RULE 1.2 Standards of Player Conduct

BY ON February Tue, 2020 13:27

RULE 1.2

Standards of Player Conduct

1.2 a        Conduct Expected of All Players

All players are expected to play in the spirit of the game by:

•  Acting with integrity – for example, by following the Rules, applying all penalties, and being honest in all aspects of play.

•  Showing consideration to others – for example, by playing at a prompt pace, looking out for the safety of others, and not distracting the play of another player.

•  Taking good care of the course – for example, by replacing divots, smoothing bunkers, repairing ball-marks, and not causing unnecessary damage to the course.

There is no penalty under the Rules for failing to act in this way, except that the Committee may disqualify a player for acting contrary to the spirit of the game if it finds that the player has committed serious misconduct.

Penalties other than disqualification may be imposed for player misconduct only if those penalties are adopted as part of a Code of Conduct under Rule 1.2b.

Interpretation 1.2a/1

Meaning of Serious Misconduct

The phrase "serious misconduct" in Rule 1.2a is intended to cover player misconduct that is so far removed from the expected norm in golf that the most severe sanction of removing a player from the competition is justified. This includes dishonesty, deliberately interfering with another player's rights, or endangering the safety of others.

The Committee must determine if the misconduct is serious considering all the circumstances. Even if the Committee determines that the misconduct is serious, it may take the view that it is more appropriate to warn the player that a repeat of the misconduct or similar misconduct will result in disqualification, instead of disqualifying him or her in the first instance.

Examples of actions by a player that are likely to be considered serious misconduct include:

•  Deliberately causing serious damage to a putting green.

•  Disagreeing with the course setup and taking it on himself or herself to move tee-markers or boundary stakes.

•  Throwing a club towards another player or spectator.

•  Deliberately distracting other players while they are making strokes.

•  Removing loose impediments or movable obstructions to disadvantage another player after that other player has asked him or her to leave them in place.

•  Repeatedly refusing to lift a ball at rest when it interferes with another player in stroke play.

•  Deliberately playing away from the hole and then towards the hole to assist the player's partner (such as helping the player's partner learn the break on the putting green).

•  Deliberately not playing in accordance with the Rules and potentially gaining a significant advantage by doing so, despite incurring a penalty for a breach of the relevant Rule.

•  Repeatedly using vulgar or offensive language.

•  Using a handicap that has been established for the purpose of providing an unfair advantage or using the round being played to establish such a handicap.

Examples of actions by a player that, although involving misconduct, are unlikely to be considered serious misconduct include:

•  Slamming a club to the ground, damaging the club and causing minor damage to the turf.

•  Throwing a club towards a golf bag that unintentionally hits another person.

•  Carelessly distracting another player making a stroke.

1.2 b        Code of Conduct

The Committee may set its own standards of player conduct in a Code of Conduct adopted as a Local Rule.

•  The Code may include penalties for breach of its standards, such as a one-stroke penalty or the general penalty.

•  The Committee may also disqualify a player for serious misconduct in failing to meet the Code’s standards.

See Committee Procedures, Section 5H (explaining the standards of player conduct that may be adopted).