Dear Linda,
I have struggled with this one for some time:
While waiting to tee off in a competition, a player practices
near the first tee. The player pitches away from the right hand side of the first
tee about 70 yards and then pitches back towards the first tee maybe 50/60
yards. This is part of the course between the first tee and the fourth green,
and is seldom if ever in play for either hole.
The group ahead has teed off and is walking up the first
fairway, while his fellow competitors are waiting behind the first tee before
commencing their round. The safety aspect is of course questionable, but his
fellow competitors are aware of his actions.
Under the Exception for Rule 7-1b, is the player in breach
and therefore disqualified? What exactly does “near” mean?
Looking forward to your reply.
Kind regards and thanks,
Lou from Ireland
Dear Lou,
Players may practice putting and chipping on or near the
first teeing ground prior to the start of a round [Rule 7-1b, Exception]. However,
70-yard shots do not qualify as “chipping.” Such shots would constitute
practicing on the competition course, which is not permitted under Rule 7-1.
The penalty for practicing on the course prior to the round
is disqualification. If a player were to hit only one practice shot, the
Committee could modify the disqualification penalty to two strokes. However, if
the player were to hit more than one practice shot, there would be no escaping
disqualification.
The player in your scenario should be disqualified.
Linda
Copyright © 2012 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.
