WOMEN'S GOLF COACHES MANUAL

2017-2018

Women’s Golf Coaches Manual

W O M E N ’ S G O L F C O A C H E S M A N U A L

NAIA National Office • 1200 Grand Blvd., Kansas City, MO 64106 • 816.595.8000

TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS .................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 3

IMPORTANT DATES ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 5

PLAYING RULES AND REGULATIONS .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 6

CONDUCT IN COMPETITION ......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 6

POSTSEASON COMPETITION ....................................................................................................................................................................................................... 7

CONFERENCE/A.I.I./UNAFFILIATED NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP QUALIFYING TOURNAMENTS .......................................................................................... 8

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP ........................................................................................................................................................................................................... 8

NAIA POLICY HANDBOOK INFORMATION ................................................................................................................................................................................. 14

SUNDAY PLAY POLICY ................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 14

RATINGS MANUAL ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 15

AWARDS ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 20

COACHES ASSOCIATION ............................................................................................................................................................................................................ 22

APPENDICES A. NAIA Women’s Golf Hard Card ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 26

B. NAIA Women’s Golf Business Meeting Minutes .................................................................................................................................................................... 26

For Information on NAIA Corporate Partners, click here.

For Ratings/Championship Selection/Coaches Association/Rules/National Championship Event Administration contact Dustin Wilke, [email protected]

816.595-8161

The NAIA Golf Coaches Handbook is published annually by the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. The name National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, initials NAIA, logo, and other NAIA symbols and insignia are registered in the United States patent and Trademarks Office. The name, initials, and marks are fully protected and are the exclusive property of the Association. Expressed, written approval by the NAIA President/CEO is required for the use of the NAIA initials, name or marks in connection with any items offered for commercial sale, awards, or promotion, including such use at NAIA events.



IMPORTANT DATES

August 24 RELEASE of preseason women’s golf rating

September 28 RELEASE of first women’s golf rating

April 15 RECEIPT DEADLINE for NAIA-Daktronics Scholar-Athlete nominations (National Office)

April 15 RECEIPT DEADLINE for Buffalo Funds Five Star Champions of Character Award nominations

May 9 DEADLINE for completion of conference/independent/unaffiliated tournaments

May 9 RECEIPT DEADLINE for national tournament entries

May 9 RECEIPT DEADLINE for postseason rosters

May 10 RECEIPT DEADLINE for All-America nominations (National Office)

May 10 RELEASE of final women’s golf rating

May 10 RELEASE of national championship qualifiers

May 11 RELEASE of national championship pairings

May 21 RATERS MEETING at the National Championship

May 21 BUSINESS MEETING at the National Championship

May 22-25 23rd ANNUAL NAIA WOMEN'S GOLF NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP – PGA National, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida

May 24 RELEASE of Daktronics-NAIA Women's Golf Scholar-Athletes

May 29 RELEASE of NAIA Women’s Golf All-Americans

May 31 RELEASE of the women’s golf postseason rating

June 30 RECEIPT DEADLINE for Scholar Team Nominations

NAIA WOMEN’S GOLF NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP FIVE YEAR CALENDAR 2018 May 9 Conference Championship Deadline May 22-25 24th Annual Women’s Golf National Championship, PGA National, Palm Beach Gardens, FL 2019 May 1 Conference Championship Deadline May 14-17 25th Annual Women’s Golf National Championship, Oklahoma City, OK 2020 April 30 Conference Championship Deadline May 12-15 26th Annual Women’s Golf National Championship, Oklahoma City, OK 2021 May 12 Conference Championship Deadline May 25-28 27th Annual Women’s Golf National Championship, TBD 2022 May 11 Conference Championship Deadline May 24-27 28th Annual Women’s Golf National Championship



PLAYING RULES AND REGULATIONS A. PLAYING RULES

Rules governing NAIA regular-season and postseason play are the Official United States Golf Association (USGA) Rules. To order a USGA Rulebook, contact USGA, P.O. Box 708, Far Hills, NJ 07931, (908) 234-2300. See the Postseason Competition section of this manual for NAIA modifications.

B. OFFICIAL BALL No official ball is designated for NAIA postseason play. Competitors must report the brand of ball which they are using prior to the start of every postseason competitive round.

C. INDIVIDUALS IN TOURNAMENTS Should an institution choose to enter an individual(s) in a regular-season tournament, that player will be designated as an individual for the entire tournament. (i.e. her score cannot be used towards the team score for any round.)

D. FORMAT All tournaments must take place on courses of at least 5800 yards.

CONDUCT IN COMPETITION A. EJECTIONS AND SUSPENSIONS

An ejection is an action enforced in conjunction with competition by a game official consistent with the playing rules in that sport. A suspension is required by NAIA bylaws (Article 6, Section B, Item 7) as an additional consequence related to ejections in conjunction with competition. Ejections are not subject to appeal. Some sport rules allow protests through an official process outlined in each sport rule book. Suspensions may be appealed starting with the Conference/Association of Independent Institutions. An institution must submit an appeal to their conference within 72 hours of the completion of contest. The conference will submit a recommendation to the national office within 72 hours of receiving the appeal from the institution. The Conduct and Ethics Committee is responsible for all appeals related to suspensions due to ejections of a coach and/or student-athlete. Once an appeal with appropriate signatures has been submitted to the conference, the student-athlete/coach may continue to participate through the appeal process. If the appeal is not approved, then the student-athlete/coach must sit out of the next scheduled contest(s). A suspended person cannot be in the competitive venue the day of the contest or communicate with any team personnel or game officials the day of the contest. The student-athlete/coach will be normally removed from the venue during a suspension. However, the game manager will use their best discretion on what is appropriate to risk management procedures regarding their venue. Ejection reports must be completed by the NAIA game official ejecting a student-athlete or coach and the athletic director of the ejected student-athlete or coach. The form must be submitted to the NAIA within 48 hours after the completion of the contest.



POSTSEASON COMPETITION The number of players a team may use in a tournament is limited to five, using the four lowest scores. Additional players may be entered but will follow the guidelines listed above in C. Eligibility Requirements – Bylaws, Article V, Section C.

NAC interpretation – Fulfilling declaration of intent For the sport of golf, the National Administrative Council (NAC) has implemented the following policies:

• If an institution declares in the sport of golf, it must field a team (minimum of four players) for postseason competition. A team must start and finish with a minimum of four players in order to fulfill a team’s declaration of intent in the sport of golf.

• Should an institution un-declare from the sport in the manner above, the institution may still send an individual(s) to participate in postseason competition by including written notification to the national office at the time it un-declares (four weeks prior to postseason).

• If the institution fails to un-declare from the sport in the manner above, but then sends an individual(s) to participate in postseason competition, they are in violation of their declaration of intent.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF PARTICIPATING INSTITUTIONS A. OFFICIAL PARTY

The official party for each team participating in postseason play is nine (9), team (5), alternates (2), and coaches (2), for expense purposes and all official functions. However, teams may have up to five (5) players in uniform. Official Postseason Roster forms will now be filled out via the SIDHelp admin website at www.naiasports.org/admin and sent to the NAIA national office. If you do not have a log-in account, please go to the link and sign up. You must have an account in order to fill out the roster forms as the forms will no longer be available through coaches’ manuals. Once you log-in, please follow these instructions:

1. There will be a section titled “Forms and Rosters”. Click on the link “Official Postseason Rosters”. 2. Fill out the roster form. 3. After the roster form is completed for the entire team, you are required to print out the form(s) and gather the appropriate signatures. 4. You may scan the printed form (with signatures) and email as an attachment or fax the printed form with signatures to the national office. 5. If you email, send to [email protected]. If you fax, use (816-595-8200) in c/o of the Sport Manager.

If you have trouble with the on-line nomination form, please contact the NAIA Sports Information Department at [email protected]. Any other general questions related to the official postseason rosters, please contact the Sport Manager. A copy of this roster form MUST be hand-carried to the site of the conference/A.I.I./unaffiliated grouping and national tournaments, and presented to the tournament supervisor (respective men's golf chair for conference/A.I.I./unaffiliated grouping tournament and NAIA Site Supervisor/Tournament Committee for the national championship) prior to that institution's participation in the tournament. The deadline for certifying the official roster of 7 players is prior to the first tee of any tournament (conference/A.I.I./unaffiliated grouping or national). Once the tournament begins, no player may play that is not on the official roster.

B. ROSTER CHANGES A player may be replaced on the official roster between the affiliated conference/A.I.I./unaffiliated grouping tournaments and the national championship by any eligible player whose name is included on the NAIA Official Eligibility Form for women’s golf for the current season. Any change made to a roster must be reported to the NAIA. An updated roster should be faxed to the NAIA. The coach will need to hand-carry a copy of the eligibility form to each tournament if a roster change is necessary. For unaffiliated group qualifying tournament plans that call for preliminary competition between conference teams, roster changes cannot be made once this preliminary competition begins. Unaffiliated group tournaments will follow the same roster change policies used for affiliated conference/A.I.I. tournaments. Each institution must designate the five (5) players that will comprise their team prior to the beginning the first round of the national championship (regardless of the teams’ tee-times).



