If you’ve been playing golf in Canada recently and entering your scores into the Golf Canada Handicap System, chances are those scores have not been counting towards your Golf Canada Handicap Factor.

In Canada, each province has an “active season” (listed below), during which period one must register all golf scores to establish a legitimate Golf Canada Handicap Factor.

Any rounds played at a golf club observing an inactive season can be posted, however, they will not count towards your handicap factor.

Golf Canada’s Handicap Manual stipulates each player is responsible for returning all acceptable scores into one’s scoring record from rounds played on courses observing their active season, which is when optimal playing conditions exist.

Each year, provincial associations analyze numerous factors to determine the parameters of their active seasons. This ensures the consistency of scores posted by the majority of golfers to help keep factors accurate and fair.

The rationale behind this is that posting scores during inactive seasons (periods of poor course conditions) could artificially impact a player’s handicap factor. Knowingly using a false handicap factor is not acceptable, and when a handicap is artificially inflated it is referred to in golf as ‘sandbagging’.

For golf fanatics trying to squeeze in the last few rounds of the season, or for those planning on heading south this winter, it’s important to note the “active season” in the region, province or country you’re playing in.

In Canada, the active season in each province is as follows:

• BC = Mar. 1 – Nov. 15
• AB = Mar. 1 – Oct. 31
• SK = Apr. 15 – Oct. 31
• MB = Apr. 15 – Oct. 31
• ON = Apr. 15 – Oct. 31
• QC = Apr. 15 – Oct. 31
• NS = Apr. 15 – Oct. 31
• NB = May. 1 – Oct. 31
• PE = Apr. 16 – Nov. 14
• NL = Apr. 1 – Nov. 30

Ultimately, it is the responsibility of authorized provincial golf association to declare active and inactive periods, and it is the responsibility of the area club and golfers to observe these dates for posting purposes.

Scores made at a golf course in an area observing an active season must be posted for handicap purposes, even if the golf club from which the player receives a Handicap Factor is observing an inactive season. This means that if you play some golf in the southern US this winter, you must report your scores to your Canadian golf club.

The club’s Handicap Committee must make it possible for a player to post these away scores at the beginning of the active season. Golf Canada assists here with access to post scores through this site – golfcanada.ca – or by downloading our score posting app which can be downloaded here.

It’s also important to note that if you are travelling to other countries, you should determine their active seasons to prevent posting unacceptable scores. Your home club needs all acceptable scores to ensure your Handicap Factor is accurate once recalculated at the beginning of the season.

For a detailed list of active and inactive schedule in the United States, click here.

For more information on handicapping, click here.

One of the hot topics in golf at the moment is pace of play.

Pace of play is affected by many factors, including player ability and behaviour, management practices and course difficulty and set-up. Many commentators argue that golf nowadays takes too long, that slow round times are driving people away from the game and that something needs to be done. Conversely, others would say that golf is not a race, that not everyone wants to play in a hurry and that some courses are just not capable of being played in under four hours.

The R&A is interested to hear the views from golfers around the world on this issue and has compiled a survey with this in mind.

Please take a few moments to fill out their survey by clicking here.

Despite cooler than seasonal temperatures last week, the Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur was contested at the Barrie Country Club in Barrie, Ontario, which featured some fantastic golf from the Mid-Amateur (25+) contingent. Barrie Country Club is no stranger to hosting championship golf, having previously hosted the PGA of Ontario Championship a record ten consecutive times (2003-2012), as well as the Ontario Open (1975), Ontario Women’s Amateur (1976, 1989) and the Ontario Men’s Amateur (1985).

Having had the opportunity to conduct the championship as Tournament Director, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the tireless efforts of the Barrie Country Club, it’s host organizing committee, staff and volunteers. The championship was first-class and a very successful conclusion to the season as we crowned our final national amateur champion of the year, Garrett Rank.

As successful as the championship was, the classic layout at Barrie Country Club tested competitors each and every round, placing a premium on shot making. Further, competitors were met with a unique pair of immovable obstructions in the greenside bunkers on the difficult par-5, sixth hole. In the photo below, you’ll see a set of stairs in each of the greenside bunkers, the only ones found on the golf course.

