1. ALTERNATIVE DAYS / PRACTICE ON THE COMPETITION COURSE

Alternative Day Arrangements for Club Competitions.

NB This does not apply to weekend and weekday GUW Medals which are seperate competitions.

Rule 7-1b of the Rules of Golf prohibits practice on the competition course prior to play on any day of a stroke play competition unless a condition of competition permitting practice has been introduced by the Committee in terms of the Note to that Rule.  Alternative Day Arrangements exist when a single competition is played over two days (the Main Day and the Alternative Day) which may or may not be consecutive, and in which a player is permitted to compete on only one of the two days.   Unless the Committee has introduced a condition of competition permitting practice/play, any player ineligible to play on the first of the two days but intending to play on the second competition day would be in breach of Rule 7-1b (the penalty for which is disqualification) by playing on the competition course at any time during the whole of the first day of the competition eg if the Alternative Day is a Saturday and the Main day the following Tuesday any of the Tuesday players would  be in breach by playing in a match or in general non-competition play on the Saturday.  This breach would occur regardless of the length of time between the two competition days.

When club competitions involve Alternative Day arrangements Committees are encouraged to permit those players not competing on the first day to be able to play on the course, subject to available tee times and club rules, without such play being deemed as practice for the day during which they intend to compete in the competition.   A suggested wording [which can be tailored to suit club rules] for a condition of competition permitting practice/play is:

Main Day and Alternative Day Competitions

When players have a choice between Main Day or Alternative Day participation for a single stroke play competition, in terms of Rule 7-1b of the Rules of Golf, any player who elects to play on the second day of the competition is permitted to play on the competition course on the first day of the said competition [except .........................................].”