Ask Linda #422-Must I use the same ball?

Dear Linda,

If I hit my ball into a hazard and can not find it, must I play my next shot with exactly the same type of ball?

Thank you

Lou

Dear Lou,

In most of the ordinary golf competitions you will encounter, you may use any brand or type of ball and may change to another brand or type whenever you are required or permitted to substitute another ball under the Rules.

There may come a time when you compete in a tournament where it is a Condition of the Competition that players may not change the brand and type of ball. This is known as the One-Ball Rule, and it is not recommended for use except in high-level competitions.

Regardless of whether the balls you carry are the same or a variety, don’t forget to draw your distinctive mark on every ball in your bag.

Linda

Copyright © 2012 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.

Ask Linda #421-Ball unfit for play

Dear Linda

Yesterday, my friend hit the ball with his second shot onto the green. He putted (without cleaning) and missed the hole. Than he noticed that the ball was not dirty but split in two.

What is the correct procedure in his case ?

Best regards

Lou 

Dear Lou,

Unfortunately, the putt that missed will count in his score. When the player becomes aware that his ball is split, he must tell his opponent or fellow competitor that he suspects his ball is unfit for play. He will then mark it, lift it, examine it, and show it to the other player. If it is determined that the ball is unfit, he may substitute another ball. If not, then he must replace the original ball [Rule 5-3]. A ball is unfit for play if it is visibly cut, cracked, or out of shape.

Linda

Copyright © 2012 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.

Ask Linda #420-Finding ball after dropping behind hazard

Question ----

A player’s ball is struck towards a water hazard .

The player & fellow competitor believed his original ball had come to rest in a water hazard. .

He searched for about a minute but did not find his ball..

It is known or virtually certain that the player’s ball is in the water hazard.

He therefore dropped another ball behind the hazard under Rule 26-1b  and played it.

As he was walking to the green, the fellow competitor tells him: “this is your ball.”

He found his original ball outside the hazard (not in hazard, in rough) within five minutes.

What is the ruling?

Lulu

Dear Lulu,

Since it was known or virtually certain that the player’s ball was in the water hazard, he must play the ball that he dropped behind the hazard. It makes no difference that the original ball was found within five minutes outside the hazard. Even if the player had simply dropped the ball under Rule 26-1b and his original was found before he hit the dropped ball, he would still be required to continue play with the dropped ball. In this situation, as soon as the substituted ball is dropped, it is in play [Decision 26-1/3.5].

Linda

Copyright © 2012 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.

Ask Linda #419-Stopping a dropped ball

Dear Linda,

I have seen on Tour, when someone takes a penalty drop from a lateral water hazard, the caddy picks up the ball before it enters the water again. Recently, during our club tournament, a player, while taking a penalty drop, picked up his ball before it stopped, because if he did not it would roll another 30 feet or so into an unplayable area. Is he permitted to do this?

Thank you

Lou.

Dear Lou,

A player is required to re-drop a ball if it rolls into a hazard. If the caddy is standing within the margin of the hazard, he may pick up the dropped ball after it has crossed into the hazard and everyone in your group agrees that there is zero possibility that it will reverse direction and come to rest outside the hazard. Technically, the ball is required to come to rest in the hazard before being re-dropped. However, the area next to some hazards is so steeply inclined toward the hazard that once the ball crosses the margin it is readily apparent that a ball rolling toward the water will enter the water. I encountered such a situation once in a tournament. My caddy asked permission to stop the ball after I dropped it, and was told he could stand at the edge of the water and catch the ball just before it rolled in.

The same ruling would be in effect for a ball that is going to roll 30 feet from where it is dropped. A player is required to re-drop a ball if it rolls more than two club-lengths from where it first hits the course. If it is certain that this ball will not reverse direction and come to rest within two club-lengths of where it was dropped, there is no reason why a player can’t retrieve his ball before it rolls 30 feet away. An example would be dropping on the side of any hill. You must drop the ball twice before placing it, but you can ask another player to stand more than two club-lengths away and stop your ball for you, or you can chase after it yourself.

There must be absolute certainty that your ball will not reverse direction and come to rest within two club-lengths of where it was dropped. You don’t want to risk a penalty under Rule 1-2 for exerting influence on the ball.

Linda

Copyright © 2012 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.

Ask Linda #418-Practice swing in hazard

Linda, when in a hazard can you take a practice swing hitting the grass but not grounding your club?

