Buggy in a Casual round

[jim8flog]

Giving this a bit more thought

Buggies are banned (or only allowed with med cert) as a condition of a competition.

A General Play round for handicap is a round that has to be played according to The Rules of Golf and The Rules of Handicapping and is not part of a competition.


It is the general misquote that a General Play round has to be played according to a round for a competition that causes the confusion.

There is an an important point in Rules of Handicapping Rule 2.1b

Where a player follows the provisions set down in a Model Local Rule, even
when the Committee in charge of the course has not adopted that Model
Local Rule, the score may still be acceptable for handicap purposes. The
same situation applies where a player is in breach of a Model Local Rule that
has been adopted by the Committee.

 

[Deleted member 30522]

Giving this a bit more thought

Buggies are banned (or only allowed with med cert) as a condition of a competition.

A General Play round for handicap is a round that has to be played according to The Rules of Golf and The Rules of Handicapping and is not part of a competition.


It is the general misquote that a General Play round has to be played according to a round for a competition that causes the confusion.

There is an an important point in Rules of Handicapping Rule 2.1b

Where a player follows the provisions set down in a Model Local Rule, even
when the Committee in charge of the course has not adopted that Model
Local Rule, the score may still be acceptable for handicap purposes. The
same situation applies where a player is in breach of a Model Local Rule that
has been adopted by the Committee.

This is incorrect, SG were asked this question just this week, a GP score is a competition score in all but name, you play a GP round exactly as a competition round.

 

[Swango1980]

This is incorrect, SG were asked this question just this week, a GP score is a competition score in all but name, you play a GP round exactly as a competition round.

In a competition round, you must sign your scorecard, otherwise your score is disqualified. However, it still counts for handicap.

The handicap authorities have been pushing hard for players to submit as many scores for handicap. So, it is their intent to ban any score for handicap if a player happened to use a buggy without a medical certificate? I doubt that very much. I also don't see how this could be managed by Committees, how would they know a player used a buggy? At least in a competition, where draws are made, players play with competitors, it is something that can be more easily policed.

Furthermore, it was my understanding that banning buggies was to stop a player having an unfair advantage over the field. How does that apply for a general play round?

 

[Beedee]

The thing I find most annoying about this subject is that golf is so up itself that it still think it's a good use of a doctors time to have to write a letter to allow an adult to hit a ball round a field. Don't know if they've noticed, but doctors are fairly busy these days.

 

[Colin L]

This is incorrect, SG were asked this question just this week, a GP score is a competition score in all but name, you play a GP round exactly as a competition round.

Sorry, but Jim was absolutely correct in what he said: a General Play round is not "part of a competition". It is played, as you say, according to the rules of golf and of handicapping as is a competition but would you say that you have to abide by all the Terms of the Competition of your club when you play for a GP score?

I have our prohibition on the use of mechanised transport (other than with permission) as a Term of the Competition not as a Local Rule so that there's no question of its applying to general play rounds.

 

[chrisd]

The thing I find most annoying about this subject is that golf is so up itself that it still think it's a good use of a doctors time to have to write a letter to allow an adult to hit a ball round a field. Don't know if they've noticed, but doctors are fairly busy these days.

A year or two back my regular playing partner had an issue with injury and asked to use a buggy. The pro said he required a doctors letter to do so in a comp, we wheeled our other playing partner (a GP) into the pro shop and asked if "from the horse's mouth" was as good as a letter or did he need to pop home and get his wife to write a letter (also a GP)

Word of mouth was accepted !

 

[Swango1980]

A year or two back my regular playing partner had an issue with injury and asked to use a buggy. The pro said he required a doctors letter to do so in a comp, we wheeled our other playing partner (a GP) into the pro shop and asked if "from the horse's mouth" was as good as a letter or did he need to pop home and get his wife to write a letter (also a GP)

Word of mouth was accepted !

This sounds corrupt. If the GMC got wind of this, I suspect this doctor would get struck off the register . I feel sorry for the injured golfers who were not able to play as they were not playing with a GP, or married to one.

 

[Colin L]

I believe it is wrong to require medical certification to use a buggy or to apply the modified rules for golfers with disabilities. It's better to keep it as something a committee might ask for. How crassly insensitive would it be to demand certification from a golfer who is standing in front of you on what are obviously prosthetic legs, for example?

