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Pennant Rules and Conditions for 2026

Any attachment to these Pennant Rules and Conditions forms part of these Rules and Conditions.

The 2026 Pennant Competition will be conducted under the following:

1. The Rules of Golf.
2. These Rules and Conditions as laid down by the BDGA, applicable to each Grade in each Division.

By participating in the competition each club acknowledges they have read, understand and agree to abide by them.

Any proven infringement of the rules will be sent to the Integrity Committee and penalised.

Competition Makeup

1. 17 clubs competing in Open (11 players), Masters (5 players) and Junior (5 Players) teams
2. 4 Divisions (1st, 2nd, 3rd & 4th)
3. Clubs participate in the same division for all teams
4. A season runs for 6 weeks (last 3 Sundays of July and first 3 Sundays of August)

Except that 2026 will see a trial for Division 4 with a 10 week season, 5 team home and away season.

Ethical Standards and Integrity

The BDGA request that all players and officials maintain a high standard of personal, team and match ethics during the pennant season.

If any player or official feels that they are not satisfied with any situation during play these should be directed to the BDGA for clarification.

At no time should any players, caddies or officials be the subject to any personal attacks. If this occurs or you are witness to such behaviour, direct your complaint directly to the BDGA Secretary [email protected]. Any substantiated complaints by the Integrity Committee, may result in loss of matches, or points.

Season Draw

1. The season draw will be released no later than 6 weeks after the completion of the season to ensure sufficient time to plan for the following year’s events.
2. Those clubs who win their division will be promoted up and those that finish with the least number of points will drop back a division
3. The competition shall use the home and away format with each fixture being played as per the season draw, date, time and at the course allocated in the pennant fixtures roster provided to clubs. Any alterations to this can only be approved by the BDGA Committee.
4. A perpetual trophy will be passed to the division winners as well as a pennant recognition frame for clubhouse display purposes.
5. The official season draw is the draw published on the BDGA website.

Match Format & Scoring

1. The Open team shall consist of 11 players.
2. The Junior Team shall consist of 5 players who have not attained the age of 19 as at the 1st day of the Pennant season.
   1. For Juniors in Division 4 only, each Junior grade team shall play in handicap order with the lowest handicap playing number 1, the next lowest at 2 and so on. Handicap used shall be the GA Handicap on the day. Playing out of Handicap order may result in penalties.
3. The Masters Team shall consist of 5 players who have reached the age of 50 years as at the 1st day of the Pennants Season.
4. Open Grade Matches shall commence from the first teeing ground.
5. Masters will precede juniors from another teeing ground or for 9-hole courses after the open matches.
6. The host team shall have the honour in each match on the initial teeing ground.
7. Matches are to be played as a two ball for Division 1 and 2, Divisions 3 & 4 have the option to play in groups of 4.
8. Matches will be played in reverse order (Player 11, 10, 9, 8 etc.)
9. Each match will be worth 1 point, with a squared match receiving half a point. The team with the highest number of aggregate points will win the tie.
10. All results and point tallies listed on the BDGA website will be official.
11. Details of the individual, grade and overall match results must be filled in on the document provided, which must be signed by an official of each club, then updated on the BDGA website and forwarded by the host club to [email protected] on the day of the match.
12. Where on completion of the season, a tied points score occurs in a Division or Grade competition, the team scoring the greater number of points in the relevant individual matches, including points for wins and squared matches, shall be placed in the higher position.
13. If the points are still tied, a countback shall apply, using the greater “for/against” result of the player in position 1, then in position 2 and so on until a result is obtained. Open results are used for an Open tie, Junior for a Junior tie, and Masters for a Masters tie. Open then Juniors then Masters for the overall Division tie.

Player Eligibility

An Eligible Player

1. is an Amateur member of a BDGA club with unrestricted Sunday playing rights to play competition golf and pennants for that Club and has their principal place of residence in South East Queensland and/or
2. holds a valid Golf Australia Golf Connect number and must within the 12 months immediately prior to the start of the BDGA Pennant season, have played 10 stroke or single Stableford competitions at the BDGA club they are representing or
3. may subject to Clause f. be a Non-Resident Player.
4. Exemptions. A player is automatically exempt under the following circumstances.
   1. If a player is returning from an international college and has:
      • participated in at least 2 previous BDGA Pennant seasons at the same club
      • and has Amateur membership at the same club
   2. A club can request an exemption for any player from the BDGA in writing (stating the circumstances).

A Non-Resident Player

1. lives outside the area of South East Queensland
2. is an Amateur member of a non-BDGA Club with a class of membership allowing them to play competition golf and has a Golf Australia Golf Connect number for a non-BDGA club
3. Subject to the restrictions listed below, a club may, play up to 4 Non-Resident Players in a pennant match.
4. In each pennant match a club is limited to two non-residential players in any one (1) team/category.
5. A Club may not exceed these sub-limits for Non-Resident players in any match.

