The time has come…

Dear readers,

The time has come for me to cease answering new questions on my Ask Linda blog. I have taken great pleasure in responding to your many challenging inquiries these past twelve years. I have come to think fondly of all of you. However, life changes (for the better, in my case, with the arrival of my grandson). I find myself with a minimal amount of spare time – not nearly enough to maintain my rules blog. 

I have no plans to remove Ask Linda from the Internet; it will remain online as a reference.

I wish you all the best in life and golf.

Regards

Linda

Temporary Break from Ask Linda

Dear readers,

The next several months are shaping up to be extremely busy ones for me. My babysitting responsibilities will increase dramatically (looking forward to that), and the high school girl’s tennis season is about to begin (I am a tennis official). Add in a few rounds of golf each week and I’m not left with enough breathing room to answer your many questions. Accordingly (and regretfully) I am shutting down the blog until sometime in November. I will be in touch when I am ready to resume answering questions and posting columns. 

Please do not send me any questions until you hear from me.  In the meantime, the answers you need may be found in the Rules of Golf and the Official Guide to the Rules of Golf, both of which are available for purchase from the USGA and the R&A and are also accessible online at the USGA/R&A websites. Those of you who live in the U.S. also have the option to call the USGA (908-326-1850) or send an email (rules@usga.org) with your questions. If you email, be sure to include your name and full home address.

I wish all of you an enjoyable fall (or spring) season on the golf course.

Regards,

Linda

Ask Linda 1988- Hit ball through legs

Hi Linda,

Thank you for your valuable input and information, it’s great.

Yesterday, one of our team members was close to a tree and wanted to play the ball as follows:

Rather than standing parallel to the tree and play the shot with one hand from the side of his foot, backwards, he stood parallel to the tree and hit the ball through his legs, backwards with the same movement, backswing and through swing.

I said I will check with our specialist but I think it’s not a breach of a rule but obviously to be careful that his through swing doesn’t go too far. 

Regards,

Lou from Germany 

Dear Lou,

Rule 10.1c does not permit you to make a stroke while you are standing across the line of play. If I understand your question correctly, the player deliberately placed his feet on each side of the line of play. The penalty is the general penalty.

Linda

Copyright © 2019 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.

Ask Linda 1987-Local Rule for Lost Ball

Linda .. quick question for you today regarding the new USGA Local Rule regarding a lost ball. I play in a friendly group. No money changes hands but to the best we can, we do attempt to play by the Rules of Golf. In a recent round one member of our group of four lost a ball in some deep grass. After looking for a reasonable amount of time he dropped a ball in the general area that the ball was suspected to be in and played out the hole. The course was crowded and it was a long walk back to the site of the original stroke so simply dropping where he thought the ball might be was not unusual. However, at making the turn he announced his front nine score. I (perhaps foolishly) pointed out that he could not have shot that score as he had taken an "X" on the hole under question. Perhaps a surge of testosterone kicked in (although given our age that might be a stretch) but he insisted that the Rules of Golf allow this. After a quick iPhone Google search I did find where one of the 2019 changes is that a Local Rule allowing this can be adopted by a course or a committee. 

My question has to do with the difference between this new Local Rule "option" versus the Rules of Golf. Specifically, can you address when this new option can be invoked and if that answer is that it always applies why has Rule 18.2 not been altered to reflect the change?

Thanks,

Lou from Texas

Dear Lou,

In order for the player to take the two-penalty-stroke relief for a lost ball, your club must adopt Local Rule E-5 (Alternative to Stroke and Distance for Lost Ball or Ball Out of Bounds). This option is not available to the player unless it has been adopted. It is not an option in the Rules of Golf.

Please click on this link to read the column I published last December explaining Local Rule E-5: http://lindamillergolf.blogspot.com/2018/12/2019local-rule-e-5-alternative-to.html

Just between you and me, if all of your play is with this friendly group, and you are not using your handicap to enter tournaments, consider “adopting” this Local Rule within your group. It will make the round more enjoyable for everyone (including the group behind you, which most assuredly does not want to watch one of you traipse back to the location of your previous shot to play another ball under stroke and distance). You might also talk to the course manager and see if the course might want to officially adopt this Local Rule for all casual play at the course.

Linda

Copyright © 2019 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.

Ask Linda 1986-Hit another player’s ball

Dear readers,

My answers to this reader’s questions are in the body of her letter.

