THE TOUR
The BAG Tour began in Huntersville, NC in 2019 and is currently based out of Charlotte, NC.
The BAG Tour was created to provide a Professional Tour experience for the everyday golfer. Less than 1% of Golfers compete on the PGA Tour. The other 99% of us can find home on the BAG Tour.
Tour Membership is open to any golfer who has a passion to compete against other golfers of their same skill level. While a verifiable USGA Handicap Index is encouraged, we won’t turn you away if you don’t have one. We will help you get one established and once you’ve played in your second official BAG Tour event, your official Tour Index will be established and take precedent over your USGA Handicap for future BAG Tour events. Players may sign up for Membership by following the “JOIN TOUR” tab on our website.
MEMBERSHIP
Annual Membership costs are $200.00 per year. This runs on a 365-day cycle and begins the day you purchase your membership.
Tour Member Benefits include:
- Discounted Tournament Entry Fees
- Members Welcome Kit
- Participation in Season Long Points Race & Member Only Events
- Gain access to become a sponsored athlete.
- Special Access to Limited Merchandise Drops
- Discounts offered by partnering sponsors on various products & services.
- Social Media Content Elements (professional photography/videography)
- Members Only Gift each year upon membership renewal.
EVENT REGISTRATION
Members & Guests (when applicable) must register online for any event that they wish to participate in. All events are on a first come, first served basis with members gaining first access to register. There are a limited number of entries for each event, so we encourage players to register for events they wish to play as soon as possible.
All entry fees must be paid, in advance, on the BAG Tour website, to secure your entry in the field. We will not be accepting Day of, Cash, Venmo, PayPal or any other means of payment for tournament entries unless previously approved by the Tour Director.
By signing up and registering for any event on Tour, you are agreeing to all BAG Tour Tournament Rules & Guidelines.
TOUR DIVISIONS
Tour Divisions are determined by a player’s Official BAG Tour Index. A BAG Tour Index is a player’s scoring average from official tournament events only. Once a player has played in at least 2 individual stroke play events, their Tour Index will be established. If a player does not have an official Tour Index, their USGA Handicap / GHIN will determine what division they start in. All decisions regarding divisional assignments are solely at the discretion of the Tour Director.
Championship Division
Tour Index: 70.0 – 75.0 | GHIN: < 3.0
On Point Division
Tour Index: 75.1 – 80.9 | GHIN: 3.1 – 8.9
Outerlinks Division
Tour Index: 81.0 – 87.9 | GHIN: 9.0 – 14.9
5 Pointz Division
Tour Index: 88.0+ | GHIN: 15.0 >
TOUR INDEX BREAKDOWN
Below is a breakdown of how the official Tour Index is calculated.
The Tour Index is calculated by the average of a player’s individual scores.
EX. Round 1: 72 Round 2: 74. Tour Average: 73.0
A player must have a minimum of 2 individual stroke play events to receive a Tour Index.
If a player has a Tour Index of 72, that will correlate to a 0.0 regarding division assignments.
EX. Tour Index: 78.5 Tour Handicap: 6.5
Tour Index: 88.0 Tour Handicap: 16.0
Tour Index: 74.0 Tour Handicap: 2.0
FLIGHT MOVEMENT:
Players division may change throughout the year based on their play. A player’s Tour Index is updated following each individual event and evaluated before every event.
The Tour aims to provide the most fair, competitive and entertaining experience possible for all our players participating on the Tour. To better help us accomplish this goal, the Tour retains the right to evaluate players division assignments throughout the year and make any adjustments as necessary.
EX. If a player wins 3 consecutive times in their division, they will be moved up a division for a minimum of 1 event.
TOURNAMENT PAYOUTS:
Tournament payouts vary per event based on course and player participation. The Tour aims to provide the most competitive payout we can and proud to say that we are pound for pound one of the best in the country when you look at the entry/payout ratio.
Players are responsible for their understanding of Amateur, NCAA, USGA, as well as any other governing organizations’ rules and guidelines. (Amateurs may request payments in the form of gift cards or pro-shop credit)
There will be Divisional Champions crowned at all 16 events during the season, one winner per division for individual events and one team per division in team events. Additional places may be awarded during the event based on the number of players/teams participating in that division.
There will be additional contests at each event including but not limited to, (2) Closest to the Pin Contests (included at every event) & Optional Skins Game. At select events throughout the season there may be additional side games like putting contest, longest drive, etc.
Payout Breakdown:
1-4 players/teams: 1 spot paid
4-10 players/teams: 2 spots paid
11-15 players/teams: 3 spots paid
16-20 players/teams: 4 spots paid
additional spots paid will continue in increments of 5.
TEES
Tee Boxes and yardages may vary per course/event but will generally land around the same yardage. Men should expect to play anywhere from 6500-7000 yards while Seniors 55+ will play anywhere from 6000-6500. Ladies yardages will be assigned by course and may be influenced by players handicap.
EVENT INFORMATION
Anyone participating in an event will receive a tour email leading up to the event with all tournament information regarding parings, divisions, rules, etc.
USGA Rules and regulations will be followed during play unless otherwise states. The Tour, or courses Local Rules always apply.
Laser Rangefinders with slope are permitted.
You will never keep your own scorecard during an official event. Players must always review and sign scorecards prior to turning in. In the event we are using Golf Genius or another live scoring platform, if a players live scoring is not updated before they finish their round, they will be disqualified from any potential earnings. Make sure cell phones are charged, make sure the proper apps are downloaded, and make sure to login to your account before taking off. If you need help accessing or using any live scoring platform, please notify a Director, member of our staff or member of the golf course to assist you.
