At the end of a golf round, the group of players in the round (usually 2 or 3 players) typically walk into an office and sit in front of a desk to certify their scores. This is usually only shown when a group containing the presumptive winner completes its round.
What specifically is being checked here? Do all 2 or 3 golfers go through each hole and confirm their score? Are the golfers expected to remember their score for each hole, or can they rely on their score card? Are the other golfers in the group required to keep the scores of their playing partner(s)? As far as I know, cameras don’t record every stroke for every player in every round, so I doubt it’s a video review.
The reason I ask is that the process seems to take a lot longer than it should.
This is just a guess, but maybe it’s to ensure there is agreement on scoring from all of the players involved, and to iron out any discrepancies. Of course for a major tournament isn’t there an official score keeper at each hole keeping an official score?
The PGA and LPGA have the rule that a player must sign their scorecard after the round is completed, and the scorecard must be accurate. There have been a few instances where a player signed an incorrect scorecard, and it cost that player dearly.
The most famous error of this sort was in the 1968 Master’s, when Roberto de Vicenzo signed an incorrect scorecard. It cost him a chance at a playoff, and he finished in second place.
Which golfer once lost the Masters by signing an incorrect scorecard? - The Brassie
One of their playing partners keeps their official score, note, as the linked article on the 1968 Masters indicates. They basically check their own (unofficial) tally with that of their partner. If the score turns out to be higher than it should be, the higher score stands; if lower, they are promptly disqualified. The article incorrectly says de Vicenzo was disqualified-he had to be satisfied with finishing second instead.
The PGA Tour now gives player a 15 minute grace period to fix such mistakes.
Good catch…I didn’t notice that in the article. I should have linked a more accurate cite.
There used to be a pernicious catch-22, where a player signed for what they honestly thought they shot, only to be informed after said signage that they had unknowingly committed a penalty at some point–and were promptly disqualified for signing an incorrect scorecard which was too low. They got rid of that awhile back too. [2018]
My understanding is that the official scores are, in fact, the ones kept by the players on their scorecards.
In that case, getting everyone in the group to agree on the scoring is probably something they have to go through after each round.
Yes, and that’s what the OP described, and has been further detailed by other posters. After a group finishes the 18th hole, they go into the clubhouse, and go over their own scorecards, double-checking what they have for their own scores with what their playing partner(s) recorded for each hole, before signing their own scorecards to make them official.
Unless there is some discrepancy, it’s a process that takes no more than a couple of minutes.