Ask Linda #138-Wrong ball penalty

Dear Linda,

I took the R&A interactive rules quiz and there was one particular question I don’t know why I got wrong. The question is the following:

Joe makes a swing at a ball and misses. He then realizes that he swung at the wrong ball. He then proceeds to his ball and resumes play. What is the ruling?

I selected that he incurs a two stroke penalty (for playing the wrong ball) and his swing counts as a stroke (as he made an attempt to play the ball). The right answer was that he incurs a two stroke penalty but his whiff at the ball does NOT count as a stroke. How can this be?

Sincerely,

Lou Lou

Dear Lou Lou,

Rule 15-3b states that the penalty for making a stroke at a wrong ball (regardless of whether you make contact) is two strokes. The last paragraph of that rule states that strokes made with a wrong ball do not count in your score.

Let’s consider the logic of this rule. A player has incurred an infraction for which the penalty is two strokes – he commits the crime (swings at a wrong ball), he pays the penalty (two strokes). When he discovers his error at some time during play of the hole, he has to go back and play his own ball (or proceed under the Lost Ball rule if he can’t find it). He will count all the strokes with his original ball plus the two-stroke penalty for making a stroke at a wrong ball (plus a stroke-and-distance penalty if his original ball was lost or out-of-bounds).

If the player had to count each stroke made at the same wrong ball, then if he hit the wrong ball three times (for example) before he discovered it was not his, he would be counting all his strokes plus the two-stroke penalty plus the three strokes at the wrong ball. Even the USGA (and the R&A, in your case) would consider such a penalty cruel and unusual punishment.

One “crime,” one penalty, and then fix your mistake by going back and playing your own ball.

Linda

Copyright © 2009 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.

Ask Linda #137-Barefoot golf

Linda,

Hi, I’m from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and this is a weird question, but I was wondering if I had to wear shoes while playing golf? I find it easier to balance with bare feet rather than have my shoes on. I promise that I’m not crazy, I just don't like shoes. I would rather wear flip flops.

Thanks,

Lulu

Dear Lulu,

You are in good company, Lulu. Sam Snead grew up in Virginia playing golf barefoot.

Snead used to work on footwork by practicing barefoot in his backyard. He did play two holes barefoot before a gallery one time to preserve the reputation of his manager, who had bragged that Sam could play sans shoes. However, he was wearing shoes when he won 82 PGA events and 70 worldwide events, including seven majors (three Masters, three PGA Championships, and one British Open).

I found an instructional video on YouTube where Snead recommends practicing barefoot to help correct an overswing. Apparently it prevents you from taking too big a backswing and swinging too hard, because if you do you will break your toes. Here is the link, if you want to watch and listen:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BJsZcGatEo

There is no requirement in the Rules of Golf that players wear shoes. Neither are there regulations about collared shirts and shorts of a specific length. Dress code is the province of each individual golf course. If you want to air out your tootsies, you should confirm with each course you visit whether they require golfers to wear shoes. I have never seen a sign at a golf course such as you occasionally encounter at restaurants –“No shirt, nor shoes, no service”– but I think it best that you clear up this matter before you arrive.

All of this being said, my personal feeling is that you should wear shoes to play golf. There can be physical dangers to going shoeless –broken toes, stepping on a bee, sharp stones in hazards, snakes, and pesticide on the grass come to mind. And the right shoes provide the stability you need for a good swing.

If sturdy golf shoes are cramping your style (and your toes), try to find a pair of lightweight golf shoes, sneakers, or sandals. And there’s nothing wrong with an occasional round in an old beat-up pair of your most comfortable sneaks. Save your barefootin’ for the practice area, and protect those little piggies on the course.

Linda

Copyright © 2009 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.

Ask Linda #136-Place it or drop it

Linda,

I have a follow-up question about the ball leaning against the rake in the bunker [see Ask Linda #134]. Shouldn't the player mark his ball and then move the rake first? Shouldn't he then play the ball as it lies as long as the ball did not move? If the ball moves, doesn't he drop the ball and if it moves closer to the hole, drop it a second time? If it moves the second time, doesn't he then place the ball in the bunker where it struck the sand on the second drop?

Thank you.

Lou Lou

Dear Lou Lou,

I’m afraid that I was so intent on explaining what to do in a bunker if a replaced ball kept rolling closer to the hole that I didn’t catch the procedural error at the beginning of the reader’s question in #134.

