Rules Of Play
3AGA Tour Rules Overview and Explanations
3AGA tour member will have the opportunity to participate in a total of 10 events. For 3AGA members to qualify for the 3AGA Cup Championship and the 3AGA Tour Championship they will be are REQUIRED to participate in a minimum of 5 of the 8 scheduled Tour Cup Events. If a player does not complete a full season of participation (5 events) that player is ineligible to win the Points title or participate in the 3AGA Tour Championship, an explanation of prizes and awards will be forthcoming.
The 3AGA Tour will follow the USGA rules book for play and conduct. ALL 3AGA Tour play will be scored utilizing the 3AGA modified handicap system. This will allow EVERY competitor an opportunity to advance in the season’s tour points system and a credible chance at becoming the 3AGA Cup Champion.
3AGA Handicap System
Unless a player has an official USGA *GHIN a player’s initial handicap will be a “self-reported” average per round score. However, no handicap shall exceed 36. The 3AGA can when deemed necessary adjust a player’s “SELF-REPORTED” handicap after a formal review by the board and player. The agreed upon adjustment should result in a handicap that is more accurate to that players true ability. During the season ALL players will be required to download and utilize the USGA handicapping App. This is THE formal handicap number that will be required for ANY 3AGA event participation the following season for any returning 3AGA member. New members may use the “Self-Reporting” method in their inaugural season of membership. If a returning 3AGA player does not have a GHIN their previous seasons scores will be utilized to give that player an “exempted” handicap plus a fine of $75.
Because Tour events are being scored by a handicap system, ALL strokes will be counted while participating in any 3AGA Tour event. There will be no conceded strokes or “GIMMES”. You MUST take and record ALL strokes on the course including putts. Players may not pick up their ball and “DOUBLE” a holes par to score that hole. Example: If the hole is a par 4, a player may not opt to take an 8 or “DOUBLE” the hole. If an excessive amount of strokes is needed to complete a hole the player must take and record all strokes until completed.
3AGA Score Reporting
The reporting of scores at the end of all Tour events will be handled as follows: ONE designated scorekeeper per foursome will keep the “official” scorecard. Each player is to also keep their own scorecard as well. This card will be utilized to report your GHIN information to establish your “true” handicap. At the end of each round the official scorer will verify the scores of each player identified on the official scorecard. After verification, each player will initial next to their score as acknowledgement and acceptance of that score. ONLY the official scorecard can be turned in to the 3AGA Event Marshall(s) onsite for recording. If a player’s initials are not on the scorecard their score WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. Only scores from the OFFICIAL scorecard will be accepted. No texts, emails or phone calls will be accepted for score reporting purposes.
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3AGA Points System
The 3AGA Tour season will consist of (8) eight possible scoring events. Of the eight scheduled events, participating Tour Cup Championship 3AGA members are required to play in a minimum of (5) five events. A player may elect to play in more than the required five events. A player's lowest five scoring rounds will be used to calculate their season ending point’s total. The 3AGA rankings are established by lowest to highest points total. A player’s score will be calculated by using their ACTUAL round score and then subtracting their handicap on record. This number will be the player's awarded points for this Tour round of golf.
Example A: A player scores a round of 82…on a par 72 course and their handicap is 10 strokes off of play. Subtracting their handicap of 10 from their actual round score of 82 results in a final score of 72, which is actual course par. So for this particular round the player scored 72 Tour points.
Example B: A player records an actual score of 94 and their handicap is 11 strokes off of play. 94 minus 11 equal 83. Thereby, the player will receive a total of 83 Tour points.
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Example C: A player records an actual score of 121 and their handicap is the maximum 36 strokes off of play. 121 minus 36 equal 85. Par for the course is a 72. Thereby, the player will receive a total of 85 Tour points.
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3AGA Bonus Score Tour Event
During the season, there will be (1) one Tour event where a player's score will be calculated using a strokes allowance system that will be in place for that round.
Example: A player's 3AGA handicap is 24. For the Bonus Score round the player will be given an additional 6 strokes to deduct from their final score. Stroke allowances are based on A³GA handicaps, see chart below for bonus stroke allowances.
The “Bonus-Score” event will be pre-determined and identified on the A³GA Tour events calendar.
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3AGA Cup Championship Tie Breaker
In the event of a tie after the 8th and final tour event for the season’s points championship; the 3AGA Tour Championship will be utilized as the point tiebreaker. If at the conclusion the player points remain in a tie the 3AGA will then utilize the Tour Championship tie-break system (see below) to determine the winner.
3AGA Tour Championship Tie-Break
In the event of a tie at the season ending A³GA Tour Championship the tiebreaking process will be conducted as follows: The player with the best score on the #1 handicap hole of the tournament will be designated the Tour Champion. If there is a tie on the #1 handicap hole then the scores for the #2 handicap hole will become effective. If there is another tie on that hole, then the above process will repeat until a winner is declared.
3AGA GREENS FEES and TEE TIMES (CARTS INCLUDED)
Members will pay greens fees in advance on the 3AGA website: www.3AGA.com. Payments must be made no later than 11:59PM the Thursday PRIOR to the scheduled 3AGA Tour event in which you wish to participate. After the deadline time NO OTHER PARTICIPANTS WILL BE ACCEPTED INTO THE EVENT. To maintain proper scheduling and player accounting WALK UP REGISTRATIONS AND PAYMENTS WILL NOT BE ALLOWED FOR TOUR ROUNDS.
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After the closing of fee payments on that Thursday evening, available tee times will be posted on the website. 3AGA will not and cannot hold or guarantee ANY tee times. Nor can we guarantee your foursome. Once tee times are posted they will be first come first served. If players choose to exchange tee times with another member it is up to those members to ensure that their scorecard reflects them in the appropriate foursome. If a player fails to put his name on the OFFICIAL scorecard of the foursome he ACTUALLY played with his score WILL NOT be accepted. We, the 3AGA, encourage players to broaden their playing network and play with different members as much as possible. Greens fees are NON-REFUNDABLE except in the case of unplayable weather as determined by the course scheduled to host the round in question.
* GHIN - is short for Golf Handicap and Information Network. A GHIN Number is a unique number assigned to each individual golfer established by the United States Golf Association (USGA). A handicap index measures each players ability.
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** 3AGA will strive to keep our events as fair and as competitive as possible. This may at some point result in an un-favorable ruling on your behalf during the season. We ask for patience and understanding as we continually work to make the African American Amateur Golfers’ Association of America a premier golf event for our members. We will always have an open-door policy for inquiries, questions, and suggestions to better your experience.