Tournament Process
Tournament Process

Registering for Events:

  • Player must login to register for all tournaments.

Registering for Tournaments:

  • Registration to tournaments is open!
  • Every member is required to register online for each tournament. To register for a tournament, you first log in using your player/member ID. Click FIND A TOUR NEAR ME on the top, and pick the tour that you want to play the tournament in. Then click the Schedule on the left of the page and click Register next to the tournament.
  • If you don't know your member ID, go to the Indianapolis tour page on our website and click "2025 Tour Members" to find your ID.
  • If you are a member of both Golfweek and Senior tours, you will need to use your Golfweek Player ID to register for Golfweek events and your Senior Player ID to register for Senior events.
  • The deadline to register and pay for the event is Tuesday of the week of the tournament. This helps us send our tee sheets to the golf courses on time.
  • When possible, please register for as many events that you plan on playing ahead of time. This will let me know how many spots we need and enable us to adjust our player count in advance.
  • Guarantee your spot with a payment. We do operate on a first-come, first-served basis — which means that once we reach the maximum number of paid players (as listed on the Roster in Schedule page) we start our waiting list. If there are more players listed than we have listed for available spots, please check to see how many people have paid for the event - only paid players are guaranteed tee times.
  • Registration remains open until the stated deadline OR whenever the field is completed with the maximum number of paid players - whichever occurs first. Each tournament has a Roster which may be accessed from the Schedule page.
  • Adhere to deadlines. We understand things come up last minute and have no problem if you have to cancel playing. But, all cancellations and withdrawals must be done by calling or emailing the tour director by Wednesday evening of the week of the tournament. Cancellations after Wednesday may result in fees owed for money already allocated for prize funds and course charges. Refunds/credits will not be honored after the deadline (unless a replacement player from the same flight is secured).
  • Pay for events online via the Pay by Credit Card tab on the website. If the payment is not received by the deadline, the player may be removed from the Roster and the number of players will be adjusted accordingly.
  • Each tournament fee includes golf, cart, range, trophies, and prize pool. Each tournament fee differs based on what course charges.
  • If you want to avoid the PayPal fee, you can pay using my Venmo account (@Amalaraj-Irudayaraj). Please include a note that includes the tournament/course name and your name.
  • Keep in mind that upon registering for an event you will receive an automated email stating you have been registered and payment must be made to secure your spot. This is an automatically generated message. The process of adding players to the Roster and marking players as paid on the list is done manually. Please allow 48 hours for your name to appear on the Roster. Feel free to reach out after 48 hours to check on the status of a registration/payment that does not show on the website. Registrations/payments made over the weekend may be delayed if a tournament is being played that weekend.

 

Golfweek/Senior Combo Tournaments:

  • 3 Combo Events: These are golf tournaments where Golfweek members and Senior members play together, but in separate divisions.
    • Hawthorns Country Club: Monday, May 5th
    • Sagamore Country Club: Monday, May 12th
    • Chatham Hills Country Club: Monday, June 16th
  • Division Choice: If a golfer is a member of both Golfweek and Senior, they must choose which division they want to compete in for that specific tournament. They cannot participate in both divisions.
  • Playing Formats:
    • Golfweek members: Stroke Play (total number of strokes counts)
    • Senior members: Net Score (score adjusted based on handicap)
  • Handicap for Seniors: The AGT Index will be used as the handicap for Senior members to calculate their Net Score.
  • Points: No points will be awarded to players who play in Net/Senior Division.

 

Side/Cash Games for Events (These are optional):

  • Closest to the pin - All par 3's - For all flights - $5.
  • Flight skins - Birdie or better for Champ, A & B flights / Par or better for C & D flights - $10.
  • Super skins - Birdie or better - For all flights - $10.
  • Pick and choose the games that you want to play; these side games are optional.
  • Bring exact cash to play these games. All skins will be paid in cash.

 

Pairings for Events:

  • Pairings will be posted on the Tee Times/Pairings page under Tournament Info of the website on Thursday evenings or Friday mornings for a one-day event and as soon as possible for the second day of a two-day event.
  • An email with tee times will be sent to all members regardless of whether they are playing in that event or not.
  • Pairings are generally based upon flights to keep fields close together during the round. Accommodations will be made when possible to enable guests to play with the person bringing them and/or special requests. All requests must be made on Tuesday the week of the event via email (Indy@amatuergolftour.net). Refer to the Tour manual for guest policy.
  • Always check the pairings the night before the event and the morning of the event to ensure you are up-to-date with any last-minute changes!

 

Rules and Tee Boxes for Events:

  • Please familiarize yourself with the rules in the Tour Manual available online.
  • Each flight will be assigned a tee box based on yardage. Refer to the Tour manual for yardages for each flight.
  • Please understand that last-minute changes may be made when necessary due to course conditions/recommendations.

 

Tournament Check-In for Events:

  • Please allow sufficient time to check in within the stated guidelines on the rules sheet for each event while allowing time for your personal warm-up and pre-game routines.
  • All players must personally check-in before an event. (You will be automatically checked in on the second day of a two-day tournament).
  • Please be sure to pick up and read all documents/materials provided on the day of a tournament.
  • Range balls will be provided by the hosting course for every event.

