Back Nine

Official Competition Rules

Last updated July 7, 2026. These Rules govern all paid Back Nine simulator competitions, including the Crown Classic.

1 · The Sponsor

This competition is operated by Back Nine (“Back Nine”), online at beyondthegrass.com and thebackninegolf.com. Questions about these Rules: email a Back Nine team member at tommy@thebackninegolf.com.

2 · This Is a Skill Competition

Back Nine competitions are decided by golf performance — your scores on the simulator — and nothing else. There is no random drawing and no element of chance in determining winners. Entry requires payment of an entry fee. Because winners are determined solely by skill, no free method of entry is offered or required. Your entry fee is a registration fee for the competition — it is not a wager, and it does not fund the prize pool. Prizes are provided separately by Back Nine and its sponsors; Back Nine has no stake in the outcome and takes no share of any pool. Mulligans, where a competition allows them, are a scoring rule — never a purchase; using one adds a stroke, and they are never sold.

3 · Eligibility

Open to legal residents of the United States who are 18 or older — or the age of majority in their state, whichever is greater — at the time of entry. Void where prohibited. Employees, officers, and contractors of Back Nine and their household members are not eligible to win prizes. By entering, you confirm you meet these requirements.

4 · How to Enter

Register at beyondthegrass.com for the competition you wish to play. The entry fee is collected by the participating Back Nine location — an independently owned and operated franchise — through that location’s own payment process; Back Nine corporate does not collect or hold entry fees. Entry fees are stated at registration and are non-refundable except as required by law or where the event is cancelled. Your entry is complete once the participating location has confirmed it and you have played your rounds within the event window (§7) at that location on a Full Swing simulator. Participation, payment, and any local membership or eligibility requirements are also subject to the participating location’s own terms. Back Nine is a Full Swing partner.

5 · How Winners Are Determined

The Crown Classic is played on a single field. Every entrant’s two rounds are scored net through the B9 Bridge — Back Nine’s handicap method, which translates simulator performance to a comparable standard so players of different abilities compete on one even footing; the Bridge handicap in effect at the close of the event is the one used. The rounds are played on the TGL Season 1 hole configuration. The player with the best net score across the whole field is the Bridge Champion — the headline winner of the event. In addition, Back Nine recognizes five flight leaders, scored exactly as in prior events: the Champ flight (gross), the A flight (gross and net), and the B flight (gross and net). A player does not have to lead their flight to win the event, and does not have to be the Bridge Champion to be recognized in a flight.

Ties on the net Bridge leaderboard are broken in this order: (1) the honest number — the player whose entered handicap most accurately reflected how they actually played; (2) the lower back nine (holes 10–18); then (3) hole by hole, working backward from the 18th, until the tie is broken. The five flight recognitions are broken in this order: lower Round 2 score, then the lower back nine of Round 2, then the last six, the last three, and the final hole; if still tied, by Back Nine scorecard review. Before any prize is awarded, the leading scores — including any rounds in which a mulligan was used — are verified by Back Nine (§6). Net and handicap-flighted results are awarded as non-cash, physical prizes only; any cash prize is offered solely in a gross/scratch competition and within the applicable amateur-status limit (see §8 and §8a). Back Nine’s scoring decisions are final.

6 · Winner Verification & Fair Play

Back Nine may verify a winner’s identity, eligibility, scores, and round data, and review simulator data and any available footage, before awarding a prize. Back Nine may disqualify any entrant who tampers with the competition, misreports a score, manipulates settings, or acts in bad faith. Potential winners may be required to confirm scores and complete paperwork (§8) within 7 days of notice; failure to respond may forfeit the prize.

7 · Dates & Event Windows

Each competition runs only within its stated window. Rounds must be played and submitted between the start and end published on that event’s registration page, local time at the participating location. Scores submitted outside the window do not count.

8 · Prizes & Taxes

The Crown Classic awards six prizes of equal standing: one to the Bridge Champion (the best net score across the whole field), and one to each of the five flight leaders — Champ (gross), A (gross), A (net), B (gross), and B (net). The Bridge Champion’s prize and each flight prize are equal in value; you do not have to win your flight to earn a prize. Each recognized position is awarded to the player who earns it. A single player may earn more than one prize — for example, by leading a flight on both gross and net, or by being the Bridge Champion and also leading a flight — and in that case that player receives each prize they earn. The Bridge Champion prize and the flight-leader prizes are separate recognitions, each awarded on its own merits. The specific prizes for each of the six positions, and their approximate retail value, are posted on the event page ahead of the event. Prizes are non-transferable and have no cash equivalent; Back Nine may substitute a prize of equal or greater value. Winners are responsible for all taxes. For prizes awarded in 2026, U.S. tax law requires a Form 1099-MISC for prizes totaling $2,000 or more to a single winner in a calendar year; winners at or above that threshold must return a Form W-9 before the prize is released. Back Nine reserves the final-scoring and winner-determination discretion set out in §5 and §6, and applies it to any completed event.

8a · Amateur Status

Most Back Nine players are amateur golfers, and we want to keep it that way. Under the USGA Rules of Amateur Status, the prize a player accepts can affect their standing — cash, in particular, is treated differently in a handicap (net) competition than in a scratch (gross) one. So that taking home a prize never costs you your amateur status, Back Nine awards net and handicap-flighted prizes as non-cash, physical prizes. Any cash prize is limited to gross/scratch competitions and capped at the applicable USGA limit. Whether accepting a prize affects your amateur status is ultimately the player’s responsibility; if you compete in amateur or collegiate golf and have any doubt, check with your governing body before you accept.

9 · Trademark & Non-Affiliation

Back Nine is an independent operator and is not affiliated with, sponsored by, endorsed by, or associated with the United States Golf Association (USGA) or the “U.S. Open” Championship. Any reference to “U.S. Open” is descriptive only. “TGL” and related marks are the property of their respective owners; Back Nine’s use of a TGL hole configuration does not imply affiliation or endorsement. Back Nine is a partner of Full Swing; Full Swing marks and hardware are used under that partnership.

10 · Privacy & Data

To enter you provide personal information — name, email, scores, and your B9 Bridge handicap. Any payment is collected and processed by the participating Back Nine location through its own payment provider, not by Back Nine corporate. By entering, you consent to Back Nine using this information to run the competition, and to your name, net score, flight, and results being displayed publicly on the Bridge leaderboard and on competition leaderboards. Our full Privacy Policy is at beyondthegrass.com/privacy.

11 · Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, Back Nine is not liable for simulator, hardware, software, or network failures; lost, late, or misrecorded scores; or any injury, loss, or damage arising from participation or from accepting or using a prize. Entrants participate at their own risk, and by entering release Back Nine, its operators, and participating locations from any such claims to the fullest extent permitted by law.

12 · Governing Law

These Rules and any dispute arising from a Back Nine competition are governed by the laws of the State of Utah, without regard to conflict-of-law principles. Any dispute will be resolved exclusively in the state or federal courts located in Utah, and by entering you consent to that jurisdiction and venue.

13 · Changes to These Rules

Back Nine may correct errors and update these Rules. Material changes will be posted on beyondthegrass.com. Continued participation after a change means you accept the updated Rules.

14 · Severability

If any provision is found unenforceable, the rest remain in effect.

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