From clarification provided in Decision 24/12, the wooden steps are obstructions, and while they are not deemed to be in the bunker, relief is available from the steps whether or not the ball lies in the bunker. However, there is an additional relief option provided in circumstances where a player has interference and wishes to take relief from an immovable obstruction for a ball that lies within the bunker.

It is important to note that a player is entitled to relief from an immovable obstruction, when interference exists. Interference by an immovable obstruction occurs when a ball lies in or on the obstruction, or when the obstruction interferes with the player’s stance or the area of his intended swing.

For a player to take relief in this situation, where the ball lies in the bunker and interference exists, they must follow the procedure as outlined in rule 24-2b(ii), which provides the following:

In a Bunker: If the ball is in a bunker, the player must lift the ball and drop it either:

(a)  Without penalty (by lifting and dropping, within one club-length of and not nearer the hole than the nearest point of relief), except that the nearest point of relief must be in the bunker and the ball must be dropped in the bunker; or

(b)  Under penalty of one stroke, outside the bunker keeping the point where the ball lay directly between the hole and the spot on which the ball is dropped, with no limit to how far behind the bunker the ball may be dropped.

The interference produced by the wooden steps provides the player with two options when the ball lies in the bunker, granting the player – at the cost of a one-stroke penalty – to relief outside of the bunker. It is important to note that it is the position of the ball that ultimately determines the manner in which the player may take relief from interference by an immovable obstruction.

While there is a unique relief procedure within a bunker, there is also special consideration for relief procedures through the green, on the putting green and on the teeing ground, each of which can be found under rule 24-2 of the rules of golf. Next time you step into a ruling, be sure to consider all of your relief options, depending on where the ball lies.

For more information on the rules of golf, please click here.

For more information on how to proceed in various rules of golf situations, guidance on the Golf Canada Handicap System and more, please consult our rules of golf publications – for purchase in Golf Canada’s eStore, or at your local book retailer.

As the golf season wanes, our days become shorter and a little bit cooler, there is no lack of excitement in competitive golf.

On the amateur side, Canada finished second among a very strong Women’s World Amateur Golf Championship field in Japan last week, while our men’s team will look to do the same this week. In professional golf, the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup Playoffs remain a focus as the season winds down towards the Ryder Cup in what will seem like a few short weeks.

With much attention on the FedEx Cup Playoffs, specifically the BMW Championship last week, an interesting rules situation arose with PGA Tour Player, Keegan Bradley. Bradley, one of the more popular players on Tour with a quirky pre-shot routine and Air Jordan branded golf shoes, found himself questioning a relief procedure he followed in the first round of the BMW Championship.

On the 18^th hole last Thursday, Bradley’s 4-iron approach came up short of the green. Upon reaching his ball he had found the ball to be embedded in it’s own pitch mark. The rules of golf permit a player (under Rule 25-2), to take relief from a ball that is embedded in a closely-mown area through the green. A closely-mown area is any area that is mowed to fairway height or less. However, the Committee may adopt a Local Rule that allows for relief from an embedded ball anywhere through the green.

Following his round and during some interaction with fans, Bradley was told by one of the fans present that he saw his ball bounce before it came to rest, thereby questioning whether or not his ball was actually embedded in its own pitch mark – a determining factor in Rule 25-2. Having taken the feedback from the fan to heart, Bradley sought out Slugger White, the PGA Tour’s Vice President of Rules and Competitions and showed him the pitch mark where the situation had developed. Having investigated the situation, White didn’t find any violation of the rules and Bradley went on to play in the second round. Despite the support from Tour Officials, Bradley opted to withdraw from the championship and provided this statement in the process:

“I just feel withdrawing is the right thing to do to protect the field in the BMW Championship and the Tour Championship next week,” Bradley said. “It’s eating me alive. I didn’t call my fellow competitors for help in the first place and that bothers me. I know the official approved the drop, but I just can’t be absolutely sure it was the right spot.”

