2025 RSPGL Men’s League Info Packet

The staff at RSPGL would like to thank you for participating in one of our home-grown golf leagues.  Our excellent Golf Links will provide a delightful place to escape  for a few hours each week -- we look forward to your participation and hope you have an excellent season!  

In order to have a successful year, we need a full commitment from every team.  You are expected to be here every week on time. If you are not able to play, you are responsible for finding a sub to replace you.  We reserve the right to replace your team without refund if attendance becomes an issue. We are here for the people who WANT TO PLAY!

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Index: (in order)

The League Experience

Each week we switch up the golf experience.  Rotating nines, swapping up the tees, fun nights, cookouts, and weekly games are the ways we  make the league more enjoyable.  

Sub Policy

If you cannot make it to your league night for any reason, YOU ARE REQUIRED TO FIND ANYONE to replace you. They do not have to be pre-registered with the league. For the enjoyment of all league members, we need to have 4-somes out there every night.  We will include a link to email the sub list on the league website to help you out if you need it.  It’s also a good idea to have a few of your buddies lined up to sub as well.  Send someone from our sub list, send your buddy, send your grandpa, just make sure you have a sub if you cannot make it!  Your opponent has looked forward to playing a match all week – for him to arrive and have no one to play with / against is extremely disappointing.

Existing subs are part of the league system, new subs will be asked to provide a verbal score history (example:last two 9 hole scores they have shot). In instances where subs cannot procure reliable scores to properly calculate a handicap, handicap adjustments or match forfeiture may be enacted at the discretion of the rules committee.

In the playoffs, subs MUST be reported 24 hours in advance so that handicaps are properly calculated and listed on the scorecards.  Playoff subs also MUST have a handicap established with the league, or have a verifiable WSGA handicap.  Failure to abide by these rules will result in sub playing as a 0 hcp.

No-Shows

“No-Shows” will not be tolerated. Teams that no-showed frequently last year were not invited back.   Please respect the league, the reserved tee times, and especially your fellow competitors, by showing on time or having a sub to replace your absence.  In the event of an emergency no-show, your opposition will be paired against a ghost team.  The ghost team’s scores are derived from the league average hole-by-hole score for that night and league average handicaps for that night.  The team that didn’t show will receive zero points and teams will be removed from the league if attendance is an issue; with no refund of the league dues.

Handicapping Nights

Handicapping nights are put in place to protect the established players. Any time a player with no score history plays against a player with the maximum scores, the player with scores is at a disadvantage.  The handicapping nights are to give the new players a chance to catch up, and play on a level playing field with the returning players. These are mandatory nights; points will be awarded solely for participation for these nights.

Rain / Forecasted Rain

The golf course hates the idea of rain just as much as you do.  So there is no question about how to proceed, this is the protocal:

1. League will never be canceled the day before, the morning of, lunchtime, we don’t care what the hourly forecast says, what the radar looks like,  plain and simple. We make decisions based on what it is doing at the time we are supposed to play. We look at the sky at the time of league! Man has done that for hundreds of thousands of years. So are we.

2. Now that we have established…everyone shows up…and 3 things can happen:

1.  We wait for it to clear, then we play.
2.  We play through it if it’s light, or we come in and go back out when it’s done being heavy.
3.  Rain completely ends play, or a long duration makes it impossible to ever go out, and we run out of time even trying to do a shotgun.  In this case an official cancellation will be deemed. We tried!

3. In the event of a deemed rainout, players present will be awarded 5 points, those not here will be awarded 0. While some have questioned this concept…if you follow procedure 1 and 2, you will always receive 5 points. If you have decided at 8:00 in the morning that it might rain later and you don’t want to follow procedure 1 and 2, there are “no show” ramifications and “no point” ramifications.

No one likes their one round of golf per week, or their night out with the boys ruined by rain.  The goal of this business is not to find ways to cancel, it’s to find ways to PLAY.  We are here to promote golf and provide an F&B experience.   Despite the forecast, despite what is actually falling from the sky… this facility is honoring your league night, incentivizing your weekly participation and running its business. We are doing our best.

In the event that some matches are completed and others are not, we will enact a fair, equitable, adaptable scoring plan so as to not punish teams that earned less points than the points awarded for simply being present.

