Linda, I am the golf coach at a local high school. During
practice the other day, one of my player had this happen:
He made a chip from off the green and his ball struck
another ball at rest near the hole. Both balls fell into the cup.
The rule I found addressing the situation is where one ball
off the green hits another at rest on the green. I told the player that he
had holed out without penalty, but I was not sure what score to give the other
player. Did my player just give his playing partner a birdie instead of a
tap-in par?
Lou from California
Dear Lou,
When a player’s ball at rest is moved by another player’s
ball in motion, the ball that was moved must be replaced [Rule 18-5].
When a player’s ball in motion is deflected by a ball at
rest, the player must play his ball as it lies [Rule 19-5a].
Accordingly, when your player’s ball deflected off the other
player’s ball and went into the hole, he holed out without penalty (your ruling
was correct). The other player must replace his ball and tap in for his par.
Linda
Copyright © 2013 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.