While reports of rules breaches, violations, infractions, etc. have gained much publicity via the ‘phone-in’ over the past few years, it isn’t often that we hear of a fan or player questioning a ruling without the use of HD television or other high-tech mediums. It should be noted that while there are critics of the ‘phone-in’ rules expert, a referee or rules official by definition must act on any breach of a Rule that they observe, or is reported to them (although, there are some exceptions in match play).

Somewhat ironically, in the 2014-15 edition of the Decisions on the Rules of Golf, golf’s governing bodies revised Decision 25-2/0.5 (When Ball Embedded in Ground), which states the following:

A ball is deemed to be embedded in the ground only if:

• the impact of the ball landing has created a pitch-mark in the ground,
• the ball is in its own pitch-mark, and
• part of the ball is below the level of the ground.

Provided that these three requirements are met, a ball does not necessarily have to touch the soil to be considered embedded (e.g., grass, loose impediments or the like may intervene between the ball and the soil).

Any doubt as to whether a ball is embedded should be resolved against the player.

In his review of the situation, Slugger White would have reviewed the procedure employed by invoking Rule 25-2 and the state in which Bradley’s ball existed in the ground, referencing much of the information contained above and outlined by Decision 25-2/0.5.

Unfortunately, when it came to Rule 25-2 this weekend, it seems that Bradley’s integrity got the better of him, which is an admirable characteristic in any professional athlete. Once again, the uniqueness of golf and the integrity shown by its players has separated golf from other sports in an era where professional athletes will generally seek any advantage over their competitors, often disputing a referee or an official’s decision in the process.

For more information on the rules of golf, please click here.

For more information on how to proceed in various rules of golf situations, guidance on the Golf Canada Handicap System and more, please consult our rules of golf publications – for purchase in Golf Canada’s eStore, or at your local book retailer.

With the Canadian golf season in its prime, we’ve witnessed many local, club, provincial and even national championships being contested. Our members, member clubs, volunteers and staff have been involved in various capacities at various levels in an effort to administer and conduct these competitions.

While many of these competitions have been conducted in good order, without disputes or worse, a story materialized recently involving two golfers playing what should have been a friendly, recreational game of golf. While the full article can be found here, two grown men managed to get into a verbal and then an eventual physical altercation during their game, reportedly incited by a disagreement over the Rules of Golf.

There’s no questioning the complexity and thoroughness of the Rules of Golf and their associated Decisions, however the Rules of Golf could have been employed by these ‘gentlemen’, regardless of their understanding or ignorance of the rules themselves. Further, they could have avoided having charges against them and a short stay in the hospital through a an understanding of Rule 2-5, which concerns Match Play, and is ironically referenced as “Doubt As To Procedure; Disputes and Claims”.

Rule 2-5: Doubt As To Procedure; Disputes and Claims, states the following:

In match play, if a doubt or dispute arises between the players, a player may make a claim. If no duly authorized representative of the Committee is available within a reasonable time, the players must continue the match without delay. The Committee may consider a claim only if it has been made in a timely manner and if the player making the claim has notified his opponent at the time (i) that he is making a claim or wants a ruling and (ii) of the facts upon which the claim or ruling is to be based.

A claim is considered to have been made in a timely manner if, upon discovery of circumstances giving rise to a claim, the player makes his claim (i) before any player in the match plays from the next teeing ground, or (ii) in the case of the last hole of the match, before all players in the match leave the putting green, or (iii) when the circumstances giving rise to the claim are discovered after all the players in the match have left the putting green of the final hole, before the result of the match has been officially announced.

A claim relating to a prior hole in the match may only be considered by the Committee if it is based on facts previously unknown to the player making the claim and he had been given wrong information Rules 6-2a or 9) by an opponent. Such a claim must be made in a timely manner.

