Group Pace of Play Policy

(Email sent on June 7th 2016 to : golfquebec@golfquebec.org erivard@golfquebec.org ; info@golfcanada.ca; smrules@golfcanada.ca; ovga@bell.net)

(Preamble)
Despite the fact that I never received any answer, I am creating this petition and asking all the golfers who support the need of change to the pace of play policy to call on the golfing bodies administering the sport to adjust the Pace of Play rule too make it as fair and as clear as possible.

(Email)
Addressed to the Golf Québec Rules Committee, Golf Canada Rules Committee and the OVGA Rules Committee.

I am a 3rd year player on the University of Ottawa Gee Gees Men’s Golf team. I have been playing under Golf Québec for more then 10 years at the junior and amateur level. I have always had great experiences until recently.

The reason why I am contacting you concerns the issues Canadian/Quebecker golfers have been facing with the current Pace of Play rule. I do not like slow golf. I like to play under 4 hours because, in my opinion, this is how it should be. I would like to suggest to the rules committee noted above that you review the Golf Pace of Play rule. I really do think we are going the wrong way with the GROUP penalty rather then the penalizing the individual player. I do not believe in the rule we have now because there is too many gray zones which make the ruling from official to official different.

Here are few experiences I have been through in the last summer :

Scheldule of events :

1. Alexander of Tunis Round 1 : July 3rd 2016, Hunt Club, Ottawa

I was paired with an extremely slow player (Player A). After a wait caused by two players hitting balls coming from another hole onto our hole, we ended up getting behind. Then on hole 8, Player B in my group took time to get on the green. I told Player A and Player B to hurry up. I actually ran on the 9th fairway while they were walking. An official told us after hole 9 that since we were out of position we were possibly going to get a one stroke penalty. We caught up after 12 holes. We finished 18 before our time allowed. We signed our cards and then we all went home without being given the penalty stroke. The next morning before the final round on the practice tee, an official informed me that I was given a penalty stroke. I requested an appeal and he told me we could discuss it after the round. After the round we had a discussion without Player A and Player B being present. Nothing changed because they had already given the stroke to the Player A and Player B. I understood from the official that they had accepted the penalty stroke in my absence from the round 1.

In this situation, I think it would have been within my rights to obtain an appeal with the Player A and Player B present. The fact is that I got a penalty stroke for slow play without any discussion and without all the players together.

Find below the considerations that should impact such a decision :
- I played fast as I always do.
- On hole 7 in the fairway, we had to wait twice for people on hole 8 that were in the rough on our hole.
- One player was extremely slow (Player B could attest to that on request to me).
- I am the only one who tried to run to make it on time.
- Player A 3 putted on 9 with his 1 min 15 sec routine every time on all 3 putts.

My recommendations as a player :
1. Every player should have the right to have an appeal with all the members of the group present for slow play before they sign the card. If this condition is not respected, the penalty can’t be penalized.

2. Golf is an INDIVIDUAL sport, the current Pace of Play rule is a team penalty. From my perspective as a player, it would make sense putting an individual player on the clock until they recover. Assess a penalty for playing in more then 40 seconds.

3. Also, the words used in the Pace of Play rule on Golf Québec website are too vague which could lead to an official making an incorrect call: «In some exceptional circumstances, the penalty could be lifted or given only to one of two players of the group. A group penalty may also be cancelled if the players spent too much time looking for a lost ball on the last hole. »

2. Spring Open 2016, Beaconfield

Player A, who shot +16, 87, made an 8 on hole 7, a par 4. We looked for his ball for 5 minutes and then we went to play our ball’s. We lost approximately 10 minutes. Hole 8 is a par 3 which did not allow time to recover our lost time. We ended up missing our checkpoint on hole 9 by 2 minutes. We were then told that we were possibly going to be given a penalty stroke. We recovered on the back nine and finished on time. We then asked for an appeal and they told us not to sign our cards. We explained what happened too two officials and they decided to assess the penalty to only too one player. He accepted the penalty stroke even though he thought it was unfair because he tried to play fast and recovered the lost time. He had a bad hole that took time and played bad which caused our group to be delayed.

My recommendations as a player :
1. In the current Pace of Play rule, a player could be penalized if he simply plays bad. I do not believe that a player deserves an extra penalty stroke because he played bad even if he has a fast routine. With a 40 seconds time limit, this would not occur.

2. As noted above, the words (repeated here for emphasis) used in the Pace of Play rule on Golf Québec website are too vague and need to be clarified : «In some exceptional circumstances, the penalty could be lifted or given only to one of two players of the group. A group penalty may also be cancelled if the players spent too much time looking for a lost ball on the last hole. »

To conclude, I hope the golfing bodies administering the sport will adjust the Pace of Play rule too make it as fair as possible because golf is a sport of fairness, respect and friendship. As a player, I should not be responsible for policing someone else’s pace of play, that belongs to the rules officials.

Regards,
Gabriel Gingras
819-230-5645
gabriel_gingras@hotmail.ca