Rules

01.ELIGIBILITY

Professionals
The “16th BlackSeaRama Vivacom Pro-Am” is open to all PGA Members and trainees as recognised by their respective National PGA. A limited number of exemptions may be considered provided that the Professional is a member in good standing of an organisation that is considered a Professional Member of the International Golf Federation. Any doubts as to eligibility will be decided by the Confederation of Professional Golf (CPG) Board of Directors whose decision will be final.

Amateurs
Amateur participants must be in possession of a valid handicap certificate.

02.TOURNAMENT ITINERARY

Monday 01 July Arrival and Registration at BlackSeaRama Golf & Villas & Welcome Ceremony Tuesday 02 July 20 Teams Scramble at Thracian Cliffs, 20 Teams Official Practice Round at
BlackSeaRama
Wednesday 03 July 20 Teams Scramble at Thracian Cliffs, 20 Teams Official Practice Round at  BlackSeaRama
Thursday 04 July Round 3, 20 Teams on Lighthouse, 20 Teams on BlackSeaRama
Friday 05 July Round 4, 20 Teams on Lighthouse, 20 Teams on BlackSeaRama. Prize Giving Ceremony at BlackSeaRama Amphitheatre. Gala Dinner at Eventum Hall, BlackSeaRama Golf & Villas
03.REGISTRATIONS AND COMPETITOR BRIEFING CPG Registration:
Online team registration via Golf Genius for Professionals will be operational from 10:00hrs on  20 June
June [information sent via email prior to the tournament]. Professionals MUST register online as soon as possible before the deadline of 12:00hrs (local time) on Monday 01st July.

All teams must register in person with BlackSeaRama staff as soon as they can when arriving at the main reception area at the BlackSeaRama Golf & Villas Clubhouse. BlackSeaRama staff will request any outstanding handicap certificates to be provided at the time of registration.

If a Professional cannot register before 12.00hrs on Monday, 1 July, they are requested to register their teams with the CPG via email or telephone.

It is the Professional’s responsibility to confirm their Amateur Teammates current handicap upon registration and MUST provide an updated handicap certificate, dated within two weeks of the start of the event, either as a print-out or as a document/image that can be shared with the CPG via email. Failure to do so will result in the amateur playing off a handicap of 0.0.

Data Use:
Participants agree that their personal data may be given to third parties for reasons related to timing, results' ranking and announcement on the internet. Personal data of the participants required during the registration procedure are stored and will be used for purposes only related to the staging of the event [unless otherwise opted-in to]. By submitting an entry form, each participant consents to the storing of his/her personal data and its use for the purposes of the event.

Participants consent to the use of their image during the event by the organisers, sponsors, or other partners of the event for promotional purposes, with no right to claim full or partial compensation for that reason.

Competitor Briefing:
There will be a compulsory Professional briefing at the BlackSeaRama Clubhouse before the Opening Ceremony on the evening of registration day. Attendance is compulsory from all PGA Professionals only and will cover various procedures for the event.

04.CONDITIONS OF PLAY

The event shall be played under The R&A Rules of Golf, the Tournament Regulations of the CPG, the 2024 CPG Conditions of Competition and the local rules for the Thracian Cliffs, BlackSeaRama and Lighthouse Golf Courses, as determined by the CPG Chief Referee.

Professional Competition:
The Professionals will compete in a 36-hole individual strokeplay competition, played on Lighthouse and BlackSeaRama golf courses.

Team Competition:
Teams (consisting of 1 Professional and 3 Amateurs) will compete over 36 holes stableford with the best two scores from the team of four to count on each hole. 

The handicap index limit is 28 for men and 36 ladies. This handicap index will be sloped first, then reduced to a 75% allowance. The resulting playing handicap will also be limited to 28 for men and 36 for ladies. The World Handicapping System [WHS] will apply to the tournament and each amateur will play from the applicable playing handicap.

Scramble:
The round on Thracian Cliffs will be played as a Scramble for all Teams.

Prizes:
Amateurs - [TO BE CONFIRMED]

In the event of a tie in the Pro-Am category, prizes will be determined by a card countback based on the scores achieved over the last 18 holes, then 9, 6, 3, and last hole.

Professionals

The Professional Prize Fund is €40,000 based on 40 teams competing in the Pro-Am, which will increase or decrease pro-rata by €1,000 for any teams more than or less than 10 [The Prize Fund is also subject to a CPG 5% Levy].