CONFERENCE/A.I.I./UNAFFILIATED NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP QUALIFYING TOURNAMENTS A. FORMAT

The conference/A.I.I./unaffiliated national qualifying tournaments are planned and administered by their respective groups/committees under the leadership of the conference/A.I.I./unaffiliated golf chairs and subject to approval by the conference/A.I.I./unaffiliated executive committee. Conference/A.I.I./unaffiliated national qualifying tournament plans must be submitted to the NAIA National Office no later than February 1 each year. Plans must include a weather contingency plan. The tournament deadline will not be extended for weather delays. Each NAIA conference and unaffiliated groupings shall qualify one team representative per six sponsoring institutions and one individual medalist (if her team does not qualify) to the national championships (provided six full teams complete the entire conference/A.I.I./unaffiliated grouping tournament). Each conference/A.I.I./unaffiliated grouping will determine the format and qualification procedures for the conference/A.I.I./unaffiliated grouping championships.

B. DATES AND SITES The dates and sites of the conference/independent/unaffiliated grouping women's golf championships shall be determined by each conference/independent/unaffiliated grouping.

C. ADMINISTRATION Conference/A.I.I./unaffiliated grouping tournaments are under the direct control and supervision of the leadership of the individual conference/A.I.I./unaffiliated groupings. It is recommended that the conference/A.I.I./unaffiliated grouping chair or a representative of the Conference/A.I.I./Unaffiliated grouping Management Committee be present at all conference/A.I.I./unaffiliated grouping tournament rounds as the tournament supervisor.

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP A. ADMINISTRATION

The NAIA Women's Golf National Championships are under the direct control and supervision of the NAIA Women's Golf Tournament Committee comprised of the officers of the NAIA-Women's Golf Coaches Association and/or a total of three coaches whose teams did not qualify for nationals, the local PGA Professional, and the tournament director. The tournament committee is responsible for carrying out the policies approved by the National Administrative Council (NAC), such as the selection and approval of participating teams, the management of the national championship and the general welfare of the participating athletes and coaches. Other responsibilities include conducting a tournament coaches meeting, working with the tournament director and local PGA professional and coordinating both pre- and post-tournament ceremonies. All national champions should be determined in competition, with national championships played to conclusion. Playability should be determined by the onsite games committee in consultation with the national office, making every effort to conclude on schedule. The committee should make every possible effort to finish in the timeliest fashion possible.

B. FORMAT The NAIA Women's Golf National Championship is a four-round tournament consisting of a maximum of 156 golfers. Competition is stroke play. Each team competes with five golfers (minimum of four) and the top four scores posted each day are counted toward the team standings. The tournament field is cut after 36 holes and reduced to the top 17 teams and 40 individuals (including ties). Pairings and starting times shall be established by the tournament director in consultation with the Tournament Committee. Playing groups will be made in threesomes throughout the event unless the number of entrants requires differently. First and second day groupings will be made prior to the arrival of the participants and will be available upon registration. Participants are divided into four groups. Group one will tee off the number one tee and group two will tee off the number 10 tee the first morning; while group three will tee off the number one tee and group four will tee off the number 10 tee the first afternoon. On day #2, morning players from day one will start in the afternoon on the opposite tee, and afternoon players from day one will start in the morning on the opposite tee.



The tee-time format will be consecutive by team beginning with the #5 player on and concluding with the #1 player. The field will be re-grouped and divided into four groups for the third round. Golfers will be grouped according to the standing of their teams and individual scores. (Individuals on each team are to be re-ordered based on their scores through the second round.) Individual medalists will be grouped together except when necessary to fill out a threesome. Teams (and individuals) will be re-grouped for the 4th and final round. (Individuals on each team are to be re-ordered based on their scores through the third round.) The following procedures for breaking ties for the pairing of teams (and individuals) between rounds will be used:

1) Team or individual that posts the score(s) first will be seeded higher the next day; 2) If the tied teams or individuals posted scores at the same time, then the fifth-woman score will break the tie; 3) If a tie still exists, then the tournament director breaks the tie(s) with a coin toss.

C. TIE-BREAKING PROCEDURE

Team Ties – In the case of a tie for the team championship at the conclusion of regulation play, the teams tied for the championship will proceed to a hole designated by the tournament committee as the first play-off hole. All five players on each team involved in the play-off will play the hole and count the best four balls. This process will continue until a champion is determined. For team playoffs involving three or less teams, all teams shall play together (using the 5-4-3-2-1 teeing sequence). For playoffs, involving four or more teams; teams will be paired in groups of two and the current tie breaking guidelines are used to determine teeing/playing order. Individual Tie – In the case of a tie for the medalist championship at the conclusion of regulation play, the individuals tied for the championship will proceed to a hole designated by the tournament committee as the first play-off hole. Play will continue from designated holes until a champion is determined. In the case of a golfer tied for individual medalist and also competing in a team tie-breaker, that golfer will compete in the team tie-breaker (playoff) until the team championship is decided. Once the team competition is completed, the individual (medalist) playoff will take place and the golfer in question will compete as an individual. The tournament committee will designate different holes for the team and individual playoffs. The committee will also draft specific playoff procedures before the tournament begins and include them in the coaches’ packets.

D. QUALIFICATION ***NOTE: To be considered for the National Tournament, teams must play courses of at least 5800 yards in length.

1. Automatic Qualifiers - Qualification for the NAIA Women's Golf National Championships shall take place through conference/A.I.I./unaffiliated grouping tournaments by the following methods:

a. Each conference/A.I.I./unaffiliated grouping having six or more institutions sponsoring women's golf shall automatically qualify one, five-member team to the national championships, provided that six full teams (with a minimum of four players each) complete the entire conference/A.I.I./unaffiliated grouping tournament. An institution may enter four individuals as a team entry but MUST count each individual's score.

b. The individual medalist from a conference/independent/unaffiliated grouping tournament shall also qualify for the national championship if her institution does not win the team championship (or receive an at-large berth). Should the team champion or medalist from a conference/A.I.I./unaffiliated grouping tournament declare not to participate in the national tournament, the runner-up team and/or medalist WILL NOT automatically qualify for the national championship as the conference/A.I.I./unaffiliated grouping representative.

c. All ties for team and individual championships must be broken in conference/A.I.I./unaffiliated grouping tournaments by an approved playoff or manner designated by the conference/A.I.I./unaffiliated grouping. Only one team champion and only one medalist may represent a conference/A.I.I./unaffiliated grouping in the national championship as automatic qualifiers.

d. In the event a conference/A.I.I./unaffiliated grouping does not conduct a tournament to determine its champions, a berth will be awarded to the top rated team in the top 25 national poll used for selection.

e. If a conference/A.I.I./unaffiliated drops below the threshold of six sponsored teams, leaving five teams remaining, the conference/A.I.I./unaffiliated group must contest its postseason qualifying event as scheduled. The winning team will still earn an automatic berth to the national championship. If a conference/A.I.I./unaffiliated group only has five teams from the start, the winning team must be rated in the top 25 on the national poll used for selection in order to receive the automatic berth. However, the individual medalist does not qualify if they represent a different team other than the team qualifier if the



conference/A.I.I./unaffiliated group dropped below six teams. If the conference/A.I.I./unaffiliated drops to four or fewer sponsored teams, the remaining teams are only eligible for qualification to the national championship through the at-large selection process. There are no limits on the number of at-large berths an affiliated conference or the Association of Independent Institutions may receive.

f. All-Tournament Team honorees from the previous national championship (top 15 players including ties) may participate in the national championship if they compete in a conference/A.I.I./unaffiliated grouping tournament and do not qualify in any other manner (medalist, team champion, at-large).

g. The host institution, if one exists for the national championship, shall automatically qualify its five-member team for the championship should it not qualify as the conference/A.I.I./unaffiliated grouping representative.

2. At-Large Qualifiers - Additional teams may be invited by the NAIA-WGCA Selection Committee to participate in the national championship.

The highest ranked team in the final women’s golf top 25 rating that is not an automatic qualifier will receive the first at-large bid. This procedure will continue until no more than five-player teams can be added to the field.

a. In the event there is a tie in the final rating for the final at-large spot, the tournament committee will break the tie taking the following into consideration (in the following order until the tie is broken):

i. Head-to-Head (at any point throughout the current season, including postseason). ii. Golfstat Adjusted Scoring Average iii. Season Results (including postseason)

3. Individual At-Large Qualifiers - Individual at-large berths will be awarded in the event that the field is not completely filled after all the

conference medalists, conference team champions, at-large team berths, host team berth, and returning all-tournament team members have been designated. Individuals who are rated by Golfstat (Top 50 Adjusted Scoring Average) and whose teams do not qualify for the National Championship will also be considered by the NAIA-WGCA Selection Committee as qualifiers.

4. Tournament Selection Process Appeals - If there is misapplication of NAIA policy and procedures regarding tournament selection, an

institution may appeal to the NAIA national office. 5. Criteria for filing an appeal

a. A written appeal citing the specific NAIA policies and/or procedures that have been misapplied must be submitted to the NAIA National Office - Department of Championships within 24 hours (or noon (central time) of the next business day if the end of the 24-hour period falls on a non-business day) from the time the tournament field has been released.

b. Once an appeal has been submitted, a response will be provided within 24 hours from receipt of appeal. c. Appeals must be submitted and signed by the Athletics Director and President of the institution.

