What to agree on before a casual round
Which rule should your group settle before anyone tees off?
Casual groups lose time on arguments they could have settled on the first tee. This list is those arguments. It is not the PDGA rules. If you are playing a sanctioned event, use the current competition manual instead.
Rank the decision that most often slows your group down. A group that never keeps score does not need a long talk about mulligans. A group that does will have the talk anyway.
Rank two options at a time. Leave out anything you cannot judge. You can share the result or, on a public list, add your order to the visitor tally.
4–8 options keeps it quick. Leave at least two checked. You can adjust the order at the end.
What is on this list
The order here is a starting shortlist, not a ranking. Notes are context so a group can tell similar options apart.
- How many holes
- How many holes: a course may be 9 or 18, and a casual group can stop at 6. Agree before the first drive, especially if someone has to be somewhere.
- Whether we keep score
- Whether you keep score changes the round. Stroke play is the usual casual method. If you are not keeping score, say so, so nobody is quietly competing.
- Lost-disc search time
- Lost-disc search time: two minutes is a common casual limit and it is also in the area of the official rule. Pick a time your group will actually honour.
- Mulligans off the first tee
- Mulligans off the first tee are a house rule. Tournaments do not give you one. If you allow them, say how many and on which tee.
- Where out-of-bounds is
- Where out-of-bounds is should be obvious from the course, and often is not. Roads, water, and tall grass need one sentence before they need an argument.
- Doubles or singles
- Doubles or singles: best-shot doubles is a different game from everyone playing their own lie. Choose before you throw, not after a good drive.
- Who tees first next
- Who tees first on the next hole: honour (last hole’s best score) or a fixed order. Either is fine. Switching unspoken is how groups talk over each other.
- When we stop for water
- When you stop for water is a real rule on a hot course. Pick a hole, not a moment when someone is already miserable.
Visitor rankings
Finish the pairs, then add your order from the results screen. Pickaside stores a random id in this browser and the order you submit. It does not ask for your name on a public list.
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Questions about this list
Is this the official rule set?
No. The PDGA publishes the official rules for competition. This page is for friends who want a shorter argument. If your group wants the official rule, say that out loud and then play it.
What is a mulligan here?
A do-over, usually off the first tee, that a casual group allows and a tournament does not. If you allow one, say whose tee and how many. If you do not, say that too.