Dear Linda,
I was playing in a selected drive/alternate shot format, and the question came up whether there was a penalty if a player hit two consecutive shots instead of alternating shots with his partner. One player thought there would be a penalty, and another thought you would just replace the ball and have the correct player hit the next shot. I wasn’t sure, and promised I would ask you. This was a stroke play tournament, but I would also like to know the ruling in match play.
Thanks, Lou Lou
Dear Lou Lou,
In match play, during alternate shot, if you hit a ball when it was your partner’s turn, your team loses the hole.
In stroke play, the penalty is two strokes. Any stroke or strokes played in incorrect order are canceled. The ball must be placed on the spot (your best estimate is acceptable) where it was first played in incorrect order, and the player whose turn it was to hit the ball will now play it. If the error is not corrected before a player from that team tees off on the next hole, then that team is disqualified from the tournament [Rule 29-3].
Linda
Copyright © 2009 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.
