Monday, February 11, 2013

Ask Linda #606-Unsigned card in lighthearted competition


Hi Linda,

I recently came in second in a 14-hole 5 club + putter better ball competition at my club with 39 points, but was beaten by a score of 41 points. However, the winners had not signed their card when it was put into the competition box. When the competition secretary opened the box, there was a note explaining that the marker had put the card in the box before the player could sign it. (The box was locked.) The competition secretary took this to the Board, which declared them to be the winners. Is this correct? I am not being bitter and the winners did play better golf on the day, but I like to keep on top of the rules and I always was under the impression that once the card is put in the competition box, no alteration can be made to it; as it was not signed by the player, they should be disqualified.

Thanks,
Lou from Manchester, England

Dear Lou,

Technically speaking, a player is disqualified if he turns in an unsigned scorecard and leaves the scoring area.

However, I am inclined to side with the Committee decision to declare the team with the score of 41 the winner, for the following reasons:

1. This was a fun tournament that was not a stipulated round (18 holes) and limited the number of golf clubs a player could carry. 14 holes with 6 clubs is not a serious tournament.

2. This was an honest error on the part of the marker, who clearly was aware after he dropped the card in the locked box that the competitor had not yet signed it. He left a note of explanation, and I suspect would have hunted down the competitor for a signature if he had been able to retrieve the card.

3. All the players are members of the same club, which also suggests that this is a fairly lighthearted competition.

4. If this were a truly serious competition, a Committee member would be present collecting the cards and trying to prevent errors such as a missing signature. 

In a standard 18-hole (or 36-hole, 54-hole, etc.) tournament, with a full complement of clubs and perhaps a title at stake, there would be no question that an unsigned scorecard would mean automatic disqualification. In a fun tournament among (presumably) friends, it is not wise to enforce a rule that does not involve an incorrect score and might lead to hard feelings.

Linda
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