Hi Linda:
The other day, I was playing in a 3-day (once a week on three consecutive
Tuesdays), stroke play tournament at my club. Without thinking, to say the
least, I asked one of the women in my group, and she happens to be our club
President, “do you think it would be better to hit my drive onto the ledge or just
straight into the fairway?” Of course, she gave me a two-stroke penalty, which
I deserved and accepted without any discourse and actually laughed at myself
for being so ignorant as to have asked. Then, after I hit my drive and we went
to hit our second shots, I asked her, “so, do people think the upper ridge is
better for their drives, or down the fairway?” Yep…I got another two-stroke
penalty. She said we were not finished playing the Tournament, even though it
was the last and final day of the tournament and we were never going to be on
that tee box again. But, again, I took the penalty and did so without
complaining or any drama.
Now, however, and I'm only asking this for future tournaments
as I am well aware that the tournament I am referring to is over and done…was
she correct about the second two-stroke penalty? I am not sure if we had to
have finished that hole before I could have asked her that question again, OR
if the entire tournament, as she stated, had to be completed.
One of my “rules” ladies at my former club told me that one
may ask a question of another player (competitor) even during a tournament
round, IF the Hole has been completed, NOT the entire tournament. So, in other words,
even if we had to play an entire fourth round, would I have been OK to ask my
question after the Hole was finished or after the Entire Tournament was
finished?
Thank you.
Lulu from Southern California
Dear Lulu,
If you were uncertain regarding the second penalty for
asking advice after you hit your shot, you should have brought the matter to
the attention of the Committee before you signed your card. You would have
saved yourself two strokes.
The two-stroke penalty for requesting advice prior to
hitting your shot was correct. After you hit your shot, there would be no
penalty for repeating the question. Any information you receive after a shot
cannot possibly help you decide how to play that shot, since that shot is now
history [Definition of “Advice”]. There is no requirement that the hole be completed, only that the shot be completed by both players
engaged in the conversation. For example, you may ask a fellow competitor what
club she used to hit her tee shot right after
you hit yours.
Linda
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