Junior Golf Pace of Play Guidelines - Minnesota Junior Golf

Rule 6-7 of the USGA Rules of Golf states: "The player shall play without undue delay and in accordance with any pace of play guidelines which the Committee may establish. Between completion of a hole and playing from the next teeing ground, the player shall not unduly delay play."
Note 1: If the player unduly delays play between holes, he is delaying the play of the next hole and the penalty applies to that hole.
Note 2: For the purpose of preventing slow play, the Committee may, in the condition of a competition (Rule 33-1) lay down pace of play guidelines including maximum periods of time allowed to complete a stipulated round, a hole or a stroke.

The Minnesota PGA Junior Golf Association does not wish to apply penalties for undue delay. However, we insist that, in the interest of all, the pace of play be reasonable. We believe that, it would be reasonable for a group of four (4) players to take 15 minutes, on average, per hole. Meaning an 18-hole round should be completed in less than 4 hours and 30 minutes and a 9-hole round should be completed in less than 2 hours and 15 minutes.

A group/competitor is considered out of position if at any point in the round:
• Group falls behind more than two shots to the group in front of them.
• A player is taking more than the allotted time to play a stroke.

When a group is out of position the following will occur

1) Group will be approached and discuss why group is behind
2) If a group falls behind more than two shots to the group in front of them, a PACE OF PLAY warning sign will be placed on the group's next tee box. That group will have THREE holes to catch up with the group in front of them. If the group is unable to regain proper position, EACH player in the group will be assessed a stroke penalty.
3) Next violation a two-stroke penalty will be assessed
4) Any further violation will result in disqualification (DQ)

Minnesota PGA Junior Golf Association on-site administrators will be monitoring the Pace of Play of all groups. We sincerely request your cooperation. If all competitors will cooperate, each event will be a more pleasant experience for everyone.

- Pace of Play Tips -

Our goal going into the 2007 season is to educate and inform our members on ways to continually improve pace of play. We realize that there are many factors that can affect the pace of play on any given day, however the bottom line is that slow play affects not only the players in the tournament, but it also affects the Minnesota PGA Junior Golf Association Staff, the host facility and parents of the players.

• Be ready to play when it is your turn

• Walk briskly between shots

• Walk directly to your golf ball; do not follow others unless assisting in search for a golf ball

• Don't step off yardage for every single shot; develop an "eye" for distance

• Be efficient with your pre-shot routine

• Play a provisional ball if you think the original ball might be lost outside of a water hazard or out of bounds

• When on the putting green, place your bag in a position that will enable quick movement off the green and towards the next tee

Questions or comments? info@minnesotajuniorgolf.com