Ask Linda #1835-Too dangerous to ID ball in water hazard near alligator

Linda,

My son was in a tournament today. His approach went astray inside a water hazard line but not in the water. There was absolute certainty that the ball entered the hazard, and the spot where it entered the hazard was known. The ball was next to a “mother” alligator and three babies. He was told that since he couldn’t identify his ball he had to declare it lost.

I wasn’t there but I assume that using Rule 26 (1 penalty stroke) wouldn’t have gotten him safely away from the alligators, but wouldn’t Decision 1-4/10 apply, allowing him to be able to go back towards where he hit the ball (remaining in hazard) and getting a free drop when at a safe distance from alligators?

Thank you.

Lou from North Carolina

Dear Lou,

Decision 1-4/10 is not applicable. The player must be able to identify his ball in order to take free relief from a dangerous situation. There was no way to confirm that the ball near the alligator belonged to your son, absent testimony from a spectator. However, all of the relief options in Rule 26-1 were available, as it was known that the ball was in the hazard.

I am confused as to why your son was told that he had to proceed as if he had a lost ball. His ball was seen to enter the hazard. There was no doubt that the ball lay somewhere in the hazard. When there is knowledge or virtual certainty that a ball lies in a water hazard, there is no requirement to identify that ball if the player chooses to take water hazard relief. Indeed, if there were an identification requirement, the only relief option for a ball under the water would be to play under stroke and distance (or pack scuba-diving equipment in the golf bag to enable retrieval of the ball). The Rules provide several relief options; the Committee may not deny players any of these options.

Your son was entitled to choose one of the relief options in Rule 26-1. 

Linda

Copyright © 2018 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.

Ask Linda #1834-Requirement to choose which ball to count under Rule 3-3

Hello Linda,

When using Rule 3-3, why do you have to state which ball? If you have the option to play two balls, why do you need to "pick" one that you would

like to count???

Thank you,

Lulu from South Carolina

Dear Lulu,

It is not actually a requirement to state which ball you would like to count, only a recommendation. The Rule states: “The competitor should [not must] announce…which ball he wishes to count if the Rules permit the procedure used for that ball.” 

If the competitor announces which ball he would like to count, the score with that ball will count if the Rules permit the procedure used for that ball. Otherwise, the score with the other ball will count, provided the procedure used in playing the other ball was permitted.

If the competitor does not announce which ball he would like to count, the score with the original ball will count if the Rules permit the procedure used for that ball. Otherwise, the score with the other ball will count, provided the procedure used in playing the other ball was permitted.

If the procedure with neither of the two balls is correct, please read Rule 3-3 b (iii). I don’t want to overly complicate this answer.

It is generally to the player’s advantage to choose which ball to count. 

Linda

Copyright © 2018 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.

Ask Linda #1833-Edge of GUR next to boundary fence

Hi Linda,

Our club has a Local Rule that makes some flowerbeds GUR. The boundary of this area is the edge of the bed and runs around to the boundary fence.

If the ball rests against the boundary fence and is in the bed, I assume that you will gain relief, even though the fence would prevent you having a swing.

Relief from the GUR is not mandatory, but there are heaps of plants that make relief the only option.

Am I correct in my thinking?

Regards,   

Lou from South Australia

Dear Lou,

No. 

The player is not entitled to free relief from ground under repair (GUR) if interference by anything other than the GUR makes the stroke impracticable [Rule 25-1b, Exception; Decisions 25-1b/19 and 25-1b/20]. In this case, the boundary fence interferes with the player’s swing. Since the player is not entitled to free relief from a boundary fence, he will have to declare the ball unplayable if he is unable to hit it as it lies in the flowerbed. 

The Committee might want to consider making relief from all flowerbeds that border the boundary fence mandatory. If relief were mandatory, the player would be required to take relief from the flowerbed, and that relief would be free. The Exception to Rule 25-1b is not applicable when relief is mandatory.

Linda

Copyright © 2018 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.

Response to Ask Linda #1829

Dear readers,

The e-mail below was in response to Ask Linda #1829-Player creates divot to serve as a tee, posted on October 23. 

Hi Linda,

The purpose of this email is to thank you for reminding me of my late father – a fine scratch golfer who passed on all his enthusiasm for the game to his son, but sadly not all of his talent. Reading this question, I could see him on the tee of a par 3, knocking up a wedge of turf to perch his ball on. Happy memories! Those were the days when on a Scottish links course there was a box containing wet sand on the tee. Many a time as a kid I’ve teed a ball up on a little heap of sand.

So, thanks for the memories!

Best wishes,

Lou from Scotland

Ask Linda #1832-Relief from puddles on green

Hi Linda, 

During a recent game, one of the greens had two large puddles. Although my ball was on a dry area of the green, I would have had to putt through the puddle to reach the hole. Am I allowed relief?

Also, a fellow competitor was a few feet off the green with the puddle between his ball and the hole. Would he be permitted relief from the puddles?

Thank you.

Lou from Ontario, Canada

Dear Lou,

The player is entitled to free relief from an abnormal ground condition (such as a puddle) that interferes with his line of puttwhen his ball lies on the putting green. Thus, you were allowed free relief [Rule 25-1a].

Your fellow competitor is not as fortunate. There is no free relief from an abnormal ground condition that lies on the line of play.

Linda

Copyright © 2018 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.

Ask Linda #1831-Rotate ball to identify it

Linda,

I understand that a player can call his partner over to mark and lift his/her ball to identify it. Is it permissible to rotate the ball to identify without the need to mark and lift it? I was always under the impression that you could not rotate it as this would be moving a ball in play. However, I watched a video on YouTube that stated you could oscillate it to identify it.

Regards,

Lou from the U.K.