NOTE: The National Administrative Council sport liaison will be on the selection conference call to listen to the discussion of tournament

selection. The liaison will report any concerns to the National Office immediately following the conclusion of the conference call. The National Oversight Committee will review ratings to prevent any ratings process violations or unethical use of the ratings process.

5) MIXED TEAMS A “mixed team” is an intercollegiate team on which at least one individual of each gender participate. “Mixed teams” are considered as a men’s team for sponsorship and postseason qualification purposes. If a mixed team qualifies as a team for post-season competition, the woman golfer must participate in the men’s postseason tournament with her team. Where individuals as well as teams may qualify, a woman competing on a mixed team may be eligible for the women’s championship only if the institution does not sponsor a women’s team and if she does not qualify for the men’s competition. In such cases, if the woman qualifies as an individual for postseason competition, she will participate in women’s postseason play. If there is no women’s national championship, she can compete in the men’s national championship. (NAC)



E. POSTSEASON PROCEDURES 1. USGA rules govern NAIA regular and postseason play, supplemented by any local rules and the following NAIA modifications:

a. Special equipment may be transported to players by a designated coach during a competitive round such as umbrella, cap, rain gear, etc., but no golf clubs may be added or exchanged other than allowed under USGA rules.

b. All players must carry their own bags during competitive rounds. Use of a power cart is strictly prohibited unless a player and/or coach has a documented handicap that falls under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1998. In this situation, a player is allowed a power cart to participate in the NAIA National Championship in an equal manner as all others.

c. The NAIA Women's Golf Tournament Committees comprised of the officers of the NAIA-Women's Golf Coaches Association and/or a total of three coaches whose teams did not qualify for nationals, the local tournament director and the host PGA professional. It shall be the sole responsibility of the PGA professional to make all decisions relative to USGA rules and the suspension of play due to weather conditions unless USGA rules officials are specifically assigned and designated for this purpose.

d. The Tournament Committee shall assist in regulating the speed of play, monitor player and coach conduct and assist the PGA professional in the administration of the rules.

e. The Tournament Committee serves as an "appeals committee" for any participating institution. Appeals of any decision must be made in writing by the golf coach or his/her designated representative.

f. The national championship has adopted the following Advice Rule. Each team will have two persons who may give advice to participants. They must be a non-playing individual. If the individuals are someone other than the head coach, an "Advice Form" must be signed and returned to the tournament director prior to the team teeing off. Penalty per USGA rules. Players returning to the golf course to follow team members must not communicate with team members at any time during the round or a violation of the advice rule will occur.

g. A player may obtain distance information by using a device that measures distance only. However, if, during a stipulated round, a player uses a distance-measuring device that is designed to gauge or measure other conditions that might affect his play (e.g., gradient, wind-speed, temperature, etc.), the player is in breach of Rule 14-3, for which the penalty is disqualification, regardless of whether any such additional functions are actually used.

2. The NAIA-WGCA has established a Hard Card (Appendix A) to be used at every NAIA Women’s Golf National Championship. The Hard Card

will improve consistency in tournament rules from year-to-year and will allow the rules committee at each championship to know what rules the NAIA coaches have approved and how to enforce them. NAIA coaches have the option of using this hard card at their regular-season and conference/A.I.I./unaffiliated grouping tournament, thus allowing their athletes to play under the same conditions as the national championship.

3. The official practice round is the Monday before the championship begins. Teams are allowed one additional practice round either Saturday or Sunday before the championship week. Play prior to Saturday will not be monitored by the tournament committee.

4. Yardage measurement books may be made available for sale to participants prior to the practice round. Pin placement sheets will be distributed each day by the official starter to indicate the quadrant of the green the pin is to be located, and distance (in yards) placement from the green's front edge and nearest edge. The green should be indicated as a round circle with depths shown in yards.

5. The host course must be equipped with a method of calling the participants off the course in case of bad weather. This should be outlined at the designated rules meeting prior to the championship.

6. The Tournament Committee shall be responsible for determining the resumption or termination of a round of play; including any decision to resume play from the point of suspension on the same day or another day, and/or the complete cancellation of a round of play. A decision to resume play from the point of stoppage on the same day, or another day which could result in the alteration of starting times is also the decision of the Tournament Committee. The committee has the prerogative to shorten the length of the event if conditions require. The final round will not extend beyond the established ending date.

7. The use of alcohol, tobacco and/or illegal drugs by the participants, coaches and officials is strictly prohibited on the golf course. The NAIA-WGCA and the NAC approved the following policy as it relates to a participant violating the aforementioned:

Violators will be subject to an official warning, followed by assessment of a two stroke penalty for a second offense and disqualification from the tournament for the third offense. All violations will also be reviewed by the NAIA Conducts and Ethics Committee for additional sanctions.



F. NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM DESIGNATION & SCORING Each institution must designate the five (5) players that will comprise their team prior to the beginning the first round of the national championship (regardless of the teams’ tee-times). Of the five scores that are posted for each round, the lowest four (4) will count towards the team score for each round.

G. RESPONSIBILITIES OF PARTICIPATING INSTITUTIONS 1. It is important for competing institutions to cooperate fully in providing publicity and program materials to the national championship site by

the published deadline.

2. All national championship qualifiers must pay the established entry fees prior to participation. Participating teams and individuals must also pay the established fee for room and meals arranged by the tournament host as a prerequisite for participation. Failure to pay required entry/housing fee will result in disqualification for the event.

3. Each participating institution shall be responsible for its own travel expenses, meals and lodging while participating in the national tournament.

4. The official party for expense purposes for all official functions shall be limited to all participating student-athletes and one coach.

5. The coach or other designated person for each participating team must be in attendance and is responsible for his/her team at all times while at the site of the championship. This person shall accept the responsibility for the conduct of his/her student-athletes at the championship site, during the championship and at all activities connected with the team's championship participation. In case of property damage, the offending institution shall be held financially responsible.

6. Each participating team shall provide its own medical, hospitalization, travel and accident insurance for all members of its official party.

H. TEAM TRAVEL & HOUSING POLICIES Championship events are to be financially independent in that income from those events is to be used to cover expenses of the event. A program of national and local sponsors is to be developed for the purpose of providing sufficient funds (together with event income) to allow schools to participate in national championships at minimum expense. The NAIA will not reimburse meal costs of participating teams or individuals.

1. Transportation – All travel expenses incurred shall be the financial responsibility of the institution.

2. Lodging/Housing - All teams will be assigned to the headquarters hotel, and a maximum of five rooms will be blocked for each of the team's official party. Teams pay all room, tax and incidental charges. All participating teams must stay at the assigned property designated by the NAIA to be eligible for participation. Housing information will be sent to potential qualifier coaches in April.

I. PARTICIPATION IN FUNCTIONS AT NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

All participating teams and individuals competing in national championship events or clinics, including opening rounds, must attend all functions including; Parade of Champions, coaches meetings, opening round celebrations, and Champions of Character nominations. Failure to comply will result in a penalty of a $1,500 fine to the institution.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION Prior to the championship, an information packet will be distributed to all potential qualifiers, which will include specific instructions regarding transportation, housing, practice rounds and all responsibilities upon qualification.

1. Notification to NAIA National Office - Immediately upon qualifying for the national championship, teams should e-mail the NAIA National

Office ([email protected]) their conference/A.I.I./unaffiliated grouping tournament results to identify the team champion and individual medalist. Coaches need to submit their official entry online via SID Help upon qualifying for the national championship.

2. Banquet - There will be a banquet on the Monday evening prior to the championship to recognize the participating teams and any NAIA Hall

of Fame inductees. All teams and individual qualifiers are required to be in attendance at this function and appropriate dress is required. Each participating team shall be given seven complimentary banquet tickets and each individual participant will be given two complimentary banquet tickets.



3. Pre-tournament Meeting - There will be a pre-tournament meeting for all coaches prior to the practice round on Monday. This meeting shall

serve as an informational forum and will include a briefing by the tournament director and the head rules official. Coaches are required to attend this meeting.

4. World University Games - The NAIA-WGCA will select a coach to serve as the NAIA coach/representative at the World University Games.

The NAIA coach will establish criteria for team qualification, assist the NAIA student-athlete representatives in preparations before the event, supervise and coach the NAIA players at the Games, and submit a summary report to the NAIA-WGCA at the annual business meeting.

5. Radio and Television - The broadcast of any tournament round is governed by broadcast policies as established by the NAIA Department of

Sports Information. For information relative to these policies, contact: Chad Waller NAIA Director of Sports Information 1200 Grand Blvd. | Kansas City, MO 64106 | 816-595-8119

Travel A. SHORTS TRAVEL MANAGEMENT Qualifying institutions are responsible for making their own travel arrangements to the National Championship. The Official Travel Bureau of the NAIA is Short’s Travel Management. Please visit call Short’s Travel at 844-619-7044 to book your travel arrangements. In order to be eligible for reimbursement, all schools are expected to use Short’s Travel for any air travel. Short’s Travel has contacts with Charter air travel as well as charter buses for ground travel. Short’s Travel Management can also be used for regular season travel planning. B. NATIONAL CAR RENTAL National Car Rental/Enterprise Rent-a-Car is offering special rates for the NAIA National Championship. Teams will be able to access these special rates by providing the special NAIA contract ID #: XZ 051 46. C. MASTER’S TRANSPORTATION Master's Transportation is the official provider of all shuttles/buses for your sales, lease and rental needs. Please contact Matthew Winston at (816) 651-7121 or [email protected] for more information.



