2014 NJSGA Championship Registration Is Open!
Despite the snow on the ground (and more to come), the New Jersey State Golf Association offers a glimpse of warmer weather, as registration for its 2014 Championships is now open. The season is highlighted by our five major championships; the 94th Open at Essex County, the 113th Amateur at Knickerbocker, the 89th Women’s Amateur at Spring Brook, the 82nd Four-Ball at Crestmont, and the 31st Mid-Amateur at Laurel Creek. The schedule, as well as registration instructions, are available here. In addition, there are a number of important changes and information about the newest NJSGA Championship, the Women’s Mid-Amateur, below.
Creation of the Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship
The NJSGA is excited to announce the creation of its 24th State Championship- the Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship. Female golfers age thirty and above with a USGA Handicap Index of 14.0 or less are eligible. The event will be run concurrently with the Women’s Amateur at Spring Brook Country Club; the two eighteen-hole stroke play qualifying rounds for 16 match play places in the Amateur Championship (which is a return to the previous Amateur format) on Monday and Tuesday, July 28 and 29 will also serve as the Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship. Players age thirty and above will automatically be placed into both championships; the entry fee of $155.00 covers registration for both events (to those eligible). To register, click here.
Team Events – Four-Ball, Mixed Pinehurst, Senior Four-Ball
For the first time in the history of three NJSGA team events, the Four-Ball, Senior Four-Ball and Mixed Pinehurst Championships will no longer require teams to be formed of players from the same NJSGA member club. As long as both players are members of any NJSGA member club, they may enter as a team in these three events. To view the championship schedule and enter any of these events, click here.
Creation of Women’s Player of the Year Award and Senior (men’s) Player of the Year Award
The NJSGA will recognize the top amateur women’s player and top men’s senior amateur player for the first time in 2014. The top women’s player will be determined through a points system which awards points for finishes in local, regional, and national events - similar to the existing men’s system. The top men’s senior amateur player will be the player age 55 or above with the highest points total in the overall men’s points system. To view the men’s points system, click here. The full women’s points system will be announced in the coming weeks. The Women’s Player of the Year, Men’s Player of the Year, and Men’s Senior Player of the Year will all be honored at the annual Celebration of Golf Dinner in October, along with the top ten finishers in the Men’s final points standing.
Senior, Super-Senior, and Pre-Senior Championships – Scoring
There will no longer be a net scoring category in these three championships.
Compher Cup Team Selection
The NJSGA will no longer select players to compete in this event versus the Golf Association of Philadelphia who are enrolled in college and participating on their college golf team, due to NCAA compliance regulations. (There will be no change to eligibility for the Stoddard Trophy match.)
Exemption Criteria
There have been minor changes to Exemption criteria for the Amateur Championship, Open Championship, Mid-Amateur Championship, and Men’s Public Links Championship. Some of these changes have gone into effect- others will go into effect for the 2015 Championship season. Click here for exemption listings, as well as a summary of changes.
NJSGA Rules Seminars
Club employees, board members, tournament players, and casual golfers that are interested in learning more about the Rules of Golf are invited to attend one of the NJSGA’s preseason Rules Seminars. These seminars will be held on Thursday, April 3 at Spring Lake Golf Club, and Wednesday, April 16 at Galloping Hill Golf Course. The nominal fee of $35.00 covers the seminar, all materials, breakfast, and lunch. These seminars are general in nature, and they feature common rules situations that arise on a daily basis at NJSGA tournaments and during regular play at clubs and courses. To register for a Rules Seminar, click here.
For more information about the NJSGA and the schedule of 24 State Championships, please visit www.njsga.org.