Scoring

We will be using a 10-point system. Teams will be composed of 2 players, an “A” and a “B” level player (based on handicap). Player “A” from team 1 competes against Player “A” from team 2. The two “B” players will also compete against each other. Competition is in match play form awarding one point to the player with the lowest net score on each given hole.  If the hole is tied, half points will be awarded to each of the players.  The player with the lowest net total score will receive one additional point.  This point is also split in the event of a tie.  The sum of total points in a match must equal 10. Example Final Score: Team 1, Player “A” = 6.5 Team 2, Player “A” = 3.5. There will be no make-ups.  If you are not able to make it at your scheduled time and you fail to secure a sub, you will forfeit your points for that night.

Rules of Play

Winter Rules in Fairway – You are allowed to play winter rules all season.  This means you can move the ball 6 inches with your club head, no closer to the hole, and only in the fairway.

Lateral (Water) Penalty Area Clarification – If you ball goes into a lateral penalty area you may:

1. Drop a ball outside the penalty area within two club-lengths of and not nearer the hole than (i) the point where the original ball last crossed the margin of the penalty area or (ii) a point on the opposite margin of the penalty area equidistant from the hole.
2. Drop as nearly as possible to the spot from which the original ball was last played.
3. Drop a ball behind the penalty area, keeping the point at which the original ball last crossed the margin of the penalty area directly between the hole and the spot on which the ball is dropped, with no limit to how far behind the penalty area the ball may be dropped. (This option is less common at Royal St Patrick’s.  But there are a few spots out there where this is possible)

Picture number 3.  Now imagine Bob hits a huge banana slice and the ball crosses the penalty area line next to the bunker on the right and continues to slice another 20 yards to the right before peacefully landing in the pond.  Now imagine John hits a straight shot, just right of that same bunker and the ball lands in exactly the same spot that Bob’s did.  Bob will drop right next to the bunker, 2 club lengths from where it last crossed.  JOHN WILL DROP WAY BACK BY WHERE THE POND ACTUALLY STARTS.  THIS IS THE SPOT THAT HIS BALL LAST CROSSED THE PENALTY AREA. It is unfair to Bob and the rest of the league for John to drop where Bob does.

Fescue Grass – The tall fescue will be played as a lateral penalty area.  You can still play your ball if you find it. If you can’t find it, you can drop 2 club lengths from the point the ball last crossed the margin of the fescue with a one stroke penalty.

Out of Bounds Rule – There is no “Out of Bounds” for League. In order for a ball to fly off the property, it had to cross the fescue line first. You will proceed under Lateral Penalty Rule.

“Giving Putts” – Giving putts is allowed all season.  Just keep in mind that 6-footer you gave your opponent on #1 might bite you in the end on the net points!

League Tee-Off Rule - A rule unique to our Men’s Leagues, following your tee shot, you can elect to re-tee from the Green Tees with a 1-stroke penalty.  So, you’ll be hitting your 3rd shot from the Green tees, but this could help if you’re struggling on certain holes (think number 10) where you’re teeing off over water.

Lost Balls - Please try not to take more than a minute searching for a lost ball.  If it’s gone, it’s gone - move on and don’t let it get you down!  Keeping up pace will lead to more enjoyable rounds for you, your partner and opponents, the group behind you, and especially the folks who teed off last!

Stroke Limit - There will be an official 10-stroke limit per hole.

Use of Carts

League players enjoy a special cart rate of $9 during league play. We have two very important rules for cart usage:

1. Please, NEVER, EVER drive the carts in the tall grass that border the holes. No Exceptions. If we wanted all drove down and flattened, we would have never grown it in the first place
2. After rain, we may have to restrict the carts to the cart path. Often times, golfers disrespect this request. We see league players as members with a vested interest in their 20 weeks of league. Please set an incredible example and help police each other. Protecting the course, is priority.

Playoff Structure

Top 4 teams from the 1st half will make the playoffs.  Top 4 teams from 2nd half will make the playoffs.  All 8 of these teams will be seeded by 2nd half standings.  So, if you clinch your spot in the 1st half, you still need to play well in the 2nd half for a higher seed! The losers of matches will go into a consolation bracket to battle it out for spots 3-8. See the league website for the new format playoff bracket.  Payouts for playoff teams will be for the top 4 to 8 teams, depending on the size of the league.  1st Place will get the largest payout, 2nd a little less, etc.  Seeding tiebreaker is low average team net score. No-shows will be disqualified from placing in the playoffs.

The Best of the Rest Tournament

Players that don’t make the playoffs will join the “Best of the Rest” Tournament.  This tournament will be for individual glory!  Since you let your partner down this summer (or vice versa,) you can prove your worth in this event. :) We will pay out the top 4-8 players or so. For our non-playoff players, we will take each individual’s best 2 net scores recorded during our 2 playoff weeks.  Subs scores will count for the player they were subbing for.  Any no shows during any of the rounds without a sub will disqualify you from the tournament altogether. Any unforeseen circumstance will be dealt with in regards to equity as it arises.

