Frequently Asked Questions
The VGA in Full Detail
Frequently Asked Questions
The Veteran Golfers Association (VGA) is a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to enriching the lives of Veterans and their family members through the sportsmanship and camaraderie of golf.
- Hosts thousands of local golf tournaments annually nationwide.
- Culminates each season with the VGA National Championship.
- Provides opportunities for active lifestyles, camaraderie, and competitive golf.
Yes. VGA members may compete in VGA Tour events nationwide, regardless of their state of residence, subject to space availability.
- Active-duty, retired, and honorably discharged members of the Armed Forces who are either amateur or professional golfers are eligible to join and compete in the VGA. However, professional golfers and PGA professionals must compete in the A Flight or Championship Flight, regardless of their handicap index.
- Family members whose grandparents, parents, spouses, siblings, aunts/uncles, or nieces/nephews have served in the Armed Forces are eligible to compete in the VGA Family Division.
- Spouses and dependents (age 18+) of Veterans are encouraged to apply for VGA membership and join their loved ones on the golf course.
- Membership in the Veteran Golfers Association is limited to Veterans whose most recent discharge from military service was characterized as Honorable or General Under Honorable Conditions.
For purposes of membership and participation in the Veteran Golfers Association, a Veteran is defined as an individual who served in the United States Armed Forces and 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 six months and one day of active military service; or
- Completed the full period for which they were ordered or obligated to serve on active duty; or
- Completed 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.
Local VGA Tour
The VGA Tour runs from September 1 through August 31 each year. VGA membership subscriptions are $76 per person and automatically renew on September 1 each year.
During the regular VGA Tour season, the VGA charges a $20 registration fee per tournament, which helps cover the administrative costs of operating the organization. At each tournament, VGA members are expected to pay the golf course directly for applicable greens fees and cart fees, which the VGA negotiates with each golf course. Typically, the VGA strives to keep greens fees and cart fees between $35 and $55 per round.
VGA members may compete in any VGA Tour event across the country, regardless of the region in which they reside, subject to space availability.
VGA members compete in one of five divisions: Veterans, Female Veterans, Combat Wounded (Purple Heart Recipients Only), Family, and Senior. Each division is further divided into flights based on a player’s handicap index and skill level.
VGA State Championships
VGA State Championships typically begin in July each year. Players must have an established VGA Handicap Index to compete in a State Championship.
The cost to compete in a State Championship is generally $99 and includes greens fees and cart fees for 18 holes of competitive golf.
Eligible players may compete in multiple State Championships, subject to availability.
VGA Regional Championships
Each VGA Regional Director is required to host a VGA Regional Championship in their region. Regional Championships typically take place in August and host approximately 120 players.
Players must compete in a State Championship to advance to a Regional Championship unless they are VGA State Directors. All VGA State Directors automatically advance to their region’s Regional Championship in recognition of their volunteer efforts throughout the season coordinating and hosting tournaments within their states.
Eligible players may compete in multiple Regional Championships, subject to availability.
The cost to compete in a VGA Regional Championship is generally $199 and includes greens fees and cart fees for 36 holes of competitive golf.
Twenty players from each Regional Championship advance to the VGA National Championship.
VGA National Championship
Approximately 80 players—20 from each region (North, South, Central, and West)—compete in the annual VGA National Championship.
The VGA covers the following costs for players who advance to the VGA National Championship:
- Food
- Lodging
- Golf
Players are responsible for their own travel to and from the VGA National Championship and for all costs associated with bringing guests.
VGA Armed Forces Cup
The Armed Forces Cup (AFC) is an annual VGA national-level team match-play event in which 50 players—10 from each branch (Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard)—compete for branch bragging rights at Champions Retreat in Augusta, Georgia, each Memorial Day.
To advance to the Armed Forces Cup, players must earn points throughout the VGA Tour season to qualify for their AFC Regional Qualifier. The top eight players who earn the most points during the VGA Tour regular season, from September 1 through August 31, in their respective branches are invited to compete in their AFC Regional Qualifier.
The cost to compete in an AFC Regional Qualifier typically ranges from $299 to $399 for two days of 18-hole match-play competition.
The top two players per branch, per region, advance to the Armed Forces Cup.
