DQ for teeing off early?

[rulefan]

...indeed, that makes it worse

It is only an issue if the committee apply a penalty when they needn't or don't when they should.

But you said it wasn't a problem, presumably because penalties are not applied.

Do you suffer any hold ups in you Saturday comps? Compressed tee times has been shown to be a major cause of player dissatisfaction with pace of play.

 

[Foxholer]

Rule 6-3b is a bit ambiguous on this, as it says that players must remain throughout the round in the group arranged by the committee. If 2 players in a three ball don't turn up, or retire during the round, the remaining player either also has retire, or join up with another group. I certainly wouldn't DQ a player who did the latter!

Perhaps you should read/quote the entire sentence of that clause!!

Either way, there does not appear to be any 'ambiguity'!

 

[IanM]

It is only an issue if the committee apply a penalty when they needn't or don't when they should.

But you said it wasn't a problem, presumably because penalties are not applied.

Do you suffer any hold ups in you Saturday comps? Compressed tee times has been shown to be a major cause of player dissatisfaction with pace of play.

Its pretty good most of the time to be honest. The first hole is a shortish uphill par 4, a wood and a short iron for most.... the "convention" is that you don't tee off till the game ahead have completed the are leaving the 1st green. That tends to space folk out sufficiently.

 

[Colin L]

Rule 6-3b is a bit ambiguous on this, as it says that players must remain throughout the round in the group arranged by the committee. If 2 players in a three ball don't turn up, or retire during the round, the remaining player either also has retire, or join up with another group. I certainly wouldn't DQ a player who did the latter!

A already mentioned, there is no ambiguity in 6-3b. "Unless the Committee authorizes or ratifies a change" is clear. The Committee can - and should - retrospectively ratify sensible changes made by players to groups where the circumstances justify it - such as people not turning up or players retiring because of illness, injury or hissy fit.

 

[Robobum]

https://twitter.com/lifeonthelinks/status/829696292896903168

 

[patricks148]

luckily we have a starter for all our comps, so if you went of early it is at his instruction.

 

[Dan2501]

And people wonder why golf membership is dwindling when stuff like this happens.

 

[Colin L]

And people wonder why golf membership is dwindling when stuff like this happens.

Do you have a problem with players being penalised for not being ready for their start time, or just with starting before it?

 

[rulefan]

And people wonder why golf membership is dwindling when stuff like this happens.

Have you got any figures indicating how many players have given up golf because someone was penalised for starting too soon?

Or how many have actually received a penalty?

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Do you have a problem with players being penalised for not being ready for their start time, or just with starting before it?

I'm not Dan but this decision baffled me so I'll answer from my perspective.I don't claim to speak for Dan by the way, he may want to answer himself. Not being ready, penalty. No question, you are holding up other people. If someone rings ahead and swaps a time then fine. Common sense approach. Equally, going off 10 mintues before your time, no one in front of you, I don't see the problem. No one is looking to gain an advantage, they are not going off an hour early, or two hours earlier. Common sense approach. We play as amateurs, it is not the pro circuit. It's a hobby. People should be able to use their noggin to smooth out situations and not discourage people from turning up.

I know the rules are rules brigade will abhor this stance. Fine, we will just have to disagree.

 

[delc]

Do you have a problem with players being penalised for not being ready for their start time, or just with starting before it?

Just wondering what the actual tolerances are supposed to be for starting at the correct time, as per Rule 6-3a? A minute, 5 minutes, and is early better than late?

 

[Robobum]

I'm not Dan but this decision baffled me so I'll answer from my perspective.I don't claim to speak for Dan by the way, he may want to answer himself. Not being ready, penalty. No question, you are holding up other people. If someone rings ahead and swaps a time then fine. Common sense approach. Equally, going off 10 mintues before your time, no one in front of you, I don't see the problem. No one is looking to gain an advantage, they are not going off an hour early, or two hours earlier. Common sense approach. We play as amateurs, it is not the pro circuit. It's a hobby. People should be able to use their noggin to smooth out situations and not discourage people from turning up.

I know the rules are rules brigade will abhor this stance. Fine, we will just have to disagree.

Absolutely agree. Common sense is a short commodity looking at some answers on this thread

 

[rulefan]

Absolutely agree. Common sense is a short commodity looking at some answers on this thread

As I indicated earlier, the rule specifically makes provision for 'common sense'.

Of course, in general, common sense is neither common nor sensible

 

[Dan2501]

I'm not Dan but this decision baffled me so I'll answer from my perspective.I don't claim to speak for Dan by the way, he may want to answer himself. Not being ready, penalty. No question, you are holding up other people. If someone rings ahead and swaps a time then fine. Common sense approach. Equally, going off 10 mintues before your time, no one in front of you, I don't see the problem. No one is looking to gain an advantage, they are not going off an hour early, or two hours earlier. Common sense approach. We play as amateurs, it is not the pro circuit. It's a hobby. People should be able to use their noggin to smooth out situations and not discourage people from turning up.

I know the rules are rules brigade will abhor this stance. Fine, we will just have to disagree.

Sums it up perfectly. Common sense seems to be lacking often when discussing the rules of golf unfortunately.

 

[Slab]

I’m for the common sense approach too but just for fun, cos believe it or not it actually happened… I played last Saturday, 2 tee start, shower during the front 9 but no effect on the game, with two holes to go the heavens opened big style, couldn’t continue, standing water across fairway appeared in under 5 minutes, thunder across the course, most walked in (in buggys) with no scores

The group in front of us (10 minute separation) tried to keep going but couldn’t putt on their last green due to standing water, the group in front of them (10 minute separation) got in bone dry and scooped prizes wondering what all the fuss was about

Everyone accepted it as just one of those things and acknowledged their win, but if it then came out they'd gone out 10 minutes early....

Just saying




edit, last week its likely no one would've objected anyway as it wasn't that important a comp, tomorrow is a pairs betterball open with a 12 tee shotgun start where the prizes might be a little more desirable to some and there might be a bit of a stooshie if weather was replicated and lead group jumped the gun by 10 minutes

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Slab, rub of the green. Go out in the morning with no breeze, go in the afternoon and its blowing 20mph. In winter the greens could be hard first off and then thaw by afternoon. You will always get weather differences when a game is played over the course of a day.

 

[Slab]

Slab, rub of the green. Go out in the morning with no breeze, go in the afternoon and its blowing 20mph. In winter the greens could be hard first off and then thaw by afternoon. You will always get weather differences when a game is played over the course of a day.

No doubt, its one of the endearing things about playing, just highlighting that a 10 minute jump start by the lead group might not always be free of repercussions or as devoid of advantage as first thought



edit: as I say I favour the common sense approach but I think common sense is a couple of minutes either way, not when we get near to ten (but then before last Saturday I might have thought 10 was fine)

 

[rulefan]

Sums it up perfectly. Common sense seems to be lacking often when discussing the rules of golf unfortunately.

Not the fault of the rules but the messengers.

 

[Maninblack4612]

Have you got any figures indicating how many players have given up golf because someone was penalised for starting too soon?

Or how many have actually received a penalty?

He actually said "stuff like​ this" i.e. the sort of things perpetrated by the stuffed shirt blazer brigade with intimidate & frustrate inexperienced golfers.

 

[rulefan]

He actually said "stuff like​ this" i.e. the sort of things perpetrated by the stuffed shirt blazer brigade with intimidate & frustrate inexperienced golfers.

Whatever their perceived attitude, I'm afraid that the truth is that they are all unpaid volunteers and without them the sport would be significantly more expensive or not viable for most clubs.