The Rules of the Game - TOURNAMENT PROCEDURES (Scoring)

Many of us may never play in a tournament. With that in mind, this post will only cover Scoring but the Appeals and Special Conditions sections can be found on the Tournament Procedures section of the PDGA website.

The scoring section has information that's worth knowing and so is included here.

805.02 SCORING

Last updated: Wednesday, December 26, 2012 - 13:26.

A. The player listed first on the scorecard(s) bears primary responsibility for picking up the group's scorecard(s).

B. Players in the group shall rotate the scorekeeping task proportionally, unless a player or a scorekeeper volunteers to keep score more and that is acceptable to all members of the group.

C. After each hole is completed, the scorekeeper shall call out each player's name. The called player shall answer with the score in a manner that is clear to all players of the group and the scorekeeper. The scorekeeper shall record that score and read it back, in a manner that is clear to all players of the group. If there is any disagreement about the score a player reports, the group must review the hole and attempt to arrive at the correct score. If the group cannot reach consensus on the player's score, they shall consult 805.01.

D. The scorekeeper shall record the score for each player on each hole as the total number of throws, including penalty throws. The total score for the round shall also be recorded as the sum of all hole scores, plus any additional penalty throws. The use of anything other than a number (including the lack of a score) represents an incorrect hole or total score and is subject to penalty as described below.

E. Warnings and penalty throws given to a player for rules infractions shall be noted on the scorecard.

F. At the end of the round, each player shall sign the scorecard to attest to the accuracy of the score on each hole as well as the total score. If all players of the group agree that a hole score was recorded in error, the score may be changed prior to the scorecard being turned in. Players whose scorecards are turned in unsigned accept responsibility for the scores recorded.

G. All players are responsible for returning their scorecards within 30 minutes of the completion of a round. The round has been officially completed for all competitors when the last group on the course has completed their final hole and has had, in the Director's opinion, reasonable time to travel from their final hole to tournament headquarters. Failure to turn in the scorecard on time shall result in the assessment of two penalty throws, without a warning, to each player listed on the late scorecard.

H. After the scorecard is turned in, the total score as recorded shall stand with no appeal, except for the following circumstances:

1. Penalty throws may be assessed at whatever time the infraction is discovered until the Director declares the tournament officially over or all awards have been distributed.
2. If it is determined that the total score was incorrectly recorded, either by an error on a hole score or by an error in totaling the hole scores, including omission of the total score, the director shall add two penalty throws to the correct total score. These penalty throws are not added when the Director corrects a player's score for other infractions determined after the player had turned in an otherwise correct scorecard.