PDGA CERTIFIED RULES EXAM 280 ACTUAL
QUESTIONS AND CORRECT ANSWERS WITH
RATIONALE LATEST UPDATE ALREADY GRADED A+
1. You are playing on a disc golf course that co-exists with a golf course. You
throw a shot that comes to rest with your disc straddling a painted line around the
edge of a bunker. Standing behind the thrown disc and facing the target puts your
feet completely in the bunker. The rules sheet says "Bunkers are hazards, marked
with paint." What is the correct ruling?
A) Your disc is not clearly and completely surrounded by the hazard, 806.05.B, but
your resultant lie cannot be in the hazard, 802.07.A.3. You take up to a meter relief
from the line marking the hazard and mark a new lie there.
B) Your disc is not clearly and completely surrounded by the hazard, 806.05.B.
You throw from in the hazard without penalty.
C) Your disc has broken the hazard plane, 806.05.B. You take a penalty throw and
throw from in the hazard.
D) Your disc has broken the hazard plane, 806.05.B. You take a penalty throw but
get free optional relief back along the line of play.
Answer: C
Rationale: A hazard is defined as any area designated by the director where the
disc is not considered out-of-bounds. If any part of the disc is surrounded by the
hazard, it is considered to be in the hazard. The player takes a one-throw penalty
and plays from within the hazard .
2. Your group has thrown their drives on a hole where the fairway is short and
straightforward, but the target is placed on a 1.5m tall man-made mound covered in
artificial turf. All four of you are within the putting circle. The away player putts,
and their disc hits the catch tray, rolls, and is stopped by the player's own bag.
Another player in the group calls an interference penalty and looks over to you.
Should you second the call?
A) No, a disc that strikes something that isn't part of the course is played where it
first comes to rest, 810.C.
B) Yes, this is cheating and the player should be disqualified, Competition Manual
3.03.C.1.
,C) No, any interference with a player's own disc must be intentional, 810.E.
D) Yes, this is interference, 810.D.
Answer: D
Rationale: Rule 810.D states that if a thrown disc is stopped by a player or their
equipment, it is considered interference and the thrower receives a penalty throw.
The player's bag is considered their equipment, so this is a valid interference call .
3. You put your tee shot 4 meters from the target. Your putt hits the side of the
catch tray and rolls 35 meters down a hill and into a pond, quickly sinking beneath
the water. The rules sheet says "Pond OB." There is no drop zone. You know that
the best decision is to re-putt with a penalty, but another player in the group insists
you have to throw from down by the pond. What section(s) of the Official Rules of
Disc Golf support your claim?
A) Both 810.D and 809.01.A.
B) Both 806.02.D.1 and 812.B.1.b.
C) Both 806.02.D.1 and 809.01.A
D) 806.02.E.
Answer: C
Rationale: This situation is governed by two rules working together. Rule
806.02.D.1 states that when a disc goes out-of-bounds, the player plays from the
previous lie with a penalty throw. Rule 809.01.A allows a player to abandon a
throw at any time, with a one-throw penalty, and play from the previous lie.
Combined, these rules allow the player to re-putt from the previous lie with a
penalty, rather than playing from the location of the OB disc down by the pond .
4. A player in your group throws their second shot past the target and into thick,
deep rough. There's a white paint line between the cut grass of the fairway and the
rough. The rules sheet says "white paint lines mark OB rough." The disc is
nowhere to be found. The whole group agrees that the disc clearly landed in the
OB area. What next?
A) Because not being able to find your disc is punishment enough, the player
marks a new lie within a meter of where the disc was last seen with no penalty.
B) Because the group cannot locate the disc within three minutes, it is declared
lost, 805.03.A. The player receives a penalty throw and must throw from their
previous lie, 805.03.D.
C) Because the group agrees that the disc landed OB, it is OB, 806.02.A. However,
because the group cannot locate the disc within three minutes, it is declared lost,
805.03.A. The player takes two penalty strokes and returns to their previous lie.
D) Because the group agrees that the disc landed OB, it is not a lost disc, 806.02.C.
