Player's Club Handbook

General Policies

Purpose: The Keney Park Player’s Club (the “Club”) is established to promote the game of golf and golf-related activities while encouraging fellowship, sportsmanship and social connection among its members. The Club is not organized for profit.

Membership: Membership is available to all persons eighteen (18) years of age or older.

There are two types of Membership – Full and Honorary.

Full Members in good standing have paid the applicable annual membership dues for the golfing season. Benefits to Full members are:

• Access to all weekly tournaments and major tournaments
• Preferred tee times 14 days in advance
• USGA handicap

Honorary Members are persons who shall be designated as such for meritorious contributions to the Club or its objectives. Honorary membership shall be conferred by the majority vote of the Executive Board. An honorary membership may be assigned for life.

Memberships are for a single golfing season only.

Tee Times: Members looking to make a tee time can do so 14 days in advance but must play with at least one other member in the KPPC.

Dress Code: Keney Park Player’s Club members are expected to comply with Keney Park Golf Course requirements of proper golf attire.

Player Conduct: Keney Park Player’s Club members shall always conduct themselves in a responsible manner. Any excessive lack of golfing etiquette or disrespect to a fellow player, golf course staff member, or any other individual may be grounds for disqualification, or penalty strokes added to any tournament and expulsion from the Player’s Club. In addition, members are responsible to report infractions of the above or the Rules of Golf by any member that may be cause for disqualification from a tournament or the Player’s Club.

Tournament Policies

Tournament Rules: Keney Park Player’s Club members shall follow all USGA, local, and tournament rules including scoring, submitting scores, and following the handicap system. All scorecards submitted for a tournament must be signed by the member submitting the scorecard and attested by a different member that played in the same group as the member signing the card.

Ruling Questions – If there is a question regarding a golf ruling, please call the golf shop.  In a situation where the rules are unknown and the ball is not lost or in penalty area, play two balls (stroke-play only). A decision will be made by the Club Professional.

Weekend Sign-up: Sign-ups will take place online, through the Golf Genius portal.  Player's have 14 days in advance to sign-up.  The tee times close the Wednesday prior the the event at 5pm.  Once closed, the player has 24 hours to inform the golf shop if they cannot play.  If a player does not remove their name and does not show, they will be responsible for a $25 no show fee.

Scorecards: All scorecards must be legible and include your FULL NAME and indicate the tee played. Scored cards must be dated, signed and attested by a KPPC member. Please note, attestation of the scorecard is required and is critical for the protection of the entire field.

All Player's must sign in with the golf shop on the day of the tournament.  Failure to do so is automatic disqualifiation.  All Player's Club fee and City of Hartford fees must be paid prior to scheduled round of golf, unless specific arrangements are made with the golf shop.  It is the player's responsibility pay any unpaid fee prior to leaving the property.  Failure to do so is automatic disqualification.

A competitor must turn in scorecard immediately following play.  The card is considered turned in once designated player have either; left the golf shop, or for major tournaments, left the scoring area.  Once the card is deemed "turned in" there cannot be any adjustments made to it.

A scorecard SHOULD NOT have any player listed on it who has not entered the KPPC tournament. Any side games or points should be done on a separate scorecard.

Failure to provide this information or follow any of these rules will result in the entire scorecard being disqualified. **Please turn in your cards immediately after the round**

Flights: Flights are determined by the total number of participants, handicap index and the format of the given tournament.

Tees: Unless otherwise indicated, members play from the Blue tees unless qualified for the White tees (senior) or Green tees (women). To play from the White Tees, you must be at least 65 years old and your age plus White tee handicap must be 80 or more, and you must carry over 10 course handicap (current revision). Handicaps will be adjusted for tees played according to USGA Handicap.

Pace of Play: It is the responsibility of every golfer to keep up with the group in front of them, not just ahead of the game behind them. The recommended pace of play for a foursome is 4 hours and 15 minutes (4:15). Here are some tips from the USGA to improve pace of play.

• Arrive on time and ready for your tee time. “On time” is 15 minutes early.
• Minimize your time on the tee. On the tee box, it is acceptable for players to “hit when ready.” Also, to save time you must play a provisional ball (Rule 27­2) if you think your original ball might be lost or out of bounds
• Play ready golf and plan your shot before you get to your ball
• Keep your pre­shot routine short
• Don’t wait in the cart for your partner. Drop him off, go to your ball and get ready for your shot. If you want to leave the cart with your partner, take a couple of clubs and start walking to your ball. Nothing wastes more time than sitting in the cart watching someone else play
• Be helpful to others in your group
• Be aware of how much time you spend looking for balls in the woods (3 minute rule)
• Be efficient on the putting green
• Fill out the scorecard on the next tee box
• Accept responsibility: Recognize that slow play isn’t just the other guy’s fault

Course Conditions/Abuse:  Every member of the Player's Club is responsible for maintaining the golf course, in terms of: replacing divots, fixing ball marks, raking the bunkers, placing refuse in the garbage cans.  If you are observed in voilation, you will be given one warning, any additional violations will result in disqualification.

