You haven’t finished your round when you hole out at the 18th – you must now deal with checking and returning your scorecard. Returning your score is an integral part of game but is also possibly the most frustrating way to be penalised or DQ’d if done incorrectly. You must return your card without “undue delay” so this should be the first job you do after leaving the 18th green. Also, once your card has been handed in it is “final” and cannot be changed.
As a Player, you are responsible for:
- making sure that your handicap (see clarification below) is correct
- the 18 individual hole scores
- that the marker has signed the card
- that you have signed the card
- returning the card to the committee (handing the card in)
As a Marker, you are responsible for:
- the 18 individual hole scores
- signing the card to attest that the 18 scores are correct
The Committee is responsible for:
- adding up / totalling the scores
- applying handicap strokes
- stableford scoring
- putting your name and date on the card (however if you hand in a card without a legible name on it, how are the committee to know whose card it is? So well worth printing your name on it if it hasn’t been done by the committee).
The World Handicap System (WHS) has 3 “handicaps” for a player – the Handicap Index, Course Handicap, and Playing Handicap so it is not obvious which of these needs to be correct within the Rules which only mention “handicap” in Rule 3.3b. Within England, Wales, and Ireland it has been clarified by CONGU (the handicapping body) to mean the Course Handicap – it may be different in different countries, but to be safe make sure all 3 handicaps are correct and on the scorecard in the relevant spaces.
Golf Rules Guru 
Always a contentious situation Stuart. The scorecard you present is perfect. If the marker has signed … all good for the competition. However, If you are unable to determine who the marker is (no Marker name) then this may not be acceptable for handicapping purposes. If the latter is true you may then question is the marker acceptable for the competition !
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An interesting thought Nigel. Most cards will, of course, have the markers name recorded (in this case as Player D) as well as the signature.
In the WHS the marker needs to be “a person acceptable to the Handicap Committee” – most often this is simply a golfer who has a handicap. Where there is a start sheet for a competition this eligibility would be easily checked even if the specific marker is not identifiable. More difficult with a roll-up competition (although maybe identifiable by the 18 markers scores) or general play card but this is perhaps where the “peer review” comes in if there is any suspicion that the score is not representative of the player’s ability. There also needs to be a level of trust in the integrity of the player – Rule 1.2a “All players are expected to play in the spirit of the game by acting with integrity”.
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