The group determines the point where the disc went out, and the player receives a
,penalty stroke and can play from an in-bounds lie placed within a meter of that
point in any direction, 806.02.D.
Answer: D
Rationale: When a disc is clearly out-of-bounds but cannot be found, the group can
agree on the point where it crossed the OB line. The disc is not considered lost
because its location is known (it is OB). The player takes a penalty stroke and
marks a lie within one meter of the OB line .
5. Your group walks up to a hole that is a blind, downhill, right to left shot. You
are teeing first. You throw a left-handed forehand shot that looks good, and your
card yells when you hear the disc hit metal. When you get down to the target, your
disc is stuck in the front of the target's tray. Did you complete the hole?
A) Yes. Your disc came to rest supported by the tray, 807.B.
B) Yes. No one saw the disc enter the target incorrectly, 807.B.
C) No. Your disc needed to enter the target between the bottom of the chain
support and the top of the catch tray, 807.C.
D) No, because less than half the disc is inside the tray, 807.B.
Answer: A
Rationale: Rule 807.B states that a disc that is supported by the tray of the target is
considered to have completed the hole. The disc does not need to be inside the
chains or the tray; being supported by the tray is sufficient .
6. Your disc lands completely inside a fenced-in area. The rules sheet says "inside
fence is out-of-bounds." What section of the Official Rules of Disc Golf has the
rule you need?
A) 806, Regulated Areas.
B) 802, Throwing.
C) 811, Misplay.
D) 803, Obstacles and Relief.
Answer: A
Rationale: Section 806 of the PDGA rules covers Regulated Areas, which includes
out-of-bounds and hazards. This is the correct section to consult when dealing with
OB areas .
7. Your drive lands in a creek about halfway to the target and immediately sinks to
the bottom and stays put. The rules sheet says "creek is casual water." What section
of the Official Rules of Disc Golf do you look at to figure out what to do next?
A) 809, Other Throws.
B) 803, Obstacles and Relief.
C) 805, Regulated Positions.
, D) 806, Regulated Areas.
Answer: A
Rationale: Section 809 covers Other Throws, which includes rules for casual water
relief. When a disc lands in casual water, the player is entitled to relief without
penalty .
8. The last player to tee on your thirteenth hole of the round gets aggressive on
their tee shot, which kicks into the woods. "I might want to abandon that throw,"
the player says, "but I will throw a provisional to save time so I don't have to walk
back up here." Before anyone says anything, the player throws a second shot that
flies cleanly down the fairway. When you walk down the fairway, the player's first
drive actually kicked out to the middle of the fairway, but the second drive went all
the way down to an OB creek. "OK, I'll take the first one," they say, and throw an
approach that lands under the target, and tap in their putt. They report a score of 3
on the hole: drive, upshot, and putt. What is their accurate score?
A) The player took a 4. In addition to their drive, upshot, and putt, their attempted
provisional did not meet the criteria because neither a rule nor the status of the disc
was in question, 809.02.B. They also did not announce an intent to abandon the
throw, 809.01.A. Therefore, their second drive was a practice throw, which is
disregarded and for which they receive a penalty throw, 809.03.B.
B) The player took a 3, just as they said. In addition to their drive, upshot, and putt,
they threw a provisional which was discarded when they deemed their first drive
the correct lie, 809.02.B.1.
C) The player took an 8. They drove, then abandoned the throw at the cost of a
penalty throw, 809.01.A. That shot went OB, which also incurred a penalty throw,
806.02.B. They then misplayed by throwing from an incorrect lie. Because they
threw again to hole out, that means they take two penalty throws for the misplay,
811.F.1.
D) The player is disqualified for wilfully circumventing the rules to gain a
competitive advantage, Competition Manual 3.03.C.1.
Answer: C
Rationale: The player's first throw was not abandoned because they did not
formally abandon it before throwing the second shot. The second shot was a
practice throw, which incurs a penalty. When they threw the second shot, it went
OB, which is another penalty. They then misplayed from the first throw's lie, and
because they continued to hole out, they incur penalties for the misplay. This
results in a much higher score .
