Green fees are paid directly to the 1^st Tee each week.

Money Race
The winner of the regular season will be determined by a money race. The player with the most money after the final major (The PGA Championship) will be declared the winner. The payouts for each weekly event will be determined using the same formula as used in a PGA Tour event:

Handicapping ^top
Handicaps will be determined as follows:

Week 1 = Stated Handicap
Week 2 = ((Stated Handicap x 4) + Actual Score) / 5
Week 3 = ((Stated Handicap x 3) + 2 Actual Scores) / 5
Week 4 = ((Stated Handicap x 2) + 3 Actual Scores) / 5
Week 5 = ((Stated Handicap x 1) + 4 Actual Scores) / 5
Weeks 6 = 12 ( * Best 5 Actual Scores) / 5

* Actual Scores ESC adjusted

For former players, the COMMITTEE is reviewing last year’s scores to come up with a stated handicap.

New players will be handicapped based on what they report to the COMMITTEE. New players should report their best 9 hole score and 9 hole average at the First Tee, as well as their USGA handicap if they have one. If new players don’t have First Tee scores to report, please use scores from a comparable course.

Course information below:

First Tee Little Rock | Par - 36 | Course rating – 72.8 | Slope – 137 | Distance – 3,428 yards

Decimals will be rounded up or down accordingly. To clarify, .5 is rounded up.

All handicaps are subject to FTT COMMITTEE approval.

Equitable Stroke Control ^top
For handicapping purposes, each player will have a maximum score allowed on each hole under the USGA rules for equitable stroke control.  Players with 9 hole handicaps of 5.0 or less, will be allowed no more than double bogey on any hole. Players with 9 hole handicaps of 5.1 or more will be allowed no more than triple bogey on any one hole. ESC applies only to player handicapping, NOT to adjust that week’s score to be posted at the tournament.

All scorecards should be turned in after the round. Gross scores should be recorded.

Example 1 – A 10 handicapper shoot 45 with a quadruple bogey, a triple bogey, and a double bogey. His tournament score is 35 (45-10). The score reported for handicap is 44.

Example 2 -A 4 handicapper shoots 41 with a double bogey. His tournament score is 37 (41-4). The score reported for handicap is also 41 since he did not exceed his maximum score of double bogey.

Example 3 – Stockett, a 3 handicapper, shoots a 36 with a triple bogey. His tournament score is 33 (36-3). The score reported for handicap is 35. One stroke was deducted from his score since the maximum he could have was a double bogey.

Rules ^top

• 2 tee shots off the 1st tee (use it or lose it).
• Ball played down
• All USGA rules apply EXCEPT local rules below.
• Putting – Any putt in the leather is good.

Local Rule - Hazards, Lost Balls & Out of bounds
In the interest of speeding up play and clarifying unmarked areas at the First Tee, the COMMITTEE has made a special ruling. In the case of a lost ball or ball found out-of-bounds, the FTT will treat these marked or unmarked areas as a lateral hazard. If a player loses a ball in an area not marked as a hazard, he is allowed to drop a ball within two club lengths of the area where the ball last crossed the imaginary hazard line, no closer to the hole. A one stroke penalty will apply, as if it were a hazard.

Local Rule – Ball on rocks
If a ball is in play and is found on rocks, the player has 2 options. He may play the ball as it lies, or take a drop at the nearest point of relief no closer to the hole. Ball in play means it is not out of bounds or in a marked hazard. Balls found on a rock(s) in a sand traps may be moved as well.

Local Rule – Sand Traps / Ground Under Repair
Some of the sand traps at the First Tee may be under repair or not suitable for play. However, more than likely this is not marked as ground under repair. If a player’s ball comes to rest in a trap that is seemingly under repair, the player has 2 options. He may play the ball as it lies, or rake the trap at the nearest point of relief no closer to the hole and take a drop.

On this point, ground under repair is probably not marked anywhere on the course. If a player’s ball comes to rest in an area perceived to be ground under repair, he should confer with someone else in the group. If they agree, he should take a free drop at the nearest point of relief.