Hi Linda,

Thank you for your website which is very helpful in explaining clearly golf situations and how to apply the rules to them.

Here is a situation which occurred at our club stroke-play competition yesterday and would be obliged if you could clarify all the queries it raised!

Players A, B & C play up the 1st hole. Player B cannot find her ball after hitting her second shot. She thereafter plays another ball under lost ball procedure with penalties.

On the 3rd hole the tee shots of Players A & C land in same area. Player C arrives at first ball, which is not hers. She shouts out make of ball and marking. Player A says that it is not hers. It is then established that Player A must have hit Player B’s ball on the first.

Player A apologises to Player B and hands the ball to her and does not continue play of that hole, saying she will No Return.

Discussion takes place: Player A would be disqualified for 2 reasons – playing wrong ball and failing to rectify error before play of next hole, and for failing to hole out on the 3rd hole.

Questions

(1) Player A questions how can she rectify error when she did not know she had hit the wrong ball? Should she be DQ for this rule?

My answer:

Yes, the player is disqualified for hitting a wrong ball and not rectifying the mistake prior to teeing off on the next hole. There is no excuse (and no exemption from penalty) for not knowing that the ball she hit was not hers. She should have realized she hit a wrong ball when she picked it up out of the hole. At that point, she could have corrected the error, as she had not yet teed off on the next hole. She would get the two-stroke penalty for playing a wrong ball. If she could not find her original ball, she would have to return to the tee and play another ball under stroke and distance (for a total of three penalty strokes on the hole). There is no excuse for not identifying your ball before you hit it.

(2) If during play of a hole and standing on the tee player realises that they must have hit a wrong ball as the ball in hand is not theirs, however cannot be sure where the error occurred in the round, what happens?

My answer:

Every effort must be made to try to establish when the player hit the wrong ball. If there is not clear evidence that the wrong ball was hit in the middle of playing a hole, there is no penalty. It may be possible that the player picked another player’s ball out of the hole and returned a different ball to the player. All of this should be easy to establish, as a player would remember whether she handed a ball to another player, and the other player should remember receiving it. It seems relatively clear in your narrative that Player A must have hit Player B’s ball on the first hole, although I have trouble understanding how she managed to play the entire second hole without noticing that she was using another player’s ball, which she had an opportunity to observe when she teed up, marked on the green, picked up out of the hole, and teed up on the next hole.

(3) What adjustments if any are made to the score of Player B in the situation above?

My answer:

None. Player B’s ball was officially lost as soon as she played another ball under stroke and distance. This is an unfortunate but unavoidable result of another player mistakenly playing her ball. Perhaps this incident will serve as a good lesson to the three players involved that they should always make certain the ball they are about to hit is theirs.

Lulu from Scotland

Linda

Copyright © 2019 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.

Ask Linda 1985-Search time

Linda,

Does the spectator searching time, authorized by me, for my ball, count? (I asked the spectator to search for my ball before I arrived to the spot where I expected my ball to be.)

Thanks,

Lou from Norrköping, Sweden

Dear Lou,

No. 

The time spectators search for a ball does not count in the three-minute search time limit. The clock starts when the player or his caddie (or the player’s partner or the partner’s caddie) begins searching for the ball [Rule 18.2a(1)].

There is no problem if you ask someone else to start searching before you can get there. However, once you reach the area, you may not stand aside and delay the start of the clock while others search. Nor may you delay getting to the area to allow the spectators extra time to search. The clock will start when you reach the area where you will begin your search, or when you would have reached the area had you not delayed your arrival [Interpretation Lost/2].

Linda

Copyright © 2019 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.

Ask Linda 1984-Ball strikes player’s bag

Hi Linda, 

I was playing in a match on Sunday when my opponent hit his ball. The ball then hit his bag. Does this incur a penalty stroke or is there now no penalty for hitting your own bag?

Lou from Essex  

Dear Lou,

There is no longer a penalty when you hit a ball that accidentally hits you or your equipment [Rule 11.1a]. You must play the ball as it lies [Rule 11.1b].

There is an important exception to this Rule. If you hit your ball that lies on the putting green and it accidentally hits any person, animal, or movable obstruction on the putting green (including another ball in motion but excluding another ball at rest), you must cancel the stroke and replay [Rule 11.1b, Exception 2]. However, if your ball hits another ball at rest on the green, count the stroke and play your ball as it lies. In stroke play, such contact results in a two-stroke penalty; there is no penalty in match play. In either format, the ball at rest that was moved must be replaced.

