Winter League 2026 Rules

Changes shown in RED

League Schedule:

1. Winter league will begin on January 13th and conclude on February 10th.

Substitutes:  

2. It is each team member's responsibility to fill out the Sub Needed Form(https://forms.gle/RUL5m9bfHqFpWupo6) if they cannot play on a given week to prevent the team from losing by default. This form will automatically email the sub manager, the sub list, and the person requesting the relevant information (date, time, Team).
3. The sub manager (submanager@palmettocurling.com) will help coordinate who will sub. Skips are encouraged to document who subbed on their team and let the club treasurer know.  
4. Subs who are not club members will pay the $32.50 fee. The club treasurer will contact subs for payment. If a substitute plays on the same team more than 4 times in a season they will be charged the $32.50 fee.
5. League members are also eligible to play as subs on other teams. League members are not expected to pay the sub fee.
6. If a substitute cannot be found, the skip may decide to play with only 3 players.

1. For three-player teams: one person shall throw stones 1, 2, and 3 in an end. A different person shall throw stones 4, 5 and 6. The remaining person shall throw stones 7 & 8. 
2. A player who arrives late to a game shall not enter during an end; the player shall only enter at the beginning of an end.

7. Where should the substitutes play on the team?

1. Any substitutes must throw 1st or 2nd player stones; a substitute can skip the game if the team desires but they cannot throw the final two stones of the end.
2. Substitutes may only come from the substitute list or from teams that played during the other draw. Substitutes that come from teams during the draw time that the sub is needed may not count to make a team official.

Regular Season Game Rules:

1. Curling is a friendly game played in good spirit and with the respect of others.  

2. Ice preparation will start at 6:30 pm and all games will start at 7:00 pm.

NOTE: if the ice is not ready at 7:00 pm due to the Zamboni finishing late, game times will be adjusted that night.  However, if the ice is not ready because we did not have enough people to help with ice prep, the first draw will be shortened accordingly.

1. For our league, a regular game consists of as many ends as can be completed in one hour and 58 minutes (approximately 14 minutes per end).  During league play, each skip will have to help their team to reach that target.  
2. Time limitations:

1. Timing of the last end: The last end of a game on the 7pm draw cannot start after 8:43 is displayed on the clock and the end has to be over no later than 8:58.
2. If the last rock of the game cannot be thrown by 8:58 
3. All times will be based on the time displayed on the Pavilion’s clock.

3. League structure and scoring:  

1. Each win will be awarded 1 point and each loss will be awarded 0 points.  
2. Games cannot end in a tie. At the end of regulation play, if two teams are tied, the winning team shall be decided by a single draw to the button from each team (skip rocks; see Playoffs Rules below). The team whose rock is closest to the button and within the house shall be the winning team.
3. At the end of each game, it is the responsibility of the skip to register the score of his/her team on the official score sheet and to enter the score on CurlingIO.

4. The standings after each week’s games will be determined based on the following criteria in this order:

1. The better record in the standings (based on points accumulated).
2. If two or more teams are tied for points, then the first tie breaker will be the winner of the head-to-head game(s) among these teams during the season (if they have played each other). If all tied teams have not played each other then this tie breaker will be skipped until remaining tied teams have played each other.
3. The second tie breaker is the lowest total of points scored against the team.
4. The third tie breaker is the highest number of ends won during the season.
5. The fourth tie breaker is the lowest number of ends lost during the season.

NOTE: Points scored by a team do NOT factor into team standings. For this reason, and in keeping with the spirit of curling, teams do not benefit by “running up the score” of any game.

3. USA Curling rules applicable to league play will apply to all league games, unless superseded by these rules. PCC will use the updated 5-rock Free Guard Zone rule. According to this rule, rocks in front of the rings cannot be removed from play until five rocks have been thrown in an end. In other words, guards can only be removed by the 6th rock thrown in the end (and any after). Sweepers should attempt to mark the location of an illegally removed guard; however, the location of the returned stone is the decision of the offended skip. PCC will not be using the “no tick” rule

4. A game will be considered "official" if one of the following conditions is met:

1. The teams have completed 8 ends.

1. If after 8 ends the score is tied, skip rocks will determine the outcome (see 3b above).

2. Based on the score and after a discreet discussion among the players of a team, the losing skip concedes by shaking hands with the opposing skip. At this point, the game is over.  A team concedes a game only when it is the delivering team.

