General Dos and Don’ts
The following list is not intended to be all encompassing but rather aims to provide high level, general Refereeing best practices and items to avoid. The following sections go into more detail on specific best practices.
A good Referee should:
- Arrive to their assignment well in advance (approximately 20-30 minutes early) and factor in that early groups may play well under the expected time. Allow for additional time prior to assignment as needed (parking, traffic, crowds, etc.).
- Do their homework prior to the assignment.
- Have the necessary supplies for their assignment.
- If there are any questions about how to treat something in assigned area, ask a Rover to stop-by when convenient.
- Be discreetly available (“visibly invisible”) and aware of surroundings.
- Remove sunglasses when interacting with players.
- Interact with players in a professional, friendly, and concise manner.
- If there is any doubt about a ruling, call for a second opinion or clarify on radio.
- Post-round, communicate with person working their hole(s) assignment the next day about anything noteworthy.
A good Referee should not:
- Distract play by driving a cart, speaking on the radio, having loud conversations near play, etc.
- Be positioned on or close to an extension of the line of play behind the player or on the other side of the hole.
- Go onto the putting green or enter a bunker, unless necessary for a ruling or otherwise assist players. For example, a player requests assistance after a ball embedded in the side of the hole.
- Mark and lift a ball for player or otherwise touch a ball in play.
- Touch, handle, or carry player equipment, except to return a lost item to the player (like a club or rangefinder).
- Move, attend, or replace the flagstick.
- Rake a bunker for a player, unless tidying a bunker between play (for example, after an animal ran through the bunker).
- Initiate casual conversation with players.
- Escalate tension when interacting with players.
