Archive for the USGA Category


In Breach Of Rule 13-4a

Recently I received this question referring to Rule 13-4a, and thought it would be useful to share my reply with everyone: RULES OF GOLF QUESTION: “My ball is laying in the centre and to one end of a bunker.The bunker rake is the other end of the bunker. The sand in the middle of the […]

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Golf Officials Bid For Olympic Spot

If Tiger Woods is still as competitive in eight years time as he is now, he may be looking to go where neither Jack, Arnold, Gary, Snead, Jones nor any of the other greats of the past century have been – Olympic gold. That’s right. Golf is making another push to be part of the […]

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How To Take Relief From Casual Water (Rule 25-1b)

Last week I was asked the following question on how to correctly take relief from casual water. I’m sure one minute spent reading my answer will avoid any confusion next time you encounter this particular situation on the golf course: RULES OF GOLF QUESTION: “This last weekend I spent a fabulous time playing golf, during […]

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Can I Use A GPS Device In Competitions?

In recent years we have seen a massive increase in the number of high-tech tools available to golfers. You can now choose from rangefinders, GPS systems such as SkyCaddie, launch monitors and swing analyzers, With this new technology comes some confusion as to when one can take advantage of these devices. A couple of days […]

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Are You Confused By Red And Yellow Stakes?

For as long as I have been playing golf there has always been confusion over the rulings for red and yellow stakes, or to put it more accurately “Water Hazards” and “Lateral Water Hazards”. I recently ran across the same confusion again in the email below, so please read on to ensure you are absolutely […]

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The Penalty For Hitting Your Golf Bag With Your Tee Shot

Hi, it’s Barry here, this week I answered another interesting question on The Rules of Golf: RULES OF GOLF QUESTION: “A player leaves his bag in the middle of the next fairway as his next tee shot will come back past where he has left his bag. If the same player hits his bag with […]

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Change to the Rules of Golf book 2008 – 2011 in Appendix ll – Design of Clubs, 1b. Adjustability

Following on from my previous blog on the most significant changes to the Rules of Golf, effective since 1st January 2008, I would now like to draw readers’ attention to another change relating to the design of clubs. Whereas, previously woods (metals) and irons could not be designed to be adjustable, except for weight, the […]

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Rule 8 – Advice; Indicating Line of Play

A frequently misunderstood aspect of the Rules of Golf concerns the asking for and giving of advice. The definition states: “Advice is any counsel or suggestion which could influence a player in determining his play, the choice of a club or the method of making a stroke. Information on the Rules or on matters of […]

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Can I Declare A Ball Unplayable In A Bunker?

Hi, my name is Barry Rhodes, and here is another question I received on The Rules of Golf this past week: RULES OF GOLF QUESTION: “Is it true that you can declare an unplayable lie when your ball goes in a bunker? And is it true you can go back to where you hit the […]

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Do You Know The 2008 Rules of Golf?

Have you obtained your new copy of the 2008 Rules of Golf? There are revisions to 28 of the 34 Rules. Fortunately, most of them are to improve the clarity of the Rules. However, there are some reasonably important changes, which you should familiarise yourself with, or risk being caught out on the golf course. […]

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Putting Into A Bunker And The Rules Of Golf

Hi, my name is Barry Rhodes and a few weeks ago Andy asked the question “Who Else Wants To Save Strokes By Making The Correct Rules Decision?” and I can report back that an incredible number of you do! In fact, if you missed it it isn’t too late to learn how you can save […]

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