Dear Linda,
While playing last weekend at my club one of my playing partners took what we used to call a ‘fresh air’ shot on the tee. He replaced his ball on the tee on the other side of the tee and played. He eventually holed out on the par 5 and stated to his marker that he had scored a six on the hole. I queried his score and said that it should be seven as he had miscounted and not included his ‘fresh air’ shot. He disagreed and stated that under the new rules and as his ball was still in the teeing area that there was no penalty.
Is this true? Is a 'fresh air' shot on the tee now not penalised under the new rules?
Lou from Dublin, Ireland
Dear Lou,
A fresh air shot, or whiff, still counts as a stroke, even if you are hitting from the teeing area. Any time you swing at a ball with the intention to hit it, you have made a stroke – actual contact is not required [Definition of “Stroke”].
The Rules have changed with regard to what you are allowed to do on the teeing area. Prior to 2019, if you whiffed your tee shot and the ball fell off the tee, you would have to play the ball from its position on the ground. That Rule has changed and is considerably kinder. Whenever your ball remains in the teeing area after a stroke, you are permitted to lift the ball, move it to another spot on the ground or re-tee it anywhere within the teeing area, and even use a different ball [Rule 6.2b(6)].
The player in your narrative was permitted to re-tee with no penalty, but his stroke at the ball must count in his score.
Linda
Copyright © 2019 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.
