2023 GHK Pace of Play Guidelines & Procedures
Rule 5.6b states in part, players must play without delay and in accordance with any pace of play guidelines the Committee may establish and thereafter prescribes penalties for slow play.
TIME PAR
A time par is set for each course – See official scorecard for each individual hole time par.
GROUP OUT OF POSITION
First Group: The first group is out of position if at any time during the round the group is behind the prescribed schedule as detailed on the Notice to Players and/or official scorecard.
Following Groups: A following group is out of position if it is
- taking more than the allotted time to play; and
- more than 14 minutes behind the preceding group
Resuming Play: A group out of position when play is discontinued is out of position when play is resumed.
NOTIFICATION/TIMING
(Statement: “Your group is out of position”)
When a group becomes out of position, all players in the group shall be notified by a designated tournament official they are out of position and subject to timing.
Teeing Area/General Area, the timing of a player’s stroke will begin when he has had reasonable opportunity to reach his ball, it is his turn to play, and he can play without interference or distraction. Time spent determining yardage counts as time taken for the stroke.
On the putting green, timing of a player’s stroke will begin after a player has been allowed a reasonable amount of time to lift, clean, and replace his ball, repair damage on his line of putt, and remove loose impediments and movable obstructions on his line of putt. Time spent looking at the line of putt from beyond the hole and/or behind the ball will count as part of the time taken for the next stroke.
A player is permitted 40 seconds to play a stroke. An extra 10 seconds for a total of 50 seconds will be allowed for the first player to play a stroke from the teeing ground, a second shot on a par-4 or par-5, a third stroke on a par-5, a stroke around the putting green or a stroke on the putting green.
A player who exceeds the applicable time to play a stroke will be informed by the Rules Rover as soon as practicable.
PACE OF PLAY PENALTIES
The following are the penalties, in sequence, for any player in a group being timed who takes more than the allotted time to play a stroke after timing of the player’s stroke beings:
- 1st bad timing | Warning
- 2nd bad timing | 1 stroke penalty
- 3rd bad timing | Additional 1 stroke penalty
- 4th bad timing | Disqualification
Note: If a group being timed regains its proper position, any previous “bad timings” will be carried over for the remainder of that round in the event that group requires additional monitoring.
Any appeal of a pace of play penalty must be referred to the designated Tournament Director of this event immediately upon completion of the round and their decision is final.
RULINGS OR OTHER INCIDENTS
If a ruling or some other legitimate delay occurs which causes the group in question to lose its position, that group is expected to regain its position within a reasonable time.
Pace of Play Success Strategies
The only time an official should talk to the players about their pace is when they become out of position.
- Officials should inform a group they are out of position when they are leaving a teeing ground.
- Officials should notify a group that is behind a slow group if the slow group has significantly picked up the pace. This should be done out of courtesy and not done in a manner that group would interpret as they are in jeopardy of being out of position.
- Officials should never tell players to pick it up or anything similar, this does not work and only irritates the players.
- Officials should never tell a group how many minutes they have to complete a hole unless a player specifically asks for this information.
- When a group is out of position, the official should monitor the group and try to determine what the pace issue is with the group.