Eligibility
Each LIGA Championship has its own specific tournament eligibility criteria (i.e. Maximum Handicap Index®, age requirements, etc.) Please reference the specific championship you are interested in for further details. In general, to be eligible for an LIGA Championship, all amateur applicants must meet criteria 1 below:
1) An amateur golfer with an up-to-date USGA Handicap Index® at an LIGA Member club/course (LIGA Member clubs/courses can be found on our website),or
2) An MGA eClub – Long Island Member
However, a player residing outside the Long Island territory (defined as Nassau and Suffolk counties plus Manhattan, Staten Island, Brooklyn and Queens) may not meet either of the criteria above if that membership or that handicap was acquired for the sole purpose of playing in LIGA tournaments.
Note: Certain LIGA Championships have different eligibility criteria for amateurs. See the entry procedures for criteria for the Junior Championship, the Boys' Championship, the Girls' Championship, the Women's Amateur Stroke Play Championship, the Net Four-Ball Championship, the Mixed Pinehurst Championship and the Father & Son Championship.
To be eligible for an LIGA Championship, professional applicants must meet one of the following four criteria:
1) Reside on Long Island and not employed at a golf facility in another jurisdiction of the metropolitan area, or
2) Employed as a professional at a Long Island golf facility, or
3) A Member or an Apprentice of the Met PGA (Long Island Section), or
4) A special invitee of the LIGA.
However, a Professional may not arrange residence or employment on Long Island for the sole purpose of playing in LIGA tournaments.
Entry Procedure
All players, including those that are exempt, must register through the LIGA Online Entry process, or on an official LIGA entry form. Late, incomplete or inaccurate entry forms will not be accepted. Each LIGA competition has a specific designated field limit. Excluding specific tournament policies, entries for LIGA championships and qualifiers are accepted on a first in basis until the limit is approached; entries accepted after that or from the waiting list are at the sole discretion of the LIGA (The Committee makes such selections based on prior participation and performance.). The LIGA reserves the right to reject an entry at any time.
Mailed entry forms, along with exact entry fee amount shall be sent to:
Long Island Golf Association
49 Knollwood Road
Elmsford, NY 10523
Mailed entries must be received at the address listed above by 5:00 pm Eastern Time on the published entry deadline date. Online entries must be submitted by 5:00 pm Eastern Time on the published entry deadline date.
Late Entries
After the close of entries and prior to 36 hours before the start of the competition, players may call 516-746-1015 to request a late entry. All late entries are at the sole discretion of the LIGA and will only be accepted to the extent that there are openings in the field and that such acceptance does not impair the efficient administration of the event. In addition to the entry fee for the competition, a late entry fee of $50 will be charged.
Handicap Revision Effective Date
For LIGA competitions where a specific USGA Handicap Index or Handicap Index range is required for eligibility, the Handicap Index as of the date of entry will be used unless otherwise specified on entry.
For events where a Handicap Index is used for scoring, or for purposes of determining flights, the nearest revision date that is practical for tournament administration will be used.
Refund Policy
If a player withdraws prior to the entry deadline he will receive a full refund, less a $25 administrative fee. The LIGA office can be reached by calling 516-746-1015. No refunds after the tournament entry deadline, except for extraordinary circumstances (Illness/injury requires documentation from a physician). No refunds are offered after the start of the tournament for any reason.
Exemptions Requests
a) A player entitled to an exemption from qualifying based upon stated exemption criteria for that event must request the exemption as part of the entry procedure.
b) A player not so entitled who wishes to request an exemption into an LIGA competition must do so in writing. This request must be submitted to the LIGA offices prior to the published entry deadline for the event. Such exemption requests are reviewed by the LIGA on a case-by-case basis, and only granted under exceptional circumstances.
Requests for Tee Times or Club Caddies
A player may request an approximate tee time or the use of a club caddie for a tournament. Approximate tee time requests must be received by the closing date for entries. The LIGA will make every effort to grant such requests if possible. Requests received after pairings are released will not be honored.
Club caddie requests must be made to the club itself, no less than 3 days before the start of the event. Please see the Memo to Players for specific contact information.
There is no guarantee that either type of request will be granted in all circumstances.
Procedures for Requesting a Golf Cart due to Disability in LIGA Championships and Qualifying Rounds
The Long Island Golf Association (LIGA) will evaluate, on a case-by-case basis, any request to use a cart in LIGA Championships or qualifying rounds due to a claimed disability. In order for the LIGA to properly evaluate such requests, it is necessary to submit medical documentation setting forth the exact nature of the disability and how that disability prevents the player from walking during a stipulated round. In addition, players will have to submit information sufficient to enable the LIGA to determine that providing a cart would not provide a player with an advantage over other players. Each person seeking to use a golf cart due to a disability under the ADA must complete and submit to the LIGA the following form: Golf Cart Request Due to Disability Questionnaire.
Please note that requests due to “temporary” injuries or impairments that do not qualify as a“disability” under the ADA will not be granted. A disability protected by the ADA is “a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of the major life activities of such individual.” 42 U.S.C.S. § 12102 (2001).
In each instance where an applicant is submitting a request for a golf cart, the LIGA Golf Cart Request Due to Disability Questionnaire (including the required medical documentation as specified on the form) must be submitted to the LIGA by the player (not a caddie or other party) together and in writing within three days of the submission of the LIGA Championship entry application. All relevant materials must be sent a) by U.S. Mail to the LIGA to the attention of Mike Kendrick at 49 Knollwood Road, Elmsford, NY 10523, or, b) the information can be scanned and attached to an e-mail. The LIGA will not evaluate requests submitted via telephone.
