Rotago Golf
The Team Version of Golf
In ROTAGO, with the exceptions listed below, teams follow all of the standard rules of golf are used.
1. Special Rules for Rotago
1.1 Team Captain. Each team must have a designated captain to set the line-up and sign the scorecard at the end of the round. The captain represents the team in communications with other team captains and course officials.
1.2 Captain. Duties shall include:
1.2a providing the course official or opposing team captain with his team’s lineup card which shall include the name and hitting order of each player
1.2b reviewing course rules with the course official or opposing team captain
1.2c informing team players as to special ground rules as announced by the course official. Lineups become official after they have been exchanged, verified, and then accepted by the course official or opposing team captain during the pre-match conference. PENALTY: If a captain submits an unsigned scorecard, a two-stroke penalty is added to his team's final score. If a captain signs an incorrect scorecard resulting a lower team score, a four-stroke penalty is added to his team's final score.
1.3 Changing Ball. Each player may use his own ball. If a player wishes to use a different ball than the previous shot, he must mark the ball, replace the previous player’s ball with his own ball, and hold the replaced ball until he can return it to the previous player.
1.4 Shooting out of Position. During a round, a team may not change the playing position of any player. PENALTY: Two-stroke penalty for each hole where a violation occurred.
1.5 Senior Players. Unless playing in a senior event, seniors designated as the Driver must use the same tees as all other competitors.
1.6 Mulligans. No mulligans or gimmes permitted in ROTAGO.
1.7 Player Withdrawal. In the case of injury or the need for a player to withdraw, once a player withdraws, that player may not return to the match. In two-player ROTEGO, if a player withdraws, the team forfeits the match. In three-, and four-player ROTEGO, each team may predesignate an alternate who must assume the position of the withdrawn player without changing the order of the line-up. If the team does not predesignate an alternate and a team member must withdraw for the match, the team forfeits the match.
2. Player Roles and Club Rules
2.1 Line-up. Before the match, the team captain creates a lineup that determines which player takes each shot based on the ROTAGO rules and each player's assigned role. Once the team captain exchanges the line-up with opposing teams, no changes are permitted. PENALTY: Two strokes.
2.2 Set of Clubs. Instead of every golfer carrying a full set of clubs, the team shares a designated set of clubs, with specific clubs assigned to specific players.
2.3 Golf Bag. The clubs do not have to be carried in the same bag.
2.3.1 Separate Bags. If the team opts to carry clubs in multiple bags, the team may only have a combined 14 clubs in the bags.
2.3.2 Other Clubs. Clubs other than the original 14 clubs may not be in the possession of a team during the match. PENALTY: One stroke per club, per hole played by the offending team.
2.3.3 Club Substitution. No clubs may be substituted once the match has begun. PENALTY: One stroke.
2.4 Player Roles. Each player assumes one of the following roles and uses the designated clubs:
2.4.1 Driver. The player designated as the Driver is responsible for tee shots and maximizing distance. Designated Clubs: Driver and 3-Wood.
2.4.2 Fairway. The Fairway player takes second shots and long approach shots from the fairway. Designated Clubs: 4-Iron, 5-iron, 5-Wood, and 9-Wood. Teams may substitute a 4-Hybrid for the 4-Iron and 9-Wood.
2.4.3 Pitcher. The Pitcher handles the short game and approach shots. These involve those shots that are not on the green and are 75 yards or less from the hole. Designated Clubs: 6, 7, 8 and 9 Irons, a Pitching Wedge and a Gap Wedge.
2.4.3a Club Substitution. The Pitcher may substitute other preferred wedges as desired as long as the team does not exceed a combined 14 clubs in the bags
2.4.4 Putter. The Putter is responsible for putting and specialty shots. The Putter handles all shots from the green and has access to specialty clubs for certain situations. Designated Clubs: Putter, Sand Wedge, and Lob Wedge. The Pitcher may substitute other preferred wedges as desired as long as the team does not exceed a combined 14 clubs in the bags
2.5 Hazard Play. A hazard shot may include a shot from the rough, bunker, water, or other difficult lie - or a situation where the previous shot has landed and the team chooses not to take the applicable penalty. When a shot is determined to be a hazard shot, the team may assign the shot to the player with the club best suited to escape the situation.
3. Time-Saving Rules for ROTAGO
To ensure a quicker pace of play during ROTAGO, the following rules should be followed if agreed upon by the captains before the beginning of the round.
3.1 Tee Off
3.1.1 Three Minute Rule. Players have three minutes from the final putt of the previous hole to tee off for the next hole. This allows time for a brief team meeting and players to get into position along the fairway.
3.1.2 Prompt Tee-off. The Driver must tee off promptly once the Fairways are in position. PENALTY: One stroke.
3.2 Shot
3.2.1 Thirty Second Rule. The first position player must take a shot within 30 seconds once it is clear to play.
3.2.2 Twenty Second Rule. Succeeding position players must take a shot within 20 seconds of the previous shot. PENALTY: One stroke.
3.3 Lost Ball
3.3.1 Two minute Rule. If a player’s ball is lost or out of bounds and not found within two minutes, they must play a provisional ball.
3.3.2 Ball Drop. The player may not return to the spot of the previous stroke. Instead, they must estimate the location where the ball was lost or went out of bounds and drop a new ball within two club-lengths of the nearest fairway edge, no closer to the hole. PENALTY: One stroke.
3.4 Cart Assignment
3.4.1 Cart 1. Driver and Putter ride in Cart 1.
3.4.1.1 To The Tee. Driver and Putter go directly to the tee and prepares to tee off.
3.4.1.2 To The Green. After teeing off, Driver and Putter go directly to the green to prepare for the putt.
3.4.2 Cart 2. Fairway and Pitcher ride in Cart 2
3.4.2.1 To The Fairway. Fairway and Pitcher go directly to the fairway to ready for the second shot.
3.4.2.2 To The Green. After fairway and approach play, Fairway and Pitcher meet Cart 1 at the green.
3.4.3 Cart Parking. Park carts at the green in a position that leads directly to the next tee.
3.5 Additional Pace of Play Guidelines
3.5.1 Scorekeeping. Do not write scores around the green. Record them at the next tee box.
3.5.2 Finish Tap-ins. Do not mark your ball; finish the tap-in and move on.
3.5.3 Flag Replacement. The first player to finish the hole is responsible for replacing the flag.
3.5.4 Triple-Bogey Rule. Any score above a triple-bogey should be picked up to keep the game moving.
In the event of an injury or a player needing to withdraw, a predesignated alternate may step in without disrupting the positions of the rest of the team. But beware - if no alternate is named in advance and a player must drop out, the team forfeits the match.