Once the result of the match has been officially announced, a claim may not be considered by the Committee, unless it is satisfied that (i) the claim is based on facts which were previously unknown to the player making the claim at the time the result was officially announced, (ii) the player making the claim had been given wrong information by an opponent and (iii) the opponent knew he was giving wrong information. There is no time limit on considering such a claim.

While Rule 2-5 makes multiple references to ‘the Committee’, the Committee is generally referred to as, the committee in charge of the competition or, if the matter does not arise in a competition, the committee in charge of the course – this could be a local volunteer, convenor or your PGA of Canada Professional.

While also providing an expedited manner in which to handle a dispute during a match, Rule 2-5 would have also helped the two aforementioned gentlemen avoid the altercation they found themselves in… Hopefully, with an understanding of Rule 2-5, you’ll be able to reconcile any disputes, make valid claims and enjoy your next match without involving the local authorities, perhaps just your committee.

For more information on the Rules of Golf, please click here.

For more information on how to proceed in various Rules of Golf situations, guidance on the Golf Canada Handicap System and more, please consult our Rules of Golf publications – for purchase in Golf Canada’s eStore, or at your local book retailer.

Conducting golf championships has been one of Golf Canada’s core mandates since the association’s inception in 1895.  Whether at the professional or amateur level, Golf Canada is proud to conduct championships that offer a world-class competitive experience to Canadians and international golfers alike.

Hosting national championships and offering the best competitive experience is no easy task and simply wouldn’t be possible without the support from Golf Canada member clubs and the motivation of their staff, memberships and communities who get involved.

Our staff recently confirmed multiple championship venues for the next five seasons, which will see our Canadian Women’s and Men’s Amateur Championships contested at member clubs across the country.  For several seasons now it has been the goal of the Amateur Competitions Committee to see world-class playing experiences offered on a rotational basis throughout the country and the next few seasons will not disappoint.

Between the 2014 and 2018 seasons, we will see the Canadian Women’s Amateur contested in Woodstock, Ont. (Oxford Golf & Country Club), Saskatoon (Riverside Country Club), New Minas, N.S. (Ken-Wo Golf Club), Guelph, Ont. (Cutten Fields) and Vancouver (Marine Drive Golf Club).

The Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship is contested over 72-holes of stroke play and features 156 Canadian and international female amateurs each season.  In addition, the World Amateur Golf Ranking has given the championship the distinction of being an A-ranked counting event.

The pinnacle of men’s amateur golf in Canada is the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship, which pits 240 of the best domestic and international competitors against one another over 72-holes of stroke play, contested at two courses in early August.

The coveted Early Grey Trophy will be up for grabs across Canada in various regions over the next few seasons, including stops in Winnipeg (Elmhurst Golf & Country Club), Toronto (Weston Golf & Country Club), Gatineau, Que. (The Royal Ottawa Golf Club), Mississauga, Ont. (The Toronto Golf Club) and Duncan, B.C. (Duncan Meadows Golf & Country Club).

None of the previously mentioned championships would be a success without the significant contributions of our Golf Canada members, their member clubs and the consistent support from within the Canadian golf community.  We are looking forward to the 2014 season and those that will follow; many thanks to those across Canada who are committed to growing the game.

For more information on Golf Canada’s Championships, please visit our Championship Calendar by clicking here.

As we approach the 2014 golf season, the four Atlantic Provincial Golf Associations are pleased to announce the new Atlantic Golf Championship will take place August 15-17, 2014 at Bell Bay Golf Club in Cape Breton.

The New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador Golf Associations have collaborated to create this new tournament for the region’s best golfers. The Atlantic Golf Championship will see golfers in six (6) categories competing both as inter-provincial teams and as individuals.

Twenty (20) golfers from each province will make up the exclusive eighty (80) player-field.  In accordance with Golf Canada’s national championship eligibility requirements, players will compete in the following divisions:

• Men (under 40)
• Women (under 40)
• Mid-Master Men (40-54)
• Mid-Master Women (40- 49)
• Senior (55+) and Super Senior (70+) Men
• Senior (50+) and Super Senior (65+) Women

Each Golf Association will set its own qualifying process to determine the players that make up their team. The new Atlantic Cup will be awarded after 36 holes to the provincial team that accumulates the most overall points. All players will also compete for individual honours through 54 holes of stroke play, within their respective divisions.