NAIA POLICY HANDBOOK INFORMATION The NAIA POLICY HANDBOOK can be found at www.naia.org. Please refer directly to the NAIA policy handbook for the following:

Competition:

A. Declaration of Intent to Participate – Bylaws, Article I, Section L B. Frequency of Play and Scheduling – Bylaws, Article I, Section F C. Criteria for Countable Contests – National Administrative Council, Article XXV, Section A, Item 12 D. Reporting Results – National Administrative Council, Article XXV, Section A E. Forfeits – National Administrative Council, Article XI F. Conduct in Competition Guidelines – National Administrative Council, Article IV G. Ejection Policy – Bylaws, Article VI Section 7

Eligibility:

A. Definitions for Eligibility – Bylaws, Article V, Section B B. Eligibility Requirements – Bylaws, Article V, Section C C. Transfer Rules – Bylaws, Article V, Sections F-H D. Amateur Rules and Reinstatement – Bylaws, Article VII

Recruiting & Financial Aid

A. Recruitment –Bylaws, Article II, Section D B. Campus Visitations and Tryouts of Prospective Students Bylaws, Article II, Section C C. Financial Aid Rules – Bylaws, Article II, Section B D. Financial Aid Limits – Council of Presidents, Article XI

SUNDAY PLAY POLICY As a matter of policy, NAIA national qualifying and national championship competition will not be scheduled on Sunday. See NAIA Policy Handbook for additional information.



RATINGS MANUAL A. RATINGS

A bi-monthly national rating will be conducted for Women’s Golf. The ratings are compiled from ballots submitted by national raters. There will be a three person oversight committee charged with upholding the integrity of the national ratings. In addition, each conference/A.I.I./unaffiliated will be responsible for oversight of their specific rating reports.

Campaigning for ratings votes for one’s own team or for votes for one’s own players for postseason awards shall be considered inappropriate and unethical. Campaigning shall be construed as using fax, mail, e-mail or telephone to contact a coach or group of coaches to solicit support for one’s team or players. Organized public relations campaigns dedicated to that same end shall also be deemed unethical. The final rating will take place AFTER the deadline for postseason qualifying tournaments. A postseason rating (post-championship) will be conducted. The “final” rating (following affiliated conference/group qualifying tournaments) used for seeding and/or at-large selection will still be referred to as the final rating; and the post-championship rating will be referred to as the postseason rating. The postseason rating will follow the same process (conference/group rating & national recommendation followed by national ballot and national ratings oversight) as all other weekly ratings. The only other stipulation is that the National Champion MUST be the #1-rated team in both their conference/group rating AND the postseason national rating. National Raters will be required to rate the National Champion #1 on their final ballot.

B. TOTAL NUMBER OF RATERS The Women’s rating committee is comprised of raters representing each affiliated conference/unaffiliated group and the Association of Independent Institutions (A.I.I.). Each of these conferences/A.I.I./groups have one rater.

C. RATING PROCEDURE

Each rater submits their conference/group rating from which national raters use to compile a Top 30 ballot to produce a top 25 national rating and a list of other teams receiving votes. Conference/group raters must send their weekly conference/group rating to their commissioner and conference oversight committee for review before submitting it to the NAIA national office (via SID Help). Raters can rate any team (and any number of teams) that merit top-30 national rating consideration from their respective group in their conference/group rating.

D. RATINGS CALENDAR AND WEEKLY RATINGS DEADLINES

Section I Ratings Calendar Preseason August 24 (Thurs.) #1 September 28 #2 November 2 #3 March 8 #4 March 22 #5 April 5 Final May 10 (Thursday) Postseason May 31

Section II Weekly Ratings Deadlines Thursday 12:00 a.m. (CDT) SIDHelp opens to submit Conference/Independent/Unaffiliated Rankings Thursday Noon (CDT) Deadline to submit Conference/Independent/Unaffiliated Rankings using SIDHelp www.naiasports.org/admin

Thursday Noon (CDT) SIDHelp opens for viewing of all Conference/Independent/Unaffiliated Rankings; Raters must access SIDHelp and click "View/Submit National Ballots" to see all Conference/Independent/Unaffiliated Rankings.

Thursday 4:00 p.m. (CDT) National ballots open for raters to submit national ratings in SIDHelp Friday 10:00 a.m. (CDT) Deadline to submit Top 30 National Ballots using SIDHelp Friday 10 a.m. - Noon (CDT) Oversight reviews grid Friday Noon - 2 p.m. (CDT) Raters available for rationale requests - raters should have access to their email during this time. Friday by 5:00 p.m. (CDT) Release of national rating on-line at www.naia.org.



E. REPORTING PERIOD All varsity contests/competition played Thursday through Wednesday.

F. REPORTING RESULTS

In order to be eligible for ratings and honors, all contest results must be reported to the NAIA scoreboard at http://www.naiasports.org/admin/ within 24 hours of completion. Institutions failing to report team and/or individual statistics and/or results for any 2 consecutive weeks, or a total of 4 weeks, during the reporting period will not be eligible for the national statistical reports or ratings for the remainder of the season. This policy was created and mandated by Council of Affiliated Conferences and Independents (CACI) before the 2006-07 season. Scores must be reported via the NAIA Scoreboard. To enter through the NAIA Scoreboard, visit www.naiasports.org/admin and log in with your user name and password. Instructions for reporting results in SIDHelp: User should first go to their school website if they use SIDHelp; if not, go to the conference website. If they don’t use SIDHelp for their school or conference website, go to the NAIA SIDHelp admin site (www.naiasports.org/admin). All of our SIDHelp websites (school, conference, NAIA) admin sections use the domain name and then add “/admin/” to the end of it. For example, if you are a Mid-Central College Conference school and you log-in to the MCC conference website, you would go to http://www.mid-centralconf.org/admin/. If you don’t follow these instructions, you may potentially have to report to three different SIDHelp websites.

G. MANDATE FOR REPORTING SCORES

In order for schools to be eligible for conference/group or national ratings, results from games must be reported to the NAIA Scoreboard (via SIDHelp) within 24 hours of completion of contest. It is the responsibility of each school to report its scores.

Institutions failing to report statistics and/or results for two consecutive weeks. or four total weeks during the season will not be eligible for the national statistical reports or ratings for the remainder of the season and subject to a monetary penalty. The first violation will continue to be a warning. Any second violation (first penalty) will be a $500 fine. The third violation will be a $1,000 fine and a loss of postseason awards. The fourth violation will be a $1,000 fine and will be dealt with at the discretion of membership services. Fines will be due within 30 days of notification. (Refer to Reporting Results section of Coaches’ Manual for more detailed information.)

H. AVENUES FOR REPORTING

Scores can manually be entered at www.naiasports.org/admin. 1. To register for the NAIA Scoreboard, visit www.naiasports.org/admin and click on “Don’t have a password? Click here to register now.” 2. Complete the information and enter a school-based e-mail and a password of your choice. 3. All registrations must be approved by the NAIA prior to access being granted, so please allow ample time for approval. 4. If you have an active SIDHelp account you do not have to re-register. Your username/password is saved in the system.

All results must be reported online to the NAIA Scoreboard within 24 hours of completion of competition to be eligible for that week’s ratings. Please coordinate with your sports information personnel to report using only one of the following methods. Reporting at more than one level can cause previously submitted results to be overwritten.

1. School websites that use SIDHelp: Reporting here automatically reports to the conference scoreboard (if the conference uses SID Help) and national scoreboard.

2. Conference Websites that use SIDHelp: reporting here automatically reports to the national scoreboard. 3. National SID Help website (www.naiasports.com/admin): report here only if neither the school nor the conference uses SID Help.

(All SIDHelp websites (school, conference, NAIA) admin sections use the domain name and then add “/admin/” to the end of it. Eg. Schools in the Mid-Central Conference can log into the MCC conference website, http://www.mid-centralconf.org/admin/.)

I. CONFERENCE/GROUP RATINGS 1. Both the conference/group and national ballots will be submitted in SIDHelp (http://www.naiasports.org/admin/) for all ratings.

Conference/group ratings are to be submitted in SIDHelp no later than Noon (CST) on Thursdays during the rating season. Raters will have access to all conference/group ratings after noon on Thursdays. The following information must be included for every team:

a. Team’s overall win/loss/tie record b. Result of each contest for the rating period – win/loss/tie and the score c. Site and opponent d. Opponent affiliation, if not an NAIA member institution (NCAA DI, DII, DIII, NCCAA, Other) e. Team’s rating in the previous week’s national poll (the NAIA’s and other affiliations)



f. Conference/group ratings received after the deadline will not be included in the weekly report and affected teams will not be eligible for national ratings that week.

