The CGA finished up their championship season at the end of September with the Mid-Amateur Championship at Columbine Country Club. For those that have not had the opportunity to play Columbine, it is a wonderful golf course that is annually chosen to host one of 14 U.S. Open Sectional Qualifiers world-wide.
After the first round of the Mid-Amateur was complete there were two players in the competition who wanted to go back out onto the golf course to play additional holes for practice. Now, Rule 7-1b in the Rules of Golf prohibits players from practicing on the competition course before their round on the day the competition starts, and also between rounds during a multi-day event. The committee may, however, state in the Notice to Players prior to the competition that players may indeed practice or play the course on the day of or between rounds of a multi-day competition. This is a note that accompanies Rule 7-1 and the CGA commonly uses it when team events are held at mountain courses. This is done mainly because all CGA team events are shotgun starts meaning that all players are generally done fairly early have the entire afternoon off. Since these players are usually there just to play golf, we allow them to go back out and play the course again in the afternoon. This is also a nice way for the host facility to generate a little more revenue.
For CGA Mid-Amateur at Columbine, the CGA did not have the note in effect that allowed players to practice on the competition course between rounds. Unfortunately, those two players had indeed gone out after their round was complete to play a few more holes. All players were entitled to use the practice putting greens, driving range and short game area as long as they received permission from the host club, but the golf course itself was off limits. Violation of Rule 7-1b does not carry any penalty strokes but instead dole’s out golf’s death penalty — disqualification. Though this penalty may seem severe, take into consideration that it would not be practicable to allow 84 players, which is the field size for the CGA Mid-Amateur, to practice on the course following the first round because some players would have the opportunity and others would not depending on the time that they finish and the availability of the course. Also, consider that prior to the first round no players knew how the committee will have the course set-up and prepared for the championship. Now that the competition has started, it would be unfair to allow practice on the exact set-up which would again give players an advantage.
So if you are a tournament chairman or director for you men’s or women’s club, make sure your players know whether this note is effect. And if you are a player make sure you ask because if you don’t you may have plenty of time to practice”¦for your next event.
