Linda, first I must commend you on doing a fantastic job of
keeping all us golfers informed of the rules of golf.
During a foursome (alternate shot) competition at my golf
course recently, a player plays from the wrong teeing ground. He incurs a 2-stroke
penalty for hitting from the wrong teeing ground as per rule 11-5. I believe
this is correct, but I am not sure if the golfer who committed the error must
correct his error by hitting from the correct teeing ground or must his partner
hit the next shot from the correct teeing ground, remembering this is alternate
shot competition.
If it is the partner and the partner is a female, does she
play from the same tee as the error was committed on or does she play from the
lady's tee?
The competition committee said the partner hits the next
shot after a two-stroke penalty and if it is a lady, she hits it from the
lady's tee. If this is correct, where can I find this in the Rules of Golf?
Thanks for addressing this question.
Lou from Barbados
Dear Lou,
You were misinformed by the Committee. In stroke play, a
stroke played from outside the teeing ground does not count as a stroke. The
player who hit the ball from the incorrect teeing ground must correct the error
and put a ball into play from the correct teeing ground. The penalty for
hitting from outside the teeing ground is two strokes. Please read Rule 11-4b
and Decision 29-1/2.
If the player’s partner
hits the next ball from the teeing ground, the side is penalized four strokes – two for hitting from
outside the teeing ground and two for playing in incorrect order. The original
player must correct the error by hitting a ball from the teeing ground. If he
fails to do so, the side is disqualified.
In match play, there is no penalty for hitting from the
wrong teeing ground. One of the player’s opponents may recall the stroke and
require the player to repeat the shot from the correct teeing ground. If the
stroke is not recalled, the player will continue play with the original ball.
For an example of when the player’s partner must hit the
next ball after a penalty, and where it will be hit from if a male player has a
female partner, please read this Ask Linda column: http://lindamillergolf.blogspot.com/search?q=+player+hits+out+of+bounds+alternate+shot
Linda
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