2018 LONG BEACH OPEN
Player’s Handbook
American Golf and the City of Long Beach Department of Parks, Recreation & Marine are pleased to welcome you to the 30th Annual Long Beach Open Golf Tournament, July 26-29, 2018 at El Dorado Park and Skylinks Golf Courses.
American Golf has guaranteed this year's purse at $175,000. Their generous contributions over the years demonstrate their desire to make this the best independent professional event in the United States. In addition to the guaranteed purse, the tournament features a discounted practice round at each course, food & beverages for the players, complimentary range balls during the tournament and other amenities.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:
- Wednesday, July 18: Deadline for entry forms
- Thursday, July 19: Preliminary Pairings posted on website and Long Beach Open tournament portal; Late Registration opens online if the tournament is not full
- Sunday, July 22: Late Registration closes
- Monday, July 23: Final Pairings posted on Long Beach Open tournament portal
- Tuesday, July 24: Player registration at El Dorado
- Tuesday, July 24: Official Practice Day at El Dorado
- Wednesday, July 25: Official Practice Day at Skylinks
- Wednesday, July 25: Long Beach Open Charity Pro-Am Tournament
- Thursday, July 26: Round One at El Dorado & Skylinks
- Friday, July 27: Round Two at El Dorado & Skylinks
- Saturday, July 28: Round Three at El Dorado Park
- Sunday, July 29: Final Round at El Dorado Park; Awards ceremony at approximately 3:00 PM
WAIT LIST: If at any point prior to the tournament the field fills, we will create a Wait List. If we do so, a message will appear on the Long Beach Open event page of the Long Beach Golf Festival website (www.lbgolffestival.com). Players will then be able to place their name on the Wait List by contacting the tournament office by phone, or preferably by email. Please be aware however, that simply leaving a voicemail at the tournament office does not guarantee that you have been placed on the Wait List.
PLAYER REGISTRATION: Player check-in and registration for the tournament will take place from 9:00 AM through 5:00 PM at El Dorado on Tuesday, July 24th, the Official Practice Day at that site. Please note that, unlike in previous years, registration will only take place on that one day. Players that cannot make it to El Dorado on the 24th, must otherwise check in with tournament officials at Tournament Headquarters prior to their first round.
At registration, players will receive a money clip, which serves as their ID for the week. Please carry this with you, and preferably wear it on your belt or hat any time you are on the driving range or putting green. Skylinks and El Dorado are public courses which have been closed to the public during the tournament. In order to enforce this, player IDs must be in their possession.
WITHDRAWALS & REFUNDS: Players who withdraw from the tournament prior to the close of regular Registration will receive a full refund, minus a service charge of $10. Players who withdraw after the close of regular Registration but prior to posting of Final Pairings will receive a full refund, minus a service charge of $50. Players who withdraw after the posting of Final Pairings but prior to the first day of the event will receive a full refund, minus a service charge of $75, only if they are replaced in the field. Players that do not appear for their tee time, are disqualified, or who withdraw after 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, July 25th will not receive a refund. In cases of sickness, injury, or family emergency, a player may petition for a full refund, minus a $50 service charge – final determination will be made by the Tournament Committee. No refunds will be granted for injury or illness sustained at the course during the days of the tournament.
ALL withdrawals must be received in writing, either by fax or by email to lbgfregistration@americangolf.com in order to qualify for a refund. The time stamp of the email or fax will be used to determine the amount of refund due, if any, per the policy delineated in the previous paragraph. Withdrawals attempted by calling the Long Beach Golf Festival office and leaving a voicemail will NOT be considered valid.
PRACTICE ROUNDS: Official practice round dates are Tuesday, July 24th at El Dorado, and Wednesday, July 25th at Skylinks. As an entrant in the Long Beach Open, you are entitled to reduced fees for practice rounds on these designated practice round days. For greens fee and a small bucket of range balls, the cost is $20. For greens fee, a small bucket of range balls, and cart, the cost is $35. These rates apply only to Long Beach Open competitors, and do not extend to other players in the group.
Practice rounds on days other than the above those can be scheduled as follows:
- Call El Dorado & Skylinks Golf Courses directly. The number for El Dorado is 562-430-5411, ext. 2; the number for Skylinks is 562-421-3388, ext. 2.
- Inform them that you are playing in the Long Beach Open and that you would like to obtain a practice round time. The course will make every effort to assign you a practice round time based on what you ask for and what is available at the time you call. If you desire to play with someone specific, please have one player call for all in their group.
- Please note that if you do not schedule a tee time in advance you should expect to be put on a waiting list to play when you arrive.
The El Dorado course and practice areas are closed on Wednesday, July 25th for the Long Beach Open Charity Pro-Am. Upon the conclusion of the Pro-Am however, the practice putting greens and short game areas will be open to registered Long Beach Open competitors. The driving range will remain closed.
GOLF CARTS: During tournament play, carts are allowed for players only (at player’s expense). A maximum of 2 carts per group will be permitted. The golf cart rental terms and conditions are governed by the golf courses themselves, and not by the Long Beach Open or the Long Beach Golf Festival.
CADDIES: Caddies are allowed, but players are reminded that individuals designated as caddies are therefore subject to the USGA Rules of Golf. Specifically, a rules violation by a caddie is the same as a rules violation by their player. Caddies are not required to register, nor are any passes needed.
DRESS CODE: All players must wear appropriate professional golf attire. Players may not wear shorts, tank tops, tee shirts or jeans. Caddies may wear golf shorts, but they must wear collared shirts.
PLAYER FOOD & BEVERAGE: The restaurant at El Dorado and the café at Skylinks will be open on their regular schedules throughout the Open, and all Long Beach Open players will be provided one complimentary meal each tournament day at their playing location. Players will be able to order from a special menu created for the Open by simply providing their name and showing their money clip to their server.
PLAYER GUESTS AND FANS: Admission to the Long Beach Open is free to the general public, so you will not need guest passes. Tell all of your friends and family in the area to come out and enjoy the tournament!
Spectator carts will not be allowed during the tournament, with the sole exception being that of carts requested due to physical handicaps. In those instances, a Disabled Spectator Cart agreement must be obtained from a tournament staff member and returned to the onsite Tournament Headquarters along with proof of disability (e.g. a handicapped driver hangtag, placard, etc.) The handicapped spectator will then be given a golf cart placard to bring to the golf shop when securing a cart rental.
For those following the Open virtually, we will once again have real-time scoring online. It can be accessed through the Long Beach Golf Festival website (www.lbgolffestival.com) through a link on the Long Beach Open event page, or by entering www.lbgf-2018lbo.golfgenius.com. Scoring can also be accessed through the Golf Genius app, which is available via all major app stores. Once downloaded, enter CKESPY in the app’s GGID entry box, and you will be taken to the 2018 Long Beach Open.