DGA a NJ Golf Club
Partners Team Tournament Guidelines (updated March, 2022)
1. The DGA Partners Tournament is comprised of Two-Man Partner Teams (P-teams) playing P-matches in the usual "Best Ball + Aggregate Score" ("Bessie/Aggie") format. P-teams enter and sign up with the DGA Partners Commissioner (currently Frank Thiry) up to 3 days prior to the DGA's official Opening Day (exact date to be issued annually at the Spring Meeting). Entries must be made either in person or in writing via email ("thirys@aol.com"). Members can enter the P-Tourney with only one other DGA member (no multiple entries allowed).
2. Entry fee will be $20 per man ($40 per P-team).
OPENING ROUND, FIRST TWO (2) MATCHES:
3. In the first round, each P-team will play two other P-teams. Once the number of P-teams officially entered in the P-tournament is known, there will be a random drawing to determine each P-teams two match opponents. The drawing will normally be performed on Opening Day, after that day's golf rounds are completed.
4. First round P-matches can be played anytime from the beginning of April through the 3rd Saturday in July, and can be played on any day of the week. As in the past, each member must play his own ball throughout the round (the usual weekly DGA medal play always takes priority), and no advice may be given during the round.
5. First round P-matches must be played on one of the five Somerset County courses, including Neshanic Valley, Green Knoll, Quail Brook, Spooky Brook and/or Warrenbrook. One player from each team MUST keep a P-match scorecard and they are to be compared periodically during the match to ensure ongoing accuracy.
6. After every P-team has completed its two rounds, the top-8 P-teams will qualify for the P-tournament Playoffs. Rankings will be determined as follows: 1) Most Wins 2) Best "Net Points" 3) Tiebreaker: P-teams which completed its two rounds the quickest. NOTE: There are no 9+18 hole tiebreakers during the first round… in that instance, each P-team will be awarded 1/2 of a Win, and will be given "0" points (ie: neither positive nor negative points.) Standings of all P-team results will be published semi-monthly to keep all members up-to-date.
PARTNER PLAYOFF ROUNDS:
7. Upon completion of the 1st Round and determination of the rankings, the P-teams will be seeded for the quarter-finals, with the best P-team designated as the 1-seed, etc. The 1-seed will play the 8-seed, 2-seed will play the 7-seed, 3-seed will play the 6-seed, and 4-seed will play the 5-seed. After completion of the Quarterfinals, the remaining four teams in the semi-finals will be reseeded with the highest seed playing the lowest seed and the second highest seed playing the next to lowest seed.
8. The Eight (8) quarter-final P-teams will proceed to play the normal "bessie/aggie" partners match off the low man's handicap, as has been played in all the years past.
9. The Eight (8) P-team playoff deadlines will be as follows: Quarter-finals rounds must be played by the third Saturday in September; Semi-final rounds must be played by the third Saturday in October; Championship finals must be played before November 15th (the official New Jersey Handicap Season is April 1 through November 14).
10. Unlike the first round qualification P-matches, all playoff matches can be played at any course and on any day of the week, as agreed upon by all four participants, including out-of-state courses. Also, all playoff P-matches will contain the old, traditional tie-breaker rules, calculating points won of the 9th + 18th holes, etc.
GENERAL P-TOURNAMENT NOTES:
11: PRIZES: distributions will be awarded as in the past, starting with the 4 quarter-final winners. The exact prize monies will be determined after the beginning of April… once the total number of P-teams is known.
12. P-MATCH FORMAT:
“Bessie/Aggie” System (Net Scores), total 18 holes.
Low Best Ball per hole: 1 point
Low Aggregate Score per hole: 1 point
Handicap Holes will be determined/played off the Low Man’s Handicap
Tiebreaker(s): Add Points from 9th & 18th Holes, (8th & 17th, etc.)
13. FORFEITS: If the required P-match is not played by the deadline of that particular round, a forfeiture will be awarded to the P-team which had played on the same Saturdays the most times during the time period in question. If both teams have played the same number of rounds and have not attempted to play the match, both are eliminated. (See the DGA Schedule for the Official Cutoff Dates for each round.)
14: POST-MATCH HOLES: As mandated at the 2022 Winter Meeting, once a match winner (same for both Individual matches and Partner matches) has been determined, each participant's "handicap score" for all remaining holes will not be allowed to count beyond net-par. The intent of this rule is to prevent scores from being manipulated for handicap purposes once the match has ended. Actual scores will be continue to be recorded and submitted for standard DGA medal play and player pools.