Farmington Woods - Men's Club

Men's Club 2008

What a great Saturday for the Travelers Tournament with a field of 77 golfers, the weather was fine, the pace of play was great, with a few hold ups but nothing that totally swamped the field. 

Congratualtions need to go to the Women as their pace of play was exemplary, with all of their groups finishing in under 4 hours, having turned in 1 hour 45 then having to wait for 25 minutes until the last of the Men had tee'd off.

Remember that it is the responsilbity of each member of the group to keep up with the pace of play and the group should not need to be informed that they are playing slow by a ranger. 

Travelers Tournament and Woods Cup Standings

The results are posted and the Woods Cup standings have been updated.

Penalties for Slow Play

There have been a number of grumblings that we have not published the fact that we would be penalizing slow play this year.  It is true the the web-site does not now show this, however in the opening dinner and on the web-site at the start of the season we did publish this fact, what we did not publish were the penalties themselves as we are adhering to those penalties as laid out by the USGA.

There have also been a number of articles written on place of play including one by Rick Churchill and one by Chuck Claffey in the June edition of In the Woods, which were slightly at odds.  

The Mens Club committee is basing the pace of play on the Farmington Woods Handbook which states:  It should be the goal of all players to complete their round in LESS THAN FOUR HOURS, to that end, each player shall be responsible for: .....supporting the efforts of the foursome captain to maintain proper pace of play.  We are NOT basing the pace of play on four hours and twenty minutes, as the Farmington Woods Handbook states it is a violation for:  All players who are part of a group that fails to complete their round in less than four hours and twenty minutes....

The penalties for slow play are:

1st/2nd Violation:  2 Strokes (or Loss of 1 Hole in Match Play) & loss of Woods Cup Points

Subsequent Violations:  Disqualification from the Tournament

These may seem rather harsh, however in doing some research the USGA guidelines make these look like prizes rather than penalties:

USGA Rules of Golf - Section 1 - Etiquette 

This Section provides guidelines on the manner in which the game of golf should be played. If they are followed, all players will gain maximum enjoyment from the game. The overriding principle is that consideration should be shown to others on the course at all times.

If players follow the guidelines..., it will make the game more enjoyable for everyone.

If a player consistently disregards these guidelines during a round or over a period of time to the detriment of others, it is recommended that the Committee consider taking appropriate disciplinary action against the offending player. Such action may, for example, include prohibiting play for a limited time on the course or in a certain number of competitions. This is considered to be justifiable in terms of protecting the interest of the majority of golfers who wish to play in accordance with these guidelines.

In the case of a serious breach of Etiquette, the Committee may disqualify a player under Rule 33-7.

If you have any opinions on whether the enforcement of the pace of play is detrimental then please let the tournament chair know as all he is trying to do is protect the interests of the majority of golfers who wish to play golf at an acceptable pace.

How do I know I will be penalized for slow play?

You do not complete your round in less than 4 hours and 20 minutes and the following are NOT true:

• You finished within 15 minutes of the group in front of you
• You had an injury or illness to a player within your group that caused a halt to play