Dear Linda,
I would like your advice on whether a situation was giving
advice (thus subject to a penalty) or if it was notifying a player of a rule.
Player A had teed her ball outside the teeing area and was
ready to make her stroke. Player B cleared her throat to get player A’s
attention and then pointed to the tee markers. Should this be considered giving
advice? If it is considered advice, who gets the penalty, A or B?
Would it be considered advice if player B had made a comment
such as: “There is a 2-stroke penalty for making a tee shot from outside the
tee box?”
Thank you for your response.
Lulu from Arizona
Dear Lulu,
Information on the Rules is not advice [Definition of “Advice”]. There is no penalty for
warning a player that she is about to incur a penalty. I refer to this fondly as
“preventive umpiring,” and players who have the knowledge and decency to help
others avoid penalties are #1 in my book.
Linda
Copyright © 2013 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.
