Rules of Play

The Western Atlantic Golf League (WAGL) shall consist of a group of no more than forty (40) golfers, gathered in the spirit of the enjoyment and competition afforded by the game of golf, who shall assemble and actively participate under the requirements heretofore described. WAGL is intended to be competitive, but our ultimate goal is to enjoy the spirit of competition and camaraderie that golf friendships hould provide.

The following rules are intended to serve as official guidelines for our league; any discrepancies that arise from interpretations of this document or issues not addressed by this document shall be interpreted and ruled upon by the League Commissioner as per the Commissioner’s Clause (Article XIV, Volume 588, Chapter 72, Page 1,287, Paragraph 67, Line 12).

Note: Not all of the Rules are listed on this web page. Players who are interested in receiving the 549,757 page copy of the Rules can request such from the Commissioner for a sum to be bartered.

General Rules

Matches are played on Saturdays. Weekly stats and invitations will be posted no later than Monday morning each week. You must declare yourself "IN" or "OUT" by NOON on Tuesday each week. If a golfer responds after that time, he will be placed on standby if an opening does not exist.

Changes for The Saturday WAGL 2022 Season

After a great deal of thought, discussion, and consideration, we've decided to make a few changes including adding a third division to our Saturday group.  The new division is primarily for the "Young Guns" (big hitters) to make it a little more competitive and fun.  Here are the guidelines for each division.

Coastal Division - WAGLer must be over 60 years young or any age WAGLer with a 20 or higher handicap.  Max 36 strokes (or two per hole on lesser par courses).  All Coastal WAGLers will play from the Senior Tees except those 75 and over.  75 and over can play from the super senior tees or if none, the forward tees.

Beach Division - Formerly the Atlantic - WAGLers over 60 years young are eligible.  WAGLer can have any handicap but the Max strokes allowed will be 18.  Beach Division WAGLers will play from the senior tees except for special courses designated by the Commish with a * on the schedule.

Atlantic Division - New Division - No age limit or handicap limit - All players not eligible for the Coastal or Beach Divisions will be placed in the Atlantic - All WAGLers will play from the white or club tees.  Max strokes 18 no matter the handicap.

Maximum Stroke Rule - The maximum strokes allowed per hole is two for all holes except the Par 3s.  Maximum strokes on a par 3 is limited to one.  As an example...If your handicap is 22 you get 1 stroke on all 18 holes and an additional stroke on the 4 hardest holes,  If the #4 handicap hole is a par 3 you do not get an additional stroke on that hole.  Instead you get the additional stroke on the next highest handicap hole.  In this case, the #5 handicap hole. 

- Guest Golfer Policy - Guest are welcome when room is available.  It's busy at almost all the golf courses so the Wednesday deadline is important to follow.  Any slots available after the Wednesday 2:00pm deadline will be open to guests.  WAGLers replying after Wednesday will be allowed on a first come first serve basis.

- Guest Golfers will receive 5 strokes per round with three exceptions, Woo2, Dan Jr., and Brian since they are family.  Those three will receive 12 strokes each.

- Guests are not eligible for closest to the pin contests.  Not that we care if they win but season points are added for closest to the pin winners.  When a guest wins it messes up the standings.

- Any guest can pay $50 and become a regular member.  At that time they can use their regular handicap and be eligible for all prizes including the CTP.



League Season

League play begins the third Saturday of April and ends in early September (or over 20 rounds)

Membership and Costs
An annual $50.00 Entry Fee(nonrefundable after one play)

Plus a $6.00 fee each time you play. A guest will pay $5 to play.

Scoring (Modified Stableford Rules apply)

Net Double Eagle +10
Net Eagle +5
Net Birdie +2
Net Par +1
Net Bogie 0
Net Double Bogie -1
Net Triple Bogey -3

Playing Rules

"Lift, Clean and Place" is in effect at all times. You may replace the ball within one club-length anywhere except on the green and in hazards such as sand or water; but no closer to the hole. The move cannot change your playing condition. If your ball is in the Rough, leave it in the Rough, if your ball is in the Water, it stays in the Water, etc.

