Gaspar Invitational Tournament Rules

The Gaspar Invitational is based on a points system similar to a Stableford game.  The winner of the Jose Gaspar title every month is the player who had the highest total of points in relation to his or her assigned Points Quota.  For example, a middle handicap player might be assigned a quota of 18, and if his or her points in any given month added up to 22, his or her total would be a +4.  If that number was the highest value relative to their points quota, that player would win the Gaspar Invitational for that month.

Conversely, the Wench is based on the same points system, but is the player with the highest total of points BELOW his or her assigned points quota, or lowest ABOVE their quota.  For example, if every player in the field exceeded their assigned quota, but only one player finished +1, they would win the Wench trophy, awarded to the worst golfer of the month.

Points Quotas fluctuate every month based on how each player performed the month prior.  If you exceed your current Points Quota, your new Quota goes up by HALF the number by which you exceeded, with a maximum increase of 2 points.  For example, if your Quota was a 15, and you scored 19 points, you exceeded your Quota by 4 points.  You will go up by HALF, which would be 2, so your NEW Points Quota would be 17 for the next Gaspar Invitational you play.  We round up, so if you exceed by 3, you go up 2 points.  If you exceed by 5 or more, you still go up by just 2 points, the maximum allowed.

Conversely, if you fail to meet your Quota, you go down by either 1 or 2 points, depending on how many points you miss your Quota.  If you miss your Quota by 3 or more points, you go down by 2.  If you miss by 1-2.5 points, you go down by 1.

If you hit your Quota exacly, you remain the same.  Also, if you miss your Quota by 1/2 point or exceed by 1/2 point, you remain the same.  Only players who miss or exceed by at least 1 point will have their Points Quotas move.

