We all want golfers to play their part in helping competitions run smoothly. But what can we do if they refuse?
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.
It’s a competition organiser’s nightmare – a card that’s not added up or is missing details. If you’re role sometimes involves toting up scorecards, or deciphering handwriting, you will have seen it all.
No names, Stableford totals missing, handicaps not inputted, it can slow down the already lengthy task of closing a competition.
Obviously, it’s ideal if players fill in their scorecards entirely and correctly. But do they have to, and what is at your disposal to compel players to do so?
If you’ve ever wondered what you can do, there are some crucial guidelines in the Committee Procedures found in the Official Guide to the Rules of Golf that can help.
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What information must players put on their scorecards?
Let’s deal with the easy stuff first. Players have to include their gross scores. They must sign and have their card certified.
And that’s it. Everything else is the responsibility of the competition committee. That includes names, the tee used, the date, the competition and, following the Rules of Golf changes in 2023, player handicaps.
A committee can shift the responsibility back onto players for entering their handicap on a scorecard. But they’ll need to use a Local Rule – L-2 – to do it and you won’t find many World Handicap System experts (and that includes the home associations) who think it’s a good idea. The official position is when it comes to handicaps, committees should take charge.
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Can we ask players to include other information?
Yes, you can. You can request that players assist you. That might mean asking players to total their scores in a fourball competition, or enter their scores in Stableford, or whether a hole was won or lost if you’re playing a Par/Bogey competitions.
But if players don’t do that , or if they make a mistake, a committee can’t impose a penalty under the Rules of Golf.
You can’t disqualify them. You can’t penalise them shots.
The same applies when it comes to asking players to enter their scores in the competition computer when the round is finished. That’s clearly very helpful to a committee but, again, there is no penalty that can be applied under the Rules for those who won’t do it.
Is there anything else we can do to encourage players?
Committees can set out a disciplinary sanction in their Codes of Conduct for players who don’t fill in their cards or fail to put their scores into the computer.
But, and it’s a big one, these potential sanctions are designed for those who repeatedly refuse the request. It should not be used for players who have absent-mindedly forgotten.
A Code of Conduct should set out the structure under which sanctions will be applied. So, for example, a first failure may bring a reminder, a second a warning, a third a shot action, and so on. Ultimately, players can be barred from entering competitions under such a structure but that would clearly require numerous interventions.
Committees can look at potential punishment structures for Codes of Conduct in the committee procedures found in the Official Guide to the Rules of Golf.
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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