These Guidelines supersede all previous Inter-Club Competition Guidelines and should be read in conjunction with the ELCGA Rules & Conditions of Play for 2024.
Any Club which qualifies for Quarter or Semi Finals is expected to make its course available for other matches in those or later rounds. Home Captains should book these dates provisionally in their club calendar. Any lack of availability must be notified to the Competition Organiser as soon as possible.
ELIGIBILITY
1.2 ELIGIBILITY All players must be a full member of a Golf Club affiliated to the ELCGA or an associate member of Essex Ladies County Golf Association Limited (“ELCGA”). The ELCGA reserves the right to exclude clubs or individuals that have not paid their England Golf Affiliation fees for the current year.
1.3 To play in any ELCGA competitions or handicap meetings players must have a mature handicap record of at least 20 scores (made up of either 9 or 18 hole courses) and have submitted 12 scores within the 365 days prior to midnight on the eve of the inter-club match or competition they intend to play in . It is each player's responsibility to ensure they meet the qualifying criteria.
1.4 No player may represent more than one Essex Club in the current year. Where a player is a member of more than one Essex Club the player must inform the County Secretary, by letter or email, which club they wish to represent before they play in any County competitions or handicap meetings. Failure to do so will result in the player being eliminated from County Competitions.
NB: Rule 6.4 HANDICAP INDEX RESTRICTIONS
Silver Shield – none; Silver Trophy – 9.5+; Bronze Shield – 18.5+. Harris Bowl - + to 36.4 - where a player’s handicap index goes above 36.4 that player may still play but must play of the handicap index limit of 36.4.
NB: Apart from these handicap restrictions any player can play for any team, there are no other restrictions.
MATCH DATES
Home Captains are responsible for arranging the match dates. A minimum of three dates must be offered and must include at least one weekend and one mid-week date. This may mean using your Ladies Day. To avoid problems later the Home Captain should confirm the date in writing/email to the respective Away Captain.
Team Captains must notify the relevant Organiser as soon as all league match dates have been agreed and no later than 1st December 2023. No match dates may be altered after 1st April except under Rule 1.13 or unless the Competition Organiser has agreed to a change due to exceptional circumstances.
Any Club not able to field a team under Rule 6.8 will automatically be withdrawn from the league. Matches already played by the withdrawing team will be nullified and any points won already by opposing teams will be disregarded. Clubs that withdraw from an Inter-Club competition two years in succession will not be allowed to enter the following year.
COURSES TO BE USED
Where a club has more than 18 holes it should be made clear to opponents, when arranging matches, which 18 holes will be used for that match. Clubs with more than 18 holes must use the same 18 holes for all inter-club league matches.
SUSPENSION OF PLAY
Please refer to ELCGA Rule1.13.3. The Team Captains must inform the relevant Competition Organiser immediately in such cases. The Organiser’s decision will be final in exceptional circumstances.
MATCH ARRANGEMENTS
At least one week before the match, the host Team Captain should contact the visiting Team Captain to confirm tee times and numbers and requirements regarding refreshments.
Host Clubs should take into consideration the distance the opposing team is travelling when offering tee times. Depending on the time of the matches and the distance to be travelled, some teams may prefer to have light refreshments before the match rather than afterwards. It has been a tradition that the visiting Team Captain and her team are guests of the host club, but this is entirely a matter for individual clubs to decide and communicate.
At the same time host captains should advise the visiting team of any rules regarding dress code and local rules (e.g., ground under repair, use of trolleys, etc.) even if only temporary they must be made clear to the visiting team and if temporary greens or tees are in use, approximate yardages should be given for the holes affected.
CADDIES/SLOW PLAY/USE OF BUGGIES/MOBILE PHONES/DMS
Please refer to the Section 1 of the Inter‐Club Competition Rules and Use of Buggies
COURTESY ROUNDS - May not be requested at any time.
ELCGA MANAGEMENT TEAM
January 2024