The Association’s note that a key objective for the championship is to give players in different age brackets the opportunity to test their skills against others from across the region.

Over the next four years the Atlantic championship will rotate between the four provinces. Following Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador will host the tournament next year followed by New Brunswick in 2016 and Prince Edward Island in 2017.

Golf Canada, the National Sport Organization for golf in Canada, has placed its support behind the Atlantic Golf Championship.

“The Atlantic Championship provides a great opportunity for the best competitors in the Atlantic provinces to compete against each other at a premier event,” said Adam Helmer, Golf Canada’s Director of Rules and Competitions. “This new event will provide another pathway for players to earn spots directly into our national championships.”

In addition to providing exemptions for individual division winners into future National Championships, Golf Canada will also be donating Golf in Schools kits to a number of local schools as a legacy of the tournament.

“The Atlantic Championship is being developed to be the premier tournament for amateur golfers in Atlantic Canada,” said David Campbell, Executive Director of the Nova Scotia Golf Association.

“Our goal is to create a fun, first class experience for our players. We want the regions top competitive players to start thinking about the Atlantic Championship as soon as they tee it up in the spring. In years to come we hope that this tournament becomes the standard by which great amateur golfers in this region are recognized,” he continued.

The 2014 Atlantic Golf Championship takes place August 15^th -17^th at the Bell Bay Golf Course in Cape Breton.

For more information and to register for the championship click here.

For information on Bell Bay Golf Club click here.

Earlier this season we looked at how outside agencies became involved on the PGA and Web.com Tours, with players seeking assistance from Rule 18-1 – Ball at Rest Moved by an Outside Agency. In those situations, players and Tournament Officials were fortunate to have television evidence at their disposal to help determine the original location of the competitor’s balls.

More recently, a situation occurred at the BMW PGA Championship overseas where Pablo Larrazabal’s ball came to rest on an outside agency – while there was plenty of media coverage via television and social media, the evidence spoke for itself when Larrazabal reached the location of his ball.

Larrazabal’s approach to the 18^th green found it’s way between the pant legs of a spectator and remained there at rest. While the ball came to rest on the spectator, who is deemed to be an outside agency, and contrary to the Rules used in the filming of Happy Gilmore, Larrazabal was not required to ‘play the ball as it lies’.

Under Rule 19-1 – Ball in Motion Deflected or Stopped by an Outside Agency, Larrazabal was able to obtain relief, without penalty, in this situation. Rule 19-1, in part states the following:

If a player’s ball in motion is accidentally deflected or stopped by any outside agency, it is a rub of the green, there is no penalty and the ball must be played as it lies, except:

a) If a player’s ball in motion after a stroke other than on the putting green comes to rest in or on any moving or animate outside agency, the ball must through the green or in a hazard be dropped, or on the putting green be placed, as near as possible to the spot directly under the place where the ball came to rest in or on the outside agency, but not nearer the hole…

Due to the fact that the ball was not touching part of the golf course when it came to rest through the green, Larrazabal was required to drop the ball as near as possible to the spot where the ball originally lay. Unfortunately, Shooter McGavin did not have the same relief option available to him in his closely contested game with Happy Gilmore.

Do you have a situation involving the Rules of Golf you’d like to see discussed, clarified or answered? If so, email us here and we’ll try to include your inquiry in a forthcoming Rules and Rants Blog. To simply ask a Rules of Golf question to one of our Experts, please click here.

For more information on the Rules of Golf, please click here.

For more information on how to proceed in various Rules of Golf situations, guidance on the Golf Canada Handicap System and more, please consult our Rules of Golf publications – for purchase in Golf Canada’s eStore, or at your local book retailer.

The Prince Edward Island Golf Association has appointed Bob Irwin of Charlottetown as it’s new Chief Rules Official .