Formats ^top
Each week the FTT will play the same format as the corresponding PGA Tour event. The tournament scoring will be stroke play, low net. A player’s gross score, less his handicap that week, will be his posted tournament score.

Inclement Weather Policy ^top
If the First Tee is open for play, the FTT tournament will be played. If the First Tee is not open for play, we will cancel that week’s tournament and extend the tour one more week.  If the tournament begins, but is called off by the course (horn/alarm), lightning, or other inclement weather, that week’s purse ($) will be split evenly among the participants.

For example, if 8 players participate and the tournament is called off on the 5th hole, 1st- 8th money will be split evenly among the 8 players. 9th-16th
place money will be split among those who did not show up.

THE COMMITTEE may elect to extend the season if there are several cancelled tournaments, however the season is scheduled to end with year’s last major – The PGA Championship. 

Post Season Tourney ^top
Those finishing in the top 12 in the league will qualify for the post season tournament The format will be a tournament format using the final handicaps after week 12. This will be an 18 hole event at a location TBD.

Money ^top
As you can see from the purses, we are using the PGA tour as our model. We are going to pay weekly gross score winners (by flight) and weekly net score winners. Assuming 20 or more players sign up and pay, the following prizes will be paid weekly:

• Weekly gross score winner – Flight 1 - $10/week
• Weekly gross score winner – Flight 2 - $10 week
• Weekly net score winner - * $10/week
  
  * Note, weekly gross and net winners during the 4 majors (Masters, Open Championship, US Open, PGA Championship) will win twice as much ($20)

Regular season and post-season championship winners will be awarded monetary prize money.  The amounts will be determined after the league player count has been established and dues are collected.

Ties ^top
Ties for 1st place will be carded off, beginning at the #1 handicap (Hole 4).

Ties for the weekly money winners (net and gross) will be carded off as well, beginning at the #1 handicap. (Amended 6/6/07)

1st and 2nd flights will be determined by actual gross scores each week.  Top half of scores are 1st flight, bottom half are 2nd flight.  Tie scores on the 1st / 2nd flight line move to 1st flight regardless of how many scores that puts in the 1st flight.  If there are an odd number of participating players, the 1st flight will include 1 more player/score than the 2nd flight.

Ties for 2nd – 16th will split the payouts using the same formula as used in a PGA Tour event.

If there is a tie at the end of the year in the money race, the player with the lowest average net score wins.  This is virtually impossible, but we chose to address it nonetheless.

Missing a Week / Scores only posted on Wednesdays (UPDATED 2007) ^top
There will be no make-up matches. If a player misses a week, he will still be able to earn money for the event that he missed. Here is how it works. Ex. Let’s say 5 people miss the US Open and 15 people played in the US Open. The 5 people who missed, would split the money for places 16 – 20.

If a player cannot make one of the 5-5:30 FTT Wednesday tee-times you may play earlier on Wednesday as long as another FTT player joins you. The committee frowns on excessive early score postings however, and this will be monitored.

It may appear the COMMITTEE is a bit obtuse on this point. However, the league suffered in prior years under loose policies, rules and leadership. Matches began to be played all during the week, unattested scores rolled in, etc., etc.

You see, the founding fathers of the FTT envisioned a league of players who grind out the dog days of summer every Wednesday, enduring intense head to head competition. The COMMITTEE wants to stay true to that. The founding fathers did not intend for it to resemble fantasy golf, or some sort of Mickey Mouse office pool. They did not want some kind of virtual league where scores are exchanged ever week via email. The founding fathers had a dream… of champions being recognized and awarded on the beautiful 9th green of the First Tee. A green accentuated by the backdrop of a beautiful pond, of occasional non-English speaking fisherman behind dragging in perch and carp… of used cars being sold over a loudspeaker from a car lot nearby… of ceremonial jackets… a coveted trophy of some sort… yes, they had a dream.

Committee ^top
All dispute and rule evaluations will be resolved by the First Tee Tour COMMITTEE.