At the recent meeting of the ASGA Board on Thursday, a new rule was passed that was meant to speed up play and to prevent a slow group from creating a back up of other groups. Additionally, another change in one regulation was also made to ensure consistency in the implementation of a rule.
The new rule reads: Players MUST allow faster players to play thru if the group is more than one hole behind for more than two consecutive holes. Courtesy passes are encouraged before enforcement becomes necessary.
According to Tournament Chair, Sam Jenkins, this rule is an attempt by the board to prevent one or two groups from slowing the tournament flow as has happened at tournament events in the past and that have caused problems for the course and its other clientele. Groups should be aware of the rule and keep pace with groups in front with a eye toward voluntarily allowing other groups to pass if they have fallen behind the tournament pace as stated in the new rule.
A minor change was also made in the disqualification rule in which the word "must" was substituted for the word "should" so that there would be no ambiguity as to how to rule. The change was made to the following rule: F. Scoring: You must exchange cards with opponent. You may not keep your own score. To assure accuracy, the card SHOULD be signed by the scorer and attested by the player. The word "must" is to be used instead of the "should" highlighted above.
