PGA of Ontario Pace of Play Policy – Guidelines for Slow Play

 

The PGA of Ontario Pace of Play guidelines, fines, and penalties for slow play are in effect for all PGA of Ontario stroke play events and will be shared with all registrants prior to each event.

 
Time Par

 

The PGA of Ontario Tournament Committee will establish a Time Par for each stroke play event. Each group is required to complete their round within the allocated Time Par.  

 
Completion of Round

 

Completion of a stipulated round will be defined as all competitors within a group being seated at the scoring table immediately post-play.

 
Time Monitoring

 

PGA of Ontario staff will record completion times of each group based on when the full group arrives at the scoring table. During play, each group is responsible for monitoring their own time based on the Time Par provided on each player’s scorecard. The Referee may advise of timing issues as required, to encourage groups to stay within the time that has been allocated for play.  

 

Once an infraction has occurred (i.e. – a group arrives late to the scoring table) there will be a 15-minute grace period added to the Time Par for all subsequent groups.

 
Penalties & Fines

 

First Offense – any player within a group exceeding the stipulated Time Par for the first time will incur a warning.
Second Offense – any player within a group exceeding the stipulated Time Par for the second time will incur a $50 fine and will be allocated tee times at the end of the next tournament draw.  

Third Offense – any player within a group exceeding the stipulated Time Par for the third time will incur a $200 fine and will be allocated tee times at the end of the next tournament draw.

 

 

Details of Penalties & Fines

 

All players within a group which exceeded the stipulated Time Par at an event will be informed via email from pgaotournaments@gmail.com following the event. If there is a fine incurred, it must be reconciled with the PGA of Ontario office before a player can register and/or participate in a future PGA of Ontario event.

 

From the year of a player's first offense, the offense(s) will be associated with the player for two seasons of play.  

 

Example 1 – If a player incurs a pace of play warning offense during a 2024 event, they will carry this warning into the 2025 season. If they are penalized during a 2025 event, this will be considered their second offense, and they will incur a fine. These offenses will be dismissed at the end of the 2025 season, and the player would start the 2026 season without any pace of play offenses.

 

Example 2 – If a player does not incur an offense during the 2024 season, but incurs their first offense at a 2025 event, this offense will be associated with the player for the 2025 and 2026 seasons. This player would start the 2027 season without any pace of play offenses.

 

Appeals

 

Appeals must be submitted via Pace of Play Offense Appeal Form (included in notice of offense email) to pgaotournaments@gmail.com within 24 hours of a player receiving written notice of the infraction. Only appeals submitted following this format will be considered for review.  

 

PGA of Ontario Tournament Committee members will review all appeals utilizing all necessary resources to provide a fair and equitable resolution in a timely manner. Any decision rendered by the Tournament Committee shall be final.

 

If the player in question does not appeal within 24 hours upon notification of the offense, all decisions will stand, and fines will be invoiced if applicable.

 

General

 

Please understand that PGA of Ontario Staff, Tournament Committee members, and event Referees shall not be subject to abuse – verbal or otherwise. Their duty is to enforce the above guidelines, with intent to elevate the overall experience at all PGA of Ontario events. Please be respectful.