Match Play Tournament Info and Rules - All Players must Read!

 

This page describes Match Play Tournament Requirements and Operational Rules and Requirements for both the President's Cup and the Two Man Match Play.  All participants must be familiar with all of the information on this page.

 

1. Membership Requirement

 

All players must be active members of the Evergreen Golf Club.

 

2. Participation Requirements

 

Match play Quarter-Final rounds (Round of 8), Semi-Final rounds, and the Final Championship round require at least 54 holes of golf played in regular Evergreen Golf Club events during the same year.  Players who do not meet the requirements prior to their match may be disqualified. 

 

3. Posting Scores

 

a. Post your own scores to GHIN using Hole-by-hole Posting Method: You must post your own Match Play scores to GHIN handicap system using the "Hole by Hole" entry (not total score) so we can verify match results.  Please leave all holes after the match is completed as blank.  The tournament directors will not be posting scores for you for Match Play.  Please note that despite what some people may believe, match play scores are acceptable for posting per USGA rules: See Handicap rule 2.1a.  The final Championship round should be posted as a "C" Competition score. 

 

b. Holes after Match Completed: Once the match is decided, EGC  declares the round to be complete for handicap posting purposes and requires all remaining holes be treated as “not played” for scorecard & posting purposes. Use Handicap rule 3.2 (3.2 When a Hole is Not Played - match finished before final hole).  Even if you actually play the remaining holes, all holes should be posted using Hole by Hole and any remaining holes after the match result is determined should be left blank.  GHIN will fill in an "Expected Score Differential" for the round for you. 

 

c. More than 18 holes: If you play more than 18 holes, you don't need to post the extra holes.

 

 

4. Course & Tees

 

Players must schedule your own tee times in advance with the Golf Course of your choice.  

 

The default course in Golf Genius is Eagle Talon, player default tees.  You are welcome to play any other course or tees in the western Washington region, including Willows Coyote Creek.  

 

NEW for 2025: There is a new option to Change the Course and Tee in the Live Scoring app yourself. The tournament directors will no longer need to change the course for you.

 

When you select President's Cup or Four Ball event, you will see a screen with the Course Name at the top and the Player Names and Tees.  Verify that the COURSE and TEES you are playing are shown correctly.  You can CHANGE the course (and Tees) from this screen.  (Note: If you are an Evergreen Golf Club admin, you won't see this option.  Either have a playing partner change the course in Live Scoring or use the admin console to make the change in the Change Pairings screen.)

 

The following courses are included: 

  • Willows Run Eagle Talon (Default - White Tees)
  • Willows Run Coyote Creek
  • Battle Creek Golf Course (Marysville)
  • Bellevue Golf Course (Bellevue)
  • Druids Glen Golf Course (Kent)
  • Echo Falls Golf Club (Snohomish)
  • Harbour Pointe Golf Club (Mukilteo)
  • Legion Memorial Golf Course (Everett)
  • Mt Si Golf Course (Snoqualmie)
  • Snohomish Golf Club (Snohomish)
  • Snoqualmie Falls Golf Course (Fall City)
  • The Home Course (DuPont)
  • Walter Hall Golf Course (Everett)

 

The following courses have been added:

  • Avalon (All three routing options)

 

If you want another course added to the list, please notify EvergreenGC@outlook.com at least 48 hours in advance.  This will enable one of the tournament directors to ADD the course to the live scoring list in the Golf Genius app.  You will still be responsible for selecting the correct course and Tees in the Live Scoring app at the beginning of your round. 

 

Please do NOT send emails to individual tournament directors/board members. Several of us have extended periods out of town and may not be able to respond in time if you send it to an individual email.

 

You MUST double check in Golf Genius before each match to make sure the course is correct and that everything else looks right.  If you have questions about handicaps, check the Handicap Analysis page (under Player Contact Info and Handicaps on the Member Portal) before you email us about it.

 

What do I do if the course is not listed in Live Scoring and I’m about to tee off?  It’s probably too late to fix Golf Genius.  Do NOT enter scores on the wrong course in Live Scoring.  Use the Alternate Manual Process using GHIN App below in section 9 to calculate your strokes and dot a blank card.  It’s probably a good idea to practice this once at home in case you ever need to do it in a hurry if you haven't done it before.

 

After your round, when you send in the scorecard, make sure to include a note about the course so we can fix it in Golf Genius.  You will then need to enter the scores in the app after the course is added.

 

5. Player Contact Info

 

To schedule your match, you can go to the Player Information section and choose the Player Email Form in the nav bar above. (You must be logged in to see this section!).  Check the box by the name you want to email, then click the "email" button.  Please do not email multiple people at once, this just sends individual emails to each person.  You can also click on the person's name (link) to see their contact info directly. 

