General Rules

1. Member Clubs

The Oxfordshire Foursome League will be made up of golf clubs located within Oxfordshire and the surrounding counties who have been accepted for Membership by the current Oxfordshire Foursome League Member Clubs at an AGM/Fixture Conference. Any club wishing to join the Oxfordshire Foursome League will need to apply in writing to the Secretary at least 14 days before the AGM/Fixtures Conference.

2. Club Representative

Each Oxfordshire Foursome League Member Club shall nominate a Club Representative to act as the contact point for other Oxfordshire Foursome League Club Representatives and the Committee as a condition of their Membership. The Club Representatives contact information shall be published on a restricted area of the website to be available to other Club Representatives and the Committee.

3. Committee

The Committee will consist of a minimum of six people and will be elected at the AGM/Fixture Conference. The Committee will consist of a Chairperson, Treasurer and Secretary, plus one representative from each section of the League. The Chairperson, Treasurer and Secretary will need to seek reselection after serving three continuous years.

The Committee will be responsible for the running of the League and Knock Out competition during the season and will make decisions on matters not covered by the rules. There is no requirement for the Committee to meet during the year and decisions can me made via email discussion and voting where appropriate. Any decisions made by the Committee will be final unless the Committee decides to bring them to the AGM/Fixture Conference.

4. AGM/Fixture Conference      

The AGM/Fixture Conference will normally be held on the last Monday of November each year. At the AGM Member Clubs will receive details about the previous year’s activity, status of finances, discuss/agree any rule changes and vote on applications from new clubs wishing to join the Oxfordshire Foursome League.

Each Member Club will have one vote available for any resolutions made at the AGM. The Committees, in their Committee roles, will not be entitled to vote on any resolution at the AGM, except in the case of a tied vote, where the Chairperson will have the casting vote. 

5. Subscriptions               

Annual Subscriptions are to be paid by 1st April each year. Any Subscriptions not received by this date may result in the offending Member Club being excluded from the Oxfordshire Foursome League. Knock Out Subscriptions are an optional payment and Member Clubs who do not wish to play in the Knock Out may elect not to pay that part of the Subscription.

6. Players               

To play in a League, or Knock Out Match, a Player must be of amateur status and be a playing member of the Member Club they are representing. A Player may only represent one Member Club during the season. Should a Player leave a Member Club and they have played for that Member Club during the current season they may continue to represent their old club for the remainder of the season.

For League Matches, any Member Club found guilty of playing an ineligible Player will forfeit that game. Any points won in that particular game will be awarded to their opponent’s team (including bonus points) and they will also be deducted four points.

For Knock Out Matches, any Member Club found guilty of playing an ineligible Player will forfeit that game. Subject to the results in the other games this may, or may not, impact the team going through to the next round. Should the forfeit of a game results in an overall drawn match, then their opponents will go through to next round.

7. Match Starting Times

Matches will normally be played on a Saturday with a start time of 9.30am unless both Member Clubs have previously agreed a different day/time. All team pairings must have started play within thirty minutes of the agreed starting time. Failure of any pairing to do so will automatically result in the loss of that game(s).

8. Local Rules    

All matches shall be played in accordance to the R&A Rules of Golf and any Local Rules in force at the time, with exception to any Local Rule governing use of device that measures distance, where the following Rule will prevail over Local Rules.

“For all League, or Knock-Out matches, a player may obtain distance information by using a device that measures distance only. If, during a stipulated round, a player uses a distance-measuring device that is designed to gauge or measure other conditions that might affect his play (e.g. gradient, windspeed, temperature, etc.), the  player is in breach of Rule 14-3, for which the penalty is disqualification, regardless of whether any such additional function is actually used.

Players are reminded that Information on the Rules, distance, or matters of public information, such as the position of hazards or the flagstick on the putting green, is not advice and as such where one team is using a distance distance-measuring device and another does not have such a devise, requesting distance information and providing such information is not “advice” and is seen by the league as good Etiquette.”

League Competition Rules

1. Fixtures

With the exception of the final Fixture of the season League Fixtures will be agreed between Club Representatives at the AGM/Fixture Conference. The final Fixture of the season will be drawn at random at the AGM/Fixture Conference and played on the final Saturday of the season, normally the last Saturday in October. Any Member Club not present at the AGM/Fixtures Conference will have their Fixtures arranged by the other Club Representatives in their section.

Member Clubs may rearrange Fixtures with their opponents without any penalty up to 31st January. During this time their opponents are expected to support such requests and agree new dates mutually with their opponents. Once any revised Fixture dates have been agreed they should be confirmed by the requesting Club Representative in writing to their opponents, with a copy being sent to the League Secretary so that the website fixture list can be updated.

In case of Fixture disagreement the list maintained on the website will be the master.

2. Postponements

 After 31st January matches may only be postponed if:

The course has been closed to “all play” on the day Match is to be played

There are more than two temporary greens in operation on the day the Match is played, in which case either Member Club will have the option to postpone the Match

Both Member Clubs agree to postpone the Match

Postponements for any reason other than listed above will be deemed an “Unnecessary Postponement” and the Member Club responsible will automatically be deducted 4 points.

The Oxfordshire Foursomes League expects all Postponed Fixtures, including “Unnecessary Postponements”, to be rearranged. This should ideally be before the end of the season, but no later than the AGM/Fixture Conference. Both Member Clubs are expected to make every effort to rearrange and play Postponed Matches in this timeframe. As soon as a new date/time is agreed one of the Club Representatives is to notify the League Secretary so that the website fixture list can be updated.

