- Joined
- Sep 3, 2013
- Messages
- 161
I've long felt there seems to be a hole in the competition manual; at no point does it say that a tournament official has to be present for a play-off, does it? Without which, how would one player ever call a penalty such as a foot fault on another player?
It seems like common sense they would attend, but... I've been in 3 play-offs in my tournament career, and in none of those tournaments did a tournament official accompany us, just spectators (all were MA1 and 5+ years back when everyone at the tournies knew each other). Fortunately, it was never an issue, but it is an odd feeling when it's just 2 of you on the "card" and so much tension. It's once you're out there on the first hole that you think "hrm, maybe there should be someone else here just in case" but you always hope the spectators will keep people honest.
I actually did have an incident once though that epitomized this issue during a for-fun 3 disc challenge event. I am MPO now and I wound up in a play-off with an Am player I didn't really know. It was only the 2 of us present with a few people watching from behind the first tee. I went OB on my drive and I think he assumed I'd take a 4 and didn't throw a great shot, wound up laying up for the 3. I sank my putt from about 60 to push the hole, and after taking about 15+ seconds to mark my lie and line up the putt. After I sank it, the Am says I putted from the wrong spot, I needed to be further away. I told him he needed to bring that up when I marked my lie, before I made the putt, and he just sort of took his discs and walked away. I laughed it off (the prize here was like, 1 additional disc) and went back, but when the event organizer asked what happened I said "I guess he forfeits, he just quit" but the guy was telling them he won. Long story short I was eventually guilted into "letting the Am have it" but I really didn't like it, on principle... I was already planning to give the disc away in front of him if I got it. Anyway... it opened my eyes to the fact that as disc golf grows, and there's less social accountability between players, the fine details of rules enforcement might be more important to refine.
It seems like common sense they would attend, but... I've been in 3 play-offs in my tournament career, and in none of those tournaments did a tournament official accompany us, just spectators (all were MA1 and 5+ years back when everyone at the tournies knew each other). Fortunately, it was never an issue, but it is an odd feeling when it's just 2 of you on the "card" and so much tension. It's once you're out there on the first hole that you think "hrm, maybe there should be someone else here just in case" but you always hope the spectators will keep people honest.
I actually did have an incident once though that epitomized this issue during a for-fun 3 disc challenge event. I am MPO now and I wound up in a play-off with an Am player I didn't really know. It was only the 2 of us present with a few people watching from behind the first tee. I went OB on my drive and I think he assumed I'd take a 4 and didn't throw a great shot, wound up laying up for the 3. I sank my putt from about 60 to push the hole, and after taking about 15+ seconds to mark my lie and line up the putt. After I sank it, the Am says I putted from the wrong spot, I needed to be further away. I told him he needed to bring that up when I marked my lie, before I made the putt, and he just sort of took his discs and walked away. I laughed it off (the prize here was like, 1 additional disc) and went back, but when the event organizer asked what happened I said "I guess he forfeits, he just quit" but the guy was telling them he won. Long story short I was eventually guilted into "letting the Am have it" but I really didn't like it, on principle... I was already planning to give the disc away in front of him if I got it. Anyway... it opened my eyes to the fact that as disc golf grows, and there's less social accountability between players, the fine details of rules enforcement might be more important to refine.