Crest
2026 · Scottsdale, Arizona

Tournament Hub

Everything you need for the inaugural Founders Invitational — the format, the schedule, the rules of play, and the field.

Format

  • Stroke play — no handicap. Scoring as is, with a maximum score per hole of double the hole's par.
  • All players play from the same set of tees, agreed upon by the group before the start of play.
  • The current USGA Rules of Golf are in effect except as modified herein.

The Cut

  • A cut is taken after the first round. Only the top four golfers are eligible to win the invitational on day two.
  • If you make the cut and fail to appear for day two, you forfeit your spot and the next-best golfer takes your place.
  • Tiebreakers are settled by playoff holes, played only after the second round.

Conduct

  • Dress code matches the dress code of the course in play.
  • Each player must consume a minimum of two alcoholic beverages per round. Failure to do so results in a two-stroke penalty.
  • Gambling and side games are permitted; they are self-governed by the players involved.

Rules of Play

  • Players have a maximum of three minutes to locate a lost ball.
  • The Founders Board of Governors will not assess stroke-and-distance penalties for out-of-bounds and lost balls.
  • For a lost ball, out of bounds, or relief from a penalty area, the player drops according to the procedure below and takes a one-stroke penalty.

Lost Ball / Out of Bounds — Drop Procedure

  1. You've hit your ball out of bounds or have lost your ball.
  2. You and one fellow playing partner determine the line of flight where your ball went out of bounds, or the line your ball crossed when it was lost.
  3. Find the nearest place to play golf from inside the boundary or the nearest line your ball was lost — within two club lengths, no closer to the hole, not in a bunker or penalty area.
  4. Drop your ball from mid-thigh or just above the knee, no closer to the hole. Continue play under pace-of-play rules.

Scoring

  • Players do not keep their own score.
  • At the conclusion of each round, all players must verify their scores, sign their cards, and turn them in to the VGA Leader hosting the tournament.

Allowances

  • Range finders and GPS devices are allowed. Devices must not provide slope or windage — using such devices results in disqualification.
  • Carts are provided. Players may always walk, unless carts are not permitted on the course.
  • Disabled or handicapped participants are permitted special considerations and equipment as needed.