How we play

The course

The course is 6 or 9 holes around the practice area. A 9-hole course is played twice. A 6-hole course is played three times. Either way the main round is 18 holes. Every shot is 5–20 yards and around the green only: bump-and-run, chip, flop, or sand. No pitches. No par 3s. No putting contest.

Each lap has its own spot, marked with a tee or by the mat itself. Every player hits the same spots. Mats are used where the hole sign says so, and never on a putting surface.

Example layout

Layouts shown are examples. Venues may use 6 or 9 holes, set up in different ways. This nine is an example:

• Hole 1, Fringe bump-and-run. About 5–10 yards off the fringe. A putter is allowed from the closer spot only, and only if the hole sign says so.
• Hole 2, Tight lie. 10–15 yards from a tight cut. This one is usually a hitting mat, so the same spot can take a full field without chewing up the turf.
• Hole 3, Over the wall. Carry a low barrier a couple of yards in front of the spot. Miss the carry and the shot scores 0.
• Hole 4, Landing zone. The ball has to land in the marked zone first. Miss the zone and the shot is 0, even if it finishes next to the cup.
• Hole 5, Through the gate. Bump it through a ground-level gate. Miss the gate and the shot is 0.
• Hole 6, Off the slope. Sidehill or downhill. The lie is the challenge.
• Hole 7, Sand. Greenside or practice bunker. Rake it before you walk away.
• Hole 8, Flop. Short-sided, over a low wall or a bunker lip.
• Hole 9, Rough to a downslope. 15–20 yards out of light rough, onto a green that runs away.

Scoring rings

Make 5 · ≤1 ft 3 · ≤2 ft 2 · ≤3 ft 1 · outside 0.

Measure from the center of the cup with the marked 3-foot stick. A ball on a line counts for the closer ring. A ball resting against the flagstick, with any part below the lip, is a make. After every shot the score is called and the ball is lifted before the next player hits.

Challenge holes

If the hole sign has a challenge and you miss it (you didn't land in the zone, didn't go through the gate, or didn't carry the barrier), the shot scores 0 wherever it finishes. The sign is the rule for that hole.

Place the ball by hand. Don't press down the turf, pull grass, or build a stance. Loose impediments may be moved, except in the bunker. No practice shots once play starts. Warm up only in the warm-up area.

Scorecards

Scoring is on the honor system, on paper. A playing partner keeps your card. You do not keep your own. Call out each ball. Your partner records it. At the end you both sign. Once both signatures are on the card, the score stands.

The main round

A big start board lists every player alphabetically with a starting hole and a group spot, 1–4. Groups of 4, one group on each hole. Shotgun start (8:15 AM on the example day), and every hole goes at once. A big timer is visible to the whole course.

The main round is 18 holes: 54 chips, max 270. A 9-hole course is played twice. A 6-hole course is played three times. That is about 1 hour 30 minutes per wave. A 64-player field runs in two waves of 32. With fewer than 32 players, the event runs a variation of this setup.

Be at your starting hole for the shotgun. A hole you miss scores 0. More than 15 minutes late is a forfeit of the main round.

The cut and seeding

After 54 chips, the field is cut to the top 8. A tie for 8th is a one-ball closest-to-the-pin chip-off, sudden death until that last spot is decided.

Seeding ties, including a tie for 1st, go to most makes, then most balls inside 1 foot, then the better last lap. Seeds are 1 vs 8, 2 vs 7, 3 vs 6, and 4 vs 5. Prize ties are settled on the course. There are no shared prizes.

The bracket

The final 8 play quarterfinals, semifinals, and the final. Each match is 2 holes, 3 balls each, and the best total wins. A tied match is one ball each, closest to the pin, repeated until someone is closer. With fewer than 32 players, the event runs a variation of this setup.

On the example 9-hole schedule, one wave starts at 8:15 AM and the main round is done at 9:45 AM. A 64-player day is two waves of 32, 8:15 AM and then the second wave, with the cut at 11:15 AM.

The purse

Guaranteed purse is announced for each event before registration opens. Only the top 3 are paid. Prize ties are settled on the course. There are no shared prizes.

• 32 players: $1,125 total, 1st $550 / 2nd $350 / 3rd $225.
• 64 players: $2,250 total, 1st $1,100 / 2nd $700 / 3rd $450.

Pace of play

Each hole is a 5-minute cycle on that timer. The group gets 1 minute to read the lie. Then each player, one at a time, gets 45 seconds to hit all 3 balls. Then the group gets 1 minute to move to the next hole. Any ball not hit before your 45 seconds is up scores 0.

Hitting order is alphabetical on your first hole. On every hole after that, whoever went first goes last. Each group's order is printed on the scorecard.

Equipment

Any clubs and balls that conform to the USGA and R&A rules. Carry as many as you like. A putter is allowed only where the hole sign says so. Rangefinders are allowed. Alignment sticks are for the warm-up area only. Wear spikeless or soft-spike shoes.

Etiquette, weather, and the golf course

• Stay quiet and still while someone is hitting. Cheer the good ones. No heckling during the swing.
• Don't step on a ring or move an obstacle. Tell a helper if one has shifted.
• Stay off the green except to lift or retrieve. Repair ball marks. Rake the bunker.
• Follow the venue's alcohol rules. Unsportsmanlike conduct can mean disqualification with no refund.
• Lightning: when the horn goes, stop and go to the shelter named in the rules brief. Play resumes 30 minutes after the last strike within about 10 miles.
• If the main round can't finish, the event is rescheduled or credited. If the bracket can't finish, the head official may use a chip-off or the leaderboard, announced at the brief.

Disputes

1. The group agrees on the score.
2. If you can't, a helper measures with the stick. That measurement settles the ball.
3. Any player can appeal to the head official before the group moves on. That decision is final.
4. A signed card can't be changed.

Questions before the day: hello@shortgameleague.com.

Example scorecard

Example layout. Nine holes, two laps, three ball columns, and a hole total. Layouts shown are examples. Venues may use 6 or 9 holes, set up in different ways. Print this with the rules.