Category: Rules of Golf

Hi Ladies:

It seems like the sun is finally coming out to stay so I’d better dust off my Rules quiz book. Here’s the first one for this year. Enjoy.

A. Here you are on the green of hole number one and while taking your practice strokes preparing to putt you strike your ball.

What penalty, if any have you incurred?

ANSWER. Although you certainly did not intend to strike the ball, and have not therefore made a stroke, you do incur a one stroke penalty under Rule 18-2a for causing the ball to move except as permitted by a Rule. You must replace the ball to where it was when you hit it accidentally.

B. After you are forced to take a drop as your ball goes into the lateral hazard on hole number 9, you find the nearest point of relief, no closer to the hole of course, and drop your ball according to the Rules. On the drop, the ball rolls approximately 25 feet from the place where it first struck the course when dropped. The ball didn’t roll closer to the hole.

Is a re-drop necessary?

ANSWER. Rule 20-2 requires a ball to be re-dropped if it rolls more than two club-lengths from the spot where your dropped ball first touched the golf course.

You must re-drop the ball.

C. During a round in a team play event you witness a Rules breach by your opponent in match play.

After completion of the round, you go to the Rules committee to inform them of the violation and seek a ruling.

Did you proceed correctly to receive a ruling on the violation?

ANSWER. Sadly no, you missed several steps.

According to Rule 2-5, the Rules committee can only consider a claim if the reporting player has informed his opponent that he/she is making the claim, the facts of the claim, and his desire for a ruling.

The claim must be made before any player in the match plays from the next teeing ground or, if the last hole, before all players have left the final green.

D. Anna and Maria are playing against one another in a match-play competition.

While both are on the putting green preparing to putt, Anna marks Maria’s ball and tosses it to her as a courtesy.

Is either person subject to a penalty?

ANSWER. Rule 20-1 states that a player’s ball may be lifted by an opponent with the player’s permission. Since Anna did not ask for permission to mark and lift the ball, she has innocently run afoul of the Rules and incurs a one-stroke penalty according to Rule 18-3(b)].

E. During a round played in a severe Discovery Bay wind, Sally’s ball comes to rest on the green. As the players approach the green, the ball begins to move, blown by the wind, away from the hole.

Sally says the ball was moved by an outside agency and she replaces her ball near the spot where it rested before it began to move.

Did Sally act correctly?

ANSWER. No, she did not.

Under the Rules of Golf wind is not considered an outside agency.

The ball must be played from wherever the wind blew it to, whether that was nearer to, or farther from the hole.

I hope this helps you, and the sun stays out!

Hilary

Ladies:

I will be posting on our notice board in the locker room the WGANC ruling regarding the use of iPhones and Smart phone as distance measuring devices. (Click here to view.) This ruling is in acordance with the new 2010 decision for the use of iPhones and Smart phones during your rounds of golf. I will also give a copy to our tournament committee for their use during play days and tournaments.

The iPhone 3GS comes with a compass app that cannot be removed, so it is not allowed. The iPhone model 3G does not, so that model can be used.

It’s the compass they are worried about as you could work out which way the course/greens slope.

Any questions?…. don’t hesitate to e mail me.

Hilary

Hi Ladies:

Having recently attended the Decisions meeting at Lake Merced Country Club I wanted to update you on changes that will affect our play in 2010.

RULE CHANGES. There was only one.

Rule 4-1/1.

This change will definitely NOT impact our play as it is only in use in “Competitions involving the highest level of expert play.”

Prior to 2010 the majority of golfers were using square or U grooves. This was beneficial for high caliber players as it allowed them to put an abundance of spin on their golf ball, especially out of the rough because of the sharp, deep grooves. The square grooves on wedges particularly were making it so that hitting a ball out of the rough was not a penal as it was intended to be. Hence the change. There is no need to change the irons you have in your bag unless you are heading to the LPGA tour.

DECISIONS. There are 28 new Decisions and over 50 Revised Decisions. The 4 below are important for us to know.

16-1a/ 9 Brushing loose impediments off the line of putt with palm of hand.

As long as you DO NOT press anything down, or test the surface of the green, you may “Use the whole palm of your hand, and use about a dozen strokes, to remove loose impediments which are difficult to remove from your line of putt.

27-2a/1.3 Announcement of Provisional ball.

If you want to put a Provisional ball in to play but your fellow competitors are far from you and unable to hear your “announcement” of a provisional ball you may now put a ball into play. However you must inform them of your action as soon as possible. This way play is not unnecessarily delayed.

14-3/16 Artificial Devices.

This is for all you “high tech” golfers who may use their iPhones on the course.

The application that has the distance measuring system MUST have the COMPASS part of its program removed. The iPhone, or any similar device must not be used to:

1. Access weather conditions that effect play, such as wind direction/speed/ or gradient of the course.

2. To call to ask for golf advice in breach of rule 8-1.

If you’ve managed to read through this far here’s a funny Revised Decision to end on.

23/ 6.5. Status of snake.

A live snake has always been an “Outside Agency” but now it defines that a DEAD snake is both an “Outside Agency and a Loose Impediment” This has been expanded to clarify that an item can fall under more than one Definition.

I’d prefer the Loose Impediment snake any day!

I hope this helps you.

Hilary