Linda

Copyright © 2019 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.

Ask Linda 1983-Double hit

Linda,

My friend had a tricky downhill 1-foot putt recently. He putted and as he followed through with the putter he touched the ball again, i.e., a double hit.

Is this a penalty?

Thanks,     

Lou from the UK, just outside Chester

Dear Lou,

There is no longer a penalty for a double hit. Under Rule 10.1a, if the player's club accidentally hits the ball more than once during a single stroke, there is no penalty and the ball must be played as it lies.

Linda

Copyright © 2019 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.

Ask Linda 1982-Blown coffee cup moves ball in motion on green

Dear Linda, 

During a particularly windy 4-Ball stroke event, Partner A was on the green and putting. His Partner B's coffee cup, which was in the shared cart, blew out and struck Partner A's ball as he putted, causing it to move off line. No one knew what to do in this circumstance and Partner B went ahead and played the ball as it lay without penalty.

Because the coffee cup belonged to his partner, should it have been considered equipment belonging to the partnership or would this be considered accidental movement of the ball on the green? 

Thank you, 

Lou from Hawaii.

Dear Lou,

The player must replace and replay. The stroke does not count. The original ball (or any ball) must be replaced on its original spot [Rule 11.1b, Exception 2]. 

Linda

Copyright © 2019 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.

Ask Linda 1981-Play in wrong order in foursomes

Hi Linda,

My playing partner and I made a basic error whilst playing in a Stableford Foursomes. At a par-3 hole, I drove the green and then foolishly putted down to the hole (playing out of turn) and my partner then holed out. We recorded a no score at the hole after our scoring partners pointed out our error. Were we correct in our procedure of recording a “blob” at that hole or could/should we have done something else? (We did have a handicap stroke at that hole). 

Someone else also said once a ball is in the hole there is nothing further we could have done. 

Can you please tell us what our options might have been? 

Regards,

Lulu from Scotland

Dear Lulu,

The fact that the ball was holed does not  prevent you from rectifying the situation.

You must correct the mistake before teeing off on the next hole. Do not count any of the strokes made in the wrong order. Add two penalty strokes to your score for the hole (the penalty for making a stroke in the wrong order) [Rule 22.3].

Failure to correct the error before making a stroke to begin the next hole will result in zero points for the hole that you played in the wrong order.

Linda

Copyright © 2019 Linda Miller. All rights reserved

Ask Linda 1980-Putt strikes player’s foot

Linda,

During a stroke play competition a player made a stroke at his ball while on the green and missed the hole, but then the ball hit his foot, which was behind the hole. It was agreed that the stroke counted and the ball must be played as it lies with no penalty. Was this a correct application of the rules? Thank you

Lulu from Massachusetts

Dear Lulu,

No.

Exception 2 to Rule 11.1b tells us that when a ball played from on the putting green accidentally hits any person (including the player putting the ball), the player must replace a ball (the original or another ball) on its original spot and replay the putt. If the original spot is not precisely known, the player must estimate it. There is no penalty, and the stroke that hit her foot does not count.

If this were to occur anywhere except on the putting green, the ball would have to be played as it lies [Rule 11.1b].

Linda

Copyright © 2019 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.

Ask Linda 1979-Another player marks ball and sets aside

Hi Linda,

Whilst playing a friendly game of golf a few days ago (Stableford) we all hit our shots to the green. I arrived at the green later than the other players in my group while I fixed a problem with my trolley. Unknown to me one of the players had marked my ball and placed it to the side so he could putt out. I then holed my ball from where he had placed it. We only realised I had putted from the wrong place when he asked for his ball marker. Luckily it was just a social game but I had most likely holed out from nearer the hole than the ball marker was. What should we have done? Is there a penalty?

My thoughts are as I was unaware my ball had been moved by an outside influence I don’t get the general penalty for playing from a wrong place. 

The other part of the question is.... does the players who marked and lifted my ball without my authority get a one-shot penalty? 

Lou from Lytham, St. Annes, England 

Dear Lou,

In stroke play, there is no penalty to anyone, and you are not penalized for playing from a wrong place. The stroke stands as played. Here is the applicable Interpretation:

9.6/3

Player Learns That Ball Moved After Stroke Made

If it is not known or virtually certain that the player's ball has been moved by an outside influence, the player must play the ball as it lies. If information that the ball was in fact moved by an outside influence only becomes known to the player after the ball has been played, the player did not play from a wrong place because this knowledge did not exist when the player made the stroke. 

