Many players learn the Rules the hard way during a competition, and few lessons are more effective than the one Rule 6-3 teaches on the first tee. This rule is one of the easiest to determine a violation of, but one of the most difficult to enforce without hearing a myriad of excuses and pleas.
Rule 6-3 of the Rules of Golf deals with Time of Starting and states, “The player must start at the time established by the Committee.” This means that a player must be on the starting tee with a club and ball in hand ready to play at his group’s starting time. The penalty for breach of this rule is disqualification. However, the committee can use the Note at the end of Rule 6-3 that allows the player to start within five minutes after his starting time, but the player will receive a two-stroke penalty. I like to think of this as a “grace period”. But if the player shows up after this five minute “grace period”, he is disqualified. Both the USGA and CGA use this note for every event.
Here’s an example: A player’s starting time is at 8:00 and he is the third player in the group to tee off. He is not present at 8:00, but shows up at 8:01 in time to start without delaying the group. Decision 6-3a/2 dictates that the player is to be disqualified, or penalized two strokes and allowed to play if the committee had the Note in effect that allows for a five minute “grace period”. The fact he was there in time to begin without delaying his group is irrelevant because all players must be present and ready to play at the group’s starting time (8:00).
Sometimes the starting times can be delayed by unforeseen occurrences, and the late play could benefit from this. In one of the U.S. Open local qualifiers in Colorado this year, we had a player show up to the 10th Tee, the hole he was to begin, at 9:05 and his starting time was 9:03. The group in front had lots of trouble, thus delaying the following starting time. Because his group could not start at their scheduled time and he arrived before they could play, he got lucky and was not penalized.
In another U.S. Open local qualifier this year, a player believed that his starting time was 9:45 when it was actually 9:20. Just like the last example, the starting times were still delayed because of trouble with the groups in front, but not enough to save him. He showed up to the tee at 9:40, ten minutes after his group had already started and five minutes after the five minute “grace period” that would have allowed him to play with a two stroke penalty. He was obviously angry, but he was even more upset because he had been at the course for over an hour. What he should have done was check with the Starter or golf shop to confirm what his starting time actually was.
If there is any question as to the current starting time, just ask the Starter what the actual time is and what starting time is currently on the tee. He will have no problem telling you, as the last thing a Starter wants to do is penalize a player. At all CGA events we ask that each player be present at the tee 10 minutes prior to their starting time. We do this because the Starter has important information he needs to discern to every competitor before play starts, and it reduces the risk of the players being penalized for being late to the tee. Remember, officials are always available to help players, not just penalize them. So be on time, or you might not get to much tournament time.
