Hello, Linda, from Clinton, Tennessee! Love reading
your blog. Question: Are there dos and don'ts concerning player
positioning while watching other players in your group hit their tee balls?
Thanks.
Lou from Tennessee
Dear Lou,
It is a violation of etiquette to stand behind the ball (to
the right of a right-handed player) when a player is about to hit. Players
should stand well off the teeing ground, either to the right or left. This directive
is not limited to tee shots. Players should not stand behind the ball (or
behind the hole on the putting green) anywhere on the golf course. The player
hitting is well within his rights to ask you to move, but proper etiquette
would dictate that you not be there in the first place.
While it is a breach of etiquette for a fellow competitor to
stand behind the ball, there is a penalty if you stand behind your partner’s
ball. No one on a player’s “team” (partner, caddie, or partner’s caddie) is permitted
to stand behind the player on an extension of the line of play (or putt) behind
the ball while the player is making a
stroke [Rule 14-2b]. If you watch golf tournaments, you will notice the
caddie line up the player and then move aside before the player hits the ball.
If you need help watching your shot, your partner should be able follow the
flight of your ball from the side. If you allow him to stand behind you while
you hit (to the right of a right-handed golfer), it will cost you two strokes
(loss of hole in match play).
Linda
Copyright © 2014 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.
