Core Philosophy: Play ready golf, play fast, and have a good time.

Membership Requirements

• 2026 Membership Fee: $250.00 (Non-refundable).

  • Weekly round of golf not included in price membership fee.

• Open to men and women (minimum age: 21).

General Playing Rules

USGA Rules apply, with exceptions.

• The league will play ball down (no preferred lies) under normal conditions. However, in the event of adverse weather or course conditions, lift, clean, and place may be implemented. Any such decision will be made and communicated prior to the start of the round.

• All putts must be holed out. No gimmies are allowed under any circumstances. Play each hole until the ball is in the cup.

• Players must pick up their ball once they have reached double par on any hole. This rule is in place to help maintain pace of play.

• Exposed tree roots and rocks in the general area are considered ground under repair. Players are entitled to free relief.

• Relief from Sprinkler Heads Near the Putting Green: If a ball is in the general area and an immovable obstruction (such as a sprinkler head) is on the line of play, and is within two club lengths of the putting green and the ball is within two club lengths of the sprinkler head, the player may take free relief under Rule 14.3 by dropping the ball at the nearest point of complete relief, no closer to the hole.

Local OB / Lost Ball Rule

• To speed up the game all OB and Lost balls will be played as Lateral Relief:

• Allowing a drop within two club lengths of the point where the ball last crossed the hazard margin, no closer to the hole.

• Lost Ball / Out of Bounds: No re-teeing or Provisionals allowed. All lost ball or out of bounds situations must take mandatory lateral relief with a one-stroke penalty, per local league rule. This is to maintain pace of play.

Please note: If the tournament is rained out, event will not be rescheduled.

Handicaps

1. Tournament Handicap Assignment:

• Each player will be assigned a tournament-specific handicap for the duration of the tournament series.

• The player's initial tournament handicap will be based on their current USGA GHIN Handicap Index, or any equivalent system deemed acceptable by the tournament organizers.

• The USGA GHIN will serve as the foundation for calculating the tournament handicap, ensuring consistency and fairness across participants.

2. Tournament Participation & Completion:

• To establish a valid tournament handicap, a player must complete at least three tournaments in the series.

• A "completed tournament" refers to a tournament in which the player finishes all rounds and adheres to the rules and regulations of the event. Players who do not complete the tournament will not have their tournament handicap established for that event.

• The completion of a tournament adds to the cumulative calculation of the tournament handicap, based on performance and other factors such as course difficulty, weather, and any other conditions deemed relevant.

3. Tournament Handicap Calculation:

• Once a player has completed three tournaments, their tournament handicap will be recalculated based on the average score from the events they've participated in.

• In subsequent tournaments, this handicap will be adjusted depending on performance, with scores from completed events factoring into the ongoing handicap calculation.

• The tournament handicap may fluctuate based on performance in each tournament, including scores, conditions, and course ratings.

4. Discretionary Adjustments:

• Tournament organizers may, at their discretion, adjust the tournament handicap if they believe a player’s GHIN Handicap or performance history does not reflect their ability or is inconsistent with tournament conditions.

5. Fairness and Transparency:

• Tournament organizers will provide clear guidelines on how tournament handicaps are calculated and adjusted.

• Players will be informed of their tournament handicap prior to each event and any updates that occur during the series.

Season Format

• Special Events: TBD

• Regular Season Format: Stroke Play

• Captain Cup Format: Match Play 2v2 Scramble

Pace of Play Policy

Players must maintain pace with the group ahead—not merely stay ahead of the group behind. Once the group in front finishes their round, your group has 15 minutes to complete yours.

Failure to do so will result in a 2-stroke penalty for each player in the group.

Tee Assignments

• Men: White Tees (Around 6,000 yds)

• Women: Teal Tees (Around 5,000 yds)

• Arrive ≥5 minutes before tee time or risk disqualification. Players must arrive on time for their scheduled tee time. Failure to do so will result in disqualification from the competition.

Scoring & Handicaps

• Handicap Policy: Scores will be calculated using 100% of each player’s USGA GHIN handicap against the course par. Any player without an active USGA GHIN handicap will compete with a handicap of zero.

• Paper scorecards are the official record. All players must review and sign their scorecard immediately after the round. Unsigned or inaccurate cards may result in disqualification.

• Score Entry: Director will insert all scores and post to website.

• Net Scoring: 100% USGA handicap used for net score calculations.

• Verification: The Tournament director will verify GHIN handicaps before posting net results.

• In the event of a tie at the end of the regular season tournament, the tie breaker will be determined by the player with the lowest overall gross score.

Player Conduct

• Behave professionally and respectfully.

• Avoid excessive anger, damaging property, endangering others, offensive language, fighting.

• Not manipulate scores for handicap advantage.

Penalties: Disqualification, suspension, or expulsion (no refunds) for detrimental conduct.

Disputes

• Resolve within your playing group.

• For further clarification, contact the tournament director.

League Point Structure

Regular Season (per event)

1st: 20pts 2nd: 19pts 3rd: 18pts

4th: 17pts 5th: 16pts 6th: 15pts

7th: 14pts 8th: 13pts 9th: 12pts

10th: 11pts 11th: 10pts 12th: 9pts

13th: 8pts 14th: 7pts 15th: 6pts

16th Place: 5pts 7th: 4pts 18th: 3pts

19th Place: 2pts 20th Place: 1pt

Majors (per event)

1st: 40pts 2nd: 38pts 3rd: 36pts

4th: 34pts 5th: 32pts 6th: 30pts

7th: 28pts 8th: 26pts 9th: 24pts

10th: 22pts 11th: 20pts 12th: 18pts

13th: 16pts 14th: 14pts 15th: 12pts

16th Place: 10pts 7th: 8pts 18th: 6pts

19th Place: 3pts 20th Place: 2pts

Payouts

Regular Season (80% of all league entry fees)

1st: 50% 2nd: 25% 3rd: 15% 4th: 10%

Special Events (100% of all entry fees)

1st: 50% 2nd: 25% 3rd: 15% 4th: 10%

League Champion

The Huntsville Golf League Champion is determined by the total accumulation of points over the 20-week season. In the event of a tie in total points, the tie-breakers will be applied in the following order:

1. Most Wins

2. Most Top-5 Finishes

3. Most Top-10 Finishes

At the conclusion of the season, the Top 8 players in the final standings will receive a payout.

HGL Club Champion

The Huntsville Golf League Club Champion will be crowned based on the lowest gross score from the final 2-day tournament of the season. No handicaps will be applied—this is a true test of skill and consistency over two rounds. Winner will receive an engraved trophy and $100.00 Cash Prize.

Captain's Cup

Teams & Captains

• Teams: Two teams; Number of golfers in league split in half will determine the size of each team.

• Captains: Top 2 regular season point earners.

• Draft: Alternating picks; 1st-place finisher drafts first.

Match Format

• 2-Man Scramble Match Play

• Blind Pairings: Teams submitted without knowledge of opponent’s pairings.

• Scoring: 1 point per match win; 0.5 point for tie; NO handicaps.

Tie‑Breaker

• If match is tied after all team have played (ex 9.5–9.5), captains compete in a chip-off on the practice green, closest to pin wins. Flip of the tee determines which captain hits first.

Payouts (20% of all league entry fee’s will make up pot)