You are partially correct, Lou. Let me set the scene and then walk you through the whole process. For the sake of simplicity, let’s call the player “Joe.”

Joe’s ball is lying in the back of a bunker where it slopes down towards the hole. It is leaning against a rake, and it appears that as soon as the rake is lifted the ball will roll forward. Joe is familiar with Rule 24-1a, which tells us that if the ball moves when a movable obstruction such as a rake is removed, then the ball must be replaced without penalty.

Note that this is a situation where the ball is placed rather than dropped. Had the ball been lying in or on the obstruction, the dropping procedure you describe in your question would be correct (Rule 24-1b). However, Joe’s ball was lying on the ground leaning against the rake (a subtle but important difference), so he must place it, rather than drop it. It may help you to remember when to drop as opposed to when to place if you think of it this way: A ball that is in or on a movable obstruction is not touching the ground; there is no official spot on which to place it, hence the need for a drop. A ball that is leaning against a movable obstruction is touching the ground; that ball has an official spot on the ground where it can be placed.

Joe decides to mark his ball, because he wants to be able to replace it precisely if it moves when he lifts the rake. He is not required to mark it – he could have simply eyeballed the spot – but our Joe is a stickler for accuracy. Now let’s carefully watch this procedure unfold.

1. Joe places a marker behind his ball (marker not required–eyeballing permitted).

2. Joe lifts the rake, and the ball rolls forward. (If the ball had not moved, Joe would play it as it lies.)

3. Joe retrieves the ball and places it in front of his marker. The ball rolls forward, closer to the hole.

4. Joe tries to replace it a second time, and the same problem occurs.

(Note that if Joe’s ball were not in a hazard, he would now be required to place the ball at the closest spot, no closer to the hole and not in a hazard, where it would remain at rest. However, since Joe’s ball is in a hazard, he is required to place it at the closest spot, no closer to the hole, in the hazard, where it would remain at rest.)

5. Joe looks around the bunker and realizes that, because his ball was caught up by the rake in the back of the bunker, there is no other spot where he could place his ball that would not be closer to the hole. If you are playing with Joe, hand him a crying towel – he will need it to get him through the next step.

6. Remember that Joe may not press the ball into the sand to keep it from rolling. He now has two choices, both of which require him to add one penalty stroke to his score:

a. He may play it from where he hit his previous shot.

b. He may drop it anywhere outside the bunker on the imaginary line that starts at the hole, passes through where his ball lay in the bunker, and extends backwards to infinity [Decision 20-3d/2].

Having your ball settle against a rake in the back of a bunker that has a downward slope is just plain bad luck. Such a scenario is one of the reasons the USGA recommends that rakes be placed outside bunkers [for other reasons, see Miscellaneous Decisions, Misc./2 in the back of the Decisions book].

I hope this answer clarifies the issue for everyone. Thanks for the question, Lou.

Linda

Copyright © 2009 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.

Ask Linda #135-Breaking ties

Dear Linda,

I would like your opinion on how to break ties in tournaments. My partner and I recently finished in a five-way tie for third place. The Committee broke all ties by a match of cards, and we ended up in seventh place. Needless to say, we were not very happy about this. To add insult to injury, we received $40 less than the team that officially finished in third place, even though we had the same score. Do you think I’m whining without justification, or do I have a legitimate beef?

Lou Lou

Dear Lou Lou,

The USGA recommends a playoff to decide the winner of a tournament. When that is not feasible, they recommend a match of cards. (Their suggestion for matching cards is to compare the scores for the last nine holes. If there is still a tie, then look at the last six holes, then the last three holes, and finally the last hole. Committees need to decide in advance and announce how ties will be broken if this match of cards procedure still ends in a tie.)

Whether you have a playoff or use a match of cards, the purpose of these tie-breaking procedures is to establish a winner. If you look at the tournament results for both USGA and PGA tournaments, you will notice that ties for first place are always broken (usually by a playoff), and that all players tied for any position below first place remain in a tie. This is especially important in a tournament where cash prizes are awarded, since it seems to me that it would be inherently unfair to award different cash prizes to players or teams that shoot the same score. I personally feel it is equally unfair to break ties below first place even in tournaments where no prize money is at stake. What competitive golfer would want to be listed in seventh place when he actually finished in a tie for third?

