Every year, the Maine Golf men’s and women’s tournament committees review of our championship event policies, including pricing, formats, and registration procedures. Read below to see some of the changes to these tournaments for the 2022 season.
Keep in mind that registration opens for all Maine Golf Championship events on April 1.
From the Men’s Tournament Committee
Club Team Championship and Senior Club Team Championship
- The fields for both events will be comprised of the 42 teams with the lowest combined aggregate handicap who register before the application deadline.
- Both of these events will be changed to predominantly gross championships. Due to this, the majority of prizes will be awarded to gross teams (low 8 gross, 2 net).
- There is no longer a limit of two teams allowed per Maine Golf member club. Any teams that meet the handicap and eligibility criteria are considered.
- We will use deferred payments for these championships. During registration, teams will need to include billing information with their application, but will only be charged if their team is one of the 42 teams to compete in the championship. This eliminates the sense of automatic inclusion once payment is received upon registration.
Mid-Amateur Championship
- The field will be comprised of the 132 players with the lowest handicap index who register before the application deadline.
- We will use deferred payments for this championship. During registration, the player will need to include billing information with his application, but will only be charged if he is one of the 132 players to compete in the championship. This eliminates the sense of automatic inclusion once payment is received upon registration.
Maine Amateur Championship Qualifying
- In years past we have conducted three qualifiers for the Maine Amateur Championship. The fields were limited to 102 players at each site, and we had all players tee off hole #1 from 7:00 to 12:30. In some years, the difference in weather was quite substantial between the morning and afternoon tee times. In order to level the playing field, in 2022 we will conduct five qualifiers. Each site will be limited to 78 players, with all players teeing off during the same wave, using both #1 and #10 tees.
- Due to the smaller fields and condensed tee times, we will no longer be deciding ties for the final qualifying spots by matching cards under the USGA tie-breaking method. Instead, players who are tied for the final qualifying spots will compete in a hole-by-hole playoff upon the completion of play.
From the Women’s Tournament Committee
Maine Women’s Amateur Championship
- The MWA will begin on Tuesday and end on Thursday rather than Monday through Wednesday.
- The championship will be a 54-hole event with a 36-hole cut.
- The maximum number of entries will increase from 99 to 111 (determined by handicap index).
- The final round will be comprised of the low 45 players and ties.
- The entry fee will be reduced from $125 to $100.
- Flight winners, two from each of four flights, will be after 36 holes.
Metropolitan Club Championship
- In the past, teams got into the championship on a first come/first served basis. In the 2022 Metropolitan Club Team Championship, priority will be given to teams made up of four players from the same home club. If the field is not filled by club teams, then teams with players from multiple clubs (mixed teams) will be allowed to participate. If the tournament is oversubscribed after the registration deadline has passed, the two-day field will be narrowed to 68 teams using the following procedure:
- All club teams will qualify unless more than 68 club teams apply.
- If more than 68 club teams apply, the teams with the lowest aggregate team handicap indexes will qualify.
- If fewer than 68 club teams apply, mixed teams with the lowest aggregate team handicap indexes will be added to the field.
The field will be evenly split between Monday and Tuesday with 34 teams playing each day. Teams may select their preferred day of play, but must be available to play both days if one day proves more popular than the other. The Maine Golf has the final say in determining the field for the championship.
In previous years, prizes were awarded after each day with competitors only competing against either the Monday or the Tuesday field. In 2022, after the second day of competition, prizes will be awarded to the top gross and net finishers from all the Metropolitan teams from both days. Awards will be based on the number of team entries within the flight and winnings will be added to the players’ Maine Golf accounts.
For complete schedules and championship information: