PDGA Certified Rules Exam Questions and Answers

Question 1 of 25 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? - ANS 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 Question 2 of 25 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? - ANS 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 Question 3 of 25 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? - ANS 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 Question 4 of 25 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? - ANS 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. Question 5 of 25 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? - ANS 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 Question 6 of 25 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? - ANS A. 806, Regulated Areas. B. 802, Throwing. C. 811, Misplay. D. 803, Obstacles and Relief Answer A Question 7 of 25 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? - ANS A. 809, Other Throws. B. 803, Obstacles and Relief. C. 805, Regulated Positions. D. 806, Regulated Areas. Answer A Question 8 of 25 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? - ANS 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? Question 9 of 25 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 other, using one of their putters, from 3 meters apart. What section of the Official Rules of Disc Golf has the rule you need? - ANS A. 809, Other Throws. B. 806, Regulated Areas C. 812, Courtesy. D. 802, Throwing. Answer C. Question 10 of 25 Three of the four members of your group are ready at the tee when the start signal is given. All three of you have clean drives. Two of you have sunk your birdie putts and the third player is lining theirs up when the fourth player shows up, out of breath. "Sorry I'm late," they say. "Should I go throw my drive and catch up?" What's the answer? - ANS A. No, the player should come back and play the hole at the end of the round, taking two penalty strokes per 811.F.4. B. No, the player was absent under 811.F.5. They receive par plus four and will begin play on the next hole. C. Yes, there's no rule discussing this and fairness dictates that they get to play if they show up before the hole is over, 801.01.A. D. Yes, the player can just say they were in the bathroom for a reasonable time and throw from the tee without penalty, 802.03.C. Answer B. Question 11 of 25 You are playing a disc golf course that co-exists with a golf course. A player in your group throws a tee shot that lands in a bunker. The rules sheet says "Bunkers are hazards." What section of the Official Rules of Disc Golf has the rule you need? - ANS A. 804, Regulated Routes. B. 803, Obstacles and Relief. C. 806, Regulated Areas. D. 811, Misplay. Answer C. Question 12 of 25 During the first round of a B-Tier, the caddie for a player in your group takes large, frequent sips of an unknown liquid from an insulated water bottle. It becomes apparent quickly that the liquid is some kind of alcohol. You see the TD standing near the target of a nearby hole and wave them over. The TD questions the caddie, who admits they were drinking rum and cola for the entire round. The course is owned by a local distillery, who allows consumption of their products, including the rum in question, on their property. What is the result? - ANS A. Because the venue permits the consumption of alcohol and because the caddie is not a player, there's nothing to be done unless the venue chooses to eject them for being too intoxicated, Competition Manual 1.14.C.4. B. Public display or use of alcohol is prohibited, Competition Manual 3.03.B.5. However, the TD can allow the player to finish the round with a warning and continue playing the event, as long as they have a different caddie or no caddie for the next round. C. Public display or use of alcohol at a B-Tier is a mandatory disqualification, Competition Manual 3.03.C.4. Because caddie behavior also applies to the player, 3.05.C, the player and caddie are both disqualified from the event. D. Because no player made a call, there is nothing the TD can do, even if a rule was broken, 801.02.A. Answer C Question 13 of 25 The hole your group is playing has a target close to a drainage culvert that extends into the side of a hill. Your tee shot flies past the target and straight into the culvert. Your group can see the disc about a meter and a half inside. What is your next move? - ANS A. You cannot reach your lie, so you need to abandon the throw and re-tee, 809.01.A. B. Mark a lie directly above the position of the thrown disc on the playing surface, 805.01.C. C. You cannot reach your lie, so the disc is lost and you must re-tee, 805.03.D. D. You must do everything you can to squeeze into the culvert behind your disc, 803.01.A, or else take par plus four, 811.F.3. Answer B Question 14 of 25 Your four-person group is playing a hole where the target is raised on a long pole, so the catch tray is about 2 meters above the playing surface. A player in your group throws a tee shot that lands directly at the base of the pole. When the player arrives at their lie, they jump up into the air and dunk their putter into the target like