Role of the Committee

General Play

This section of the Member Club Corner is designed to outline what the Rules of Golf define as a Committee and what that may mean for General Play. Embedded in the duties of the Committee are explanations and examples of how they can be fulfilled.

The Rules of Golf define the Committee as the person or group in charge of a competition or the course. The Committee is essential to the proper playing of the game. Committees have the responsibility of running the course on a day-to-day basis or for a specific competition and they should always act in ways that support the Rules of Golf. The Official Guide to the Rules of Golf provides guidance to Committees in fulfilling this role. While many of the duties of a Committee are specific to running organized competitions, an important part of the Committee’s duties relates to its responsibility for the course during general or every day play.


General Play

Even when a competition is not being contested, it is still important for the Committee to ensure that the Rules of Golf can be followed by golfers playing casual rounds or playing their own competitions. This type of play is referred to as general play throughout the Committee Procedures. The duties of this Committee include:

  • Ensuring the course is properly marked (Section 2)
  • Establishing and displaying any Local Rules for general play (Section 3)
  • Establishing and enforcing Pace of Play and Code of Conduct guidelines (Section 4A)
  • Considering when to suspend play because of weather or other conditions (Section 4B)
  • Providing Rules support for players when they have a question regarding general play (Section 4C).