I think you have a legitimate beef, Lou, and that you should make your feelings known to the members of the Committee. Actually, I can’t recall ever seeing results of amateur tournaments posted in local golf periodicals where ties are broken below first place. You should be able to convince any fair-minded individuals that it is an unnecessary and counter-productive injustice to the competitors to break ties below first place. If competitors feel cheated or slighted by the Committee, they will not have good memories of their experience and might be reluctant to compete in future tournaments. I doubt there are any Tournament Committees out there in the golf world that are looking to discourage participation.

Good luck, Lou!

Linda

Copyright © 2009 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.

Ask Linda #134-Ball won't stay put in bunker

Dear Linda,
I have a question about your answer in #133. I hit my ball into a bunker, and it was leaning against a rake that had been placed in the rear of the bunker. I marked and lifted my ball, and then lifted the rake. The problem was that the back of the bunker slopes down. Each time I tried to replace the ball it rolled forward, closer to the hole. There was no other place in the bunker that was not closer to the hole where I could place my ball. Since you say that I can’t press the ball into the sand to keep it from rolling, what do I do?
Lou Lou

Dear Lou Lou,

That is an unfortunate predicament. You have only two choices, neither of which will make you happy. Since there is no spot in the bunker where you can legally place your ball, you must take it out of the bunker, assess yourself a one-stroke penalty (I told you this would not please you), and then either play it from where you hit your previous shot or drop it anywhere on an imaginary line that starts at the hole, passes through where your ball lay in the bunker, and extends backwards to infinity [Decision 20-3d/2].

This might be a good time to lobby your golf course to ask players to place rakes outside the bunkers.

Linda

Copyright © 2009 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.

Ask Linda #133-Ball won’t stay put

Dear Linda,
I marked my ball on the green. When I tried to replace it, it rolled forward a little bit. I tried a second time and the same thing happened. So I pushed it down to make it stay still, and then putted. Was this the right thing to do?
Lulu

Dear Lulu,
The rules do not permit you to press your ball into the ground to keep it from rolling. You get two tries to replace your ball in front of your marker. If it rolls after the second try (as yours did), then you must place it on the nearest spot not closer to the hole where it will stay put [Rule 20-3d]. This move is free of charge – no penalty.

Linda

Copyright © 2009 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.

Ask Linda #132-Gender and Handicaps

Linda,
Once again thank you for your prompt reply [Ask Linda #131]. However I am thinking that perhaps I did not phrase my question to you as clearly as I intended.
Of the competitions mentioned in the USGA Handicap Manual the five that I listed have handicap allowances based on gender. In contrast
Chapman or Pinehurst Stroke Play
Chapman or Pinehurst Match Play
base the handicap allowance on the lower/higher Course Handicap. One competition is stroke play and one is match play
Of the five that I listed two are match play and three are stroke play.

In the example you used we have Fred(8), Mary(15), Jimmy(20) and Alice(17), Fred and Mary are partners and Jim and Alice are partners. Wouldn't it make more sense if the 90% were applied to Fred and Alice, and the 95% to Mary and Jimmy? Of the partners Fred had a lower handicap than Mary, and Alice had a lower handicap than Jimmy. I don't see why handicap allowance should be based on gender in Four Ball Stroke play and based on ability in the two competitions named above.
In this query to you I am questioning the logic of the Handicap Manual and asking if there is a reason for it other than that's the way the book says it has to be?
I am interested in your opinion on this?
Thanks,
Lulu

Dear Lulu,

I had a gnawing suspicion when I responded to your original question that I might have misunderstood your intent. Thank you for sending a clarification.

You are asking me to explain the logic of the USGA in assigning handicap allowances based on gender in some forms of play, and on skill in others. My best advice to you is to get your explanation straight from the horse’s mouth. Call the USGA (908.234.2300). They probably have a position paper with a full explanation of their rationale that they would be happy to send to you.

I will venture out onto a limb and give you my thinking on this matter, since you asked, but please remember that this is only a personal opinion.

Before the USGA offers guidelines on such things as handicap allowances for various formats, they conduct extensive research and perform detailed statistical analysis with the goal of coming up with a recommendation that is fair and equitable. My instinct is to trust their research and to accept their findings.

