Category: Rules of Golf

Let’s talk about advice. What is advice and what isn’t? What is allowed and what isn’t?

Our hubbies are surely not allowed to advise us that, “You look real fat in those pants.” When we have a lousy haircut our friends are surely not allowed to tell us, “Yes should really do something about that chopped hair on the top of your head!” There’s good advice, “Yes honey you always look great” and bad advice “Go get an Eminem tattoo on your butt.”

Now let’s look at golf, where does advice fit in here?

We all meet those “experts” on the driving range who want to tell us “You’re standing too tall, too low, your swing is too fast or too slow.” Although they bother us they are allowed. No rules are broken but hit the first tee and things change.

Advice is covered under Rule 8 along with Indicating Line of Play. “Advice” is any counsel or suggestion that could influence a player in determining their play, choice of club, or the method of making a stroke.

If you are playing stroke play against a fellow competitor, or match play against an opponent you CANNOT ask them for, or GIVE them advice. If you ASK it’s a TWO stroke penalty and if you GIVE it’s a TWO stroke penalty.

If you are playing with a PARTNER in both stroke and match play, as you are on the same side you CAN ask for and give advice to your partner, no penalty.

Let’s do a quiz to better understand this Rule. Read the questions and decide any penalty or not? The answers and reasons are at the bottom. Good luck!

1. Mary is on the tee and asks her fellow competitor “Did you use a seven iron for that shot?”

2. Dolly is on the putting green and asks her fellow competitor Susie, ”Does this putt break to the right?”

3. Susie answers “It sure does.”

4. Vanessa is in the fairway and asks her opponent “How far is it to the green?”

5. Ruby answers “150 yards to the front.”

6. Jeanne asks her opponent “I’m hungry, are you?”

7. Hilary answers “Want some cheese and crackers?”

8. Beth asks her partner Kay “Do you think this putt breaks to the right?”

9. Kay answers “No dummy, it breaks to the left”

10. Rebecca asks Fay her fellow competitor “How many strokes do you get on this hole?”

11. Molly asks Mary her fellow competitor, as her balls goes in the water AGAIN, “What am I doing wrong?”

12. Mary answers Molly “You are swinging the club too far back.”

13. Rebecca’s ball in match play is under a tree and her opponent Marie tells her “I’d call that ball unplayable if I were you.”

14. Janet lays a club down on the fairway to align her feet before her next shot.

Her are the answers and reasons. If you are playing stroke play against a fellow competitor, or match play against an opponent you CANNOT ask them for, or GIVE them advice. If you ASK it’s a TWO stroke penalty and if you GIVE it’s a TWO stroke penalty, in match play it’s “LOSS OF HOLE.”
1. Two stroke penalty. Mary asked for Advice which could assist her club selection for her shot.

2. Two stroke penalty, she asked for Advice on how to play her putt. In match play it’s “LOSS OF HOLE.”

3. Two stroke penalty as Susie GAVE advice. In match play it’s “LOSS OF HOLE.”

4. No penalty as asking distance is common knowledge and is not advice.

5. As above. No penalty for Ruby either.

6. No penalty, but now we know whose tummy is rumbling!

7. No penalty but what’s with always eating cheese and crackers?

8. No penalty, as Kay is her partner.

9. No penalty as above, even though she’s rude calling Beth a dummy!

10. No penalty as this is not advice.

11. Two stroke penalty as Molly is asking for giving advice on how to make a stroke. In match play it’s “LOSS OF HOLE.”

12. Two stroke penalty for Mary. She gave advice to her fellow competitor. In match play it’s “LOSS OF HOLE.”

13. Marie loses the hole for her suggestion as it could have influenced how Rebecca played her next shot.

14. No penalty as long as she removes the club before her shot. If not she will get a two stroke penalty for indicating her “line of play.”

I hope this helps you understand Rule #8 and don’t get penalized yourself.

Hilary

Hi Ladies:

I thought today I’d focus on the putting green and just a few of the many rules. Firstly the rules for the putting green are different from those that are “through the green”. Through the green is the whole area of a golf course EXCEPT for the teeing ground, the putting green of the hole being played, and all hazards on the course. The putting green is all the ground of the hole that is especially prepared for putting.

Your ball is on the green if any part of it touches the putting surface

RULE 16 The putting green

The line of putt must not be touched except:

1. the player may remove LOOSE impediments for example sand, leaves or stones provided they do not press anything down
2. to repair old hole plugs or ball marks
3. in pressing down a ball marker
4. in lifting or replacing the ball
5. in moving movable obstructions (such as trash or…. yuck, yuck, cigarette butts)

This means that you cannot improve the line of your putt. So before you putt you may repair pitch marks and remove loose leaves or stones but you MAY NOT repair spike marks or remove attached grass. So be sure that what you try to remove is not growing into the surface.

Talking about improving your line of putt be very careful if you do this:

The player may place the club in front of the ball at address, but may not press anything down. two stroke penalty if you improve your line.

You are allowed to lift and clean your ball before putting but you must mark its position first with a marker and be sure to replace it in the same position. If your ball moves when you remove the marker there is NO penalty, just remark where it was, replace your ball and lift the marker a second time.

The fringe around the green is not the putting surface so the rules for the fringe are the same as for “through the green”.

We do have sprinkler heads in the fringes of all our greens. If your ball lands so that one of these is in direct line of your intended putt you MAY NOT move the ball unless the ball lies on the sprinkler head, or the sprinkler head interferes with your stance or your area of intended swing. If you do have these kinds of interference you will get free relief under Rule 24-2. You find your nearest point of relief, no closer to the hole and drop a ball there.

So please repair all your balls marks, and a few extra ones that have been missed too, and as you leave the green tamp down any spike marks you see AFTER everyone has putted out as you never know that mark might be on your line of putt on your next round.

I hope this helps you.

Hilary

Hi all.

I have been asked these question many times lately so I thought I’d send the answer out in an e mail.

When you are on the putting green can you address your ball with your club behind it and then put the club down in front of the ball before you make your stroke?

Rule 16a (ii) the player may place the club in front of the ball when addressing it, provided he does not press anything down. If it appears that you are pressing anything down you will be penalized two stroke for improving your line, so be very careful if you do this.

The other quesstion I’ve been getting is can you hit your ball with the back of your club?

Rule 14-1 The ball must be fairly struck at with the head of the club and must not be pushed or scraped.

14-1/1The player may play a stroke with ANY part of the clubhead provided the ball is fairly struck. You cannot push the ball but must hit it.

I hope this helps you.

Hilary