Pace of Play Policy Sportsmanship and Conduct Committee (SACC)

MISSION STATEMENT

Golfers are to be considerate and respectful of ALL golfers, staff, and the Course when playing that day.

GOALS AND GUIDELINES

  1. Players will notify officials as soon as possible when NOT able to play.
  2. Players will check in and pay all fees at least 15 to 20 minutes prior to their scheduled tee time.
  3. Players will arrive on the 1st tee 5 minutes prior to their tee time WITHOUT BEING ANNOUNCED.
  4. Players will address concerns appropriately to Board Members and NOT during Pro Shop check-in.
  5. Players will be mindful/aware of their Position on the golf course AT ALL TIMES during play.

PACE OF PLAY (POP) PRIORITY AND DESCRIPTION

The following is the attempt for the Balboa Mens Club and Balboa Golf Course to formalize the approach to fully adopt Pace of Play (POP) and it's primary element, Ready Golf, which has been discussed for years. The intention of POP is to maximize the enjoyment of the game whether your starting time is at 7:00 AM or any other time. Failure to demonstrate proper POP is likely to jeopardize the Men's Club ability to continue to offer tournaments as well as retaining the preferred early morning tee times we have enjoyed for our Wednesday and weekend Events. This requires everyone's cooperation.

BPMGC Pace of Play Policy

  1. Each group is required to finish their round no more than 15 minutes behind the group ahead of them.
  2. Early Tee Times (7:00-8:00) should complete their round within a maximum of 4 hours, Middle Tee Times (8:00-9:30) should complete their rounds within 4 hours 15 minutes, and Late Tee Times (9:30 or later) should complete their rounds within 4 hours 30 minutes.

PACE OF PLAY PENALTIES:

These penalties for non-compliance will be recorded and maintained for the offenders for six months from the date of of occurrence

  • First Offense: Two Stroke penalty to each player in the Foursome for the Event in which it was incurred.
  • Second Offense: If incurred within the six month window from a player's first occurrence, a Two-Stroke Penalty for the Foursome, and a second 2-stroke penalty for any repeat offender.
  • Third Offense: If incurred within the six month window from a player's first occurrence, a 4 stroke penalty in the event and Suspension of Tournament Play for Two Months.
  • Fourth Offense: Possible Termination of Membership
  • Monitoring for POP will be the Results Reporting through the Golf Genius application. This allows a 'timestamp" to be established so the Club can account for each group's start and finish time. Paper score cards are currently kept to compare and correct scores of each player.
  • After 9 holes, compare your Golf Genius figures with your paper scorecard to reduce the time at the end of the round needed for comparison. DO NOT allow this to create a gap between you and the group ahead of you.
  • As soon as a group completes Hole #18, the scores should be input into Golf Genius and submitted online. This will establish the group's finish time for purposes of Pace of Play.
  • Any attempts to enter scores for Hole #18 PRIOR to completing the hole will be considered a Conduct Violation and will result in a disqualification for the event, a possible fine and suspension of playing privileges.
  • If you have an unexpected problem entering your scores, such as a phone connection problem or Golf Genius malfunction, it is your responsibility to inform the Tournament Chairman as soon as possible.

BPMGC anticipates the return of Marshals on the course during play. These individuals will assist in making efforts to maintain POP. They will also provide valuable feedback on groups that are slowing POP or hesitating to follow the protocol during their round. Another aspect of this policy takes into account the "condition" of the course, and Men's Club Board of Directors may, in its discretion, adjust the gap standard, if warranted. An example could be a delay of actual tee off time. These may impact the time needed to complete the round and the actual gap calculation. However, the assumption while playing remains at the 15 minute mark between groups.

APPEALS PROCESS

Once an individual or foursome receives a written notice for Pace of Play penalty, they have the right to appeal the ruling. They are given 3 days to submit an appeal. If they do NOT respond within this time period, the penalty will stand. When an appeal is received by the Sportsmanship Committee (SACC), it will have seven days to review the appeal and respond back to the individual or foursome. If the appeal is accepted by the Committee, the penalty will be removed. If the appeal is rejected, the penalty will stand.

READY GOLF POLICY

"Ready Golf" means thinking ahead so that you are ready to play when it is your turn. It means being ready to play, NOT playing when you're ready. "Ready Golf" applies everywhere - on tees, fairways, and on the greens.

