Inaugural Rolling Hills Golf Club "Oilman's Golf Tournament"
April 18th, 2013
I am pleased to announce and extend an invitation for the inaugural Oilman’s Golf Tournament which will be hosted by the Rolling Hills Golf Club on April 18th, 2013.
This tournament has been organized to promote and bolster the business relationships between the many contracting entities who work with Saudi Aramco by bringing together individuals who enjoy the sport of golf. The Oilman’s Golf Tournament will be an annual event which will be hosted by Rolling Hills Golf Club in Dhahran, and the event will take place at Rolling Hills Golf Course located inside of the Saudi Aramco Community in Dhahran, KSA.
FORMAT
The format is a team “Texas” scramble, with each team comprised of four players, however, two of the four players MUST be Saudi Aramco employees which promote the bolstering and nurturing of business relationships among the Aramco employees and those representatives from our Contracting entities. Each player must have an established golf handicap. The teams will be split into “flights” based on team handicap and we plan to have 4 flights for this year’s tournament
HANDICAP ALLOWANCE (10% of Team total)
The team handicap allowance is calculated by taking 10% of the total team playing handicaps (i.e. if team players handicaps total 72 then the team handicap is 7.20). The maximum allowable player handicap will be 26 for men and 32 for women.
Decisions by tournament organizing committee on handicaps will be made on / before April 16th & notices of any changes sent to the relevant team captain. Any disputes regarding the handicaps must be resolved before April 16th.
General Rules:
Each team must have two Saudi Aramco employees playing on the team.
The entry fees paid covers green fees, range balls, and all meals including the awards dinner which will be held at the Rolling Hills Golf Club for each player in the four-member team. Entries fees are 3500 SAR per team and can be paid at the Rolling Hills Golf Club Pro Shop located inside of the Saudi Aramco Community – Dhahran, KSA.
The cost for the awards dinner for guests (or spouses) is SR 250 & reservations can be made via the Tournament Director @ tournaments@arabiangolf.com
TEAM REGISTRATION
Team registration will commence on Wednesday January 30th, 2013 and the cutoff for registrations or changes to team participants will be on Wednesday April 10th, 2013. All registrations must be sent to the Tournament Directors (tournaments@arabiangolf.com) via email and a “confirm receipt” message will be sent.
The Contractor/Company representatives are urged to submit their forms early to avoid confusion. Since the team spots are limited there will be many players wanting to participate, we will try to ensure that there are no teams w/out 4 players including the two required Aramco employees.
We ask that the registration form be completed in its entirety. Each team should indicate their preference on the team registration form for a morning or afternoon tee time. The morning and afternoon times will be filled based on first-come - first-served basis. We will endeavor to give everyone their preferred time, but some shifting to make the tournament work is reserved to the Tournament Committee.
Payment for teams MUST be received via the Rolling Hills Golf Club Pro Shop prior to April 15th, 2013. If you have not made payment by that date or provision for payment, then your team may be disqualified & we will replace it w/ a team from the waiting list.
RULES
Men will play from the white tees, and ladies from the red tees; (tee assignments will be confirmed on the day by the organizers).
This is a Texas Scramble or Best Ball Scramble, all players will tee the ball then the best shot is chosen and all players hit from that spot. The next shot must be played from within one club length but no nearer to the hole. If the chosen ball comes to rest in the rough then all team shots must be played from the rough as well. Players can place their ball under this rule in all areas of the course EXCEPT sand bunkers. Shots in the sand bunkers must be dropped from shoulder height and no greater than one club length from the original spot. This format is repeated until the balled is holed. Each team must use 3 drives from each player. The player’s shot used should be indicated by placing the player’s initials on the score card next to each hole the player’s tee shot was used.
In the event of an incomplete team on the day of the tournament, the organizers reserve the right to replace any “no-show” w/ a player of their choice. This will not result in a change in overall handicap rating of the team, either up or down. If a team has only 3 players, then each player will be required to play four (4) tee shots. All other rules will remain the same.
No player from the morning flight can play as a substitute for an afternoon team or vice versa.
MULLIGAN (FREE SHOT)
One Mulligan per player can be purchased at the rate of 50 SAR. This entitles each player to play one additional shot anywhere during the round (i.e. drive, fairway or putt). The mulligan shot must be indicated on the scorecard with an “M” and the player’s initials next to the hole it was used.
Teams taking extra mulligans will be disqualified. Mulligans MUST be taken immediately after the 1st shot – once the cart moves forward the mulligan is out of play. Driving BACK to the location of the previous shot will be played under the rules of golf (lost ball, out-of-bounds, etc.) and penalty assessed.
REGISTRATION
Registration for both tee times will be at Rolling Hills Golf Club Snack Bar in the designated area – the far corner of the eating area inside of the Snack Bar.
