When the first golfers began to enjoy this activity in St. Andrews, little could they imagine that three centuries later their hobby would become the most complex to interpret of all existing ones. The thirteen rules The initials published in 1744 have become a 700-page volume in which the 24 current regulations and the numerous decisions that have been produced are analyzed, with their jurisprudence.
“You have to keep in mind that it is a game that is held outdoors, in an area of 60 hectares, and that it is subject to all kinds of eventualities,” says José María Zamora, referee of the European Circuit. No two situations are ever the same, which is why interpretation is so important in case of doubt. own philosophy of this sport says that each player is responsible for his own result and that he must always act according to the rules. And, in case of any doubt, always write down the number that is less beneficial for him. The player’s rival is oneself, because every time he goes out on the field what he seeks is to make the least number of shots and lower his handicap; that is to say, that he does not compete directly against his partner next door (in charge of targeting him and certifying his shots) but against himself and, indirectly, against the hundred players who eventually accompany him that day in that tournament.
One referees oneself
The usual thing is that each one counts his own impacts and dictates them to his partner, who writes them down on his card in order to check them at the end of the round and sign them if they are correct. If there is any discrepancy, it is resolved at that time, unless it was unsolvable by both and the result had to go to the Competition Committee of the event. Ultimately, the Royal Spanish Golf Federation has a higher institution in which it judges whether there has been any irregularity that deserves punishment, although in all of 2021 there were only five sanctions for this reason, which gives an idea of the honesty of the golfers.
Theoretical and practical exam
However, the fact that each player controls himself (the opposite would be like cheating playing solitaire) does not prevent there from being people who decide to become referees to help others in moments of doubt. «The first thing to do is study the golf rules in depth and, once you think you are ready, take some theoretical and practical exams called by the RFEG Rules Committee. Once overcome, the arbitration journey begins, “explains its president, Pablo Chaves.
This type of judge usually focuses on the official competitions organized by the different federations, both amateur and professional, in which the level of the participants is higher than that of those who participate every weekend in the near 15,000 tests annually held in Spain. “Usually they are used to playing with referees, so they usually have no problem calling you when they have any doubts,” says Maribel Sáez, from Castilla-La Mancha, “although there are also those who have a higher handicap and avoid you because they think that you are going to harm him in his result, when it is the opposite ».
The world of golf arbitration is so vocational that those who enter it do so out of their own hobby, without taking into account possible Benefits personal. “We are in this for the love of art, because we do not receive any salary, and it is the same to attend a children’s ‘pitch & putt’ event than to attend the Olympic Games, as was my case,” says Pablo Mansilla, from the Andalusian Federation. However, there are some exceptions, such as professional referees, who are hired by the big tours to control the tournaments they organize. “In my case I did not go through the federation system, but rather the European Tour claimed me directly for having a good level of play (he has been Mid-Amateur continental champion) and English,” says Zamora. And although his responsibility is the same, yes it is true that the treatment with the player is different. “Usually they see you as a collaborator, because our mission is to help you do as few hits as possible; but it is true that the slowest professionals see you with suspicion because they know that you can sanction them for that reason », he points out.
The worst thing about their activity, in which they all agree, is the loneliness of being sweet hours in a buggy enduring all kinds of bad weather. “Especially in the British Isles, where you can end up drenched to the gills with no consolation other than waiting to get to your hotel and go to bed,” she concludes.
