Application of Rules, Disputes and Resolution in Competitions

Players are encouraged to help each other in applying the rules. If you are in doubt about the application of a rule or the breach of a rule during a competition, please advise your opponent(s) at that time. If no referee is present to adjudicate, please follow the guidelines below:

Match Play
If a rule is in doubt but no breach has occurred, players may agree how to decide the issue and play to that agreement. This agreed outcome is conclusive even if it turns out to have been wrong, providing the players did not deliberately decide to ignore a rule or penalty. (in which case both would be disqualified.)

If one player feels a breach has been made, they may make a request for a ruling by notifying their opponent at that time that a later ruling will be sought when a referee or the Committee becomes available. The breach may not be undone or corrected. Play is to continue and a request for resolution must be made immediately following the game and before the result of the match is declared final. 

Stroke Play
If a rule is in doubt but no breach has occurred, players may agree to complete the hole in question by playing two balls (one for each option) and record both scores. Request a resolution immediately following the game and before the result of the game is declared final.

If a player breaches a rule and the breach is contested with no agreement to play two balls, the other player may make a request for ruling by notifying their opponent at that time that a later ruling will be sought when a referee or the Committee becomes available. Play is to continue and a request for resolution must be made immediately following the game and before the result of the game is declared final. 

Request for Resolution
A request for resolution may be initiated by contacting the Rules & Handicap Committee via email (rules.hcpcommittee@pictongolf.ca) or by the addressing the issue with Pro Shop staff and asking for a referral to the Rules & Handicap Committee. 

Players may also complete and submit the online Request for Resolution Form.  Contact must be initiated immediately following completion of the game. The final outcome of the competition will be suspended until a ruling can be made. 

With the exception of player disqualification or ineligibility, the Committee is unable to rule on a claim or reverse the outcome of a competition if the initial results have been declared and/or posted. 

Disqualification of a player or players after results have been posted. 

Match Play - a player or players may be disqualified after results have been posted if it is discovered that there has been serious misconduct during the match, a deliberate failure to apply a penalty, or both players agree to ignore any rule or penalty they know applies.

Stroke Play – a player may be disqualified after results have been posted if it is discovered that they knowingly returned a score for any hole lower than actually taken, knew before the competition closed that they were in breach of any other Rule with a penalty of disqualification, or agreed with another player to ignore any Rule or penalty they knew applied.

Ineligible Player

If it is later discovered that a player was not eligible to compete in the event – even if results have been declared and/or posted – that player’s results will be removed from the event as if they did not play.

For complete details on resolving rules issues, please refer to Rule #20 of The Rules of Golf.