In match play, a player who marks and lifts his opponent’s ball without permission incurs one penalty stroke [Rule 9.5].

No player should ever mark and lift another player’s ball without asking that player’s permission.

Linda

Copyright © 2019 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.

Ask Linda 1978-How to mark and move ball on green

Hi Linda,

Thanks for all your wonderful insights!

This question came up recently when a player had to move a ball out of another player's line of putt and then move it back. I have been trying to research it.

You answered a similar question in #1622, but that was in 2017 and I think (but am not sure) this has changed. You refer to rule 20.1, which in the 2019 rules seems to be covered by 14.1.

According to 20.1, one would have to first mark the ball, then hold the putter next to it, and move the marker. In replacing one you have to hold the putter next to the marker, move it and then replace the ball in front of it.

On the other hand 14.1 says you can mark the ball with "a club."

So when first moving the ball, can you now put the putter next to the ball and move it and then mark it?

And when moving it back can you just put the putter next to the marker and put the ball down without first replacing the marker?

I seem to remember reading they were making this change to speed things up but I can't find where I saw that.

Your answer would be appreciated!!

Best regards

Northport, New York, and New Smyrna Beach, Florida

Dear Lulu,

Nothing has changed about how to mark and move your ball out of another player’s line of play on the putting green. What you need to remember is that the ball must end up where it started. Whatever steps you take to move the ball, you should reverse that process when you replace it.

For the sake of brevity, let’s assume that you have been asked to move your ball one putter-head length. You may…

1. Mark and lift the ball. Measure one putter-head length to the side of your marker. Place your marker at the other end of the putter head. When you replace your ball, you will measure one putter-head length back, place your marker at the end of the putter head, and replace your ball in front of the marker.

2. Place your putter head next to the ball (which you have not marked and lifted). Place your marker at the end of the putter head. When you replace your ball, you will measure one putter-head length back and place your ball at the end of the putter head.

When Rule 14.1a talks about marking your ball with a club, it means you may hold your club next to the ball to lift it and perhaps clean it or readjust the alignment before you immediately replace it. 

The method you describe is not correct, as the ball would not be replaced on the same spot from which it was lifted.

Linda

Copyright © 2019 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.

Ask Linda 1977-After drop, stance in penalty area

Hi Linda,

Drove my ball to the left into a red stake water hazard [penalty area].

I chose to take 2 club-length penalty drop. The drop area isn’t flat but slopes back to the hazard. When I drop, the ball rolls back and when the ball at rest my stance is stepping on the hazard. The ball didn’t roll out of the 2 club-length relief area. Being right-handed, my stance is touching the hazard line, or should I say stepping inside the hazard area.

Question is can I re-drop? Based on my knowledge, penalty drop doesn’t apply full relief, unlike free drop.

Please advise.

Best regards,

Lou from Malaysia

Dear Lou,

When you take lateral relief from a red-staked penalty area, and your dropped ball comes to rest in the relief area, your ball is in play. If your stance ends up in the penalty area, you will have to deal with that. Relief is provided for the ball only, not for your stance.

Linda

Copyright © 2019 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.

Ask Linda 1976- Old Rules – Where are they now?

Hi Linda,

I have been trying but unsuccessfully to find new rules/interpretations for the following:

1. Old Rule 2-2 Halved Hole: “When a player has holed out and his opponent has been left with a stroke for the half, if the player subsequently incurs a penalty, the hole is halved.” 

2. Old Decision 1-4/1: “Distractions are a common occurrence which players must accept.”

I enjoyed pointing out the latter Decision to fellow players who used to complain about minor disturbances when they were playing. 

Have you found equivalent new versions?

Kind regards,

Lou from Tiverton, Devon, UK

The following answers were graciously provided by Stewart, a referee from Canberra, Australia:

1. Old Rule 2-2 was an exception in match play to the normal application of the Rules. It has been removed from 2019. That is, the player in match play now gets whatever breach the Rule requires. For example, player A has a putt for a half when opponent B, who has already finished, says, "you'll have to allow plenty of borrow there, the slope is considerable". B loses the hole for a breach of R10.2a.

