The Charter of Blackthorn

Blackthorn's eighteen holes form eighteen fiefdoms. Each season the realm seats one King and up to seventeen Lords. Every hole is either unclaimed, held by the Crown, or held by a Lord.

A player becomes a Lord by redeeming an invite issued by the King. New Lords hold no land until they either purchase an unclaimed hole from the Crown for $100, or seize a hole from another Lord under the rules below.

A Lord may seize a hole owned by another Lord if all of the following are true:

• The Lord scores birdie or better on that hole.
• The seizing Lord already owns a hole adjacent to the target hole.
• The round meets the eligibility rules in Section IV.

Ownership transfers immediately upon claim. Unclaimed holes cannot be seized — they must be granted by the King.

A birdie counts toward a seizure only when the round satisfies both requirements:

• Postable in GHIN. The round must be logged as a postable round in the USGA / GHIN handicap system.
• Eligible tees. The Lord must play from Blue, Orange, or Black tees. Any forward tee makes the round ineligible for takeover, even if the score is a birdie.

On submission each Lord attests that the round follows the USGA Rules of Golf. Attestation is required and re-checked when a takeover is claimed.

When land changes hands, both the deposed and the conquering Lord receive a notification. Every purchase and every takeover — with the score, par, tee, and postable status — is recorded in the realm's history.

The King may schedule and publish a new season at any time. Publishing a new season archives the current round, clears all holdings, dismisses the Lords, and activates a fresh batch of invite codes for the next roster.

• The King is the final arbiter of any dispute.
• Gimme birdies do not count. A putt holed is a putt earned.
• The King may revoke a Lord's seat before that Lord has posted a score; land is returned to the Crown.
• Grievances are heard in the clubhouse over a drink, never on the course.