Ask Linda #1331-Hit branches during swing

Linda,

If a ball is lying just under a tree and you hit the ball where it lies, is there a penalty if your club hits the branches either in the back swing or the follow through?

Lulu from Victoria, British Columbia

Dear Lulu,

There is no penalty for hitting branches during your swing, even if you break a branch or knock down leaves.

A problem arises if you take your backswing, knock something down, and stop. If you improve the area of your intended swing by breaking a branch or knocking down leaves you are subject to penalty (two strokes/loss of hole) under Rule 13-2. Whether you incur a penalty depends on the circumstances. For example, if you knock down a few leaves but your club will hit 20 more when you take your swing, there would be no penalty. However, if there is only one leaf and you knock it down, you would be penalized. The bottom line is whether you have removed an obstacle from the path of your swing.

Linda

Copyright © 2016 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.

Ask Linda #1330-Whiffed ball doesn’t fall off tee

Linda,

If the player whiffs the ball on the tee box, does the ball have to be removed from the tee?

Lulu from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida

Dear Lulu,

No. The ball is in play [Definition of “Ball in Play”]. Her next attempt to hit the ball will be her second stroke (the whiff was her first stroke).

If the ball has not been knocked off the tee, the player may play the next shot with the ball on the tee, or she may lift the ball, remove the tee, and drop the ball (the tee would be a movable obstruction after the whiff); if the ball lies on the ground, she must play it as it lies on the ground. If she were to re-tee and hit a ball that fell to the ground after a whiff, she would incur a stroke-and-distance penalty, which means that her next attempt to hit the ball would be her third stroke on the hole.

Linda

Copyright © 2016 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.

Ask Linda #1329-Player takes abnormal stance to get relief

Hi Linda,

Question: A player is right-handed. There is no interference with the normal right hand swing. The player takes a left-handed swing stance and the object now interferes. Can they take relief for the left-handed stance swing, and once relief is granted, change back to the right-handed swing? 

This did not happen; a couple of my golfing buddies and I are dissecting the rules and came up with this question.


Thanks in advance,

Lou from Atlanta, Georgia

Dear Lou,

No. A player is not entitled to claim relief for an abnormal swing that is clearly unreasonable [Rule 24-2b, Exception; Decision 24-2b/18]. For example, if a player’s ball lies in a rough patch of grass near a bench, and there is no interference from the bench for his right-handed swing, he may not turn around and state that he plans to hit it left-handed in order to claim interference from the bench and drop in a more favorable lie.

Here is an example of free relief for an abnormal swing that would be reasonable:

A right-handed player’s ball is close to a boundary fence on the left. In order to hit the ball toward the hole, he must turn around and hit left-handed. An immovable obstruction interferes with the abnormal but reasonable left-handed stroke. The player is entitled to relief from the obstruction. After he drops, if he is now able to turn around and hit right-handed, he may do so [Decision 24-2b/17].

Linda

Copyright © 2016 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.

Rules Nugget-Dustin Johnson’s one-stroke penalty at Oakmont

A number of my readers have written to ask why the USGA penalized Dustin Johnson (DJ) one stroke instead of two at the U.S. Open last week. For those of you who missed this, DJ grounded his putter alongside his ball on the green of the fifth hole, took two practice swings, moved his putter behind the ball, and immediately backed away when he saw the ball move. The referee ruled that DJ had not caused his ball to move, so DJ putted the ball from its new spot. The incident was reviewed by the Committee, and it was deemed that DJ, on the contrary, did cause his ball to move, and he was assessed a one-stroke penalty.

Ordinarily, if a player causes his ball to move, he incurs a one-stroke penalty and must replace the ball before he hits it; if he fails to replace the ball, the penalty increases to two strokes [Rule 18-2]. So the question remains: Why was DJ penalized only one stroke?

When a player receives a ruling from a referee, he must accept that ruling and play on. Rule 34-2 states that the decision of a referee is final, regardless of whether the decision is correct. However, while the player is obligated to follow the directions of a referee, the Committee has the right to change a referee’s ruling after reviewing the evidence. The USGA Committee reviewed the video and ruled that DJ was responsible for the movement of his ball.

So, why just a one-stroke penalty? When DJ putted his ball from its new position, he was following the instructions of a referee. Later, when the Committee decided that he had caused his ball to move –an infraction that incurred before the ruling from the referee– DJ incurred the one-stroke penalty for that violation. He did not incur the additional one-stroke penalty for not replacing his ball – a player is not penalized when he follows the instructions of a referee, even though the decision may be overruled by the Committee.

Please read Decision 34-3/7, which addresses this exact circumstance.

Linda

Copyright © 2016 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.

Ask Linda returns

Dear readers,

My computer is back in business. I will resume posting on Monday.

Thank you for your patience.

Regards,

Linda

Temporary delay in posting columns

Dear readers,

The hard drive on my computer died. I will not be able to post Ask Linda columns until a new drive is installed and I can once again access my documents. Please be patient until the repair is completed. I'll be back soon.

Regards,
Linda

Ask Linda #1328-Lift ball without marking it

Dear Linda,

I am a huge fan of your blog.

I recently faced a peculiar situation in match play.

My ball was lying on the cart path. My opponent walked up to me as I picked up the ball, and when I asked where to drop it, he pointed to the point of relief and a club-length and then asked me drop it there.

I played my shot from there and won the hole. Soon after my putt, he complained that I had picked up the ball without marking it first and thus lost the hole.

What is the ruling?

Thanks,

Lou from Jaipur, India

Dear Lou,

Rule 20-1 requires a player to mark the position of the ball before lifting it when the pertinent Rule requires the ball to be replaced. Rule 24-2b, which explains how to take relief from an immovable obstruction, does not require the player to mark the ball before he lifts it. Your opponent’s claim that you lost the hole because you did not mark the ball before lifting it is invalid.

When your opponent tells you that you lost a hole for some Rules violation with which you are unfamiliar, tell him he can file a claim and the Committee will sort it out. Your opponent is entitled to file a claim after you holed out, since the time limit for filing is prior to either player hitting from the next teeing ground. The Committee will rule that you incurred no penalty for lifting the ball without marking it and the result of the hole stands.

Linda

Copyright © 2016 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.