Rules
Format
HANDICAPS
FEES
TEAMS
Welcome to the IrishCup from the founding Captains!
The 2024 Irish Cup Match Play Invitational is a tournament where for six consecutive months players will be pitted together in a one-on-one match play format. Each month all players will play the same course and each month the course venue will change (see Schedule). After the schedule has been set, opponents will play the designated course sometime during that month. Matches may be held early in the month or later in the month, on weekdays or weekends, at peak times or twilight, as long as the two players agree. Additionally, optional Group Day’s will be hosted most months to get more players together for fun, and to lower prices.
Team Format
There are four (4) teams of six (6) players. The inaugural captains are Alfred DeBlasio, Gary Malcolm, Randy Eronimous and Michael O’Brien. You will be competing for Irish Cup points the entire year. Matches in March, April, May (Pool Play) will be worth one point; matches in June, July, and August (Island Match and Flights) will be worth 2 points; and the Irish Cup matches are worth 4 points. The winner of the Irish Cup will share $1,800 in prize money.
Individual Format
The first three months (Pool Play) you will also be playing to determine your flight in the individual tournament. We will have A-F flights with the best records in the A flight. During the first three months you will have one match each month against a member of each of the other teams. After the completion of the first three months we will seed the 6 flights for month five (5). Top four from each team in A flight, second four in B flight, etc. So you are indirectly competing against your teammates in the first months for seeding in the individual tournament all while earning team points.
Match Play Basics. In match play the object is to win more holes than your opponent. A hole is won by the player who has the lowest net score for that hole. If you win the first hole, you are considered "one-up"; if you lose it, you are "one-down"; if you halve it, you are "all-square." The match is won by the person who is leading by a number of holes greater than the number of holes remaining to be played. Therefore a player who is two-up with one hole to play has won the match. The winner will have won the match 2 and 1 (two ahead with only one hole to play). A match is considered “dormie” when a player’s lead matches the number of holes remaining. Therefore a match is dormie if a player is up three with three holes remaining. What if the match ends up in a tie aka “All Square”?
Irish Cup Formats and Tie Breakers.
Matches for the first three months of Pool Play will be determined through a random live draw at the Kickoff Meeting. There is no tiebreaker for Pool Play matches. All square matches halve team points and individuals receive a tie on their record. However, if teammates are tied within their team after three months of play, a tiebreaker is required to determine placements in Flight Play.
IrishCup rules provide a standard Putt Off Tiebreaker, but any tiebreaker can be decided by the Captain and their team. The rules for the Putt Off Tiebreaker are listed below.
Month four’s Island Match replaces the Civil War format of the past. It’s for team points only, not individual advancement and is effectively a one day tournament bridging Pool and Flight play. 2 points per match, halves for all square results. As of 2024, this is a two-man FourBall match format with pairings chosen by the Captains then randomly drawn against one another.
Flight Play seeds six (6) flights from Pool Play. The #1 ranked player from each team is seeded in Flight A, #2 in Flight B, etc. Within each flight, the #1 player ranked by record will play #4, and #2 vs. #3. Tied records will have random pairings drawn. In Flight Play, a winner must be declared. Team points are halved for All Square matches regardless of the tiebreaker outcome, but the tiebreaker results determine who enters the Flight Championships or losers bracket from month 5 to month 6 and how Flight Championship money is divided. For prizes, some agree to the listed Winner / Runner Up amounts, some may choose to split the total regardless of the tiebreaker outcome.
Both players agree on a tiebreaker format before the match begins (if both players can’t agree, the original tiebreaker shall be used)
The match is played by the deadline listed in the Schedule. See below for rules related to matches that run past deadline dates.
Irish Cup Putt Off Rules for Tiebreakers
Putt off to 10 points, first to reach 10 wins
Each player uses two balls
Coin flip to see who starts - winner picks the hole and goes second (advantage to see what your opponent does with their first ball)
Mark the starting point and pick the hole you are going to (player A who won the toss chooses, player B goes first)
Player B goes first - putt one ball, then player A, repeat for second balls
Leave the balls where they stop. If any balls collide, neither ball is replaced.
Closest to the hole wins but MUST MAKE the second putt. If not, the other player can win the hole by sinking their closest ball. Repeat with the third/fourth ball if needed, alternating shots (not necessarily who is closest). If an opponent's ball is in the way, they must mark and move it. All miss, no blood and Player A picks next putt.
Any length putt is allowed. If balls hit, play where they stop (yes you could be a jerk and aim for the opponent’s ball but not in the IC spirit).
