2004 #9 What does ‘Attest’ mean? And why should you do it?

The Scene:
You just shot your best round of the year on the Charger. You pull out your score card and ask the scorer in the other golf cart to attest it. She says, “Test what?” You say, “You know. You sign my card ‘attesting’ to the fact that my score is correct. Then I’ll sign it and turn it in.” She says, “No. You don’t need to do that. We don’t do that here.”

What would you do?
A. Insist that she sign your scorecard?
B.  Turn the scorecard in un-attested?

A is correct. 

Even if it makes her angry, she needs to sign your scorecard. If she doesn’t, you could be disqualified and that great score would never be posted.

Open your Rules of Golf book to the rule that lists the player’s responsibilities. Look under 6-6 in the two sections a and b. You will see:

Rule 6, THE PLAYER.
6-6a Recording Scores.
On completion of the round the marker shall sign the card and hand it to the competitor
6-6b Signing and Returning Card
He (the player) shall ensure that the marker has signed the card, countersign the card himself and return it to the Committee as soon as possible.

There is no penalty for a breach of 6-6a (no penalty for the marker) but the penalty for the player for a breach of 6-6b is DISQUALIFICATION!!!
So it is your responsibility to see that your card is signed and attested. If you turn in a card without both signatures you could be disqualified. In this  Niners group you probably wouldn’t be. But you could be. So get in the habit of doing it right and you’ll never have to worry about that
 
REMEMBER: After play, before handing in your scorecard, sign it yourself AND have it signed (attested) by the scorer in your group.