Dear Lou,

I’m willing to bet that the video you watched was not authored by the USGA or the R&A.

There is a very specific procedure for identifying your ball. The player must first inform his opponent (in match play), or his marker or fellow competitor (in stroke play) of his intention to lift the ball. One of these people must be given the opportunity to observe his actions (an opportunity that may be declined). The player may then mark and lift the ball. He must not clean it beyond what is necessary to identify it [Rule 12-2].

Lifting does not preclude rotating or oscillating. However, if the ball is not marked before the player purposely touches or moves it, the player will incur a one-stroke penalty.

Linda

Copyright © 2018 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.

Ask Linda #1830-Adjust club during round

Hi Linda,

It's my understanding that if you start a round with 13 clubs, you can add a club at any time provided you don't cause a delay.

If you start with 13 clubs, can you adjust an adjustable club once during the round?

Thanks,

Lou from Ontario, Canada

Dear Lou,

No. 

Once your round begins you are not permitted to change the playing characteristics of any club in your bag [Rule 4-2a]. If you start with 13 clubs, you may add one club during the round, provided you do not unduly delay play [Rule 4-4a].

Linda

Copyright © 2018 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.

Ask Linda #1829-Player creates divot to serve as a tee

Hi Linda - Lou here again in South Wales - hope all is well!

Watching the final day of the Ryder Cup opening shot in first pairing - Justin Thomas took his iron and smacked it into the ground on the teeing area creating a large sort of divot.

He then appeared to tee the ball up and hit a decent opening shot, etc.

My immediate reaction was he had affected something growing (e.g. his lie), or that he had a target on his line of site (the divot).

No commentators said anything, so it must be legal - so what was actually going on here? 

On the web I found this.........................but he created a divot, not a mound?

Do I have to use a tee peg?

You do not have to use a tee peg (on short par 3s, for example) and are permitted to create a small mound or tuft using the back of your club and place your ball on top of that to give yourself the perfect lie.

Kind regards,

Lou from Wales

Dear Lou,

The player is permitted to create a natural tee by banging a club into the ground to raise a mound of grass or dirt [Rule 11-1]. If you ever have the opportunity to watch Laura Davies play, you will see her use a club to raise the turf on the teeing ground to create a “natural” tee. This is perfectly legal.

Linda

Copyright © 2018 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.

Ask Linda #1828-Hitting sand in bunker after missing shot in foursomes

Hello Linda,

I am hoping you can an answer a rules query from a recent alternate shot match-play event.

•       Player A & B are partners playing in an alternate shot match.

•       Player A tees off, Player B hits the approach shot into a greenside bunker.

•       Player A plays a sand shot, and fails to extricate the ball from the bunker.

•       Player A, in frustration, takes multiple swings (3 or 4) in the bunker, touching the sand multiple times.

•       Player B then plays a shot safely onto the green. 

•       Player A does not disturb or change the lie of the ball in the bunker.

Considering the "side" is still in the bunker, has Player A breached Rule 13-4 even though it is Player B's turn to play?

With Kind Regards,

Lou from Blauvelt, New York

Dear Lou,

Yes. In foursomes, the word “player” includes both the player and his partner. Team A-B would incur a loss-of-hole penalty (two-stroke penalty in stroke play) for a violation of Rule 13-4 [Decision 29/5].

Linda

Copyright © 2018 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.

Ask Linda #1827-Players practice on course before round

Hello once again Linda.

Can you please advise as to ruling on an incident that happened at our local golf club?

Last Saturday, the club held a shotgun start, 2-person Ambrose event. A pair were to start on the 15^th hole. However, when they arrived at the 14^th hole, they were seen practicing. They eventually were announced the winners, consequently presented with the trophy/prizes. The committee was not notified of the incident till a day later. Has the committee now the right to disqualify the pair for a breach of rules, and return the trophy/prizes, and award the runners up as the winners?

Eagerly awaiting the ruling, thank you in advance.

Kind regards

Lou from Greenvale, Victoria, Australia

Dear Lou,

The penalty for practicing prior to the start of the round on the day of a stroke-play competition is disqualification [Rule 7-1b]. However, the Committee was not informed of the violation until after the competition was closed. In stroke play, a penalty must not generally be imposed after the competition has closed [Rule 34-1b].

There are exceptions to this Rule, one of them being that if the players knew, before the competition was closed, that they were in breach of this Rule, they should be disqualified.

The Committee must interview the players. If they knew that they were not permitted to practice prior to the start of the shotgun, they should be disqualified and should surrender their trophy and prizes. If they were unaware of the prohibition against practice, they should not be disqualified and are entitled to their winnings.

Linda

Copyright © 2018 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.

Ask Linda #1826-Look into player’s bag to learn what club he used

Hi Linda,

Excuse me my bad English. 

Did you see in Ryder Cup Sunday match Tiger see in the bag of Rahm he used an 8 iron, and tell to his caddie?  Is this legal? 

Thanks, 

Lulu from Caracas, Venezuela

Dear Lulu,

I did not witness this, but I can tell you that it is perfectly legal to peer into another player’s bag to try to ascertain what club he used. Any information that you get through observation is permissible, and is not considered advice [Decision 8-1/10].

However, you may not try to learn what club a player used through a physical act. If the player had covered his clubs with a towel, for example, you would not be permitted to remove the towel to view his clubs [Decision 8-1/11].

I have a great deal of respect for my non-English-speaking readers who struggle to communicate in a foreign language. When I publish a question that some readers may have difficulty understanding, I make a few grammatical corrections but try my best to keep the original flavor. Don’t ever hesitate to write because you’re not fluent in English. One way or another, I will figure out what you’re trying to ask.

Linda

Copyright © 2018 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.