Roanoke Valley Senior Golf Tour

This page is used by the TOUR Committee to provide news and special updates. Please make it a habit to check  here on a regular basis.

PRELIMINARY 2023 TOUR INFORMATION:  COVID safety concerns could still be a factor in determining how we manage the 2023 Tour season.  2023 Tour Applications will available from the Home Page sometime in January 2023.  2022 members will  have until March 15th to submit application fees and secure their 2023 Tour slot.  Members having no change in profile data do not have to resubmit a paper application.  Just mail the Tour Fee to Tommy before March 15th.  We will open slots to new members on March 16, 2023.  

Outlined below is basic information on how we will conduct the 2023 season.  Any significant changes will be communicated to you via this website or email.  Please read everything carefully before submitting your application.
 

1. Pairings – We have returned to normal pairings.  “Normal” has always been random pairings, balancing groups by total handicap, and honoring one or two pairing requests per year, when possible.  Although Covid is still here, we feel with the high vaccination rate for current Tour Members at 95+%, and with proper precautions by all, we can play safely with random pairings.  We suggest all Tour members be vaccinated, and if you haven’t had a booster, you should consider one before the first tournament.
2. Smoking – Since 96% of the Tour Members are non-smoking, the Tour requests that smokers refrain from smoking in carts, on tee boxes, or on the putting green. They may smoke elsewhere on the course, away from others in the group, so long as play is not delayed. This is being done to simplify the pairings process, and to encourage a more healthy environment on the Tour.
3. Forward Tees –  We will continue the option for eligible members to play from Forward Tees.  Our current handicap system calculates the player’s Event Handicap based on the specific tee being played to shoot even par, so the fairness of the competition is maintained regardless of the tee being played.  Eligible players will have the option to check the Forward Tee box on the Application, and in doing so are assigned to the forward tee for the entire season.  Please note your Event Handicap will drop, on average, 3 to 5 strokes when playing the forward tee, though the difference could be more or less depending on the course being played.  You may verify your eligibility on the Members page of the website.
1. “Age”, for purposes of determining eligibility, will be calculated as of 7/10/2023, which is the date of the 5^th tournament. 
2. Players 75 and older, as of 7/10/2023, may request to play the forward tees regardless of Handicap Index.
3. Additionally, players 70 and older, whose Age + Rounded Handicap Index is 90 or higher, may request to play the Forward Tees.  This  option is not available to new members not having verifiable VSGA/USGA handicaps.
4. Handicaps & Flights – Each player’s Handicap Index is computed based on scores and ratings of the specific tee played. The Event Handicap is calculated by taking the player’s Handicap Index and applying the rating and slope for the specific tee played, and expressing it as the number of strokes required to shoot Par if one plays to their Handicap Index.  We utilize the USGA recommendation to use 95% of handicap for large field competitions (greater than 30 players) to create a more level competition across the broad range of handicaps.  Flighting will continue to be based on handicap; however, in the Multi-Tee environment, we will split the field into three flights based on Handicap Index rather than Event Handicap.

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By going to the RESULTS page, you can access tournament results for this year, and past years, including points totals, finish positions, and scoring averages.  

Now is a good time to brush up on the revised Rules of Golf.  They're not there just to penalize you.  You can often improve your situation by taking advantage of the rules.  Access them via USGA website at   http://www.usga-rules.com/

Re Rules - This is a competitive Tour. It is the responsibility of every player in the group to enforce all rules and protect the field.  At a minimun you are expected to warn a player about an inappropriate action. If he continues to violate the rule, bring it to the attention of the committee immediately upon turning in the scorecard.  It is strongly suggested that all Tour members, new and old, review the Tour RULES before every outing. Rules will be enforced, and infractions may result in assessment of penalty strokes, disqualification, or suspension from the Tour. Visit the USGA website at http://www.usga-rules.com/ to view their rules videos and enhance your knowledge of the rules of play.

Inclement Weather Policy - It is the policy of the Tour that we will proceed with tournament play, regardless of weather conditions, unless such conditions cause the course to be unfair for competition, or conditions are considered extreme or dangerous by the course management or the Tour committee. Delays will be rescheduled to the next available date for the course, weather permitting.  Regardless of the date chosen, the makeup tournament will be considered an official points tournament.  

If you have a worthy item to include here, send it to Tommy. If it passes muster, we'll include it. If you happen to make a Hole-In-One, click on this link to go to the Hole-In-One Club page and submit your information.

The VSGA has changed to year round handicap posting. That means, for those of you having USGA handicaps, all rounds you play in Virginia, or south of Virginia, should be posted in the VSGA/GHIN system. All RVSGT events should be posted as Competition rounds.