Bull Durham Links Pros (BDLP)

The Bull Durham Links Pros is an association of Black men who are friends first and golf competitors second. In September 2020 during the COVID 19 pandemic, Wendell Davis created a text thread in GroupMe named “Bull Durham Links Pro’s” and commenced inviting friends to fellowship by playing golf together throughout the Triangle area. An initial group of 30 friends has grown to an association of 163 friends as of January 1, 2024. With growth comes certain challenges and the association has deemed it  wise and appropriate to form an Executive Committee[1]and adopt the following rules of competition in order to perpetuate the original spirit, purpose and culture of BDLP golf events. 

Tees

There will be three sets of tees -  Open, Senior and Legend. 

Yardages

The event coordinator shall use his best efforts to select tees that correspond to the following yardages:

Open - 6,100 to 6,300 

Senior - 6,000 to 6,200

Legends - 5,700 to 6,000 

In order to achieve appropriate yardages for a competition, the event coordinator may designate a mix of tees as the Open, Senior or Legend tees. For example, the Open tees may consist of one color tees for par 4s and 5s, and a different color tees for par 3s. 

While the yardages above may create an overlap at 6,000 yards for all 3 sets of tees, the event coordinator shall not set up the competition such that Legends are required to play the same yardage as Open players. 

Open Players

Open players must play the tees designated for them by the event coordinator; they may not increase the yardage of the competition by switching tee boxes from those designated for them by the event coordinator.

Seniors and Legends

Seniors are defined as players who are 65 or older, and Legends are players who are 75 or older on the first day when the event’s competition begins. 

All golfers are welcome to play the Open tees; however, Seniors and Legends are allowed to participate fully in competitions, including participation in scoring, contests such as long drive and closest to the pin, and cash and/or in kind prizes, while playing the Senior or Legend tees. 

All players, including Seniors and Legends, must play the entire competition from the tees they select at the beginning of the competition, and may not switch between the tees designated by the event coordinator as Open, Senior or Legend tees. 

Roots, Rocks and Hard Pan

Players are allowed to take the nearest point of relief, no closer to the hole, from roots, rocks and hard pan dirt. 

First Tee, Leaf Rule, Out of Bounds, and Playing it Up or Down

The event coordinator shall have the discretion and shall announce prior to the start of play (i) whether players will be allowed 2 shots off the first tee; (ii) whether the leaf rule is in effect; (iii) whether out of bounds will be played as a red hazard; and (iv) whether the ball is to be played up, down, or roll in the fairway.

Scoring

The event coordinator shall use his best efforts to ensure that scoring is recorded accurately during the competition, and be responsible for reporting the final scores and results of any contest holes to the appropriate persons, including all players. 

USGA Rules

Unless otherwise stated, USGA rules shall govern play.

Cash Prizes

In keeping with the original spirit, purpose, and culture of BDLP, the association will resist efforts or tendencies to make cash or in kind prizes the primary reason for its golf activities. The event coordinator shall have the discretion to determine whether his event will include cash prizes. Contributions to cash prizes for skins, contest holes or otherwise shall be strictly voluntary and no player shall be required or pressured to contribute to the funding of cash prizes for any BDLP competition. 

The skins pot shall be limited to $30 per player. 

No third party sponsorship of cash or in kind prizes shall be allowed. Third party sponsors would be persons other than BDLP members or businesses owned by persons other than BDLP members. 

Disinterested Generosity

The event coordinator or any other BDLP member may, in their sole discretion, provide lunch, snacks, drinks and/or other refreshments or gifts for any BDLP event on a strictly voluntary basis. 

[1] The Executive Committee is composed of Wendell Davis, Sherrod Banks, James Rogers, Kenny Turner, Gregory Williams, Dwight Perry, and D. Curtis Lawson. The BDLP Cup Tournament Director (Harold Lassiter) serves on the Executive Committee as a non-voting member. 

The BDLP Cup is a season long competition between members of BDLP in certain designated events sanctioned by the Executive Committee of BDLP. The competition will consist of eight (8) to twelve (12) golf tournaments, including two (2) playoff events, with points assigned to participants in each tournament based upon their order of finish. The winners will be the golfers who have accumulated the highest number of points throughout the season. Points will be awarded as described below.

BDLP CUP Winners

The winners of the BDLP Cup will be the golfers who have accumulated the highest point totals throughout the season, including the playoffs. There will be two sets of scores, one set based upon handicaps recorded in GHIN (net scores) and made available to the Executive Committee and one set of gross scores. Net and gross scores will be accumulated all season, including the playoffs. In the net category, awards will be made for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place. In the gross category, an award will be given for 1st place. Trophies will be awarded to the winners as follows: 

Net: 

1st Place 

2nd Place 

3rd Place 

Gross:

1st Place 

Entry Fee

An entry fee of $20.00 is required to compete for the BDLP Cup. The entry fee covers the trophies and other items associated with the BDLP Cup. The entry fee must be paid on or before April 1st.

Qualifications to Compete for the BDLP Cup

In order to qualify for the playoffs and compete for the BDLP Cup, the golfer must meet all of the following requirements:

1. The golfer must be a member of BDLP;

2. The golfer must pay the Entry Fee on time;

3. The golfer must establish a handicap in GHIN before playing his first BDLP event;

4. The golfer must maintain his GHIN score accurately; and 

5. The golfer must play at least 60% of the BDLP Cup events prior to the playoffs, the exact number of which will be determined by the Executive Committee and announced by the BDLP Cup Tournament Director. 

Tee Times for BDLP Cup Events

Tee times will be assigned to BDLP Cup events in the following order of priority: first, to BDLP members who have qualified to compete for the BDLP Cup; second, to BDLP members who have not qualified to compete for the BDLP Cup; and third, to the general public.

BDLP Cup events for the current calendar year are below.

Annual Review

The Executive Committee of BLDP shall review these Rules of Competition annually. 

2024 BDLP Cup Tournament Schedule  

Date             Event/Location                      Host    

       April 6                Chicora Golf Club        Harold Lassiter       

      April 13              Anderson Creek            Harold Lassiter     

April 28               Mill Creek                      Oliver Blue    

May 11                The Neuse                    Harold Lassiter

               *Major Events                          

            June 1-2    Kappa Foundation/Bull City   Reese Carson           

          June 19     Triangle Golf Challenge         Sherrod Banks        

Aug 17      Lawson Charity Golf Classic     Curt Lawson 

Sept 21         Jillian's Rey Memorial            Greg Williams

*Playoffs            

Oct 12         Stoney Creek        Mike Gagum

       Nov 2             Chicora              Harold Lassiter    

*Championship   

          Nov 17        Treyburn CC     Dwight Perry                   

Congratulations to the 2024 

BDLP Cup Winners!

Low Gross Champion

Marvin Phillips

1st Place Net 

James Rogers

2nd Place Net

Marvin Phillips

3rd Place Net

Gregory Williams