Sinking the first putt does not automatically win the hole if your opponent also sinks one. Second ball decides the point or a draw if both make or miss the second putt
Handicaps. This tournament will use official USGA handicaps (http://ghin.com/). We are aiming for total transparency in terms of scores and handicap. It is essential that all players post their scores, 9 or 18 holes, within 24 hours of any match they play throughout the year, whether it is for fun or in competition.
For new players establishing a GHIN for the first time, you must begin the tournament with a minimum of five scores posted. For those who can only get in three rounds before the first month, you can average your scores from those three rounds and use that to enter the other two rounds. Then, players will replace those averaged scores with real scores as they are achieved.
Posting Matches that Don’t Last 18 Holes. Per the new 2024 World Handicap System matches with uncompleted holes are automatically calculated by GHIN. The new 10-17 hole-by-hole posting format allows for the system to determine the weight and value of the unplayed holes, and has been both officially adopted by the IrishCup and most local clubs. Captains finding evidence of improper posting may require the player to write their handicap committee chair to have the round fixed. The IrishCup Captains encourage you to follow this procedure for incomplete casual rounds and rain-outs outside of the IrishCup, for the best handicap integrity.
The maximum index you can hold in any IrishCup match is 20. Your resulting Course Handicap based on the golf course and tees for the match may vary, but the maximum starting index is 20.
More on USGA handicaps: https://www.usga.org/handicapping/getting-a-usga-handicap-index.html
Tournament Play and Rulings. Tournament play will be guided by the rules of golf, however since few of us know all of the rules, when in doubt, confer with your opponent. If both players agree to a ruling, regardless of any subsequent ruling, the score and outcome stand.
If there is a disagreement about a ruling, the player needing a ruling will play two balls from that point through the green and ask for a ruling from the golf professional after the round. The golf professional’s ruling will be official and the hole scored accordingly. Should the dispute be about IrishCup rules, the two Captains should be involved. This should be the exception, not the rule. As ladies and gentlemen, let your common sense and courtesy prevail. Also, if you see your opponent is about to violate a rule of golf, inform him or her of the rule rather than wait for the infraction. A couple of examples: 1) an improper drop 2) an opponent asks “What club did you just hit (improper advice given” 3) an opponent picks up his ball to clean it (winter rules) without prior marking the spot. This tournament can be a way for us all to learn more about the rules of golf and how they are applied. Learning the rules of golf will be an asset when playing in any type of tournament.
Winter Rules. The fundamental rule of golf is “Play the ball as it lies,” but for the first several months, winter rules may apply. Ask at the pro shop if you are unsure whether or not winter rules are in affect—winter rules are often posted at the first tee.) Winter rules will be defined as the right to lift, clean and place a ball within six inches from where the ball has come to rest without incurring a penalty, except when the ball is in a hazard or when the original lie would be deemed unplayable (like under a bush). Winter rules will be applied from the tee to green—this applies to balls lying in the rough.
Tournament “Local Rule” re: Lost or out of bounds balls. The penalty for a lost ball or out of bounds ball when no provisional ball is in play, will be two strokes from the point where you believe your ball was lost (this is essentially the same penalty if you did hit a provisional ball—stoke and distance.) The reason for relying on the Local Rule is it would be difficult, if not impossible, to look for a ball for 3 minutes and then go back to where that shot was originally played to hit again. Remember, the others out on the course that day are not likely playing in our tournament and would not appreciate being held up.
On the other hand, if you hit a shot and think it might be difficult to find or is likely OB, you may hit a provisional ball. If you take this route you must say to your opponent “I’m hitting a provisional,” and then show your opponent the ball and markings that would distinguish it from the original ball. If this were your tee ball, you would now be hitting three and if this were your second shot, you would now be hitting four.
Other match play guidelines include
Putts may be conceded, but it should never be expected.
Throughout the match the last won hole will have the honors on the tee but pace of play should not be slowed by strict observance.
From tee through green, player away will hit first. This is strategic in match play, though be ready to hit your ball when it is your turn. Do not hold up play!
The match status should be announced on each tee beginning with hole two by the player who has the honors so there is no confusion.
After a hole has been completed, it is within the rules to practice putt as long as you are not holding up play.
Additionally:
Matches will be played from the tees determined by the rules committee for each course.
Ball to be played will have an identifying mark and will be announced and shown to opponent (“I’m playing a Titleist 4 with two red dots”) Players may change to a different ball at the beginning of a new hole, but must still have an identifying mark on the ball. (Always mark your ball the same way—mark many balls before you begin a round).
