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About the Competition - Rules and Timetable

The 2008 Rules and Conditions and Rounds Timetable for the Mail on Sunday Classic are listed below.

If you have any questions regarding the rules please refer to the 'Frequently Asked Questions' section of this website or call the Tournament Office on 020 7384 3757.

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Rules and Conditions
Round Timetable

Rules and Conditions 2008

1. Eligibility

All recognised golf clubs in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland are eligible to submit one team of five in the men’s championship and one team of five in the women’s championship. Societies are not eligible and it is a condition of entry that teams must be able to host matches if drawn at home. The club’s official entry should be submitted by the club captain or secretary either online at www.mailgolf.co.uk or on a special entry card provided.

Players must be registered members of the club and able to invite guests to play on the course, however Tournament Organisers have no jurisdiction over individual club’s rules regarding player eligibility. Players who are members of more than one club may represent only one club in the championship. If a team member ceases to be member of the club he or she is representing he or she must withdraw from the championship immediately.

Each competitor must possess a handicap recognised by the Council of National Golf Unions or an LGU official handicap. Playing handicaps will be restricted to a maximum of 18 for men and 24 for women. Players with handicaps above this are eligible to play in the tournament but must play off a maximum of 18 for men and 24 for women. Juniors are eligible.

Employees of the group that publishes The Mail on Sunday or any company associated with the organisation of the tournament and members of their families may not compete.

2. Eliminating Rounds

a. Teams: must be nominated in a 1-2-3-4-5 order for each match i.e. competitor No. 1 of the home club must play competitor No. 1 of the visiting club. No. 2 plays No. 2 and so on. Each team should consist of 5 players, and captains must exchange their teams and playing order in writing prior to the commencement of the match. Once the teams have been exchanged no alterations are allowed. Captains can choose players from any bona fide members of the club, however in order to be eligible to represent the club in the Quarter Final and subsequent rounds a player must have taken part in at least two of the earlier rounds.

b. Knock-out principle: Eliminating rounds will be on a knock-out principle with each match consisting of five singles decided by handicap match play over 18 holes. A winning game will count as one point and a game that finishes all square after 18 holes will count as a half-point. In the event of a match being tied 2½ - 2½ after the completion of the final two-ball, the designated No. 5 player must play a sudden-death handicap match starting on the tee from where the original match began and continuing hole-by-hole until there is a result.

c. Handicap difference: Three quarters of the difference between competing players handicaps will be taken as the basis for play, half a stroke or more counting as one stroke. The player entitled to receive strokes will receive them at the appropriate holes shown on the official scorecard for the course. All players must produce their current handicap certificate for their opponents to see if required. It is the players’ responsibility to check their respective handicaps and the shot allowance prior to teeing off in their match.

d. Matches: A computerised draw will be made for each round based upon club postcodes. Clubs from different counties may be drawn to play each other from round one onwards. Clubs will be notified of their matches either by email or by post.

e. Course conditions: The home team has the responsibility to ensure that the course is fit for play and to inform visiting golfers of the Local Rules prior to the match commencing. If it is essential that Winter Rules be in operation, then these should still allow for the fair and proper playing of the match (a full list of which winter rules are acceptable and which are not can be obtained from the tournament website www.mailgolf.co.uk or by telephoning the Tournament Office on 020 7384 3757). If not, or if the home course is closed for a significant length of time during the period allotted for the match, then the Tournament Director may consider switching the match to the away course. Alternatively the club drawn at home may elect to play the match on a neutral course, if so they will be responsible for any green fees.

f. Arranging a match: The home team will have the responsibility to contact their opponents by no later than the date specified in the match notification letter. After that time, unless it can be shown that they have made reasonable efforts, without success, to contact their opponents, the choice of venue will pass to the away team. A combination of at least one week day and one weekend day should be offered. No match extensions will be allowed. If a match is not played by the date specified the Tournament Director will decide, on the basis of availability which team will go through to the next round.

g. Caddies: Caddies, as defined in the Rules of Golf, are permitted.

h. GPS: Global Positioning Systems and other range finding devices are not allowed to be used during Tournament matches (this applies even if there is a Local Rule permitting their use at the course where the match is taking place).

i. Motorised Buggies: Players and supporters must walk the courses at all times during a competitive round of golf. Only golfers with authorisation from the Tournament Referee due to medical conditions are allowed the use of golf buggies during a competitive round, however in such cases the Organisers have no jurisdiction whatsoever over individual golf clubs when it comes to the use of buggies on their course.

