Blakey On Tour, Vol. 2

Abraham Ancer, what a champion! All four rounds of the Saudi International he played so well, walking away as a very valid winner of the million-dollar first prize. The field was high-class and although there were erratic shots, the overall quality meant an excellent pace of play. For the second event running, our very own Lucas Herbert finished in 3rd following his position behind Rory McIlroy and Patrick Reed in Dubai. 

Today I am writing from Qatar and would like to share with you what the life of a golf referee looks like. I had nine rulings for the week, consisting of a few immovable obstructions, a large loose impediment, lead tape detaching from the club head, shallow tire tracks (relief denied), and a grown-over seam of cut turf (relief denied). This would be considered a reasonably slow week for a golf referee. 

Waking up 

The time the alarm goes off varies depending on when the first tee time is. Usually, we are required to get there at least 90 minutes before the first tee time, to ensure the practice range is set up, and we are available for players’ questions. We always have to consider the first tee time, sunrise time, how many players are competing, and how far away the accommodation is from the golf course.

Transport

Transport is always by bus. If the players/caddies, competition management, media, scoring, and possibly TV are all staying at the same hotel, then the bus will be large and there will be a couple per hour. Competition management and scoring are usually always on the first bus, with media getting a sleep-in until 7am bus (but not always).

Breakfast

This is very important in the enjoyment of our trip. The meals vary enormously depending on location, but for breakfast, you’re sure to find the standard buffet items with a few extras like sausages, cereal, and juice, which increases my personal ranking of that tour stop. 

Course Inspection

The start of any day on course for a golf referee will see us venture out onto the course for inspection in a cart. Generally, I prefer to walk the course as I get a better feel for the course and am less likely to miss something. However, with the weather above 26 degrees Celsius, and the humidity above 90%, walking is out of the question. Yes the players and caddies walk, so I really shouldn’t be complaining, but a lot of them wear shorts and aren’t at the course for 13 hours. 

When inspecting the course we are looking for interesting areas that may cause grief to the players, even just simple things like temporary water next to a cart path, or a penalty area that borders on the course boundary. Mainly we are looking for abnormal course conditions that need to be marked and immovable objects that can be removed prior to the start of play. Whilst out on course we often assist in drawing penalty areas or out-of-bounds lines, establishing placement for tee markers, and identifying hole locations.  We have to find four competition hole spots and a Tuesday and Wednesday (pro-am) hole spot too.

Lunch & Afternoon Inspection

Following the course inspection, we will be provided a buffet-style lunch, often showcasing some local cuisine. This is a great opportunity to rest, gauge jetlag (and sneak off for a power nap where possible) and catch up on emails before I return to the course for a final inspection of the specific holes, I cover each day. For the Saudi International, I was looking after holes 15,16,17 on Thursday and Friday, and then 7, 8, 9 on Saturday and Sunday. Once the course inspection has been completed, the cart is returned and we’re catching the 5pm bus back to the hotel. 

Competition Days

The days of actual competition look very similar, just without the inspection and instead alternative focuses. The day starts with cart collection. Then I go to the referee room to collect draw & timesheets for the day's play. The players will have specific times they need to have completed each hole by, and as referees, it is our job to ensure they maintain this required pace of play. Finally, I will attain any additional local or competition rules and a roster illustrating my location for the day. 

After sorting ourselves out in the morning, we are ready to get out on the golf course and make sure the players behave. Each referee has a specific role and/or zone for each day of play. Starting at the chief referee, who leads the management of the competition with local rules direction and roving the course throughout the day to manage the pace of play. Assisting the chief referee is usually a front nine rover and a back nine rover who work to monitor the pace of play. Finally, a number of referees will be placed on selections of approximately 3 holes for which they will make rules decisions.

Thursday and Friday are usually the most brutal, as they are full days of 120-156 players (depending on the sunlight hours and sponsors), and it is guaranteed that half of those players won’t make the cut, so that means a lot of ball searching, and rulings, and slow play. Saturday and Sunday only have half the players, the ones at the top half of the leaderboard, so although the golf is better, they tend to take their time a little bit much, so less ball searching but more pace of play monitoring.

And finally, on the Sunday afternoon, the winner will be crowned after shooting the lowest score for the week. They may even be crowned after a playoff. But what of the referees? We congratulate each other on a job well done, possibly talk about the good weather, the bad weather, the weather suspension, the pace of play, interesting rulings, etc. the general reflection on the event, and what we could do better for next time, with the one goal in mind - we are in the entertainment business, how do we make sure it is entertaining.

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