OBJECTIVE
Keep up with the group in front of you, or take no more than 4 1/2 hours per round, or an average of 15 minutes per hole. "Keep up with the group in front of you" means you must be somewhere on the same hole for par 3s and par 4s, and you must be in the fairway when the forward group is on the green of a par 5.
READY GOLF
· Be ready to start your round at the designated tee time.
· Tee off when ready…don't wait for the "low score on the last hole".
· If your shot appears out-of-bounds or may be lost in the woods or tall grass, hit a provisional ball before leaving the area. While you may take up to 5 minutes to look for a lost ball, you must make up this time to ensure you keep up with the group in front of you, or do not exceed 4 1/2 hours for the round.
· After your shot, be prepared to hit your next shot as soon as you're ready and it is safe to do so…don't feel obligated to wait for someone who is walking, or can't decide which club to use, or is sitting in a cart waiting for his cart partner to hit, etc. Once you complete your shot, don't hold up the group behind you by cleaning your clubs or completing the scorecard…move on to your next shot.
· If your ball is within reasonable walking distance from your cart partner's ball, don't sit in the cart waiting for him to complete his shot and drive you to your ball…take the clubs you may need and walk to your ball and be prepared to take your shot.
· Once on the green, line up your putt and be prepared to putt as soon as it is your turn. Don't wait to line up your putt until it is your turn to hit the putt.
TEAM CAPTAINS
· Team captains will track their group's time by writing their start and finish time on their scorecard, and remind their team of the "speed-of-play" rules, as necessary.
· If the group does not keep up with the group in front of them and falls behind the 15 minute per hole average requirement, the captain must consult with his team to determine what they will do to catch up.
For example:
· Depending on the format of the competition, one or more members of the team could pick up during a hole, or stop playing for a hole to catch up to the team in front of them, or to the 15 minute average hole requirement ( in this case - golfers not completing a hole would take their most likely score, or the maximum allowable for the hole…whichever is less; golfers skipping a hole would take par plus their strokes for the hole; as a result, they would not be eligible for individual low gross or low net); and, or
· A walker could ride a golf cart until caught up; and, or
· A player who hit a ball into the woods or tall grass could hit a second ball and not look for his first ball.
· In any event, the team captain's decision on what steps to take after consulting with his team will be final and must be followed by team members.
WEEKLY PLAY MONITOR
· The SRMGC will track the time of play for individual teams and for the field as a whole. As necessary, a SRMGC board member, or designee, will monitor the pace of play of each foursome during the round.
