Women's Golf South Africa is committed to encouraging stroke play at all our affiliated clubs and to this end we request that clubs include the WGSA Handicap Medal Competition as the mainstay on their annual fixture list. In order to actively encourage working women and junior golfers to take part in their club's monthly WGSA Medal, clubs should ensure that their members have sufficient opportunity to submit qualifying scores for the WGSA Medals by planning fixtures according to each individual club's membership status (see "Number of Medal Competitions).

AFFILIATED CLUB - A golf club affiliated to its Provincial Union and Women's Golf South Africa (WGSA).
CLUB COMMITTEE - The Committee responsible for the course and the management of the Club.
COMMITTEE - The Committee of the Ladies' Section of an affiliated club.
WGSA YEAR - The period commencing on 1st January and ending 31st December each year.
MARKER - A marker is one who is acceptable to the Committee to record a competitor's score in stroke play.
PLAYING MEMBER - An amateur member in good standing of an affiliated club
ELIGIBILITY - Open to all playing members, including junior members, with a valid handicap calculated in terms of the South African Golf Handicapping System for Men & Women. A player may compete, and is eligible to win a medal, at every club of which she is a member. Committees may not make a condition requiring a minimum number of scores to be returned before a member is eligible to compete in a WGSA Medal Competition and may not impose any additional qualification criteria.

Silver Division: Handicaps up to and including 18
Bronze Division: Handicaps of 19 to 36 inclusive

18 Hole Stroke Play Handicap competitions played in accordance with the Rules of Golf as approved by the R & A Rules Limited and Local Rules and By-Laws of the Club. Note: The By- Laws of the Club must not contravene any Regulation of Women's Golf South Africa. Any, or all, of these competitions may be played in conjunction with a club stroke play competition, as authorized by the Committee.

The Draw & Starting Times

There is no compulsory draw for the WGSA Medal. It is recommended that players be permitted to play at any time of the day when the course is available to them i.e. either morning or afternoon. Play may be in twos, threes or fours, and whilst it is good practice that a seeded draw (according to handicap) is done, the Committee may make its own conditions regarding draws. If a Club competition is played alongside the WGSA Medal, the Committee is permitted to set its own conditions for that competition.

The competition is not limited to any number of participants in the field. One person with a marker constitutes the competition as being played (see Conditions of Entry: Minimum number of entries).

Number of fixtures: Minimum and Maximum

The Committee must commit to a minimum of 8 stroke play competitions during the year that enable players to qualify for the Silver and Bronze medals. A Trophy Event, or the first round of a 36 hole event, or both rounds if played over two days, can be designated provided the competition is stroke play. If week-end fixtures are being arranged by the Committee, a minimum of 6 week-end fixtures must be set. Clubs with equal status for women may organise the WGSA Medal to take place in conjunction with the regular Club Monthly Medal round (if applicable), but only if junior members are permitted to participate. No maximum number of events is stipulated. However, the maximum number of scores that are permitted to count for the WGSA Medal is 12. Players who have reached this maximum may play in a WGSA Medal competition and (if applicable) win a prize, but their score will not count in the annual score calculation. The WGSA medal rounds may not be combined with any event that excludes any medal player in either division e.g. limiting the event to players with handicaps of 24 or less.

Fixing of Dates

The dates of the WGSA Medal Competitions should be fixed by the Committee at the start of the WGSA year, noted on the club fixture list and posted in the clubhouse at least two weeks prior to the first of the competitions. There is no limit on the number of medal days set per month, although it is recommended to space them throughout the year.

Limited Number of Entries

If the Club Committee limits the number of entries of members who may compete on a WGSA Medal fixed for a week-end, the Committee should decide the fairest apportionment of opportunity to those wishing to play. A priority booking system could be introduced by the Committee to give working ladies and junior members first call on available spaces.

More than One Course (36 Holes)

Where a club has more than one course, the WGSA Medal Competitions need not all be played on the same course, provided that all competitors in each Division play the same course in any one competition.

Course unavailable or unplayable

The date of a scheduled WGSA Medal Competition may only be altered should the course be pronounced unavailable by the Club Committee, or if the Committee or its authorized representative considers that for any reason the course is not in a playable condition, or that there are circumstances which render the proper playing of the game impossible (Rule of Golf 33-2d).

Temporary Greens

If more than two temporary greens are in use on the day of a WGSA Medal Competition, the competition must be postponed or cancelled.

New Date (applicable to either a week day or a week-end fixture)

It is recommended that every effort is made to arrange a new date as soon as possible, but it must be within two calendar months of the date originally fixed and within the same WGSA year. A note to this effect must be posted in the clubhouse. Should a stipulated round have to be cancelled, and provided the minimum of 8 rounds have been or will be played during the year (as detailed under "Number of Fixtures" above), it is not necessary to set another date.

Clubs

Clubs must register their intention to compete by notifying their Provincial Union not later than 31st January each year. Medals will only be issued to clubs who have registered.

Playing Members

A player must register her intention to compete by ensuring that her entry has been inserted in the competition entry book/list, as required by the Committee. This must be done before she commences her round. If she fails to do so, she is deemed not to have entered the competition and her score does not count for the WGSA Medal competition.

Minimum number of entries

Should only one player enter the competition, her score must be recorded and count for WGSA Medal purposes. Where there is a single competitor, the Committee shall appoint an eligible marker whose appointment may be authorized by the Committee retrospectively. If no player enters the competition, the WGSA Medal Competition will be deemed to have taken place unless the Regulation relating to "Change of Date" applies (see above).

Entry Fees

There is no Entry Fee for the WGSA Medal, but the Committee may charge a competition fee for a competition played in conjunction with it or which would go toward the monthly club prize/s. In a large ladies section which has a traditional Copper Division, the Committee may award prizes for the Copper Division, but their scores would count within the Bronze Division for the WGSA Medal. Should this be the case, it is recommended that the Copper Division be for handicaps 27 - 36.

Clubs must keep accurate records of players' scores for each WGSA Medal.

Medals

WGSA, via their Provincial Unions, will award a Silver and Bronze Medal to each affiliated club who has registered to play the WGSA Medal, to be presented to the player with the best four nett medal scores over the WGSA year. These medals will be issued by the Provincial Union every August to be presented by the club before the end of December. Medals will not be issued to clubs who do not comply with these Tournament Conditions.

Score Calculation

The winner will be the player who returns the lowest aggregate of four nett scores from of a maximum of 12 entered scores in WGSA Medal Competitions played during the WGSA year in each division. For the Silver Medal, all four scores must be returned whilst the player has a Playing Handicap of 18 and under, and for the Bronze Medal, whilst she has a Playing Handicap of 19 to 36 inclusive. The winning of a Silver Medal supersedes the winning of a Bronze Medal in any club in the same year. The Bronze Medal will then be awarded to the player with the next lowest average score.

Ties

If two or more competitors tie, the winner shall be decided on the nett score of the aggregate of the best 3 scores, then the best 2 scores, then the best score. If still a tie, then the result is tied and both players shall be awarded the medal.

Notification of Winners

The Committee must forward the name of the winner of each division to the Provincial Union Secretary as well as their nett scores. The Union may post these names on their website or acknowledge them in any way they see fit. The Union may draw up a Club Medal Winner's Certificate to be awarded together with the Medal. In addition, a Provincial Union may organize a Provincial Final for all the Club Medal Winners

December 2009