Applicants seeking to use a golf cart in more than one LIGA Championship during a given Championship season must submit each such request individually in writing within three days of submission of the relevant LIGA Championship entry application. The LIGA will evaluate the medical information previously submitted on the person’s behalf during the same Championship year, provided it is current as of the relevant submission and was otherwise submitted in accordance with the procedures outlined above.
Note: the use of carts is subject to the determination of the facility as to course conditions, and nothing in this policy confers the right to use a cart if the facility determines that cart use would damage the course; in addition, the determination of whether to proceed with the event once carts have been ruled out by the facility is at the LIGA’s sole discretion.
To view and print out the Golf Cart Request Due to Disability Questionaire, click here.
2018 LIGA Notice to Competitors
A Memo to Players, outlining all of the specific event logistics, will be available online in advance of the event. A Notice to Players document, will be available on the starting tee(s) prior to the start of play.)
1. Registration and Start of Play: Players are required to check in upon their arrival at the course. Competitors are to check in at the registration point upon arrival and report to their assigned starting tees, ready to play, 10 minutes before their scheduled starting times. Caddie arrangements should be completed before players report.
2. Late Appearance for Start of Play: The Committee has provided (Rule 33-1) that, in the absence of circumstances which warrant waiving the penalty of disqualification as provided in Rule 33-7, if the player arrives at his starting point, ready to play, within five minutes of his starting time, the penalty for failure to start on time is loss of the first hole to be played in match play or two strokes in stroke play instead of disqualification.
3. Local Rules: All Local Rules and other event specific Rules will be provided in the ‘Notice to Players’ at the starter’s table and should be reviewed prior to the start of play. Players should not refer to host club score cards for Local Rules as they may not be in effect.
4. Distance-Measuring Devices: The Local Rule allowing the use of electronic distance measuring devices as provided in Appendix I, Part A, item 7 in the Rules is in effect, unless otherwise noted.
5. Conforming Golf Balls: Only balls approved by the USGA may be used. Please check for a list of conforming golf balls under "Equipment" at the USGA web-site www.usga.org.
6. Spiked Golf Shoes: The use of traditionally designed spikes (regardless of composition) or spikes, regardless of design, comprised of metal will not be allowed. Penalty for breach of this condition may result in disqualification.
7. Seams of Cut Turf: Except in a Hazard, seams of cut turf (not the turf itself) are deemed to be Ground Under Repair. Interference by a seam with the player’s stance is deemed not to be, in itself, interference under Rule 25-1. If the ball lies in or touches the seam or the seam interferes with the area of intended swing, relief is available under Rule 25-1. All seams within the cut turf area are considered the same seam.
8. Caddie/Carts: It is the policy of the LIGA that caddies be assigned to players by the Club Caddie Manager. Players may bring and use their own caddie only when specifically noted on the MGA Memorandum to Players. There may be occasions when players are required to use a cart or a club caddie. Failure to comply with this policy may result in revocation of entry.
9. Integral Parts of the Course: Cables, rods, wires and wrappings when closely attached to trees, liners in bunkers and artificial walls and pilings when located in hazards are integral parts of the course.
10. Out Of Bounds: Where white stakes or fence posts are used, the nearest points at ground level, excluding angled supports, define out of bounds. When defined by a line on the ground, the line itself is out of bounds. Where stone walls are used the wall is deemed an integral part of the course and a ball is considered out of bounds when it comes to rest outside the wall. A ball that crosses a road defined as out of bounds and comes to rest beyond that road is out of bounds, even though it may lie on another part of the course.
11. Water Hazards: When a Lateral Water Hazard is defined on only one side, it is deemed to extend to infinity. When bounded by Out of Bounds, the hazard margin extends to and coincides with the Out of Bounds line.
12. White Lines Tied Into Obstructions: White-lined areas tied to an obstruction are part of that obstruction, not ground under repair.
13. Elevated Power Lines and Cables: If a ball strikes such a line or cable or a pole supporting such lines or cables, the stroke shall be canceled and a ball must be replayed without penalty in accordance with Rule 20-5.
14. Wood Chips and Mulch are loose impediments, unless otherwise provided for in the Notice to Players.
15. Suspension of Play: Optional Condition as prescribed in Appendix I is in effect. All practice areas are closed during suspension for a dangerous situation until the Committee has declared them open. Players who practice on closed practice areas will be asked to cease doing so; failure to comply may result in revocation of entry. Note: A suspension for a dangerous situation shall be signaled by one prolonged air horn note, and players must immediately suspend play. All other types of suspension shall be signaled by three consecutive air horn notes, repeated.
16. Cell Phones: The use of any mobile or smart phone, when used for the purpose of communications, is prohibited on the course. Host course guidelines should be strictly followed with regard to use in locker rooms and parking lots
17. Sportsmanship: Entries are subject to rejection at any time (including during the competition) by the LIGA. The reason for rejection may include unbecoming conduct, dress code violations and the use of cell phones.
18. Preservation of Course: Decorative flower beds and turf nurseries shall be considered ground under repair from which play is prohibited. See Rule 25-1b. Stakes and cables supporting trees are considered immovable obstructions.
19. Ties, Playoffs and Close of Competition: When qualifying, competitors are reminded of their responsibility to keep informed regarding the possibility of playoffs due to ties. The competition shall be deemed to have closed when the trophies have been presented or, in the absence of a ceremony, when all scores have been approved by the Committee.
20. Score Card Collection: Immediately on completion of his round the competitor shall return his card to the Committee. A score card is considered “returned” once the player has left the score card collection area.
21. Pace of Play: To view the LIGA Pace of Play Policy, click here.
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