2. References to distractions now lie within Rule 1.2a. Conduct expected of all players includes not distracting the play of another player. Behaviour inconsistent with this Rule brings no penalty, except that the Committee may disqualify a player for "serious misconduct". Interpretation 1.2a/1 states that deliberately distracting other players while they are making strokes is likely to be considered a serious misconduct but carelessly distracting another player making a stroke is unlikely to be considered serious misconduct.

Copyright © 2019 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.

Ask Linda 1975-Roll the ball for Preferred Lies

Hi Linda,

This rule came up in a tournament yesterday. Announcements were made that we were playing winter rules and allowed to "roll" the ball in the fairway one scorecard length. Someone asked if we were allowed to clean the ball and the pro said no we were not doing lift, clean and place as the condition of the course did not warrant it. We were not allowed to "touch" the ball unless we were trying to identify it.

I have always been told that if you can move the ball with a club you may also place it with your hand. Do you know of a rule that states this?

Fondly, 

Lulu from Temple Terrace, Florida

Dear Lulu,

Holy cow! You are being told by a golf professional to roll the ball with your golf club? Be still my heart!

There is no Rule – Local or otherwise – that permits a player to roll a golf ball with her club.  

When Preferred Lies (also know as Winter Rules) are adopted by the Committee, the player may take relief by placing her ball within a specified distance (one scorecard length, in your instance), no closer to the hole [Model Local Rule E-3]. The ball may be cleaned [Rule 14.1c]. The pro may not  prohibit cleaning the ball.

Linda

Copyright © 2019 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.

Ask Linda 1974-Set club on ground to show line of play

Hi Linda, 

Please clarify the following:

Instead of standing behind the ball to line up her putt by holding and pointing her putter straight out in front of her towards the hole, my opponent bent down on her haunches and placed the heel of her club, some distance in front of the ball, with the shaft extended on the ground as she would if standing and pointing, to line up her putt.  Please note, that in my opinion, she was not testing the surface of the green.  Is this allowed?  Thanks.

Lulu from Ontario, Canada

Dear Lulu,

The player is not permitted to set anything down on (or off) the putting green to show her the line of play. If she does so, she will get the general penalty (loss of hole/two strokes), even if she removes the object before she putts [Rule 10.2b(2)].

Linda

Copyright © 2019 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.

Ask Linda 1973-GUR not marked

Dear Linda,

My question concerns Abnormal Course Conditions.

Scenario: The course maintenance staff have carried out repair work on an area approx. 1yd x 18” on the apron of a green where they have replaced the turf. It is obvious that remedial work has been carried out. However, the affected area has not been marked as an abnormal course condition (GUR).

Question: Does a player have relief from such an area when it is not marked or identified by the committee as GUR?

Thank you,

Lou from Dublin, Ireland

Dear Lou,

No, but a conscientious golfer might want to put in a call to the pro shop or a Committee member before taking a divot out of new turf. Perhaps there is an intention to mark it as GUR, and they simply haven’t gotten around to marking it yet, in which case they would surely appreciate an inquiry.

Linda

Copyright © 2019 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.

Ask Linda 1972-Enter No Play Zone when entrance prohibited

Dear Linda,

Our Audubon-certified course has designated a meadow to the left of a fairway as a No Play Zone. A split-rail fence delineates its boundary and prominent signs mark it as a naturalized area and No Play Zone with free relief and entry specifically forbidden.

I and another member of our group each hooked our shots into the deep grass in the No Play Zone, with both balls landing very close to one another. As entry was forbidden, I took relief under Rule 16.1e, using as my reference point the spot where my ball entered the No Play Zone.

The other player, ignoring the no entry warnings, climbed over the fence and soon found his ball in the long grass. Having found his ball, he took relief under Rule 16.1b, using as his reference point the nearest point of complete relief from the location of his ball. The end result was that he dropped his ball about 100 yards closer to the hole than I did.

The other player clearly violated the club’s instruction not to enter the No Play Zone, but did he violate any rule of golf in securing such a clear advantage to himself? If not, can the club implement a Local Rule that penalizes scofflaws who ignore the prohibition of entry into a No Play Zone?

Lou from British Columbia

Dear Lou,

The Committee may write its own Code of Conduct adopted as a Local Rule [Rule 1.2b]. In that Code of Conduct, the Committee might decide to issue a warning for the first breach, followed by a one-stroke penalty, the general penalty, and disqualification for subsequent breaches.

