2020 Muirfield Club Rules and Policies
effective date 4/1/20
Handicaps:
Muirfield Club players will have established USGA indexes. Those players that do not have established handicaps (20 scores posted) will have a temporary index for competition based on the following:
- No handicap, no scores posted and no scorecards of recent rounds will get a 0.0 index
- No handicap, no scores posted with a minimum of 5 recent scorecards: temporary trend handicap will be calculated by using the lowest score of the 5 -72 X 80%. (i.e. lowest score of 5 rounds is 89. 89-72 = 17. 17 X 80% =13.6 index.
- Players with less than 5 rounds posted will use the above method to calculate an index
- Players with 5-19 rounds posted will use the TREND index created by GHIN or EZ Links
- The Golf shop will post a list of current USGA indexes at the counter of all players for all Thursday Night events and include current course handicaps for 18 hole events for all players on the competition scorecard.
***We will be adapting the new World Handicap System for all events for 2020 forward. More info to come regarding handicap calculations, score posting and course handicaps. For any questions, visit https://wagolf.org/keep-score/handicap-information/whs/ for more information.
Posting Scores:
All Muirfield club players are responsible for ensuring your scores are posted. All Muirfield competitions will be utilizing the Golf Genius App and tournament software as the OFFICIAL SCORECARD. Through the use of the Golf Genius tournament software, the handicap committee will be posting all competition rounds. It is the responsibility of the player to ensure ALL scores are posted, including out of town rounds, tournament and non-tournament rounds. The handicap committee will also conduct random peer review of Muirfield Club members to double check that rounds are posted in a timely manner. Players who fail to post their score within 72 hours will be informed and issued a warning. If non-posting continues, the handicap committee MAY post a penalty score of 72.
Acceptable Index and handicaps:
GHIN handicaps will be the ONLY handicap service allowed for Muirfield Club competitions as designated by the USGA and Washington State Golf Association as of January 1, 2018
Guests:
Guests of Muirfield Club members are welcomed and encouraged. The same guest is allowed to play in Muirfield Club events (Thursday Nights and/or weekend competitions) a maximum total of 2 times. At that time the guest MUST pay the Muirfield Club initiation fee to join the club before playing his third competition. Any guests who “cash” and win golf shop credit in any competition MUST join the Muirfield club in order to get his credit book money posted to his credit book account.
Only Muirfield Club members will be allowed to accumulate Muirfield Cup Points. Muifield Cup points will not be retroactively added to guests after joining the Muirfield Club.
Reserving Tee Times:
The Golf Shop will hold tee times from 2:30-4:00 every Thursday Night. All players will be encouraged to schedule and book your tee times for all Thursday Night events and 18 hole Saturday events through the Muirfield Club website powered by Golf Genius. As of May 1, 2018 we will prefer ALL sign up go through the website. If you have issues reserving a time through the Muirfield Club website, please call the golf shop (425.793.4653) and a golf shop team member will help you reserve your tee time
Rules Sheets and Local Rules:
All competitions will include a rules sheet and/or notice to competitors. Local rules will be indicated and listed on the rules sheet provided for all competitions (Thursday Nights and 18 hole weekend tournaments). Rules sheets will include outline of the format, competition tees, winter or summer rules, additional contests, optional cash games and any local rules that pertains to the competition course.
The rules committee has agreed the following local rules will be in play for ALL Muirfield club competitions:
- Coal Creek: left side of hole #1, #2, #3, #4, #5 and the right side of holes #11, #13, & #14 are to be played as a penalty area (whether or not marked with red stakes or lines*)
- China Creek: left side of hole #3, #4, #6 #10 and the right side of holes #10, #12 & $13 are to be played as a penalty area (whether or not marked with red stakes or lines*)
- Coal Creek hole #12: new for 2018: Lateral water Hazard now marked (red stakes and lines) along right side of hole. Any balls that cross the margin of the penalty area are deemed to be in the hazard. (no more OB)
- Winter rules defined: for all competitions where winter rules are in effect: players may mark, lift, clean and place the ball within 1 club length in fairway height grass and within 6 inches everywhere else THROUGH THE GREEN. You cannot lift your ball if it is within 36” of a tree or stump or Out of Bounds.
***please note: regarding local rule holes designated as penalty areas, you may NOT lift your ball under winter rules- you must proceed under options allowed under penalty areas***
- Environmentally sensitive areas: All hazards marked with GREEN TOPS are environmentally sensitive areas. Players are NOT PERMITTED in these areas at any time. You are not allowed to retrieve or play your ball from these areas.
- Bunker Liner: players may without penalty take relief inside a bunker where the bunker liner interferes with the players swing ONLY. Player must drop at nearest point within the bunker, not closer to the hole.
- Stones and pebbles in bunker: players may without penalty remove stones and pebbles from the bunker.
*The margin of the hazard will be were the closely mown grass ends and at the native grass begins where no stakes or lines are visible.
The Golf Shop and the rules committee reserve the right to amend, add or edit any local rules at any time. Any amendments to local rules will be noted on the rules sheet for each specific competition.
Holing out:
Players are required to hole out ALL putts during the stipulated round for all competitions.
EXCEPTIONS:
individual points competition: players may pick up and record ZERO points if scoring NET double bogey or worse.
2 Person Best Ball competitions: the player’s ball who will count for the team score MUST be holed out. His partner does not need to hole out however he must record a score of what he most likely would have made had he holed out. If the most likely score cannot be determined, NET PAR will be recorded as that players score for that hole.
Competition Credit:
All competition money won in any competitions will be in the form of Newcastle Golf Shop merchandise credit. Players who win merchandise credit will have their own golf shop credit book account. Merchandise credit can be spent on any merchandise in the golf shop to include soft goods, equipment (hard goods), golf balls, gloves, outerwear and shoes. Green fees, range balls and entry fees cannot be paid using golf shop credit
Optional Games:
Gross skins*: The Gross skin pot will be split evenly by the number of players who win a skin- lowest individual GROSS score on a hole by hole basis.
Net Skins*: Net skin players will get 100% of their handicap (no stroke max) and all NET skins will be determined by lowest net score based on handicap strokes where they fall on the scorecard. The NET skin pot will be divided evenly by the number of players who win a skin based on NET scores on a hole by hole basis.
Deuce Pot*s: all GROSS 2’s made in a competition will split the deuce pot evenly between those players who make any “2” during the stipulated competition round. Any player that makes a Hole in One will sweep the entire deuce pot and any 2’s made will be voided and not paid.
*only players who pay the optional cash entry fee are eligible to win optional cash game monies. ONLY MUIRFIELD CLUB MEMBERS ARE ALLOWED TO ENTER GROSS AND NET SKINS.
Muirfield Club rules and policies will be reviewed by the Newcastle Professional team and committee chairs on a monthly basis. As policies change or are amended we will make every effort to inform Muirfield Club members. If you have any questions, comments or concerns, please reach out to the Newcastle PGA professionals or your Muirfield Club Committee Chairs listed below:
PGA Director of Golf: Mark Rashell mrashell@newcastlegolf.com
PGA Professional: Koll Farman kollf@newcastlegolf.com
PGA Professional: Jim Prusia jimp@newcastlegolf.com
Handicap Chair: Rich Crispo crispo@comcast.net
Tournament Chair: Rick McMaster rick@vinoatlanding.com
Rules Chair: Al Fleckenstein niblick5@msn.com
Social Chair: Dennis Kaill dkaill@comcast.net