In all Four-Ball (better ball) and Best-Ball-of-Four tournaments, each player is playing his own ball. Since neither partner can rely on the other for assistance, the handicap allowances have to be specific to the gender of the individuals. The USGA has found, for example, in Four-Ball tournaments, that they become more fair if men receive a handicap allowance of 90% and women receive a 95% allowance. These are the recommended handicap allowances regardless of whether the tournaments are single-sex or mixed.

You are suggesting, Lulu, that because Alice (from my original example) has a lower handicap than Jimmy, her male partner, that in a Four-Ball tournament Alice should receive the 90% allowance and Jimmy the 95% allowance. I can understand the logic of your question, but I suspect that the USGA research showed that basing handicap allowances in tournaments where each player plays his own ball on skill rather than gender discriminates (believe it or not) against the woman if she happens to be the better player. The USGA must have found that the advantage for a man of any given handicap is the same as that for a woman of any given handicap when the allowance percentage is lower for the man than it is for the woman. Judging from my experiences competing against men, I find the USGA conclusions to be fairly accurate.

In a Chapman or Pinehurst format, however, conditions are different because the two partners are a team playing one ball. In this situation, whether the player is better or worse has greater significance than gender. In such a format the USGA has found that the handicap allowances that will provide for a fair competition are 60% of the Course Handicap of the better player combined with 40% of the CH of the weaker player. The recommendation is the same regardless of whether the tournament is single-sex or mixed.

By the way, while scramble competitions do not follow the Rules of Golf, the USGA nevertheless offers a recommendation for these tournaments. It suggests that tournament directors use 35% of the CH of the better player combined with 15% of the weaker player. These percentages, once again, do not consider gender, only the abilities of the players.

I agree with the USGA recommendations of handicap allowances by gender when you are playing your own ball and by skill level when you have a partner and together you are playing one ball. I have run a number of tournaments following these guidelines, and the results I have gotten reinforce my opinion that adopting the USGA guidelines produces a fair and equitable result.

Linda

Copyright © 2009 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.

Ask Linda #131-Handicap allowances, mixed formats

Dear Linda,
According to the Section on Handicap Allowances in the USGA Handicap Manual some of the competitions determine the allowances based on the higher-handicapped 'player' or 'side'.
However in:
• Four-Ball Match Play vs. Par or Bogey
• Best Ball of Four Match Play vs. Par or Bogey
• Four Ball Stroke Play
• Best Ball of Four Stroke Play
• Two Best Balls of Four Stroke Play
-the allowances are based on whether you are a man or woman. Invariably the man receives a smaller percentage of strokes than the woman. How does the Handicap System take into account a mixed tournament? One cannot assume that all men have lower handicaps than their female partners.
I understand that after allowances are determined Section 9-3c is applied for competitions between players competing from different tees, however is the percentage allowance based only on gender?
I would be interested to know your thoughts on this. I enjoy reading your e-mails on rules and have learned a lot.
Thanks,
Lulu

Dear Lulu,
This is a complicated issue, Lulu, but I believe if I break it down into steps and apply it to one form of competition with four imaginary players the answer will be easier to digest. If you understand how to handicap four players, then it will be no problem to handicap 40 or even 400 players.

Let’s look at a mixed four-ball stroke play net event. This is more commonly referred to as a better ball tournament – a man and a woman play as partners, the lower (or better) score counts for each hole. In this type of competition, the USGA recommends that men receive 90% of the Course Handicap® and that women receive 95%.

Fred and Mary and playing against Jimmy and Alice at Humble Pie Country Club. The men are playing from the White tees, which are rated 71.6/134. The women are playing from the Red tees, which are rated 69.0/121.

