Last weekend I was standing by the golf course at the U12 Dutch national championship, where both my daughter and my son were taking part. One of the girls in my daughter's flight wasn't at the tee at her starting time. On his own initiative, without consulting the referee, the starter decided to let the flight behind tee off earlier, so the girl would get a bit of extra time to arrive. In the end, the girl didn't reach the tee until more than ten minutes after the official starting time.
Although it was very understandable for a girl not even 12 years old, I didn't quite agree with it. More than ten minutes late is well beyond the limit allowed by the rules of golf, and the way the starter handled it doesn't change that. At a national championship, where it matters for every golfer, a gesture like that feels extra unfair to the players who were on time. I just didn't want to spoil the mood before the round had even started, since those young girls are quite sensitive to that kind of thing, so we left it at that, with the remark that it wasn't really how it should have gone. Reason enough to explain properly what should actually have happened according to the rule book.
The golf rule in plain language
Golf is quite strict when it comes to time. Rule 5.3a says you must start at the exact moment of your starting time. Not earlier, not later. Are you ready to play within five minutes after your starting time? Then you get the general penalty: two strokes added in stroke play, or loss of the hole in match play. Are you more than five minutes late? Then disqualification follows.
Important detail: it's about the moment you're ready to hit, not the moment it's your turn within your flight. Even if you're the third to tee off in the group, the starting time of the whole group applies.
And if it's not your fault?
There is an exception. If the committee decides there were exceptional circumstances, the penalty is waived. But be careful: traffic jams, a flat tire, or simply poor planning usually don't count as exceptional under the rules of golf. That sounds harsh, and sometimes it is. A junior golfer was once disqualified from a tournament after getting a flat tire on the way, despite all the sympathy from the organisers.
At most golf clubs, during friendly rounds, the starter is usually a lot more lenient than the official rule. Do you arrive five minutes late for a casual round with friends? Then the starter will usually just fit you in, without consequences. Strict application of rule 5.3a is mainly seen at tournaments, such as in this case a national championship.
Tips for when you're heading out with the kids
Always allow some extra time, especially if you're taking a child to the golf course who still needs to check in, change shoes, or use the toilet.
Call the competition committee as soon as you know you'll be late. A quick heads-up beforehand is usually received better than a surprise at the tee.
Even at official junior tournaments, the rules of golf apply just as strictly as for the pros. Feel free to prepare your child for that, so it isn't a surprise.
Do you consistently arrive just on time or late? Build a fixed margin into your routine, for example always leaving for the golf course a quarter of an hour earlier than you think you need to.
Back to that more-than-ten-minutes-late/p>
Back to that more-than-ten-minutes-late situation
Let's go back to the golfer from last weekend. More than ten minutes is well above the five-minute limit in rule 5.3a, so according to the rule book this should have meant disqualification, unless the competition committee decided there were exceptional circumstances. The fact that the starter cleverly rearranged things so the golfer could still start is a friendly solution to traffic on the course, but it's no substitute for that assessment by the competition committee. Moreover, the starter made this decision without consulting the referee, even though the referee is precisely the person designated to assess an exceptional circumstance. Hence my reservations: a friendly gesture from the starter is something different from a correct application of the rule, especially at a level where every golfer should be held to the same rules.
What should the starter have done instead?
A starter is not allowed to decide for themselves whether someone has a valid excuse for being late, that's not their job. What should have happened: immediately contacting the referee or tournament management as soon as it became clear the golfer risked missing the starting time. The referee is the person on the course authorised to judge whether there are exceptional circumstances and, based on that, applies the correct penalty, ranging from nothing to the general penalty to disqualification. Until that assessment has been made, the decision doesn't lie with the starter, and certainly not the decision to already adjust the tee order. By doing so anyway, the golfer was effectively helped before the referee could even weigh in.
What can you do if you are on time?
If you're on time at the course yourself, and you see another golfer or flight being treated differently, then as a player you do have something you can do.
You're always allowed to ask tournament management or an official on the course for a ruling, even if it doesn't concern your own ball or situation but a question about the application of the rules of golf.
Feel free to ask, after the round, when handing in your scorecard, for an explanation of how a decision was reached. That's not complaining, that's your right as a participant.
Gather the facts on the spot, such as what time the golfer actually started, rather than debating it among yourselves afterwards. Officials prefer to work with times rather than a feeling.
Stay calm and polite with the starter or official. They apply the rules of golf the way the competition committee has set them up, and are rarely the one who makes the final judgement.
In short
So what really happens if you're late for the tee? Less than five minutes late: a two-stroke penalty. More than five minutes: disqualification. Unless the competition committee recognises exceptional circumstances, and that happens less often than you'd hope in a golf tournament. For a casual round of golf, the starter is usually your best friend. In a tournament, especially a national championship, the clock isn't, and as a golfer who's on time, you always have the right to ask about it.
