Holing Out

[CEValkyrie]

I saw a player this weekend not mark his disc, pick it up, then slap the chains and walk away. If you are going to use the same disc you must mark your disc and place it in the basket even if it's directly under the basket.

Here is the rule.
A. A player who fails to play any hole or fails to hole out on any hole during the round may be disqualified, at the discretion of the director, using the following guidelines:

(2) Inadvertently failing to hole out (as determined by a majority of the group or an official) shall result in 2 penalty throws being added to the number of throws plus penalty throws already taken on the hole. The hole shall then be considered completed.


B. Disc Entrapment Devices: In order to hole out, the thrower must release the disc and it must come to rest supported by the chains or within one of the entrapment sections. This includes a disc wedged into or hanging from the lower entrapment section but excludes a disc resting on top of, or hanging outside of, the upper entrapment section. The disc must also remain within the chains or entrapment sections until removed.

[Jon Brakel]

When I am that close, I take out whatever disc I want to introduce to the basket, leave my thrown disc on the ground, take a stance behind the disc on the ground, take the disc in my hand, place it gently in the bottom of the basket, pull my empty hand out, and then reach back in and get my disc. This process takes about 4 seconds.

I had a guy who played with me the second round at IOS #2 who offered to hand me my disc because I "was close enough." I declined and putted out using the method above while Damon pointed out that what the guy suggested was against the rules.

[Bruce Brakel]

I let a woman in my group get away with the slapping the chains routine.  If either of the other two women had cared, I would have backed them up on the call, but it was not my division, and everyone in the division was in the group.

[Chainmeister]

Its not just a rules technicality, its a good way to keep your head in the game.  Bad hole, slap chains, worse hole next.  Put 'er in the basket, get your head on and play the next hole!  I've had plenty of experience with @#$^* holes and find this helps.

[Clonefan94]

Well, rules are rules, so during tournament play they should be followed, plain and simple. Plus I agree with what Chainmeister says. You should finish out just to keep your head in the game. I play with a couple of guys who always just go up and pick up my disc and hand it to me if I'm within 5 feet or so. I don't really say anything, but, it does aggrevate me. I like to actually finish. I find the more they do that, the less I focus on putting as the round goes on. Then, when they finally let me shoot that 10 footer, bam I do a half ass job of putting and bounce it off the lower basket. I'm not really a rules Nazi, I just like to play by them for myself. It's really the only way to judge weather or not you I am improving. And for me concentration is a big part of what I need to improve on.

Plus, I think the real focus on this rule is to prevent any unscrupulous behavior. This way, there is no gimme length that's allowed. No matter what you have to putt it in. Any other way and you could be cheating the length of gimme putts and also making it a real pain for officials having to come measure, "Was he close enough to just slap the chains or not?" "His arms are longer than mine!"

IS this discussed in the players meetings? Maybe there should be some emphasis on it next time so everyone is clear on the matter.