The Committee may also provide different penalties for each item within the Code. For example, using unacceptable language or throwing clubs might follow the four steps listed above, while entering a No Play Zone where entry is prohibited might start with the general penalty (loss of hole/two strokes) and jump to disqualification for a second offense.

Penalties in the Code do not have to escalate. For example, a player could get a one-stroke penalty each time he failed to rake a bunker, repair a ball mark, or replace a divot.

The Code may also include disciplinary sanctions for specific violations, such as restricting entry to future events.

For help in creating a Code of Conduct policy, please consult the Official Guide, Part III, Competitions, Section 5H, Code of Conduct Policy, pp. 415-418.

If the Committee does not write a Code of Conduct, the only penalty available is disqualification if the Committee finds that the player has committed serious misconduct that is contrary to the spirit of the game [Rule 1.2a]. Examples of “serious misconduct” can be found in the Official Guide, Interpretation 1.2a/1.

Linda

Copyright © 2019 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.

Ask Linda 1971- Fairly take a stance. Break branches with practice swing. Lift another player’s ball on green without permission

Hi Linda

Very much appreciate your Blog and emails. They make us all better golfers when we know how the rules can help us.

I have a couple of questions that have arisen recently in my role as Women’s Rules Chair for my club.

Question 1:

A ball comes to rest under sweeping cedar branches that almost touch the ground but have lots of air in-between them. I believe this is part of Rule 8. The player is permitted (I think) to take her stance by backing into the tree, thus moving some branches out of the way. The player is not allowed to use her hands to move such branches or push them out of the way. Basically a player can assume a reasonable stance but is not provided with a reasonable swing path necessarily. Is this correct that you can back in to take a stance?

Question 2:

In a practise swing, if the player hits branches causing them to fall or break, do they incur a-stroke penalty? For some reason I think this may have changed but I can’t find it in the Player’s Edition.

Question 3:

We had a situation where a player marked another player’s ball on the putting green but did not ask permission to do this. Rule 14.1b says that you must give permission each time before the ball is lifted rather than giving it generally for the round. What I am unclear on is if there is a penalty to the player who has marked and lifted the ball without asking permission. The rule says “must” but no penalty is provided.

Thank you so much.

Lulu from Vancouver, BC, Canada

Dear Lulu,

Before I answer your questions, I am going to suggest that you purchase both the Rules of Golfand the Official Guide to the Rules of Golf. The Player’s Editionis designed for beginners; both volumes I recommend are indispensable for a Rules Chairperson.

Question 1:

You may back into a tree to take your stance, provided it is the least intrusive course of action [Rule 8.1b(6)]. You may bend a branch to get under the tree to take your stance, but you may not deliberately move, bend, or break a branch to get it out of the way of your swing [Interpretations 8.1b/3 and /4].

Question 2:

If you improve the conditions affecting the stroke by breaking branches with a practice swing, you will get the General Penalty (loss of hole/two strokes) [Rule 8.1a]. You can avoid penalty by restoring the original condition [Rule 8.1c], but it is highly unlikely that you will be able to fix a broken branch, considering you are not permitted to use other materials (e.g., tape) to repair it.

Questions 3:

Common sense and good etiquette would seem to dictate that you not touch another player’s ball without their consent. If you mark and lift someone else’s ball on the putting green without their permission, you will get one penalty stroke in match play [Rule 9.5b]; there is no penalty in stroke play [Rule 9.6].

Linda

Copyright © 2019 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.

Ask Linda 1970-Relief from GUR near boundary fence

Linda,

On my course we have an out of bounds wire fence alongside the river estuary (to stop rubbish from the high tide coming onto the course). To improve drainage there was a drain put in which is defined as GUR. My question is if your ball rests against the fence are you entitled to relief from the GUR even though you would not have had a shot due to the fence. My understanding is that you would not be entitled to free relief if there is interference from something else which would have resulted in not having a shot if the GUR had not been there.    

Lou from Ireland 

Dear Lou,

Your understanding is correct.

No free relief is allowed from boundary objects. While a player is entitled to free relief from ground under repair (GUR), he loses that entitlement if his stroke is interfered with by something else from which free relief is unavailable.

