Starting Time

A player’s round starts when the player makes a stroke to start his or her first hole (see Rule 6.1a).

 

The player must start at (and not before) his or her starting time:

  • This means that the player must be ready to play at the starting time and starting point set by the Tournament Coordinator.
  • A starting time set by the Tournament Coordinator is treated as an exact time (for example, 9 am means 9:00 am, not any time until 9:01 am).

 

If the starting time is delayed for any reason (such as weather, slow play of other groups or the need for a ruling by a referee), there is no breach of this Rule if the player is present and ready to play when the player’s group is able to start.

 

Penalty for Breach of Rule 5.3a: Disqualification, except in these three cases:

  • Exception 1 – Player Arrives at Starting Point, Ready to Play, No More Than Five Minutes Late: The player gets the general penalty applied to his or her first hole.
  • Exception 2 – Player Starts No More Than Five Minutes Early: The player gets the general penalty applied to his or her first hole.
  • Exception 3 – Committee Decides that Exceptional Circumstances Prevented Player from Starting on Time: There is no breach of this Rule and no penalty.

 

Pace of Play

A round of golf is meant to be played at a prompt pace. The Pace of Play at The Royal Golf Club is set at 4:15 for 18 Holes.

 

Each Member should recognize that his or her pace of play is likely to affect how long it will take other members to play their rounds, including both those in the player’s own group and those in following groups.

 

Maintaining the correct pace is a shared responsibility of every player in the group. This policy applies to all rounds, including ALL Member tournaments.

 

Pace of Play Procedure 

  • Up to 5 minutes behind pace – No action taken.

  • 5–9 minutes behind pace – First advice given verbally to the group that they are behind pace.

  • Over 10 minutes behind pace – First warning issued; group will have 2 holes to catch up.

  • Still over 10 minutes behind pace – Second warning issued; group will have a further 2 holes to catch up.

  • Still over 10 minutes behind pace after two warnings – Group will be instructed to skip a hole.

 

 

Additional Notes 

  • Responsibility for maintaining pace lies with all members of the group.
  • If necessary, RGC reserves the right to take immediate action if any group falls significantly behind pace.

 

Skipped Holes 

  • A skipped hole may be completed at the end of the round only if time and conditions permit.
  • If it cannot be completed, it will be declared abandoned, and an X will be recorded on the scorecard for all players.

 

Multiple Tournaments

 

Members are not permitted to participate in two tournaments on the same day in conjunction with one another. For example, a Member may not play a Pearl Trophy Match while also being entered in the Order of Merit draw.

 

Pairing Up Policy

In the interest of maintaining the integrity of Member tournaments and enhancing player enjoyment, Members may request to be paired with a maximum of one other player within tee time events.

 

 

 

Suspension of Play

When play is suspended by the Tournament Coordinator for inclement weather or a dangerous situation, the Members in a match or group must not resume play until the Tournament Coordinator has ordered a resumption of play. If they are in the process of playing a hole, they must discontinue playing immediately, mark their ball position and not resume play until the Tournament Coordinator has ordered a resumption of play.

Penalty: If a member fails to discontinue play immediately, he or she is disqualified unless circumstances warrant waiving the penalty as provided in Rule 5.7a.

 

Scorecards

In Strokeplay, the Tournament Coordinator will provide each competitor with a scorecard containing the date, name, and handicap.

 

In Strokeplay, the Tournament Coordinator is responsible for the addition of scores and the application of the handicap recorded on the scorecard. The competitor is responsible for ensuring that the correct hole by hole gross scores are recorded on the card and signatures of marker and player.  If a player withdraws from tournament, “WD” should be noted on card, the reason for withdraw, and gross scores recorded for holes played.

 

In Stableford competitions, the Tournament Coordinator is responsible for applying the handicap recorded on the scorecard and determining the result of each hole and the overall result or point’s total. The competitor is responsible for ensuring that correct hole by hole gross scores are recorded on the card and signatures of marker and player.

 

Exception: For OPEN Tee Time events members will receive blank scorecards without names and handicaps. It is the responsibility of the competitor to indicate which tee box they played from.

 

Handicaps

Handicaps are maintained through the HowDidIDo software, rather than the Golf Genius software. It is the player's responsibility to submit cards to their HowDidIDo App for handicap purposes. Players who fail to do so will be given a gross score of Level Par (72) on their handicap record and will not be eligible for future event prizes.

 

Decision on Ties

Match Play Competitions
In the event of a match being all square after 18 holes, extra holes will be played under the same handicap allowances until a hole is won (sudden death). It is expected that all matches will commence on the 1st hole. However if the match is all square and finishes under floodlights players are advised to play extra holes (sudden death) by starting on the 10th. 

 

Stroke-Play & Stableford Competitions
In a competition the winner will be determined on the basis of the best score for the last nine holes of the course. If the tying players have the same score for the last nine, determine the winner on the basis of the last six holes, last three holes and finally the 18th hole.

 

No Show Policy

RGC has a policy to address the incidence of Members registering for Tournament competition and not showing up at their respective registered event or withdrawing from competition for reasons that are unjustified. The policy is designed with the objective of respecting the spirit of competition and the integrity of our tournament results, while also recognising that considerable time and effort are invested in organising these events. The policy also takes into account that cancellations are sometimes necessary due to medical conditions, unexpected work-related issues, or other emergencies that cannot be avoided.  The policy is structured in two parts:  (1) the “No Show” policy, and (2) the “Unjustified Withdrawal” policy.

 

No shows

Any Member who withdraws from an event after the final draw has been published or fails to appear for their scheduled tee time will be subject to the Club’s regular no show policy.

 

As a reminder, Members are allowed three (3) no show incidents within a calendar year. On the fourth incident, the Member will be required to pay the Member Guest rate for the event.

 

Unjustified withdrawals

An Unjustified Withdrawal may occur in cases where the Member withdraws during the competition due to poor play or lack of ambition to play or does not return their scorecard after completion of the competition.

 

If this takes place, the competitor will receive a gross score of Level Par (72) on their handicap record.

 

Leaderboard legend

  • No Show (NS): If a player does not show up for tee time without contacting the Tournament Committee, it will be recorded as a No Show (NS).
  • Withdrawal (WD): If a player withdrawals during the tournament, it will be recorded as a Withdrawal (WD).
  • No Card (NC): If a player begins the tournament, and for any reason fails to turn in a signed scorecard for a completed round, it will be recorded as a No Card (NC). It will also be considered under the Unjustified Withdrawal policy noted above. 
  • Disqualification (DQ): If a player tees it up and commits an R&A Rules infraction during the course of play or unintentionally fails to sign a scorecard it will be recorded as a Disqualification (DQ).

 

Suspension

Should a member fail to comply with any of the conditions of play, he or she will be suspended from future tournaments as follows:

 

First Offense

1 Tournament (Consecutive) Ban from any RGC Competition

Second Offense

2 Tournament (Consecutive) Ban from any RGC Competition

Third Offense

3 Tournament (Consecutive) Ban from any RGC Competition

 

 

RGC reserves the right to determine the nature and severity of any offence committed by a Member, in accordance with the Conditions of Play outlined above.

 

RGC Competitions defined as tournaments scheduled in the RGC members Tournament Calendar.

 

Rule exceptions: Tournament Coordinator and the Golf Team reserve the right to change rules without prior notice however to be as transparent as possible rule changes will be clearly stated in individual rule sheets for each event.