Q.  Who is eligible to compete on the tour?
A.  All amateur golfers at least 16 years of age. Applicants may be denied membership solely at the discretion of the tour director, with or without cause. Members may be suspended or have their memberships revoked with cause (conduct detrimental to the tour, unsportsmanlike behavior, etc). Players with handicaps of 15 or higher need to be advised that the maximum handicap that will be used to calculate net score in regular division is 15. 

Q.  What is the purpose of the tour?
A.  The purpose of the tour is to give panhandle golfers a place to compete.  The tour is a place for better players to sharpen their competitive skills, and a place for less accomplished players to learn how to play under tournament conditions.

Q.  Are prizes awarded?
A.  Yes prizes are awarded.  Pro Shop or Edwin Watts gift certificates are awarded for top finishers in each division. 

Q.  How is the player of the year determined?
A.  Player of the year points are awarded to each player in each tournament based on order of finish (click here to view player of the year points award schedule).  The player with the most points at the end of the season is name player of the year.

Q.  What are the other reasons to earn player of the year points?
A.  The top point earners in each division are eligible to compete in the season ending tour championship.  Also, the tour is hoping to compete against other amateur tour(s) in a Ryder Cup style event.  The player of the year points list will determine the members of the Lite Scratch Tour Florida team. 

Q.  How are entry fees determined?  How much are the entry fees for tournaments?
A.  Entry fees are based on the green fees charged to the tour for each player, plus $20 per event for prizes, plus a few additional dollars for incidental tournament expenses.  

Q.  Is there a cost to join the tour?
A.  Yes.  Tour membership dues are $100 per season.  In the event the tour is forced to reduce or cancel its schedule, membership dues will be refunded appropriately.

Q.  What is the typical tournament schedule?
A.  The tour prefers to play Saturday afternoons and Sunday mornings.  This schedule is designed to ease the travel burden on tour players.  The tour cannot guarantee this schedule for every event.  Typically, each tournament's tee time window will be posted as soon as it is known.

Q.  Can I request for certain tee times and/or certain pairings?
A.  You can ask, but it won't do you any good.  All members of the tour will be treated equally.  First round pairings will be random within divisions.  Later round pairings will be determined by earlier round scores.

Q. Is there a pace of play policy?
A. Yes. The tour has adopted the same policy that is in use by the Florida State Golf Association. There is an allotted time to complete each hole. Each group much finish each of their nine holes in less than the allotted time or within 15 minutes of the previous group. All members of any group not meeting the time requirement will be penalized two strokes for the first offense of the round, and disqualified for a second offense in the same round.

Q.  Will you please describe divisions and how divisions are determined?
A.  Yes.  The tour will have three divisions: Open and Senior and Super Senior.  Any player may opt to play in the Open division.  Prizes in the Open division will be based on gross scores.  Players aged 50 or over as of October 2, 2016 may play in Open or Senior division.  Players aged 65 or over as of October 2, 2016 may play Open, Senior, or Super Senior Division. Refer to the Players Handbook for more information on divisions.

Q. Please describe course set up for the divisions.
A.  Open division will play from the championship tees, typically 6600-6900 yards.  
Senior division will play at a total length of 6100-6400 yards.
Super Senior division will play at a total length of 5800-6100 yards.
 

Q.  Whom should I contact if I have other questions?
A.  Contact Mike Riley using the email the tour link at the bottom of this page.