SPIRIT OF THE GAME OF GOLF
Golf is played, for the most part, without the supervision of a referee or umpire. The game relies on the honesty and integrity of the individual which includes abiding by the USGA Rules and ensuring accurate score keeping. All players should conduct themselves in a disciplined manner, demonstrating courtesy, respect, and sportsmanship at all times. Players are expected to take care of the course, such as repairing divots, raking bunkers, and not damaging greens.
GOLF GENIUS TOURNAMENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
The Falcon Cup uses Golf Genius for managing the team roster, fee collection, and live scoring.
Players register, sign up for tournaments, and pay green fees via the Golf Genius portal. During tournaments, players can enter scores, track team matches, and view live standings.
PLAYER ELIGIBILITY
All players must have an and active established Global Handicap Index Number (GHIN) and be at least 18 years of age on the day of the tournament.
Falcon Cup welcomes men and women amateur golfers who are corporate employees or contractors of the companies they represent. Team captains may recruit a few amateur golfers outside the company, however, no more than three external players can participate in any tournament.
Two companies can make a joint team. Companies may enter more than one team in the Falcon Cup league. Players must remain with the team they registered with for the entire season.
No permanent roster is required for each team and there is no limit on the number of players that can be on the team’s roster. New players can be added at any times during the regular season of qualifying rounds. Falcon Cup recommends having around 24 players per team and rotate them during the qualifying rounds.
TEAM CAPTAIN RESPONSIBILITIES
Team captain’s responsibilities can be shared among multiple individuals.
- The captain may or may not play in the tournaments.
- The captain serves as the primary liaison between the Falcon Cup and the corporate team.
- The captain is responsible for collecting and paying the team registration fees and officially signing up the team to compete in the Falcon Cup league.
- The captain ensures all team members are registered on the Falcon Cup Master Roster. New players can be added during qualifying rounds as long as they meet player eligibility requirements.
- For each qualifying round, the captain selects the course location and tee time from the available courses booked by Falcon Cup organizers.
- Three weeks prior to each tournament date, the captain must finalize the list of 12 players and send them an invitation to pay tournament fees through the Golf Genius portal.
- For playoff rounds, the captain must select players who have participated in at least one qualifying round.
- Captains are responsible for resolving any conflicts that arise during tournaments and ensuring that all scores are entered into the system before players leave the course at the end of the event. If captains cannot reach an agreement, they may file a protest with the Falcon Cup committee within 24 hours.
PLAYERS RESPONSIBILITY
- Players don’t have to play every round.
- All players must register on Falcon Cup Master Roster with the Golf Genius link given by their team captain.
- Players should discuss their availability to play in season with their team captain.
- Once invited to play in a tournament, players are required to pay the green fee through the Golf Genius portal no later than two weeks prior to the tournament day. Failure to pay on time may result in the team playing with fewer than 12 players.
- All players should conduct themselves in a disciplined manner, demonstrating courtesy, respect, and sportsmanship at all times and play by the Rules of Golf.
- Players must play following the match play rules and pace of play guidelines. If warned by the Marshal to skip a hole, the foursome must comply.
- Players must enter their scores in the Golf Genius live scoring system and on the official paper scorecard. At the end of the round, they must tally the scores, sign the paper scorecard, and email a copy of the paper scorecard to [email protected] If the paper scorecard is not submitted by the end of the tournament day, the match result will be invalid.
- Players should attempt to resolve any conflicts during the match play within their foursome. Unresolved issues can be escalated to their respective team captains.
- Players are required to participate in the tournament even if their team has no chance of advancing to the playoffs.
- All Falcon Cup contestants must adhere to the 'Spirit of Fair Competition' policy by honestly posting scores for all games played throughout the year to maintain an accurate handicap.
TEAM RESPONSIBILITY
It is unacceptable for a team to forfeit or withdraw from the last match(es) of the season because that team will not advance to the playoffs. Any circumstances causing forfeiture shall be subject to review by the Falcon Cup Committee.
TEAM GROUPING
Regional teams are divided into groups of four. If the total number of teams are not in multiples of four, some teams will play within groups of three. Teams may suggest whom they would like to be grouped with; however, Falcon Cup will have final decision on groups.
NUMBER OF PLAYERS
Twelve players from all participating teams play in a round. Teams should allocate players to different rounds ahead of time and maintain a roster of alternates. A minimum of 6 players are required to field a team for any given match.
FEWER THAN 12 PLAYERS
Teams must field a minimum of 6 players to avoid forfeiture. When a team has fewer than 12 players for a round, the team may play with fewer players by playing a one-person team against the opponent’s two-person team. The one-person team may be placed in any position of the line up.
