Over the past few months I have answered far more questions than can be posted on the blog. Usually I pick the longer answers to post, but today I thought wouldn’t it be fun to add 10 short answers to one post.

I hope you enjoy reading these rules of golf questions and answers.

#1 RULES OF GOLF QUESTION:

“My ball lands in grass cuttings that have been left in the rough ( may be even a pile of leaves left by the green keeper )

Can I play from where it is or do I get relief?”

#1 RULES OF GOLF ANSWER:

“I will do my best to give you a complete answer to your question but there is not sufficient information to be absolutely definite. Whether you can obtain free relief or not depends on whether the grass/leaves are “material piled for removal by a greenkeeper”. If they are, then the player can obtain free relief in the same way as from ground under repair or casual water (see Definition of Ground Under Repair and Rule 25-1b). If however, it is obvious that the grass/leaves are not going to be removed by a greenkeeper, then the player can remove as much of the material as he can surrounding the ball, providing he does not move his ball, as they are loose impediments. Obviously, he will not be able to remove any grass/leaves that lie under the ball. If he does cause his ball to move while clearing the loose impediments, he is penalised one stroke and must replace his ball in the same place, with the same lie (i.e. on the grass/leaves).”

#2 RULES OF GOLF QUESTION:

“Within the rules of golf it is allowed for a player to ask his opponent what club he used after both players have played their shots.

Is there a requirement for the opponent to answer?

Is there any penalty if he refuses?”

#2 RULES OF GOLF ANSWER:

“You are right in saying that a player may ask another player what club they have just played, providing they have both played their shots and the information will not influence the player in determining the choice of club for his/her next stroke. There is nothing in the Rules requiring a player to answer such a question and therefore there is no penalty for refusing to answer. Personally, I would rather not exchange this information as I tend to take more club than most players and would rather keep that fact to myself.”

#3 RULES OF GOLF QUESTION:

“My young mate was awaiting his turn to putt while his parteners played their shots when he accidently dropped his putter on the green the handle striking his ball causing it to move a couple of inches.

What is the penalty, if any?”

#3 RULES OF GOLF ANSWER:

“He incurs a penalty of one stroke under Rule 18-2a(ii) “equipment of the player or his partner causes the ball to move”. An important point is that he must replace the ball where it was at rest when his putter moved it, or he would be penalised a total of two strokes for causing his ball to move and then playing from the wrong place.”

#4 RULES OF GOLF QUESTION:

“Can you help me with the following rule. I play golf in Spain most of the winter months. The following rule applies in Spain. I was playing in Portugal last week and had this problem. My ball finished close to a buggy path. I was standing on the path to play the shot. The local rule states one club length of the nearest point of relief not nearer the hole. I used my 3 wood to measure, the club I used to play the shot. The measurement took me out of the rough on to the fairway. My Irish competitor would not accept this rule and stated I had to drop the ball in the rough.

Please let me know the ruling.”

#4 RULES OF GOLF ANSWER:

“You were correct and your Irish friend was wrong. In dropping away from the path, an immovable obstruction, you were taking relief under Rule 24-2b(i), which says “If the ball lies through the green, the player must lift the ball and drop it, without penalty, within one club-length of and not nearer the hole than the nearest point of relief. The nearest point of relief must not be in a hazard or on a putting green. When the ball is dropped within one club-length of the nearest point of relief, the ball must first strike a part of the course at a spot that avoids interference by the immovable obstruction and is not in a hazard and not on a putting green.

In your case the nearest point of relief was favourable to your next stroke, however, in many cases, the nearest point of relief may put you in a worse position (e.g. in longer grass, or behind a bush). The thing to remember is that the drop must be within one club length of the ‘nearest’ point of relief and not the ‘nicest’ point of relief.”

#5 RULES OF GOLF QUESTION:

“I play in Arizona and we have some dry creek or what are called washes. These areas are yellow staked and spray painted. Some of these hazards have never seen the hint of water. My question is since you are allowed to hit from a water hazard, can you hit from a dry creek or wash that is yellow staked without penalty?”

#5 RULES OF GOLF ANSWER:

“Yes, the fact that these areas are defined by yellow stakes and lines means that they are to be treated as water hazards under the Rules. The player may therefore play the ball as it lies within the hazard but must not test the condition of the hazard, touch the ground in the hazard with his hand or a club, or touch or move a loose impediment lying in or touching the hazard (Rule 13-4 Ball in Hazard – Prohibited Actions).”

#6 RULES OF GOLF QUESTION:

“What are the obtions when a ball is unplayable in a bunker?”