Players will walk, not ride. If something prevents you from walking you may invoke The Stanley Rule: $20 paid to your opponent to use a powered cart.
Range finders and/or GPS units are allowed. Sharing yardages with an opponent using these devices is not considered giving advice, therefore allowable.
Each player must keep his own score, because all players are required to post their scores on GHIN.com.
In 1:1 tournament play, one cannot give or take advice to or from anyone on how to play a hole, though pointing out the line to the green, or pointing out locations of hazards is allowed as this is considered public information. However, a player may not ask or offer advice regarding what club to hit, nor could a player remind an opponent that the green is fast or that the wind may affect the flight of the ball in a certain way. Exceptions are granted for partner play (Island Match, IrishCup Final).
Substitutes and Course Recommendations
If a player cannot make their match due to injury or unavoidable scheduling conflict, that player must contact the two involved captains immediately to enable time for a teammate to play in their stead.
If the match is outright conceded or cancelled due to substitute player/course options not able to be found, the match will be logged as a loss for him/her and a win for the opponent with the associated number of Irish Cup points assigned as usual.
When a player must leave a round early due to injury or disqualification, and there is no reasonable time left to reschedule the remainder of the match, the leaving player will be assessed a loss and for the purposes of handicap posting, will receive a net par on any remaining unplayed holes (per USGA).
Reporting Match Results:
Within 24 hours of a completed match the following must take place:
Both players will post their scores on GHIN.com hole by hole. Additionally the match victor will post an e-mail or text to the entire group that will include the following:
Official match results: “I played Young and beat him 4 and 3”
The winner must additionally provide a summary of the high and low lights of the match (remember, the winners write the history books). Be creative here, have some fun with this. We received some great chronicles over the years.
Kick-Off Meeting:
We will have a kick-off meeting in February or March. We can do the first draw and go over rules and generally get acquainted. Bring your $220 entry fee to this meeting. No player will be allowed to play an official match until their entry fee has been received by the captains.
If you are sponsoring a new player, please encourage the proposed player to come to the kick-off, please.
Entry Fee:
All players will kick in $220 as the tournament entry fee. All of this money will go toward cash prizes at the conclusion of the tournament. Cash prizes will be awarded to the winners of the two flights. There are no refunds of entry fees - partial season or permanent substitutes are to have been considered as “paid up” and cash prizes are doled out as the original and sub agree.
Irish Cup Final: (Sep 7th—Mark your calendar today!)
Our competition this year will be between all four teams led by the captains in a Ryder Cup format. Ryder Cup, as many of you know, is a competition between professional players from the UK/Europe and the United States. The format is Fourball (Best Ball, 90% handicap allowance) in the morning round and Modified Chapman (60% low handicap + 40% high handicap) in the afternoon round. Each match is worth four points at the Irish Cup.
Pairing and tee time preference is given to the team with the least number of IrishCup points before the final, then teams ranked 3, 2, and 1.
In the unlikely event that two teams were to tie on IrishCup points after the final, the tiebreakers are as follows:
The IrishCup Final’s head-to-head record of the two tied teams
The IrishCup Final’s lowest combined net Best Ball score (combined across teams)
The IrishCup Final’s lowest combined net Modified Chapman score (combined across teams)
Coin flip (best 2 of 3)
Weather delays during the Irish Cup Final. The understanding this late in the season is that it would be extremely difficult to reschedule 24 players to replay the IrishCup Final, therefore, these alterations have been predetermined to provide an outcome on the day.
If the horn is blown, players mark the spots of their ball and come in to the club house. Play is resumed when the weather delay is lifted.
When lifted, the four Captains determine, given how much time remains before the first tee times of the 2nd round, what time play must conclude on the first round. The horn will be blown at that time and only completed holes will count for the match.
If the 2nd round is impacted by the delay, the Captains will pre-determine how many holes all six foursomes can play and fix the number of holes the 2nd round will run. If a second weather delay occurs, then the horn stops play for the day and match scores derived from the completed holes are tallied for the final count.
Tournament Commitment:
Understand that by accepting an invitation to play in this match play tournament, you are making a six month commitment. You are committing to play one match a month for six consecutive months. Though injuries or unforeseen events could cause a player to drop out, simply disappearing after the first couple of matches would be bad form and would make continued competition more difficult for other players. There are no refunds of entry fees.
“The Captain Committee”:
O’Brien, DeBlasio, Malcolm and Eronimous will act as the “committee” for all tournament related questions or ruling decisions.