9. Your group is waiting to throw on your fifth hole of the round while the group
ahead plays the hole, and two players in your group start playing catch with each
QUESTIONS AND CORRECT ANSWERS WITH
RATIONALE LATEST UPDATE ALREADY GRADED A+
1. You are playing on a disc golf course that co-exists with a golf course. You
throw a shot that comes to rest with your disc straddling a painted line around the
edge of a bunker. Standing behind the thrown disc and facing the target puts your
feet completely in the bunker. The rules sheet says "Bunkers are hazards, marked
with paint." What is the correct ruling?
A) Your disc is not clearly and completely surrounded by the hazard, 806.05.B, but
your resultant lie cannot be in the hazard, 802.07.A.3. You take up to a meter relief
from the line marking the hazard and mark a new lie there.
B) Your disc is not clearly and completely surrounded by the hazard, 806.05.B.
You throw from in the hazard without penalty.
C) Your disc has broken the hazard plane, 806.05.B. You take a penalty throw and
throw from in the hazard.
D) Your disc has broken the hazard plane, 806.05.B. You take a penalty throw but
get free optional relief back along the line of play.
Answer: C
Rationale: A hazard is defined as any area designated by the director where the
disc is not considered out-of-bounds. If any part of the disc is surrounded by the
hazard, it is considered to be in the hazard. The player takes a one-throw penalty
and plays from within the hazard .
2. Your group has thrown their drives on a hole where the fairway is short and
straightforward, but the target is placed on a 1.5m tall man-made mound covered in
artificial turf. All four of you are within the putting circle. The away player putts,
and their disc hits the catch tray, rolls, and is stopped by the player's own bag.
Another player in the group calls an interference penalty and looks over to you.
Should you second the call?
A) No, a disc that strikes something that isn't part of the course is played where it
first comes to rest, 810.C.
B) Yes, this is cheating and the player should be disqualified, Competition Manual
3.03.C.1.
,C) No, any interference with a player's own disc must be intentional, 810.E.
D) Yes, this is interference, 810.D.
Answer: D
Rationale: Rule 810.D states that if a thrown disc is stopped by a player or their
equipment, it is considered interference and the thrower receives a penalty throw.
The player's bag is considered their equipment, so this is a valid interference call .
3. You put your tee shot 4 meters from the target. Your putt hits the side of the
catch tray and rolls 35 meters down a hill and into a pond, quickly sinking beneath
the water. The rules sheet says "Pond OB." There is no drop zone. You know that
the best decision is to re-putt with a penalty, but another player in the group insists
you have to throw from down by the pond. What section(s) of the Official Rules of
Disc Golf support your claim?
A) Both 810.D and 809.01.A.
B) Both 806.02.D.1 and 812.B.1.b.
C) Both 806.02.D.1 and 809.01.A
D) 806.02.E.
Answer: C
Rationale: This situation is governed by two rules working together. Rule
806.02.D.1 states that when a disc goes out-of-bounds, the player plays from the
previous lie with a penalty throw. Rule 809.01.A allows a player to abandon a
throw at any time, with a one-throw penalty, and play from the previous lie.
Combined, these rules allow the player to re-putt from the previous lie with a
penalty, rather than playing from the location of the OB disc down by the pond .
4. A player in your group throws their second shot past the target and into thick,
deep rough. There's a white paint line between the cut grass of the fairway and the
rough. The rules sheet says "white paint lines mark OB rough." The disc is
nowhere to be found. The whole group agrees that the disc clearly landed in the
OB area. What next?
A) Because not being able to find your disc is punishment enough, the player
marks a new lie within a meter of where the disc was last seen with no penalty.
B) Because the group cannot locate the disc within three minutes, it is declared
lost, 805.03.A. The player receives a penalty throw and must throw from their
previous lie, 805.03.D.
C) Because the group agrees that the disc landed OB, it is OB, 806.02.A. However,
because the group cannot locate the disc within three minutes, it is declared lost,
805.03.A. The player takes two penalty strokes and returns to their previous lie.
D) Because the group agrees that the disc landed OB, it is not a lost disc, 806.02.C.
The group determines the point where the disc went out, and the player receives a
,penalty stroke and can play from an in-bounds lie placed within a meter of that
point in any direction, 806.02.D.
