Category: Rules of Golf

Hi Ladies, the July Rules quiz for you to enjoy! Yippee…….

1. Felicity marks the position of her ball on the putting green with her marker and causes her ball to move. What is the penalty?

A. One stroke penalty
B. Two stroke penalty
C. No penalty

2. Helen tees her ball on the teeing ground and while practicing her swing she knocks the ball off the tee. What is her penalty?

A. No penalty
B. One stroke penalty
C. Two stroke penalty

3. Brenda’s ball lands next to a red stake marking the margin of a lateral water hazard. Before she makes her next stroke she removes the stake as it restricts her intended swing. What is her penalty?

A. One stroke penalty
B. Two stroke penalty
C. No penalty

4. Delilah’s ball lands “in bounds” but her swing is restricted by a white out of bounds stake. Before making her next stroke she removes the stake. What is her penalty?

A. No penalty
B. One stroke penalty
C. Two stroke penalty

5. Judy asks her fellow competitor Constance to attend the flagstick. Constance is not quite awake and Judy’s ball hits the flagstick. Who gets the penalty Judy or Constance?

6. Suzie is playing hole #12 at Discovery Bay Country Club and her balls lands on the bridge over the water hazard. She grounds her club on the bridge and hits her ball onto the green. How many penalty strokes does Suzie incur?

Answers

1. C. No penalty. Rule 20-1, states if a ball, or ball marker, is accidentally moved in the process of lifting the ball, or marking its position, the ball or marker must be replaced. There is no penalty provided the movement of the ball or marker was directly attributable to the specific act of marking or lifting the ball.

2. A. No penalty. TheDefinition of a “stroke” is the forward movement of the club with the intention of striking at, and moving the ball. As the ball on the teeing ground is not in play until a “stroke” has been made, the ball may be re-teed without penalty, Rule/Decision 18-2/19.

3. C. No penalty. Under the Definition of Water Hazard stakes used to define the margins of a Water Hazard are Obstructions. Red and yellow stakes may be moved without penalty and, if your ball moves due to you moving the stake, there is no penalty but you must replace your ball. Also your ball may be cleaned when you lift it. Rule 24-1

4. C. Two stroke penalty. TheDefinition of Out of Bounds states that objects defining out of bounds are NOT Obstructions, therefore they must not be moved. If a player removes them they breaking Rule 13-2, Improving lie, Area of intended Swing, or Line of Play.

5. Sadly Judy does! She is penalized two strokes as her ball hit the attended flagstick (Rule 17-3 and Decision 17-3/2). Judy then plays the ball where it lies.

6. NONE. You may ground your club on a bridge over a water hazard. Decision 13-4/30. The bridge is an obstruction and NOT “ground in the hazard”.

I hope this helps you.
Hilary

Ladies:

Problem areas are always a problem and the question about your ball being on the bridge on hole #12 has come up again.

I have attached a photo of the situation to this e mail. Hopefully you all can open it!

FACTS

The bridge is IN the hazard.

You are ALWAYS allowed to hit from a hazard without penalty.

But……You MAY NOT ground your club in a hazard.

The bridge, although it is deemed to be IN the hazard, is an “obstruction” in the hazard , NOT ‘”ground” in the hazard

Decision/Rule 13-4/30 allows you to touch an “obstruction” in a hazard.

So this is what you may do:

1. You may, without penalty, hit your ball from the bridge and ground your club.

2. You may, with a one stroke penalty, take relief from the bridge using Rule 26, Water Hazards.

As you well know that means:

Hit from where you were before, if from the tee box you may tee your ball up again.

Go back and drop a ball as far as you like, in line with the pin and where your ball last crossed the hazard.

Drop a ball within two club lengths, no closer to the pin, from where your ball last crossed the hazard.

I do not advocate plagiarism but this time I have included here link here http://www.usga.org/videos/2015/07/07/150707-womens_rules-of-golf-bridges-4342577694001.html to the USGA Rules website that will visually help you.

I hope this helps you,
Hilary

Ladies, no golf today eh? So lots of time for a golf quiz…..enjoy!

Q. Maria’s ball is on the apron between the green and a bunker. Her fellow-competitor then plays from the bunker and deposits sand on and around Maria’s ball. Is Maria entitled to any relief?

A. Yes. Maria is entitled to the lie and line of play she had when her ball originally came to rest. Accordingly, in equity (Rule 1-4), she is entitled to remove the sand deposited by her fellow competitor’s stroke, and also lift her ball and clean it, without penalty.

Q. Susie drops her ball to take relief from a cart path, the ball is no longer on the cart path but her stance is on the cart path. Is Susie’s ball properly in play ?

A. No, Rule 20-2 c (v). Susie’s dropped ball must be re-dropped, without penalty, if it rolls to and comes to rest in a position where there is interference by the condition from which relief was taken. The penalty would be two strokes or loss of hole if the ball was not re-dropped prior to stroke.

Q. Miranda hits a great 7 iron to the green but it accidentally hits a slow walking goose and the ball lands in the bunker. Can she replace her ball where it hit the goose?

A. Sadly no, it is the rub of the green, (or goose), and Miranda must play her ball where it lies, in the bunker. Rule 19-1.

Q. Beth putts her ball and it hits the flagstick which is lying on the ground. Is she penalized?

A. Yes, a two stroke penalty. Rule 17-3. A player’s ball must not strike the flagstick when removed, held up or attended.

(The exception to this is if the flagstick had been removed, held up, or attended during a stroke or while the ball is in motion, without the player’s authority. If in doubt do not have the flagstick attended, or have the flagstick moved well out of the line of your next stroke.)

Q. Ellen his her ball out of the bunker and accidentally strikes the ball twice. Is there a penalty?

A. Unfortunately there is a penalty for being a klutz. Ellen must count her stroke and add one penalty stroke, Rule 14-4.

Q. Vanessa found her ball touching the course side of a white line indicating Out of Bounds. Does she have to take a stroke and distance penalty?

A. No, a ball is not out of bounds unless ALL of the ball is out of bounds. See Definition of Out of Bounds. Vanessa’s ball was not, so she may continue play without penalty.

I hope you got all these questions right, and this helps you.

Hilary