TERMS

Ante: A pre-determined amount each competitor must add to the pot on each tee prior to the group hitting their tee shots. Bank: the amount of money each competitor has in his/her possession (i.e. “Chip Count”). Each competitor starts the round with the same amount. Button: A figurative classification which determines which competitor will bet and hit first, which rotates every hole through each group in the same order throughout the round. Caddie/Advisor: Each competitor will be allowed to have ONE person of his/her choosing, to perform the tasks of golf advice and/or betting advice. Only one Caddie/Advisor is allowed per competitor. The competitor is responsible for any breach of the rules by his/her caddie/advisor. Call: to match a bet made by a preceding competitor, in order to stay in a hole. Check: if no bet has been made, a competitor may pass on his/her option to bet, giving the option to the next competitor in the order of the group. Competitor: the contestant physically betting and participating in the World Series of Golf. Croupier: the “dealer” of each group that will announce and monitor the hitting order, keep track of all bets, shots, scores, and monetary amounts. The croupier will serve as the official scorekeeper of each group. Any error by the croupier will be resolved in a manner fairest to all. The error must be pointed out before the tee shots begin on the next hole. Fold: to concede the hole, by surrendering his/her ante and all bets made to that point on that hole. Pot: the total amount of money invested by all of the competitors in the group at any given time on a hole. Purse: The prize money awarded at the end of the competition on the final day. Tournament Committee: Group which oversees, administers and has final say on any rules, questions, and format.

FORMAT

• Modified Stroke Play, No Handicap Strokes.  Gross format.

• The number of competitors in a group is subject to change.  The game can be played with three to six competitors in a group. 

• The Tournament Committee will determine the composition of the groups, as well as which teeing ground each competitor will play from. A competitor’s teeing ground may change from one day to the next.

• Each group winner in round one will advance to round two. Each group winner in round two will advance to the final round. Competitors that compete in the final round will be in one group, and the winner will be crowned the champion of the World Series of Golf.

• USGA rules apply unless otherwise stipulated.

COMPETITION

1) Order of Play

a) Establishing the Order of Play: On the first tee, there will be a random draw to determine the set order of play for that round. Once that order is established, Competitor A will have the honor and the button on the first hole.  Competitor B, C, D, etc… will play in order (i.e. A, B, C, D).  On hole #2, the order will be B, C, D, A, and so on. In a four competitor group Competitor A receives the button back on the fifth hole assuming all competitors are still in.

b) The Rotation of the Order: A designated competitor (the first competitor to hit on the first tee) will have the button for that hole. On the next hole that competitor moves to the bottom (last to hit), and all other competitors move up one spot. Each competitor always follows the competitor in front of him (unless he/she folds) except when he/she has the button. The competitor with the button will always play his/her shot first in each round of shots and the pre-designated order will be followed.  A competitor will NOT hit his/her shot first based on being “away” but rather the designated order determined before play begins will determine who plays and in what order. 

c) Competitor is Away: A competitor may not hit his/her next shot, even if he/she is furthest away, until each competitor has hit his/her shot in the order of the button. Competitors follow the pre-designated order of play designated by the button.

d) Hitting Out of Order: If a competitor hits his/her shot out of turn he/she is penalized one stroke and his/her ball will be played as it lies. His/Her subsequent stroke will be a penalty stroke. To stay in the hole he/she must continue betting in the correct order.

2) Antes

a) Antes are Required: Every competitor is required to ante a pre-designated amount prior to beginning play on each hole.  The ante doubles every three holes through eighteen.

b) How the Ante Amount is Determined:Each competitor’s bank will be the same at the start of each day. The 1st hole ante on each day will be 1% of that amount.

c) Ante Amounts for Additional Holes: If the round goes to extra holes, the ante on the 19th hole will be double the amount it was on the 18th hole, and will double each subsequent hole thereafter.

d) Not Having Enough to Ante:Should a competitor not have enough money to pay the entire ante on a given hole that competitor will be immediately eliminated and his/her remaining cash will be placed into the pot of the hole being played. For example, if a competitor does not have enough money to pay the ante on the 16th tee, he/she is eliminated from the competition and his/her remaining money will be put into the pot for the 16th hole.

e) Remaining Group Cannot Meet Ante: In the event that an entire group does not have enough money to ante on a given hole, the winner of that round will be determined by the amount of money in each player’s bank at the conclusion of the previous hole played.