 

6. Scheduling Matches

 

Please contact your opponent directly and arrange a mutually agreeable time and course to play each of your matches. 

 

You should schedule your next match as soon as both opponents are known – you do not need to wait for the end date of a round. This can give you a larger window to find a mutually agreeable date. It is the responsibility of EACH player to contact each other to agree on a date and time and course.  CHECK IN with the opponents if the due date is past - it's possible their result is not showing up in the results page.  The tournament committee will not be sending reminders when a prior round is complete. The current brackets can be found here:

 

 

or in the Golf Genius app.

 

Delays. If the opponents can’t agree on a date prior to the round end date, please contact the EGC Tournament Committee.  In some cases, we may be able to grant a brief extension.  However, please realize that this affects your next opponent and the delay can cascade into future rounds if the subsequent match cannot be completed within the allotted dates.  If a match schedule cannot be mutually agreed upon by the participants and the committee, assuming both teams made a good effort to find a mutually agreeable time, the match will be decided via a coin toss. No one wants to have this happen.

 

7. Handicaps and GHIN Updates to Golf Genius

 

Golf Genius refreshes the Match Play Handicaps from GHIN each Once each Week (currently set for early Friday morning to pick up the Thursday League results).  Any other updates require a manual update by a board member.  If the Handicap Analysis in Golf Genius shows an out-of-date GHIN handicap, we just need to refresh the handicaps from GHIN manually - send a note to evergreengc@outlook.com - Update GHIN for Match Play and request a handicap update and we can update them.  Please give us advance notice.  Handicaps must be updated properly for Live Scoring to determine the correct winner and advance the winner in the bracket, even if you use GHIN App to determine strokes for scorecards.

 

Handicap Calculation - Handicap Analysis

Your Handicap Index is converted to a Playing Handicap for the course and tees you are playing. As per USGA Handicap Rules:

  • President's Cup / Individual Match Play, the higher-handicapped player receives the full difference in Playing Handicap between the two players; the lower-handicapped player plays from scratch.
  • Four Ball, the handicaps are adjusted to 90% off of the lowest handicap. 

 

My handicap is wrong

There are several reasons that your Playing Handicap may be different from what you expected:
 

  1. If you are playing in the Four Ball (Two Man Team) Match Play, or the Two Man Chapman, or similar events, the USGA Appendix C: Handicap Allowances (usga.org) recommends using a reduced % of the Course Handicap.  For the Two Man Match, it's 90% of both player's CH. 
  2. For the Four Ball match play, be sure to use "Play with GPS/Games" in the GHIN App, not the regular handicap calculator.  There is a SLIGHT difference in the order of operations it uses to calculate the handicap which can occasionally make a difference. 
  3. We may need to manually refresh the handicaps from GHIN to Golf Genius.  Unfortunately, GG doesn't automatically sync to GHIN daily (only once a week on Fridays).  If you need it updated,  ping evergreengc@outlook.com and ask for the match play handicaps to be updated. 
     

Questions about how handicap is calculated?  Please see the Handicap Analysis Page under Player Info and Handicaps in the member portal if you have any questions about how your handicap or your opponent's handicap was calculated.  This is a great resource! You have to scroll down to the Tournament Round and then find your name. (You need to be signed in to see this section/page).   

 

Please check the Handicap Analysis page first before sending us a question about your handicap. If something in the handicap analysis doesn't make sense, or your handicap needs to be refreshed from GHIN, feel free to ping EvergreenGC@outlook.com and we can update them. 

 

8. Make your OWN paper Scorecards AND keep score in Golf Genius App (Live Scoring)

 

GHIN updates handicaps every night whenever you post a new score.  This means that handicaps can update daily.  If we created preprinted PDF scorecards, the strokes on a preprinted scorecard would be out of date (wrong) by the time you play a match. Thus we no longer generate PDF scorecards for matches. You will need to check online and create your own manually dotted scorecards before your match.

 

Important Notes:

  • Handicap Allowance 90% For the Two Man Match. The USGA Appendix C: Handicap Allowances (usga.org) recommends using 90% of both player's Course Handicap.  Please don't forget to set this in the GHIN app if you are using it for the Two Man Match handicaps.  Use "Play with GPS/Games" in the GHIN app, not the regular handicap calculator, to compute the correct Strokes Off, and set the Handicap Allowance to 90%. 
    Individual Match Play uses 100% of handicap index. 
  • LIVE SCORING in Golf Genius App - Please enter your scores in Live Scoring AND keep a paper scorecard. If you don't use live scoring during your round, please update all scores in Golf Genius Live Scoring app after the match is over.  This is what will tell GG who won the match in the bracket, show the winner, and advance you to the next round. 
  • If Live Scoring is interrupted during the round or for any other reason not completed during the round, please make sure to complete it after the round.  Final Scores in Golf Genius are what advances the winner in the bracket, otherwise we have to go in and do a manual override. 

