Officials Playing making calls?

[jackinkc]

competition manual 3.5

C. Players choosing to use a caddie will be solely responsible for their caddie's conduct from the two minute warning until the players cards are turned in. Misconduct by a caddie may subject the player and caddy to disqualification and/or suspension.


This explains that the player is responsible for a caddy, and subject to all rules of the events. The word conduct could be tricky to understand, it as an extension, but this is a long and historic precedent in the sport, which at times could trump information that you may find online.

[JoakimBL]

Even if that interpretation precedes the "Any non-playing official can make calls at all times" (A caddie is still not playing, even if he is the responsibility of the player), that still does not address the lack of a definition of a caddie. And even if a caddie was well defined, that still wouldn't address the problem of bringing your own official as a spectator, to make calls.

[jackinkc]

At that point, you would take provisionals, and discuss with the Course Director or the TD. If it became that big of an issue, let other groups play through and explain the disruption....But then that is the nice guy in me. Can this happen, you bet it can, should it? No, but then in today's whats in it for me, the etiquette (which I have issues with in our sport, and YES I am just as guilty as those I get mad at) in our sport is part of the problem. We don't self officiate well, we ignore many calls and instances that we should be calling out, and that hurts our impression to an observer that may know the rules, and asks why someone gets away with it.....

[gnduke]

The response from the competition committee is what I have always understood the rule to mean. I will admit that it is considered poor form to make a call while the group is together and in a position to observe the infraction and fail to make the call themselves.

I will only go out of my way to make a call in the case where a player/group is gaining a likely advantage on the field by ignoring a call. The problem with making spot calls around the course is that they tend to affect the field differently. The field of players will generally be consistent on what infractions they tend to not notice, and which ones get called. I am not saying that is the correct method, but at least it is fair.

On the idea of mixed divisions on a card, any official has the same authority to make calls on players not in their division as any other on that card.

[drdisc]

This seems to be the best place for an observation. Now days the TD's are playing in their own events, C and B tiers. I know this is "legal", but I have seen problems.
When the tourney HQ is left unguarded, theft could occur. If the park is busy, there is no one at HQ to answer questions. If there is a problem with procedure or rules, there is no one at HQ to help out. I have seen this occur several times. Perhaps this situation needs to be addressed by those who can make the change?