When Can I Join?
Players can join the USSSA anytime during the year and be immediately eligible to participate in upcoming USSSA tournaments. New memberships for the upcoming year are accepted beginning on August 1st each year. There is one (1) type of membership. Standard. A Standard Membership is FREE. USSSA Standard Tour Members can go on-line and register for any upcoming event, utilizing a credit card. Local tours may have their own membership fees. On-line Tournament registrations will receive an automated electronic email confirmation. Any boy or girl 9-18 years old who has not yet begun college is eligible to play on the USSSA Junior Golf Tour. Graduating high school seniors are encouraged to compete throughout the summer after their senior year in high school. All tournament participants must be USSSA members.
Double Hitting: The USSSA will often double hit groups, especially on par threes. If two groups are waiting to hit on the teebox of a par three, the USSSA will request that both groups hit and that both pairings move to the green. The second pairing should mark their balls, while the first group plays out. This keeps players from getting cold waiting to take a full swing. Occasionally the USSSA will also double hit on par fours and par fives if two groups are waiting to hit. Again, both pairings will tee off together. On par fours and par fives, however, the USSSA will request that the first group move toward their second shot and hold the second group on the teebox until the first group has reached the landing area. If USSSA Tournament Administrators request that you double hit on a teebox, this is what is taking place. No one is playing through your group and you are not losing your place. It is simply a tour policy implemented to avoid having players getting cold and waiting to hit on a teebox.
Ready Golf On All Teeboxes: The USSSA plays ready golf on all teeboxes and honors golf in the fairway and on greens. Any player who is ready to play on any teebox should go ahead and hit, regardless of their score on the previous hole.
Scorecards/Awards/Website Photos Players are asked to gather as a pairing at the Official’s Scorer’s Table and wait to sign their scorecard until they have reviewed the card carefully. Players should wait to sign their card until all members of their pairing are together a the Official Scorer’s Table. Only players are allowed at the Official Scorer’s Table and only players can discuss scorecards, scores and rulings with the tournament officials and one another. Players who have played two balls on a hole and recorded two scores or who have a ruling question should wait until their pairing is gathered in its entireity and discuss the ruling with their pairing and tournament officials. Players are also asked to wait to stay to participate in the Award Ceremony for their Age Division and to receive appropriate awards at that time. Awards cannot be shipped or brought back to future tournaments for early departures.
Behaviorial Expectations: Thank you in advance for your excellent on-course behavior. A vast majority of our USSSA members accept that golf is a difficult game and handle adversity with dignity and grace. Please remember that it is part of the spirit of the game to accept good bounces and bad and good breaks and bad without disturbing the concentration of other players or poisoning the atmosphere in a pairing. College coaches are interested in good players and good young people. When coaches contact the USSSA regarding a player, they have already seen his or her scores. Most often what they want to know is, “What kind of person is he/she? Does he/she get along with other players? Is he/she coachable? Is this young person someone that we can trust to represent our program? All of these questions relate to on-course behavior, which is just as important as your scoring average. Proper behavior on the course is vital to your successful future in golf. Warnings, stroke penalties and/or disqualification from an event may ensue if a player engages in repeated acts of club throwing, ball throwing, swearing or other unsportsmanlike behaviors.
Tournament Entry and Withdrawal Policies. Entering USSSA Events. All tournament participants must be members of the USSSAGolf Junior Tour. The USSSA observes a two day registration deadline before most tournaments. There is no front end date; players can register for events anytime prior to this two day deadline. Credit cards are normally not charged, however, until after the registration deadline expires. USSSA members/families are also reminded and encouraged to reserve any necessary hotel rooms by this two day deadline as well. This insures USSSA hotel room block availability and our discounted group rate. Registrations received after the tournament deadline can normally be accommodated. It is wise to email or call the respective Tournament Director, to verify entry into any event. Members who pay by check must have their registration fee received by the Tournament Director by the tournament deadline to insure inclusion in a tournament field. Registering online with intent to pay by check does not insure inclusion in a tournament field. Standard Tour memberships are required to register online and will receive an automatic electronic email response confirming their registration.
Withdrawing from USSSA Events Green fees and an official count to the host golf club, tee gifts, trophies and other pre-tournament financial commitments by the tour require that the USSSA maintain a strict withdrawal policy. Withdrawals also often impair the integrity of pre-established pairings and put more threesomes behind foursomes and more twosomes behind threesomes, lessening the quality of the the USSSA tournament experience. The USSSAs withdrawal policy is explained below. Complete refunds (minus $15.00 credit card processing fee) are issued by check from the USSSA National Office only to those members who cannot play due to illness or injury. There is no refund provision for scheduling conflicts, family outings or other personal circumstances unrelated to illness or injury. There is no refund provision for potential poor weather. All tournaments will be played as scheduled unless dangerous or unplayable conditions ensue and that decision will always be made onsite. The USSSA has never cancelled a tournament in advance due to cold, hot or potentially inclimate weather. If a predicted hurricane, or act of God threatens a USSSA event and credit cards have been charged and the tournament is cancelled, all registrations will be honored at a future USSSA tournament. Members who are forced to withdraw from an event prior to or during the tournament are asked to please contact the USSSA Tournament Director as soon as you know you will not be there. If you call the USSSA Tournament Director and he/she is onsite at the tournament, please leave a message there and also at the pro shop of the host golf club. There is no withdrawal form. Simply call or email the USSSA Tournament Director. If you are injured or ill and cannot play, please fax a doctor’s note to the USSSA Tournament Director and a complete refund (minus $15.00 credit card processing fee) will be issued by check. Players who withdraw from an event cannot roll their registrations over to future tournaments. Refund Policy Players who register for a tournament and withdraw from an event will receive: *Withdrawals any time before registration deadline: 100% of tournament entry fee minus $15.00 cc processing charge. *Withdrawals after registration deadline up until seven days before tournament’s first round: 50% of tournament entry fee minus $15.00 cc processing charge. *Withdrawals less than 7 days before tournament’s first round: 0% *There is a no-refund policy for USSSA Championship Events.
