Hi Linda,
My friend is distraught as she played in an event where her
marker (male) declared she had broken rules 4 times! On the green (replacing
ball properly after marking -twice, she sometimes straightens her ball after
lifting the marker - while not moving it closer) which is a carelessness and
she agreed; again when she picked up her own ball mistakenly, near a puddle,
thinking hers was further on, (a penalty was agreed on, she replaced her ball);
finally - perhaps she was now being watched.!. her marker believed her to have
played a ball from other than the place it had landed and she disagreed on
that.
However, the moved ball infringement was only spoken of
after the signing of the card by the complainant. My friend has her moments of
vagueness but I believe, not dishonest -was rightly disqualified from the event,
but is the Committee bound to take further action, i.e. suspend her, - she is
in fear of that -and should not her marker have brought all the complaints up
beforehand? He is in good standing with the club & it would appear he
thinks her actions deliberate. Two weeks have passed.
Many thanks for a reply,
Lulu from Melbourne, Australia
Dear Lulu,
If your friend plans on playing in competitions, she should
make a serious effort to learn the Rules of Golf. The prohibitions against
touching or moving an unmarked ball and lifting a ball in play are basic rules
that every player must know. Perhaps you could help her by playing a couple of
rounds together and reviewing the basic Rules and relief procedures.
A marker should point out any Rules violations as they
happen, or as soon as possible. No one should ever withhold information that might lead to a player’s
disqualification. If a marker is unsure whether a particular procedure is
correct, he should review the matter with the Committee before the player signs
her card, and tell the player he plans to do this.
A Committee will interview a player and her fellow
competitors before considering whether to suspend a player. The Committee would
need clear proof of cheating before imposing such a serious penalty.
Please encourage your friend to study the Rules.
Linda
Copyright © 2013 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.