FORMATS
Throughout the season the Tour provides a variety of fresh, fun and competitive environments for our teams and players from individual to team events, including but not limited to, stroke play, match play, scramble, Texas scramble, stableford, etc
PACE OF PLAY
Pace of play is extremely important to all of us out here on Tour as we all have lives to live outside of the Tour and no one wants to spend 5–6-hour rounds playing golf waiting on every shot. If you are off pace, you will be warned once. The following notice will result in a 1-stroke penalty and move you to the last group off moving forward in tee time starts.
START TIMES / HOLES
Start times and start holes will vary per event and may be on a course-by-course basis. You should generally expect Tee Time or Shotgun Starts in the morning or early afternoon. All tournament information will be emailed to players prior to the event and may also be found on our website. Pairings, start times and start holes are always subject to change up until the point that you tee off. If any changes are made, you will be notified via the email you used when purchasing your event ticket online.
CANCELLATIONS:
Players who have registered for a tournament that withdraw more than 7 days prior to the event may receive Tour Credit which can be applied to future events. If a player withdraws within 7 days prior to the event, they are subject to a cancellation fee as well as any additional tour fees or green fees from the hosting facility. Any player who fails to appear the day of an event will revoke their membership or playing privileges until all fees are paid. All reviews and decisions are at the sole discretion of the Tour Director.
RESCHEDULED / CANCELLED EVENTS
The Tour will always do everything in its power to make sure any scheduled events go along without any issues, however if a tournament is unable to be completed due to reasons beyond our control, a decision will be made with the tour director, tournament committee and head golf professional to base the results accordingly.
In the case of inclement weather, players are to remain on-site, under cover until play resumes or a decision has been made by the tour director, tournament director, or golf course staff. If all players have completed at least 9 holes, a one-day event would be considered official. Once 18 holes have been played during a two-day event, that event would be considered official.
RACE FOR THE BAG TOUR CUP
Each year, Members will compete in our season long points race, consisting of 16 events, culminating in a 60 Man Tour Championship in Pinehurst, NC. Points are awarded at each event during the season in varying amounts based on event class, format, etc. (Active) Members who qualify inside the Top 60 will receive an invite to participate in the Tour Championship, while the top 15 players achieve captaincy of their teams and control their own fates into the final event of the year.
Each year, the Tour Championship is a 2-Day, 4-Man Team Event, which Captains Draft teams consisting of one player from each division (A, B, C & D)
SERIES (NEW 2025)
2025 is the year that the Tour introduces a brand-new format to makes things more accessible and awarding for all our players and sponsors. Our regular 16-Event Schedule will be broken down into 4 separate Series. Each of these series will award the highest individual cumulative points earner with an additional cash bonus. Can’t make all 16 events, no worries, just pick a series or two to focus on and you can still earn big!
The Tour will crown 4 series champions at the end of the year (players earning the most points in each series) in addition to the overall National Tour Champion (player who earns the most points throughout all 16 events during the year)
Players may pick and choose which events they want to play in all year long. There is no minimum requirements as to which or how many events you play.
SEASON LONG AWARDS:
National Champion: Players with most points after Tour Championship
Divisional Champions: Highest Points Earner in Each Division
Series Champions (NEW 2025): Highest points earner from each Tournament Series
Tour Champions: Winning 4-Man Team at Tour Championship
Rookie of the Year: Highest performing new-member on Tour
2-Man Team of the Year: Highest performing 2-Man team throughout the season
Tour MVP: Player with most wins & highest earnings total on the season
Perfect Attendance: Awarded to players who compete in all 16 Events
EOY AWARDS & PRIZES
National Champion: Name Engraved on BAG Tour Cup (keep it for the year), cash bonus (TBD), Custom BAG Tour Championship Quarter-Zip, sponsored prizes (TBD), 1-year comped Tour Membership, 1 Free Event entry following year, social media/content elements.
Divisional Champions: Divisional Championship Trophy, Custom BAG Tour Divisional Championship Quarter-Zip, 1 Free Tournament Entry following year, social media/content elements
Series Champions (NEW 2025): Custom Series Championship Q-Zip’s, Cash Bonus (TBD), Commemorative Plaque, social media/content elements
Tour Champions: Custom Tour Championship Q-Zips, Cash Bonus (TBD), Wooden Championship Trophy, social media/content elements
Rookie of the Year: Custom ROY Q-Zip, social media/content elements
2-Man Team of the Year: Custom Q-Zips, social media/content elements
Tour MVP: Custom MVP Q-Zips, commemorative check, social media/content elements
Perfect Attendance: 1 Free Annual Membership, 1 Free Tournament Entry following Year, Commemorative Plaque
MEDIA / CONTENT
By entering any BAG Tour Event, you agree to be photographed or filmed during any stage of the event. The BAG Tour reserves the right to use any material captured for social media, content creation, website, marketing, etc.
ASSUMPTION OF RISK AND LIABILITY
By becoming a member of The BAG Tour or entering and playing in any BAG Tour Events, the participant understands and agrees that there are certain dangers involved with their participation in a golf tournament, including but not limited to being struck by lightning, getting hit by a golf club or golf ball, suffering from heat exhaustion, heart attack or injury from uneven terrain, dehydration, or for all such risks the participant assumes, solely accepts, and waives all claims of injury to body or property against The BAG Tour. Furthermore, the participant agrees that while on the premises of a The BAG Tour tournament, the participant, and any guest, relative or anyone else affiliated with participant, shall be present at their own risk and that The Below Average Golf Association LLC shall not be liable for any claims for injuries or damages whatsoever to person or property of the participant or related person arising out of or in connection with the participation in the tournament or presence at the tournament. Participant agrees to indemnify and hold harmless The BAG Tour from all claims by or liability to participant or affiliated person.
“Less than 1% of golfers in the world compete on the PGA Tour. The other 99% of us belong on the BAG Tour”
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