Observer
An observer is a person appointed by the committee who follows what happens on the course and reports facts to the referees without making rule decisions themselves.
The observer is the “outstretched hand” of the committee. They may draw players' attention to rule questions and pass incidents on to the responsible referee but do not decide themselves. This clear separation comes from the Rules of Golf: the referee decides, the observer supplies the facts. At large tournaments observers are deliberately posted on tricky holes or known trouble spots, for example at out of bounds lines that are hard to see.
In practice this happens unobtrusively. An example: your drive flies towards a clump of trees, and whether it has reached the Penalty Area cannot be seen from the tee. The observer posted there saw the point of impact and reports the position to the referee who has been called over. On this basis you receive the correct relief. The observer alone would not have been allowed to give you this information in a rule-binding way.
In everyday club life there are hardly any observers — there, fellow players take on this role on the side. That is also the essence of the game: golf lives on players reporting incidents themselves and counting honestly, even when nobody is watching. Whoever wants to clarify rule situations properly before a competition begins will find the right setting at their club's rules evening.
FAQ
May an observer give me a rule decision directly?
No. The observer only reports facts to the referee, for example the point of impact of your ball at an out of bounds you cannot see. The decision is made solely by the referee — the rulebook is expressly built on that.
Who takes on this role in a normal round without a tournament?
In everyday club life there are hardly any observers, so your fellow players step in. Golf lives on players reporting incidents themselves and counting honestly — even when nobody is watching.
What do I do if I have seen a rule situation but there is no observer around?
Speak to the player concerned and clarify the situation together according to the rules; if in doubt, play on with two balls and clarify with the club office after the round. That keeps the result correct without the round coming to a halt.