Tournament Scoring

Rules

1. All qualified players, unless they have been granted an exception from the Rules Committee, play in the Points Game when entering a Gaspar Invitational.  New players who have not competed in 2 Gaspar Invitationals play in the Skins Game immediately, and also play in the Closest to the Pins.  Once you have played in 2 Gaspar Invitationals, you will be assigned an official starting Points Quota, and you will begin playing in the Points Game from that point forward.  All these fees are included in the event fee.
2. Scoring is stroke play.  Please mark your scorecard with the total number of strokes it took for you to play each hole.  Keep 2 scorecards for each group.  One from each cart.  It's easy to miss the number of strokes it took to play a hole, so ask your cart mate to help you, and then both carts mark scores for all four players in the group.  Agree on what everyone in the group made after each hole before playing the next hole.  Group Captains will enforce this.
3. IMPORTANT:  You must write down the total number of strokes for each hole for each player.  DO NOT write -1, 0 or +1, etc..  Let us figure that out.  Do not write any additional numbers or dots on the scorecard where you are writing the scores.  Do it on another scorecard or at the bottom of your scorecard.  Each hole should have ONE number written for each player for each hole in very legible writing.  It takes us a long time to tabulate all the scores because we have to study these cards to figure out what players shot.  PLEASE help us make the scoring easier!
4. As soon as you get back to the clubhouse, please sit down as a group and go over your two scorecards.  Please compare and verify all scores for all players.  After verifying scores, please IMMEDIATELY TURN IN ONE OFFICIAL SCORECARD, along with your second card.  Please do not go to your car prior to turning in scorecards.  Send one player in with your scorecards if necessary.  Depending on the size of the field, we may wait until after the event to enter scores into our scoring system.
5. We convert your scores into points, based on modified Stableford rules.  See the scoring values above.  We have created a system inside the GasparGolf.com website that calculates Points, ranks order of finish, assigns Gaspar Cup Points, and determines the Skins.  If we get your scorecards right after you play, it takes 2 of us about 2-3 minutes to enter your group's scores into our system.  If we have 10 groups, we can finish in 20-30 minutes, and be ready to announce winners and award prizes.  We will have live scoring on the Gaspar Golf Web App in 2023, and all players will enter their scores in the App as we play, and there will be a live leaderboard.
6. Players competing in the Points Game receive 5 points PLUS 1 point for every player they beat in relation to Points Quotas.  First place will also receive 10 additional Bonus Points.  2nd place will receive 6 additional Bonus Points.  3rd Place will receive 4 additional Bonus Points.
7. Your points for a Gaspar Invitational tournament is compared to your Points Quota.  The player with the highest total of points relative to his or her Points Quota is declared the winner.  This number could be a plus (+) or a minus (-) or even, depending on how hard the course was, the conditions, etc.
8. Players' Quotas go up or down by 1 or 2 points, depending on how they perform against their Quota in the Gaspar Invitationals.  If you exceed or miss your Quota by 1/2 point, your Quota remains the same.  If you exceed or miss your Quota by 1-2.5 points, your Quota adjusts up or down by 1 point.  If you exceed or miss your Quota by 3 or more points, your Quota adjusts up or down by 2 points.
9. If you win a Gaspar Invitational, your Quota goes up by 6 points.  This is done to make it so a player must have an incredibly good tournament after winning to win again within 1-6 months.
10. On the first hole you play, you may hit 2 tee shots.  If you hit the 2nd tee shot, you MUST play it.  If your first hole is a par 3, you get your 2 tee shots on the next hole.  If you hit both your balls out of bounds, you go find one ball, and play your next shot from where your ball entered the out of bounds area with a 1 stroke penalty.  Remember that there is a maximum score of triple bogey for every hole.  Please always have at least 2 balls with you in case you lose your ball.  One that you are playing, and one in your pocket in case you cannot find your ball.  Please mark your balls with something you and your group can identify, and it's always good to show them your player mark on the first hole.  There are no mulligans or breakfast balls on any other hole.
11. We play lift, clean and place ONLY in your own fairway.  Please replace your ball within the maximum of ONE SCORECARD LENGTH distance from its original spot, no closer to the hole.  This means you can mark and line up putts on the fringe, and you can move your ball a scorecard length, no closer to the hole, while staying on the fringe.  Just please do it quickly.
12. If your ball is in a bunker, and sitting in a footprint, animal track or another divot, you may replace your ball as close to the spot as possible, outside the unrepaired area, or quickly rake the area where your ball came to rest if it is sitting in an unrepaired mark, and replace your ball.  This DOES NOT include balls that are plugged in the side of the bunker or sitting in a fried egg that YOUR ball created.  Please confirm moving your ball with your Group's captain.
13. The maximum score on any hole is a triple bogey.  If you have not holed out after being 2 over par on a hole, pick your ball up.  If you choose to pick your ball up anywhere on any hole, your score on that hole is a triple bogey, so please mark your card accordingly.  Triple bogeys do not score any points, nor do we deduct any points.  Thus, there is no reason for you to try to make a triple bogey shot or putt.  All it does is slow down play.
14. We putt everything out, and allow NO gimmes.
