Welcome to PDGA Rules School. I'm Brian Earhart here to help you learn
the basics of the official rules of disc golf Welcome to Rules School Episode ten: Misplay. A lot of new players learn the rules
by watching coverage of the pros play in the sport's biggest events. We see them marking their lies,
taking relief, jump putting from outside the circle, and many times the commentators will discuss the rules
as we see the action unfold on the screen. But one thing that you won't see
very often on the pro tour, but which is unfortunately very common
and other levels of competition is a misplay . Generally speaking, a misplay
has occurred any time a player has failed to complete every hole
on the course correctly and in the proper order, or has played
from an incorrect lie for any throw.
Sometimes the entire group
will misplay the hole, like playing to the wrong basket
or throwing from the wrong tee. And sometimes it is only one player
that will misplay a hole like throwing from the wrong lie or missing holes
because they were late for their round. In either case, whether or not a player
was just following the lead of others in their group, the rules and penalties
surrounding a misplay still apply. It is every player's responsibility
to play the course correctly. When a player misses a hole,
whether because they were late for their round or because the whole group
accidentally skips a hole. They are assigned a score of par
plus four for that hole. The same penalty applies for a player
that is absent at any point during the round for more than 30 seconds
when it is their turn to throw. You can always request a bathroom
break at any point during the round, but if you don't return to play
in a reasonable amount of time, the group can move on and consider
you absent for that hole. If a player has thrown from
an incorrect lie, whether this is playing from the wrong tee, throwing
from another player's disc on the fairway, playing an out of bounds disc
as if it were inbounds or playing from a lie established by a disc
that missed a mandatory how you proceed depends on
when you catch the mistake.
If you figure it out right away
before you throw it again, then you simply receive one penalty throw
and resume play from the correct line. If you've thrown at least once
since the misplay, you just keep playing
but you receive two penalty throws. A similar rule applies
when a player plays to the wrong target. If the mistake is discovered
before teeing off on the next hole, then they can continue to play from
the resulting lie with no penalty throws. But if they have teed off
on the next hole, then two penalty throws will be added
to their score for the misplay.
Here's a good example Let's say
you tee off from the wrong tee on a hole. If you haven't thrown again,
your misplayed tee shot doesn't count. You receive a penalty throw and you need to make your second
throw of the hole from the correct tee. If you've gone on to throw your upshot. You simply finish the hole as normal, but
you add two penalty throws to your score. two penalty
throws are also added to a player's score. If they play an extra hole during
the round, that is not part of the course or if they play an incorrect hole
in place of another hole.
Of course, the best way to avoid misplays
is to be prepared by knowing the rules
and paying close attention to the caddy book and players meeting
and to be on time for your round. And remember, if you think you may have missed
played, always go to the official rules of disc golf first
and read the applicable section at 811. They will help you understand
how to handle the situation. Take your penalty and move on. For more information on misplays,
including more specific examples, visit PDGA.com/rules.