Ask Linda #802-Practice putting and chipping

Linda,

I am looking for some clarification on rule 7-2 which prohibits practice strokes during a round, yet DOES allow practice putting and chipping on or near the green of the last hole played or the teeing ground of the next hole to be played.

My question is whether or not there is any difference in this rule that allows practice putting/chipping in stroke play vs. match play. My understanding is that there is no difference, and practice putting/chipping is in fact allowed in both match play and stroke play. Is that correct?

I believe that there is a common misconception that practice putting/chipping is allowed in match play but not in stroke play because the PGA tour institutes a condition of competition that disallows it, but in the televised match play events, Ryder Cup/US Amateur/etc., the players DO often practice on the greens. Can you please confirm, and clarify rule 7-2 if there is anything I am not understanding properly?

Thanks,

Lou from Boston

Dear Lou,

I could not have explained Rule 7-2 better myself! The Rule applies to both match play and stroke play.

Note 2, at the end of the Rule, explains that a Committee may prohibit practice on or near the putting green of the hole last played as a condition of the competition. When you watch golf on TV, if you do not see players practicing their putts after they complete a hole it is because the Committee has prohibited such practice. In my experience, practice under Rule 7-2 is generally permitted in amateur tournaments.

Linda

Copyright © 2014 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.

Ask Linda #801-Mark ball without request

Linda,

Recently a fellow golfer marked her ball in the fairway with the assumption another golfer would putt onto the green rather than chip and her ball would be in the way. No one asked her to mark. I thought that she could only mark if another player asked her to. What is the procedure and is there a penalty involved?

Lulu

Dear Lulu,

Unless a player’s ball is on the putting green, she is not permitted to lift it unless she is asked to do so [Rule 22-2]. This will occur only when another player determines that the player’s ball will interfere with her play.

The penalty is one stroke under Rule 18-2a, and the player must replace her ball.

Linda

Copyright © 2014 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.

Ask Linda #800-Permission to clean ball on fairway

Linda

Me again… 

Today I played in a Canadian Foursomes competition and before we teed off they announced we could clean the ball on the fairway. 

I was very surprised as I thought the only time you can clean the ball on the fairway would be to have a local rule of winter rules/preferred lies, but there was no mention of either, just that we could clean the ball whenever we liked on the fairway. 

It was at a very highly respected private club, and I was surprised to see some of my fellow golfers mark the ball on the fairway, clean it  and replace the ball in the same spot . 

I would have thought this is against the Rules of Golf. Surely you have all of the winter rules/preferred lies or none.

Lulu from Perth, Australia 

Dear Lulu,

Local Rule #4b [Appendix I, Part B] allows players to mark, lift, clean, and replace the ball. The Committee decides where to put this Local Rule into effect (e.g., all closely mown areas, on Holes #2-5 only, etc.). One reason why this Local Rule might be adopted is when conditions are so wet that mud is likely to adhere to the ball when it lands.

Preferred lies (or winter rules) are more appropriate when conditions are so poor throughout the course that players will need to move the ball for play to be fair. Preferred lies, just like “lift, clean, and replace,” may be limited to specific areas or holes (e.g., all closely mown areas, Hole #8 only, etc.).

When you are surprised by a directive, don’t hesitate to ask a Committee member where the Rule may be found in the rulebook. This will help further your understanding of the Rules of Golf, and you might occasionally (rarely, I would hope) catch them in an error that they will correct before play begins.

Linda

Copyright © 2014 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.

Ask Linda #799-Friendly competition within official tournament

Hi Linda,

Hope you are keeping well.

In a club singles strokes competition playing in groups of four, one of the groups decides to play a friendly four-ball match during the competition.

Also they agree in advance to play the match play order of play from each teeing ground during the round.

What is the ruling please?

Kind regards,

Lou from Ireland

Dear Lou,

I am going to assume that when you say “match” you don’t mean you are playing under the rules for match play in the middle of a stroke play competition. That would be a major fiasco, and would lead to disqualification [Rule 33-1].

I gather that four men playing together in an individual stroke play competition have decided to make the day a bit more interesting by breaking into two teams and playing a four-ball (aka “better ball”) stroke play competition amongst themselves.

