GAM

GOLF ASSOCIATION OF MICHIGAN

GAM Golf Days FAQs

GAM Golf Days FAQs

GAM Golf Days are one-day, 18-hole events available to GAM Members. They give GAM Members the opportunity to play some of the top private and resort courses in the state at an affordable price. There is a competitive element to each GAM Golf Day, but the emphasis is on enjoying a great day on a great golf course!

A GAM Golf Day is priced at either $60, $80, or $100. The price is determined by the host course with input from the GAM, based on the course’s rates and projected participants at each price point. Included in each GAM Golf Day is the round of golf, use of a cart for the round, and range balls prior to the round if there is a driving range.

All registration for GAM Golf Days takes place online at GAM.org. You may sign up just yourself or an entire group. The GAM accepts Visa, MasterCard, American Express, or Discover. If you are having difficulty registering online, please contact the GAM.

GAM Golf Days are open to GAM Members, men and women, age 19 and older. A GAM/USGA Handicap Index is not required, but it is useful for the competitive element of a GAM Golf Day. GAM Members between the ages of 12-18 can participate as long as they are accompanied by a parent or guardian also playing. Players age 18-or-under will not be eligible for prizes.

There are three divisions within each GAM Golf Day: Men’s Division (males 49-and-Under), Senior Division (males 50-and-over), and Women’s Division. Each of these divisions play from separate tees and only compete against players within the same division. A male over the age of 49 can opt to play in the Men’s Division.

All GAM Golf Days include gross and net competition in each division for credit to the host course pro shop. A select number of GAM Golf Days will be designated GAM Golf Days Series Championship Qualifiers where top finishes will earn a spot in the season-end GAM Golf Day Series Championship.

Handicap Indexes for all players will be established on the day most administratively practical for the GAM. Per the World Handicap System recommendation for stroke play, all players will receive 95% of their course handicap.

Typically, these are the guidelines for yardages played from at GAM Golf Days. 
Men’s Division: 6,600-6,200 yards
Senior Division: 6,200-5,800 yards
Women’s Division: The forward-most tees at the course
Exceptions will be made in certain circumstances based on the course.

Select GAM Golf Days are designated as GAM Golf Day Series Championship Qualifiers. The top finishers in each division will earn a spot at the year-end GAM Golf Day Series Championship.

In addition to playing for pro shop credit, the winners in all three divisions (Gross and Net) will receive a complimentary GAM Golf Day entry for the next season!

Yes, there is an entry fee for the GAM Golf Day Series Championship. If you earn a spot through a Qualifier, you will receive further information from the GAM on how to register for the GAM Golf Day Series Championship.

Playing partners can be requested by one of two methods.

1. Register and pay for your group at once on GAM.org.
2. Respond to the pairings request e-mail sent to the GAM Golf Day field approximately one week prior to the GAM Golf Day. It is appropriate to make requests for division switches and cart seating arrangements at this time too.

If you do not have a specific playing partner request, we will typically pair you with players in the same division and of a similar ability level.

The deadlines for GAM Golf Days are one week prior to each GAM Golf Day. Adding players after the entry deadline is entirely at the discretion of GAM Staff and the host course.

Yes on both fronts. The Rules of Golf do govern play at GAM Golf Days, but lack of experience or knowledge should not deter you from participating. Remember, you can’t become experienced without being inexperienced first.

Participants who withdraw from a GAM Golf Day always have the option to transfer their entry fee to another GAM Golf Day for that year if space is available. If you would like a refund, there may be a $20 processing fee. You MUST contact the GAM prior to the entry deadline for that Golf Day to be eligible for a refund.

The GAM relies heavily on the host facility to make the decision to cancel an event. A GAM Golf Day will not be canceled because inclement weather is in the forecast. If the course is open and the weather is not dangerous, the GAM Golf Day will be conducted.

If a GAM Golf Day is canceled, an e-mail will be sent to all participants as soon as possible. How the GAM moves forward following a cancellation is determined on a case-by-case basis. In the past, GAM Golf Days have been rescheduled. In other circumstances, the course has offered a rain check where participants can play the course at a later date on their own time. The GAM will always communicate the plan going forward in the event of a canceled GAM Golf Day.

Yes. If a GAM Golf Day is full (84 players), and you would like to be placed on a waiting list, you are able to do so via GAM.org.

GAM Golf Days will be shotgun starts except in very rare circumstances.

Yes. The maximum score that any player can make on a hole in a GAM Golf Day is a 9. If at any point you are lying 8, you MUST pick up.

No, caddies are not allowed at GAM Golf Days.

No, you must use a cart in GAM Golf Days.

All players must play “Ready Golf”. That means it is acceptable to play out of turn when it improves your pace. You must be ready to play when it is your turn, and when it is your turn, the shot should be taken in no more than 25 seconds.

USGA Rules of Golf Model Local Rule E-5 will be in effect for all GAM Golf Days. This option allows the player to drop in a large area between the point where the ball is estimated to have come to rest or gone out of bounds and the edge of the fairway of the hole being played that is not nearer the hole. The player gets two penalty strokes when using this relief option. This means that the relief is comparable to what could have been achieved if the player had taken stroke-and-distance relief. This Local Rule cannot be used for an unplayable ball, or for a ball that is known or virtually certain to be in a penalty area. 

If GAM Staff notices a group out of a position relative to the group in front of them, we will politely ask that they pick up the pace and work to close the gap with the group in front of them.

If the last group out on the course has not completed their round within 15 minutes of the second-to-last group’s finishing time, we will consider the competition closed and begin awarding prizes without posting the last group’s scores.

The GAM handles posting for all GAM Golf Day scores.

No, GAM Golf Day scores do not qualify as tournament scores.

What is made available to participants in terms of food and drinks is entirely at the discretion of the host course. For the most part, courses will have a snack shop/halfway house where you can purchase food or drinks during a GAM Golf Day.

Results are e-mailed to the field following the round. If you have won pro shop credit, but leave before it can be claimed, the certificate will be mailed to you. Typically, the gift certificates are valid through the end of the season or for one full calendar year. Please be sure your correct home address is listed in your GAM profile. 

GAM Golf Days