SCGA Tournaments Overview
- Net Events
- Club Events
- Gross Events
- USGA Events
- CGA Events (California State Amateur and CGA Senior Amateur Championships)
Net Events
This event started in 1993 in order to give all SCGA members an opportunity to compete in a major association tournament regardless of his/her handicap index level. Competitors compete over 18 holes of qualifying net stroke play to move on to the championship. A total of 180 players will qualify for the Championship which is 36 holes. The qualifying and championship fields are divided into flights of different handicap levels.
This championship is formerly the PLGA JC Cunningham Senior Championship which started in 1983. The competition is open to SCGA members who are over the age of 50 years old. The championship is a 36-hole individual net stroke play event, there is no qualifying as all entries are on a first come, first served basis. The field will be divided into flights based on handicap.
Senior Four-Ball Net Championship
This event is open to two-person teams. Each player’s index must not exceed 24.4 and all players must be the age of 50 and above. Players do not need to belong to the same SCGA club. The championship is a 36-hole event, there is no qualifying as all entries are on a first come, first served basis.
This championship is open to SCGA members with an index of 24.4 and below and all players must be the age of 65 and above. The field will be broken into gross and net flights. There is no qualifying as all entries are on a first come, first served basis.
This event is open to two-person teams, with both players’ members of a SCGA Affiliate Club, and each having indexes not exceeding 24.4. The format for the event is Net Four-Ball stroke play for Round 1 and Pinehurst for Round 2. In Pinehurst each partner drives from each tee then plays the second shot with the other’s ball. After the second shot, the team chooses which ball it will use to complete the hole, hitting alternate shots. Handicap is deducted from the team score at the end of the round.
One-Day tournaments provide SCGA Members expanded tournament playing opportunities for all skill levels. These one day net tournaments are flighted by handicap and include team and individual formats such as: 2-Person Scramble, Stableford, Individual Stroke Play, and Couples events. Each event has a different handicap requirement depending on the format of the event and the difficulty of the host course. SCGA prizes and script will be awarded for top finishers in each flight which can be redeemed at the Golf Shop at each host facility.
Club Events
Entries for these championships are submitted by each SCGA member club and there are restrictions on the number of entries a club may have.
Partners representing a club must be members of the same SCGA member club. Up to two teams can represent each member club. This event is open to players with an index of 18.4 and below. Qualifying is 18 holes of four-ball net stroke play. 52 teams will advance to the championship which consists of 36 holes of four-ball net stroke play.
This competition is open only to regular member clubs maintaining at least one 18-hole golf course of at least 5,000 yards in length. Participating clubs may enter one 16-man team in either a Thursday or Saturday league or both for each qualifying course they maintain. Clubs are arranged in groups of four and their respective 16-man teams play a series of six home and away matches within their assigned group. All competition includes both single and four-ball match play. Group winners then meet in single elimination play-offs, culminating in an 18-hole Championship between the final two teams.
Club champions are invited to play in this event which is 18-holes. There are three divisions based on handicap index playing over four different courses. Club champions with indexes of 2.4 or less will play in the gross division. Club champions over the age of 55 with indexes of 5.4 or below will play in the senior gross division. Club champions with indexes of 2.5 - 24.4 will play in the net division.
Gross Events
This is the oldest championship conducted by the SCGA. Started in 1899, this event crowns the best amateur player of the Association. The event is limited to players with handicap indexes of 5.4 and below. Competitors undergo 18 holes of qualifying play in order to reach the final field of 84 players. In the Championship, players compete over 72 holes of stroke play with the top 42 and ties advancing after the first 36 holes. The championship is traditionally held at the home club of the current SCGA President.
This event is limited to players with handicap indexes of 5.4 and below, players must be at least 25 years of age. Competitors undergo 18 holes of qualifying play in order to reach the final field of 84 players. In the Championship, players compete over 54 holes of stroke play with the top 42 players and ties advancing after 36 holes to the final round.
This championship is formerly the PLGA Amateur Championship which started in 1968. The competition is open to amateurs who are members of a SCGA club (public or affiliate) who have a current USGA Handicap Index and do not have playing privileges, a membership or a handicap index at a course or club which the general public is excluded. The field will be broken into gross and net flights, there is no qualifying as all entries are on a first come, first served basis. Players with indexes of 8.4 and below are eligible for the gross flight. In the gross championship, players compete over 54 holes of stroke play with the top 33 players and ties advancing after 36 holes to the final round. The net championship is a 36-hole individual net stroke play event.
This event is open to two-person teams, with each player having a handicap index of 5.4 and below. Teams compete over 18 holes of qualifying four-ball stroke play to determine the 52 teams which advance to the championship. The Championship is conducted over 36 holes of four-ball stroke play.
This event is open to two-person teams, with each player having a handicap index of 6.4 and below. The format is alternate shot with one player teeing off from the odd numbered holes and the partner teeing off from the even holes. There is no qualifying as teams sign up on a first come, first served basis.
This event is limited to players with handicap indexes of 10.4 and below and are age 55 and above. Competitors compete in 18 holes of qualifying play in order to determine those that will advance to the championship. 90 players advance to play 36 holes of stroke play over two days to determine the Association’s Senior Amateur Champion.
This event is open to two-person teams. Each player’s index must not exceed 7.4 and all players must be the age of 55 and above. Players do not need to belong to the same SCGA club. The championship is a 36-hole event, there is no qualifying as all entries are on a first come, first served basis.
Match Play and Senior Match Play Championship
The SCGA Match Play and Senior Match Play championships began in 2008 as a means of bringing new credence and incentive to the SCGA points program. The SCGA points program awards points to golfers who give strong performances in SCGA, USGA, CGA and other selected outside tournaments. The top 32 players on the Match Play Points List plus the top 16 players on the Senior Match Play Points List earn invitations to compete in this elite SCGA championship. The Match Play Points list are comprised from the previous year’s SCGA Player of the Year Points List through the middle of July of the current year.
USGA Events
United States Golf Association Events
The SCGA conducts local and/or sectional qualifying events at selected golf courses for the US Open, US Senior Open, US Amateur, US Senior Amateur, US Mid-Amateur, US Junior, US Amateur Public Links and US Girls Junior. Normally, multiple sites are used for these events in any one year and staff coordinates course set up, logistics and conduct of the tournament proper. Players must register for these events through the USGA’s website at www.usga.org.
California Golf Association (CGA) Events
The SCGA conducts both qualifying and championship play for the California Golf Association. The CGA is a joint association of both the Southern California and Northern California Golf Association staffs and Board Members. Players may compete in the California State Amateur or CGA Senior Amateur Championships as determined by their age and current index.
California State Amateur Championship
The California Amateur Championship is one of the nation’s oldest state amateur golf championships. The championship originated in 1912 and was held at Pebble Beach Golf Links from 1919 until 2006. In 2007 the CGA broadened the scope of this prestigious championship by rotating the weeklong event to selected courses throughout the state. Players must have an index of 4.4 or less and may attempt to qualify at any location in the state. The championship consists of 156 players who will play 36-holes of stroke play to determine the 32 player match play field. The final match is played over 36 holes.
CGA Senior Amateur Championship
The CGA Senior Amateur Championship began in the fall of 1992, and is the state championship for players age 55 and over. The first two tournaments were played at the Ojai Valley Inn & Spa. In 1994, the event was moved to Poppy Hills Golf Course in Pebble Beach, and in 1995, a simultaneous NCGA vs. SCGA team portion of the championship was added. Starting in 2010 this 54-hole stroke play championship will rotate to selected courses throughout the state. Players must have an index of 7.4 or less and may attempt to qualify at any location in the state.