#6 RULES OF GOLF ANSWER:

“When a player deems his unplayable in a bunker the options are exactly the same as for a ball unplayable anywhere else on the course (except that this relief under penalty of one stroke is not available when the ball is in a water hazard);

a. Play a ball as nearly as possible at the spot from which the original ball was last played (see Rule 20-5); or

b. Drop a ball behind the point where the ball lay, keeping that point directly between the hole and the spot on which the ball is dropped, with no limit to how far behind that point the ball may be dropped; or

c. Drop a ball within two club-lengths of the spot where the ball lay, but not nearer the hole.

However, if the player proceeds under Clause b or c, the ball must be dropped in the bunker.”

#7 RULES OF GOLF QUESTION:

“Here’s one that happened while playing recently. We were all on the green and marking our balls while the man furthest from the hole was lining up his putt. A ball marker was in his line so he asked that it be moved over. The second player, using his putter blade as a guide moved the marker one blade length to the left. When it became his turn to putt, the second player, instead of replacing his ball one blade length to the right, placed it one further blade length to the left in error and putted from there.

What is the penalty for this?”

#7 RULES OF GOLF ANSWER:

“Decision 20-7c/1 provides the answer to your question;

Q. In stroke play, a competitor in replacing his ball on the putting green inadvertently put the ball in a wrong place nearby and holed out. The error was then discovered and the competitor put his ball in the right place and holed out. What is the ruling?

A. The score with the ball played from the wrong place counts and the competitor must add two penalty strokes to that score (Rule 16-1b or 20-3a and Rule 20-7c).

The competitor incurs no penalty for having putted from the right place after holing out from a wrong place.”

#8 RULES OF GOLF QUESTION:

“A friend of mine lost the match play tournament because his opponent called a penalty for unintentionally tossing his club into a sand trap. Is this an infraction? In my opinion, this would fall under the exceptions clause for rule 13-4?”

#8 RULES OF GOLF ANSWER:

“In my opinion your friend should clearly not have been penalised. As you point out Exception 1b to Rule 13-4 specifically says that a player may place his clubs in a hazard. The fact that he unintentionally tossed his club into the hazard means that he was definitely not doing so in order to test the condition of the hazard.

Of course, as it was match play, your friend should have made a claim if he did not agree with the penalty called on him. The correct procedure is that he must notify his opponent (i) that he is making a claim, (ii) of the facts of the situation and (iii) that he wants a ruling. The claim must be made before he, or his opponent plays from the next teeing ground or, in the case of the last hole of the match, before all players in the match leave the putting green.”

#9 RULES OF GOLF QUESTION:

“Whilst playing a medal round with two other guys we completed the eigth hole and I recorded a 6 for myself. On reaching the tenth tee the guy marking my card informed me he believed I had putted a moving ball and had added a two shot penalty. Having not said anything on the green or next tee I was angry and flabbergasted. I know in match play you have to make the
rules objection before playing the next hole but I wasnt sure about medal play?

Can you help?”

#9 RULES OF GOLF ANSWER:

“In stroke play, penalties can be applied to a player’s score any time before the score card being agreed and signed by the player and the marker and returned to the Committee.

Naturally, it would have been more appropriate for your marker to advise you that he thought that you had incurred a penalty as soon as he witnessed it, but it is not mandatory.”

#10 RULES OF GOLF QUESTION:

“A player is on a course which has a local rule giving preferred lie of one clublength (not closer to the hole) on the fairway in play. The ball comes to rest on the fairway in play, a few cm From the edge of the fairway. Since one clublength movement is allowed, the player moves his ball, placing it just off the fairway on some nice tufty grass. Has he breached the local rule, and is he liable for a two stroke penalty?”

#10 RULES OF GOLF ANSWER:

“Since your question refers to a Local Rule there is no definitive answer from the Rules of Golf as it depends how the Local Rule is worded. However, if the Local Rule follows the recommended wording in the specimen for Preferred Lies and Winter Rules in Appendix 1, Part B, 4c, then the player is entitled to place his ball off the closely mown area, not nearer the hole, within the specified limit (in this case one club length)without incurring a penalty.

The first part of the specimen Rule reads: “A ball lying on a closely mown area through the green may be lifted without penalty and cleaned. Before lifting the ball, the player must mark its position. Having lifted the ball, he must place it on a spot within [specify area, e.g., six inches, one club-length, etc.] of and not nearer the hole than where it originally lay, that is not in a hazard and not on a putting green.

It would be highly unusual for a Committee to restrict the placing of the ball to the closely mown area (i.e. fairway).”

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