Scorecard Issue

[boogielicious]

I am in a golf league where we are required to keep a group score on one card to turn in after a round.  We cannot keep our own card by league rule.  The last round, the person who recorded the scores did not turn it in until the next day.   The league subsequently disqualified the rounds of everyone on the card.

I've reviewed rule 6-6 and decisions 6-6-b/4 and 6-6b/6.  6-6b/6 seems to apply.

6-6b/6  Marker Disappears with Competitor's Score Card

Q. In a stroke-play event, competitors were instructed to return their score cards at the scoreboard. Unbeknownst to a competitor, his marker leaves the course hastily at the end of the round and does not report to the scoreboard. He takes the competitor's score card with him. What should the Committee do?

A. The Committee should make every effort to reach the marker. If unsuccessful, the Committee should accept certification of the score by someone else who witnessed the round, perhaps the marker's caddie or the competitor's caddie. If no one other than the marker witnessed the round, the score should be accepted without attestation by a marker.

The person who had the card left because of weather, heavy rain, lightning etc.  The other competitor and I did not stay because we had completed our round and did not have to turn in the card.  I can't see how it is fair that I and the other competitors lose our scores in this situation.  The card was returned the next morning.  In addition, the person who had the card played poorly and the other two, myself included, played well and scored a lot of points.

What would prevent a competitor who is playing poorly from doing this against another competitor?  Doesn't seem correct to me.

Thanks for you help.

[carpediem4300]

i would take a copy of the rules to the club secretary and complain, i dont know the rules in this situation but what you have explained does marry up with the rule you have quoted

[Fourputt]

If I was you, I would still keep my own score on a separate card.  I always do this for my Men's Club competitions, even though I can't turn that card in.  That way I still have a record of my scores which I can use to match against the official card.  And my club has accepted such an unofficial card in a case where the player's marker lost the official card.  If your league is so stiff-necked that they would punish you for acts beyond your control without offering any opportunity to contest their decision, then I'd find another league to play in.

[sean_miller]

Originally Posted by Fourputt

If I was you, I would still keep my own score on a separate card.  I always do this for my Men's Club competitions, even though I can't turn that card in.  That way I still have a record of my scores which I can use to match against the official card.  And my club has accepted such an unofficial card in a case where the player's marker lost the official card.  If your league is so stiff-necked that they would punish you for acts beyond your control without offering any opportunity to contest their decision, then I'd find another league to play in.

100% agreement on all counts. Keeping my own card last week turned a loss into a half.

[boogielicious]

I do keep my own score.  I just didn't turn it in because the group card is usually turned in.

Am I correct on my interpretation of the rule though?

[Clambake]

I'd like to give the Boogielicious kudos for doing the research before posting a rules question here.    It seems all too often someone has a rules question and tosses it out to the forum without spending any time actually looking for the answer themselves first.     Nicely done to look into the rules first, figure out if it applies to your situation, and then simply looking to others here to see if they confirm your reading of the ruling!

[Fourputt]

Originally Posted by boogielicious

I do keep my own score.  I just didn't turn it in because the group card is usually turned in.

Am I correct on my interpretation of the rule though?

The only thing I can add is that there is a time frame involved here too.  You left the course without ensuring that the marker had finished his job by returning the card.  I'm thinking that it would NOT be proper for the committee to change the results a day later when he finally got around to it.  I would never consider leaving the course after a competition until I know that my card has been verified, returned and posted.  I don't see weather as any excuse for not going to the clubhouse and just seeing what's happening.

One other decision that may be pertinent on some future date:

6-6a/7 Different Score Card Returned

Q. At the end of a round in stroke play, a competitor returns to the Committee a score card different from the one issued by the Committee at the start of the round (e.g., because the original score card was lost or illegible due to wet weather). The new score card contained the competitor's name and scores and was signed by both him and his marker. Should the score card be accepted?

A. Yes.

Your league's policy of not accepting such cards is apparently improper as it is an unauthorized modification of the Rules.  In your case it's a moot point, since you didn't have the marker's signature on the card you kept, and you didn't make any effort yourself to return that score on a timely basis.

I'm thinking that in this case. the committee had no choice but to disqualify your entire group because they had to be under the impression that none of you had returned a score for the round.  Having your card returned the next day was simply too tardy to change that, as the competition had closed and I'm assuming that the results had been posted.  I would use due diligence from now on to be certain that the marker finishes his job and properly returns the scorecard.  Possibly volunteer to keep the group score yourself?