Handicaps

Handicaps will be formulated on a weekly basis with a maximum of 18 strokes being given in a match.  Players who competed in previous RSP leagues will have their handicaps carried over from the previous years.  Handicaps will be posted on the league website along with all the other info and statistics.  Abbey has final say on all handicap policies.  Note: Handicaps are computed with a complicated formula.  They may vary depending on what tees and what nine we are playing.  Because of this, the handicaps may change even after you didn’t play.  Abbey will be glad to answer any questions you may have throughout the year. Official WSGA handicaps are also available for $35 online.

Equitable Stroke Control (ESC): The downward adjustment of individual hole scores for handicap purposes in order to make handicaps more representative of a player’s potential ability.

ESC sets a maximum number that a player can post on any hole depending on the player’s course handicap. This adjustment IS ONLY VALID FOR HANDICAP CALCULATION FOR THE NEXT MATCH. THE CURRENT MATCH ITSELF HAS NO STROKE CONTROL. For example, if two players have equal handicaps for a match, and one makes a 10 and the other makes an 11. The player with a 10 wins the hole. Both scores are reduced to the max allowed with ESC for the NEXT match’s handicap.

ESC IS ONLY USED FOR HANDICAPPING PURPOSES.  THERE IS A 10 STROKE PER HOLE LIMIT FOR LEAGUE PLAY.  WE WILL APPLY ESC SCORES AFTER YOUR ROUND FOR HANDICAP CALCULATION PURPOSES.

Scorecards

We will continue using pre-printed scorecards.  These scorecards will have all the information you will need on any given night.  All the players’ names, what nine we are playing, tee times, hole yardages, strokes given, pin placements and course events.   

Pricing / Royalty Club

Each league member will receive a Royalty Club Card.  The benefits for Royalty Club are as follows. Golf rates are good outside of league for all players in your group. Just remember to bring your card to identify yourself when checking in for golf or ordering food and drink in the pub.

Other Benefits

15% Off Crosswind Food & Drink - Good 7 Days a Week

How this is executed this year will look slightly different. To make everything “simpler” for league players and employees:  Your card will have 10 boxes on the back. For every $10 you spend, the girls will stamp a box. When you fill all 10 boxes, hand in the card and receive $15 of “Crosswind Cash” you can apply to your bill.  Girls will give you another card, and you can fill that. This process can repeat all season. Easy, as long as roof stays on.

Net Skins Game

 $5 at registration will get you entered into “games”.

If you have the lowest net score out of the league on any hole, you win a skin. No handicap strokes are given on par 3s. The skins pot is divided by how many skins were won.  Skins prizes are handed out the following week at registration in the form of shop merchandise credit.

In the event of a rain out, games will carry over and we will do a double pot next week!

Pace of Play

RSP requires each league group to play in 2 hours and 15 minutes or less.  If groups are playing longer than that, it can be difficult for the later groups to finish before dark.

Ready Golf – If you are ready to play and your partner/opponents are not, go ahead and play.  A classic example is if two guys are walking and two guys are riding.  The players in the cart will inevitably get to the tee next tee first.  Those players should tee off while the walkers are still on their way, despite who won the hole, and had “honors.”

Looking for Balls - Do not spend more than a minute looking for your golf ball, you will slow EVERYONE behind you!  Odds are if it takes more than a minute to find it, you probably won’t want to hit it anyway!  There are some holes where all 4 players could be in questionable positions.  We can’t have all 4 players spending 5 minutes each searching because that would slow the entire league down by 20 minutes!

Pace Management – We tee off every 8 minutes.  If you are the first group in League, you should play each hole in 15 minutes or less.  Each group after the first group should always be in the fairway when the group in front of you is on the green and you should be on the tee when the group in front of you is in the fairway.  If you get to a par 4 tee box and the group in front of you has already left the green, you are an entire hole behind!  Work together and catch up as fast as you can.

One of the greatest dissatisfactions can be SLOW PLAY. For the good of everyone…play quickly. One of the Golf Pro’s unpleasant jobs is confronting slow play. I am merely the conduit of peer review. If we are talking, it’s because people in league want me talking to you.    

Conclusion
This league packet is readily available on the league website throughout the season.  If you even have any questions regarding anything with League, feel free to ask!  I hope you all have an excellent, enjoyable golf season with us here at RSP :)