of Turf:

  • Through the green, seams of cut turf (not the turf itself) are deemed to be ground under repair.

  • If the ball lies in or touches the seam or the seam interferes with the area of intended swing, relief is available under Rule 16.1.

  • All seams within the cut turf area are considered the same seam.

• Penalty Areas Playing Ball Provisionally Under Rule 17.1:

  • If there is doubt whether a ball is in or is lost in a penalty area, the player may play another ball provisionally under any of the applicable options in Rule 17.1.

  • If the original ball is found outside the penalty area, the player must continue play with it. If the original ball is found in the penalty area, the player may either play the original ball as it lies or continue with the ball played provisionally under Rule 17.1.

  • If the original ball is not found or identified within the three-minute search period, the player must continue with the ball played provisionally.

Rules of Golf Resources

USGA Rules of Golf (official site) 

2023 Rules of Golf: five key changes (PDF) 

2023 Rules of Golf: outcome changes, 2019 vs. 2023 (PDF)