The Tournament Tour is a program that provides tournament competition for Chapter members with 18-hole stroke play golf outings at courses around the Washington D.C. metropolitan area. A player must have an established handicap and competes within a flight, which is based on her handicap index. The EWGA recognizes five flight levels. The Tour events are designed to educate EWGA members on how to play in USGA-sanctioned golf tournaments.

Players with an established 18-hole handicap of 40 or less are welcome to participate in Tour Competition. Your EWGA membership allows you access to the Golf Life Management Web site, an official handicap registration site that has handicap information and allows you to post scores to establish a handicap. You may post scores from rounds that you play on golf courses throughout the United States.

Visit: http://www.ewga.com/5-Golf_Education/handicap.htm. Another good site to learn about handicaps is http://www.usga.org/playing/handicaps/handicaps.html.

Most of the Chapter weekend events are 18-hole stroke play events and can be played as part of the Tournament Tour or as Casual Play. Both Tour and Casual Play are open to every golfer. The major difference between the two is that Tour plays strictly by USGA rules. All strokes are counted until the ball is in the hole. In Casual Play, you are encouraged to pick up your ball after a specified number of strokes.

Click Here to Register for the Tour

Tournament Tour FAQ

Q. How does the Tour work?
A. The Tour runs in conjunction with our organized golf events. We register and state that we are Tour players on the registration form. We are paired with all the other players (tour and casual) in our events - the difference is that we play by USGA rules. We are planning to have the Tour players flighted by handicap, and play with Casual players in our events (subject to change). We have an overall Tour Captain and she is responsible for maintaining the official overall scoring, tracking handicaps and awarding prizes.

Q. But I’m nervous about “competition” and I have a high handicap, anyway.
A. Remember, golf has handicaps for a reason! If you have a high handicap and play against a low handicap, you are still “even”. Last year, our Tour players had handicaps that ranged from 13 to 38! Come join us!

Q. Oh, by the rules. Forget it; I don’t know them very well.
A. The Tour is a great place to learn! You will find that your fellow players are more interested in helping you learn and enjoy the game than disqualify you on a violation. Honest!

Q. What if I am playing on the Tour and I am having a horrible round and I want to just run away and quit?
A. No worries! You can disqualify yourself from official scoring on that event, keep playing and pick up your ball or drink a beer and sit out a hole if you wish. Just keep playing and enjoy the day.

Q. How do I join?
A. Sign up on our Web site. Your fee goes toward prizes (generally gift certificates) and toward our famous End of Season Two Day Event. Remember, you need an established handicap to join the Tour.

Q. Tell me about the “established handicap” part. How do I obtain and maintain one?
A. You need a USGA handicap of 40 or lower. As part of your EWGA membership, you have access to the Golf Life Management website which has information. Visit:
http://www.ewga.com/5-Golf_Education/handicap.htm. Another good site to learn about handicaps is http://www.usga.org/playing/handicaps/handicaps.html.

Q. What is the End of Season Two Day Event? Don’t you have to play a lot of events during the year to qualify for that?
A.No! That is a rumor that will not die. You can play in the End of Season Two Day Event no matter how often you play other events during the year! Join us for two days of fun followed by good food and prizes.

Q. Do I have to be on the Tour to play in weekend events?
A. No! You may play in any weekend event as a Casual Player.

Q. Who do I talk to if I have questions?
A. For Tour questions, contact tour@ewgadc.org.