3) Betting

a) Minimum Bet Amount and Betting Increments: The minimum bet will be equal to 1% of the competitor’s starting bank for the given day. Betting will be in $100 increments over the minimum. No other betting increments will be allowed, except for all-in bets.

b) First Round of Betting: A competitor may place an additional wager after all of the first tee shots are played by each competitor and prior to hitting his/her second shot.  The Competitor with the button sets the standard by placing a bet, checking, or folding.  The next competitor shall have the opportunity to call, raise or fold on the bet.  The other competitors must call, raise or fold.  If a competitor folds he/she loses his ante and whatever he/she has wagered to that point. He/She must immediately stop playing and wait to start playing at the next hole.  This format continues until all remaining competitors finish the hole, or a winner is determined, whichever comes first.

c) Second Round of Betting: After all competitors have a chance to call, raise or fold the competitor with the button can fold or match any bets or raises, but no additional raises to the bet can be placed after the first round of betting.  In the second round of betting, all competitors must match the current bet from the first round of betting to stay in the hole and hit his/her next shot. If everyone checks during the first round of betting, there will NOT be a second round of betting.

d) Making a Bet: A bet is not official until it is acknowledged by the Croupier. All players must gather around the Croupier for each round of betting. The Croupier will situate himself in a central location relative to the group’s shooting positions.

e) Taking Back a Bet: Once a bet is confirmed with the Croupier it cannot be taken back and immediately goes into the pot for that hole.

f) Winning a Hole: The outright winner of the hole receives the entire pot for that hole.

g) Multiple Competitors Tie on a Hole (Even Split): In the case of a tie, the pot is split evenly between the winners of the hole. 

h) Multiple Competitors Tie on a Hole (Odd Split): In the case that an odd-dollar needs to be split, the competitor(s) with the lowest bank total going into the hole will receive the odd-dollar(s).

i) Additional Holes Required to Determine Winner: If more than one competitor still has enough money in his/her bank at the end of regulation, and that competitor can make the ante for a playoff hole, the competition will continue extra holes. The order of extra holes will follow the order of play established at the beginning of the match and will return to the first tee unless otherwise determined by the Tournament Committee. The winner will be determined when only one competitor has enough money to make the ante, or when only one competitor has any money left in his/her bank.

4) Penalties &Disqualification

a) Not Being On-Time for Start of Round

i)Hole #1: All competitors must present himself to the starter at the first tee prior to the group’s pre-determined starting time. If a competitor is late to the first tee, the competitor forfeits his/her ante on the first tee. If the competitor shows up prior to any competitor in his group playing his tee shot on the second hole, he/she may still play. Otherwise he/she is disqualified from the competition and his/her remaining money is distributed as in Section 2, Paragraph C under “Antes.”

ii) Hole #2 and beyond: Acompetitor must ante on every hole and hit his/her tee shot on every hole.  If a competitor is not able or not available to hit his/her tee shot on a given hole when it is his turn, that competitor shall be disqualified from the competition and the money left in his pot will be put in the ante for each hole as if the competitor was still betting his/her ante on each hole.  I.e. if a competitor has $6,400 left and is disqualified on the 14th tee his ante of $1,600 will go into the pot on the 14th hole, then his/her ante of $1,600 will go into the pot on the 15th hole then his/her ante of $3,200 will go into the pot on the 16th hole.