PAIRINGS
Team captains finalize their lineup in Golf Genius portal two weeks before each tournament. Players for each team will be paired in current index sequence from low to high with the lowest index player listed first. Once the order is determined in the system, Pair #1 of Team 1 will be played against Pair #1 of Team 2 and so on.
TEE PLACEMENT
The Falcon Cup recommends tees of approximately 5,200–5,700 yards (forward tees) for women and 6,000–6,600 yards (middle tees) for men in all tournaments. Both team captains must mutually agree on any deviation from this recommendation prior to the match date.
Handicaps
Falcon Cup refreshes each player’s Handicap Index just before printing the scorecards the day before the match. All players play to 90% of their course handicap as determined by their current index (maximum of 24). Players with Handicap Index higher than 24 are eligible to compete but their Handicap Index will be capped at 24.
Falcon Cup reserves the right to adjust a player’s Handicap Index prior to a tournament based upon previous performances in Falcon Cup events.
Handicap Strokes
In each of the four-ball matches, the lowest-handicap player play at scratch and each of the other three players in the group receive the full difference in strokes between their course handicap and that of the lowest-handicapped player. The allocation of handicap strokes will be marked on the official paper scorecard and in the Golf Genius system.
Question: In a match-play competition, one hole is part four for a man and par five for a woman. If both score par, what is the result of a hole?
Answer: Par is irrelevant. The player who completes the hole in fewer net strokes wins the hole.
LATE ARRIVAL
Players are solely responsible for arriving on time for the tournament and be ready at their designated hole 10 mins prior to the tournament start time. A player that is late, may join the four-ball match between holes, but not during the play of a hole. The late partner may give advice prior to joining the match.
PLAYER SUBSTITUTION
- A player can be swapped with another player no later than 24 hours prior to the tournament start time. The pairings will be adjusted to account for the handicap of the new player.
- If a last minute substitution results in an improper sequence, the substitute player must play with the lower of their own index or the index of the player they are replacing.
Golf Carts
Players may use golf carts or choose to walk the course if the course management allows.
USE OF CADDIE / APPS / RANGE FINDERS
Players are not permitted to use caddies during the round.
Mobile devices and watch apps are allowed, including green-reading features, but must be set to Tournament Mode if available. Rangefinders are also permitted but only in Tournament Mode.
Advice
Where two players from the same team are playing together in the same group, those players may ask for advice and receive advice from each other during the round.
In addition, a player may reach out to their team captain or any other team member for clarification of the rules of golf. However, the person giving advice must not point out a line of play or provide any putting advice.
PACE OF PLAY
Maintaining a good pace of play is essential. Players should plan their club selection in advance, ensuring they are ready to play on tees, fairways, and greens when it’s their turn.
The foursome will receive a warning if the group takes longer than the maximum time allowed to finish a hole. If the delay continues after a warning, the marshal will ask the group to skip a hole.
FOUR-BALL MATCH PLAY
Two players from one team compete directly against two players from another team. Each player plays his/her own ball. The pair whose player has the lowest Net score (handicap adjusted) wins the hole for their team. If the low scores are tied for both pairs, the hole is a tie.
The team winning the most holes wins the match. The match may end early when one team is up by more holes than there are left to play.
Concession
Players don't have to complete each hole in match play. A player may concede a hole at any time. A pair may also concede a hole. Each player must post the score they either had or most likely would have had on the hole for the handicapping purposes.
Once the outcome of the match play is determined, players are not required to complete the remaining holes, they should leave the course. If players choose to continue playing, they must leave the scores blank on both Golf Genius and the official paper scorecard for any holes played after the match is closed out.
HOLES WON
Once the match is closed out, the holes up score will be awarded to the winning pair as Holes Won for their team.
MATCH POINTS
At the end of the eighteen holes, a two-person pair with the highest Holes Won is declared a winner. They earn 2 Match Points for their team. In case of a tie, each pair is awarded 1 Match Point.
TEAM POINTS
At the end of a tournament, all Match Points scored by all six pairs are added to determine the team’s score. A team with more than 6 Match Points is declared a winner. The winning team earns 2 Team Points. In case of a tie, each team earns 1 Team Point.
Local Rules
Any local rules that are to be in effect during Team Match play must appear printed on the club scorecard, or be published and distributed to all players in advance of the start of the match.
Preferred Lies
When occasional abnormal weather conditions affect fair play, tournament organizers may implement preferred lies, also known as winter rules. This allows players to lift, clean, and place the ball within six inches of its original spot, not closer to the hole, to improve its lie on the fairway without penalty.
