California Cup

Rules

2026

* denotes new rules for 2026

  1. Tournament Format
    1. There are two teams consisting of 8 golfers each; Red Team and Blue Team.
    2. The California Cup 2026 consists of 6 rounds. A round consists of 9 holes.
    3. During twosome match play each round is worth 1 point per foursome. Each round consists of four foursomes per round which equals 4 points contested per round. During the eight singles matches each pairing is worth 1 point.
      1. 28 points total = 4pt (Rnd1) + 4pt (Rnd2) + 8pt (Rnd3) + 4pt (Rnd4) + 4pt (Rnd5) + 4pt (Rnd6).
      2. 14½ points wins the California Cup.
    4. Each golfer also records a Stableford score for each hole. Highest cumulative score will be named the annual Sean Castle Most Outstanding Golfer.
  2. Draft Format
    1. Draft Date and Time : April 15, 2025 at 19:00 Pacific Daylight Time
    2. First draft pick is decided by coin flip. Coin flip winner earns the option to pick or defer to opposing captain.
    3. Coin flip loser gets choice of team color.
    4. After the first pick, the next captain picks two consectuive picks. Resume alternating picks afterwards until all golfers are picked.
      1. [A,B], [B,A] * 7
  3. Round Format
    1. Round 1 and Round 2 (Front 9 and Back 9 at The Crossings at Carlsbad)
      1. Twosome Scramble Match Play
        1. Match Play scoring. Both team members tee off. Team members then select a ball to hit from and each hit a ball. This continues until the ball is in the hole. Pick up at Double Bogey. Play all holes.
      2. Stableford scoring. Record the team score for each hole. Pick up at Double Bogey.
      3. Foursomes will play all 18 holes together.
    2. Round 3 (Front 9 at Lomas Santa Fe Golf Course)
      1. Singles Match Play
        1. Regular match play rules. Pick up at Double Bogey. Play all holes.
      2. Stableford scoring. Record each individual’s score for each hole. Pick up at Double Bogey.
    3. Round 4 (Back 9 at Lomas Santa Fe Golf Course)
      1. * Alternate Shot
        1. Alternate shot. Alternating tee shots. Match Play. Pick up at Double Bogey. Play all holes.
      2. Stableford scoring. Record the team score for each hole. Pick up at Double Bogey.
    4. Round 5 and Round 6 (Front 9 and Back 9 at Aviara Golf Club)
      1. Twosome Shamble Match Play
        1. Match Play scoring. Both team members tee off. Team members then select a drive and then play their own ball all the way to the hole. The lower score counts for the team. Pick up at Double Bogey. Play all holes.
      2. Stableford Scoring. Record each individual's score for each hole. Pick up at Double Bogey.
      3. Foursomes will play all 18 holes together.
  4. Group Pairings
    1. Team captains will assign twosome pairings prior to each round called groups. Captains will assign Group A, Group B, and Group C. Groups will be revealed one hour prior to tee time.
    2. First group reveal is determined by captain’s coin flip. Coin flip winner (C1) has choice to reveal or defer to opposing team captain (C2).
      1. If coin flip winner (C1) reveals a group first, they select two golfers from their roster. The opposing team (C2) then selects two golfers from their roster to complete the foursome. Alternate who reveals first and repeat process for all groups.
  5. Team Scoring
    1. Each 9 holes is worth 1 point per pairing per Round. Half point award to each team on a tie.
      1. If any golfer is absent (late arrival) at the tee of a hole, the hole is forteited.
  6. Individual Scoring
    1. Stableford scoring system.
      1. Points for: Bogey = 1, Par = 2, Birdie = 3, Eagle = 4, Albatross = 5
    2. In Round 1 and 2 each individual’s Stableford score for each hole is the same as the team’s.
    3. In Round 3 each individual records their own Stableford score for each hole.
    4. In Round 4 and 5 each individual’s Stableford score for each hole is equal to their own score.
  7. Tier 1 Handicaps
    1. The following golfers have reported handicaps of 10.0 and under and are subject to the handicap rules.
      1. Brandon Murphy (6.9)
      2. Aaron Steger (9.7)
    2. Handicap Rule
      1. On the TWO arbitrary holes per 9 holes at The Crossings at Carlsbad and Aviara Golf Club, the golfer and partner are moved back one tee. The Competition Committee reserves the right to assign these holes arbitrarily while maitaining the spirit of the rule.
        1. White->Blue
        2. White->Blue
      2. Lomas Santa Fe plays with No Handicap.
        1. White
    3. Handicap Holes
      1. The Crossings at Carlsbad @ 10:00a
        1. Front
          1. Hole #2
          2. Hole #8
        2. Back
          1. Hole #13
          2. Hole #14
      2. Lomas Santa Fe Golf Course @ 430pm
        1. No handicap
      3. Aviara Golf Club @ 100pm
        1. Front
          1. Hole #3
          2. Hole #9
        2. Back
          1. Hole #13
          2. Hole #16
  8. Additional Rules
    1. Lift-Clean-Replace (LCR)
      1. Scramble (Round 1 and Round 2)
        1. LCR within one club length, no closer to the hole. Lie cannot be improved (e.g., rough to fairway not allowed).
      2. Singles (Round 3), Alternate Shot (Round 4), and Shamble (Round 5 and Round 6)
        1. LCR within 12 inches on Fairway only, no closer to the hole. Lie cannot be improved.
  9. Mulligans
    1. No mulligans in 2026
      1. Exception: Per gofler, only one Breakfast-Mulligan can be taken on the first tee box of the first hole of each day.
      2. If taken it must be played; no provisional mulligans.
  10. Drive Steals
    1. One Drive-Steal per group/single per 9 holes. Unused Drive-Steals are lost.
      1. Must be declared prior hitting the second shot.
      2. The team exercising the Steal must play first.
      3. No Drive-Steal on Par 3 holes.
  11. Tie Breaker
    1. In the event of a tie, and a Playoff-Hole is available.
      1. Each Captian picks a partner from the team to play a one hole Scramble.
      2. Tee flip to determine who goes first.
      3. Repeat until a winner is established.
    2. * If no Playoff-Hole is available, a Chipping-Contest will be conducted.
      1. Each Captian picks a partner from the team.
      2. Tee flip to determine who goes first.
      3. Alternate one shot from each team from a designated starting point chosen by the Competition Committee.
      4. Only balls on the green are eligible.
      5. The closest team ball wins.
      6. Best 2 out of 3 is the winner.
    3. If no chipping area is available, the team with a higher aggregate Stableford score wins.
  12. Purse
    1. Tournament Buy-In + Mulligans/Steals: $200.00
      1. Total Purse: $3200.00
    2. Winning team splits entire purse
      1. Each player on the winning team receives: $400.00
  13. * Misc
    1. Squabbit app will be used for live scoring.
    2. No FaceTime allowed unless with your own children.
    3. Socks required.
Download the California Cup Rules