15. PLEASE, we ask you to play by the rules of golf, other than special rules for Gaspar Golf.  If you do not understand how to play after hitting your ball out of bounds or into a hazard, please ask your Captain.  The biggest thing is, you cannot improve your position in relation to the hole when hitting into a hazard, and that includes where you take your drop.  Your drop is taken within 2 club lengths of where your ball last crossed from land to the penalty area, no closer to the hole.  One of the biggest misunderstandings is when you hit your ball well into the woods.  You do not drop laterally from where you think your ball ended up or where you found it.  You drop where it entered the hazard.  If you have any questions, please ask any group Captain.  We know you are not cheating if you unintentionally violate these rules.  It's simply a lack of understanding them.  We get that, and we just want to make it fair to everyone since we are playing for a good amount of money each month.  Remember, you now may play your ball where it went out of bounds.  The penalty is 1 stroke, just like balls hit into a hazard.  You must drop within 2 club lengths of where the ball entered the out of bounds area.  This does not mean dropping in the fairway UNLESS the fairway is within 2 club lengths, no closer to the hole.
16. We do not want you playing your ball on or directly around roots.  Move your ball as close as you can from the original position, no closer to the hole and hit the ball.  We do not want your ball or club to contact any roots whatsoever.  You may have to play the ball out sideways.  If your ball is up against a tree, you may move the ball the length of a scorecard or further to avoid root issues below your ball.  This rule does not affect balls under or against bushes.  Play the ball as it lies, or take an unplayable lie drop with 1 stroke penalty.
17. We pay 1st, 2nd and 3rd place.  The first place winner will receive approximately 45% of the pot, and will be named Jose Gaspar until the next Gaspar Invitational.  The 2nd place finisher is the Skallywag, and he or she receives about 15% of the pot.  3rd place Deck Hand wins approximately 5%.  The last place finisher is called the Wench, and wins no money.  Closest to the Pin winners receive a total of about 20% of the pot (divided by the number of par 3 holes).  This leaves 15% for us to pay for trophies, prizes and marketing.  Skins are paid out of the total Skins pot of $5 per player, and we play an A Flight and a B Flight.  Ties on any hole means no Skin is awarded.  There must only be ONE birdie or better on a hole to win a Skin.  The total Skins pot is divided by the total number of Skins won, and winners receive their share.  If no Skin is won in an event, that money will roll over into the next official event for that flight.
18. In the case of a TIE for 1st place, we go to a sudden death playoff to break the tie(s).  If there are 2 or more tied for 1st place, the player(s) not declared the champion wins 2nd and possibly 3rd place honors.  If there is a winner, and 2 or more players are tied for 2nd place, we use the scorecards to break the tie for position, but we split the total prize money for 2nd and 3rd place.  For a tie for 3rd place, we use the scorecards to declare the Deckhand 3rd place finisher.  For last place ties, we use the EASIEST handicap hole, with the WORST score on the hole being used to determine last place.  Ties are broken in the same way.  We will only have ONE champion, ONE 2nd place, ONE 3rd place and ONE last place each month.
19. In the case of a TIE for 2nd, 3rd or last place, and there are ladies AND men in the tie, we must look at the scorecard to see if the hole handicaps are the same for both.  If there is a difference, we will go with the men's hardest handicap hole.  Same goes for last place, and the title of Wench.  If there are women and men tied for last, we go to the easiest hole on the scorecard, and go backward from there until the hole handicaps are same for women and men.
20. You must play in a minimum of half or more of the Gaspar Invitationals in the 2023-2024 Gaspar Cup season (October 2023 thru the September 2024 events) to qualify for the 2024 Gaspar Golf Playoffs, and must be a Pirate Club member.
21. New players are not eligible to play in the Points Game until they have played 2 Gaspar Invitationals, thus establishing a Points Quota.  This allows you to play in the Points Game in your third Gaspar Invitational.  New players are assigned a starting Quota before their first event. After they have played 2 events, we assess how they performed in their first 2 events. We then add 5 points to their Quota to give them their first Official Points Quota.  When they play in their next Gaspar Invitational, they are eligible to win prize money in the Points Game.  Like all players, their Quota number adjusts up or down after every event, based on how they did against their Quota.
22. If you miss 3 or 4 consecutive events, including the annual team event, you will have 1 point added to your Quota.  If you miss 5 or 6 consecutive Gaspar Invitationals, including the annual team event, you will have 2 points added to your Quota.
23. If you miss 6-11 consecutive events, you will not be eligible to play in the Points Game in your first event back.  If you miss 12+ consecutive events, you will not be eligible to play in the Points Game in your first 2 events back.
24. We try to play at better courses all year long.  We may have to play at a few public or semi-private courses due to cost and availability.  It is not mandatory to play in a certain number of Gaspar Invitationals.  While we'd love to have all our players at each tournament, we understand that everyone has other things going on in their lives.  We hope to see you often!
25. You may play Gaspar Challenges inside your group during a Gaspar Invitational, but remember that the Invitational scoring takes priority.
26. Please try to be a good ambassador for Gaspar Golf.  Treat the courses and their employees well, and promote Gaspar Golf to others you meet!