Postponement / Suspension
Postponement is defined as the failure to play as scheduled or to continue play due to unplayable conditions. Suspension is defined as the temporary halting of play due to unplayable conditions
- If the course is declared unplayable by the course management, the tournament must be rescheduled and concluded before the next scheduled game. Player substitutions are allowed.
- If the match is postponed by course management and fewer than 9 holes have been played in any of the matches, the entire tournament must be rescheduled. Player substitutions are allowed.
- If the match is postponed and all players have completed 9 holes, the match stands as completed at the time play is halted, and players will record and attest the results prior to leaving the course.
- If play is resumed after suspension but with certain conditions imposed (e.g., no golf carts, preferred lies, etc.) play will continue from the point at which it was suspended, and the conditions imposed shall remain in effect for the remainder of the round.
SCORING
Falcon Cup uses Golf Genius for the live scoring system. At the end of each hole, one player from the foursome must enter all four players’ scores on Golf Genius, while one player from the opposing team must record the scores on the printed scorecard. At the end of the round, the players must tally the scores on Golf Genius with the printed official scorecard and sign. One player from the foursome must email the picture of the attested printed scorecard to the Falcon Cup at [email protected]
Failure to send the printed scorecard will result in disqualification of the match.
REQUEST FOR RULING IN MATCH PLAY
All players must be familiar with the Rules of Golf. Players must not unreasonably delay play when seeking help with the Rules during a round. If help with the Rule issue is not available in a reasonable time, the players in the match play must decide what to do and play on.
The players in a match may agree to decide a Rules issue. The agreed outcome is conclusive even if it turns out to have been wrong under the Rules, as long as the players did not deliberately agree to ignore any Rules.
If the players do not agree about how the Rules apply, either player may make a request of ruling by informing their team captain of the circumstances as soon as possible or immediately upon the completion of their match. The captain receiving the request for a ruling shall immediately inform the opposing captain. The two captains shall resolve the Rules issue and adjust the result of the hole(s) accordingly.
If the captains have not been able to reach an agreement, they can register a protest with the Falcon Cup committee within 24 hours by sending a detailed email at [email protected] The Falcon Cup Committee will rule on all protests and the decision will be final.
SCORES REPORTING
Falcon Cup will post every golfer’s score using Golf Genius, following the guidelines of USGA Rules of Handicapping.
DETERMINATION OF GROUP WINNERS
After the qualifying rounds, the team with the highest total Team Points in each group of three or four teams is declared the group winner. Only one team per group can hold this title.
The group winner will advance to the playoffs. If two teams have identical Team Points, the team with the highest total Match Points is declared the group winner. If a tie still exists, a team with the highest total Holes Won is declared the group winner. If teams are still tied, the team(s) that advances will be determined based on the total Match Points earned by the Pair #1 of each team in the regular season. This process shall be repeated through the succeeding position players until the tie is broken.
Ties for second place will be retained.
WILDCARD TEAMS
The top 8 teams at the end of the regular season will advance to the playoffs. All group winners will automatically advance to the playoffs. In case there are less than eight group winners, teams earning a wildcard berth will be determined as follows:
Highest percentage of total possible Match Points won in the regular season by the remaining teams across all groups. In a 3-team group, the total Match Points possible is (4 tournaments x 12 points per match = 48 Match Points). In a 4-team group, the total Match Points possible is (6 tournaments x 12 points per match = 72 Match Points).
If two or more teams have identical percentage of total Match Points, the team(s) that advances is determined based on the percentage of number of Holes Won for the tied teams in the regular season.
PLAYOFFS
Teams advancing to the playoffs will participate in single-elimination rounds: Quarter-finals, Semi-finals, and the Final.
All players participating in the playoffs must have played in at least one qualifying round.
Playoff brackets will pair the #1 standing team from one group against the #2 standing team from another group in the first round.
All playoff matches will be concluded within a one month period. Team captains should plan ahead and have their player lists ready in case their team advances to the next playoff round.
Team Points, Match Points, and Holes Won will be used to declare a winner in each playoff match. If teams are still tied, the team(s) that advances will be determined based on the Holes Won by the Pair #1 of each team. This process shall be repeated through the succeeding position players until the tie is broken.
FALCON CUP NATIONALS
Regional champions are invited to play in the Falcon Cup Nationals. The championship tournament held over two consecutive days in Las Vegas. The format of Falcon Cup Nationals will be net aggregate stroke match play. More details to be finalized soon!