Final Cut Invitational — Official Contestant Handbook

Burgundy and gold official handbook cover, featuring the flag's skull and crossed putters emblem above the Skyline arena.

State of Arkon

Contestant,

For more than three hundred years, the Final Cut Invitational has stood among the State of Arkon’s most cherished traditions. Generations have gathered to honor its champions, remember its finest moments, and enjoy the sacrifices that make our way of life possible.

You have been selected to continue that proud history.

Your participation serves a purpose greater than personal survival. Through your courage, our citizens find inspiration. Through your suffering, they find perspective. Through your sacrifice, the State grows stronger. Few are granted so direct an opportunity to contribute.

The course has been prepared with exceptional care. Our guests expect a worthy performance, and considerable public resources have been committed to ensuring they receive one. We trust you will show the appropriate gratitude.

Should you prevail, you will return to your family with the recognition of a grateful State. Should you fall, your contribution will be recorded, your place will be cleared, and play will proceed without delay.

Observe the rules. Respect the officials. Accept the outcome.

Your life is now part of something greater. The State intends to make full use of it.

Roman CrossHigh MarshalFor the prosperity of Arkon.

Official State of Arkon stamp, Office of the High Marshal

SECTION I

Golf Rules

Place the ball behind the tee line before proceeding onto the course. — I. The commencement
Place the ball behind the tee line before crossing it.

A putter strikes the ball; each contact counts as one stroke. — II. The stroke
Each strike of the ball counts as one stroke.

The next shot is played from the ball’s resting position. — III. The lie
Proceed to the ball. Play the next stroke where it rests.

A section of the cup showing the ball inside, completing the hole. — IV. The completion
A hole is completed when the ball enters the cup.

The reckoning

Fewer strokes earn the better score. Par is the standard, not a limit.

3BIRDIEOne below par

4PARThe standard

5BOGEYOne above par

ILLUSTRATED EXAMPLE · A PAR-FOUR HOLE

SECTION II

Target Grounds

A well-placed ball may secure the machinery ahead.

Ball resting inside the outer target circle, away from its centre — I. Rest within the circle
The ball must come to rest inside the large outer circle, on a valid course surface.

Ball passing through a target without stopping — II. Passing is not enough
Rolling or flying through the circle leaves the trap active.

Before proceeding

Allow the linked machinery to finish securing. A target governs its assigned trap or group of traps.

If the target is missed

The route remains hazardous. Observe the apparatus before attempting passage.

Clues are present upon the course.
Their interpretation is left to the contestant.

SECTION III

Mechanical Hazards

Contact with moving blades may prove fatal.

Broad axe suspended from a structural beam — I. Swinging axes
Suspended blades sweep across the passage.

Horizontal fan rotating over a gap — II. Fan crossings
Rotating blades obstruct an exposed crossing.

Toothed circular saw mounted on a carriage — III. Travelling saws
A powered cutting wheel travels along its rail.

Guillotine blade between two steel guide columns — IV. Guillotines
A guided blade falls across the route.

A clear passage is not a guarantee of continued safety.

SECTION IV

Special Apparatus

The following mechanisms form part of the course.

Eight plates supported by mechanisms underneath — I. Launch plates
An armed plate propels its occupant from the course.

Exposed cutting rollers beneath a partial slatted shutter — II. Grinding works
A moving shutter exposes the cutters beneath.

Rotating tunnel with telescoping teeth — III. Toothed passages
Rotating teeth extend into the tunnel.

Four thin spiked plates below a smooth roof cassette — IV. Stamping presses
Independent spiked plates strike from above.

Study the apparatus. Clues exist; their solutions are not published here.

SECTION V

Penalties & Recovery

Ball falling beyond the course edge — I. An invalid lie
A ball beyond the course—or on or beneath machinery—is out of bounds.

Ball returning to its previous lie, with one penalty stroke — II. Ball recovery
Return the ball to the previous safe lie. Add one penalty stroke; the original stroke still counts.

Restoration of machinery

Recovery restores trap locks to their condition before the stroke. Walking to a playable ball carries no penalty.

FATALITY RECORD+1

A death is recorded separately. The contestant returns to the previous safe position; the ball remains in play and secured traps remain secured.

No additional stroke or time penalty.

An out-of-bounds ball also draws the attention of the guards.

SECTION VI

The Official Record

Traditional score ledger recording strokes and deaths separately

Order of merit

Fewer strokes rank first. Where strokes are equal, fewer deaths prevail. Equal totals share the rank.

Strokes

All strikes and penalty strokes are included. There is no stroke limit.

Time

Measured from the first stroke to the cup. It is a record, not a deadline.

SKYLINE 3-HOLE CIRCUIT
Hole	I	II	III	Total
Par	4	3	5	12

Each completed hole receives its own record.
A round is complete only when every assigned hole is finished.
Practice records are kept separately.

SECTION VII

Conduct & Passage

Permitted route between holes, with forbidden spectator branches on either side

I. Leave the green in order

After holing out, collect the ball and follow the designated route to the next tee.

II. Respect the boundaries

Spectator branches are forbidden during transfer. Once the next tee has been entered, returning to the previous hole is prohibited.

III. Observe the officials

Route violations and crossing a tee line before placing the ball invite enforcement by the guards.

The spectator galleries are not part of the course.

BY ORDER OF THE STATE

The Victor’s Return

An antique engraving of the victorious adult contestant embracing her older adult parents outside the arena. — To return is the privilege of the victor.

Compete with distinction.
Return with the recognition of Arkon.

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