This archive report was first published on 11 October 2019.
Published on October 11, 2019, a recent incident at the Limuru Country Club highlighted the issue of golfers abandoning rounds due to rain. World marathon record-holder Eliud Kipchoge's impressive speed was the inspiration for some golfers who bolted from the course in a hurry.
One group of golfers, who had a wager going, left their player with the highest chance of winning the bet looking dejected as he stood over his four-foot birdie attempt. His calls for his group to wait out the little rain were ignored as his fellow competitors were already in full flight back to the club house.
The Rules of Golf do not give rain alone as a justifiable reason to abandon a round of golf. In fact, golfers in the United Kingdom play a lot of golf in summer when it is very normal to have rainy days.
However, there are instances where golfers can justifiably abandon the game. One of them is when they reasonably believe that they are in danger of lightning. The Rules of Golf allow golfers to abandon the round if they feel that the threat is credible.
The competition committee is also required to suspend play if there is danger of lightning. Many clubs have sirens for suspension of play, but they are seldom checked for efficacy, especially during a storm when they would be most needed.
It is worth noting that in matchplay, players can agree to stop their match as long as they will not delay the tournament. However, this is not allowed during a strokeplay competition. Players who abandon the game on account of some rain cannot then return to continue playing.
As golfers, we should remember that a spit of rain is not an excuse to abandon a round of golf. Instead, we should follow the Rules of Golf and wait for the rain to stop or for the competition committee to suspend play.
