I was playing in a tournament and realized on the 8th hole that the slope feature on my distance measuring device was accidentally on and I had been using it the entire round up until that point. The Committee of the tournament disqualified me from the event and I thought it was only a two-stroke penalty. Were they right? 

The Ruling

Tom, mistakes happen by players and by committees in charge of a tournament, but sadly, in this scenario the Committee proceeded correctly. Under Rule 4.3a (1), a device to measure distance is allowed but any features that gauge elevation or slope must be turned off during the round. The first offense is the general penalty of two strokes but multiple uses (which you had) would result in disqualification.

The short version: To avoid going to Dairy Queen (being disqualified) in this scenario, always check your device before the start of your round and make sure any non-conforming features are turned off so you avoid being disqualified.