Sweeny Cup is a season-long golf competition open to female residents of the Lower Mainland. Players must:
- Be 19 years of age or older
- Have a current handicap factor 10.0 or less
- Be a member in good standing of British Columbia Golf (Zone 3 or 4)
2025 Co-chairs:
Kathryn McGarvey (kmcgarvey@telus.net) mobile: 604-377-2432
Jen Donnelly (jdonnelly@telus.net) mobile: 604-219-0119
The annual fee of $150.00 must be paid by e-transfer, (preferable), cash, or cheque at the first event—no exceptions.
Please e-transfer Kathryn McGarvey at: kmcgarvey@telus.net using the Password: Sweeny2025.
The Sweeny Cup season typically runs from March until October with a series of one-day events at both private and public courses across the Lower Mainland.
First-time Sweeny Cup players or players returning after an absence of two or more years may be asked to provide a record of their last 20 scores. The record must be signed by the ladies club captain or handicap chair of the player’s home course.
Sweeny Cup is governed by the Rules of Golf as presented by Golf Canada. See the Local Rules page.
Any questions, please contact us, a co-chair will usually respond within a couple of days.
Sign up
The co-chairs will send an email Invite to players on the Wednesday two weeks before an event stating that sign up is now open. Players wishing to play in the event, should send an email request to sweenycup@gmail.com by Tuesday at midnight the week before the event. Players must state their name (as per Golf Canada’s records), home course, and current index in the subject line. A co-chair will confirm receipt of all requests. There is no guarantee that all requests to play will be honoured, (see Draws below). A player’s index must be 10.0 or lower as of Tuesday at midnight the week before the event. If their index is 10.1 or higher on the sign up night, they will not be eligible to play in the event. Handicaps will be verified using the Golf Canada handicap website before the draw is finalized.
Draws
The co-chairs will determine the draw based on the following guidelines.
The opening event of the season will be a random draw. For all other events, the top 12 finishers from the previous event will tee off in order 1-12 providing they have maintained a Handicap Factor of 10.0 or less. The balance of the draw will follow handicap order. Draws will be sent out on Wednesday the week before the event. There is no guarantee a player will be in the field after paying the annual fee or after signing up to play.
At the discretion of the Sweeny Cup co-chairs, there may be up to two random draw events each season.
Cancellations
As voted on unanimously at the 2024 Sweeny Cup AGM, the following cancellation policies shall apply:
- If a player cancels for any reason after midnight the Tuesday before the event (the sign up deadline), the penalty will be sitting out one (1) Sweeny Cup game.
- If a player in the draw does not cancel and is a no-show at the event without a phone call to either co-chair or the golf club, the penalty shall be sitting out three (3) Sweeny Cup games.
Just to be clear, players may cancel their place no later than Tuesday at midnight the week prior to the event without penalty. If the cancellation is after Tuesday at midnight the week prior to the event, there is a one Sweeny Cup game penalty.
Dress Code
Sweeny Cup players are expected to dress smartly in proper golf attire to each event. Players must wear:
- Golf shirts with sleeves or a collar. The mid rift must be covered at all times.
- Tailored slacks, capri pants, golf shorts, skorts, or dresses. Bottom attire must be at least mid-thigh in length. Leggings may only be worn underneath a skort, dress or shorts.
- Hats and visors must be removed in the clubhouse.
The following clothing items are not permitted
- Cargo pants, track pants, sweat pants, blue jeans, or baggy shorts with side pockets.
- Logoed sport team apparel other than golf, e.g., no baseball, football or soccer gear.
Cell Phones
Cell phone use is not permitted in the parking lot, on the golf course or in the clubhouse. Players may carry a cell phone on the course for a medical emergency, but, be sure it is off or on silent.
Game Day
All Sweeny Cup events are played rain or shine!
Players should arrive at the golf club at least 30 minutes before their tee time. Each player will need to:
- Register at the pro shop and find out the order of play for their group.
- Check the Sweeny Cup bulletin board close to the first tee for information on the tees in play, pace of play, and long drive hole. There will be a KP, (closest to the pin), prize for every par 3 hole.
- Print her first and last name of her scorecard and exchange it with one of her fellow competitors at the first tee. Typically player 1 gives her card to player 2, 2 gives to 3, 3 gives to 4 and player 4 gives to player 1.
The host golf course determines the pace of play for the day. A captain will be assigned to each group to maintain the pace of play. If a group gets out of place, the captain has the authority to move the group forward an entire hole if necessary, resulting in a net double bogey score on the unplayed hole for each player in that group. This was unanimously agreed at the 2024 AGM. Sweeny Cup must honour each club’s pace of play requirement.
At the end of play, players should check their scorecard hole-by-hole with their marker. Players must sign it and ensure their marker signs as well before handing it in. Players in the final two or three groups should hand in their scorecard before they put clubs away. This helps the co-chairs calculate the results for the day. Scorecard addition errors are not the responsibility of the player.
Meals
Players are expected to support the host club by purchasing a meal after the event. Take-out is acceptable.
Penalties
If a player’s score is 20 shots higher than the course rating for the tees played, she must sit out the next event. If a player’s score is 100+, or if a player fails to hand in a scorecard she must sit out the next three events. At the discretion of the co-chairs the penalty may be waived due to playing conditions, weather, or sudden injury.
Handicap committee
There will be a Handicap Committee to ensure that everyone posts all eligible scores. Participants in Sweeny Cup must post ALL of their game scores, including the high ones!
Event Prizes
Prizes for each event are awarded to the best 12 low gross scores.
Overall Low Gross score:
1st–6 balls
2nd–5 balls
3rd–5 balls
4th–4 balls
5th–4 balls
6th–4 balls
7th–3 balls
8th–3 balls
9th–3 balls
10th–2 balls
11th–2 balls
12th–2 balls
Long Drive–1 ball
KP (each Par 3)–1 ball
Breaking ties at a Sweeny Event: All single event ties are determined by better back nine, then better last six holes, then better last 3 holes, etc.
Sweeny Cup Winner
The player with the lowest total handicap differentials for a predetermined number of events for the year is crowned Sweeny Cup Champion. The number of events used will be determined by the total number of events played over the course of a season using the following criteria:
If the season comprises of:
- 7-8 events then the total of a player’s best four handicap differentials will be used
- 9-10 events then the total of a player’s best five handicap differentials will be used
- 11-12 events then the total of a player’s best 6 handicap differentials will be used.
In the case of a tie for the overall Sweeny Cup Champion, there will be an 18-hole stroke play play-off. If still tied then there will be a sudden death play-off. The Sweeny Cup co-chairs determine the venue for the play-off.
Year-end Sweeny Cup Prizes are determined by the co-chair(s). The number of spots recognized depends on the size of the field each year. All of the annual fees collected will be used for prizes or operating costs.
The Sweeny Cup can be viewed at the BC Golf Museum.