Step 1 – Establish everyone’s Course Handicap (CH).
There should be a Course Handicap table at the golf course. Find the Slope Rating (in my example that would be 134 for the men and 121 for the women), look for the range that includes each player’s Handicap Index®, and note the Course Handicap. For example, Fred’s Handicap Index (HI) is 6.8. Looking down the column of Handicap Indexes for a course with a slope Rating of 134, you will find that Fred’s 6.8 falls between 6.4 and 7.1, and his Course Handicap is 8.
Fred: 8 (HI 6.8)
Mary: 15 (HI 13.9)
Jimmy: 20 (HI 17.1)
Alice: 17 (HI 15.6)

Step 2 – Apply the handicap allowance.
For four-ball stroke play, calculate 90% of the men’s CH and 95% of the women’s CH.
Fred: 7 (90% x 8 = 7.2, round to 7)
Mary: 14 (95% x 15 = 14.25, round to 14)
Jimmy: 18 (90% x 20 = 18)
Alice: 16 (95% x 17 = 16.15, round to 16)

Step 3 – Calculate the difference in Course Rating between the Red and White tees. (A difference of .5 or more is rounded up.)
White tees for men: 71.6
Red tees for women: 69.0
Difference: 1.6, rounded to 2.

Note that the calculations must be performed in the order listed above to arrive at the correct handicap allowance for each player.

The women will be playing a course rated 2 strokes easier than the men’s course. You now have a choice. You may either give the men their full handicap allowance (7 for Fred, 18 for Jimmy) and subtract 2 strokes from the women (12 for Mary and 14 for Alice); or you may give the women their full handicap allowance (14 for Mary and 16 for Alice) and add two strokes to the men (9 for Fred and 20 for Jimmy).

Regardless of whether the man or the woman has the lower handicap, the USGA handicap allowance recommendation for a four-ball stroke play format is 90% of CH for men and 95% for women.

Here are the USGA recommended handicap allowances for all of the forms of play you listed:
Four-Ball Match Play vs. Par or Bogey: 90% of CH for men, 95% for women
Best Ball of Four Match Play vs. Par or Bogey: 80% of CH for men, 90% for women
Four Ball Stroke Play: 90% of CH for men, 95% for women
Best Ball of Four Stroke Play: 80% of CH for men, 90% for women
Two Best Balls of Four Stroke Play: 90% of CH for men, 95% for women

Of course, none of these adjustments can work its magic unless everyone’s handicap index is accurate, so don’t forget to post your score after every round.

The USGA has done extensive research to calculate handicap allowances that will help make your tournaments fair and equitable. Take the time to do the math (or use a computer program designed to do it for you, such as the Tournament Pairing Program) – fair tournaments are fun tournaments!

Linda

Copyright © 2009 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.

Ask Linda #130-Ball unplayable in bunker

Dear Linda,
What are my options if my ball is unplayable in the sand trap? Is there any way I can take it out?
Lulu

Dear Lulu,

If you decide to declare your ball unplayable in a bunker, you have three options, the first of which will permit you to take the ball out of the bunker. Whichever option you choose, you must add a one-stroke penalty to your score. Here are your choices:

1. Return to where you hit your previous shot and hit another. This is the option to choose if you want to get out of the bunker; it is the only one that allows you to do so.

2. Drop a ball behind where your ball lies in the bunker on an imaginary line that starts at the hole, goes through your ball, and ends at the back of the bunker. If you choose this option the ball must be dropped in the bunker.

3. Drop a ball within two club-lengths of where your ball lies in the bunker, no closer to the hole. If you choose this option the ball must be dropped in the bunker.

Please remember that when you drop the ball you must stand tall and drop the ball from shoulder height and at arm’s length (picture yourself as an upside-down letter L).

Note that you (and only you) are permitted to declare your ball unplayable anywhere on the course except in a water hazard.

I have observed some stubborn, unwise golfers over the years hack away at a ball lodged under the lip of a bunker that was clearly unplayable. Don’t be afraid to use some good judgment and take relief for an unplayable ball. Sometimes that one-stroke penalty is really a gift in disguise!

Linda

Copyright © 2009 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.

Ask Linda #129-Stepping on ball mark

Dear Linda,
Hi. I was playing with a friend of mine the other day and we had disagreement regarding an issue about stepping on my ball marker. On the green my ball was closer to the hole and his is about a foot behind mine. In his normal stance to make the putt he had to step on my ball mark with his left foot and so he did. After he made the stroke I told him he should incur a penalty for stepping on my ball mark. He said there's nothing wrong with it and it is perfectly legal. He said as a matter of fact he did the same thing during a tournament. I did not pursue the issue since I was not familiar with that particular rule. Could you please give me a clear ruling on this issue? Thanks,
Lou Lou

Dear Lou Lou,

Technically, your friend was correct. There is no penalty for stepping on another player’s ball mark in taking your customary stance to putt.