2. Raters are allowed one tie at any position in their conference/A.I.I. ballot. Ties are limited to two teams only. There are no limits to the number of teams a rater can rate in their conference/group weekly rating. Raters MUST use tie-breaking criteria to determine the team order when listing tied teams in their final report. When a conference submits a tie for any rating period in sports that allow ties, the rater is required to submit rationale pertaining to those ties.

3. Raters MUST send their weekly conference/group rating to their designated three-person conference/group oversight committee for review

and approval PRIOR to submitting their weekly rating to the NAIA.

J. TOP 30 NATIONAL BALLOTS Top 30 national ballots are due by 10:00 a.m. (Central) on Fridays. Please keep the following in mind when submitting ballots:

1. Raters must vote in rank order specified by each conference/group rater (i.e. the #2-rated team in a conference/A.I.I./unaffiliated group rating cannot be ranked higher than the #1 team in that same group on any national ballot).

2. No ties are allowed on national ballots/ratings. 3. ONLY on-line ballots will be accepted. National ballots received after the deadline will not be included in rating. 4. Prior to tabulating each weekly rating by the national office, the highest and lowest ratings (a non-rating is a low rating) for each team

(including those receiving votes) will be removed and the rating will be recalculated with an additional rating point added to each team for every ballot (including discounted ballots) that appear on the weekly tabulation. Non-submitted ballots and/or removed ballots are NOT factored into the above tabulations (i.e. a non-submitted ballot cannot serve as a low rating).

5. A rating will not be conducted if 50% of the raters do not submit a national ballot. Ratings that fail to reach the 50% participation standard cannot be delayed or postponed.

K. CORRECTIONS/CONCERNS WITH CONFERENCE/GROUP & NATIONAL RATINGS

1. For incorrect information regarding win-loss records and/or scores in conference/group reports, contact the respective rater. 2. For incorrect information regarding overall win-loss record for nationally-rated teams, contact both the conference/group rater and the NAIA

Sport Manager. 3. For concerns regarding the conference/group rating, contact the respective rater and the conference/group oversight committee. 4. For concerns regarding national rating, contact your respective conference/group rater, a National Oversight Committee member and/or the

NAIA Sport Manager.

L. RECOMMENDED RATINGS CRITERIA FROM THE NAC RULES & RATINGS COMMITTEE If a sport-specific ratings committee does not have established group and national ratings criteria that has been approved by the NAC Rules & Ratings Committee, then the NAC Rules & Ratings Committee recommends that each sport ratings committee use the following (non-weighted) criteria when compiling both conference/group and national polls:

a. Overall win-loss record b. Head-to-head results (with most recent result taking precedence) c. Win-loss record vs. common opponents d. Win-loss record vs. nationally-rated teams e. Strength of schedule (based on the NAC-approved strength of schedule component per sport)

M. NATIONAL OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE

The committee will consist of three (3) members: 1. A member of NAC Ratings Committee. 2. Two coaches from appropriate sport with the following criteria:

a. One coach must have prior rating experience and can be an active or former coach still involved in the NAIA. b. One coach must be current officer in coaches’ association

The NAIA Sport Manager will work with officers to recruit/appoint National Oversight Committee members.

N. NAC RATINGS COMMITTEE LIAISON The NAC Ratings Committee Liaison is an active member of each National Oversight Committee.



O. CONFERENCE OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE Each conference/group must designate a three-person oversight committee to monitor their weekly ratings. The Conference/group Commissioners must provide names and contact information for their respective conference oversight committee members to the national office prior to the preseason rating. If a conference/group does not have a designated oversight committee in place, they will not be able to submit conference/group and national top-30 ratings.

P. NATIONAL OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE RESPONSIBILITIES National Oversight will review each rating grid prior to releasing national rating.

1. Oversight forms are submitted by each National Oversight Committee member via e-mail by established deadline. 2. If written rationale is requested from rater(s), oversight will include specific request(s) on the oversight form. 3. If written rationale is requested, then the rater(s) in question will have until 2:00 p.m. (CST) on Friday to provide written rationale for rating. If

a rater does not provide written rationale prior to the deadline - a. 1st instance – written warning (ballot is still included in that week’s rating) b. 2nd instance – rater(s) ballot is removed for that week

4. The NAIA Sport Manager copies all parties (rater, national oversight, conference/group Commissioners) in each instance. 5. No completed oversight form from a National Oversight Committee member for two-week period constitutes NAIA National Office contact.

National Oversight Committee members are held to the same guidelines as conference/group/national raters in terms of completing their bi-monthly responsibilities.

National Oversight Committee has authority to remove a rater’s ballot if the ballot is deemed to jeopardize the integrity of the rating. Removal of ballot must be approved by at least two National Oversight Committee members. In the event of the removal of a ballot, the rater, Conference/Group Commissioner(s), NAIA Director of Sports Information and all Oversight Committee members will be notified.

Q. REMOVAL OF A RATER Removal of a rater is authorized when they share the ratings grid via a traceable source or any combination of the following three incidents occur two (2) times during a ratings calendar year:

1. Failure to submit a conference/group OR national ballot. 2. Failure to represent conference/group on a rating conference call. 3. Removal of a conference/group or national rating ballot.

Any appeals (and final decision to remove a rater) are handled by the National Rating Oversight Committee. Standard policies when a rater/group loses rating privileges:

1. Warning letter to rater after second offense/incident and the rater is informed that they will lose their national rating privileges following a second offense/incident. The NAIA Sport Manager contacts conference/group commissioners for procedures in submitting conference/group ratings if the affected group loses their rating privileges.

2. Conference/group rater loses national rating privileges after second documented offense. Respective conference/group commissioners and national oversight committee copied on all correspondence.

NOTE: If a conference/group has its rater removed, that conference/group loses its rater voting privileges for the remainder of the current ratings season. However, the conference/group must still submit a conference/group rating so that teams in the conference/group can receive ratings votes from all other national raters.

R. RATINGS GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE 1. Conference/Group Oversight Committee is responsible for monitoring conference/group weekly report/rating. 2. Rater-to-Rater grievances are facilitated through NAIA Sport Manager with National Oversight Committee serving as resource. 3. Appeals to be processed through NAC Rules and Ratings Committee.

S. SELECTION/IDENTIFICATION OF RATERS

Conference/Group raters are selected by their respective group. Each group is required to send both rater and oversight committee contact information to the NAIA national office and the respective Sport Manager. Each group establishes appropriate selection criteria and guidelines.



T. FINAL RATING/SEEDING RATING INFORMATION 1. Results of every contest (including affiliated conference/group qualifying tournaments) up to submission of final Conference/group rating are

included for final rating. 2. The final national rating will be conducted and released AFTER the deadline for Conference/group national qualifying tournaments. The final

rating is used to determine the national tournament at-large qualifying teams in all sports (with the exception of NAIA Men’s and Women’s soccer which uses a modified RPI rating). The NAC (based on a recommendation from the NAC Rules & Ratings Committee in June 2010) has mandated all sports to follow the established final rating calendar through the end of the 2012-13 academic year.

3. Tie-Breaking Procedures/Criteria – The following criteria will be used to break ties in the final rating for all sports: a. Head-to-head result between tied teams. If still tied (one win/one loss) go to second criteria. b. Win/Loss percentage vs. common opponents c. Accumulated ratings points in the previous four ratings grids (not including current weekly grid). d. Calculate differential between highest/lowest rating after displacement (removing high/low ratings) for both teams. Team with

smaller differential is rated above team with larger differential. e. Vote of National Oversight Committee.

NOTE: Tie-breaking criteria stops at any time the tie(s) is broken. This criteria should be used by all Conference/group raters to determine the order to list tied teams in any weekly Conference/group rating. NOTE – Listing of tied teams is NOT alphabetical…the tie-breaking criteria MUST be used to determine order of tied teams in Conference/A.I.I./Unaffiliated group rating.

4. Final Rating as seeding rating – In addition to serving as the selection mechanism for at-large team qualification, the final rating (in all sports except Men’s and Women’s soccer which will use a modified RPI rating) will also serve as the mechanism to seed the national tournament field. National championship qualifying teams that are not rated in the final rating will be seeded at the discretion of the Seeding & Bracketing Committee in each sport. Based upon additional seeding/bracketing criteria in each sport, the seeding rating may not always mirror the final rating.

U. OTHER INFORMATION

Conference Calls: There are two conference calls during the season including an informational/educational call prior to the preseason rating. The two conference calls are scheduled by the respective sport manager and raters are sent the conference call details (date, time, etc.) at least one week in advance. For the preseason (educational) conference call, each rater must have computer access during the call. The national office will conduct a training session and review SIDHelp during this call and computer access is mandatory. Instructions will be sent to all raters at least one week prior to the call. If the conference/group rater cannot participate on a scheduled ratings conference call they must:

1. Provide a written group report to the NAIA Sport Manager prior to the conference call or 2. Find a replacement from their conference/group oversight committee to represent the group on the call.