 

Scoring for Events:

  • Each group is required to have one person complete the paper scorecard and one person complete the online Live Scoring scorecard. Players are expected to fulfill both duties when asked during a tournament. Please come prepared.
  • To log in to Live Scoring, enter your golfer ID when prompted. Remember that if you are a member of both Golfweek and Senior, you have to use two different IDs. Your IDs can be found on the paper scorecard provided.
  • Every player is responsible for verifying his/her hole-by-hole score on both the paper scorecard and the online scorecard.
  • At the end of the round, verify your scorecard and return your scorecard to the scorer's table as soon as possible. The paper scorecard serves as the official record, not the online system (Live Scoring).

 

Scoring Out of Flight (Sand-Bagger Policy):

  • To maintain the integrity of each flight, our Tour Handicap Committee will review instances where members with an invalidated AGT Index (less than 8 AGT completed rounds within the past 2 years) return a score that indicates their actual playing performance exceeds that of their current flight.
  • If a A & B flight player scores four strokes below his/her AGT index and a C & D flight player scores five strokes below his/her AGT index, I will have to contact the National Office to examine the player's score prior to awarding flight prizes.
  • In the event that the committee determines the player should be disqualified, please kindly accept the decision and refrain from making a scene at the event. These decisions are hard to make and sometimes I have to make these hard decisions as your tour director. Again, this process is important to maintain the integrity of our tour and more importantly to maintain the integrity of the game of golf that we all love to play.

 

Pace of Play for Events:

  • Play READY-GOLF! Be ready to play when it's your turn. It's about keeping the game moving, not playing fast.
  • Be mindful of your individual routine when on the course; we ask that every player do their part to help speed up the pace of play. Ready-Golf doesn't mean you have to play fast, rather you have to be prepared and ready to play when it's your turn.
  • As we all know, a faster pace of play means less waiting time, leading to a more enjoyable experience for all golfers in tournament play.
  • Please be mindful of your pace of play during all our tournaments. We aim to keep our tournament rounds under 4 1/2 hours.
  • Triple bogey is the maximum score for all flights except the Champ flight (Champ must finish the hole).
  • Every player is responsible for the pace of play for their group and should be aware of their position on the course as well as with the information provided via the Live Scoring online system.
  • We ask that all players stick to the USGA rules when using the allotted time to look for lost balls, only 3 minutes!
  • Players in foursomes should play their ball before helping another in their group look for their ball.
  • When hitting a shot that might be out of play, hit a provisional before leaving, this will keep you from having to go back to your previous spot and hit again.
  • 18-MINUTE SLOW PLAY RULE: You must turn your scorecard in 18 minutes after the group in front of you. If you do not, we will deem your group out of position and will penalize each player in the group (1) stroke. If the group out front is playing exceptionally fast or is a 3-some, your group must play in 4 hours and 30 minutes or less to avoid a 1-stroke penalty. This rule has been put into effect to help make our rounds more enjoyable for all, along with keeping the courses we play happy so we can continue playing these courses. This may open up new possibilities to play different courses if we can prove to keep a 4-hour and 30-minute pace. Please do not argue when you are given a penalty.
  • We hope these tips contribute to a fantastic experience for every player. Thank you in advance for your cooperation in this regard as we aim to make this tour a positive experience for all players.

 

Issues During an Event:

  • When in doubt of a rule, play two balls and get a ruling when you return to the clubhouse. If possible, take a picture of the situation to assist in determining a ruling.
  • Most golfers don't know all the rules. Use Google to check any rule questions. 

 

Cheating & Rule Violations:

  • If a rule violation or cheating is witnessed by two or more people in your group, the violating player will be disqualified from the event.
  • If it happens a second time, the violator will be removed from the Indianapolis Amateur Tour and forfeit all the fees and points.
  • If an individual witnesses a rule violation or cheating, they should report it to the tour director immediately after the conclusion of the round.

 

Prizes/Event Recaps after an Event:

  • Winners in each flight in each tournament will receive custom trophies and and visa debit cards. All prizes will be paid out with Golfweek Amateur Tour Visa Gift Cards, no cash prize (as per USGA rule).
  • I advise players to register their gift cards as soon as possible via the email/phone number listed on the card and located within the envelope. It is the individual player's responsibility to complete this process to ensure the safety/accessibility of the gift card.
  • Recaps of local events are generally provided in a newsletter and on Facebook following the tournament, and may also be accessible via a link on our homepage.

 

Caddies & Spectators:

  • Caddies are not allowed.
  • If you bring any spectators, it is your responsibility to reserve the cart for yourself by calling the course. We are not responsible for carts for spectators.
  • If a course offers a caddy/fore-caddy as an option at a tournament, it is up to the player to utilize and pay for such services. If a course requires a caddy/fore-caddy to participate in the tournament, the player must adhere to the rules of the course and pay according to published Tour information.
  • Under no circumstances may a player use a caddy that is not provided by the course.

 

Range Finders and GPS:

  • Range finders are allowed, but they must have wind and slope options turned off.
  • Green reading devices of any kind are NOT permitted. This includes Green Books and/or all types of Green Reading Apps.

 

New Members Only:

  • Every new member is required to send me your current handicap via email (Indy@AmateurGolfTour.Net). If you don't have an established HCP (USGA GHIN), send me your latest 4-5 scores along with the course name and tee box you played from, and I will calculate your HCP and make sure you are in the right flight.
  • It's important for each player to play in the right flight. Remember the rule regarding scoring out of flight, which may affect your results.
Posted: 4/14/2023 9:23:28 AM