Registration/check-in times will be notified by organizers to teams prior to the tournament day. Please make sure to have your team arrive and sign in AT LEAST 60 minutes prior to scheduled start of round.
There will be practice balls available on the range for warm-up.
NO HARD SPIKES & DRESS CODE
Rolling Hills Golf Club has a no “hard spikes” rule.
All shirts must have collars. No tee shirts, sleeveless shirts, or cutoff shorts are allowed. Players will not be allowed to wear jeans on the course.
SCORE CARDS
The lowest handicap golfer on each team is responsible to keep the score card, sign it, and turn it in to the Rolling Hills Golf Club Tournament Director immediately after play. Failure to turn in a scorecard w/in 30 minutes after completion of play will result in team disqualification.
PACE OF PLAY
We want everyone to enjoy themselves but also to maintain the pace of play. Remember to keep up with the team in front of you not simply ahead of the team behind you! The lowest handicap golfer on each team is responsible to keep up speed of play for the team; do not spend more than a minute looking for lost balls.
Rolling Hills is expecting all groups to make a 4:00 playing time for your round. This is challenging in a tournament, but teams must take no more than 4 1/2 hours to complete play. If this playing time is not maintained by the morning group, it will be extremely difficult for the afternoon group to complete their round before dark.
Rolling Hills Golf Club marshals will be on the course to monitor pace of play. If your team falls behind the team in front of you by more than one full hole, the marshals will ask you to pick up the pace. If your team fails to comply with the marshals instructions and does not speed up play, the marshals (at their sole discretion) may penalize the slow-playing team by causing them to miss the next hole and record a score of 3 over par.
COURTESY AND PACE OF PLAY IS IMPORTANT!!!
NOTE: Teams taking longer than 4 ½ hours in the morning may be asked to leave the course after that time and take par as their score for any uncompleted holes. If there is a large number of teams unable to finish their round due to slow play the organizers will either assign par to that team for unfinished holes OR (at the organizers sole discretion) take the average score of other teams in their flight who did complete a hole & assign that to that team.
Any team captain who experiences slow play in front of his group is URGED to call the Tournament Director & ask for a Marshall to help expedite play. +966 551935549
PRIZES
Trophies – Each player on the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place teams in each flight will be awarded trophies at the awards dinner. The overall winning team will have their team name engraved and placed on an Oilman’s Golf Tournament Trophy which will be displayed and updated each year with the current year’s winning team.
Door Prizes – We will have skill prizes on designated holes to include closest to the pin, long drive and President’s flag, but these are entirely dependent upon Sponsor donations.
HANDOUTS
In addition to the golf & dinner, each player will receive a “goody bag” with golf-related give-away items.
FOOD & REFRESHMENTS
Snacks & food will be available for on the course. All food & refreshments at this event will be provided by Rolling Hills Golf Club.
AWARDS DINNER
The tournament organizers will try to minimize the “talk time” to allow everyone to enjoy their dinner. However, our flight and individual (skills prizes) winners will be recognized, our sponsors will be acknowledged and prizes will be given.
The awards ceremony will be conducted at the dinner which will be at the Rolling Hills Golf Club on the evening of April 18th.
The dinner theme is casual as this will be held at the Rolling Hills Golf Club - Club House.
The dinner is included in the tournament entry fee for each golfer. Additional dinner tickets for guests can be purchased, in advance, by contacting the Tournament Director. The cost per guest is SR 250.
SPONSORSHIP
Being that Rolling Hills Golf Club is a self directed group and recognized by the Saudi Aramco Recreation Department we cannot receive or entertain cash sponsorships, prizes or gifts. However, those companies wishing to sponsor gifts, merchandise or other event related materials can inquire and do so through our Pro Shop. Please Contact the Tournament Director for further information regarding sponsoring opportunities. We will have several sponsor options for consideration for the event.
HOW TO GET TO THE COURSE
If you’re uncertain as to directions, ask at time of registration…or try “Google Earth” or inquire with the Tournament Director for a map to Rolling Hills Golf Club.
Community Access
The registration form will include information concerning identification, iqama, vehicle type, make, model, and color and plate information. Proving this information will streamline the security access to the Saudi Aramco Community, failure to provide the requested information may cause delays in accessing the Saudi Aramco Community and possible delay your registration for the event.
COMMUNICATION
Points of Contact:
Tim Billa – Tournament Director, +966 3 873 0378, +966 551935549, +973 37739345
Rolling Hills Golf Club Pro Shop, +966 3 872 0692
tournaments@arabiangolf.com
The Oilman’s Golf Tournament will be an annual event that you will not want to miss. We look forward to your response and participation in the 2013 Oilman’s Golf Tournament hosted by the Rolling Hills Golf Club – Dhahran, KSA.
Regards,
Tim Billa
Tournament Director