The Problem with Golf’s Scorekeeping
If you thought Golf was a slow sport, it’ll give you whiplash when compared to the glacial speed of the behind the scenes decision making of its tournament committees. While doing research for this, the absurdity kept growing the deeper I dove into the rules of Golf, and it became less and less surprising that this rule is somehow still around.
But before I get to that, there are a couple other rules that I want to talk about in order to emphasize the impact this one rule has.
Story Time
The following is a true story from the 1987 San Diego Open.
After teeing off on the 14th hole, Craig “The Walrus” Stadler found himself in a tough spot—his ball was nestled right up against a tree. To make the shot, he dropped to his knees, but since the ground was still wet from overnight rain, he laid down a towel to keep his pants dry. Seems harmless enough, right?
Well, not according to the rules—or, more accurately, according to someone watching from home. At the time, tournament viewers were allowed to call in and report rule violations, and that’s exactly what one viewer did. They argued that Stadler’s use of the towel constituted “building a stance,” which violated Rule 13.3 (now Rule 8.1). The rule stated, “A player is entitled to place his feet firmly in taking his stance, but he must not build a stance.”
The violation carried a two-stroke penalty, but Stadler, unaware that he violated a rule, submitted his scorecard without the penalty recorded. As a result, he was disqualified—costing him a second-place finish and a $30,000 prize. And just in case you’re curious about the new Rule 8.1:
Rule 8.1 Player’s Actions That Improve Conditions Affecting the Stroke
Rule 8.1a. Actions That Are Not Allowed
Except in the limited ways allowed in Rules 8.1b, c and d, a player must not take any of these actions if they improve the conditions affecting the stroke:
(1) Move, bend or break any:
- Growing or attached natural object,
- Immovable obstruction, integral object or boundary object, or
- Tee-marker for the teeing area when playing a ball from that teeing area.
(2) Move a loose impediment or movable obstruction into position (such as to build a stance or to improve the line of play).
(3) Alter the surface of the ground, including by:
- Replacing divots in a divot hole,
- Removing or pressing down divots that have already been replaced or other cut turf that is already in place, or
- Creating or eliminating holes, indentations or uneven surfaces.
Fast forward to the 2017 ANA Inspiration, where Lexi Thompson suffered a highly controversial loss. During the final round, she was informed mid-play that a viewer had emailed the tournament committee to report a violation she committed in the third round. Because she had submitted her scorecard without including the penalty, she was retroactively assessed a four-stroke penalty—two strokes for the original infraction and two more for failing to record it. This penalty erased her lead and forced a sudden-death playoff against Ryu So-yeon, which Thompson ultimately lost. Had the penalties not been applied—or at the very least, had the additional two-stroke penalty been waived—Thompson would have won the tournament outright in regulation.
The backlash from this incident prompted the elimination of two problematic rules:
Viewers being allowed to report rule violations via TV or online streaming.
The additional two-stroke penalty for not recording a penalty on a submitted scorecard.
Both changes were announced in 2018, though the second rule didn’t officially take effect until 2019.
3
So what’s the 3rd rule that I’m making such a big fuss about you may be wondering. Well, ironically, it’s Rule 3.3:
Rule 3.3b
The player’s score is kept on his or her scorecard by the Marker, who is either identified by the Committee or chosen by the player in a way approved by the Committee.Rule 3.3b(2)
When the round has ended, the player:
- Must certify the hole scores on the scorecard and promptly return it to the Committee.Rule 3.3b(3)
Wrong Score for a Hole. If the player returns a scorecard with a wrong score for any hole:
- Returned Score Higher Than Actual Score. The higher returned score for the hole stands.
- Returned Score Lower Than Actual Score or No Score Returned. The player is disqualified.
Exception – Failure to Include Unknown Penalty.(However, this exception wasn’t always in place, as previously mentioned in Stadler’s case.)
Official rulebook verbiage can be a bit dressed up, so basically: At the end of each round, players are required to turn in their own scorecard.
This is an archaic system that relies heavily on the honor code. In the past, this made sense—golf didn’t have the level of media coverage it does today, and with players scattered across massive courses, the only practical way to record scores was to trust players to do it themselves. But honor systems are meant to fill the gap when no formal oversight exists. Golf seems to have forgotten that we now live in the 21st century.
Every major sport today uses official scoreboards that are updated in real time, and golf is no exception. These scoreboards are maintained by officials whose job is to ensure accuracy. So why does golf still require players to manually track their own scores, then cross-check them for honesty—despite the existence of an official scoreboard already doing that job?
Frankly, the only purpose this policy seems to serve is disqualification. If your score matches the official record, nothing changes—you move on. But if there’s a discrepancy, you risk disqualification or a penalty. Requiring a player’s personal scorecard to match the official score raises a simple question: if the tournament scoreboard is the authoritative record, why bother validating a duplicate? Why not just rely on the official score and be done with it?
Scrapping the scorecard-checking process would save time and effort for everyone involved, especially the tournament committee, who are currently double-checking information they already have. And as the saying goes: time is money.
Of course, players will still keep track of their scores for personal reference—that's natural. But making those self-kept records determine a player’s tournament status isn’t just an unnecessary process; it’s an unnecessary burden. Players are already under immense pressure, juggling every aspect of their game in real time. And as anyone who’s ever watched Experior Golf knows, it’s surprisingly easy to lose count—even without the stress of a competitive setting.