Ask yourself: If the GUR weren’t there, would the player be able to hit his ball? If the answer is: “no, the boundary object would interfere with his stroke,” the player would have to select one of the penalty relief options for an unplayable ball. If the answer is: “yes, he would be able to swing freely if the GUR were not present,” the player would be entitled to free relief from the GUR.

Linda

Copyright © 2019 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.

Ask Linda 1969-Reposition flagstick in hole

Hi, Linda:

Could you please help out with this one because I'm not sure whether I've covered all possible rules that may be breached.

The flagstick is in the hole, but is NOT centered.

1. If my partner asks for the flag to be removed, can I then advise my partner that the flag is angled in his favor (which suggests he should change his mind)?

2. Conversely, (and just in case the answer would be different) can my partner ask me whether or not the flag is in his favor?

3. Can our opponents insist that it be reseated centrally before he putts?

Many thanks for all your help over the years.

Regards, 

Lou from England

Dear Lou,

1. You may tell your partner anything you wish. Partners are permitted to advise one another.

2. Same answer as #1.

3. No. The player is permitted to putt with the flagstick in whatever position it may be when he arrives at the green, or he may have it centered. The opponents may not insist that the flagstick be centered, and the player may not reposition the flagstick to any position other than centered [Rule 13.2a].

Linda

Copyright © 2019 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.

Ask Linda 1968-Putt diverted by moving leaves

Dear Linda,

Thank you for all your research and advice. In our club there is an ongoing debate on the following.

A player putts his ball from the putting green, it rolls gently on line for the hole and suddenly a gust of wind blows some leaves into the path of the ball causing it to divert and finish some six inches from the hole. The player is just a little annoyed, goes forward and taps his ball into the hole for a par. We had treated his misfortune as a rub of the green.

However, recently the player referred to this incident in the clubhouse. This time another member gave a different interpretation of the Rules. He said under Rule 11.1b, Exception 2, the player had incurred a number of penalties. The first penalty because the player had no option other than replacing his ball and putting again (no penalty). Secondly, the player by tapping the ball into the hole had incurred a further penalty for playing from a wrong place. Thirdly he added that because the player had not rectified the situation before teeing off on the next hole he should have been disqualified. (Being a Stableford competition, disqualification would have meant zero points for that hole).

Our difficulty is as follows.

Rule 11.1b. “If a player’s ball in motion accidentally hits any person or OUTSIDE INFLUENCE the ball must be played as it lies, except in two situations:

Exception 2 – When ball played from putting green accidentally hits any person, animal or MOVABLE OBSTRUCTION (including another ball in motion) on putting green: The stroke does not count and the original ball or another ball must be replaced on its original spot, etc.

Our interpretation is that a leaf/leaves blowing across the putting green are loose impediments, not movable obstructions, so Exception 2 does not apply. Our dissenting member retains the view that Exception 2 applies.

Your advice would be most welcome.

Lou from Dublin, Ireland

Dear Lou,

The player proceeded correctly when he tapped the ball into the hole and recorded par for the hole.

This represents a change from the pre-2019 ruling that required a replay if an outside agency (now called an outside influence with an expanded definition) moved a ball in motion after a stroke on the putting green. (For my rules scholars, this was Decision 19-1/3.) 

The current applicable Rule, as you suggest, is Exception 2 to Rule 11.1b. A stroke from on the putting green that is diverted from its path by blowing leaves must be played as it lies. Exception 2 requires a replay for accidental movement by a person, animal, or movable obstruction. Blowing leaves, being a natural force, do not fall into any of these categories; they are not included in this Exception.

Note that the term “rub of the green” is no longer an official golf term, much to my regret.

Linda

Copyright © 2019 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.

Ask Linda 1967-Submit card with score lower than taken

Hi Linda,

We played our 3rd round of our PGA Senior Championship today and I recorded on the scorecard a 5 instead of a 6 on the 18th hole for the player I was marking. In the Recording tent he said he didn’t want to read through the scores and proceeded to sign his card and gave it to the official. It was my mistake but one that would have been rectified if we would have done the normal checking routine.

I realized this as I returned home after doing some thinking on the way because he happened to beat me by one stroke.

After I called the Recording office, the official told me that there was nothing he could do now. 

What is the correct procedure? Has he signed for a wrong score? Is there a time limit as to when you may query such a mistake?

Best regards,

Lou from Germany 

Dear Lou,

Rule 20.2e(2) makes it quite clear that “a player must be disqualified even after the competition is closed if he or she returned a score for any hole lower than actually taken for any reason other than failing to include one or more penalty strokes that, before the competition closed, the player did not know about.”