Mulligans

You are allowed one mulligan per nine from the tee. When a player hits a mulligan and is not satisfied with the results, that player has the option of using his original ball. In other words, pick the better of the two shots! No matter which ball is chosen, the player has used his mulligan for that nine holes.

Unused Mulligan (UM) Bonus Points

In any effort to speed up play, the league has instituted an option to discourage the use of mulligans. For each mulligan that you don’t use, you will be rewarded with a half-point bonus in the Overall League Point Total. These points do not count in that day's Stableford Point total.

Honors

Honors for each hole is determined by the NET Scores on the previous hole.

Handicaps

Handicaps will be carried over from the previous year, incorporating scores from this year.There are two divisions for the overall standings,  Atlantic Division (Handicap 18 and under) and Beach Division (19 and up handicap and optional for players 60+ years old).

All players are fully handicapped. There is no minimum handicap nor is there any restriction on the number of strokes a player can receive on any one hole.

A new player joining the league will be assigned a handicap of zero for the first three rounds of play. We don't care what your Official PGA Card says. After three rounds, the new player will have established a WAGL handicap for the rest of the season.

Handicaps for Guests

A guest will receive no stokes. Zero.

Bull Rule: A frequent guest or former WAGL member will be allowed to use a handicap that will be negotiated with the Commishioner or his designee.

WAGL Divisions

We WAGLers are getting older. It is time to utilize the Senior Tees. If you are going to be 60 years of age or older at any point during the season, you may opt to play from the Senior Tees. Any golfer with a handicap of 18.6 or higher will also play from the Senior Tees. All golfers who play from the senior tees will be assigned to the Beach Division. Always check the scorecard at the golf course to make sure that you use the appropriate handicap system.

All other golfers will play from the Regular Tees as usual. These golfers will be assigned to the Atlantic Division.  Any golfer may participate in this division, but the maximum handicap allowed is 18.

Weekly Pot

The weekly pot will be split proportionately between the winners of the Atlantic and Beach Divisions. Scoring will be Stableford Scoring only.

There are No Ties. Ties will be decided by comparing the Stableford Points on the #1 handicap hole. If a tie still remains, the scores will be compared on the #2 handicap hole and so on, until the tie is broken.

Playing Bonus

You will be awarded one bonus point for each time that you complete a round of play. This point does not count in that day's Stableford Point total, but is added to your Total Score. Golfers receive two bonus points for playing in a major tournament.

WAGL Season Scoring

The player with the highest Total Points in each division at season’s end is declared the winner. There will be over 20 rounds of golf available. You may use only your 8 best rounds. If you play more often, you can replace lower scores with higher scores. The more often you play, the better your chances are to gather points and win. Don't worry, the Commish keeps track of all of this for you.

Seasonal Cash Prizes in Each Dvision

First Place: $200
Second Place: $100
Third Place: $50

Rain Outs

Rain Possible Before Play: The Commish will post a message on the website advising as to whether or not we are playing. He will wait as long as possible on Saturday morning, but still give ample notice to cancel travel plans. Please check the Home Page on such days.

Rain while IN Play: If a round of play in progress is washed out by rain, all points for the day are discarded and the $6 fee is returned to all players. Only the Commish can make the final decision to stop play for the day. Don't worry. He is a major wimp and won't get you drenched.

Player Groupings

All groupings are determined ahead of time. This is done in a systematic manner and is instituted to encourage members to become familiar with each other. When a member brings a guest, the two will play in the same grouping if requested.

Arrival Time at the Golf Course

It is requested that all golfers show up at the course at least 30 minutes before the first scheduled tee time. If you are late for your tee time, just go back home.

No Show/Lateness
If a player fails to show up without notifying the commissioner, or shows up so late that he misses his tee time, penalties will occur. A warning is issued on the first No Show or Lateness. Five points are deducted from the point total on the second offense. A third offense results in expulsion from the league. We want reliable and responsible league members only.

Active Participation
One major goal of the Western Atlantic Golf League is to become a healthy, viable league. A healthy, viable league is one in which all players are committed to fully participate and one that enjoys a good reputation at golf courses by respecting the golf course and filling all requested tee times. If you join up, you should commit to play frequently. If a member does not complete a minimum of eight rounds for two consecutive seasons, that golfer will be moved to the Guest List.