Inclement Weather: Severe weather related conditions may prevent, delay or suspend play when the course is rendered unplayable, or the safety of players is at risk, as determined by golf course staff. Keney Park Player’s Club will do everything possible to complete the full number of holes in a tournament.

Tournaments, especially in the spring and fall, can be delayed due to frost. Participants should remain on the premises and wait for the tournament to start. Check the KPGC website, Facebook or Twitter feeds for current information and updates regarding weather issues and frost delays.

Posting Scores: The Golf Shop will post all scores from KPPC events to GHIN. Members are responsible to post their own scores in these situations:

• Post scores from home and away courses played outside of KPPC events
• Post scores in all forms of play; match play, stroke play, including team competitions in which you are requested to pick up.
• Post your score when you play at least 13 holes out of 18 holes or at least 7 out of 9 holes. On the holes you didn’t play, record a par plus any handicap strokes you would have received.
• Post a score if you play two nines even if it’s the same nine, or nines from different days.
• Post as 9 hole scores in GHIN, or simply combine the nines into an 18­hole score. Add each nine-hole Course Rating together and average the Slope Rating.
• Post scores played in an area observing an active season even when your home club is in an inactive season.
• Failure by a member to post scores in the situations above can result in the member’s handicap being reduced for KPPC events.

Members should not post a score in these situations:

• If you played fewer than 7 holes.
• When you play in a competition limiting the types of clubs used, such as a one­club or irons­only event.
• When an 18­hole course is less than 3,000 yards.
• When a majority of the holes aren’t played under the Rules of Golf, as in a “scramble”, “shamble”, or alternate shot.
• Do not post scores made in an area observing an inactive season.

Net Double Bogey: 

Players are expected to post all scores of all rounds played under the Rules of Golf and Rules of Handicapping guidelines.  Under the World Handicap System, Net Double Bogey is the maximum hole score for handicap purposes (Rule 3.1b in Rules of Handicapping).  Following a round of golf, any hole scores that exceed Net Double Bogey should be adjusted as follows for handicap purposes.  There is no limit to the number of holes that may be adjusted.

How it’s calculated:

Par (On the Hole) + 2 Strokes + Any Handicap Strokes Allotted for The Hole

If a format allows a player to stop at Net Double Bogey (example is match play or four-ball when partner has holed out), the player may pick up their ball and move on.  If the format doesn’t allow a player to pick up their ball until it’s holed, the player, when necessary, should adjust and submit the appropriate Net Double Bogey score when posting in the GHIN system.

Tournament Descriptions

2 Person Best Ball:

This is a 2-person team gross/net event. Each member of the team plays his own ball. On each hole, the low gross score of the team counts as the team gross score, and the low net score of the team counts as the team net score.

Blind Two-Person Best Ball:

All competitors will keep and 18 hole individual hole-by-hole score.  At the end of scoring two man teams will be made randomly by the computer and scored as best one ball, gross and net.

Member-Member:

Our first major championship of the season that is a flighted two-person best ball.  The first 36 will be played as medal play and the top four teams in each flight will play an 18 hole match to determine the top three finishes in each flight.  The Championship Flight will be played gross with no strokes.

Club Championship:

We play our club championship as 36 holes of medal play followed by 18 holes of match play, with exception of the championship flight that will finish with a 36 hole match.  The Championship flight will be played with no handicaps and all other flights are flighted based on Handicap Index and matches played at 100% handicap.

Fall Classic:

Two person event where on the first day the front 9 is played as a modified alternate shot and the back 9 is played as scramble.  The second day the front 9 is a scramble and the back 9 is a modified alternate shot.  A modified alternate shot is when both players tee off and the preferred tee shot is selected and an alternate shot is played from that point on.

Individual Gross and Net:

This is an individual gross and net event. The player plays his own ball and his score alone counts toward his total.

Shepherd’s Cup and Sheep’s Cup:

This is a 36 hole medal play event.  The Shepherd’s Cup is a gross only event and the Sheep’s Cup is net only.