Host Club Responsibility

1. The host club is responsible for welcoming visiting club players, caddies and officials.
2. Pre and Post match catering is at the discretion of the host club, but where provided is to be for both teams. If catering is not to be provided, the guest club should be notified prior to the day of play.
3. Each course should be presented to the highest possible standard
4. Each club in the pennant competition must have available a golf course to accommodate play
5. A “surrogate” course can only be used on approval from the BDGA Secretary (Clubs cannot use a surrogate course in the same division)
6. Tee and Pin positions are to be provided to all players (where available)
7. Any course that has more than 18 holes is required to advise of the 18 holes they will use for the season. Clubs with more than 18 holes cannot change the 18 holes used throughout a season.
8. In the case of bad weather, the host club will make all efforts to ensure play can continue. The host club has the final decision on cancelling play due to bad weather.
9. The host club is to provide the same opportunity for both teams to practice before the matches start.

Host Club Match Committee

1. The host club shall appoint at least one person who must be present and available throughout each home match to act as the Match Committee.
2. They will oversee the team lists, supervise the start of and pace of play and be available to make decisions affecting the play according to the Rules and Conditions and the Rules of Golf.
3. It is recommended that such person hold a minimum GA Club Accreditation as a Rules Official. All other matters are to be referred to the BDGA Secretary for determination.
4. The match Committee cannot consist of:
   1. A player or caddie in the competition of the day
   2. The Club Captain, or the Team Captain or Manager of the host club
5. The Members of the match committee (including contact numbers) are to be noted on the result sheet
6. The match committee should manage Slow Play – a match that loses a hole to the group ahead should be warned, with any subsequent offense penalized by the committee.

Team Details and Registration

1. Each team must submit its Team roster to the BDGA Secretary by the close of business (5pm) on the Thursday prior to the relevant pennant match. Team rosters will be sent to the BDGA Secretary by email to [email protected]
2. Team rosters need to be in playing order.
3. The BDGA will review the submitted roster to ensure compliance with this Policy and reserves the right to verify player eligibility through a third-party service or by requesting additional documentation.
4. The BDGA will publish all team lists on its website by the close of business on the Friday before the pennant match.
5. Compliance with the terms of this Policy is the responsibility of the relevant Club. Publication of a team roster by the BDGA which includes an ineligible player or players is not a waiver of the terms of this policy.
6. After the teams have been submitted, an eligible, registered reserve player may be substituted for a nominated player before teeing off.
7. Players must be ready to tee off before their nominated tee time. Late arrivals will incur a forfeit.
8. Match times will commence at 7am unless otherwise agreed by both the participating clubs.

Equipment

1. Use of a motorized cart or the like in Open or Junior Matches in Division 1 and 2 must be approved by the BDGA Secretary at least 7 days prior to the fixture and is subject to the submission of a medical certificate justifying the need to do so unless the player is at least 50 years old. The opposing team is to be notified of any such approval. The penalty for breach of this rule will be forfeit of the match.
2. Masters players and any open player at least 50 years old and each caddie are permitted to use a motorized cart.
3. The use of mobile phones is only permitted:
   • in emergency circumstances or to call for a rules official.
   • As a distance measuring device or to enter scores
4. Should the use of such device distract a player, a penalty may be applied by the match committee.

Dress Regulations and Code of Conduct

1. Each player, official and caddie must comply with dress regulations of the host club.
2. Any player and caddie must abide by the provisions of the BDGA Code of Conduct. Players and Caddies are reminded that the consumption of alcohol on the course is strictly prohibited and will result in disqualification of that players result.

Amendments and Compliance

The BDGA Management Committee has the right at any time to alter, to add to or to substitute any or all the rules by appropriate notification to all clubs. The BDGA is the authority for the interpretation of these rules having full power to deal with any relevant matter not provided for herein.

Penalties for Non-Compliance

Point Deductions: Teams found to be in violation of these guidelines may face a deduction of competition points. The severity of the penalty will depend on the nature of the violation.

Disqualification: In cases of severe or repeated breaches, the BDGA may disqualify the entire team from the competition.

Appeals Process

Clubs that disagree with a decision regarding player eligibility may submit a formal appeal to the BDGA for review.

Any appeal will be determined by the BDGA Appeals committee whose decision will be final and binding on all parties.

Communication and Education

The BDGA will, prior to the commencement of the 2026 BDGA Pennant season communicate these Rules and Conditions to all participating clubs and players.

Educational resources will be provided to promote understanding of the policy and its objectives.

Monitoring and Enforcement

The BDGA will conduct regular audits of team compositions to ensure compliance with the policy.

A dedicated email address will be established for reporting potential violations.