Lulu

Dear Lulu,

Yes. There is no penalty if your club contacts the grass during your practice swing provided you do nothing to improve your lie or the area where you will stand or swing when you hit the ball [Decision 13-4/4]. You are not permitted to touch the ground in a hazard – if your club brushes the top of the grass, it has not touched the ground.

Linda

Copyright © 2012 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.

Ask Linda #417a-Who gets the penalty for advice?

Hi Linda,

Am I reading the rule 8-1 wrong or the [question and answer in Ask Linda #417]? The way I read it is that the player asking for advice is not the one breaking the rule but rather the Player giving the advice. Please explain.

Lou 

Dear Lou,

Penalties all around. When Player B asked Player A which club he used, he was asking for advice and incurred a two-stroke penalty. When Player A answered the question, he was giving advice and also incurred a two-stroke penalty [Rule 8-1].

My best advice is to limit your questions to topics that are not considered to be advice: information on the Rules, distance, and matters of public information (e.g., whether the flagstick is in the front, middle, or back location). When someone asks you a question where you feel the answer might influence how he plays the hole (such as asking what club you used before he plays his shot), squelch your instinct to be helpful and explain politely that you are not permitted to answer this type of question. The Committee will need to decide whether his question was a breach of Rule 8-1.

Linda

Copyright © 2012 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.

Ask Linda #417-Is this advice?

Dear Linda,

Recently I played a round with 2 friends. After one of them (player A) had hit an iron shot to a par 3, the other (player B) went to player A’s bag to see what club he had just used. He asked player A “is that the club you just hit?,” pointing to an iron, and A replied “yes, it’s the only one with no cover on it.”

After the round, I queried this with B as he was in line to win a prize, and he said “I didn’t ask for advice which is against the rules, I merely checked a fact which is something I’ve always done in this situation.”

To me, it’s the same thing as asking “what iron did you hit ?”

Am I incorrect or what is the rule ?

Lou

Dear Lou,

A player is permitted to look into another player’s bag to see which club he used. This is not advice, because it is considered to be “information obtained by observation” [Decision 8-1/10].

If Player B asks Player A what club A used before B hits his shot, this is asking for advice. The penalty is two strokes (loss of hole in match play).

If Player A covers his clubs with a towel, Player B is not permitted to lift the towel and peer into A’s bag to try to find out what club was used [Decision 8-1/11]. Physical acts to obtain information are not allowed.

In the situation you describe, Player B did not violate a Rule when he looked into Player A’s bag. However, as soon as he pointed to a particular club and asked Player A if that was the club he had just hit, Player B asked for advice and breached Rule 8-1.

It’s important to note that one player is permitted to ask another which club he used for a particular shot on a previous hole, or which club a player used to reach the green after both players have hit their balls onto the green [Decisions 8-1/6 and 8-1/7].

Linda 

Copyright © 2012 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.

Ask Linda #416-Sprinkler head on apron

Hi Linda,

Thank you so much for taking the time to help all of us amateur golfers! It seems like a new rule question arises every time we play.

This week we had a player in our group that was off the green, on the fringe. He wanted to putt his ball but there was a slightly sunken sprinkler head in the line of his putt. He said he was entitled to free relief because the sprinkler head was within 1 yard of the green. He said he was allowed to a free drop, no closer to the hole. As far as I know, our course has no "local rule" stating such. Is relief allowed under USGA rules? If this is true... I'd sure love to know where it is in the rule book!

Thank you!

Lulu

Dear Lulu,

The Rules of Golf do not permit free relief from an immovable obstruction, such as a sprinkler head, that interferes with a player’s line of play. Free relief is available only if the ball is lying on the obstruction, or the obstruction interferes with the player’s stance or swing [Rule 24-2a].

However, there is a Local Rule that a Committee may wish to adopt for courses where there are sprinkler heads on the aprons surrounding the greens and the aprons are so tightly-mowed that some players prefer to putt when their ball lies on the apron. For the precise wording, see Appendix I, Part B, #6 in the back of your rulebook. Basically, this Local Rule allows a free drop for a ball if there is an obstruction (e.g., sprinkler head) within two club-lengths of the green that interferes on the line of play. The ball must be within two club-lengths of the obstruction, and obviously not in a hazard. The ball may be cleaned when it is lifted, and it must be dropped at the nearest point to where it lay that avoids the interference, is not closer to the hole, is not on the green, and is not in a hazard.

This free relief is available only if the Committee has adopted this Local Rule.

Linda 

Copyright © 2012 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.

Ask Linda #415a-Adding lead tape

Linda, is this [putting a band-aid on the face of your putter] different than lead tape on a driver?