Rainouts/Inclement Weather Policy Every effort will be made to play each event through to its conclusion. Play will continue in wet weather unless lightning or other dangerous conditions ensue. Players should continue to play until they hear an air horn halting play or until they see lightning and then should take shelter immediately. If the air horn is sounded and play is halted, players should ride back to the clubhouse in any available cart, including those of USSSA tournament and host course officials. There is no provision for refunds for a rainshortened event.
Caddying The USSSA Junior Golf Tour is one of the few year-round junior tours in America that allows the participation of adult caddies. Participation is entirely voluntary. At any USSSA event, about half the field will be using a caddy and half won’t. It is not mandatory that a player use a caddy. The opportunity to caddy in a USSSA event is a unique one. It is a bonding experience unlike anything available in other competitive sports. The USSSA has established strict guidelines for caddies to follow in hopes that we will be able to continue to offer this wonderful experience. Caddies must read the following guidelines and willingly abide by them. Unlike spectators, caddies are allowed on teeboxes, in fairways and on greens, but must abide by USSSA Caddy guidelines. Specators must remain on cart paths and must remain separate from players and caddies. USSSA Caddy Rules *Players can compete with or without a caddy. Bibs are required and can be ordered from USSSA at 1-800-741-3014, or on-line at www.usssa.com, or purchased onsite at any USSSA event. *You must have your official USSSA bib showing at all times. If you wish to withdraw and become a spectator, please remove your USSSA bib and watch the match from the cart path. There is no player penalty for a caddy’s withdrawal, but you cannot return to the bag again during that round; however another caddy may take the bag without interuption. *No alcohol intake or smoking is permitted from first ball struck to last ball holed. *If a tournament approved shuttle is provided, please hop on and move to the next shot with the pairing. *Caddies must be 18 years of age to participate. *Like a PGA/LPGA Caddy, you are to give yardage and hand a requested club to the player. You are not allowed to impart lessons. You are not allowed to touch a club during the round except to transfer it immediately from the bag to the player. *Pre-shot comments or pre-putt reads must be one sentence recommendations, as in “You’ve got 150 yards to the bunker”, or “This putt is left edge.” *Distance/slope measuring devices can be operated by either the player or the caddy, but the player still must play within 40 seconds. Your advice and participation is part of that time allotment. Lengthy pre-shot and pre-putt rituals can cause slow play and result in pace of play warnings and slow play penalties. *After the player takes the club on the tee, the fairway or the green, move away and let the player hit the shot. Caddies MUST move from the line of the shot, either in front, or behind. *The player must keep his/her own scorecard (except in 11 year old divisions and younger) Caddies are not allowed to hold or keep their player’s official scorecard or to tell their player what they had on a hole or what a member of the pairing had. Do not ask a member of your pairing what they had on a hole. Caddies are prohibited from entering into any part of the scoring process, during and after the round. Caddies are not allowed in the area near the scorer’s table. *Caddies should avoid making a ruling for their player or any player, even if asked. The player must make his/her own ruling and confer with other players on rulings. *Caddies and spectators alike are allowed & encouraged to look for all lost balls. *The player must mark his/her own ball, then give it to the caddy to clean, which is within the rules. *Caddies are asked to rake bunkers and tend flagsticks to assist with place of play.
The USSSA allows the use of “Pull Carts” in ALL Boys & Girls Play. Also, Caddies are allowed to utilize a pull cart, however, must meet all USSSA Caddy requirements.
Hold Harmless The USSSA will be held harmless for any incidents or accidents occuring when traveling to, participating in, or returning from tournaments.
All participants must be medically cleared to play competitive golf. Tournaments will normally progress as planned, even in difficult conditions, which include summer heat, winter cold, wind and sometimes rain. Participants are instructed to stop play and take cover immediately, though, if lightning is seen nearby. USSSA Tournament Administrators will sound a golf club siren or an air siren to notify participants to suspend play if lightning is seen nearby. When play resumes, a siren or air horn will again be sounded to resume play. Please note that participants who see lightning nearby should not wait for a signal to discontinue play and take cover. This hold harmless agreement applies to players, caddies, parents, family members, spectators or other participants