As Chief Rules Official, Irwin will oversee officiating at provincial tournaments and will promote the development of new rules officials in the province . He will also coordinate the Associations Course Rating program. Mr. Irwin has officiated at a number of Provincial Championships .

“We are fortunate to have Bob accept this position,” said the Association’s Executive Director , Ron MacNeill. “He has been a competitive golfer for many years and has a keen interest in officiating. The Rules of Golf can be challenging for golfers and it is important for the sport to have someone that understands and promotes them . Golfers at all levels, especially juniors, can benefit from a better understanding of the rules.“

The Prince Edward Island Golf Association is the governing body for golf in the province. In addition to overseeing the Rules of Golf the Association delivers a number of programs for competitive golfers, seniors and juniors.

To learn more about the Rules of Golf, including how you can become a Rules Official, click here.

Mother Nature hasn’t been kind this winter, causing many golf courses to have less than ideal conditions to start the season.

Problems that have arose because of unfavourable winter weather include: tree destruction, turf issues (especially on greens and fairways) and bunker deterioration. The result for many courses is having a few to the majority of their greens out of play – likely well into June.

At Golf Canada, we’ve been receiving many concerned calls from courses, clubs, leagues and golfers about how this impacts them and their golf season. Here’s a look at some of the concerns facing golfers, clubs and courses:

Score posting for golfers:

Golfers are wondering if their scores can be posted for handicapping purposes if less than 18 holes are completely played.

In such cases where holes are completely out of play or temporary greens are in use, our trusty Golf Canada Handicap Manual describes a procedure often refereed to as Par Plus. This means the player would count the PAR the hole, plus any handicap strokes the he/she is entitled to receive on that hole.

For example: A player with a Course Handicap of 15 receives ONE handicap stroke on the first 15 allocated handicap-stroke holes. If the player does not play the sixth allocated handicap-stroke hole which is a par-4 because of construction on the green, the player must record a score of par plus one for handicap purposes, or a 5 in this case. If at least seven holes are in play on one nine, a nine-hole score must be posted, and if 13 or more holes are fully in play (no temporary greens, etc) an 18 hole score is to be posted, with the remaining holes posted using the par plus procedure.

How clubs/courses can run events and score them on a course with temporary greens or holes out of play:

Questions I’ve received from courses and clubs have predominantly revolved around their events and how to score them equitably if less than 18 holes are played.

Each situation is a little different in terms of the number of holes which may be out of play or under temporary setup, but the procedure in dealing with the situation is the same. For example, we have a course that only has 12 holes in play and they have severe damage on the other six holes. They were wondering if it is possible to conduct their annual match play competition because all 18 holes cannot be played until August.

If we reference the definition of “Stipulated Round” from the Rules of Golf, we would find “stipulated round: consists of playing the holes of the course in their correct sequence, unless otherwise authorized by the Committee. The number of holes in a stipulated round is 18 unless a smaller number is authorized by the Committee.”

That definition is designed to help in just such cases where conditions will not allow 18 holes to be played. Should a club/league decide to proceed using less than 18 holes for their events, some adjustments must be made to handicaps of participants. As handicaps in this situation would normally be for 18 holes, we need to reduce handicaps by an appropriate number of holes that are to actually be played, in this case 12. We would need to take 12/18 of handicaps (or 2/3 if we reduce our fraction to lowest terms, don’t be alarmed this will not turn into a high school math class).

The last step to have an equitable event/match is to modify your stroke hole table (Handicap Stroke Holes). As there are six holes out of play, we need to reduce our stroke hole table by six as well (to a total of 12). To modify the stroke hole table equitably, it will depend on which holes are actually taken out of play and what number the stroke hole is. If one of the holes out of play in our example was stroke hole #2, stroke hole #4 would now become stroke hole #2 for the event, and so on.

I hope these explanations have helped to clear up some of the looming questions about handicapping and temporary greens or closed holes. If you have any questions, please contact our Golf Canada membership team at members@golfcanada.ca or 1-800-263-0009 ext. 399.

Additionally, you can check out our Handicapping section online here.