Any disputes regarding the interpretation of these Conditions of Competition will be settled by the CPG Tournament Manager in consultation with BlackSeaRama Golf & Villas and will be binding.

In the event of Ties in the Pros division there will be a sudden death play-off taking place on BlackSeaRama golf course straight after play has finished on Friday, 5 July.

05.DRAWS

The starting times for the Scramble will be published on Monday, 1 July in the afternoon. Starting times will be send per email and published on the notice board in BlackSeaRama clubhouse. The starting times for the two tournament rounds will be published on Wednesday, 3 July in the afternoon.

NOTE: No changes to the draws will be permitted once they are posted and the decision of the Tournament Manager will be final.

06.STARTING & TEES

All competitors are required to be at their starting tee 10 minutes prior to their start time. This is to allow the starter to provide pin positions, local rules and additional information to each player. This also ensures that all team members are present and able to start on time.

NOTE: Female Professionals will play from a course that is not shorter than 10-14% shorter than the total course yardage of the course played by the male Professionals. The Chief Referee will vary the tees as necessary to ensure the fairness of the holes and the event.

Important: Missing team members including the PGA Professional may be subject to penalty if the team in question fails to meet the points highlighted in 20.1 of the CPG tournament Regulations

NOTE: When both Professional and the team are subject to a two-stroke penalty for lateness on the tee, the team total for the first hole will be increased by two shots prior to any penalty being added to the Professional's individual score for that hole.

07.BUGGIES

For the round at Thracian Cliffs buggies will be provided to ALL competitors and ALL competitors (Amateurs and Professionals) can ride in them for this round ONLY.

For the rounds at Lighthouse and at BlackSeaRama, Buggies are available to ALL AMATEURS ONLY, however these are AT THE PLAYER’S OWN COST and are on a first-come-first-served basis. Professionals are NOT permitted to ride in a buggy during tournament rounds at BlackSeaRama and Lighthouse.

Model Local Rule G-6 modified as:
At BlackSeaRama and Lighthouse, Professional players must walk and are not allowed to ride in a buggy. However Professional players ARE allowed to put their golf equipment (Golf bag, etc) on the back of a buggy.

08.RECORDING OF SCORES

The Professional and one amateur will record scores using the Golf Genius app. Please ensure you have downloaded the Golf Genius App on your smartphone in advance of the tournament.

All scores must be finalised at the Tournament Office immediately following play.

Note: There will be a Scoring Area on each of the 3 courses. Players MUST visit the Scoring Area relevant to the course they played straight after play. Failure to do so can result in a disqualification.

09.RULINGS & DOUBT AS TO PROCEDURE

There will be a CPG Rules Official on the courses at all times to deal with any disputes. If, however, there is no Rules Official present the player may invoke Rule 20.1c(3) (two ball rule). The player must nominate the ball with which he wants to score, should the rules permit, and report the facts to a CPG Official immediately after the conclusion of play. Failure to do so will result in disqualification.

10.DISTANCE MEASURING DEVICES

All competitors will be permitted to use distance-measuring devices provided they measure distance only. If a player has any doubt as to whether a device is conforming, they should seek the advice of a CPG official.

11.SLOW PLAY

For everyone's enjoyment we ask for each team to “keep up with the team in front, and not in front of the team behind”. If a player is not going to score on a hole, he/she is requested to please "pick up". A Pace of Play will be enforced on the courses.

It will be the Professional's responsibility to ensure that the team's pace of play adheres to the guidelines of the Tournament Manager.

12.BAD WEATHER / PLAY FORESHORTENED OR CANCELLED

In the event of bad weather and an overall result not being possible, the overall result will be decided over completed rounds.

All players should make themselves aware of the Suspension of Play Policy, which can be found on the CPG Hard Card – Section A11. In all instances when there is a threat of lightning the player should put their own safety first and seek shelter as soon as possible. In the event of unforeseen circumstances any decision shall be made by the CPG and, in consultation with BlackSeaRama, will be binding.

13.DRESS REGULATIONS

Normal Golf clothing is to be worn at Thracian Cliffs, BlackSeaRama Golf Club and Lighthouse Golf Club during the tournament or the equivalent after golf. Professionals are permitted to wear shorts throughout the practice and tournament rounds. Dress code will be indicated for each advertised function.

14.CURRENCY

The local currency is Bulgarian Lev [BGN].

15.OFFICIALS AND CONTACTS


CPG Tournament Director: TBC
CPG Rules Official:  TBC

BlackSeaRama Event Manager: Delyana Davidova delyana@blacksearama.com +359 888 809 536

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