Rules — SWIFTS Golf

2024/25 Season Rules

General Rules

School children must be in full time education studying a nationally-recognized course of study at their school (e.g. GCSEs or A levels or well-defined equivalents) are eligible to play in the competition.

U15 players can compete within an U15 and U18 setting within the same season.
Players’ ages are calculated from the beginning of the school year. Students up to and including year 10 can compete in the Swifts U15 strokeplay tournaments. Any student can compete in an U18 event.
In the foursomes events all Round Robin matches must be completed within the 1st term. The regional knockout matches to be completed in the 2nd term. The national final will happen in the summer term. Now there is no need to wait to know opposition in term one, we ask all heads of golf to be proactive in arranging the group stages.

Swifts Strokeplay Events

Team format will be 3 scores to count from a team of 4 each round. Unless entries are so high that it is moved to 2 scores from 3.
U15 events will consist of 36-hole events ranked with junior golf scoreboard, and 18 hole events (unranked). U18 events will consist of 54 hole events WAGR ranked and ranked with junior golf scoreboard. The original Berkshire 18 hole event will also be included as an U18 event.
Both U15 and U18 strokeplay seasons will conclude with their own tour championships. The tour championships will carry 1.5 times the OoM points.
Ties for individual boys and girls at each event will be determined by card countback: last 18 holes, back 9, back 6, back 3. If it is still a tie, hole by hole count back will begin starting from the18th hole of the last round until a winner is determined.
Players and team OoM point totals will be calculated by adding the top 3 points across all the events in the season.
If there is a tie for 1st place across the season, the player / team who performed best at the tour championships will be crowned the winner.

Swifts Foursomes

U18 Swifts Foursomes

All matches are to be played between three foursomes pairs as scratch match-play.
The usual R & A rules for match play should be used. Any disputes in matches must be resolved by the persons i/c the teams.
Teams are expected to play their pairs in their presumed order of strength from the top, but this does not mean that they must play their lowest handicappers in the top pair. Whilst this rule is open to interpretation, it is hoped by the Committee that the integrity of those in charge will not need to be brought into question.
Girls should play from the Ladies tees that best matches the course rating of the mens.
Except for the clarification of the Rules of Golf, no-one other than the Team Captain and foursomes partner (including Person in Charge, Coach, Golf Professional, Parent, other team member) may communicate with players playing a match. Contravention of this rule should result in the loss of the hole on which the infringement takes place.
No caddies allowed. Spectators / finished team mates are expected to keep their distance.
If a school is unable to turn out three pairs on the date arranged for the match, it should inform the opponents beforehand and automatically forfeit the bottom match.
There will be 3 stages to the U18 Foursomes event highlighted below:
If a game is all-square after 18 holes, play must continue until a hole is won and a decision is reached for each game. Therefore, there cannot be any halved matches.
If Round Robin stages consist of 3 or 4 schools, then each school will host a home and away fixture (each school would affectively get 4 - 6 matches). If there are 5 schools or more, then there will be a home and away system randomly assigned.
If there is a tie at the end of the round robin group stage the total up a team is across all matches will be used to determine a winner.
All regional knockout stages should be contested on neutral venues.

Round Robin Group Stage (Michaelmas Term)

Small groups of 3-5 schools
1 point for each game win
Bonus point for winning team
Bonus point to team who is ‘most up’
A total of 5 points is awarded each match

Regional Knockout Stage (Lent Term)

4 neighbouring round robin group stage winners will enter a Knockout Regional stage

(If no obvious geographical reason, the draw will happen randomly)

National Knockout Stage (Summer Term)

8 regional winners will come together to compete at the National Final

U15 Swifts Foursomes

Players’ ages are calculated from the beginning of the school year. Therefore, any student up to and including year 10 can compete in the Swifts U15 strokeplay tournaments.
U15 players can contribute to a schools U18 team and U15 team within a season.
All matches are to be played between two foursomes pairs as scratch match-play.
The usual R & A rules for match play should be used. Any disputes in matches must be resolved by the persons i/c the teams.
Teams are expected to play their pairs in their presumed order of strength from the top, but this does not mean that they must play their lowest handicappers in the top pair. Whilst this rule is open to interpretation, it is hoped by the Committee that the integrity of those in charge will not need to be brought into question.
Girls should play from the Ladies tees that best matches the course rating of the mens.
Except for the clarification of the Rules of Golf, no-one other than the Team Captain and foursomes partner (including Person in Charge, Coach, Golf Professional, Parent, other team member) may communicate with players playing a match. Contravention of this rule should result in the loss of the hole on which the infringement takes place.
No caddies allowed. Spectators / finished team mates are expected to keep their distance.
If a school is unable to turn out two pairs on the date arranged for the match, it should inform the opponents beforehand and automatically forfeit the bottom match.
There will be 3 stages to the U15 Foursomes event highlighted below:
All 18 holes must be played for each pair with the total up or down reported through 18 holes as the result.
If a game is all-square after 18 holes, play must continue until a hole is won and a decision is reached for each game.
If Round Robin stages consist of 3 or 4 schools, then each school will play a home and away fixture (each school would affectively get 4 - 6 matches). If there are 5 schools or more, then there will be a home and away system randomly assigned.
If there is a tie at the end of the round robin group stage the total up a team is across all matches will be used to determine a winner.
All regional knockout stages should be contested on neutral venues.