The VGA covers the following costs for players who advance to the Armed Forces Cup:
- Food
- Lodging
- Golf
Players are responsible for their own travel to and from the Armed Forces Cup and for all costs associated with bringing guests.
VGA Liberty Cup
The Liberty Cup is an annual VGA national-level team match-play event. Twenty players with the lowest 36-hole gross scores advance from the Liberty Cup Qualifier—four from each branch: Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard.
To qualify for the Liberty Cup Qualifier, a player must be among the top 20 players in their respective branch based on their five lowest score differentials between April 1 and March 31.
The Liberty Cup Qualifier costs approximately $399 and includes two rounds of golf at Forest Creek in Pinehurst, North Carolina.
The VGA covers the following costs for the 20 players who advance from the Liberty Cup Qualifier to the Liberty Cup:
- Food
- Lodging
- Golf
Players are responsible for their own travel to and from the Liberty Cup and for all costs associated with bringing guests.
Your VGA membership is valid from September 1 – August 31 and will be automatically renewed on September 1st each year.
Contact the VGA National Office for assistance with:
- Joining the VGA
- Renewing your membership
- Registering for events
- Technical issues with your account
Contact: 844-VGA-VETS or info@vgagolf.org
Please allow 24 hours after joining the VGA before registering for an event. Membership information typically syncs with the tournament registration system overnight. Once the sync is complete, members can access their player portal and register for events.
- Registration is generally available after the overnight sync.
- Contact the National Office if you are unable to register after 24 hours.
- Contact: 844-VGA-VETS or info@vgagolf.org
Your State Director will provide you a GGID number for Golf Genius that you will use to record live scoring only. No password is required. If you are still having issues, please ask your State Director for assistance.
The VGA plays private, public, and MWR courses. Our goal is to play quality courses at the best price with the intent of securing as many courses as feasible in each member’s home state throughout the season. Your VGA State and Regional Directors work hard to secure the best courses at the best possible rates to pass those savings onto all VGA members.
Yes. The VGA Senior Division is for all VGA members 50 years of age and older. Each flight winner from the Senior VGA Championship will advance to compete in the VGA National Championship and will play in the corresponding flight to the player’s index.
Yes. However, there are no senior tees at the State, Regional or National Championships. All senior division players must compete in one of the following divisions for those Championships: Male Veteran, Female Veteran, Wounded Veteran or Family.
All VGA events are flighted according to the player’s ability and VGA handicap index. The VGA is divided into flights based on an individual golfer’s skill level. The VGA does our best to make sure that players are competing against other players of similar skill and ability. Players are required to compete in their flight based off of their current VGA Handicap index.
No. The VGA uses its own handicap system.
- Players must compete in three VGA events to establish a VGA Handicap Index.
- Exceptional Score Rule: An exceptional score occurs when the difference between a player’s current handicap and the player’s round differential is 5.0 or greater.
- If a player records an exceptional score during a postseason round, that player’s handicap will be adjusted and capped at the differential from that round for the next 18 months, unless the player’s handicap drops below that value.
- VGA Cap Base: The VGA Cap Base is the player’s lowest round differential from the previous 18 months. A player’s VGA Handicap Index will not exceed the cap base by more than 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 rises to 17.5, the cap base would be exceeded, and the player’s handicap would be adjusted to the maximum value of 15.7 (11.7 cap base + 4.0).
- The VGA reserves the right to review other handicap sources, including a player’s USGA GHIN Handicap Index, to determine whether a player is appropriately flighted according to their skill level during VGA competitive events.
Yes. Men’s Handicap Indexes and Playing Handicaps are capped at 36 while Women’s Handicap Indexes and Playing Handicaps are capped at 40.
The VGA Tour points system is designed to provide a qualification system for all VGA Tour members into the Regional and National Armed Forces Cup, an annual Ryder Cup-style VGA Tournament held in October and May each year. To qualify for the National Armed Forces Cup, players must finish in the top two points per branch per region. To qualify for the Regional Armed Forces Cup, players must finish with the top eight points per branch per region.
Regular Season Points Matrix
Participation:
For each regular season VGA event that a player participates in, they will receive 10 participation points regardless of the results of the event.
