Veteran Golfers Association, 100 Magnolia Road STE 101, Pinehurst, NC (2026)

09/04/2026

09/02/2026

09/02/2026

Members!
Something to think about for the new season, Senior Division or Veteran Division, which starts September 1st 2026.

iii. Members eligible to play in the Senior Division must elect to play in the Senior Division or their default Division before they complete their 4th event at the start of each new VGA season (September 1st, each year). Members are NOT permitted to change their division once the election is locked for the season.

📝 The "Senior Box" Clarification
Even if you didn’t check the "Senior" box on your profile, you are still eligible for senior qualifier tournaments if you meet the age requirement.
🤔 Decision Time: Senior or Open Division?
Choosing your division is a personal choice based on how you want to play the game this year. Here is the "pro vs. con" list to help you decide:
✅ The Pros: Why Go Senior?
Yardage Management: Seniors (50+) typically play from forward tees, commonly between 5,600–6,100 yards.
Reachability: Shorter yardage often makes par-4s easier to reach and par-5s more manageable in two or three shots.
Net Flight Format: All Senior flights (A, B, and C) compete as Net Flights.
Peer Competition: You’ll compete directly against others in your specific age bracket (50-69, or 70+).
⚠️ The Cons: The Trade-offs
The Yardage Jump: There are no senior tees at either State, Regional, or Nationals, and moving back to longer yardages after a season of playing forward can be a major disadvantage.
If you prefer playing "straight up" without handicap adjustments, the Senior division may not be for you.
📉 The Technical Side: WHS Math
When you move to the Senior tees, the Handicap math shifts.
Course Rating: A lower rating means the course is technically "easier" for a golfer, resulting in fewer strokes received.
Since moving up a tee box reduces the overall difficulty and yardage of the course, the handicap system scales your strokes back to align with the lower Slope Rating. Essentially you’re getting fewer “cushion” strokes because the course is more manageable.

09/01/2026

**Attention All Members**

The 2026/27 VGA Players Handbook for our new season is now available for review on our VGA website:
https://online.fliphtml5.com/qynmf/2027_VGA_Tour_Players_Manual_Final/

SIGNIFICANT CHANGES FOR THE 2026-2027 SEASON

1. Military Service Eligibility Verification*

Membership in the Veteran Golfers Association (VGA) is limited to Veterans whose most recent discharge from military service was characterized as:

Honorable; or General Under Honorable Conditions.

Individuals whose most recent discharge was characterized as anything other than Honorable or General Under Honorable Conditions are not eligible for VGA membership, participation, or benefits.

Membership eligibility is determined solely by the standards established by the VGA and not by any determination of Veteran status, benefits eligibility, or character of service made by any other governmental or non-governmental agency.

*This clause has always been a requirement for VGA membership eligibility. However, this year we tightened the language in our player’s handbook to be more descriptive and specific.

2. Definition of a Veteran for VGA Membership:

For purposes of membership and participation in the Veteran Golfers Association (VGA), a Veteran is defined as an individual who served in the United States Armed Forces Military and who separated from such service under conditions acceptable to VGA membership standards.

To be considered a veteran for VGA membership purposes, an individual must have completed one of the following:

• Six months and one day of active military service; or

• The full period for which they were ordered or obligated to serve on active duty; or

• A qualifying period of military service that concluded with an Honorable Discharge or General Discharge Under Honorable

Conditions and was terminated due to a service-connected injury, illness, disability, hardship separation, force reduction, or other circumstance deemed acceptable by the VGA.

For members of the National Guard and Reserve Components, qualifying service may include periods of federal active-duty service, mobilization, deployment, or other military service recognized by the VGA as meeting the intent of this requirement.

3. Competitive Integrity and Anti-Collusion Policy

The Veteran Golfers Association (VGA) is committed to maintaining fair competition, preserving the integrity of its tournaments, and ensuring that all qualification pathways and championship events are conducted in a manner that is honest, equitable, and consistent with the spirit of competition.

Any attempt by a member, team, state organization, or group of members to manipulate, circumvent, exploit, or undermine VGA competitive systems is strictly prohibited.

Prohibited Conduct
Members shall not engage in any conduct intended to improperly influence competitive outcomes, qualification processes, rankings, team selections, tournament eligibility, championship participation, or any other VGA-administered competitive program.

4. Exceptional Score Rule. (Visible on dashboards Sept. 9th)

• An exceptional score is when the difference between a player’s current handicap and the player’s round differential is 5.0 or greater.

• If a player has an exceptional score for a post-season round, beginning with the 2026 post season, that player’s handicap will be adjusted and capped to the differential from that round for the next 18 months unless that player’s handicap drops below that value.

5. VGA Cap Base (Visible on dashboards Sept. 9th)

• The VGA Cap Base is the player’s lowest round differential from the last 18 months.

• A player’s VGA Handicap Index will not exceed the cap base by 4.0 unless there is a change in the player’s cap base.

For example, if Member A has a low differential of 11.7, their cap base will be set at 11.7. If Member A's Handicap Index were to rise to 17.5, the cap base would be exceeded, and their handicap would be adjusted to the maximum value of 15.7 (11.7 cap base + 4.0).

6. Post Season Event Requirement
To qualify for post season events, a player must play in four regular events during the current VGA Season and have an established VGA handicap index.

Best of luck to all of our members this season! 🫡🇺🇸🏌️‍♂️🇺🇸🏌️‍♀️