During an event, the committee may suspend play due to a number of reasons including darkness, fog, instances when the course has become unplayable, and the most dangerous situation of all – lightning! With Colorado ranking second in the country (Florida is #1) during the summer months for lightning strikes it is inevitable that play will be suspended at some point when you are competing on the golf course.
Rule 6-8b of The Rules of Golf covers when play has been suspended by the committee. This Rule states that if play has been suspended by the committee the player has the option of finishing the hole he is playing or discontinuing immediately. However, this Rule also has a note which allows for committees include in the “˜conditions of competition’ that if play is suspended for a dangerous situation (i.e. Lightning) all players must discontinue play immediately. When this note has been added to the conditions of the competition players may not take any further action after the suspension has been signaled, if a player makes a subsequent stroke he is disqualified.
There have been numerous instances where players confuse a regular discontinuance with a suspension for a dangerous situation and make another stroke thinking they have the option to complete play of the hole. Is it fair to DQ a player in this situation? My answer is an overwhelming yes! It is the player’s responsibility to know the Rules of Golf and know the “˜conditions of competition’ of the event in which they are playing.
For a golf administrator or golf professional in charge of the competition, the highest moments of stress come in the afternoon and evening hours when the heat of the day begins to trigger those all to familiar thunderstorms at which point it becomes the committee’s responsibility to ensure the safety of all players, caddies, and spectators on the course. Many of us use a series of resources which are available including radars, lightning detectors, and weather services to determine the proximity of danger. Because there is a great responsibility that comes with the decision to suspend for lightning, in most cases it will only be made because there is an eminent threat placing everyone at risk and making every moment count. If a player makes a stroke after suspension of play has been signaled, regardless of its length, he has ignored the conditions of the competition as well as put himself and others around him in danger making the penalty of disqualification more than justifiable.
There are no hard and fast guidelines in the Rules of Golf on how a suspension should be signaled, however in the USGA publication “How to Conduct a Competition” it is recommended that committees use the following:
“¢ One prolonged blast of an air horn (or similar signal) for a discontinuance of play for a dangerous situation
“¢ Three short blasts for any other suspension which could include darkness, fog, or if the course has become unplayable from situations such as rain or wind
“¢ Resumption of play should be signaled by two short blasts of an air horn.
With all of the different reasons for suspensions it can be confusing for a player to know when he can continue to finish out the hole and when he must stop immediately. A good rule of thumb is to stop immediately (for which there is never a penalty) especially if it is apparent it is weather related. In Colorado, that almost always means lightning, and if you continue to play after the horn sounds the shock of being DQ’d is nothing compared to the other shock you are at risk of getting!
