A lot of new players learn the rules by watching coverage of the pros playing in the sport’s biggest events. We see them marking their lie, taking relief, jump putting from outside the circle, and many times the commentators will discuss the rules as we see the action unfold on the screen.

But one thing that you won’t see very often on the Pro Tour, but which is unfortunately very common in other levels of competition, is a misplay.

In this episode of PDGA Rules School, we’ll be looking at several common types of misplays, as well as the penalties and procedures for misplays given in the Official Rules of Disc Golf (ORDG) section 811.

What is a misplay?

Generally speaking, a misplay has occurred any time a player has failed to complete every hole on the course correctly and in the proper order or has played from an incorrect lie for any throw.

Sometimes the entire group will misplay a hole, like playing to the wrong basket or throwing from the wrong tee, and sometimes it is only one player that will misplay a hole - like throwing from the wrong lie, or missing holes because they were late for their round.

In either case, regardless of whether a player was just following the lead of others in their group, the rules and penalties surrounding a misplay still apply. It is every player’s responsibility to play the course correctly.

Missing a Hole

When a player misses a hole, whether because they were late for their round or because the whole group accidentally skips a hole, they are assigned a score of par plus four for that hole.

The same penalty applies for a player that is absent at any point during the round for more than 30 seconds when it is their turn to throw.

Note: You can. request a bathroom break at any point during the round - but if you don’t return to play in a reasonable amount of time, the group can move on and consider you absent for that hole.

Incorrect Lie

If a player has thrown from an incorrect lie - whether this is playing from the wrong tee, throwing from another player’s disc on the fairway, playing an out-of-bounds disc as if it were in-bounds, or playing from a lie established by a disc that had missed a mandatory - how to proceed depends on when you catch the mistake.

If you figure it out right away, before you’ve thrown again, then you simply receive one penalty throw and resume play from the correct lie. If you’ve thrown at least once since the misplay, you just keep playing, but you receive two penalty throws.

Here’s a good example: let’s say you tee off from the wrong tee on a hole.  If you haven’t thrown again, your misplayed tee shot doesn’t count. You receive a penalty throw, and you need to make your second throw of the hole from the correct tee. If you’ve gone on to throw your upshot, you simply finish the hole as normal, but add two penalty throws to your score.

Incorrect Target

A similar rule applies when a player plays to the wrong target. If the mistake is discovered before teeing off on the next hole, then they can continue to play from the resulting lie (with no penalty throws), but if they have teed off on the next hole, then two penalty throws will be added to their score for the misplay.

Two penalty throws are also added to a player’s score if they play an extra hole during the round that is not part of the course, or if they play an incorrect hole in place of another hole.

Class Dismissed!

Of course, the best way to avoid misplays is to be prepared by knowing the rules and paying close attention to the caddie book and player’s meeting, and to be on-time for your round.

If you think you may have misplayed, always go to the Official Rules of Disc Golf first and read the applicable section in 811. They will help you understand how to handle the situation, take your penalty, and move on.

For more information visit the Official Rules of Disc Golf and be sure to check back each Thursday for a new installment of PDGA Rules School.

See you out on the course!