3. Notifying Results

It will be the responsibility of the winning team in each match to notify the result to the Tournament Office. This must be done either online at www.mailgolf.co.uk or by first class post on the card provided. Late results should also be notified by telephone on 020 7384 3757. As there are eight qualifying rounds to organise it is vital that results are notified as soon as possible. For matches played over the last weekend the captain (or in his or her absence a designated team member) should contact the Tournament Office on 020 7384 3757 or enter the result online as soon as the match is finished by no later than the morning of the next day. Where possible the result of all rounds will be published in The Mail on Sunday and on the tournament website.

4. Courtesy of the Course

There is no entry fee for the tournament. Home clubs must extend courtesy of the course to visiting teams. If that is not possible, home players must be responsible for paying the agreed fees of visiting players. It is also hoped that home clubs will endeavour to make a practice round possible for visiting clubs, if requested to do so, or, if that is not possible, at least offer the visiting team a reduced green fee. A practise round can be played on the day of play of beforehand. Green fees at the Grand Finals will be paid by The Mail on Sunday.

5. Final Stages

The last eight men’s and women’s teams will qualify to play in the Quarter-Final which will be held at a neutral venue in the UK. Winners at the Quarter-Final will go through to the Grand Final in November 2008. All finalists’ meals, accommodation and green fees at the Quarter-Finals and Grand Final will be provided by The Mail on Sunday. Arrangements will also be made for the finalists to be transported to the Grand Final. Any costs incurred in travelling to / from the Quarter Final and to / from the departure point for the Grand Final will be the responsibility of the finalists. During the final stages all matches will be played on the same principle as the eliminating rounds except that sudden death play-offs may commence from an alternative hole determined by the Tournament Referee.

6. Disputes

Any disputes regarding the listed Rules and Conditions can be discussed with the Tournament Referee, whose decision will be final.

The Tournament Referee can be contacted at The Mail on Sunday Golf Classic, PO Box 17314, London SW6 2HD or on 020 7384 3757.

Approved by the R & A for the Payment of Expenses – Rule 4-2g RA/3/2008

For a Printable Version of the Rules and Conditions Click Here

Rounds Timetable 2008

	WOMEN		MEN
Round	'Contact by' date	'Play by' Date	'Contact by' date	''Play by' date
1	Friday 18 January	Sunday 17 February	Friday 25 January	Sunday 24 February
2	Friday 29 February	Sunday 16 March	Friday 7 March	Monday 24 March (Bank Holiday)
3	Friday 28 March	Sunday 13 April	Friday 4 April	Sunday 20 April
4	Friday 25 April	Sunday 11 May	Friday 2 May	Sunday 18 May
5	Friday 23 May	Sunday 8 June	Friday 30 May	Sunday 15 June
6	Friday 20 June	Sunday 6 July	Friday 27 June	Sunday 13 July
7	Friday 18 July	Sunday 10 August	Friday 25 July	Sunday 10 August
8	Friday 22 August	Sunday 8 September	Friday 22 August	Sunday 7 September
Quarter Finals at Marriott Worsley Park on 21st & 22nd September 2008
Semi-Finals and Finals in November 2008

Please Note: The "contact by" dates are the very latest by which the teams drawn at home may contact their opponents and still retain home advantage. However, we strongly recommend that teams get in touch as soon as possible after receiving their match letter, as no dates prior to the initial contact being made will be taken into account by the Organisers when assessing the availability of competing teams.