No worries ladies not a second quiz in one day, just important information for you all.
HilaryGOODBYE RULE 3-3
Yes ladies it’s goodbye to Rule 3-3, and has been since January 2019. How time flies….
Rule 3-3 allowed a player in Stroke play to play two balls when they were uncertain what to do. So now we are uncertain, what is a player to do? Well the informed player knows that the USGA would not abandon us, and all they really did was push Rule 3-3 to the back of the Rules book, and now you can find the exact same Rule under a different number….Rule 20-1c.
Rules Chairs and officials had to know the changed Rules’ numbers since January 2019, and this one is a very important number for you to get correct. If you want to use this Rule you MUST announce it to your playing partner before you use it, “I’m going to play two balls under Rule 20-1c” AND you must choose which ball you want to count if that one is played under the Rules.
Why you might ask? Well, if both balls are played under the Rules you can’t choose the one with the lower score to count! Now that wouldn’t be right would it? Golf is a game of skill but also a lot of luck.
So let’s take you out on the course with Sarah, and go over exactly what she MUST do. Sarah is in the Club Championship and she’s playing better than the field but her drive on the last hole lands exactly in middle of a cart path.
Sarah is not sure; does she take her free relief from the path to the left or the right? She could hit is from where it lies but it’s not an ideal shot for her.
Here we go; this is what she must do.
- Sarah announces to her playing partners that she is going to use Rule 20-1c, (NOT 3-3 because since 2019 Rule 3-3 is about “Stroke Play”), and play a second ball.
- She tells her playing partners which of the two balls she wants to count IF it is played correctly under the Rules.
- She drops each ball, one on left side of the path, the other on the right side of the path, at her closest point of relief, within one club length, no closer to the hole.
- She plays both balls until she holes out with both.
- She notes the score for both balls, noting which ball’s score she had previously decided she wanted to take. Surprisingly she scores a 5 with both
- Sarah is about to write the 5 down on her card and sign it but, because she knows the Rules, she remembers she MUST report the facts to the Committee to decide which ball’s score counts.
This MUST BE DONE EVEN IF THE SCORE IS THE SAME FOR BOTH BALLS! Why? Because she put a second ball in play, the Committee must protect the field and ascertain how the hole was played to be sure that she played according to the Rules.
She would have been DISQUALIFIED IF SHE HAD FAILED TO CHECK WITH THE COMMITTEE.
- The Committee examines the facts, decides that Sarah’s score for the ball she had chosen to count for her score was played according to the Rules. She writes down a 5 on her card, signs the card and wins the Club Championship.
Way to go Sarah, she knew Rule 20-1c, and she wasn’t disqualified.
I hope this helps you,
Hilary
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