Stableford:

This is an individual gross and net event based on a point system in which points are awarded based on the number of strokes taken on each hole as follows:

Double Bogey or higher 0
Bogey1
Par 2
Birdie 3
Eagle 4
Double Eagle 5

Chicago Points:

Each player is assigned a quota by subtracting their course handicap from 36.  The goal is to fill the quota using the Stableford points system.  A positive score number indicates they have successfully “beat their handicap.”

Four Person Progressive:

It is played as a four person best ball with the number of balls used rotating.  The first hole is one best ball, the second hole is two best balls and the third hole, three best balls.  The fourth hole it goes back to one best ball.  The rotation continues for the remainder of the 18 holes.

Local Rules

General Rules:

Pace of Play: A Player is expected to play the course in no more than 4 hours and 20 minutes. First offense will be a verbal warning, second offense a two-stroke penalty will be assessed to every member of the foursome. Every member of the will have No More than 40 seconds to hit their ball.

Winter Rules: If your ball is in your fairway, you may lift, clean and place the ball within one club-length, no nearer the hole. You may also lift rake and place your ball in the bunker.

Yardage Markers: If your ball in on a yardage marker, you may take nearest point of relief.

Out of Bounds: Out of bounds is defined by white stakes on holes; 2, 3, 9, 10, 12, & 14. The fence is the boundary for out of bounds on holes 9 & 10 and the back side of the wall on 12 is the out of bounds marker. White Stakes are not considered obstructions and are considered fixed. They cannot be moved as to not interfere with swing or stance. A ball is consider out of bounds when all of lies out of bounds.

Penalty Areas: Yellow Penalty Area is defined by yellow stakes on holes; 2, 15, & 16. Red Penalty Area is defined by red stakes on holes; 2, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, & 16. The stakes are considered the nearest point inside the hazard, and a ball in considered in the hazard if any part of the ball is touching the hazard boundary. Relief is taken under rule 17.

Integral object: The patio building behind the 9th green and the stone wall on the 12th have been deemed as “integral object” by the committee. As such, they are not considered to be obstructions and no relief will be granted.

Roots: There are a few locations where surface roots may affect the lie, stance or swing. No relief is granted and it is considered “rub of the green” if your ball is affected by roots. Two options; play the ball as it lies, or take penalty and relief under rule 19 (unplayable lie).

Holes:

#1: Red Penalty Area behind green.

#2: Out of Bounds, entire right-hand side of hole and behind the green as defined by white stakes.

#3: Out of Bounds right of the cart path as defined by white stakes, then red penalty areas, as defined by red stakes.

#4: The woods left is marked as a red penalty area.

#5-8:Rules of Golf

#9: Out of Bounds is defined by the guardrail and the cart path leading from the clubhouse to the parking lot. The cart barn is considered an immovable obstruction and if there is interference with stance or intended swing, one club-length relief is will be granted (no line of sight relief). The clubhouse patio building is an integral part of the golf course, however, the area to right side of the building (patio) and the patio behind the clubhouse are considered out of bounds.

#10: Out of Bounds is defined by the guardrail on the right. Red penalty area is defined by red stakes on the left from the drainage ditch near the 15th green along the left side through the green.

#11: The woods the right will be played under the Rules of Golf. A provisional off the tee is recommended if you go right. The stream behind the green is marked as a red penalty area.

#12: Out of Bounds along the whole right side of the hole from the stone wall to around the green. Out of Bounds markers will be white stakes EXCEPT the areas of the stone wall. The wall is an integral object with the side of the wall facing the cemetery as out of bounds marker.

#13: The creek bisecting the fairway is a penalty area on the right and the left. Behind the green long is Rules of Golf, a provisional ball is recommended (18.3).

#14: A red penalty area is off the tee and runs to the left along the tree line. Out of Bounds starts after the first group of trees on the right as defined by double white stakes and runs the entire length of the cemetery property. Red penalty area behind the green long.

#15: A penalty area crosses the fairway with lateral on the right. The woods left over the bridge is red penalty area.

#16: A penalty area crossing just before the fairway begins, and there is a red penalty area the entire left side of the hole. Local rule is to drop within two club-lengths to the right of the golf cart path, no nearer the hole. Nearest point of relief for areas of the fairway that have exposed French drains.

#17: Penalty Area in front of the tee and the entire length of the left side of the hole as defined by red stakes.

#18: Rules of Golf

New Rules 2019

• A player now has 3 minutes to search for their ball.
• A player now has 40 seconds to make a play at the ball.
• A player may now ground their club in a penalty area.
• A player may now remove loose impediments from bunkers.
• A player may now take relief from a bunker for a two-stroke penalty