Thank you,

Lou

Dear Lou,

Yes. You are permitted to attach lead tape to the clubhead or the shaft to adjust the weight of your club [Decision 4-1/4]. You must do this before the start of your round. You may not remove the tape or add more during the round. If it falls off, you must try to put it back in the same location. You may continue to use the club without the tape if you fail in your efforts to reattach it [Decision 4-2/0.5].

Adhesive bandages, basically because they are temporary and easy to remove, are not permitted [Decision 4-1/5].

Linda

Copyright © 2012 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.

Ask Linda #415-Band-aid for putter

Linda, can a player put a BAND AID on the FACE of his or her PUTTER and play with it?

Dear Lou,

Does your putter have a boo-boo? (Sorry, I couldn’t resist asking that.)

The answer is “no.” An adhesive bandage on the clubhead would be considered an external attachment (see Appendix II, Rule 1a). In addition, if the band-aid were added during the round, it would be a violation of Rule 4-2, because it would alter the club’s playing characteristics [Decision 4-1/5]. The penalty for making a stroke with this club would be disqualification [Rule 4-2].

Linda 

Copyright © 2012 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.

Ask Linda #414-Unwanted assistance removing leaves

Hi Linda,

Whilst lining up a putt I used a leaf which was already on the green to determine my line (putt just to the left side of the leaf). Another player (not my playing partner) thought he was doing me a favour and removed the leaf. Can I ask him to replace it or can I replace it?     Thanking you…… Lou

Dear Lou,

You are entitled to replace loose impediments on the putting green that have been removed by another player.

Note: If a player removes loose impediments on the putting green after another player requests that he not do so, the consequences are serious – loss of hole in match play or two strokes in stroke play, and the player is entitled to replace the loose impediments [Decision 23-1/10].

Linda 

Copyright © 2012 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.

Ask Linda #412-Conceding multiple holes

Dear Linda,

In match play, player A is dormie on hole #14. Is it permissible for player A to concede the next four holes in the following situations:

Situation #1- During Team competition, where that halved match is enough for the Team to win 

Situation #2- During an individual final match where the committee has decided the Trophy will be shared in case of a tie

Other than a common sense answer of “why would you?”, do the rules allow it?

Lulu

Dear Lulu,

Yes. There is no limit, under the Rules, to how many holes a player may concede in a match. In both situation #1 and #2 the match will end in a tie.

The most well known concession in golf was when Jack Nicklaus conceded a missable putt to Tony Jacklin on the 18^th hole of their match at the 1969 Ryder Cup played at Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport, England. The result of Nicklaus’ sportsmanlike concession was that the entire competition ended in a draw at 16 to 16 points. The U.S. retained the Cup, and Nicklaus and Jacklin were good friends for over 40 years.

Linda 

Copyright © 2012 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.

Ask Linda #411-Ball lands in moving cart

Hello Linda,

I was playing with my Sunday morning club. After all groups were finished, one of the players in another group told me his ball landed in another player’s cart while moving. The players in the cart never realized the ball was in their cart. I asked my friend how did they proceed. He told me he dropped a ball where the ball entered the cart on the course and played from there with no penalty. Was he correct?

What rule or rules apply to this situation?

Lou

Dear Lou,

Your friend’s procedure was correct, Lou. The rule reference is 19-1a.

Linda 

Copyright © 2012 Linda Miller. All rights reserved. 

Ask Linda #409-Free relief?

Linda,

If your ball is up against a white out-of-bounds stake, do you get free relief?

Also, if your ball is in the place where a tree interferes with your swing, do you get free relief?

Lulu

Dear Lulu,

The answer to both questions is “no.” Neither out-of-bounds stakes nor trees are obstructions [Definition of Obstructions]. If you are unable to swing due to interference from the stakes or the tree, you may choose one of the relief options for an unplayable ball [see Rule 28] and add one penalty stroke to your score.

Linda 

Copyright © 2012 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.

Ask Linda #408-Counting putts

Linda, when I putt my ball, if it rolls off the green is the next stroke considered a putt?  I have been told that once you are on the green all stokes made to hole out are putts even if the ball goes off the putting surface

Lulu

Dear Lulu,

There are no official Rules regarding how to keep statistics. When the USGA runs a Championship in which putts are counted, all strokes are counted as putts once a player’s ball is on the green. Even if one of those putts rolls off the green, the next stroke will count as a putt. However, this way of counting is not set in stone. The Committee running your events is in charge of determining how to count putts.

Linda 

Copyright © 2012 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.