Leslie F Wood Championship

 CONDITIONS OF COMPETITION – LESLIE F. WOOD TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP

1.1 In the Leslie F. Wood Championship a player shall be eligible whose Low Handicap Index & Handicap Index is 6.0 or more on the Monday prior to the round being played. (Low Handicap Index definition can be found under rule 5.7 in the WHS Rules of Handicapping).

1.2 In the Leslie F. Wood Championship a Club that wishes to increase a player’s handicap in their annual handicap review (see clause 7.1 of the WHS Rules of Handicapping) and retain that players eligibility to play in the next season’s competition, must first obtain permission from the Essex Golf Union. The Committee reserves the right to carry out inspections of the Handicap records of any competing Club at any time and to penalise any Club by disqualification if there is clear evidence of 'building' of handicaps, whether or not this is intentional.

2. This is a Match Play Competition played annually between Clubs affiliated to the Essex Golf Union.

3. It is a condition of entry into the Leslie F. Wood Trophy that:

3.1 all Clubs that progress into round two of a knockout competition will become eligible to host a match as a neutral venue in the latter stages of that competition. It is therefore important that all Clubs that reach round two, keep the quarter-final and semi-final dates free in their diary so they can host a match if requested to do so. In addition, any Club reaching the quarter-finals that refuses to host one of the matches, may have to play their own match on their opponent’s course.

3.2 for all rounds prior to the quarter-finals, each host Club must have in attendance an official who will act as liaison officer and starter. At the quarter final, the name and contact number of this person must be advised to the County Office no later than 7 days prior to the event.

3.3 from the Quarter-Final stages onwards all teams are required to attend the after-match meal provided by the host Club.

3.4 each home/host Club must extend to each member of the away team(s) and a maximum of 2 reserves, one free practice round from the tees to be used on the competition day. The Tee Sets used for both practice rounds and on matchdays must be agreed, in writing, prior to any practice round being played. No green fees shall be payable by the visiting Club in this competition but, if this is unavoidable, the home Club must bear the cost.

4. The draw for each round will normally be made by the Tuesday following the completion of each round, the Clubs first announced in the draw shall have the choice of course. The Championship Committee has the right to declare any venue unsuitable for play in the Competition.

5. Each Club to be represented by ten players, who must be ‘home’ Club members (see regulation 1. Eligibility).

6. All matches to be played off scratch.

7. Each home Club should ensure at least a 20-minute buffer zone before both morning and afternoon matches, if this is not available home advantage may be forfeited.

8. Match Format: Morning - Five Foursomes, Afternoon - Ten Singles.

8.1 All foursomes or individual matches to be played over 18 holes or any lesser number to achieve a result. Any match all square at the conclusion of the 18th hole shall be declared a halved match. In the event of the overall match ending in a tie of 7½ matches per side, a play-off will be required.

The play-off holes must be agreed by both Team Managers and deemed acceptable by the host Club before the play-off players are nominated. A player must be nominated by each Team Captain. If Team Captains fail to reach an agreement on the holes to be used, the play-off will start from the first tee or holes selected by a County official from the quarter-final stages to avoid delay in concluding the match.

8.2 In the afternoon singles, all players should, if they request, be given the opportunity to play out their game to a conclusion, even if the overall result of the match has been achieved.

9. Each round must be played by the date specified and time agreed by both Clubs. (the exceptions to Rule 5-3a in the Rules of Golf will apply). Only under extreme circumstances can the Committee grant any extensions.

10. From the Quarter-Finals stages onwards matches will be played on neutral courses selected by the Championship Committee. Tee off times for the morning Foursomes will commence at approx. 8:00am and tee off times for the afternoon Singles will commence at approx. 1:30pm.

11. No Professional golfer shall act as Team Captain or be allowed to caddie. A parent or another adult is allowed to caddie for players under 18 years of age in these events.

12. If for any reason the course is not playable, or there are conditions which render the proper playing of the match impossible, the two Captains, or authorised officials of the Host Club, may order a temporary suspension of play as prescribed in the Rules of Golf, Rule 5-7

Please note: If the two Captains cannot agree, the final decision on whether the course is playable will be with the officials from the host Club. From the quarter-final stages all decisions on suspension and resumption will be made by an authorised representative of the County Championship Committee.

If because of such conditions or circumstance the round cannot be concluded on the appointed day, the following decisions will apply:

12.1 If play is unable to start because of adverse weather conditions such as thunder and lightning, the round should be played as soon as possible on another day to be agreed by the Clubs and the County Championships committee.

12.2 If play is suspended before the completion of the morning foursomes and cannot be resumed on the day, the round shall be cancelled and played as soon as possible on another day by mutual agreement (as per rule 13.1 above), with each Club free to alter its original team and playing order.

12.3 If play is suspended after the completion of the morning foursomes, the result of the foursomes will stand and the singles should be played at a later date ( as per rule 13.1 above), with each Club free to alter its original team and playing order.

12.4 If it proves impossible to fix a date to complete the match, the results of completed matches stand and incomplete matches will be treated as halved 12.5 The Championship Committee reserves the right to alter the format during the competition to achieve an equitable result.

13. The winning Club is responsible for advising the County Office of the result of each match. The result sheet must arrive at the County Office by email no later than 10:00am on the next working day immediately following the closing date for that round.

The winning team manager must include the opposition’s email address as a recipient when submitting the result. Failure to comply with these regulations may result in the Club being disqualified

14. Each Club is responsible for their own catering cost and away Clubs must communicate their numbers in reasonable time before the day of the event. The home Club will make the final decision on food arrangements for the match day.

15. The winning Club will hold the Trophy for 12 months and be requested to host the following year’s Final unless they qualify for it. All players in the Final plus two reserves will receive a medal. (Additional medals may be purchased from the County Office).

Please Note: Singles Match Play must be in 2 Balls. If a club drawn at home is unable to fulfil this requirement the match must be played on the opponents’ course.