Friday, July 29, 2016

Ask Linda #1350-Player does not tell opponent number of strokes before putting

Hi Linda,
The following situation arose during a recent competition at my club.
A and B are playing C and D in a four-ball match. On the green, A is attending the flagstick, awaiting the putt of C or D, who are away and on similar lines of putt. A and B are uncertain as to the number of strokes taken by C. As C prepares to putt, A asks him how many strokes he has taken. A's thought is that if C has taken enough strokes that his score will not likely count as his team's score, A will concede C's putt so that D is not aided in ascertaining the proper line for his putt. In response to A's inquiry, C refuses to tell A how many strokes he has taken and says A can either concede the putt without such knowledge or let him, C, proceed to putt.

Is C disqualified for the hole for his failure to provide information as to strokes taken, and, whether or not A concedes the putt, is the hole lost if C nonetheless putts and aids D in playing his putt?

I have found no Decision precisely on point. Decision 9-2/3.5 holds that refusal to disclose strokes taken causes loss of hole unless the information is given before the inquiring player makes his next stroke. Decision 9-2/4 involves a situation where a player asks his opponent how many strokes he has taken when it is the opponent's turn to play. The Decision holds that the opponent may play his stroke and then advise as to strokes taken, so long as he does so before the player plays HIS next stroke. In that decision, however, there does not appear to be any significance to the inquiring player as to whether he receives the information before or after the opponent's next stroke. In the case at hand, however, there is real significance to A, since he must decide whether to concede C's putt, order to avoid C's assisting D with the putting line.

It seems that the entire rationale of Rule 9-2 is that a player is entitled to know the number of strokes taken in order that he may make decisions as to his best play of the hole. The rationale should extend not only to how he plays a stroke, but also to his decision as to conceding an opponent's stroke. Indeed, Decision 9-2/7 supports this position, where a player concedes a hole based on incorrect information, and the correct information is given before the player's next stroke, but after the concession. The decision holds that the opponent loses the hole, because the concession was based on wrong information as to strokes taken.
I would appreciate any guidance you might provide.
Best regards,
Lou from Denver

Dear Lou,

In match play, a player is required to answer his opponent’s question regarding how many strokes he has taken before the opponent plays his next shot, not before making his own stroke.

Player C is under no obligation to tell you how many strokes he has made before he putts [Decision 9-2/4]. If Player C putts and refuses to answer your question as to how many strokes he has taken before you putt, he will, of course, be disqualified from the hole. He does not incur a penalty for failing to disclose the information before he putts.

If you want to make strategic decisions in a match, such as conceding a putt so that your opponent’s putt will not assist his partner, you should pay close attention to the number of strokes your opponent has made. Player C, in demanding that you either concede the hole or allow him to putt without first answering your question, has shown himself to be a very savvy player.

Linda
Copyright © 2016 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.





Thursday, July 28, 2016

Ask Linda #1349-Putt after concession

Hi Linda,
In better ball match play, if a player is clearly out of the hole (example lying 7 on the green where partner & opponents are lying 4), can he putt just to show his partner the line?
Thanks,
Lou from Melbourne, Australia

Dear Lou,

If the player’s putt has not been conceded, he may putt. If it has been conceded, and his putt will assist his partner’s play (in this case, by showing him the line), his partner will be disqualified from the hole if the player putts before his partner [Decision 2-4/6].

Linda
Copyright © 2016 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.



Wednesday, July 27, 2016

Ask Linda #1348-Move ball marker; Ground putter in front of ball

Hi Linda,
I am new to your wonderful Rules blog and have learned a lot in a short period of time.
I have two questions with regard to putting and the putting green.

1. I have seen pros on TV, when asked by their opponent to move their ball, they mark their ball and pick out an object to line up their replaced marker so that it can be returned to the previous spot. However, I cannot find that rule anywhere in the Rules of Golf. Is this a procedure that must be followed if asked to move your ball on the green?

2. I believe that a player or a player's caddie cannot touch the putting surface with a finger, towel, club, etc., to indicate where the player should roll his ball, but I have seen a player ground his putter in front of the ball and then return it behind the ball and then putt, it this legal?

Thanks,
Lulu from Georgia

Dear Lulu,

#1: When a player is asked to move her ball marker one or more clubhead-lengths to the side because it interferes with another player’s putt, she must replace that marker before she putts. If she does not line up that move with a stationary object, how will she be able to correctly replace it? The Rules do not specify a procedure for moving the ball, but the expectation that it will be correctly replaced assumes an accurate procedure for doing so. While it is not required, I always advise players to announce the object they are sighting to line up the move so as to avoid subsequent arguments.

#2: The player may ground her club lightly in front of the ball prior to putting, provided she does not press anything down [Rule 16-1a (ii)]. The penalty for pressing something down is two strokes in stroke play, loss of hole in match play [Rule 13-2].
    Your understanding that the player, her partner, or either of their caddies may not touch the green to indicate the line of putt is correct. The penalty is two strokes in stroke play, loss of hole in match play [Rule 8-2b].

Linda
Copyright © 2016 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.




Tuesday, July 26, 2016

Ask Linda #1347-Identify original and provisional ball before hitting

Linda,
One of our members asked me whether she was required to identify the ball that she potentially had hit out of bounds as well as the ball that she was putting into play. This identification would be in addition to announcing that this was a provisional ball.

Is a player required to identify both balls to their fellow competitor(s) or marker?

Thanks,
Lulu from California

Dear Lulu,

The player should announce the brand, number, and personal identification mark on her ball when she begins her round. She should do the same whenever she puts a new ball in play that is differently marked. When she has two balls potentially in play (an original that may be out of bounds and a provisional), she should not only identify her provisional, but also remind players how it differs from her original. For example, she might say, “My original ball was a Brand X, #2, with red and blue dots; my provisional is a #3.”

She has not violated a Rule if she fails to do so, but it is good (and common) practice. It will help anyone who aids the player in her search, and it will confirm which ball she is hitting when she plays her next shot.

If a player has announced she will hit a provisional, and she has not stated how the provisional differs from the original, you should take the initiative to ask her to identify both balls.

Linda
Copyright © 2016 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.





Monday, July 25, 2016

Ask Linda #1346a-Practice swing moves ball on tee

Linda,
Regarding your response below to the issue of a practice swing [Ask Linda #1346-Bluebells and practice swings] - would this be the same if the ball were on a tee peg on the tee? I was playing a match the other day and my opponent was swinging his club on the tee, as a practice swing, and he inadvertently hit the ball off the tee with the toe of his driver - and the ball flew about 10 yards at 90 degrees. We discussed this and we mutually agreed that it wasn't a stroke as the ball wasn't in play (?), and he continued to place the ball back on the tee peg with no penalty and we carried on. Should he have lost the hole?

Kind regards,
Lou from Cardiff, UK

Dear Lou,

Congratulations, Lou. You and your opponent made the correct decision. The ball is not in play until a player has made a stroke from the teeing ground [Definitions of “Ball in Play” and “Stroke”]; the player does not incur a penalty for accidentally moving a ball that is not in play.

There is no difference between accidentally knocking the ball off the tee peg at address and accidentally hitting it 10 yards (or any distance) with a practice swing. The ball is not in play in either case. The player may be embarrassed, but he will not be penalized.

Linda
Copyright © 2016 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.