a ball. The putter comes to rest in the catch tray, and the player lands behind their thrown disc and demonstrates balance. The third player in your group says "foot fault," a common term for a stance violation under 802.07, and the fourth player says "yup, I agree." What's the result? - ANS A. Because the player did not have any supporting points in contact with their lie when they released the disc, they committed a stance violation, 802.07.A.1, which was called and seconded, 801.02.E. The player has completed the hole in three total throws, counting the penalty stroke. B. Because the player did not have any supporting points in contact with their lie when they released the disc, they committed a stance violation, 802.07.A.2, which was called and seconded, 801.02.E. However, because this was the player's first offense, they only receive a warning, and must re-putt without penalty. C. Because the player never had any points of contact in front of their lie and demonstrated balance, 806.01.B, there is no penalty. The player has completed the hole in two throws. D. Because the player never had any points of contact in front of their lie and demonstrated balance, 806.01.B, there is no penalty for a stance violation. However, the player could be called for illegal throwing motion under 802.01 and disqualified from the event. Answer A Question 15 of 25 Your group is walking up to your lies. You're all about 50-60 feet from the target. The away player steps up to their lie and spends about 5 seconds rangefinding the distance, and then starts their putting routine. After 10 seconds, they stop and say "sorry, bird distracted me." They take a breath and reset, go back into their routine, and after 15 seconds, they stop and say "sorry, a bug flew in my peripheral vision." They take a breath and reset, and go back into their routine. After 15 more seconds, they throw, and another player in the group says "excessive time." Should you second? - ANS A. No, the player who called it needed to start the clock and count, 802.03.A. B. Yes, the player has taken 45 seconds already with the playing area clear, 802.03.A. C. No, penalizing players ruins the vibe of the card, 801.02.B. D. Yes, but for use of a rangefinder, not for excessive time, 813.02.A. Answer B Question 16 of 25 You throw your tee shot, which strikes a tree about halfway down the fairway and disappears from view. The rules sheet has no notes for the hole. When your group gets down to the area where your disc was last seen, it's nowhere to be found. What happens next? - ANS A. You may look for your disc as long as you're not impeding play, 802.03. If the group behind you catches up to you, you must search for no more than three minutes, 805.03.A, before re-teeing, throwing three, 805.03.C. B. The whole group must help you search for no more than three minutes, 805.03.A&B. If the disc is not found, you must take a penalty throw and re-tee, throwing three, 805.03.D. C. If you cannot find the disc, your group must agree on a lie from which you will keep playing the hole, 805.03.D. You do not receive a penalty throw, because losing a disc is punishment enough. D. The fact that you can lose a disc is proof that the course was improperly prepped. The Event Director must throw out the scores for that hole for all competitors, 811.F.6. Answer B Question 17 of 25 Your group is playing a hole where there is a small pond with slippery footing on a 2 meter slope leading up to the fairway from the pond's edge. A player in your group throws a tee shot which skips and rolls into the pond. When they go to mark their lie and retrieve their disc, they fall down twice because of the bad footing. The rules sheet only says "pond OB." Can the player give themselves better footing? - ANS A. Yes, the player may take optional relief as far back along the line of play as they wish without penalty, 803.02.E. B. Yes, the lie is unplayable, and the player may throw from the first available safe lie as determined by the group, 803.02.A. C. No, the player must play the disc within a one-meter line of where it was last in bounds, 806.02.D.2. D. No, the player must stand in the pond as close as possible to where the disc ended up, holding their breath if necessary, 800. Answer A Question 18 of 25 You're walking up to your drive, and you see that it's surrounded by angry, swarming yellowjackets. Do you have to play the throw as it lies? - ANS A. Yes, and you get two penalty throws for disturbing the yellowjackets because they are part of the course, 803.03.A. B. No, but only if you're allergic to yellowjacket stings, 801.01.A. C. Yes, playing the disc as it lies is a fundamental part of disc golf, 800. D. No, you get relief from harmful insects, 803.02.A. Answer D Question 19 of 25 A player in your group has a difficult, blind upshot around dense foliage. The player grabs a disc and a towel and walks around the foliage to see the target, points one arm to the target and one to their lie, and places the towel on the ground. The player returns to their lie, lines their shot up with the towel, and throws around the foliage, landing 3 meters from the target. This all happens within 30 