Competition
If a player competes in a regular-season event with five or more players in their flight, additional competition points will be awarded as follows:
1st place – 5 points
2nd place – 4 points
3rd place – 3 points
4th place – 2 points
5th place – 1 point
All additional places will be awarded zero additional points.
If a player competes in a regular-season event with four or less players in their flight, additional competition points will be awarded as follows:
1st place – 3 points
2nd place – 2 points
3rd place – 1 point
All additional places will be awarded zero additional points.
Post Season Points Matrix – State Championship Events
Participation:
For each VGA state championship a player participates in, they will receive 15 participation points regardless of the results of the event.
Competition:
If a player competes in a state championship event with seven or more players in their flight, additional competition points will be awarded as follows:
1st place – 7 points
2nd place – 6 points
3rd place – 5 points
4th place – 4 points
5th place – 3 points
6th place – 2 points
7th place – 1 point
All additional places will be awarded zero additional points.
If a player competes in a regular-season event with six or less players in their flight, additional competition points will be awarded as follows:
1st place – 4 points
2nd place – 3 points
3rd place – 2 points
4th place – 1 point
All additional places will be awarded zero additional points.
Post Season Points Matrix – Regional Championship Events
Participation:
For each VGA regional championship a player participates in, they will receive 20 participation points regardless of the results of the event.
Competition:
If a player competes in a regional championship event with ten or more players in their flight, additional competition points will be awarded as follows:
1st place – 10 points
2nd place – 9 points
3rd place – 8 points
4th place – 7 points
5th place – 6 points
6th place – 5 points
7th place – 4 points
8th place – 3 points
9th place – 2 points
10th place – 1 point
All additional places will be awarded zero additional points.
If a player competes in a regional championship event with nine or less players in their flight, additional competition points will be awarded as follows:
1st place – 6 points
2nd place – 5 points
3rd place – 4 points
4th place – 3 points
5th place – 2 points
6th place – 1 point
All additional places will be awarded zero additional points.
Post Season Points Matrix – National Championship
The VGA will not award any additional points for members that make it to the VGA National Championship.
The overall VGA champions, male and female, must be Veterans and win their Championship A Flight with the lowest overall gross score during the VGA National Championship.
VGA members compete in one of five divisions:
- Veterans
- Female Veterans
- Combat Wounded (Purple Heart Recipients Only)
- Family
- Senior
Each division is divided into flights based on handicap index and skill level.
The VGA consists of five divisions: Veterans, Female Veterans, Combat Wounded Veterans, Family, and Senior.
Veterans Division (Male)
- A Flight — 0–5.9 handicap (Gross Flight)
- B Flight — 6–11.9 handicap (Gross Flight)
- C Flight — 12–17.9 handicap (Gross Flight)
- D Flight — 18+ handicap (Net Flight)
Veterans Division (Female)
- A Flight — 0–10 handicap (Gross Flight)
- B Flight — 10.1–17 handicap (Gross Flight)
- C Flight — 17.1–23.9 handicap (Gross Flight)
- D Flight — 24+ handicap (Net Flight)
Combat Wounded Division (Purple Heart Recipients Only)
- A Flight — 0–9.9 handicap (Net Flight)
- B Flight — 10–14.9 handicap (Net Flight)
- C Flight — 15–19.9 handicap (Net Flight)
- D Flight — 20+ handicap (Net Flight)
Family Division
- A Flight — 0–4.9 handicap (Gross Flight)
- B Flight — 5–9.9 handicap (Gross Flight)
- C Flight — 10+ handicap (Net Flight)
- Female Flight — Net Flight
Senior Division (Age 50+)
- A Flight — 0–9.9 handicap (Net Flight)
- B Flight — 10–19.9 handicap (Net Flight)
- C Flight — 20+ handicap (Net Flight)
- Female Flight — Net Flight
All new VGA members, male and female, without an established VGA Handicap Index will compete in a co-ed Gross “No Handicap” Flight.
During the VGA Tour Regular Season, tee assignments are based on flight, age, and division.