b) Procedure for Penalty Strokes: If a competitor incurs a penalty stroke, he/she must count his/her penalty stroke as a shot under the betting format. For example, if he/she hits his/her tee shot in the water, his/her “second shot” is the penalty stroke (i.e. the “drop” or “re-tee”) and he/she must participate in the betting prior to the second shots to remain in the hole.  His/Her third shot would be played only after he/she has participated in the third shot round of betting and he/she plays in order of the button.  The same format is true, but not limited to, when playing after hitting out of bounds, playing under penalty of a lost ball, playing under penalty of an unplayable lie. All rules that have a two stroke penalty would require the competitor to miss two strokes instead of one stroke in the examples given above.

c) Announcing a Violation of the Rules by a Competitor: If a violation of a rule occurs, it must be made known to the Croupier before any competitor plays the next round of shots. If the violation is not acknowledged by the Croupier before any competitor plays the next round of shots, the competitor that breached the rules cannot be penalized.

i)If, within the timeframe described above, it is found that there was a violation, that competitor will be disqualified from the hole, and he/she will surrender his/her ante and any bets made on that hole. The remaining competitors will be allowed to start that round of betting over again.

ii) If it is found that there was not a violation, the round of betting will stand, and the hole will continue.

d) The Bank of a Disqualified Competitor: If a competitor has been disqualified and at some point his/her ante would be less than the ante on the next hole then all of his/her money will go into the ante for the preceding hole.  For example, if  a competitor is disqualified on the 14th hole with $4,000 left his/her ante of $1,600 will go into the pot on the 14th hole and an ante of $2,400 will go into the pot on the 15th hole as he/she would not have enough money to pay the full ante on the 16th hole.  

e) Picking-Up One’s Golf Ball During Play: If a competitor picks up his/her ball in play, without authorization under the rules, he/she incurs a penalty of one stroke and must replace his/her ball.  For example, if a fellow competitor says, “That’s good”, and a competitor picks his/her ball up, he/she will receive a one shot penalty and must replace his ball. The competitor may still need to bet during his penalty stroke if he/she wishes to remain in the hole.

f) Unusual Situations: For any unusual situations (i.e. behavior,) by either the competitor or his/her caddie/advisor, the Tournament Committee reserves the right to penalize or disqualify the competitor from that hole or from the competition.

5) Rules of Play

a) Knowledge of the Rules: It is the competitor’s responsibility to know the rules, and if there are any questions on the rules, it should be directed to the croupier, who if necessary will contact the rules official. If a competitor proceeds under advice from a croupier, he/she cannot be penalized.

b) Multiple Competitors Eliminated on the Same Hole (Final Round Only): During the final round, if more than one competitor is eliminated on a single hole, the competitor with the larger bank at the beginning of that hole is awarded the higher purse. 

c) Betting Time-Limit: A competitor will have no more than 30 seconds (as determined by the Croupier) to place a bet when his/her turn to place a bet arrives.  For example, when the competitor with the button makes his/her bet on a given round of shots each competitor has 30 seconds to make a bet, raise or fold when it is his/her turn.  A penalty of one shot will be applied to any competitor who fails to place his/her bet on time. A second offense will result in a two-stroke penalty, and the third offense will result in disqualification from the round.

d) Shot Clock: Acompetitor will be required to play his/her shot within 60 seconds of it being his turn to strike his/her shot (i.e. the group arrives on the teeing ground, the competitor who is designated by the button order has 60 seconds to hit when it is his/her turn). Failure to play a shot under this timeframe or taking undue time (as determined by the croupier) will result in a one shot penalty on the hole being played. A second offense will result in a two-stroke penalty, and the third offense will result in disqualification from the round.

e) Provisional Ball: Acompetitor cannot play a provisional ball at anytime during the competition. He/She must confirm his/her first ball to be unplayable, out of bounds, lost or a penalty drop from a hazard before he/she can place a second ball into play.

f) Caddie/Advisor: Acompetitor may receive advice ONLY from his/her caddie/advisor, who is designated prior to the round beginning.  A competitor may replace his/her caddie/advisor during a round as long as he/she advises the Croupier before doing so. Once a caddie/advisor has been replaced, he can no longer provide advice to any competitor.

