Sunset League Rules & Regulations

The Sunset Golf League is a committee of the ZCMC and is subject to its bylaws and rules. The ZCGC Board of Directors will appoint a League Administrator to run the league and perform all scorekeeping duties and will be compensated with a season pass from club funds.

The purpose of the Sunset League is to promote competition between members of the ZCGC.

The qualifications for the Sunset League are:

1. Membership in the Zenith City Golf Club.
2. Current team dues paid to the Zenith City Golf Club.
3. Current individual dues paid to the Zenith City Golf Club.

1. Every team is encouraged to have at least five members. The minimum is four and the maximum is ten.
2. Any team can add members to its roster up to two weeks before the beginning of playoffs.
3. To be eligible for the playoffs a player must have played in regular league play a minimum of two times.
4. Using subs from other league teams is permitted under the following rules.

a. Subs may substitute on a team from any night of play

b. Substitutes must be 100% paid members of the ZCMC

c. Substitute are not allowed during playoffs

d. Any team using substitute players may take the substitutes full handicap for scoring and round down if not an even number.

OR

Players are eligible to participate on more than one Sunset league team under the following rules:

a. Players may only play on one team per night

b. Players playing on more than one team in the Sunset League will be required to play an additional player fee of $35.00 for each additional night played.

c. Players must declare on the official team roster which team he will be eligible for playoffs on. Players are only eligible to play on one team for playoffs. Once a team is eliminated from playoffs, that player is done for the year.

5. Tee times are from 5:00 until 6:00 p.m. on two separate nines each night of league play.
6. Matches will be played from the white tees unless:

a. A registered player is over the age of 55 on January 1st of the current year.

AND

b. That player has declared on the league registration form that he will play from the gold tees for that season. (Rule Change for 2026)

7. If a match is rain delayed during league play it will be resumesd at the point of delay. If a match is cancelled due to weather it will not be made up. The Enger Park Pro Shop will determine if league can play on any given night and the decision is final. If league play is called off during play and if all teams have completed at least one hole, individual teams will retain the points they have earned and any remaining points will be split. Rain outs or cancellations do not affect playoff spots as they are determined by nightly standings. Any teams or groups that decide not to play on their own or that quit while on the course will not receive any points for the night.
8. In the case of a forfeit or bye the team scheduled to play them is guaranteed 12 points, six for each twosome. That team must play to collect the points and can play in a foursome. That team can earn more than the 12 points by playing their two 2 man matches against the course with handicap. Each two man team will receive 1 point for a net birdie on a hole and ½ point for a net par. At the end of the match the team gets the amount of points that is greater. The forfeiting team gets zero points.
9. A team can play short with 3, 2, or 1 player.If a team only has two players they may play together or separate. If they play together the other nine hole match is a forfeit and previous rule governs the points.
10. Two forfeits in a season may cause that team to be dismissed from the league. No team or individual fees will be refunded.
11. USGA rules govern all play, except as modified by the Sunset League or Enger Park Golf Course.
12. Team captains are responsible for roster eligibility and honoring tee times.
13. The League Administrator, and any reference he chooses, will settle all protests. Any protests must be made during or immediately after the match and must be brought to the attention of the League Administrator for a ruling.
14. The League Administrator sets league scheduling and standings.
15. The League Championship is determined with a 24-team playoff. The top 8 teams from each night advance.

We are using the following point system:

1. Each match is played in two foursomes containing a 2-man team from each team.
2. 1 point per hole won by low net score.
3. Ties per hole are split 1/2 to each team.
4. Most holes won in each foursome are awarded 1 point.
5. 10 points total for each foursome. 20 points total for each two-team match.
6. Handicaps in each foursome are zeroed out to the low man’s handicap. Example: In a foursome where the four players handicaps are 4,5,5 and an 8 the player with the 4 is the low handicap in the group and gets 0 handicap. The other players subtract the four from their handicaps and end up respectfully with a 1, a 1, and a 4 handicap each. They get strokes on the handicapped holes based on those numbers. The two players with a 1 get a stroke on the hardest hole on the scorecard. The player with a four now gets one stroke on the four hardest handicap holes on the scorecard.
7. Maximum strokes golfer can receive for 9 holes from their personal GHIN will be 11. There is no maximum on the number of strokes that a golfer can give for 9 holes from their personal GHIN. (Rule Change for 2026)

Playoff eligibility is determined by team standings positions after completion of the regular season.

Participants are determined as follows:

1. The top eight teams of each night qualify and are seeded by winning percentage.
2. Tiebreakers will be: head-to-head results, highest single-night point total during the season, most nightly matches won, then coin flip.
3. Players must have played at least two matches during the regular season.
4. Teams are seeded 1 through 24 based on winning percentages from their night of play.
5. Teams will play nine hole matches using league-scoring rules to determine a winner based on the 20 point system. If there is a tie in a match the winner will be determined by a scorecard playoff where all players receive their full handicap. Scores are compared for all eight players starting with the hardest hole and working thru the nine holes. First team to win a hole in this manner wins the match. For Example: Team A won the hole in one match, but lost the hole in the second match. Tie continues to the next hardest hole. On that hole, Team A won the hole in one match and split the hole in the other match. Team A is the winner. If the teams are still tied a coin flip by the League Administrator will determine the winner.
6. Once the two finalist teams are determined there will be an 18 hole final match using the same rules of league scoring. It will be scored as two nine hole matches. Teams may change partners or replace players after nine holes. The team with the most total points after the 18 holes is league Champion. If tied after 18 holes each team will select two players and those two will immediately play a sudden death match where first hole won wins. Same scoring applies. Any protests during the match must be made on the course immediately and will be ruled upon by the League Administrator or any reference he chooses.
7. Teams who won their individual night of league will have their $50 team fee waived for the next season.
8. Team who wins the overall league Championship will have individual dues waived for the team members for the next season.

Opponents are responsible for verifying the results of each match by:

1. Verify that correct handicaps are used.
2. Verify that correct handicaps are used on correct holes.
3. Verify correct addition of actual scores.
4. Verify the match outcome.
5. Sign and turn in scorecards.

Scorecards are checked for accuracy by the League Administrator. Any discrepancies will be corrected. Inquiries into such changes should be made to the League Administrator.

League uses GHIN scoring.

1. BE READY FOR YOUR TEE TIME!!! Do not dawdle on the practice areas. Be ready to play!
2. Remember that we only count a maximum score of 8. If your score is going to be more than that AND you are not a factor in who will win the hole, you may pick up to speed things along. Put an X for your score if you picked up after shooting higher than an 8. This will tell the League Administrator to mark down an 8. (Rule Change for 2026)
3. Keep up with the group ahead of you.
4. If you are ready to hit and no one is, hit. The farthest away from the hole doesn’t have to hit first.
5. If you are able to hit your ball while someone else is searching for theirs, hit yours and then help them look. Chances are they will find their ball by the time you hit.