Unless there were penalty strokes the player knew nothing about, the Committee should disqualify the player. There is no time limit for such a disqualification.

Linda

Copyright © 2019 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.

Ask Linda 1966-Ball interferes with another player’s ball

Dear Linda, 

I was playing yesterday in my Monday league on our regular play day. At one point my ball, on the fringe around green, infringed on another player’s ball and stroke (also on the fringe). I marked my ball and picked it up. I believe I automatically put it in my pocket. One of the other players suggested that I needed to pick ball up between thumb and forefinger and hold it that way while the other played her stroke (our team has experienced this issue in Team/match play also). I know it needs to be replaced as it was before lifting and marking and I did not clean it. She indicated it is a one-stroke penalty for not lifting ball with the two digits. I suppose the two-digit lift is designed to assure it is not “cleaned” by a pocket or the hand if palmed. Is there a proper way to lift and hold the ball while the other player completes her stroke that receives a penalty if not done correctly? I see no reference to the two-digit pick-up in the rules.

Thank you, 

Lulu from California

Dear Lulu,

You are not permitted to clean your ball when another player requires you to mark and lift your ball because it might interfere with her play [Rule 15.3b(2)]. If you clean your ball, the penalty is one stroke.

It is customary to lift the ball carefully with two fingers, so as to avoid any impression that you cleaned your ball. It would be hard to imagine that your ball was not cleaned in some way during the process of putting it into your pocket and subsequently taking it out, unless it was known that the ball was perfectly clean before it was lifted. Please read Interpretation 14.1c/1 for additional guidance.

There is no Rule that specifically requires the two-finger lift, but I think you will be hard pressed to come up with another lifting procedure that will assure the other golfers in your group that you have not wiped anything off your ball. Be aware that if you lift the ball carefully between two fingers and some dirt or mud falls off, you do not have the try to stick it back on.

I am somewhat concerned by your statement that you marked and picked up your ball. I hope what you meant was that you marked and picked up at the request of the other player. You are not permitted to lift your ball simply because you believe it will interfere with another player’s shot. If you lift it without being requested to do so, you incur one penalty stroke [Rule 15.3b(2), last two paragraphs].

Also, when you replace the ball, it does not have to be replaced "as it was," but rather "where" it was.  The ball may be replaced in any orientation, except that if there is mud (or anything else) adhering to the ball, you may not replace the ball so that it is teed up on that mud.

Linda

Copyright © 2019 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.

Ask Linda 1965-Handicap allocation on 27-hole course

Hi Linda,

I was recently playing a 27-hole course where each 9 was handicapped 1-9. I owed my opponent 3 strokes and we were playing match play. 

With the two hardest holes getting a stroke, where does the 3rd stroke get allocated? 

He argued that he should get 1/2 a stroke on both 2nd hardest holes where I argued that would then be giving him 4 strokes for any push. 

My understanding of the rules is that “Common sense should be used to ensure that handicap strokes are used as an equalizer and should be available where it most likely will be needed by the higher handicapper player in order to obtain a halve on the hole.”

With giving 1/2 a stroke there’s no opportunity to halve the hole. 

The only solution I could think of was to see which 9-hole was rated/sloped harder and allocate it there. 

Thanks for your help.

Lou from New York

Dear Lou,

I generally refrain from answering handicap questions, as there is not a universal handicap system throughout the world. However, being that you are from the U.S., and I am familiar with the USGA Handicap System, I will answer your question. I believe this knowledge will be useful to golfers whose countries follow the USGA system.

Section 17 of the USGA Handicap Systemmanual covers the allocation of handicap strokes. 17-4 states:

Strokes should be allocated to each nine holes separately 1 through 9. When two nines are combined for a handicap competition, the odd stroke-hole allocations should be on the nine holes considered the first nine, and the even stroke-hole allocations should be on the second nine.

This recommendation (note the use of should, not must) to put the odd stroke-hole allocations on the front nine means that if you have to give or receive an odd number of strokes to your opponent, the extra stroke will be given on the front nine (the first nine you play). In your scenario, your opponent would receive two strokes on the front nine (the #1 and #2 allocated handicap holes) and one on the back nine (the #1 handicap hole). 

Linda

Copyright © 2019 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.