Friday, April 29, 2016

Ask Linda #1295-Advise golfer he is ahead of the tee markers

Linda:

Today, before hitting his ball in tournament play, I told a fellow competitor that he was about to hit in front of the tee box marker.

Another fellow competitor assessed me a 2-stroke penalty.

Is this correct? Is this advice or merely information about the Rules of Golf?

Best,
Lou from Rancho Santa Fe, California

Dear Lou,

Information on the Rules is not advice [Definition of “Advice”]. There is no penalty for warning a fellow competitor (stroke play) that he is about to tee off ahead of the markers. If you fail to notify him before he hits the ball, the fellow competitor will incur a two-stroke penalty and he must hit another tee shot from within the teeing ground [Rule 11-4b]. Under no circumstances do you incur a penalty for issuing the warning.

In my book, you earn kudos for helping another player avoid incurring a penalty. This is good sportsmanship, and should be practiced by everyone.

Linda
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