seconds of the player arriving at their lie. What section of the Official Rules of Disc Golf covers the violation the player has committed? - ANS A. 803, Obstacles and Relief. B. 812, Courtesy. C. 805, Regulated Positions. D. 813, Equipment. Answer D Question 20 of 25 Your group is playing significantly faster than the group in front of you. Can you play through? - ANS A. Yes, but only if the entire group gives you their permission, 802.02.E. B. No. You may never play through the group ahead of you during tournament play, 812.A. C. No. You may only play through the group ahead of you if they are standing by for a rules appeal or if your group is directed to do so by a Tournament Official, 802.02.G. D. Yes, this is a simple and basic rule of disc golf etiquette, 800. Answer C Question 21 of 25 You are lining up your second throw on a par 4. The approach to the target is a tricky bend to the left, with white paint lines at the fairway's edge and a marked tree directly at the corner of the OB. The rules sheet says "White lines mark OB areas. Mandatory: discs that pass left of marked tree have missed the mandatory. Marked drop zone for missed mandatory." You throw your shot, which crosses OB, clearly passes on the wrong side of the mandatory, crosses back in-bounds, but finishes OB. What determines the correct ruling? - ANS A. That the disc finished clearly and completely surrounded by OB, 806.02.B. B. That the disc passed on the incorrect side of the mandatory, 804.01.C. C. Whatever results in the most penalty throws, 802.02.H. D. Whichever lie is more favorable, 801.01.A. Answer B Question 22 of 25 You're playing a course where a few holes play through picnic areas in the woods. A player in your group throws an off-target upshot that hits a few trees and ends up under a picnic table. The player tries to take a legal stance, but is unable to do so. Then the player picks up one end of the picnic table and rotates it until they can take a comfortable and legal stance behind the thrown disc. Do they incur a penalty? - ANS A. No, players can move obstacles that impede a legal stance, 803.03.A. B. Yes, two penalty throws for damaging the course, 803.03.A. C. Yes, one penalty throw for moving an obstacle on the course, 803.01.C. D. Yes, a misplay under 811.F.1 because they should have taken relief under 803.02, but how many penalty throws depends on whether they throw again before realizing their mistake. Answer C Question 23 of 25 Your group is on the last hole of the tournament. You have completed the hole, and your rival needs to make their putt to tie you. They release the putt and it lands neatly on top of the target. Did you beat them? - ANS A. No. Marking on the playing surface below the thrown disc would put their lie in the tray, 805.01.C, so the hole is complete, 807.A. B. Yes. Their disc came to rest over 2 meters above the playing surface, 805.02.B. They need to mark their lie with a penalty and complete the hole. C. No. Their disc came to rest supported by the target, so the hole is complete, 807.A. D. Yes. Their disc did not come to rest supported by the tray or the chains below the chain support, 807.B. They need to mark their lie and complete the hole. Answer D Question 24 of 25 Your group is playing a hole with an island green, surrounded by out-of-bounds (OB). The rules sheet says "discs that do not come to rest on the island must proceed to marked drop zone with penalty." You throw your drive, but it's hard to tell whether your disc landed on the island or not. As your group advances down the fairway, approaching the drop zone, you still aren't sure whether your disc is on the island or not. You don't want to walk down to the island, only to have to walk back if you landed out-of-bounds. What can you do instead? - ANS A. Concede that your disc did not land in the island and proceed to play from the drop zone with a throw penalty, 811.F.1. B. Declare a provisional in the interest of saving time, 809.02.B.1, and throw that provisional from the drop zone as long as your group agrees that it may save time. C. If your disc is not on the island, play it as it lies with a penalty throw to save time, 806.05.C. D. There is nothing you can do. You have to determine where your disc came to rest first, 805.01.A. Answer B Question 25 of 25 Your drive hits a cedar tree and immediately gets stuck. When you walk up to the tree, there's a pole leaning on it that you can use to get your disc down. You notice it has a marking on it showing where 2 meters is. You mark your lie directly under the front edge of the disc on the playing surface. When you get your disc down, it's clearly up higher than 2 meters. The rules sheet has no notes for the hole, but has a few notes about the two meter rule for various trees and holes elsewhere on the course. Are you assessed a penalty? - ANS A. Yes, the presence of the marked pole indicates that the two-meter rule applies to that tree. B. No, the two-meter rule was abolished by the PDGA in 2006. C. Yes, the two-meter rule applies everywhere if it applies anywhere, 805.02.A. D. No, the two-meter rule is only in effect where the TD specifies, if at all, 805.02.A. Answer D