If neither occurs, then no teams in the group are eligible for ratings that week and the rater is penalized for not participating on the conference call. National ratings grid sent to all raters: The weekly ratings grid (a spreadsheet which shows the top 30 rating from each national rater) will be sent to all national raters after the weekly rating is posted on-line and released to the media. The information included in this grid is CONFIDENTIAL and raters must not share this grid with anyone. If the ratings grid is shared via a traceable source then the rater is removed immediately. Contact from Coaches: Coaches are permitted to send information to their respective Conference/group rater only. If, as a rater, you are receiving correspondence from coaches outside your Conference/group, please contact the NAIA Sport Manager. Questions Regarding Rating Procedures: Any questions regarding ratings procedures (SID Help, log-in access, etc.) should be directed to the NAIA Director of Sports Information.



AWARDS Nomination details and forms for the following national awards can be found by clicking here.

A. GOLFER OF THE WEEK All NAIA member institutions are permitted to nominate candidates for National Player of the Week for all sports in which they declare for NAIA postseason. National Players of the Week are selected from the pool of Conference/A.I.I./Unaffiliated Grouping Players of the Week and are released on Tuesdays during the regular season.

B. COACH OF THE YEAR The NAIA Women's Golf National Coach of the Year is the coach of the national championship team.

C. ALL-AMERICA

All-America awards are annually bestowed on the most outstanding athletes in the NAIA. Criteria for the awards and the procedures for selection and implementation are established by the Awards & Statistics subcommittee of the National Administrative Council (NAC). Please note some sports recognize All-America status by order of finish, and others require submission of materials at the conference/independent level. The NAIA Women’s Golf All-American team will be determined by a committee that considers ALL student-athletes eligible for the postseason.

D. DAKTRONICS-NAIA SCHOLAR-ATHLETE Criteria:

1. Nominee is junior or above in academic standing. 2. Nominee has been in attendance at the nominating institution two full academic years as a non-transfer student or a minimum of one full

academic year as a transfer student. 3. Nominee has a minimum grade point average of 3.50 (on a 4.0 scale) at the time of the nomination deadline (for transfer students the GPA is

only at current NAIA institution). 4. Nominee has been certified as eligible and is listed on the eligibility certificate submitted to conference eligibility chair. 5. Nomination form is complete and submitted through SIDHelp. 6. All the above information is to be received by April 23, 2018 to be eligible for national press release/website, certificate and honors database.

All criteria must be met by this date. 7. NOTE: There are no statistical/playing requirements needed to receive this award.

Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete nominations will continue to be filled out via the SIDHelp admin website at www.naiasports.org/admin. You must have an account in order to fill out nomination forms as the forms are no longer available through coaches’ manuals. SIDHelp is the only way to nominate student-athletes as a Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete. If you don’t have an account, please sign up and create your own. Your access will be granted (usually) within 24 hours. Nominations will be processed entirely electronically. In order to complete a nomination, the student-athlete must have approved and signed a release of their cumulative grade point average for nominating purposes. If you or your sports information office does not have a signed release form from the nominated student-athlete on file, a blank document (PDF) will be available for download. This release form does not need to be turned into the NAIA National Office. You are asked to retain it for your institutional records. The administrator nominating the student-athlete will sign electronically. To be eligible for listing on website, honors database or receive a certificate, forms MUST BE SUBMITTED BY April 28. LATE nominations will be accepted through June 30th of each year, but will not be listed on the website, honors database or receive a certificate. NOMINATIONS MUST BE COMPLETED ELECTRONICALLY FOR CONSIDERATION. PAPER COPIES ARE NOT TO BE SENT TO THE NAIA NATIONAL OFFICE VIA EMAIL, POSTAL MAIL OR FAX. (THIS IS A CHANGE FROM LAST YEAR)

E. SCHOLAR TEAM

In recognition of academic achievement, the NAIA names a Scholar Team for all sports in which Scholar-Athletes are recognized. Based on a 3.0 season GPA on a 4.0 scale, all varsity team members who appear on the eligibility certificate will be included in the GPA compilation.

F. NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP AWARDS

The NAIA maintains a standardized awards program for the national championship.



1. National championship certificates are provided to all participating student-athletes. 2. The top four teams are awarded trophies at the conclusion of each championship. 3. The championship team receives the traditional NAIA National Champion banner. 4. Individual awards will also be presented to the official party of the top four teams. 5. The athletes with the 15 lowest scores (including ties) for the tournament earn All-Tournament Team recognition and automatically qualify for

the next year’s National Championship as an individual (provided they meet all eligibility requirements and compete in her conference qualifying tournament).

6. The national championship medalist and the individual runner-up will receive an award. 7. The National Coach of the Year will receive an award.

G. NAIA WOMEN’S GOLF PLAYER OF THE YEAR

NEW 2018: The NAIA will be awarding the NAIA Women’s Golf Player of the Year Award to the most outstanding male golfer in the NAIA. Below are the parameters on how the recipient will be selected. Also outlined is when the announcement: The All-America selection committee will evaluate the top 30 players from the Golf Stat individual rankings data which will include the regular

season results and Conference/A.I.I./Unaffiliated Group Tournaments as well as the National Championship results. Each player under consideration for this honor must have completed a minimum of 12 rounds Each Awards Committee member will review the tournament profiles of all candidates and will make comparisons between the players.

Criteria used to evaluate each player are as follows 1. Head to Head Competition, 2. Comparison with common opponents 3. Scoring average (adjusted) 4. Place finishes in regular season events and tournament wins 5. Strength of schedule

The criteria will be prioritized in the above order if a decision becomes difficult to determine. The committee will discuss and vote to determine the winner following the conclusion of the National Championship. The recipient will be announced and presented the award the Tuesday following the GCAA’s Jack Nicklaus ceremony.

H. BUFFALO FUNDS FIVE STAR CHAMPIONS OF CHARACTER AWARD

The Buffalo Funds Five Star Champions of Character Award sponsored by Buffalo Funds is an annual award given at the end of each sport season. Each sport will award the Champions of Character Team award to one team on a yearly basis and all NAIA teams are eligible for the team award. Teams must be nominated by their institution. Award winners will be selected based upon their documented display of exemplary character and sportsmanship on the field, on campus, and in the community. Specifically, fulfillment of the Core Character Values of respect, responsibility, integrity, servant leadership and sportsmanship will be taken into consideration.

I. ORDERING AWARDS

NAIA conference/independent/unaffiliated tournament awards are to be ordered by the conference/A.I.I./unaffiliated chair and they are financial responsible. Official NAIA awards MUST be ordered from: Collegiate Awards, 18081 E. Trafficway St., Springfield, MO 65802 Contact: Matt Miller, [email protected], 417-873-9280 NAIA National Office Staff Awards Liaison – Kellie Briscoe – [email protected]



COACHES ASSOCIATION The NAIA-Women's Golf Coaches Association (NAIA-WGCA) is an association comprised of women’s golf coaches whose institutions are members in good standing. This body can affect policy relative to the NAIA women's golf championship through membership approval to ultimately seeking approval from the National Administrative Council. The NAIA-WGCA elects officers who provide leadership for the Association. The NAIA national tournament is a function of the NAIA-WGCA, subject to its rules, policies and guidelines. The annual business meeting of the NAIA-WGCA shall be held in conjunction with the NAIA Women's Golf National Championship. Agenda items may be submitted by any NAIA coach and should be submitted to the current NAIA-WGCA president at least two weeks prior to the annual business meeting.

Standing Committees OFFICERS

(1st year of a 2-year term)

President Marty McCauley Oklahoma City University 2501 N Blackwelder Ave, Oklahoma City, OK 73106

[email protected]; (405) 208-5302

1st Vice President Chris MacDonald University of British Columbia 272-6081 University Boulevard, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z1


2nd Vice-President Amanda Workman SCAD Savannah 115 E. York St. Savannah, GA 31401

[email protected] (912) 525-4779

Secretary Brandon Miller Keiser University 1500 NW 49th St., Fort Lauderdale, FL 33309

[email protected] (561) 681-7988

Past President Brett Cope Marian University 3200 Cold Spring Road, Indianapolis, IN 46222


All-American Brett Cope, Marian University

Scholar-Athlete

NAC Sport Liaison Ashley Walyuchow AD, University of Houston-Victoria



NAIA-Women’s Golf Coaches Association Constitution and Bylaws ARTICLE I - NAME

Section I. The name of this association shall be the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics-Women's Golf Coaches Association (NAIA-WGCA).

ARTICLE II - ORGANIZATION

Section I. The NAIA-WGCA is an allied association of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. The NAIA-WGCA is charged with the responsibility of carrying out programs beneficial to the sport of women’s golf and the member coaches of this sport. The activities of this association shall be in accordance with the aims and objectives of the NAIA and under the guidance of the NAIA National Administrative Council (NAC).

Section II. The NAIA-WGCA shall submit to the NAC statements governing the NAIA-WGCA, plans and practices for approval and in every way

cooperate with the NAIA in furthering the stated aims and objectives of this parent organization.

ARTICLE III - MEMBERSHIP AND DUES Section I. Active membership in the NAIA-WGCA will be open to any women’s golf coach at an institution holding current membership with the

National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. Section II. There will be no membership dues charged to be a member of the NAIA-WGCA. The NAIA National Office will issue an official

membership card to all women’s golf coaches listed on the membership information roster submitted at the beginning of the academic year.

