Rules and eligibility

Competition Rules

Everything your team needs to know before booking a 2026 qualifier. Please check the eligibility and handicap requirements for all four players before entering.

View qualifiers

Amateur golfers, 18+All four players must meet the eligibility criteria.

Active official WHSSociety and OpenPlay handicaps are not accepted.

Teams of fourAny combination of gents and ladies is permitted.

Maximum team handicap 8.4Calculated using the event's modified WHS allowance.

2026 competition rules

Fair, clear and consistent.

The same core rules apply at every qualifier. Host-club local rules also apply on the day, so every player should read the information supplied by the venue.

Check all four players before booking

All golfers must be amateurs, aged 18 or over, members of an affiliated golf club and hold an official, active WHS handicap administered by that club. Society and OpenPlay handicaps are not accepted.

Player eligibility

Who may enter a qualifying event.

All players must be amateur golfers, aged 18 or over, and residents of England, Wales or Scotland. Each player must hold active membership at an affiliated golf club in one of those countries.

Membership

The handicap must be officially held and administered by the player's home club.

Proof of handicap

Players must bring evidence of their current WHS Handicap Index to the event.

Eligibility checks: Golf in Scotland may reject an entry where a player's eligibility or handicap cannot be verified.

Team handicap calculation

The modified allowance used across the tour.

The four Handicap Indexes should be ordered from lowest to highest. The team allowance is then calculated as follows:

20%Lowest handicap

15%Second-lowest

10%Second-highest

5%Highest handicap

The maximum team handicap is 8.4.
Maximum individual handicaps are 28 for gents and 36 for ladies.
Course-rating and par adjustments may apply to all-ladies teams.
Golf in Scotland reserves the right to adjust handicaps where appropriate.

Team and playing format

How the four-player Texas Scramble is played.

Team composition

Every team must contain four players. Teams may be any combination of gents and ladies.

Required drives

Each golfer must use four drives during the round, including one drive on a par 3.

Where a course has fewer than four par-3 holes, an additional nominated hole will be identified. On each nominated hole, only the nominated player hits the tee shot. The remaining players may participate from the second shot onwards.

Playing the selected ball

The selected ball is marked within six inches, no nearer the hole. The player whose ball is selected plays first and plays it as it lies. Other players may place on fairways and closely mown areas, and drop in the rough or a hazard, in accordance with the event procedure.

On the putting green

The selected ball is marked and putted first. The remaining players place their ball as close as possible to the marker. Once a ball is holed, the hole is complete and no further strokes should be played.

Rules, local rules and countback

How the competition is governed and ties are decided.

Events are played under the Rules of Golf and the local rules of the host venue. During putting, team members may view the line from behind or in front of the player making the stroke.

Ties: Countback is decided by inward half, last six holes, last three holes, and then working back from the 18th hole until a winner is identified.

The National Final

Progression, substitutions and future eligibility.

Qualifier winners progress to the National Final. Where a full qualifying team cannot attend, up to one substitute may be permitted.

Teams that do not break par gross at the National Final may be ineligible to qualify for the following year's final.

The grand prize

The Augusta package and its conditions.

The winning package includes:

Return flights
Five nights' bed and breakfast
Two rounds of golf
One tournament day at Augusta National
Car hire
Welcome pack
On-the-ground assistance

Prize conditions

The grand prize is non-transferable, non-exchangeable and has no cash alternative. It cannot be sold, auctioned or gifted.

A player may win the Masters trip only once. Previous grand-prize winners are not eligible to qualify for another National Final or win prizes at future events.

Organiser's decision

Entries, disputes and amendments.

Golf in Scotland reserves the right to reject entries, adjust handicaps where appropriate, settle disputes and amend the rules when necessary. The organiser's decision is final.

Unsure about a rule?

Email or call the events team before entering and we will confirm your team's eligibility.

Email the events team 0131 202 4380