This is an etiquette issue. If you have to stand on someone else’s ball marker in order to putt, then you are also standing on his line of putt, which a considerate golfer should always try to avoid.

Here is how I would recommend that you handle the situation if you are the player who is further from the hole. First, tell the other player that you will have to stand on his marker in order to putt. Next, give him the option of putting first to avoid your foot possibly damaging his line of putt. This will allow him to decide whether it is more important that he see the line by watching your putt or that he preserve his line of putt.

By acting courteously and with proper golf etiquette, you may get a free and unexpected sneak preview of how the ball will break on your line of putt!

Note that if the player with the shorter putt opts to have the player with the longer putt hit first, then the marker that will be underfoot should be temporarily moved to avoid the possibility of denting the green or being accidentally displaced.

Your friend did not violate a golf rule when he stepped on your marker, and he incurs no penalty. He did, however, demonstrate poor etiquette by not offering you the option to putt first or, at the very least, suggest that you move your marker before he stepped on it.

Linda

Copyright © 2009 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.

Ask Linda #128-Wrong information

Linda, with regard to Ask Linda #127, can you explain exactly what is meant by giving wrong information and how a player can correct it and not get a penalty?
Lou Lou

Dear Lou Lou,

I’ll be happy to, Lou. Bear in mind that giving wrong information is an issue peculiar to match play.

A player has given wrong information to his opponent if he (1) fails to notify him that he has incurred a penalty, (2) tells him the wrong number of strokes he has taken during play of a hole, or (3) tells him the wrong number of strokes he took to complete the hole. It is important to remember that the rules do not penalize players for giving wrong information if they correct it in time.

Let’s take a look at each of these situations and see at what point a player would be penalized and what he needs to do to avoid that harsh loss-of-hole penalty.

Situation 1: Notifying an opponent when you have incurred a penalty
When a player has incurred a penalty, he must inform his opponent before the opponent makes his next stroke, unless the penalty was clearly observed by the opponent. For example, if your opponent watches you wade into a stream to retrieve your ball and drop it behind the water hazard, there is no need for you to shout across the fairway to tell him that you will be adding a penalty stroke to your score. However, if you’re deep in the woods where he can’t see you, and you take a drop for an unplayable ball, you must let him know about that as soon as possible. (In this case, that would be as soon as you emerge from the woods and see him. He may have already hit his next shot, but you will not be penalized for not telling him about your penalty stroke before he hit his next shot as long as you tell him what happened as soon as it is practical to do so. You are not expected to come racing out of the woods shouting at the top of your lungs that you incurred a penalty to make sure your opponent is aware of your penalty before he hits his next shot. This is an instance where the rules make a special provision in order to be reasonable.)

Situation 2: Giving wrong information about the number of strokes taken during play of a hole
In order to avoid a loss-of-hole penalty, a player must correct the mistake before his opponent makes his next stroke. Should you inform your opponent that you are lying 4, for example, when you are only lying 3, you must correct that information before your opponent either hits his next shot, picks up his ball (or ball marker), or concedes your next stroke (any of these actions are equivalent to making your next stroke); if you do not correct yourself in time, you lose the hole.

The exception to this is the unusual situation discussed in Ask Linda #127.

Situation 3: Both players have completed the hole and a player has given an incorrect score that will affect his opponent’s understanding of the result of the hole
In order to avoid a loss-of-hole penalty, this mistake must be corrected before any player tees off on the next hole. For example, if your opponent tells you he scored a 5, and you scored a 6, your understanding of the result of the hole is that you lost it. If your opponent actually scored a 6 on the hole, he will avoid penalty by correcting himself prior to either of you teeing off on the next hole. Once one of you tees off, it is too late to avoid the penalty, and your opponent will lose the hole.

However, if your opponent tells you he scored a 4 and you scored a 6, but he really scored a 5, he can correct that mistake at any time since he won the hole either way (both his mistaken 4 and his actual 5 beat your 6). In this case the wrong information did not affect your understanding of the result of the hole.

Please note that there is no penalty for giving wrong information about the rules of golf. However, if a player were to intentionally mislead his opponent about a rule, the Committee would be within its rights to disqualify that player for unethical golf behavior (referred to in the rules as “a serious breach of etiquette”).

Linda

Copyright © 2009 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.