 

[rulie]

The thing I find most annoying about this subject is that golf is so up itself that it still think it's a good use of a doctors time to have to write a letter to allow an adult to hit a ball round a field. Don't know if they've noticed, but doctors are fairly busy these days.

Imo, it's golfers, not golf, that are as you describe.

 

[jim8flog]

This is incorrect, SG were asked this question just this week, a GP score is a competition score in all but name, you play a GP round exactly as a competition round.

Maybe they should look at the definitions and the rule I quoted.
Notably General Play

I play under EG not SG jurisdiction.

The penalty for breaching the LR for buggies in a competition is DQ but the score would still be acceptable for handicap purposes under Rule 2 quoted. How do you DQ someone in a General Play round?

 

[chrisd]

This sounds corrupt. If the GMC got wind of this, I suspect this doctor would get struck off the register . I feel sorry for the injured golfers who were not able to play as they were not playing with a GP, or married to one.

Any golfer could get a confirmation from their GP or other acceptable person

It sounds corrupt that a GP cant tell the truth in a pro shop so that an injured golfer can use a buggy in a competition - what planet are you from?

 

[Deleted member 30522]

Maybe they should look at the definitions and the rule I quoted.
Notably General Play

I play under EG not SG jurisdiction.

The penalty for breaching the LR for buggies in a competition is DQ but the score would still be acceptable for handicap purposes under Rule 2 quoted. How do you DQ someone in a General Play round?

You play under CONGU, it was SG giving an answer, you play the same rules as we do.

You DQ a GP round in exactly the same was as a Competition round, although instead of showing a DQ you can just delete the score

 

[Swango1980]

Any golfer could get a confirmation from their GP or other acceptable person

It sounds corrupt that a GP cant tell the truth in a pro shop so that an injured golfer can use a buggy in a competition - what planet are you from?

Did you see my winky face? I was pulling your leg

 

[Swango1980]

You play under CONGU, it was SG giving an answer, you play the same rules as we do.

You DQ a GP round in exactly the same was as a Competition round, although instead of showing a DQ you can just delete the score

I am pretty sure you are very much incorrect on this issue.

 

[rulefan]

You play under CONGU, it was SG giving an answer, you play the same rules as we do.

You DQ a GP round in exactly the same was as a Competition round, although instead of showing a DQ you can just delete the score

Why do you seem to suggest that 2.1 doesn't apply?

 

[wjemather]

You play under CONGU, it was SG giving an answer, you play the same rules as we do.

You DQ a GP round in exactly the same was as a Competition round, although instead of showing a DQ you can just delete the score

Context is everything. I suspect the answer given by SG was in relation to holing out (e.g. something like "you must hole out in the same manner as you would in a competition"), or something similar, and was in no way intended to imply any equivalence between competition and general play.

 

[jim8flog]

You play under CONGU, it was SG giving an answer, you play the same rules as we do.

You DQ a GP round in exactly the same was as a Competition round, although instead of showing a DQ you can just delete the score

I presume this is a written answer to a specific question and not just some ones interpretation of what was being said. If it was do you have a copy of what was written? As already said it easy to misquote/interpret " played as if is a competition".

As I have already said rule 2.1 allows such a DQ as an acceptable score for handicapping as it is a DQ for a Local Rules infringement in a competition.

 

[Swango1980]

You play under CONGU, it was SG giving an answer, you play the same rules as we do.

You DQ a GP round in exactly the same was as a Competition round, although instead of showing a DQ you can just delete the score

To clarify. A person uses a buggy in a competition, against the Rules of the Competition. They get disqualified? However, does their score still count towards their handicap, in the same way forgetting to sign their card would? Or, is it not acceptable for handicap either?

 

[rulefan]

As I have already said rule 2.1 allows such a DQ as an acceptable score for handicapping as it is a DQ for a Local Rules infringement in a competition.

To clarify. A person uses a buggy in a competition, against the Rules of the Competition. They get disqualified?

2.1b does not mention DQ in respect of General Play. It simply says "a score is not acceptable for handicap purposes if ......."
It goes on to mention the Rules of Golf but not Terms of Competition.
However, as there is no competition there can be no Terms of Competition

 

[Colin L]

If the prohibition on the use of mechanised transport is in The Terms of the Competition, it can't apply to General Play rounds.

If the Local Rule prohibiting riding on mechanised transport during a round is in place, you get the general penalty at each hole at which there is a breach. There is no mention of disqualification .