Oregon Golf Association

2840 Hazelnut Drive

Woodburn, OR 97071

Tel: 503.981.4653

Fax: 503.981.7599
www.oga.org

 

 

 

 

 

OGA Rules of Golf Six Week Course

 

Dates: February 13 – March 21

 

Location: Held Virtually

 

Instructors: Brent Whittaker, OGA and Nate Schroeder WA Golf

 

Description: The Rules of Golf Six Week Course (Course) is designed for those individuals who are looking to learn the Rules of Golf in depth and prepare to take the USGA 80 Question Rules Exam. The Course will be broken up into twelve 2-hour sessions over a 6-week period. Each session will be held on Tuesday and Thursday evening from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm beginning on January 31st. These sessions will be held virtually via Webinar.

 

Attending Via Webinar: Before each session, every attendee will receive an email link to the webinar. The webinar will be recorded so that attendees may view or review at their leisure. Those viewing the webinar live will have the ability ask questions during the sessions. Please note that questions will be handled differently when viewing a recorded webinar and may not be answered quickly.

 

Weekly Office Hours: Attendees will be grouped into cohorts and in addition to the Rules Sessions can attend office hours. Each cohort will have a Rules Expert assigned to them. The Rules Expert will help the attendees by providing answers to the sample Rules Questions given during each session and providing additional Rules learning.

 

Optional Testing: Dates of testing are still to be determined. You may only take the USGA 80 question exam once during 2023. Those that take the exam will be allowed up to three and a half hours to complete.

Exams are not graded on site. Instead, they will be graded by the USGA and exam scores will be sent to the attendee via email once their test has been graded. Grading may take up to 8 days.

The exam consists of 80 questions each with four multiple choice answers that will test the fundamental understanding of the Rules of Golf, definitions and interpretations. Part I (questions 1-40) is closed book, no reference material may be used. Part II (questions 41-80) is open book and open notes, however the use of electronic reference materials (including but limited to personal computers, smart phones, ipads and the like) are not allowed. 

 

  • Certification:  A score of 70 or higher on the exam will achieve an “Advanced” Rules certification from the USGA.  This will also make one eligible to begin officiating with the OGA or WA Golf. Please note that Rules certification is just one of the considerations the OGA and WA Golf uses to determine who is eligible to officiate within either association. Also, a score of less than 70 may still allow an individual to volunteer with the OGA within a limited Rules capacity. However, an acceptable score on the OGA created and administered exam must be completed to show enough Rules knowledge before being able to officiate.

Additionally, many other industry partners may also recognize this as a pathway to officiate with them as well. Please, contact the specific organization for information on their standards.

 

Study Materials: Each attendee will receive in the mail the following:

  • The Rules of Golf, effective January 2023 – This is the full Rules of Golf, the primary Rules resource for officials. It contains all the playing Rules and full definitions of terms used throughout the Rules. It includes numerous explanatory images and diagrams.
  • The Official Guide to the Rules of Golf, effective January 2023 – This is a resource that contains information to support committees and officials that supplements the Rules of Golf. It includes: 1) the Rules of Golf, 2) interpretations that provide guidance in the understanding of terminology and the application of Rules, 3) Committee and administrative procedures, 4) a library of model Local Rules, 5) information on establishing the terms of the competition, and 6) the Modified Rules of Golf for Players with Disabilities.

 

Additional Study Materials:

  • Resources on the USGA website (http://www.usga.org/content/usga/home-page/rules-hub/rules-modernization.html) – The USGA website has an array of videos, infographics, papers, charts, answers to FAQs and quizzes on the 2019 Rules of Golf.
  • Resources on the OGA website (https://www.oga.org/rules) – A great feature to the OGA Rules website is the Rule of the Month. Each month the Oregon Golf Association and Senior Rules Officials - Pete Scholz and Terry McEvilly - test your knowledge on certain scenarios that golfers encounter at every level of the sport.
  • GeneralArea.org – a website created by Rules expert Dr. Lewis Blakey. It contains essays on a variety of Rules topics, study aids, Rules quizzes and more. It is available at http://generalarea.org/.

 

Course Syllabus:

  • Session #1 - Tuesday, February 13, 5:30pm – 7:30pm:
    • Introductions
    • Rule 1 – The Game, Player Conduct and the Rules
  • Session #2 – Thursday, February 15, 5:30pm – 7:30pm:
    • Rule 2 – The Course
    • Rule 8 – Course Played as It is Found
    • Definitions – Parts of the Course
    • Definitions – People
  • Session #3 – Tuesday, February 20, 5:30pm – 7:30pm:
    • Rule 3 – The Competition
    • Rule 4 – The Players Equipment
  • Session #4 – Thursday, February 21, 5:30pm – 7:30pm: 
    • Rule 5 – Playing the Round
    • Rule 6 – Playing a Hole
    • Definitions – Status of the Ball
  • Session #5 – Tuesday, February 26, 5:30pm – 7:30pm:
    • Rule 14 – Procedures for Ball: Marking, Lifting and Cleaning; Replacing on Spot: Dropping in Relief Area: Playing from Wrong Place
  • Session #6 – Thursday, February 28, 5:30pm – 7:30pm:
    • Rule 7 – Ball Search: Finding and Identifying Ball
    • Rule 9 – Ball Played as it Lies; Ball at Rest Lifted or Moved
  • Session #7 – Tuesday, March 5, 5:30pm – 7:30pm:
    • Rule 10 – Preparing for and Making a Stroke; Advice and Help: Caddies
    • Rule 11 – Ball in Motion Accidently Hits Person, Animal or Object; Deliberate actions to Affect Ball in Motion
  •  Session #8 – Thursday, March 7, 5:30pm – 7:30pm:
    • Rule 12 – Bunkers
    • Rule 13 – Putting Greens
  • Session #9 – Tuesday, March 12, 5:30pm – 7:30pm:
    • Rule 15 – Relief from Loose Impediments and Movable Obstructions (including Ball or Ball-Marker Helping or Interfering with Play)
    • Rule 16 – Relief from Abnormal Ground Conditions (including Immovable Obstructions), Dangerous Animal Condition, Embedded Ball
  • Session #10 – Thursday, March 15, 5:30pm – 7:30pm:
    • Rule 17 – Penalty Areas
    • Rule 18 – Stroke-and-Distance Relief; Ball Lost or Out of Bounds
    • Rule 19 – Unplayable Ball
  • Session #11 – Tuesday, March 19, 5:30pm – 7:30pm:
    • Other forms of Play – Rule 21, 22, 23 and 24
  • Session #12 – Thursday, March 21, 5:30pm – 7:30pm:
    • Rule 20 – Resolving Issues During a Round; Rulings by Referee and Committee
    • Rule 25 – Modifications for Players with Disabilities

Optional USGA 80 Question Exam: Additional Information will be provided at a later time.