 

Players must make up their OWN DOTTED SCORECARDS ON THE DAY OF THE MATCH

It's not the way you used to do it! Do not try to compute Course Handicap like you have in the past, the formula is different under WHS!

 

Method 1: Using GHIN App on your Phone or Web Site

 

  1. For Individual Match Play: Click on "Handicap Calculator" on the home screen in the GHIN app.
    For Four Ball (Team) Match Play: Click on "Play with GPS/Games" on the home screen in the GHIN App.
    Your name will be listed.

    • Select the Course

    • For Four-Ball Team - Select Net Match Play. 

    • Click Add Golfers to add your opponent(s).  Type in the LAST name.  Find the golfer, hit "+" beside their name, and hit Add Golfers. 

      • Tip: Use the "Filter" to limit to Washington GHIN, and to search for first names. 

  2. Set the Handicap Allowance to 90%

  3. Set the Tees for the top players and it will set it for all the other players. 

  4. The S.O Column automatically shows "Strokes Off" the low player. 

  5. Dot the card starting with the "Handicap Hole #1" and working your way up for the number of strokes shown for each player. 

 

Method 2: USING GOLF GENIUS APP or Web Site

 

  1. Make sure Golf Genius has your updated handicaps (using the GHIN app).  If not, use Method 1. 
  2. Go to the Leaderboard or Scorecard view in Golf Genius: Go to either the "Scorecard" view or the “Leaderboard” view, find your match, and click on one of your names. This will show the full scorecard view, with dots on individual holes, and will show total strokes beside player names in parenthesis. 
  3. Make up a Dotted Scorecard using a regular Course Scorecard: Copy the strokes from the scorecard or leaderboard view to a printed scorecard (using a pen or pencil) the same day as your match (to make sure you have current handicaps) so you have a printed scorecard on the course with you. If you want to do this the night before, be sure to check the strokes/dots in the morning.  

 

9. Scoring the Match

 

Each hole is worth 1 point to the winner. If tied no points are awarded. One person should keep the printed scorecard, and another person should keep Golf Genius Live Scoring.  If you don't keep live scoring during the match, keep at least two paper scorecards to compare at the end. 

 
Score the match as +1, +2, -1, -2, etc., e.g. keep a running net total on a row below or between the hole scores. 

 

 

 

10. Tiebreakers: If match is tied after 18 holes 

1. No match may end in a tie. If the match is even after 18 holes, players must use one of the tiebreaker methods listed below.  

  1. If you are playing at Willows Run, Extra Holes are not allowed by management unless you pay for an additional round (twilight rates are not unreasonable). Please do not even ask, as management has been clear to EGC that they will not allow this procedure anymore. Continued use of extra holes at Willows Run without paying will jeopardize the right for Evergreen Golf Club to continue playing any club rounds at Willows Run.
  2. If you are playing at any other course, we recommend asking the course in advance if extra holes are allowed per USGA rules for match play tiebreakers.  You should ask either when you make your reservation or when you check in with the starter.  If the course does not allow it, use one of the other methods.
  3. Players must agree on a potential tiebreaker scenario BEFORE playing their match.  

 

2. Tie Break Recommendations are as follows:

  1. Continue the Round the same day - If the course allows, play extra holes the same day until a winner is determined – any match that is tied after 18-holes should check with the golf course before the round to see if they can continue playing extra holes until a winner is decided (same stroke allocation).  This is the USGA preferred method, but may not be available at some courses.  
  2. Continue the round at the beginning of the next EGC Event (Within 7 days) – If all players are signed up for an EGC event such as Thursday League or a Weekend Event within the next 7 days, you may request a common tee time and continue playing the match for the first few holes, until the match is decided.  Use Match Stroke Play rules where applicable for those holes.  Each player must fully hole out and record a score for the stroke play event as well. See See Committee Procedures, Section 6C (11) for guidelines on simultaneous stroke and  match play. 
  3. Schedule an after-5:30 pm Twilight Round at Willows Run within the next 7 days – Schedule a round at Willows Run within the next 7 days, taking advantage of the discounted twilight rates, and either
    1. Play until the match is decided (Sudden Death), or
    2. If both players agree, play a 9-hole match with extra holes after 9 if needed. 
  4. Play a 9-hole match if more than 7 days – if a match is tied after 18-holes, players may choose to play a second 9-hole match on a future date to decide a winner. If it has been more than 7 days since the original match, this is the only option. If you are still tied after 9 holes you can continue on the back 9 playing sudden death. 
  5. Flip a tee or a coin – players may flip a tee or a coin to determine the winning team. Do not flip until after the 18th hole.

