Dear Linda,
A small problem arose between me and some players recently.
To speed up the game, sometimes I ask for the permission to
play out of turn on the green when my ball is very close to the hole or my ball
position interferes with another's player stance or line of putt.
I wrote "ask" because I usually ask, "may I
play?" (or similar form in English or Czech).
I've been warned that I don't have to ask, but should simply
inform the other players what are my intentions ("I am going to
play").
Someone even wanted to add a two-stroke penalty according to
the Rule 8-1b because my question "may I play?" is considered an
advice on how to play.
What is your opinion?
Thanks in advance,
Lou, an Italian living in the Czech Republic
Dear Lou,
Beware of golfers who have a rudimentary knowledge of the
Rules and want to penalize you for every violation, both real and imaginary.
Don’t ever accept a penalty that is unfamiliar to you without checking with an
authority before you sign and submit your scorecard.
There is no penalty in stroke play for continuous putting. As
a time-saver, you should finish the hole if your first putt is so close to the
hole that you have a tap-in or a very easy putt. You may also offer to putt
first if your ball is on your fellow competitor’s line of putt and you prefer
to putt first rather than mark, lift, and putt later. You should not putt out
of turn if your stance will be on your fellow competitor’s line of putt, nor if
you want to mark the ball and study your line before you putt.
In match play, there is no penalty for putting out of turn,
but your opponent has the option to recall your stroke and make you putt again.
You should not putt out of turn in match play, nor ask permission to do so.
Playing in the correct order is very important in match play, as there is often
strategy involved.
Asking, “May I play” is not necessary, but it does not constitute advice. “Advice” would
be asking, “Does this putt break left to right,” or “Is this a fast green.”
“May I play” might be categorized as good manners or as a Rules question
(meaning “Am I permitted to play or must I wait my turn”). Information on the
Rules is not “advice” [Definition of “Advice”]. Proper etiquette would be to tell
your fellow competitors that you will finish, so the next player to putt
doesn’t begin his routine only to look up and see you still playing.
Linda
Copyright © 2016 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.