Answer: D
Rationale: When a disc is clearly out-of-bounds but cannot be found, the group can
agree on the point where it crossed the OB line. The disc is not considered lost
because its location is known (it is OB). The player takes a penalty stroke and
marks a lie within one meter of the OB line .
5. Your group walks up to a hole that is a blind, downhill, right to left shot. You
are teeing first. You throw a left-handed forehand shot that looks good, and your
card yells when you hear the disc hit metal. When you get down to the target, your
disc is stuck in the front of the target's tray. Did you complete the hole?
A) Yes. Your disc came to rest supported by the tray, 807.B.
B) Yes. No one saw the disc enter the target incorrectly, 807.B.
C) No. Your disc needed to enter the target between the bottom of the chain
support and the top of the catch tray, 807.C.
D) No, because less than half the disc is inside the tray, 807.B.
Answer: A
Rationale: Rule 807.B states that a disc that is supported by the tray of the target is
considered to have completed the hole. The disc does not need to be inside the
chains or the tray; being supported by the tray is sufficient .
6. Your disc lands completely inside a fenced-in area. The rules sheet says "inside
fence is out-of-bounds." What section of the Official Rules of Disc Golf has the
rule you need?
A) 806, Regulated Areas.
B) 802, Throwing.
C) 811, Misplay.
D) 803, Obstacles and Relief.
Answer: A
Rationale: Section 806 of the PDGA rules covers Regulated Areas, which includes
out-of-bounds and hazards. This is the correct section to consult when dealing with
OB areas .
7. Your drive lands in a creek about halfway to the target and immediately sinks to
the bottom and stays put. The rules sheet says "creek is casual water." What section
of the Official Rules of Disc Golf do you look at to figure out what to do next?
A) 809, Other Throws.
B) 803, Obstacles and Relief.
C) 805, Regulated Positions.
, D) 806, Regulated Areas.
Answer: A
Rationale: Section 809 covers Other Throws, which includes rules for casual water
relief. When a disc lands in casual water, the player is entitled to relief without
penalty .
8. The last player to tee on your thirteenth hole of the round gets aggressive on
their tee shot, which kicks into the woods. "I might want to abandon that throw,"
the player says, "but I will throw a provisional to save time so I don't have to walk
back up here." Before anyone says anything, the player throws a second shot that
flies cleanly down the fairway. When you walk down the fairway, the player's first
drive actually kicked out to the middle of the fairway, but the second drive went all
the way down to an OB creek. "OK, I'll take the first one," they say, and throw an
approach that lands under the target, and tap in their putt. They report a score of 3
on the hole: drive, upshot, and putt. What is their accurate score?
A) The player took a 4. In addition to their drive, upshot, and putt, their attempted
provisional did not meet the criteria because neither a rule nor the status of the disc
was in question, 809.02.B. They also did not announce an intent to abandon the
throw, 809.01.A. Therefore, their second drive was a practice throw, which is
disregarded and for which they receive a penalty throw, 809.03.B.
B) The player took a 3, just as they said. In addition to their drive, upshot, and putt,
they threw a provisional which was discarded when they deemed their first drive
the correct lie, 809.02.B.1.
C) The player took an 8. They drove, then abandoned the throw at the cost of a
penalty throw, 809.01.A. That shot went OB, which also incurred a penalty throw,
806.02.B. They then misplayed by throwing from an incorrect lie. Because they
threw again to hole out, that means they take two penalty throws for the misplay,
811.F.1.
D) The player is disqualified for wilfully circumventing the rules to gain a
competitive advantage, Competition Manual 3.03.C.1.
Answer: C
Rationale: The player's first throw was not abandoned because they did not
formally abandon it before throwing the second shot. The second shot was a
practice throw, which incurs a penalty. When they threw the second shot, it went
OB, which is another penalty. They then misplayed from the first throw's lie, and
because they continued to hole out, they incur penalties for the misplay. This
results in a much higher score .
9. Your group is waiting to throw on your fifth hole of the round while the group
ahead plays the hole, and two players in your group start playing catch with each
