FAQ’s

WHO CAN PARTICIPATE IN THE RBC PGA SCRAMBLE?

Anyone! This program is for people of all golfing abilities. We heavily encourage women to participate in this program, as well. Many foursomes are husband-and-wife duo’s. There are also “women only” events. Due to the format of this scramble, there is a lot of strategy involved, so even if you are the highest handicap player on your team you still have to contribute for your team to have a chance. This program is fun for all, and really captures the essence of comradery, collaboration and teamwork. Our only two restrictions are that (1) all participants must be at least 19 years of age, and (2) all participants must have an official Golf Canada handicap.

HOW DO I GET A HANDICAP?

To get an official handicap, you will need to register for one through Golf Canada’s website by clicking here. You must enter a minimum of three (3) scores in order for the system to generate a handicap for you.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A HANDICAP INDEX AND A PLAYING HANDICAP? WHICH ONE IS USED FOR THIS TOURNAMENT?

The RBC PGA Scramble uses a player’s official Handicap Index to calculate the Playing Handicap for the team.

Essentially, a Handicap Index is your potential playing ability and that number travels with you from course to course. The Playing Handicap represents the number of strokes a player, or in this case, a team will receive towards their net score in a competition.

WHAT DOES THE PGA OF CANADA DO TO ENSURE THE LEGITIMACY OF PARTICIPANTS’ HANDICAPS?

We work very closely with Golf Canada in reviewing and managing handicaps. We are notified if anyone’s account looks suspicious or has been flagged. In turn, we have the right to deny or turn away any participants whose scores may look dishonest.

WHY HAVE THE SENIORS TEES BEEN REMOVED FROM PLAY?

In order to account for the shorter yardage being played by both the senior men and women, special adjustments had to be made to the team aggregate handicaps in order to make it fair for all. In most cases, this would affect the number of strokes that a team received at the end of the day. These calculations were based on Section 3.5a in the previous Golf Canada Handicap System, and we work closely with Golf Canada to ensure that the proper methods are followed at all times.

Previously, participants did not seem to understand the adjustments made for the difference in the slope/rating of the tees being played and simply felt that the team aggregate handicap being reduced for playing a shorter yardage was not fair. Based on the feedback we received the last three years, the PGA of Canada has decided to remove the senior’s tees moving forward, as requested by the participants themselves.

WHY ARE PGA OF CANADA PROFESSIONALS INVOLVED AT THE REGIONAL AND NATIONAL LEVELS?

This program would not exist without the help and support of PGA of Canada professionals who host qualifiers and finals every year. All PGA of Canada professionals are held accountable for the integrity and honesty of their team, and scores, at both the regional and national levels. This helps to ensure the legitimacy of scores, as they are held to a Code of Professional Practice as a member of the PGA of Canada.

ARE AMATEURS ALLOWED TO PICK THEIR OWN PRO?

No, as this is part of the incentive for Professionals to host a local event. The PGA Professionals from the host course get to accompany their winning teams to the Regional Finals and National Final. Should they not be able to attend, The PGA of Canada will find an alternate/substitute Pro to go with the team in need.

WHY ARE TEAMS REQUIRED TO BRING A VOLUNTEER SCORER TO THE REGIONAL FINAL?

The PGA of Canada is always looking for ways to improve the RBC PGA Scramble. We understand the role of the PGA member and have complete faith in you all upholding the standards of the PGA and the program. However, we received feedback from nearly 2000 competitors last year and scoring was one of the top items expressed by them. From this, we met with our friends at the PGA of Australia who have been running a very similar program successfully for over 25 years and they have utilized the volunteer scorer in their Regional Finals without issue. In order to add an extra layer of integrity to the program, ease the participant’s minds, and take the heat off our PGA Professionals, we have implemented this rule into our program, as well.

It will be the responsibility of the team to bring the scorer, not the PGA of Canada Professional or the Regional Final host club. Any team that does not bring a volunteer scorer will receive a 2-stroke penalty. All volunteer scorers must be a minimum of 15 years of age.

WHY ARE SOME EVENTS DIFFERENT THAN OTHERS (I.E. PRIZING, FORMAT, MEALS, ETC.)?

Due to the fact that we rely heavily on the help and support of our PGA of Canada professionals in running local qualifiers for us, we allow them to take these Scramble events and run them in a way that works best for their clubs. Keep in mind that some clubs are private and do not allow outside guests, while other clubs have both members and public players participating in the same event. We provide the Rules, signage and a subsidized prize table (for the top two or three teams) at every event. The professionals pick the date, time, format (shotgun or tee times), and whether or not they want to send groups as 4-somes or 8-somes.

Some clubs offer special rates or packages that include meal/drink tickets, while others simply offer great discounted rates for a round of golf.

The goal of the program is for all participants to have a fun experience while competing for a national title and we strive to provide a program that allows our PGA of Canada professionals to successfully provide that through their Local Qualifiers.

WHY DO SOME CLUBS SEND OUT 4-SOMES, AND OTHERS SEND OUT 8-SOMES?

It is completely up to the individual club as to how they’d like to run the local qualifier. While there is an advantage of sending two groups together (8-somes) to keep track of each other’s scores, this will have an impact on the pace of play. We cannot enforce all clubs to send out 8-somes, as this can impact many other aspects of their daily operations. Please keep this in mind when registering for an event, as all of the format and details of each local qualifier will be listed on the website.

HOW DO YOU ENFORCE HONESTY AND THE LEGITIMACY OF SCORES AT LOCAL QUALIFIERS?

We work very closely with our friends at Golf Canada to review handicap accounts and ensure that nothing seems out of place. We recently allowed 8-somes at the local level to help with this issue, as well. Once participants get to the Regional Finals, we hold every PGA of Canada professional accountable for the honesty and integrity of their teams, and their own scores.

As the success of this program grows each year, we are constantly looking at ways to evolve this program into something bigger and better.

WHY IS THERE A TWO-PUTT RULE AT LOCAL QUALIFIERS?

The objective is to have fun and it is widely known that pace of play has a huge impact on the “fun factor” in regards to golf. The PGA of Canada has utilized the two-putt rule at many of its Pro-Ams over the years with much success. By having all local qualifiers utilize this rule, it allows the events to finish at a reasonable time and the amount of three putts in a four-person team scramble is very low. This rule only applies at local qualifiers.

CAN I PARTICIPATE IN MORE THAN ONE LOCAL QUALIFIER?

Yes, you can participate in as many local qualifiers as you wish. However, should you qualify at any point for a Regional Final, then you will not be allowed to participate in any more local qualifiers moving forward.