Nothing is more likely to elicit a string of sudden withdrawals than heavy rain – or worse – during a round. But how should clubs deal with players who abandon competitions?
This article is part of GCMA Insights – topical content for golf industry professionals, discussing the things that matter to those who work in golf clubs.
We play an outdoor sport and, sometimes, the weather turns. It can go from sunny to saturated quickly during a round and players can get caught out, be unprepared, or just get fed up of slogging it around in the rain.
We have all seen members abandon competitions or pre-registered general play rounds when they’ve had enough. But with the World Handicap System, it’s not quite a simple as striking a line through the card and writing no return.
So when players do give up because of the weather, how should they be treated under WHS and what action do committees need to consider in dealing with them?
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Why has a score not been submitted?
When a player indicates their intention to return a score and then does not, committees need to look at the reason – either for non-submission or an incomplete round.
Players who stop play need to have a valid reason and England Golf guidance reveals what that means.
A player can’t just decide to walk in. Justifiable circumstances include illness or injury, being called off the course for an emergency, or insufficient light.
In these situations, players can submit “not started” for the holes missed out or still to be played. But they must still return their card, which will be processed using the scores achieved on the holes that were played.
Invalid reasons for non-submission include bad weather, not playing well enough, or play being too slow.
When are penalty scores applied?
When a score isn’t submitted, or is incomplete, committees should make “every effort to determine the score that the player had”. That can be done by contacting them, their playing partners, or reviewing a marker’s score.
“Net double bogey is only applied for handicap purposes if the hole is started but not completed; or if the hole is scored as a zero in a Stableford format”.
When there is a valid reason for an incomplete card or non-submission, the score should still be submitted if the player’s score can be determined.
If that score can’t be determined, “a ‘penalty score’ must still be posted where the gross score is equal to the course rating + course handicap. However, the score should not be designed as a penalty score on entry”.
If there is an invalid reason, England Golf recommend a three-stage process:
- First offence: Issue a warning to the player indicating the reason is not acceptable and that “future incidents will result in the posting of a penalty score”. An identifiable score should be submitted – otherwise a penalty score may be entered.
- Second offence: The player is contacted and the reason identified. An identified score should be entered, and the committee should consider applying a penalty score “which could be in addition to the ‘real’ score”. If no score is available, a penalty score must be submitted
- Subsequent and persistent offenders: As well as applying the measures for a second offence, committees are also recommended to consider disciplinary procedures. These can include withdrawing or freezing a handicap for a time, or stopping players from submitting scores in competitions or general play. “The suggested timeframe is 2-4 weeks”.
What penalty score is posted?
Invalid reason: “A score equivalent to the current Handicap index (i.e. Gross Score = Course Rating + Course Handicap) and identified as a penalty score in the WHS player record”.
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Lightning
Lightning is tricky because club committees, at least in the first instance, are not the judges of what is dangerous – players are.
The Rules of Golf, specifically 5.7a, say a golfer can stop play if they “reasonably believe there is danger from lightning”. They need to report that to the Committee as soon as possible.
Committees obviously need to ensure the danger from lightning no longer exists before resuming play but, once they have determined that, players must resume play.
If a player refuses “because they believe there is still danger”, Committees can conclude that their belief is “unreasonable” and disqualify them from the competition under Rule 5.7c.
England Golf’s World Handicap System guidance also says “players may incur a penalty score if play is suspended but they fail to resume play when instructed to do so. This is an invalid reason for not completing the round”.
What if a competition is abandoned?
These rounds are not subject to penalty scores because the reason play was suspended is valid.
But players who have completed their rounds would submit scores as usual, as would players who have completed at least 10 holes. Their scores are then scaled up to 18 by the WHS platform.
Any players who have completed fewer than 10 holes do not have a valid score. “Under no circumstances should any holes not started be allocated a zero, which would result in a net double bogey for handicap”.
This article is part of GCMA Insights – topical content for golf industry professionals, discussing the things that matter to those who work in golf clubs.
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