Where a Postponed Match is not played before the AGM/Fixture Conference and its result impacts promotion and/or relegation, all Member Clubs impacted shall put their case for point’s award to the other Member Clubs at the AGM. A vote will then be taken to decide if any points are to be awarded and to whom. This may include the result of the Match being decided on a toss of a coin.

3. Matches           

Each Match will consist of three foursomes games. Pairings will be drawn for order of play. Once the draw has been made there will be no substitutions allowed. All games will be played off scratch, over eighteen holes and from the tee (and course if more than one option available) determined by the Home Club.

One point will be awarded for each game won and half a point for each game halved. One bonus point will be awarded to the team who wins the Match, or half a point will be awarded to each team if the Match is halved.

4. Abandoned Matches

In the event of an Abandoned Match, games will resume at the same score and place where they were when abandoned. The resumed Match must contain a minimum of 5 Players from the original Match, with Players playing in the original pairings and games. The option of mutually postponing and rearranging the Match is available to both Member Clubs, but this decision must be made at that time.

5. Results

It is the responsibility of the Home team Club Representative to complete the Match Result card and enter the results via the “Enter League Result” link on the website by 6:00pm on the Monday following the Match being played. Failure to do so will result in a one point deduction of the Home team on the second occasion and on every occasion thereafter for the remainder of the current season. The Match Result card must be retained by the home team until the end of the season in case of results dispute.

Postponed/Abandoned Fixtures must also be reported via the “Enter League Result” link on the website.

6. League Positions

When Member Clubs are tied on equal points, league positions will be decided on the Member Club winning the most points (including bonus points) in the Matches between the Member Clubs tied. If still equal, there will be a ‘play-off’, played on a neutral venue, with each game played to a finish, i.e. no halved games.

Where a Member Club withdraws from the league during the season, any points won/lost against that club shall be removed in determining league positions.

7. Promotion/Relegation

Unless agreed at the AGM the league will operate on a basis of 2 clubs being promoted and 2 clubs being relegated from each section at the end of each season.

Knock Out Competition Rules

1. Entry Requirements

All Oxfordshire Foursomes League Member Clubs will be eligible to enter one team to the Knock Out competition. The Committee may also elect to invite other clubs to participate who may be looking to join the Oxfordshire Foursomes League in future years. Payment to enter the Knock Out must be received by the same time as annual Subscriptions are due. Non-payment by this date will assume no entry to the Knock Out competition for the current season.

Where a Member Club withdraws from the League during the season, they will be automatically disqualified from the Knock Out competition and their opponents advanced to the next round.

2. Draw

A random Draw will be made at the beginning of the competition for the entire Knock Out competition. The first named club will have home advantage up to the semi-final, unless they wish to give it up. The semi-final will be at a neutral venue, which will be the first name team of the other semi-final. The final will take place at a neutral venue, arranged by the Committee.

3. Arranging Fixtures

With the exception of the Final, which will normally be played on the first Saturday of November, it is the responsibility of the Club Representative of both Member Clubs to contact each other to agree the date/time the Match is to be played. Each Match is to be played before the round close date which will be published on the website.

When the date/time is agreed the Club Representatives should agree who will report the date/time to the League Secretary via the “Enter Date of Knock-Out Fixtures” link on the website. This should be done as soon as the Match is arranged.

4. Postponements

Either Member Club may have the option to concede their Match it they chose to do so.  A Match may also be postponed if:

The course has been closed to “all play” on the day Match is to be played

There are more than two temporary greens in operation on the day the Match is played, in which case either Member Club will have the option to postpone the Match

Both Member Clubs agree to postpone the Match

Postponements for any other reasons other than above will be deemed an “Unnecessary Postponement” and the Member Club responsible will be disqualified and their opponents advanced to the next round.

Postponed Matches should be rearranged without delay with due regard to the time constraints for the close date for each round. As soon as a new date/time is agreed one of the Club Representatives is to notify the League Secretary so that the website fixture list can be updated.

The Committee may elect to decide the Result of Matches that are not played by the closed date by allowing an extension to the round close date, or by via a toss of coin to decide who will advance to the next round

5. Matches

Each Match will consist of three greensomes games. Pairings will be drawn for order of play; once the draw has been made there will be no substitutions allowed. All games will be played off scratch, over eighteen holes and from the tee (and course if more than one option available) determined by the home team, or host club if at neutral venue.

In the event of the overall result being level, the game that is tied will play ‘sudden death’ to a finish, or if all 3 games are tied the third match will sudden death’ to a finish.

6. Abandoned Matches     

In the event of an Abandoned Match, games will resume at the same score and place where they were, when abandoned. The resumed Match must contain a minimum of 5 Players from the original Match, with Players playing in the original pairings and games. The option of mutually Postponing and rearranging the Match is available to Member Clubs, but this decision must be made at that time.           

7. Result

It is the responsibility of the winning Member Club to complete the Match Result card and enter the results via the “Enter Knock Out Result” link on the website, by 6:00pm on the Monday following the Match being played. Failure to do so may result in disqualification. The Match Result card must be retained by the home team until the end of the season in case of results dispute.

Postponed/Abandoned fixtures must also be reported via the “Enter Knock Out Result” link on the website