g) Use of Prohibited Items: Use of a cell phone, camera, PDA, email device, internet device, or computer, or any other such device that the Tournament Committee deems inappropriate or in violation of the tournament rules is NOT permitted during the competition. If a competitor or caddie/advisor violates this rule, the competitor is disqualified from that hole. A breach of this rule between holes applies to the next hole. A tournament calculator will be supplied to each competitor for his/her use during the round. Range finders are permitted, but only those which gauge distance only.

h) Golf Carts: Use of a golf cart during the round is permitted. However, all golf cart rules and regulations must be adhered to at all times. Every competitor and his/her caddie/advisor MUST use a golf cart. The only people allowed to operate the cart are the competitor and/or his/her caddie/advisor.

i) Footwear: It is a condition that shoes with traditionally-designed spikes (regardless of composition, i.e. ceramic, plastic, etc.) or spikes, regardless of design, comprised either entirely or partially of metal (if such metal may come in contact with the course) are prohibited during the stipulated round. Penalty for breach of this condition results in disqualification from the round.

j) Final Jurisdiction of All Rules: The Tournament Committee reserves the right to void or interpret all of the tournament rules in the interest of fairness and the application of the rules. If there are any Rules or Competition situations not covered by the Terms, Format, and Competition, a decision shall be reached by the Tournament Committee whose decision shall be final. Otherwise the USGA Rules will apply.

k) All rules are subject to change, at any time, at the discretion of the Tournament Committee.

TIPS

1.  Always be aware of the hitting order in relationship to the player with the button. The hardest thing in the World Series of Golf format is being away and not necessarily hitting first.

2.  Do not pick up your ball. There are no “gimmes” in the World Series of Golf format.

3.  Do not be late for your tee time – it will cost you the ante for the 1st hole.

4.  Always be aware of the shot clock especially on the greens as most players take a longer time over a putt.

5.  Make sure you caddy/financial advisor is aware of golf etiquette. You do not want to incur a penalty for something he/she does.

6.  Watch your bank. Make sure it is the same as the croupier’s count after each hole before the next tee shots are hit. It’s easier to explain and/or adjust if you alert the croupier of any discrepancies.

7.  If there is any question in regards to the USGA rules of golf donothit or touch your ball. Ask for a rules official to discuss your options.

8.  Make sure all your equipment complies with the USGA rules of golf. Also, make sure you only have 14 clubs in your bag.

ELIGIBILITY

Players ineligible to APPLY for World Series of Golf:

A.  Any golfer who has competed as a professional in two (2) of more events on any professional tour during their lifetime. This includes but is not limited to: the PGA TOUR, Champions (Senior) TOUR, Nationwide TOUR, LPGA TOUR, European TOUR, Australian TOUR, Asian TOUR, Japan PGA TOUR, Challenge TOUR, Hooters TOUR, Carolina TOUR, Golden Bear TOUR, Cleveland TOUR, JC Goosie TOUR, Tear Drop Tour or ANY professional golf event where prize money is paid to the participants.

B. Any golfer who has been an PGA Member, or a PGA Registered Apprentice, or LPGA Member or LPGA Apprentice at any time during their career of any and all globally recognized Professional Golf Associations.

C.  Any competitor who has earned more than $50,000 in their career in golf competitions.

D.  Any competitor who is deemed to be ineligible for the World Series of Golf by World Series of Golf selection committee.

Players eligible to APPLY for World Series of Golf:

A.  Any competitor not otherwise ineligible based on the aforementioned criteria.

B.  Any player who competed in the World Series of Golf and lost their amateur status due to participation in the World Series of Golf.

C.  A player must have a USGA certified GHIN handicap index and/or verification from a PGA professional to be placed in flights.

D.  WORLD SERIES of GOLF is open to males and females age 21 or older prior to or on May 11, 2008.

E.  All required information, forms and consent must be received in a timely fashion in order to compete.

Right of Refusal

A. WSG reserves the right to refuse the entry of any competitor at any time prior to the competition without cause.

B. WSG reserves the right to disqualify any competitor during the competition if the competitor violates any tournament rules and regulations that would require such disqualification and/or the competitor has provided inaccurate information as to their eligibility/background.