Does Disc Golf Need Officials?

Sports have rules. The understanding that all players must compete under the same framework of rules is what allows for fair competition. This is where disc golf sets itself apart from most other sports in that it is self-officiated. There are no officials prowling the course in striped shirts or lurking in the bushes calling infractions. On the contrary. Players are responsible for policing their fellow competitors whether they want to or not. Let’s take a look at the official PDGA rules and then unpack whether it would benefit the sport to bring in rules officials beyond the Tournament Director (TD).

PDGA Official Rules

Rule violations are to be initiated and enforced by players in the same group. Typically one player in the group will call a rule violation on another player. This first violation is typically a warning depending on the type of violation. Going forward, if a violation is called it must be seconded by another person in the group and the penalty is then awarded (usually a one-stroke penalty).

According to “Rule 801.02 Enforcement;
C. A player in the group may call or confirm a rules violation on any player in the group by notifying all players in the group.

D. A warning is the initial advisement a player is given for violating certain rules; subsequent violations of the rule incur penalty throws. A call for a rules violation that results in a warning does not need to be confirmed to be enforced. Warnings do not carry over from one round to the next, nor to a playoff.

F. A Tournament Official, or Official, is a person who is authorized by the Director to make judgments regarding the proper application of the rules during play. An Official may call or confirm a rule violation by any player. An Official’s call does not need to be confirmed to be enforced.”

The main aspect of self-officiating is that rule violations are enforced by competitors. It is the responsibility of other players to voice the infraction to the culpable party. In my history of competitive disc golf, this is rare. Players simply do not want to call minor infractions on other players and risk upsetting the group. When a rules violation is called it can put other players in a precarious situation. Very often it splits the group into “us and them” as players on both sides plead their case.

But in the end, the rules are the rules. If players cannot come to a consensus there is communication with the TD after the round. This is uniquely disc golf’s type of officiating and allows for a more relaxed atmosphere surrounding the rules. With this said, the vast majority of players do not violate the rules in competition. I’ve also seen multiple people call themselves on violations, how honest!

The Most Notorious Offense – The Foot Fault

The most notoriously broken rule in disc golf is the stance. This infraction is called a foot fault and can be a fickle subject amongst players, and for good reason. There are many rules for how you must align your stance as you release the disc (check out this UDisc article for the nuances). The most important aspect, when not on the tee pad, is that you have a 20cm wide by 30cm long area where you must have a supporting point (ie; your foot) stationed behind the disc as you release your shot. Step on any part of the disc? Foot fault. Step outside of the 20cm x 30cm box upon release? Foot fault. Fall forward inside of circle one when putting? Foot fault.

How often do other players call this infraction? Rarely. With the speed of play and the quickness with which players execute their run-ups, it is difficult to get a good view of planting feet. Oftentimes, once players have tee’d off and are down the fairway, they are spread out in many directions of the hole. This inherently leads to difficulty in enforcing this penalty. The video below shows professionals calling foot faults and the situations that ensue.

The main question to me is this; does a foot fault really give a player a competitive advantage?

Competitive Advantage

For me, this is the main aspect of self-officiating. Honestly, I have seen many foot faults in my group and I have not called the player on the infraction. Why? Because it did not give the player a competitive advantage. They did not gain any advantage by their small infraction and so to give a penalty felt unfair. On the other hand, I have called and enforced other rules infractions that have given players a competitive advantage. These include foot faults where players may lean out to avoid an obstacle in their way, falling forward inside the circle, enforcing OB according to the rules, and many more.

Yes, it can be uncomfortable to call a competitor on their infraction and assess a one-stroke penalty. However, we all play under the confines of self-officiating. This way of self-officiating lends itself to the spirit of the game. Disc golf is an independent sport and has generally spent its years on the fringe of society. As disc golf has become more mainstream there has been increasing conversation to bring rules officials into the sport to take the burden off players.

Do We Really Need Rules Officials?

The argument for officials typically has to do with disc golf going mainstream and being officiated fairly. When we look at nearly all other sports there are designated rules officials that are at or near the field of play. One argument is that disc golf needs officials so that the sport can take the next step to legitimacy. This would take the responsibility from other players in the group and place it on the shoulders of officials stationed around the course. While cheating does happen, it is rare for a rules disagreement to erupt that necessitates an official being present to resolve the issue.

If this were to happen there would have to be many details ironed out. Would every hole get an official? Only the top cards in the tournament? What about tournaments with staggered tee times; would officials be on the course for 8 hours at a time? Would officials staring at players’ every move bring about a different feeling on the course? You get the gist. Until officials are implemented, we simply do not know.

Conclusion

From my experience, most players do not want the responsibility of calling fellow players on rules infractions. Simply playing the game is enough responsibility. This being said, it is unclear how officials would change the game. There are very few sports that use self-officiating and it is an aspect of disc golf that has survived for generations. I personally feel that our sport is great the way it is but I am open to see what officials could bring to the table. This topic certainly poses more questions than answers and time will tell the direction of disc golf.

What is your take on rule officials? Tell us below in the comments!