Approximately 6,500–6,800 yards
- Veteran Flight A
- Family Flight A
Approximately 6,000–6,400 yards
- Veteran Flights B and C
- Wounded Veteran Flights A, B, and C — under age 50
- Family Flight B
Approximately 5,600–5,900 yards
- Veteran Flight D
- Senior Division — ages 50–69
- Wounded Veteran Flight D — under age 70
- Family Flight C
Approximately 5,000–5,500 yards
- Senior Division — ages 70 and older
- Wounded Veteran Division — ages 70 and older
- All female players
The VGA Tour season begins September 1st and ends August 31st with the playoff season beginning June and lasting through August.
The VGA utilizes the USGA’s Rules of Golf to administer our local, regional, and national golf tournaments. However, to help speed up events, the VGA imposes double par maximum per hole. For example, if a player has 6 strokes on a par three, they must pick up and move on to the next hole. Same goes for par 4s (max 8 strokes) and par 5s (max 10 strokes).
Yes. Players have a maximum of 3 minutes to locate a lost ball. When a player suffers a lost ball, after looking for 3 minutes, the group must determine where the ball was last seen. The ball will be dropped as close as possible to where it was last seen or estimated to have landed and stopped but not in a bunker or penalty area.
The Veteran Golfers Association will not utilize stroke and distance relief for out-of-bounds and lost balls. In the case of a lost ball, out of bounds or relief from a penalty area, the player will drop according to the rules of golf and take a 1 stroke penalty. Lost ball and out of bounds will be resolved in the same manner with these 4 steps.
Step 1: You’ve hit your ball out of bounds or have lost your ball.
Step 2: You and one fellow playing partner in your group determine the line of flight where your ball went out of bounds or the line of flight your ball crossed when it was lost.
Step 3: Find the nearest place to play golf from inside the out of bounds or from the nearest line your ball was lost (2 club lengths) no closer to the hole.
Step 4: Drop your ball from mid-thigh or just above the knee, no closer to the hole. Continue to play under the pace of play rules.
There are four Regions: North, South, Central, and West. Each region has one VGA Regional Director and several VGA State & Assistant State Directors, who report directly to their Regional Director.
Players advance through VGA Regional Championships and the Senior VGA Championship.
VGA Regional Championships
- 20 players advance from each Regional Championship.
Senior VGA Championship
- Senior A Champion: 2 players
- Senior B Champion: 2 players
- Senior C Champion: 2 players
- Senior Female Champion: 2 players
Winners are determined by gross score unless specifically designated as Net.
- One VGA medal per season for flight winners.
- A state lapel pin for each additional flight victory.
- Additional pins are added to the season medal ribbon.
- VGA State Championship trophy.
- Invitation to the corresponding Regional Championship.
- Players advancing from a State Championship may compete in any Regional Championship, subject to availability.
- VGA Regional Championship trophy.
- Invitation to the VGA National Championship.
- VGA National Championship trophy.
- National Championship ring.
- Invitation to Tuesday for the Troops at the Masters Tournament in Augusta, Georgia, the following spring.
- VGA trophy.
- Invitation to the Senior VGA Championship.
- VGA National Championship trophy.
- Invitation to the VGA National Championship.
- Special AFC medal.
- Invitation to the National Armed Forces Cup.
- Glass AFC Trophy.
- AFC blazer crest.
- National AFC Championship ring.
Yes. Players must qualify through a Regional Armed Forces Cup before competing in the National Armed Forces Cup.
- Participate in local VGA Tour events.
- Earn points throughout the season.
- The top eight point earners from each military branch in each region advance to the Regional Armed Forces Cup.
- The top two players from each military branch in each region advance to the National Armed Forces Cup.
- The National Armed Forces Cup is held each Memorial Day at Champions Retreat in Evans, Georgia.
- All Armed Forces Cup participants must be Veterans.
No. VGA memberships are individual, and family or multi-member discounts are not available.
- Family members are welcome to participate.
- Eligible family members may compete in the Family Division.
If you are interested in hosting a VGA Tour event in your area, please contact one of your Regional Directors:
Kevin Frey, North Region Director – kevin.frey@vgagolf.org
Danny Foster, South Region Director – danny.foster@vgagolf.org
Chris Tascione, Central Region Director – chris.tascione@vgagolf.org
Kerry Stauffer, West Region Director – kerry.stauffer@vgagolf.org