1. If a team concedes after the completion of an end, then the score is what it is at that point and the number of ends won/lost is also what it is at that point.
2. If a team concedes before the completion of an end, the score of the last end is determined at that time, in the following manner:

1. If both teams still have stones to be delivered, “X”s are placed on the scoresheet for that end. That means that this end will not be considered in the standings (points against, ends won / lost).
2. When only one team has delivered all of their stones:

1. If the team that delivered all its stones has stone(s) counting, no points are given, “X”s are placed on the scoreboard. (no additional point against nor ends won / lost are counted for this end)
2. If the team that did not deliver all its stones has stone(s) counting, these points are given and placed on the scoreboard. (Additional point(s) against and ends won / lost are counted for this end for both teams).
3. If no stones are counting, “X”s are placed on the scoreboard. (no additional point against nor ends won/lost are counted for this end)

3. In the interest of getting as much as possible for our money, even if the game has been conceded by a team, the players can continue to play just for the fun of it. However, it needs to be clear to everyone (both teams) that the official game is over.

3. If the game is stopped before completing 8 ends based on the time constraint rule in 3a above, then the number of points and number of ends won / lost are calculated as followed:

1. If it is stopped at the completion of an end, then the last end scored will be recorded on the score sheet.
2. If the time limit is happening in the middle of an end, the partial end will not count and no points will be written on the score sheet for that end.

5. Delayed start of a game and forfeit of a game

1. If a team does not have the minimum of 3 players on the ice ready to play by 7:00 PM based on the facility’s clock:

1. At 7:00 pm, the opposite team wins end number 1 with a score of 1 and wins the hammer for end number two.
2. At 7:15 pm, the opposite team wins end number 2 with a score of 1 and wins the hammer for end number three.
3. At 7:30 pm, that team will lose the game by default.  The opposite vk
4. team will win with a score of 4-0 and 4 ends won and none lost.
5. Note: the game can resume before 7:30 pm as soon as the third player arrives on the ice.  However, the game cannot start before the 3rd player is on the ice ready to play.

2. If both teams do not have the minimum of 3 players on the ice ready to play by 7:00 pm (based on the facility’s clock):

1. At 7:00 pm, end number 1 is then scored as a blank end. If the game can start before 7:15 pm, then end number 1 will count in the final score of the game as a blank end.
2. At 7:15 pm, end number 2 is then scored as a blank end. If the game can start before 7:30 pm, then end number 2 will also count in the final score of the game as a blank end.  
3. At 7:30 pm, if both teams still do not have the minimum of 3 players then both teams lose the game and the score would be as followed for both teams:

1. Points for: 0
2. Points against: 4
3. Ends won: 0
4. Ends lost: 4

4. As soon as one team becomes legal (with three players on the ice) then the rules in section “6a)” above start to apply.
5. Note: the game can begin before 7:30 pm as soon as both teams have three players ready to play on the ice.

3. In both rule “a)” and “b)” above, the teams can choose to practice while waiting for the third players to arrive; however, no points should count towards the game.
4. If a team already knows at 7:00 pm that they will be missing 2 players and no substitute can be found, then they must forfeit the game (no need to wait till 7:30).  If a team during the current draw has 4 players and agrees to share a player, then the two teams can play a game for fun, but the game has already been forfeited.

Playoff Rules:

Playoff games will be played at the conclusion of the regular season round robin (see the league schedule for more details).

If the playoff games finish in a tie after 8 ends or at the time limit, then the outcome of the game will be decided by skip rocks.

1. The order of play for the skip rocks will be determined by the last completed end.  The team that scored last will throw the first rock.  
2. All team members can sweep the stone of his/her skip.
3. The opposing team cannot sweep the rock behind the T line.
4. The closest to the center of the house wins the tie breaker.  
5. In order for a stone to win the tie breaker, it must be touching the house.