Hi Linda,
In a four-ball match a player deliberately putts (not in the
direction of the hole) onto his partner's line and then putts again to show his
partner the line to the hole.
Has the player broken a rule of golf, and, if so, which one?
Regards,
Lou from Edinburgh, UK
Dear Lou,
I answered this question in July of 2012 [Ask Linda #483]. I
will reprint it here for you, updating the information to conform with a change
in the cited Decision that occurred in the interim:
Dear Lulu,
Golf relies on the integrity of each player. Putting away from
the hole to show your partner the line is akin to cheating, and it violates the
spirit of the game.
In match play, the player is disqualified from the hole. In
addition, since this action assisted her partner, the partner is also
disqualified from the hole [Rule 30-3f].
In stroke penalty, the player incurs a two-stroke penalty. Her
partner also incurs a two-stroke penalty because the player’s breach assisted
her in her play [Rule 31-8].
This
question is addressed in Decision 30-3f/6.
Linda
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