Tournament Rules

Format

Single-elimination, two-player better-ball net match play over the front 9 at Mill Valley Golf Course (white tees). One round per calendar month — early play is encouraged. A match tied after 9 holes continues from hole 1 with the same strokes until decided.

Full rules text to follow from the committee.

Handicaps & Adjustments

• Indexes are locked at the start of each round.Every player’s competition handicap is fixed when the round opens and does not move mid-round, regardless of any scores posted to GHIN afterward. Each new round re-locks off the then-current figures.
• Indexes are reviewed for fairness and may be reduced toward recently demonstrated ability.The adjustment weighs how far a player’s current index sits above their lowest index of the past 12 and 24 months and whether they score better in competition than in casual play. The touch is lighter when there is little recent data or the index is built on old rounds; players with no recent posts are handled conservatively; and a reduction never drops anyone below their best recent round. The aim is a defensible number that reflects how a player is actually playing.
• The Handicap Committee reserves the right to adjust any player’s index to a reasonable and defensible level when circumstances warrant.
• All adjustments are final.

Strokes

• 9-hole course handicap = (index ÷ 2) × (slope ÷ 113) + (rating − par), rounded to the nearest 0.5 — slope 107, rating 31.0, par 33.
• All four players play off the lowest course handicap in the match — the low player gets 0 strokes, everyone else gets the difference.
• Final strokes awarded are capped at 9. No double pops.
• Strokes fall on the hardest holes first per the scorecard handicap row (hole order 7, 5, 3, 9, 1, 2, 6, 4, 8).
• A player with X.5 strokes gets a full stroke on the first X holes in that order and a half stroke on hole X+1. On a half-stroke hole, a tied hole is WON by the player holding the half stroke.
• Strokes shown before a match use the latest synced GHIN indexes; the strokes snapshotted when the result is reported are the official record.

Entry & Payment

Entry is $100 per team: Venmo/PayPal @davidsharris (2300). Stroke sheets stay locked until both teams in a match have paid.

Reporting results

Either team reports the winner (with an optional score line like “2&1”) from the match page; the opposing team confirms with one tap. The winner advances automatically and the losing team is eliminated. Disputes go to the committee.