Countback rules question

gary29428

A mate was golfing on sunday in an open comp and was beaten on a countback (back 9). However there was a bit of frost on the ground on the front 9 so the starter ran the comp starting on the 10th. Here's the question, if the comp was run starting on the 10th how should the countback work, ie: is it still on the card or as they played it. If it is on the card then the first 9 holes as they played it would count in a backcount situation, if it was as they played it then the front 9 should have been used.

Any ideas....

ShriekingSheet

gary29428 wrote: »

A mate was golfing on sunday in an open comp and was beaten on a countback (back 9). However there was a bit of frost on the ground on the front 9 so the starter ran the comp starting on the 10th. Here's the question, if the comp was run starting on the 10th how should the countback work, ie: is it still on the card or as they played it. If it is on the card then the first 9 holes as they played it would count in a backcount situation, if it was as they played it then the front 9 should have been used.

Any ideas....

If they started on 10, surely holes 1-9 would be considered the "back nine", and whoever socred best on those should win on count-back?

If a computer was used for scores, it would automatically use 10-18 to determine the winner, so maybe the comp sec just made a mistake.

I doubt you'll find a definitive rule (maybe in the Decisions book?) to prove it one way or the other. But the last 9 holes of the course of the day should be what counts imo.

Corkblowin

Generally its the back 9 on the card no matter where you start. Take for example a shotgun start.....everyone would have a different last 9.

Unlucky on your mate.

G1032

The back 9, for countback purposes, are the last 9 holes played that day.

ShriekingSheet

Corkblowin wrote: »

Generally its the back 9 on the card no matter where you start. Take for example a shotgun start.....everyone would have a different last 9.

Unlucky on your mate.

You're spot on as regards shot gun starts, but that's an exception for obvious reasons.

When there's two clear nines being played, the person who closes out a score strongly should beat someone who built a score early and then clung on.

Corkblowin

I do stand to be corrected....I'm no competition secretary.....but any time something similar has happened that I know of its being the back 9 on the card that counts. 2 tee starts is another area where I've seen it.

Probably down to a local rule.

gary29428

Thanks for the reply's, club just confirmed he was done on the actual back 9 (holes 10-18) and it is all calculated by the computer.

ShriekingSheet

gary29428 wrote: »

Thanks for the reply's, club just confirmed he was done on the actual back 9 (holes 10-18) and it is all calculated by the computer.

Yeah, that's a bit silly. It came out this way because it's the only thing the computer can do, not due to rules or common sense.

G1032

gary29428 wrote: »

Thanks for the reply's, club just confirmed he was done on the actual back 9 (holes 10-18) and it is all calculated by the computer.

The club are wrong here. If its say a 15 hole comp over holes 1 to 15 then the back 9 for countback are holes 7 to 15. AFAIK this is not open to interpretation and a countback must be done like this. Your mate should challenge that result.

PhilipMarlowe

Before you go hiring a crack legal team to 'challenge' the result, a few things to consider...

There is no fixed way to resolve ties. Sometimes there will be a play-off, sometimes a count-back etc.
The R&A issues guidelines on how to resolve ties but different clubs will operate in their own way. They (R&A) do suggest that the back 9 should be holes 10-18 on the card in the case of multi-tee starts. To cover that eventuality (multi-tee starts), most clubs will go with 10-18 as the method of resolving ties and this will be a standard condition of most competitions (and will be programmed into the competition computer).
Now, if you wanted to change the way that ties were to be resolved for a particular competition, the committee would have to publish that information (a change in conditions) before the competition. Without being told otherwise, it's fair to assume that the standard conditions apply.

ShriekingSheet

Licksy wrote: »

Before you go hiring a crack legal team to 'challenge' the result, a few things to consider...

There is no fixed way to resolve ties. Sometimes there will be a play-off, sometimes a count-back etc.
The R&A issues guidelines on how to resolve ties but different clubs will operate in their own way. They (R&A) do suggest that the back 9 should be holes 10-18 on the card in the case of multi-tee starts. To cover that eventuality (multi-tee starts), most clubs will go with 10-18 as the method of resolving ties and this will be a standard condition of most competitions (and will be programmed into the competition computer).
Now, if you wanted to change the way that ties were to be resolved for a particular competition, the committee would have to publish that information (a change in conditions) before the competition. Without being told otherwise, it's fair to assume that the standard conditions apply.

Noted.

But it wasn't a multi-tee start. My reading of it was all players went off 10. Everyone played the same course, in the same order.

Were it a multi tee start, i would totally agree with 10-18.
but it bleedin' wasn't rii?!

Corkblowin

ShriekingSheet wrote: »

the person who closes out a score strongly should beat someone who built a score early and then clung on.

Why????
What makes holes 10, 11 & 12 more 'valuable' than 7, 8 & 9?

ShriekingSheet

Corkblowin wrote: »

Why????
What makes holes 10, 11 & 12 more 'valuable' than 7, 8 & 9?

Cos they add up to 33, which was Jesus' age when he died.
Thought that was obvious.