  • Teeing Off: The player with the honors should be ready to hit first. If the players with the honors is NOT ready, then someone else should hit first.
  • On the Fairway: "Ready Golf" means all golfers should go to their balls as soon as possible and get ready to play their shots. While waiting to hit, players should survey their shot, select their club, and stand at their ball ready to go when it is their turn. HINT: walk down the side of the fairway to reach your ball and determine your club selection while waiting. When someone else's ball is lost, hit your shot first and then help look for the lost ball.
  • On the Green: "Ready Golf" means getting ready to putt before it is your turn. Players should line up their putts while others are putting, so they are ready to putt when it's their turn. "Ready Golf" also means putting continuously if the ball is not in someone else's line AND if the player does not have to spend a lot of time surveying the putt. For Example: If you miss a putt by one or two feet then you should make the putt instead of marking the ball and waiting for another turn (unless you will be standing in someone else's line - then mark your ball and wait your turn). Farthest from the Hole: There is no reason "Ready Golfers" can't play in the order of who is farthest from the hole. The person farthest from the hole should be ready to play first. When someone hits a shot, but is still farthest from the hole, the next player should hit to keep continuous play.

HINTS TO IMPROVING PACE OF PLAY

It is the responsibility of every player in a group to practice, and encourage, "Ready Golf", and to be aware of their group's position on the course.

  • If you are teeing off on a Par 3 hole and the group in front of you has already hit their tee shots on the next hole, you are Out-of-Position and need to pick up your pace.
  • If you are teeing off on a Par 4 and the group in front of you has already cleared the green, it is your responsibility to pick up your pace.
  • If you are teeing off on a Par 5 and the group in front of you has reached the green, you need to pick up the pace.
  • Be at the #1 tee box at least 5 minutes before your actual tee time.
  • Play "Ready Golf" on the tee box, in the fairway, and on the green of every hole throughout the round.
  • In the fairway, before reaching the green, move quickly to your ball and think about what club to use before reaching your ball.
  • If you are playing a hole that is designated as "Cart Path Only", estimate your yardage to the green from your cart and take two or three clubs to your ball. This will allow you to address over or under estimation.
  • If your ball leaves the playing area and you decide to search for it, know you have three minutes to search for your ball. After that time you must play your next shot to keep pace.
  • If you just hit a well struck drive, and once you reach your ball, you conclude you still can't reach the group ahead of you, it is assumed you would be safe to hit your second (subsequent/next) shot without interfering with the group ahead of you.
  • If you are sharing a cart with another player, drop him at his ball, then head to your ball and be ready to hit when it's your turn.
  • Once you reach the green, immediately start thinking about your putt. Don't wait until it's your turn to figure it out.
  • On the green, putt out if you don't interfere or obstruct another player's line. When you finish, head to the next tee. Don't wait until all players have putted out. Hit your tee shot when it is clear in front of you to do so, and when you have an additional player to watch your shot.
  • Don't hesitate to inform others in your group if your group is lagging behind. Advise the group that you are obligated to pick up the pace to keep up with the group ahead of you. Remind them that penalties will be assessed if the gap is 16 minutes or more.
  • If you, or any member of your group, feel a member of your group is not cooperating with Pace of Play efforts, try to talk with them and encourage their participation first. Remind them of the penalties for not keeping pace. If this does not help, then you should inform the Tournament Chairman, or a Board Member, as soon as possible.
  • Even if your Pace of Play is good, if you are behind the group ahead of you, you should still make every effort to catch up and eliminate any gap in play.
  • he Marshals are on the course to assist with Pace of Play. Any verbal or other abuse directed at the Marshals will not be tolerated, and may result in penalties. The Marshals are just doing their job and trying to assist in maintaining good Pace of Play.
DO NOT expect the following excuses for not following the Pace of Play guidelines to be accepted...
  • "The group in front of us are much better players and we are high handicappers. We can't be expected to keep up with them."
  • "We were walking and all players in the group ahead of us were riding in carts." (Ready Golf is all the more important.)
  • "The group ahead of us was a threesome, and we were a foursome." (On most occasions, that 3-some is likely following a 4-some so it should have no impact.)
  • "We looked for a lot of balls."
  • "We didn't hold up the group behind us."
  • "We were keeping up fine until the last few holes, and the group ahead of us just took off."