I am a bit leery of sanctioning this, as you might become so involved with your “friendly match” that you inadvertently accrue a penalty in the individual competition.

You must be very careful to observe only the rules of the individual competition during play. You may not give advice to one another, and you may not pick up (obviously). While there is no penalty for playing out of order in stroke play, a pre-arranged agreement to tee off on every hole in the order of who won the previous hole in your private competition is a little dicey. I would not recommend doing so – you might run into a Committee that feels you are getting an advantage by playing out of turn, which would be grounds for disqualification [Rule 10-2c].

My recommendation would be to play the tournament straight up as an individual tournament, following all rules to the letter, and agree that you will match your cards after the round to see which “team” would have come out ahead in a four-ball. This will keep you out of trouble.

Linda

Copyright © 2014 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.

  

Ask Linda #798-Relief questions

Hi Linda,

In our recent outing we encountered the following:

1. My playing partner's tee shot went into the rough and it was in a horrible lie and we were able to identify the ball at his. Can he declare his ball lost and apply Rule 27? 

2. My ball went into an unraked bunker and settled into a big footprint that looked like a bird's nest. Do I have a relief invoking Rule 25?

Thanks

Lou from California

Dear Lou,

1. A player may not “declare” his ball “lost.” However, when he returns to the tee and puts another ball in play under stroke and distance [Rule 27-1], his original ball is officially “lost” under the Rules [Definition of “Lost Ball”].

This player should declare his ball “unplayable”. Stroke and distance is one of the three relief options for an unplayable ball [Rule 28].

Regardless of whether he mistakenly declares the ball “lost” or accurately declares it “unplayable,” he has proceeded correctly under the Rules when he plays the ball under stroke and distance.

2. No. Even if a child had built a sand castle in the bunker, and your ball had crossed the drawbridge and settled in the parlor, you would still have to play it as it lies. The only available relief will cost you one penalty stroke (unplayable ball).

Linda

Copyright © 2014 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.

Ask Linda #799.5-Ball resting against rake

Linda, if a ball comes to rest against a rake placed outside the sand trap, and after moving the rake the ball rolls into the sand trap, where do you play the ball for the next shot and is there any penalty? Side note: The slope is so severe that the ball couldn't be placed in its original spot without rolling into the sand trap.

Lou

Dear Lou,

A rake is a movable obstruction. When a ball comes to rest leaning against a movable obstruction, the player may remove the obstruction. If the ball moves as a result of moving the obstruction, he must replace it [Rule 24-1a]. If the ball will not come to rest on the spot where it is placed, he must try again. If the ball will not come to rest on the spot after the second try to place it, the player must place the ball at the nearest spot that is no closer to the hole and not in a hazard [Rule 20-3d (i)].

The ball in your question was outside a hazard. What if it had been resting against a rake in a hazard? The ball would have to be placed in the hazard. If such a ball, when placed, rolled closer to the hole, and there were no spot in the bunker no closer to the hole where the ball could be placed, the player would have to place the ball outside the bunker, thereby incurring a one-stroke penalty. This is one of several good arguments for placing rakes outside the bunkers.

Linda

Copyright © 2014 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.

Ask Linda #797-Move broken branch attached to tree

Linda,

If a ball comes to rest close to a broken branch but the branch is still attached to the tree and it interferes with your swing what is the ruling?

Lou

Dear Lou,

If the branch is still attached to the tree, it is clearly not a loose impediment. You may not move it. If you cannot hit your ball, you may declare it unplayable and proceed under one of the relief options in Rule 28.

If you move the branch, you will be improving the area of your intended swing [Rule 13-2], a two-stroke penalty (loss of hole in match play).

Linda

Copyright © 2014 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.

Ask Linda #796a-Follow-up question and comment to #796

from Lou in New Jersey:

But, can Annie clean her ball?

Answer: No. When you are asked to lift a ball because it interferes with play you are not permitted to clean it [Rule 22-2].

from Lulu in Texas:

Annie can only lift her ball if the other player request it be lifted. She may not decide on her own that it interferes.

Answer: Your understanding is correct. A player who lifts a ball that interferes with play without being asked to do so incurs a one-stroke penalty [Rule 22-2, Note 1].

Linda

Copyright © 2014 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.