 

3. If you play extra holes

  1. Per-hole handicap strokes remain the same for playoff holes as the original round.
  2. Record your scores for each hole in playoffs on the card.  (Live Scoring does not support extra holes)
  3. Tournament Director will enter the extra holes and results for you - be sure to send in the results.
  4. Report final results as "19 Holes" or "20 Holes" etc.

 

 

11. Reporting your Score - Result / Date / Sign / Photo / Email / Post

 

  1. Result: Write down the Match Result CLEARLY on one of the scorecards (e.g. Smith 6 & 5).  I'm not going to count it up and figure it out.  
  2. Date: Make sure the match DATE is on the scorecard. Standard USGA requirement. 
  3. Sign: BOTH PLAYERS Sign the Scorecard. 
  4. Photo: Take a photo or scan of your scorecard with your phone. 
  5. Email: The WINNER is responsible for sending email to EvergreenGC@outlook.com, although either player may send it in. 
    1. (a) the Match Result TYPED in the body of the email so we can read it AND
    2. (b) the Scorecard Photo  
    3. (c) Please copy your opponent.  That's their "attestation."
  6. POST: Each player Post your OWN scores to GHIN. EGC does not post match play scores. Posting Hole by Hole (per Rule 3) will automatically handle Net Double Bogey corrections.

 

Please remember to include your opponent on the email results so they can verify the results (and watch out for typos). 

 

Final Championship should be posted as a "C" Competition score.

 

Why do we require you to send in a photo of the card?

  1. It gives us an official copy of the scorecard per USGA rules, and something to check against the live scoring if there is a question. 
  2. It serves as a "Trigger" for us due to a quirk in the way Golf Genius works.  One of us needs to manually lock your score/result in Golf Genius.  We do this by adding the date of the match (in text) in the match result.  Otherwise, the next time handicaps update, GG will “rescore” the match, which can sometimes change the result, or even change the winner in the bracket, and really screw up the next round and confuse everyone.  

 

 

12. Pace of Play

 

Please keep up pace of play when playing match play. 

  • If you are out of a hole, please concede the hole and pick up your ball(s) without putting it out and move on. 
  • If your opponent concedes the hole and you have not yet holed out, please pick up your ball and move to the next hole.

 

13. Conceded Hole - Ball not holed out - Score for Posting

 

From USGA Handicap Rule 3.3:  If you pick up prior to holing out, estimate your “most likely score” for posting. 

 

A "most likely score" is the score a player must post for handicap purposes if a hole is started but not completed or if the player is conceded a stroke. The most likely score is:

  • The number of strokes already taken to reach a position on a hole, plus
  • The number of strokes the player would most likely require to complete the hole from that position, plus
  • Any penalty strokes incurred during play of the hole.
  • If this number exceeds the player's Net Double Bogey limit, you can just write the Net Double Bogey number.
  • Most likely scores should be determined on any hole in accordance with the following guidelines:

 

Position of the Ball

Strokes to be Added

If the ball lies on the putting green, and is no more than 5 feet from the hole:

Add one additional stroke.

If the ball lies between 5 feet  and 20 yards from the hole:

Add 2 or 3 additional strokes, depending on the position of the ball, the difficulty of the green and the ability of the player.

If the ball lies more than 20 yards from the hole:

Add 3 or 4 additional strokes, depending on the position of the ball, the difficulty of the green and the ability of the player.

 

 

 

14. A quick note on Match Result Terminology

 

A match result is “Smith beat Jones 2 and 1” or “Smith won 2 up” or “Smith won in 20”.  

  • 2 and 1 – means up by 2 holes with one remaining hole. This is not “Smith won 2 up on 17”.
  • 3 and 2 – means up by 3 holes with two remaining
  • 1 up or 2 up – mean 18 holes played and the match was won by either one hole or by two holes.
  • 3 up or 4 up – this doesn’t mean anything.  You either win 3 & 2, 4 & 2, or 4 & 3.  Etc.
  • Smith won, 20 holes.  Means Smith one on the 20th hole. This is not “1 up after 20” it’s just “20 Holes”.  There’s no way to win by 2 up after 20.