ARTICLE IV - AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

Section I. The NAIA-WGCA shall supervise and conduct programs that foster and promote intercollegiate golf. The NAIA-WGCA shall establish policies and procedures for the conduct of the NAIA Women's Golf National Championship Tournament to include conference competition. These policies shall include appropriate recognition for teams, competitors and coaches.

ARTICLE V - BUDGET

Section I. The NAIA-WGCA shall be provided an annual budget from the NAIA National Office a portion of NAIA institutional membership dues shall be assigned to the NAIA-WGCA to conduct its business.

ARTICLE VI - MEETINGS

Section I. The annual business meeting of the NAIA-WGCA will be held in conjunction with the NAIA Women's Golf National Championship at a time and place designated by the host institution. A second interim meeting may be held in conjunction with the NAIA national convention each fall, as determined by the NAIA-WGCA officers.

Section II. Usual order of business at the business meetings shall be as follows:

A. Call to Order B. Introductions C. Announcements D. Committee Reports E. Old Business F. New Business G. Adjournment

ARTICLE VII - VOTING POWER

Section I. Current membership in the NAIA-WGCA entitles the member to one vote at any business meeting of the Association.

Section II. NAIA Coaches Associations must have a quorum (at least 50% of eligible voters) in order for a sport motion to be heard by the National Administrative Council. All voting will be completed using an online process following the business meeting in order to ensure all head coaches have an opportunity to vote. Motions will still be presented and discussed at the Annual Business meeting. If desired, a “straw poll” can be taken by those present to determine if a motion will be opened for vote to the full coaches association.



ARTICLE VIII - OFFICERS

Section I. The officers of the NAIA-WGCA shall consist of a president, first vice president, second vice president and secretary. The officers shall be elected from the acting membership of the association at the annual business meeting and must represent NAIA-member institutions in good standing.

Section II. Term of office for the president, first vice president, second vice president and secretary shall be for two years. Section III. The president, first vice president, second vice president, secretary and immediate past president shall make up the NAIA-WGCA

Executive Committee. Section IV. The progression in office shall be from secretary to second vice president to first vice president to president. Each office is to be held for

two years from the NAIA-WGCA annual meeting to the next annual meeting. In the event a vacancy occurs, the normal progression from secretary to president shall be accelerated to fill the vacant office. The NAIA-WGCA Executive Committee is empowered to appoint officers from the membership at large to fill the remaining vacant position. Such an appointee will not succeed in the normal progression of offices unless duly elected by the membership at the next annual business meeting.

Section V. Criteria for officers elected to the WGCA must fulfill at least two of the criteria below:

A. At least two years of coaching experience B. Ability to travel their team outside of their conference at least once a year in order to view many levels of play C. Former officer of WBCA D. Past rater with at least two years of experience and in good standing E. Coached an individual or team at one national championship F. A PGA or LPGA member

ARTICLE IX - DUTIES OF THE OFFICERS

Section I. The duties of the president are to provide leadership and guidance for the NAIA-WGCA and represent the association at all official functions. The president shall plan the agenda and preside over all official business meetings of the NAIA-WGCA. The individual serving in the role of President for the NAIA-WGCA during the 2016-17 academic year will also be a member of the Council for Student-Athletes (CSA). This role on the CSA is a two year responsibility, regardless of their term lengths as an officer of the NAIA-WGCA.

Section II. The duties of the first vice president are to assume the leadership of the association at all meetings and functions when the president is not

in attendance. Section III. The duties of the second vice president are to assume the leadership of the Association at all meetings and functions when the president

and the first vice president are not in attendance. The second vice president also serves as chair of the NAIA-WGCA Scholar-Athlete Committee.

Section IV. The duties of the secretary are to take minutes at all meetings of the NAIA-WGCA, circulate minutes to the membership, maintain records

and rosters of member coaches, and perform other duties as assigned by the president. Section V. The past president shall serve on the NAIA-WGCA Executive Committee and act as a consultant to the president. The past president

serves as chair of the nominating committee.

ARTICLE X - COMMITTEES Section I. The president of the NAIA-WGCA is empowered to appoint committees that assist in the administration and recognition of golf programs,

enhancing opportunities for teams, competitors and coaches. Section II. The president shall appoint ad hoc committees. Section III. The NAIA-WGCA shall have six standing committees. The following is a list of those committees and their duties.



All-American Selection Committee: The committee members shall be the officers of the NAIA-WGCA. The duties of this committee are to select the NAIA Women’s Golf All-America teams according to selection procedures established by the NAIA-WGCA.

Scholar-Athlete Committee The NAIA national office handles this internally. Rating Committee: This committee is composed of 19 raters, one each from the 17 NAIA conferences, 1 A.I.I., and one

from each of the 2 unaffiliated groups. Members serve a two-year term and may be re-appointed. The terms of the rating committee members are staggered to ensure varied turnover and rating consistency. Each conference/A.I.I./unaffiliated groupings selects a new rater (by vote at or before the conference championship) in the final year of the current rater’s two-year term.

Tournament Committee/ Rules Committee: The duties of this committee include the effective administration of the NAIA Women's Golf National

Tournament and enforcement of official USGA Rules. The president, first vice president, second vice president and secretary serve on the Tournament/Rules Committee if their team is not participating in the national championship; otherwise a coach not participating in the tournament is selected, in addition to the local tournament director and the host PGA Professional. The host PGA Professional will serve as the Rules Committee chair.

Nominating Committee: The duties of this committee are to present a slate of officers to be voted on at the annual meeting.

The immediate past president of the NAIA-WGCA shall serve as chair of this committee. Hall of Fame Committee: The immediate past president shall also serve as chair of this committee. The purpose of this

committee is to identify and cultivate appropriate nominations for the NAIA Women's Golf Hall of Fame in the category of athlete, coach or meritorious service.

ARTICLE XI - NATIONAL TOURNAMENT/OFFICIAL RULES

Section I. The NAIA National Golf Tournament is a function of the NAIA-WGCA, subject to its policies and guidelines. Section II. Official United States Golf Association (USGA) Rules govern NAIA conference/A.I.I./unaffiliated groupings and national tournament

play; supplemented by any local rules and the NAIA-WGCA tournament modifications.

ARTICLE XII - CONSTITUTION CHANGE Section I. Proposed amendments to the Constitution of the NAIA-WGCA must be presented in writing to the president. The president must see that

the proposal is presented to the membership at the next annual business meeting. The amendment must win two-thirds vote of approval by current members of NAIA-WGCA present at the annual business meeting for approval. Approved amendments then must be submitted to the NAC for appropriate action.



2016-2017 NAIA-WGCA Business Meeting Minutes Sunday, May 21st – 6:00 pm 2017 NAIA Women’s Golf National Championship – Palm Beach Gardens, Florida PGA National Resort I. CALL TO ORDER

A. Call to order – Brett Cope, Marian University, President WGCA

II. INTRODUCTIONS A. President – Brett Cope B. 1st Vice President – Marty McCauley C. 2nd Vice President – Chris MacDonald D. Secretary – Shelly Liddick E. Past President – Amanda Workman F. Introduction of coaches in attendance.

III. APPROVAL OF 2015-2016 MINUTES

A. Moved by Jeff Mixon; 2nd by Peter Ireland.

IV. ANNOUNCEMENTS A. There will be random drug testing at 2018 National Championships for PED’s only.

To be determined if the results of the drug tests will affect results of team competition. V. COMMITTEE REPORTS

A. Tournament Committee – Brett Cope Measuring devices and cell phones can be used for measuring distances. Phones cannot be used for entertainment , (i.e. no selfies

mid-round) B. National Office – Dustin Wilken VI. OLD BUSINESS

A. A tournament manual was started, officers will develop this summer and have it ready to go for next year.

VII. NEW BUSINESS A. Motions

1. Teams allowed to substitute players. Submitted by Jim McGrew. Motion for discussion by Kevin Millikan, 2nd by Nik Rule. a. Discussion: Kevin Millikan – Texas Wesleyan asked for clarification if a team could substitute a player was playing poorly.

Jim McGrew – Dalton State said the committee would have final approval for substitutions; Marty McCauley – Oklahoma City asked if an injured player could come back in the 3rd round. Nik Rule – William Penn said that the WGCA was talking about substitutions in all competition. Barry Doty – William Woods said substitutions would get some student-athletes involved in competition. Nik Rule talked about having 2 alternates. Marty McCauley said AD’s were looking at the cost of having 2 alternates. Nike Rule said it substitutions should only be allowed during the post season.

b. Straw Poll: Yes = 30 No = 0; Abstain = 0 2. Award NAIA Women’s Golf Player of the Year Submitted by Brandon Miller. Motion for discussion Peter Ireland, 2nd Jim McGrew

a. Discussion: Brandon Miller – Men’s golf awards POY and Women’s golf does not. Brett Cope – This is not Men’s Golf. Kim b. Straw Poll: Yes = 30; No = 0; Abstain = 0

3. Award NAIA Women’s Golf National Freshman of the Year. Submitted by Brandon Miller. Motion for discussion Jeff Mixon, 2nd Peter Ireland.

a. Discussion: Brandon Miller – Same as POY motion. The men are getting the award and the women are not. The motion is going through on the men’s side, the women’s coaches would like it as well.

b. Straw Poll: Yes = 30; No = 0; Abstain = 0 4. Change the Women’s Golf NAIA All American nominations process to match the NAIA Men’s Golf All American nomination process.

