Scramble rain / weather cancellation policy

Put the weather rules on the registration form before entries open. Players then know the call time, whether the day is rain-or-shine, and what happens if play stops mid-round. Clear policy cuts day-of text threads and keeps your course deposit contract aligned with what you tell the field.

Paste the same block into the form, the confirmation email, and the check-in desk sheet. Publish it before registration opens.

What to decide before entries open

1. Course decides playable. The club or superintendent calls open, delayed, or closed. Your tournament director does not override a course closure.
2. Rain-or-shine vs lightning / unplayable. Soft rain with an open course is not the same as lightning or an unplayable property. Write both paths.
3. Reschedule carryover vs refund / donation. Pick one money path in plain words. A named rain date or carryover keeps the field on a new date. A refund or charity donation only applies if you publish it and the course contract supports it. Do not invent dollar amounts.
4. Exact call time. Example: 6:00am local on the day of play, by text and email. Name who sends it.
5. Course contract match. Player policy should mirror the deposit, cancellation, and weather clauses in the course contract.
6. Mid-play scoring rule. If play stops for good, score only the holes everyone in the field finished. Say that before entries open.

Quote the course contract, or say "per course weather clause." Never invent deposit or refund figures.

How to write it on the registration form

1. Open a short "Weather and cancellation" block before entries open.
2. Course decides playable.
3. Call time in one sentence, with channel (text and email).
4. Rain-or-shine when the course stays open.
5. Lightning / unplayable as a separate path (pause, resume, or full cancel).
6. One primary money path: carryover, named rain date, refund, or donation.
7. Player rules match the course deposit contract.
8. Mid-play: score holes everyone finished if the round cannot resume.
9. Check-in time and desk location. See scramble registration and check-in.
10. Copy the same block into the confirmation email and the pairing sheet packet.

Keep scoring ready either way. Live cards beat paper catch-up after a hold. The Golf Scramble Scoring App keeps team scores on one phone per group.

Sample wording you can paste

Adapt to your course contract. Replace the brackets.

Weather call: We will confirm play by text and email by [6:00am] local time on [event date]. Sender: [tournament director name / club].
Playable call: [Course name] decides if the property is open, delayed, or closed.
Rain-or-shine: Soft rain with an open course means we play. Bring wet gear.
Lightning or unplayable: Play pauses on the course horn. We resume if the course reopens. If the course closes the property, the event is cancelled.
If cancelled before tee-off: [named rain date / reschedule carryover] or [refund / donation per published policy and course weather clause].
Mid-play stop with no resume: We score only the holes every team finished.
Course contract: Player cancellations follow the same weather and deposit terms as our agreement with [course name].
Day-of updates: Watch the registration email thread and the check-in desk.

Print that block for the starter and the registration desk. Same words, three places.

Rain-or-shine vs lightning / unplayable

The course makes the playable call. Your job is to publish what happens next. Align starter, clubhouse, and tournament director on the same horn rules.

Reschedule carryover vs refund / donation

Named rain date or reschedule carryover. Same event, new published date. Fees and entries carry over. Best when the course can hold a second date and sponsors can move.

Refund. Money returns under the rules you publish and the course allows. Only promise what the contract supports.

Donation. For charity events, some organisers convert cancelled entry value to a donation when that is disclosed before registration. Write it only if it is real policy.

Pick one primary path. Do not leave "we will decide on the day" on the form.

Mid-play stoppage and scoring

If lightning or closure stops play and the round cannot resume:

1. Freeze every live card.
2. Count how many holes each team finished.
3. Official score uses only holes every team in the field completed.
4. Holes still in progress do not count.
5. Apply rain date, carryover, refund, or donation only if the published policy treats the day as cancelled rather than shortened.

Say that before registration opens so captains are not arguing on 12 green.

Day-of checklist

1. Send the published call on time.
2. Confirm the course playable call (open, delay, or close).
3. If play goes ahead, open check-in on schedule.
4. If you delay, tell groups the new first-tee time and whether carts still go out.
5. If you cancel before tee-off, send the rain-date / carryover / refund / donation message and stop check-in.
6. If lightning stops play, freeze scoring, wait for the course, then resume or apply the holes-everyone-finished rule.
7. Keep one phone per group on live scoring. Install: Scrambled Eggs on the App Store.

What should a scramble rain policy include?

Say the course decides playable, name the call time and channel, split rain-or-shine from lightning / unplayable, pick reschedule carryover or refund / donation, match the course deposit contract, and state that a mid-play stop scores only holes everyone finished. Publish it before registration opens.

What is the difference between a rain date and a credit?

A rain date or reschedule carryover moves the same event to a published backup day and keeps entries with the field. A credit keeps value for a later round without promising that same date. A refund returns money under the rules you published. A donation path converts value to the cause when disclosed up front. Pick one primary path.

What happens if lightning stops play mid-round?

Follow the course horn. Pause, leave clubs if instructed, wait for the all-clear. If the course reopens, resume and keep scores as played. If it closes with no resume, score only the holes every team finished, then apply your rain date, carryover, refund, or donation rule if the day is treated as cancelled.

When should organisers publish the weather call time?

Before registration opens. Same sentences on the form, confirmation email, and day-of desk sheet. A common pattern is early morning on the day of play by text and email. Match whatever window your course contract needs for deposit decisions.

Keep reading

• Corporate golf scramble setup
• Charity golf scramble organizer
• Golf Scramble Scoring App

Score weather delays without rebuilding cards

Rain holds and lightning pauses are easier when each group already scores on one phone. Scrambled Eggs runs Ambrose and scramble team scoring on iOS, with course finder, team score, and shot contribution so you can see who drove the bus when play resumes.

Install Scrambled Eggs on the App Store