SOUTH DAKOTA GOLF ASSOCIATION

Tournament Player’s Information

If you plan to participate in a tournament sponsored by the South Dakota Golf Association, it is important that you read the following information. It is your responsibility to know the following rules and regulations:

 

CONDITIONS OF PLAY: The South Dakota Golf Association reserves the right to decline any entry. Any person whose entry is accepted shall be subject to the rules and conditions of play set forth by the SDGA. The SDGA reserves the right to shorten any competition due to weather or other conditions warranting such action. Any act of unsportsmanlike conduct, as written in the SDGA Conduct Policy stated below, will be cause for removal from a tournament. NOTE: The SDGA will not make any provisions for a player asking for special consideration due to other commitments.

 

SDGA CONDUCT POLICY: By submitting an entry, or by participating in any SDGA Championship, the player understands that his/her participation is at the sole discretion of the SDGA. The player’s entry may be rejected for any event, at the discretion of the Official in Charge, at any time before the close of the competition (as defined in the USGA Rules of Golf, Rule 34-1b). Likewise, the player’s entry may be rejected, at the discretion of the Committee for reasons deemed necessary, at any time after the close of the competition. Unbecoming conduct or actions at any SDGA event or national or international event, or conduct or action deemed detrimental to the SDGA, the spirit of the game, or to the host facilities are grounds for such rejection. Should such an incident occur, a report shall be submitted to the SDGA Board of Directors. Future sanctions may range from suspension from future SDGA events to not being eligible for SDGA and USGA team competitions and/or player awards. This may include losing exempt status for future years. The decision to reject an entry during an event by the Official in Charge is final. Any sanctions imposed by the SDGA Board of Directors shall be final.

 

CHAMPIONSHIP ENTRY FEES: Entry fees are for the championship only and do not include green fees for any practice rounds or fees for any cart rental associated with the championship.

 

REFUNDS: Once the deadline has passed, no refunds will be given for any reason. No refunds will be granted if a championship is shortened due to bad weather. All entries will be donated to the Junior Golf Foundation after the deadline to withdraw has passed.

 

WITHDRAWALS/NO-SHOWS: Players who have applied to participate in an SDGA championship and wish to withdraw for any reason must notify the SDGA office at 605-338-7499 or by e-mail at sdga@sdga.org prior to the start of the championship. If withdrawing on the day of the event, you must call the golf course where the championship is being conducted. A player failing to follow this procedure will be listed as a No Show. Repeated no shows by a player may result in that player’s application for future championships being rejected. A player who withdraws during a round must return his card to the Official in Charge with an explanation; otherwise, the player will be listed as a No Card. Repeated No Cards may result in the rejection of future applications.

 

ELECTRONIC MEASURING DEVICES: The use of electronic measuring devices is permitted in all SDGA championships, provided the device measures distances only. A player using a distance-measuring device that is designed to gauge or measure other conditions that might affect his/her play (e.g. gradient, wind speed, temperature, etc.) is in breach of Rule 14-3, for which the penalty is disqualification, regardless of whether any such additional function is actually used.

 

CELL PHONES/PAGERS: Cell phones are permitted only if the player is using it for electronic measuring purposes, live scoring, or for emergency reasons. Other than that, the use of audible telecommunications equipment is prohibited.

 

SDGA DRESS CODE: For all SDGA championships, players and caddies must be neat in appearance with respect to personal grooming and clothing. Men may wear collared shirts or mock turtlenecks, slacks or Bermuda shorts, but not tank tops, shirts without sleeves, tee-shirts, short shorts, gym shorts, tennis shorts or cut-off blue jean shorts. Sleeveless shirts for women are acceptable, but tank tops with straps that are less than two-inches wide are not acceptable. The Official in Charge of the championship shall decide whether this requirement has been met and will withdraw the entry of a player who does not comply. Spikeless shoes are required for all players.

 

SPECTATOR CARTS: Though the SDGA does not promote allowing spectator carts for any championship, the final decision to allow spectator carts shall be left to the discretion of the host club.

 

WEATHER DELAYS: The SDGA will make every effort to complete a championship in its entirety. However, the SDGA reserves the right to shorten a championship as necessary if weather-related circumstances require such action.