Coaches do not need to nominate players to be eligible for NAIA All American honor. Submitted by Brandon Miller. Motion for discussion Peter Ireland, 2nd Otis Smith

a. Discussion: None b. Straw Poll:

Amanda Workman – Withdrawn the final motion; will update and make more specific for next year. 5. Increase travel party to 9. All 9 should be included at the championship banquet, whoever is on the official roster should be included. 5

players, two alternates, two coaches. Submitted by Kevin Millikan. Motion Peter Ireland, 2nd Nik Rule a. Discussion: None b. Straw Poll: Yes = 30, No = 0, Abstain = 0



6. Schedule the Men’s Golf National Championship and the Women’s Golf National Championship one week apart. Submitted by Barry Altena.

a. Discussion: Amanda Workman – If school is still in session, the new timeline could affect graduation. Barry Altena – There is no one there to prepare student-athletes for nationals. Dustin Wilke – Several contracts with schools are two years out. Peter Ireland – Moving the tournament into June inhibits players leaving and housing.

b. Straw Poll: Yes = 30; No =0; Abstain = 0 7. Move the cut down to 36 holes. Submitted by Chris. Motion for discussion Peter Ireland, 2nd Jim McGrew

a. Discussion: Gives flexibility to the committee, no other tournament has a 54 hole cut down. b. Straw Poll: Yes = 27; No = 1; Abstain = 2

VIII. OPEN DISCUSSION

A. Jim McGrew asked about the results of the NAC golf motions. 1. Brett Cope – Extending to opening round of the national tournament. 2. Dustin Wilken – Committee thinks the best practice is currently in place, no change.

B. Nik Rule- Asked if each championship was reviewed and if they were living up to the contract. Dustin Wilke – Yes C. Nomination of Brandon Miller and Nik Rule for the position of secretary beginning 2017.

1. Vote: Brandon 16; Nik 8 X. ADJOURN

A. Move by Jim McGrew; 2nd by Peter Ireland at 7:26 pm.



Appendix A — NAIA Women’s Golf Hard Card Local Rules and Conditions of Competition

2017-18 National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics The Rules of Golf and their interpretations as contained in “Decisions on the Rules of Golf,” together with any “Condition of Competition” established by the Committee under Rule 33-1 and Appendix I; any “Local Rules” established by the Committee under Rule 33-8a and Appendix I; and the specifications on clubs, balls, and devices and other equipment in Appendix II, III, and IV govern play. See the NAIA Notice to Players and NAIA Golf Handbook for additional Local Rules and Conditions. The complete text of Rules and Appendices may be found in The Rules of Golf most current edition. Unless otherwise noted the breach for a Local Rule or Condition of Competition is Loss of Hole in Match Play, or Two Strokes in Stroke Play. If a player breaches a Rule that results in disqualification, the effect shall be to disqualify the player for that round only.

LOCAL RULES OUT OF BOUNDS – Defined by inside points, at ground level, of large white stakes, fence posts, or white lines. DISTANCE MEASURING DEVICES –During a stipulated round, a player may obtain distance information by use of a distance measuring device. If, during a stipulated round, a player uses a distance measuring device to gauge or measure other conditions that might affect his play (example: elevation changes, wind speed, etc.), the player is in breach of Rule 14-3 WATER AND LATERAL WATER HAZARDS STAKES AND LINES – When a water hazard or a lateral water hazard is defined on only one side, it is deemed to extend to infinity. When a water hazard of lateral water hazard is bounded by out of bounds, the hazard margin extends to and coincides with the out of bounds line. GROUND UNDER REPAIR – Defined by white lines. Fire ant hills, sod-covered trenching for temporary cables and French drains are deemed to be ground under repair. Rule 25-1. (Note: For a player whose ball is in a water hazard and is affected by a fire ant hill – see Decision 1-4/10.) Ground under repair may include areas of unusual damage, including areas where spectators or other traffic has combined with wet conditions to affect materially the ground surface, but only when so declared by an authorized member of the Committee. When immediately adjacent to an obstruction, such an area is part of an obstruction. SEAMS OF CUT TURF (SOD SEAMS) – The Local Rule as prescribed in Appendix I is in effect. IMMOVABLE OBSTRUCTIONS – Include plastic bumpers on roads and paths and mats secured to the ground with spikes when the bumpers or mats cover cables. WHITE-LINED AREAS TYING INTO ARTIFICIALLY-SURFACED ROADS AND PATHS – have same status as roads and paths, that of obstruction. Rule 24-2. WOOD CHIPS AND MULCH – are loose impediments, unless otherwise stated in the Notice to Players. EMBEDDED BALL THROUGH THE GREEN, TEMPORARY POWER LINE AND CABLES, TEMPORARY IMMOVABLE OBSTRUCTIONS – Local Rule as prescribed in Appendix I is in effect. INTEGRAL PARTS OF THE COURSE – include cables, rods, wires or wrappings when closely attached to trees; artificial walls and pilings when located in hazards, unless otherwise stated in Notice to Players. BALL AT REST - Rules 18-2, 18-3 and 20-1 are modified as follows: When a player’s ball lies on the putting green, there is no penalty if the ball or ball-marker is accidentally moved by the player, his partner, his opponent, or any of their caddies or equipment. The moved ball or ball-marker must be replaced as provided in Rules 18-2, 18-3 and 20-1.

This Local Rule applies only when the player’s ball or ball-marker lies on the putting green and any movement is accidental.

Note: If it is determined that a player’s ball on the putting green was moved as a result of wind, water or some other natural cause such as the effects of gravity, the ball must be played as it lies from its new location. A ball-marker moved in such circumstances is replaced.

CONDITIONS LIST OF CONFORMING DRIVER HEADS – Optional Condition as prescribed in Appendix I is in effect. LIST OF CONFORMING GOLF BALLS – Optional Condition as prescribed in Appendix I is in effect. PACE OF PLAY – See separate memorandum to players for pace of play guidelines when applicable. DISCONTINUANCE OF PLAY – Note to Rule 6-8b – Optional Conditions in Appendix I is in effect. All practice areas are closed during suspension for a dangerous situation until the Committee declares them open. Players who practice on closed practice areas may be subject to disqualification for that round only. Note: A suspension for a dangerous situation will be signaled by one prolonged air horn note. All other types of suspension will be signaled by three consecutive airhorn notes, repeated. Resumption of play will be signaled by two short airhorn notes, repeated. PRACTICE – Prior to and after his round in stroke play, a player may practice on the designated practice areas. Rule 7-1b applies to other practice in stroke play. PRACTICE BETWEEN HOLES IS PROHIBITED – Between the play of two holes or after the last hole of the round, a player shall not play any practice stroke on or near the putting green last played ADVICE –In accordance with Note to Rule 8 of the Rules of Golf, each team may appoint one person (in addition to the person from whom advice may be asked under the Rule) who may give advice to members of that team. Such persons must be identified to the Committee before giving advice. The coaches and teammates are outside agents in relation to the player. TRANSPORTATION – Players must walk at all times during a stipulated round. Coaches, committee members or rules officials may transport players in regards to ruling or emergency (bathroom) situations. One cart will be provided to the each team but can be used by both coaches. EQUIPMENT - Clubs, umbrellas, rain gear, drink, food, etc. cannot be exchanged with spectators during a stipulated round. ELECTRONIC DEVICES: Players shall not use any electronic devices (e.g. cellular phone, radio, i-Pod, etc.) during a stipulated round for communication, music or other forms of entertainment. The penalty for breach is: 1st offense – Warning; 2nd offense – Disqualification for that stipulated round for serious breach of etiquette. SCORERS’ TENTS – Only participating student-athletes, coaches, Rules officials, and games committee members may enter the scorers’ tents. SCORECARD – Return signed and attested scorecard to the scoring area immediately upon completion of play. The scorecard is deemed to be returned once the player has left the scoring area. Penalty for breach of rule 6-6b – Disqualification.



UNSPORTSMANLIKE CONDUCT – During the round, defined as from the time the player hits the first shot until the scorecard is submitted, at the first offense of any act of unsportsmanlike conduct including profanity, throwing clubs, damaging golf course property, using tobacco or alcohol products, or disrespect for fellow competitors or others during the competition, the student-athlete and coach will be notified immediately on the golf course and provided a warning. The second offense of unsportsmanlike conduct will result in a disqualification for that round for the individual, with no appeal. Further unsportsmanlike conducts would result in disqualification for further rounds and ultimately the competition. The Committee reserves the right to disqualify a player for any blatant act of misconduct or serious breach of etiquette. SPECTATORS - Spectators are to remain 30 yards away from competitors and on the cart path or in the rough with no communication to players at any time. Spectators are to have cell phones in off position. 1st offense – warning. 2nd offense- asked to leave golf course property. CLOSE OF COMPETITION – The competition is deemed to have closed when the trophy has been presented to the winner or, in the absence of a prize ceremony, when all scores have been approved by the Committee. GROOVES – Players must follow the guidelines established under USGA Decision 4-1/1.

Documents

WOMEN'S GOLF COACHES MANUAL